Our Slice of the Caribbean
If you would have told me a decade ago I would be living in the Caribbean (again), but this time for long-term, I would have said, "Cool". But then moved on to something else, and not given it another thought. But now, nearly a decade later, here we are. Living --thriving! -- full-time on a beautiful slice of the Lesser Antilles.
Looking out the window, I see the tropical flowers -- the red hibiscus, the yellow trumpets, the purple sea sage, the orange verbena -- and, beyond our back fence, a couple hundred yards of seaside grass with the occasional sea grape tree. And then that characteristic Caribbean blue water with small white caps showing where the offshore reefs are.
You can hear the waves crash into the cliff. At night, when it's still, you can feel the waves hit the cliffside, their reverberation traveling through the atmosphere and lithosphere. That pounding sound was scary at first -- our neighborhood is uncannily quiet, and at night all you hear are the waves. Or the rain tinkling on the roof when a water-laden cloud travels over us.
It's a bit of a drive to campus from here. But I don't mind. Living in the Western US for 40 years, a four or five hour drive is a short hop! When I lived in Denver, we used to drive 12 hours in a day to get to our field house on the weekends. So 40 or 45 minutes to campus? Piece of cake.
No matter what the day has wrought at school however, when I return home and turn into our neighborhood, a sense of inner calm comes over me. I just relax. Any stress instantly fades. Though it was comfortable and we had a super incredible landlord, I didn't feel like that at our last place. I mean, Picasso had a calm energy that visitors remarked on, but was it peaceful? Not really. I've never lived anywhere with that kind of feeling. Visited a few places with the same feeling, sure. But never lived there.
At Sunflower, however -- that's the name we gave our home -- it's just...well...peaceful. One friend who housesat for us recently called it "paradise". Another visitor who stayed with us for six weeks(!) was told multiple times by her stateside friends that she looked younger and calmer and more vibrant than they'd seen her in years. It's kind of a magical place, this Sunflower.
And did I tell you it's a four-minute walk to one of the most beautiful and secluded beaches on island? Well it is. Plus another, more hidden beach four-minutes in the other direction too! The breeze is nearly constant and evenings are so relaxing -- whether you're walking around the neighborhood, sitting on the beach, exploring sea caves(!), or enjoying the catio views.
Yes, we have a catio. For the indoor cat. Who is spoiled.
It's not a big home or a large lot. But it's right-size. Easy to manage and keep up on repairs/updates (which are constant when you live close to the ocean). Come and visit.
And it's dry season right now...in a couple months, that beige and brown will be green.
