When we boarded our return flight home, the pilot reminded us that we were returning to reality. Indeed. Each morning, from the deck of Spyglass Hill, the house we rented for two weeks, we watched the sunrise, accented by sea and islands, and filtered by clouds and atmosphere. Rachel joined us for both weeks; her friend Sarah came for 5 days; our friends Nicky and Boris stayed for one week; and Joshua, Kyra, Ezra, and Owen came for the second week. We swam and snorkeled each day in a variety of bays: Salt Pond, Lameshur, Francis, and Honeymoon. We hiked the Lameshur Bay Trail to the petroglyphs, Ram’s Head Trail near Salt Pond, and the Yawzi Point Trail between Great and Little Lameshur Bays.

Visibility this year was terrific, with views of St. Croix, as well as clear water for snorkeling. Underwater we saw many turtles (green and hawksbill), sting rays, nurse sharks, barracuda, squid, and many other colorful fish.