Off my Rock(er): Locked out of Paradise, Sweltering in Place
We see palm trees, hear birds, and feel the heat, but this isn't our island. I have vivid mountain sunrises, instead of brilliant sunsets on the sea. We can't see the sea.We're stranded on a desert oasis in California. We left our Paradise, our rock of Grand Cayman,...
read moreHow I Cured My Island Retirement Guilt
When Hurricane Irma (to be followed shortly after by Hurricane Maria) struck the US Virgin Islands, it hit on the very day that school was scheduled to re-open, September 6, 2017. In actuality, with our school being used as an emergency shelter for an indefinite time...
read moreHot Flashing in the Tropics
This particular post is for the ladies... or those men looking for opportunities to man-splain something later and then get smacked for it! When we first visited the Dominican Republic and then purchased a house a year later, I was normal, hormonally speaking. I...
read moreVersatility and Compromise: The Keys to Life on a Rock
When I moved to the US Virgin Islands, it was the most perfect time in my life to make such a tremendous change. I was a young single woman who’d been living on my own, working full-time, and paying my own bills for twelve years since college graduation. I had already...
read moreIsland-style Cleaning Crew
Those of us who came to our rock from urban settings tend to be accustomed to living in sheltered environments where critters of all kinds were never to be seen inside a house, and preferably not outside either. In this way, moving to an island can require quite a bit...
read moreIsland Days That Make You Miss Snow
When we first announced to our family and friends that we were moving to the Dominican Republic, everyone was so envious of us leaving snow behind. No more shoveling snow! You can give those snow shovels away! Give all your coats to goodwill! No more winter boots and...
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