#(they can barely get out of their own driveways they are not prioritizing their sidewalks.)

[crimeronan]

we prepared pretty well for the storm and didn't lose power but we're Still iced in. it stopped sleeting for long enough tonight for me to strap some microspikes onto my sneakers and walk to a convenience store for milk, which made me laugh because even back in new hampshire i never needed microspikes for anything except hiking. when it ices here, there is nothing to be done. nh infrastructure is full of salt trucks and plows and shovels for sidewalks and whatnot, but here there will be full inches of ice on the road and on the sidewalks until it melts. usually it melts in a day! when you're feeling the effects of ongoing climate catastrophe, tho, it does not. It Cold

anyway it felt good to get out of the house and stretch my legs but my calves and feet are now burning So Bad. walking a mile having to dig spikes into ice with every step is probably the physical equivalent of 2-3 miles on normal terrain.

also i fell once when the spikes on one foot slipped off but i didn't die. 🥳

[yandereaffections]

Tw: Gore

To you it was just Will who was harmed, cut in various places with the blood being absorbed into his clothes where the tears are. You found him barely conscious walking down your neighborhoods sidewalk, tunnel vision leading him to your house during the exact moment when you went out to get the mail. Hearing Will call out your name weakly from the darkness of the night might've scared you at first but the moment he came into view of the driveway lights you took him into your care

With all his praise towards you while bandaging him up you'd think he was delusional, the lack of blood causing him to prioritize your affectionate touch over a drive to the hospital, yet Will still manages to stand tall and use all his weight to keep you from taking him to the emergency room despite barely holding onto wakefulness

Will was in over his head, the rush of emotions caused him to be reckless and he regretted it immediately when his victim retaliated with a pocket knife, Will just wanted to get rid of them for you, not get almost fatally wounded in the process

They were always giving you a hard time, whether it be at work or the few times you happened to meet on the streets, never kind or respectful, the filth wouldn't give you a moment of peace as long as they were around. You may have called it teasing or basic fuckboy behavior but Will saw from a better perspective, one where he could actually help you

After the first few swipes the bastard made in self defense Will got the perfect boost of anger to push past the pain and take the opening given to him, though it was definitely too much for the moment Will got the knife near his throat he accidentally shoved it to far, he was imagining it be a quick slice yet there his weapon was dug into the man's neck, an absolute mess squirting out of the open wound

Even after they collapsed against the corner of their backyard fence Will couldn't get the knife out, to far in-between the open gasping jaw and the hyoid bone with little energy to pull it back through Will just left it there 

Can you blame him when Will instinctively wanted to go back into your arms straight after? He doesn't need to worry about the body his neighbors will find it after their dog constantly smells them from the other side of the fence decomposing in the hot sun or pouring rain, right now Will wants nothing to have your gentle hands caressing over his face as you wipe the blood you think is his own

Lay him down in the same bed you sleep in that drowns him in your scent, tuck him in and sleep on the other side of the mattress giving him space to heal whilst holding his hand 

While it may not seem like much, god, Will hopes this moment of euphoria knowing he did good for you never ends

[wallaceleris-blog]

St. John (3/18 - 3/25)

After 5 months of being in foreign countries, we ended our streak by heading to St. John in the USVI (we hadn’t been in America or an American territory since we left Newport in October).

We had a nice downwind sail with 15-20 kts of breeze.  We were hoping to be able to pick up a National Parks mooring near Cruz Bay (where customs was), but it was so crowded!  We ended up being able to get one in Caneel Bay.

Our mooring in Caneel Bay.

Once we had eaten lunch, we all hopped in the dinghy and took the very long trip over to Cruz Bay to check in.  As soon as we walked into the US Customs and Border Protection building we felt like we were at home.  I know it’s a weird thing to notice, but we all said that it looked and smelled just like every government building at home; it was also strangely exciting to see all of the typical government posters with the symbols of the government organizations (like NOAA and the FDA) in the corners.  

It made us feel really proud to be Americans when we saw how official it was and how seriously the officials took their jobs.  They were actually wearing uniforms, carrying weapons, and not playing on their phones while they helped us.

After checking in and being welcomed back to America, we walked around town.  Everything about St. John just had such a distinctive, American feel to it.  There were sidewalks, street signs, the grass everywhere was mowed and raked, and there were public trash cans along the sidewalks (so the streets weren’t covered with litter).  The Visitor’s Center was also plastered floor to ceiling with information about coral reefs and island history.  These were all things you really only see in America, we just hadn’t realized it.

We walked to the Dolphin Market to get food for dinner, and once again, we realized how much we had been missing America.  For months, we had been going into markets with barely stocked shelves, poor produce, and really iffy meat.  The Dolphin Market was as American as the rest of the town.  The shelves were all well-organized and filled with American brands. There was also a massive section with organic produce and meat.  Mom was in heaven.

We dingied back to the boat and had an amazing, American dinner.  We were all so happy to be back in the US.

