Deeper Dive - A Vacation to Remember - December 6, 2022
Seven days in a tropical paradise - a pictorial review
Readers of The Deeper Dive and The Rundown will be happy to know that I am back in the saddle again. Two days ago, I returned from a wonderful trip to the family to the United States Virgin Islands, which in many ways is the inspiration for this publication.
It was in the Virgin Islands last May when I had the vision of starting my own small consulting firm working with nonprofit leaders and a newsletter that would help guide and inspire nonprofit and philanthropy leaders. I had been in this line of work for a number of years and wanted to find a new way to help other leaders in this sector.
I saw leaders that were often lost, lonely and confused about their roles, their work and their futures. Anything I could do to help give guidance and encouragement was something that this sector desperately needed and I became willing to fill the void.
Anyway, on this return trip, I thought I would do something a little different and just share a photos of the trip and some of the beautiful sights the Virgin Islands have to offer.
This is Lindquist Beach on the island of St. Thomas. Like all the beaches on the island, the water is an amazing shade of light blue, punctuated with dark blotches, which is usually seagrass, or occasionally coral, on the ocean floor. These areas are usually good for snorkeling to see tropical fish and the water is fairly shallow.
Climate wise, there is a bit more rain this time of year in this islands. The rain though tends to be fairly light and not last long. Pop-up showers are common and often the evidence they leave behind (see above) is truly beautiful. This photo was taken the balcony of our condo unit overlooking the marina at Sapphire Bay on the east side of St. Thomas.
Our first day on St. John we decided to hike about a mile from Cruz Bay to Honeymoon Beach. Honeymoon is only accessible by foot or by boat. Most of the island is in a National Park and there are many hiking trails and naturally protected areas. On our hike, we ran into this little fellow, a hermit crab.
This is Sapphire Beach on St. Thomas, which was a quick walk from the condo unit where we stayed. You can see some sea grass that has washed ashore.
Visitors to the islands will see a lot of wild chickens and they are everywhere. In streets, in public places and in even restaurants. We found this guy at the Tap and Still in Cruz Bay on the island of St. John. Side note: The Tap and Still is a great place if you like burgers and fries. As my 15-year old son said, “Dad, this was the best burger ever!” Check them out at: https://www.tapstill.com/
This Maho Bay on St. John. The beaches on St. Thomas are amazing, but the ones on St. John are a notch above. We were lucky as we were able to snorkel with sea turtles here. There are a couple of stands that rent out clear-bottom kayaks and stand up paddleboards. The weather was actually quite windy this day, but the waters remained very calm and the waves were nearly non-existent.
This is another shot of Sapphire Beach at St. Thomas . Off in the distance are other islands including the British side of the island chain.
Above all else, this was a great time to engage with the family and to recharge the batteries. We are ready to hit the ground running as we get closer to 2023!