Author Archives: len

Odd things happen in the islands. Today was the first day Darlene cashed in on the Wind Spirit Agreement, in which she can ask for four hours of techno help each week. Tonight up at her sister’s house, she asked … Continue reading →

Sisters at Solomon BeachDarlene and Deb yesterday afternoon at a beach located a half-hour’s hike on a National Park trail from Cruz Bay. Tweet

This morning in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, we came across a riot of pigeons and schoolchildren in a square near our hotel. It appeared to be a field trip to feed the pigeons. Kids lined up to receive plastic … Continue reading →

Darlene’s sister Deborah had business in San Juan yesterday, so the three of us flew from St. Thomas (population 51,000) to Puerto Rico (population 3.9 million) and back, staying overnight at the Hotel el Convento . I had never been … Continue reading →

From left, Lola, Mauri Elbel, me, MaLinda Nelson, and Jaime Elliott stand for a group portrait in front of the Tradewinds office in Cruz Bay. Tweet

St. John Tradewinds Publisher MaLinda Nelson and her 100-percent female staff exude a compassionate intelligence and enthusiasm that is simply different than the male-dominated newsrooms I worked in 30 years ago, when cynicism and competition seemed to go with the … Continue reading →

The real reason marriages stay together: she just keeps looking better and better.  Tweet

Wild donkeys roam the island of St. John, but as you can see from this photo, their wild status doesn’t mean they are afraid of cars or tourists. This fellow nuzzled into our rented Isuzu, maybe looking for Cheetos.  Tweet

Lunch Sunday aboard Wind Spirit. Scene of what shall be known as the Wind Spirit Agreement, in which Darlene absolves me of all guilt for excessive time spent on the computer in return for four hours of my time each … Continue reading →

Dave Valentin at the Beach Bar in Cruz Bay last night, sitting in with Steve Simon’s Jazz Islanders. Valentin is fond of quoting his mentor, the Latin music great Tito Puente, who told him, “If you are tired, stay home; … Continue reading →