The next day we motored to Maho Bay after breakfast.  After tying up to the mooring we packed a picnic and dinghied to the beach.  We were planning on hiking to the Annaberg Schoolhouse and Sugar Plantation, but the trails were closed a few years ago (according to the taxi driver we asked).  We ended up walking down Route 20 instead.  There weren’t that many cars, so it wasn’t too bad.

Annaberg Schoolhouse ruins.

We saw the ruins of the schoolhouse, and then we walked to the Annaberg Sugar Plantation.  We had a quick lunch on a stonewall which overlooked a bay, and then we walked up to the ruins of the plantation.  It was raining on and off the entire time we were there, so there weren’t many other people there (there were, however, a lot of mongooses).

Annaberg Sugar Plantation ruins.

When we got back to the boat, we tried to move to Leinster Bay, but all of the moorings there were taken. We turned back and picked up a mooring in Francis Bay and spent the night there.

The following morning we went back to Leinster Bay.  There were available moorings that time, so we picked one up.  We spent the day snorkeling around Waterlemon Cay, swimming, and paddle boarding.  A couple we had met in St. Maarten pulled into the bay in the afternoon, and just before dinner they motored over in their dinghy to talk to us.  They’ve been cruising in the Caribbean for 10 years now, so they had some good tips about which other islands we should stop at before heading up to the Bahamas.

Pelican on our bow in Leinster Bay.

Leinster Bay and Waterlemon Cay.

Jack paddle boarding in Leinster Bay.

Snorkeling around Waterlemon Cay.

The next morning we sailed to Coral Bay.  Our friends, the Myersons, have a house near there.  As I mentioned in my post about wifi, they were incredibly generous and offered to let us use their pool, wifi, and outdoor shower.

Coral Bay.

After anchoring in Coral Bay, Dad and Jack went off in the dinghy to figure out how we could get ashore to get to their house (the only dinghy dock in the bay was too far away). The beach in front of the Myerson’s house was too rough, so they were snooping around all of the little beaches on the edge of the bay, where it was calmer.  

As they dinghied by a house boat, looking very lost, an older couple came out to offer them help.  Their names were Sandy and Ken Burt.  They suggested that we beach our dinghy on the little beach adjacent to their house.

Sandy and Ken’s house.

After talking to Ken and Sandy, Dad and Jack came over and picked Mom and me up.  We beached the dinghy and then walked to the Myerson’s house. We spent the afternoon there, enjoying the wifi and swimming.  Before we left we all took showers in their outdoor shower.  We all agreed that they were the nicest showers we have taken since we left home, and that it was the cleanest we had all been in months.

The Myerson’s house, Fort Cove.

On the walk home we passed a feral donkey that glared at us like it wanted to kill us.  We quickly went back to the boat, and then we went to a restaurant called Skinny Legs for dinner and got amazing, American burgers.

The following morning we went to the Dolphin Market (it involved hiking down a trail through a mangrove forest and walking for a mile down the street).  After shopping, Jack and I went to the Myerson’s while Mom and Dad put away the groceries.  They met us at the house later, and we spent the rest of the day there.

On the walk back to the dinghy, we took a detour to do a quick hike that Mr. Myerson had recommended.  We walked up to an overlook that had a beautiful view of the other peninsulas on St. John and Norman Island (which is in the BVI).  There were about 6 or 7 cannons and a wall, which were left over from when Denmark owned the island.

Another donkey, near the Myerson’s driveway.

The hike back to the dinghy.

Before going back to the boat, we stopped to give Ken and Sandy a boat card.  They invited us into their house for cocktails.  They were really nice.  We lost track of time while talking with them, and ended up going back to the boat after 8 pm.  Before we left they invited us to dinner with them at Indigo Grill the following night.

Mom and I spent the next morning lounging on the boat while Dad and Jack went to Sandy and Ken’s beach to clean the bottom of the dinghy.  When they were done, Dad, Jack, and I went back to the Myerson’s house one last time (we really didn’t want to leave – it was so nice).

That evening we met Ken and Sandy at the Indigo Grill (they were so nice; they even made reservations for us).  We sat at a table on the patio with them and had a delicious dinner.  They introduced us to a whole bunch of their friends while we were there.  It was a lot of fun talking to all of them.

Dinner with Sandy and Ken.

A few hours into the meal a Chicago Blues band, called Reverend Raven and the Chain Smokin’ Alter Boys, started to play.  We had dessert and listened to them.  Then Ken went up and played saxophone with them during one of their songs.  After Reverend Raven, John Nemeth and his band played for a bit.  It was a really fun night.  

Reverend Raven.

We felt so lucky to have met Sandy and Ken.  They were so nice and helpful; meeting them allowed us to see a side of Coral Bay that we would have missed out on otherwise.  We hope we will be able to meet up with them again at some point, maybe on their Christmas tree farm in New Hampshire, where they live during the summer.

The next day was rainy and windy, so we stayed on the boat all day.  The day after was Jack’s 16 birthday.  We had birthday breakfast on the boat, and then we set sail for St. Thomas.

Birthday breakfast: Jack opening his presents, which were wrapped in computer paper and masking tape (wrapping paper wasn’t prioritized when we packed up the boat).