take me there :: warm weather in the air

As if I haven't said it enough already, I am so ready for warmer weather. Looking back through some pictures I took in Camuy, Puerto Rico this past fall and remembering this moment right before an afternoon downpour. We quickly ducked into El Fogon de la Abuela Restaurant and watched the storm pass. Anyone that lives south of Georgia understands those afternoon storms. Sometimes they happen in South Carolina or North Carolina but not like in South Florida {and occasionally in the islands}. There's a downpour of summer rain around 3pm, almost without fail, everyday. The smell right before the rain hits is one of my most favorite things in the world. And the storm usually lasts just the perfect amount of time for an afternoon nap and then it's gone as if we never even knew what the rains were. Oh, how I love that feeling. I am so ready for those summer afternoons. Are there any feelings that you just can't live without?

"some people feel the rain, others just get wet."

{roger miller}

take me there :: honeymoon beach

As I mentioned yesterday, it is freezing here in NYC so during weeks like this I am dreaming of any place other than here. Specifically warm weather beaches {as I'm sure you are quickly learning… as if you didn't already know}. One of my favorite places in the world is Honeymoon Beach on Water Island in the Virgin Islands. I lived there when I was younger and as an adult, I try to visit as often as possible. The bonus of it all is that my Dad just moved back there full time, so visiting will be even that much sweeter in the future. 

Honeymoon Beach :: lunch at Heidi's Honeymoon Grill - late afternoon drinks at Joe's Beach Bar - Monday Night Movies on the Beach {and the ferry does late runs from St. Thomas for movie night} - live music on Sunday nights if you live on the island and/or can get a boat ride back to St. Thomas - snorkeling - volleyball and other activities are always coming up. If you are staying on St. Thomas for more than a couple days, it is worth the day trip over or even stay a night over at the campgrounds. 

Always welcome to email me with any questions! I just love it there.

Time Flies When You Are Having Rum!

take me there :: island time

First, I want to say I love New York but I loathe the winter. I'm naturally not a cold weather person {though with faux fur I'm learning to like it a little more with each wear}… but the thing about New York is that, not only is it cold, it's often dreary and dark. The days are short and the darkness long. The sun rarely peeps out to say hello and so with that, the Winter Blues stop by and drag you down. It happens every year and then I'm dreaming of some place warm to be that matches the endless sunshine in my soul. 

As some of you know I try to do an island trip every year in the winter/spring but this year with all the 2012 traveling that I just finished up, it's not looking likely. So my ADVICE when those winter blues come creeping up :: look through old warm weather vacation photos, google sunny beaches and dreamy islands. Anything that gives you that happy {I'm drinking rum punch and wearing a bikini.all.day} feeling inside. I don't know… I've even considered cranking up my heat and walking around my living room in a bikini. Nothing wrong with that, right? Right. That's what I like to tell myself and it keeps me sane. Anything to keep my soul warm. More to come soon how to keep warm in the winter but what about you? How do you keep warm in the winter?

my personal warm weather vaca photos above include stops in :: puerto rico, water island and south africa. 
any island that keeps me warm is good enough for me.

:: as jimmy buffett sings ::

"so tell me all your troubles / I'll surely tell you mine /

we'll laugh and smoke and cuss and joke / and have a glass of wine…

I come down to talk to me / when the coast is clear"

talent is a mistress

Feeling some changes and good things all around coming up. Funny how creativity flows in and out like the tide sometimes. It's a wonder what turns it on and off. Then I remembered this little blurb from The Courtyard Hounds. Of course I hope talent or rather creativity will never leave but still an interesting thought. 

