Poppa has a standard rule - No matter where
you are in the world, you must call your Momma on Sunday. Every Sunday daddy always calls YaYa, but now
when he calls we use “FaceTime” and YaYa can see me too! This Sunday is the holiday for all Mothers
and is extra special because we are in paradise together. We called and wished Oma a happy Mother’s Day
in Ohio, and then Momma got me all dressed up.
Where do you go early on a Sunday morning in St John?
One thing for sure Poppa says, if you are in
St John on a Sunday my YaYa is going to take you to church. She says, Father
Anthony always seems to be talking right to you, and with the Caribbean sounds
and voices filling the building with joy we spent 90 minutes singing and
praying. Our Lady of Mount Carmel is one of YaYa’s favorite happy places! BTW - It is also conveniently located across
the street from the Beach Bar. Hmmm… Good
boy in church…
Maybe there will be a mango smoothie in my future???
Mass was exactly the way YaYa had described
it with steel drums and Caribbean tempo songs.
For the most part, I was excellent.
I did get a little excited about one song and tore the page in the
hymnal. Poppa rescued me quick from
Momma’s stare and all was good. Then
right in the middle of Father’s homily, somebody in the front row passed out. Momma and Daddy jumped up to help. Both have lots of medical background and
Momma soon had the man sitting back up while he waited for the St John Rescue
folks to help him. I am proud of my
Momma and Daddy for knowing how to help people.
After church we went out for a Sunday
Brunch at Cruz Bay Landing. Aunt Bridget and I posed for a couple picture next some pretty flower bushes as we walked. I was so surprised when we arrived at the restaurant. Right in the
middle of the park, this restaurant which is tucked away in the corner serves some serious food. We ate and ate! Pancakes, omelets, hash browns, and fruit
filled the table. The big people grossed
me out...again! They had a couple rounds of
blood of some lady named Mary – yuck! She was the same lady I was singing for
at Charlotte Airport. My Momma drank
fancy coffee with ice, and that sounds a lot better to me. We were all
waddling when we walked out of Cruz Bay Landing. Poppa loves breakfast there and I am sure
when it comes to catch the ferry home, we will be there again.
YaYa and Momma decided they wanted to
snorkel on their special afternoon. We loaded up the blue beast and headed over
to the East End. My oh my, what a
ride. By the time we got to Haulover
Beach, I was sound asleep. Once again,
the snorkel raft became my bed.
Haulover
South has a small beach that is mostly rock and shade is not a plentiful as the
North Shore beaches, but the snorkeling is really good. Momma saw her first ray and there were some
beautiful sights on both sides of the bay.
The sun hid behind the clouds so the sights were not as vibrant as
usual, but still beautiful. By the time
I woke up, they were loading up the car to head back to Hummingbird Hill.
Now wide-awake, I saw everything I missed
on the way over. My favorite was when
Poppa stopped the car and this big animal stuck his head in my window to say
hello. I call all animals puppies, even
the iguanas, but this was one big damn puppy.
I have to learn some more words because I am positive that was not a puppy in the window.
We stopped briefly at the new grocery store
in Coral Bay to pick up a few items and finally headed home.
Since it was Mother’s Day, Daddy cooked
some awesome Mahi on the grill. Uncle
Brandon took some time and gave me a lesson on the little guitar, but he holds
it backwards for me. The kitchen was a
happening place as I strummed away on the strings. Rice and beans, sweet potatoes chunked and cooked
outside, with a salad of greens, mango, pistachios, raisins, and other good
stuff finished off this feast. Anyone
who has not had Josephine’s Greens while on St John has missed some of the
best. Not sure how she does it on a volcanic
island, but they are YaYa and Poppa’s favorite.
Another
busy day ends and I am beat – Good Night All.