Southern Exposure, the house we rented for this Caribbean vacation, is situated on the southern tip of the island (duh) and is literally only a few feet from the sea. This is a view from the back porch and the pool area.
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And here's the view looking back from the ocean toward the rear of the house. This was the largest, and perhaps the most luxurious rental home we've stayed in. We had invited some old friends to join us for a few days, and there was plenty of room for all.
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The rest of the island wasn't bad either. Even though this is a U.S. territory, they still drive on the left-hand side of the road. This was probably the most accessible island we've visited. Kathy navigated us through a complete coastal circuit one day.
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Here she is standing in the surf near a truly gorgeous piece of land that jutted out into the sea. A hurricane had wiped that side of the island clean of all man-made structures a few years before. Hurricanes were a major topic of conversation throughout this trip.
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Our rental this time was a red Wrangler. Some of the roads here can become somewhat congested at times, and this is the perfect vehicle to get around in.
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Having dinner with our dear friends Joe and Mary. Joe and Jim met in third grade. He was best man at our wedding and then we both moved away and grew apart. This is the first time in about ten years we had spent time together and it turned out to be a very special few days.
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We sailed on Big Beard's Renegade, a catamaran, over to an excellent snorkeling island. By then, there was much talk of the approaching Hurricane Georges. Everyone we met talked about past storms and speculated whether it would turn North or continue on its path which would bring it smack over the top of St. Croix from the south. Remember, the rental house is called Southern Exposure?
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On September 18, Jim finished reading the novel "The Perfect Storm". On that same day, weather forecasters began saying that Georges would most likely hit the island. We had dinner that night at a restaurant in the town of Fredricksted and decided to head back home a day earlier than planned. You can almost imagine the big storm creaping over the horizon in this picture. On September 21, Georges struck the island with 100+ MPH winds and torential rains. Luckily, Southern Exposure survived.
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