"TALENT MUST BE A FANATICAL MISTRESS. SHE'S BEAUTIFUL. WHEN YOU'RE WITH HER, PEOPLE WATCH YOU, THEY NOTICE BUT SHE BANGS ON YOUR DOOR AT ODD HOURS AND SHE DISAPPEARS FOR LONG STRETCHES AND SHE HAS NO PATIENCE FOR THE REST OF YOUR EXISTENCE: YOUR WIFE, YOUR CHILDREN, YOUR FRIENDS. SHE IS THE MOST THRILLING EVENING OF YOUR WEEK BUT SOME DAY SHE WILL LEAVE YOU FOR GOOD. ONE NIGHT, AFTER SHE'S BEEN GONE FOR YEARS, YOU WILL SEE HER, ON THE ARM OF A YOUNGER MAN AND SHE WILL PRETEND NOT TO RECOGNIZE YOU."

{the courtyard hounds}

Photos taken by me on the ferry to Water Island looking back at St. Thomas after a night of drinks.
Happy Moments. 

travel :: water island

Island getaways are my favorite vacations. And Water Island is one of my favorite places. The week was spent cooking from scratch, drinking QACies {quiet afternoon cocktails}, enjoying the views and loving the sunny weather. My wardrobe consisting of swimsuits and sundresses. Simple living. Water Island is a part of the USVI, most people visit St. Thomas or St. John but this little island is worth the trip. If you ever get the chance, go there.

I wish I was waking up HERE tomorrow.

i once had a garden where the flowers only grew in darkness...

and they needed constant attention.

but then one day...

 i realized i had better things to do.

travel :: viejo san juan

For a few days of my getaway, I stayed in Old San Juan. I simply fell in love with it. Walking around exploring during the day and partying all night. Mostly, I loved the graffiti of the city. If you know me or know my blog, then you know I'm a sucker for graffiti. Here is just a glimpse of some little tags that I found.

Thinking of the last few months, gone... I am a bit said to say goodbye to summer as the unofficial end is approaching us this weekend but a change of the season is always nice in this city. September is sure to be a busy month and I'm ready for that little chill in the air. NYC feels good that way. 

Happy Holiday Weekend!! 

::mantra of the trip::

yo-hoho and a bottle of rum... 

puerto rico, here we come!

yo-hoho and many bottles of rum...

puerto rico, we had fun!

the island escape

Happy, happy Friday and welcome home to me! A few of you that follow me on instagram know I've been island hopping for the past two weeks. I went to San Juan and Camuy in Puerto Rico {for the first time} then over to Water Island. It's a small island off the coast of St. Thomas and officially the 4th U.S. Virgin Island, though I've never heard anyone refer to it that way. It also happens to be where I spent three years of my childhood and many teenage summers because my Dad lived/lives there. His house is a favorite piece of the world for me to visit over and over again. More details to come soon but first to share a few of those insta-pics that I fell so madly in love with. 

Have a happy, happy weekend!

::the rum diary::

"I knew that New York was getting warm now, 

that London was wet, that Rome was hot - 

and I was on Vieques, 

where it was always hot and where New York 

and London and Rome were just names on a map."

 

{hunter s. thompson}

wanted {island time}

The first year that I genuinely felt the definition of a vacation was in 2008. I have traveled and love discovering new places. I’ve been to islands, cities and small towns. On most vacations, I go-go-go because I like to see it all. Then in April 2008 after living in NYC for just over a year, I went with a couple girlfriends to Turks & Caicos to visit an old friend, who was chefing on a private island down there, Ambergris Cay. Amazing. I relaxed like I had not in a long time, maybe not ever. So many stars in the sky, you almost couldn’t see the darkness. Awake with the sun, nothing to do during the days but lay around, walk the island, drink homemade rum punch, eat the food that you caught and just enjoy the day. I never knew how important these moments were until I lived in NYC. The lifestyle is so very different in the City than anywhere else in America. Vacation is a necessity, I would perish here without one {or three}. And so this trip began the tradition of my spring island getaway. I’m already dreaming of where to go this year. It will be my 5th vacation season! The other previous trips :: 2009, St. Thomas :: 2010, Aruba :: 2011, Jamaica... any recommendations for 2012?

Turks and Caicos, 2008

:: this was the plane to get there from the main island, you should see the airport::



“Guess why I smile a lot. Uh, because it’s worth it.”

{marcel the shell}