It took a little while here, on the island of St Croix, but we explored the Eco-Preserve as much as possible and talked to some people on the island who are generally in the know about what is going on. Here is the latest scoop as we know it:

The removal of the old hotel is the last in the current phases of reclaiming this area as National Park land, and when we left Villa Soleil last Saturday it had been reduced to a small pile of rubble.  In its place will be nature and walking trails.   That’s it, for now.  Long term plans may include a Marine Research Center but I could not confirm that, nor where exactly it would be located.  The old manor house that was bought as the Visitors Center (it stands majestically on the hill across the Bay from Villa Soleil and is an absolutely gorgeous architectural building) is currently being renovated.  In addition, there are new buildings going up near the visitors center (are they private homes?  Please tell me that isn’t true….) and there are new signs at Columbus Beach explaining the historical and archeological significance of this area.

Exciting!  Pretty soon our guests at Villa Soleil will be able to walk five minutes down the hill and into the Park!

Tags: changes, eco preserve, salt river bay

The Villa Soleil deck is a great place to birdwatch

Eating on the deck at Villa Soleil is an absolute delight any night, and the island is lush what with the recent showers.  All the different shades of green astound the eyes as well as the mind and, as we have we reminded last evening, the dampness also brings an abundance of a different kind….fireflies!  The bushes around the deck look like Christmas trees with all the lights blinking from these little critters.

To top off the brilliant experience, when Jeff and I went to bed there was one zipping around our room, blinking furiously.  Poor thing, he wasn’t going to find what he was looking for inside, so we took pity on him and managed to show him to the door.

I had also forgotten that the propensity of edibles bring out the bats.  I am not sure exactly where in the area they make their home, but at dusk, several of them hunt in our backyard.  Reading up on what species of bats live on St. Croix, I learned that bats are the only mammals native to the island.  There are five species of bats that call St. Croix home year-round – the Jamaican fruit-eating bat, the Antillean fruit-eating bat, the locally endangered red fig-eating bat, the greater bulldog bat, and the smallest and only one that eats insects, the pallas’ mastiff bat.  In addition, the Mexican free-tail bat appears to visit on its way back and forth between Latin America and Texas.  The absolute BEST factoid I learned, though, is that the greater bulldog bat fishes for its food.  Using echolocation it senses the ripples on the water from the fish beneath, flies down and drags its feet through the water, using its claws to catch the fish.  Then it carries the fish to a perch to eat it!  I suspect it is the mastiff bat that frequents our skies, thankfully eating its own body weight in insects every night.  And the fruit-eating bats are extremely important for pollinating many plants including coconuts, mangoes and bananas.  Thanks guys!  Unfortunately, pesticides and wind turbines are detrimental to these important creatures.

This morning there were some of the small population of white tailed deer that live in the Eco-Preserve spotted just below the house and last, but certainly not least, was the pelican that went zooming over the deck as we ate breakfast, just a few feet above our heads.  I think I saw him tip his hat as he went by….

All in all, another glorious trip for wildlife watching and the trip has only just begun.

Tags: bats, deck, wildlife

Segway Lady lives life to the fullest, including being a certified scuba diver

Melissa, The Segway Stroller Lady, co-owner of Villa Soleil, exposed

Last night I was sitting at the kitchen counter at Villa Soleil discussing paint colors with Melissa when she suddenly says, google “Segway stroller lady”. Up pops an entire page of “apologies”.   At the top of the list is the site Gizmodo. I click on it and there on my screen is a picture of none other than my best friend and business partner, Melissa Hofstetter, under the title “I am Very Sorry, Segway Stroller Lady“!

Evidently, three years ago, when Melissa was baby-sitting for her nephew Josh in Seattle, someone snapped a photo of her on her Segway, pushing a baby stroller across the street.  Gizmodo picked it up, titled it “This is what we’ve become: Woman pushes baby on Segway – we hope you’re proud of yourselves” and dispersed it to the anonymity of the internet.  It was further picked up by other bloggers and humerists, even entire articles were written about what a fat, lazy society we have become with this photo used as an example.  All without the knowledge of either Melissa or her family.  Then, last week, Joshua comes across the three-year-old photo and post and emails Melissa.  Her son, Chris, and Josh both go ballistic and get in touch with Jason Chen, who writes the Gizmodo apology post blog.

You see, what Jason Chen and everyone else couldn’t tell from the photo is that Melissa is an amputee.  A necessary procedure when the chemotherapy she underwent 15 years ago didn’t stop the cancer cells growing in her leg.  She was given the choice of “lose your leg or lose your life”.  With three children ages 3, 5 and 9 that was an easy choice.  The Segway was a gift from her husband in 2001 to help her continue to live her life to the fullest extent possible with those 3 active growing children while also keeping abreast of her several business endeavors (Villa Soleil, The Powderhouse and Creative Visions), with the least amount of physical pain from her prosthetic as possible.

