Randomlishiousity

You know how some days spill over with oddities, not just one or two but five or seven, every turn of your eyes or brain around a physical or illusionary corner running smack up against a leaper out of the more or less normal flow of your life? You don't? Ok, never mind then.

First off! Happy birthday, Aunt Mimi! 99 years and you're still amazing! Thank you for all the love, the laughter and for making a 5 year old little girl happy.

Onward.

It had just barely rained enough to be called rain. I looked around thinking, there ought to be a rainbow right...there! And there it was, as ephemeral as the rain that brought it into being.

This full moon has lasted for three nights. It keeps on looking full. Is there something I didn't read?

Sorry if you get tired of this view, but I am addicted.

This is sort of a weed plant. I see it randomly here and there, usually standing alone. It is so beautiful, the flowers are almost succulent like in the thickness of their petals.

Here's to Luis the veggie guy! At first it seemed like having him here every day would be amazing, but the reality was a poorer quality of offerings due to a number of factors that ultimately don't matter - we live here, some things just aren't easy and we know that. So now he's set up twice a week, Tuesday and Friday, and everything is much, much better. A true case of less is more. Thank you, Luis!

I was really trying to get a decent shot of Spike the Hummingbird but this Banana Quit was yapping away like the fishmonger's wife on a tearing scold, demanding whatever was being demanded without ceasing.

I'm not sure if there was a nest nearby or what was going on but something set him off.

What is this? These two figures just popped up yesterday on a roadside. The sun was hitting the sparkly part just right, blinding me momentarily into thinking...well, never mind what I was thinking.

Whether you live on islands or in the country anywhere, there are still fence posts like this. Why that makes me so happy, I couldn't tell you. Maybe there is something about the fact that imagining the man's hands (not being sexist here - historically, it was men who did this work, though I'm sure some strong women did too - I've done it myself, but not 50 or 60 years ago), chopping the trees, setting them in the ground, stringing the barbed wire. There is a humanness here that doesn't even cross my mind with perfect fencing. I guess I did tell you. What a surprise.

My almost favorite dinghy from another perspective.

So I'm watching boats on the bay at dusk when this behemoth (over 250 feet) slid into view. The third mega yacht in a week. Did someone put out a c'mon down to the new, rustic St. Bart's sign out? At least (as far as I know) they didn't anchor in the NO ANCHORING Culebra National Wildlife Refuge. 

Edited to note, from someone watching more closely than I - "He was sent away from anchoring in reserve yesterday- And relocated atop tres hermanas reefs- our best corals in reserve. I have photos from the dump.  They must have gone for a dive."

Hey, Captain of the C2 - get your act together, this isn't your playground to destroy!!
 

So who owns ships like these? This article tells about Ron Perlman, the man who owns this one, or did, at the latest writing I could find.

According to the Superyacht Owners Register (Superyacht being one word according to them, not me) this is how it breaks down -

C2  -  78.43m (257.3ft)  -  Abeking & Rasmussen   -  2008

Ron Owen Perelman  -  net worth USD 14 billion  -  USA

Investments, including Revlon  -  macandrewsandforbes

Ronald Perelman is the owner of the yacht C2. Perelman is an American entrepreneur. Through his holding MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc., he has invested in various companies. MacAndrews & Forbes holds investments in : Revlon Group, Inc., Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc, Harland Clarke Holdings Corp, SIGA Technologies Inc, and many other companies. In December 2011, Perelman successfully took liquorice [editor's note, that's me - I looked up liquorice to be sure it really meant liquorice and they really DO make and use it for various products] and check producer M&F Worldwide private. Perelman began learning the buyout business from his father at an early age by attending board meetings when he was in elementary school. His first solo deal came in 1978 when he bought a stake in jewelry distributor Cohen-Hatfield, selling the company 7 years later to Sam Walton.  Forbes estimates the wealth of Ronald Perelman at USD 14 billion. 

The Superyacht Owner Register is pretty interesting. Just in case all that talk about the 1%ers doesn't really seem too real, check it out. It gets very real in a hurry. And if you read about the companies these folks own, you realize that they are very much in your own life, every day in every way. So if you are harboring the slightest bit of superyacht envy, give yourself a pat on the back. You most likely helped buy that boat! There are also job listings on the page. You want to work on a superyacht? You might be just who they are looking for. Or not.

Do you think I look fat in this resume photo?

Good on ya, Mr. Perlman. Just watch where you drop your anchor, we're a fragile place here. You, like all of our guests, from the campground tenter to the super yachts, are hopefully appreciative of where you are and will show respect for the beautiful surroundings that we happen to call home.   

Ponytail palm in the dark

The electricity went out a little while after dark dropped down. A transformer gave a pop and that was it. After making sure it wasn't just the house I was in I rounded up flashlights and lamps, got my book and headed for bed. It was relaxing to be in the dark, reading by a small flame, no beeping or buzzing going on. An electronic mini holiday. Someone actually showed up to try to fix it (Friday night in the islands and someone was working? MIRACLE!). Even though he didn't fix it, I was super impressed that he tried. Thank you, anonymous transformer guy! Better luck today.

If you happen to be headed out to Punta Soldado and notice the road is now graveled? Thank the people who came here to have a wedding and thought the dirt road was a bit much for traveling from their charter boat anchorage to their accommodations. I wish they'd stay awhile; we have a few other things that need attention around here. 

A couple of other happenings occurred that don't fall in the category of blog post material, all in all making it good to be tucked up in bed, in that hushed silence you get when  you close the windows so you don't hear the generator next door the electricity down leaves you in a cool winter hush, the fragrance of the night an aromatherapy of the best kind.

Waft waft

Here is how Culebra goes. My phone was on its last gasp when it rang. It was the man I'm house sitting for. One of the neighbors saw the electricity was out, leaving the house dark and called him to let him know. He called me to make sure I was okay, which I was. Behind the pina coladas under the swaying palms, we're a neighborhood just like any other small town. And that's what it's all about. 

This is what comes from having 3 full moon nights in a row. I get it. Now stop it.

Have a scrumptiously seamless Saturday. Do something superlunary.