And now, for something a bit more positive...

Just got back from a land-based weeklong 50th birthday celebration for me and three of my high-school classmates. With significant others and my stepdaughter and friend, we had a group of 9, 5 of whom were making their first visit to the islands. Stayed at Sandman's Grand K Suites. Highlights of the trip included:

Sun night at the Elm, listening to the Elmtones

Mon night at Bananakeet...the clouds parted just in time for a tremendous sunset.

Tues, we did the FlyBVI trip to Anegada. Snorkeled Loblolly, lunch at Big Bamboo, even had time for a quick stop at Cow Wreck. As much as I love staying for a few days on Anegada, this is a fantastic way to experience the island in a short time. Got back in time to head over to Quito's for an outstanding accoustic set.

Wed. was a daysail on Kuralu with Capt. Gary and our special guest, Manpot. Weather was fantastic, snorkeled around Norman Island and the younguns even got to experience the Willy T for a short time. Finished up with a wonderful dinner at Cruzin's with Malcolm and Candace.

We said goodbye to the young folks on Thursday and got down to some serious limin around Cane Garden Bay. Thursday dinner at Myett's ended with 7 of us, Sandman, and the guest band, Hudson and the Hoodoo, camped out on the beach drinking wine and swapping stories. A fine time was had by all.

Fri. was more limin, followed by dinner at the Elm with Malcolm and Candace and then off to Quito's for an evening of dancing. Always one of the highlights of any trip.

Sat., we water-taxied over to Jost for a special birthday dinner. Were met at the dock in Great Harbor by Bunn who did a great version of "Happy Birthday" accompanied by himself on the triangle. Then over to White Bay. We arrived around 4PM and the newbies had mouths agape as they surveyed the chaos/frat party around the Soggy Dollar. We assured them that all would be well, the beach soon cleared, and we had a tremendous dinner at the Sandcastle, capped off by a moonlight cruise back to CGB. Not a bad way to celebrate one of life's milestones, IMHO.

As always, the list of people we are proud to know and grateful for is extensive, but certainly includes all of the above-mentioned folks, plus many others. While the beauty of the islands might have gotten us to visit occasionally, it's the wonderful people we share time with every year who keep us coming back.