I read with interest the responses to Chris’s very angry post, and the many people who berated him for his anger at this “one-time” instance.  Again, people who have not lived in their shoes casting stones!  You see, when you are out in public with Melissa and her Segway, two things are bound to happen:

1) You will feel like you are with a rock star because EVERYBODY stares and stops her to ask questions about the device, which would likely be manageable EXCEPT that

2) at least one person is likely to also make some ridiculous statement similar to Jason Chen’s, and at the top of their voice to make sure that Melissa hears them.  I myself have been known to set these ignorant people straight on the street or in restaurants.

Unfortunately, in our society, this leap to judgment of others happens all too often.  My sister had back surgery at age 16, and was told she would never walk again.  She has walked, for 40 years, and bore and raised two children on top of it.  She struggles to get around, and yet it is not as evident as it would be if she used a wheelchair, walker or even a cane.  When I would be out with my father, who carried an oxygen tank, and her, it was always my father that got the offers of help or directions to the elevator while she would be directed to the stairs.  Every day, if she protests, or asks for help, or gets grumpy because she has stood in line longer than she can tolerate, and likely because she is overweight, she gets the same looks and ill disguised attitude as Melissa, and I’m sure countless others in their shoes, endure.

Anyone who knows Melissa personally knows that she refuses to let her “handicap” affect any aspect of her life, and I am truly blessed to know her.  Her attitude and willingness to help and encourage others who are going through similar experiences is an inspiration to all those around her.

It also makes both of our families, friends for over 30 years, happy to be able to provide people of all abilities the opportunity to experience the beauty of St. Croix and Villa Soleil.  We have had guests over the years that range from being cancer survivors to being blind to being paraplegic.  Melissa, of course, is a great resource for all our ability challenged guests, as she knows first hand what resources are available and what are truly handicapped accessible restaurants and activities on the island.

So the next time you see or hear of someone acting or re-acting in a way that leads you down the path of judgment, try taking a step back for a moment and realize that things may not be the way they seem.  And if you’re looking for a Caribbean vacation rental villa for your next dream vacation, know that the Barnetts and Hofstetters will take good care of you when you come to Villa Soleil, no matter what your circumstances, physical or otherwise!

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Tags: melissa, segway, stroller lady

We, present house company, are all very excited about having just submitted our order for island-grown organic produce! On Wednesday we will be able to pick up bundles of spinach, bananas, chaya, katuk, moringa, mangoes, passionfruit, eggplants, arugula, and coffee straight from the hands at Creque Dam Farm. Some of the aforementioned wonders, such as moringa flowers and katuk, we had to research prior to purchase, but I’d say that we are feeling more limitless than limited by our local produce! We are, in fact, excited to test some local flora and fauna on our other senses besides those governing olfaction and vision.

How did we come to this conclusion? It goes a little something like this: we arrive at the supermarket only the find that everything we intended to buy is either overripe, hard as rock, or from a million miles away. The change in food plan might have been easily overcome if it were not for the fact that every one of our gang has dietary preferences as well as regimens; supplying food to sustain everyone is a challenge worthy of any food network challenge! Some are vegetarians and hypoglycemic, others gluten-nut-dairy-free carnivores, others avoid vitamin k, carbohydrates, or nightshades, and still others are triathletes who might waste away were it not for their nightly scoop of ice cream (variation is the strength of the species, is it not?). And so, when it was also mentioned that in food-shopping excursions priority was to be given to the packaging materials (aka plastic-free) and origins of the produce…well, I think secretly our cook was tempted to quit on us, especially being that most produce is packaged in styrofoam and plastic containers because after all, this is the tropics. We grabbed some sweet potatoes and some cucumbers, threw them into our canvas food bags, and retreated.

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Tags: farming, local produce, purchasing, recycling, st croix, sustainability, us virgin islands

Salt River Bay National Historic Park, St. Croix US Virgin Islands changes

So we arrived on island last night for a few weeks of maintenance on Villas Soleil mixed with some fun.  I wake up this morning and something very large is missing from my usual view – something I have really gotten used to seeing.  The old hotel is gone!  If you have traveled to Villa Soleil you may have explored the ruins on one of your walks, or when sitting on the deck it may have been the subject of your ponderings or even stories.  Now, it is no more than a pile of rubble.

This area was the site of an ambitious resort development back in the 80’s.  Backfilling of soil was done and the hotel nearly completed when Hurricane Hugo, the most devastating hurricane in recent history, hit St. Croix with a vengeance in 1989.  The developers left and a few years ago the US National Park added these lands to the Salt River Bay National Historic Park and Ecological Preserve.  The reclamation of this area is good from an ecological standpoint, as this is not only an important archeological site, but also home to mangrove forests and a variety of birds and wildlife.

I have not been on island long enough to canvas my sources and find out what, if anything, further the US Park system has planned.  In any case, the Villa Soleil view, as I have known it for over 10 years, just radically changed.  Stay tuned….

Tags: caribbean st croix island vacation rental villa soleil