Are you still there? If you're bored, suffice it to say that we had a wonderful trip and the rest is just details! Now, if you're into details, have I got the rest of a story for you.

Day 4 (Christmas Day):

Now, we don't celebrate Christmas and Chanukah was over, so this was just another beautiful day in paradise. We did decide however that this would be a lazy day. All involved slept in and breakfast was a leisurely, grazing affair. Cereal, coffee, bagels & juice. Sitting on the deck, staring out into the water, who needs more. Family conference over coffee and Cinnamon was declared the beach of choice for the day. Packed the cooler, grabbed the fins and snorkels and off we went. Parking lot was pretty full, but we snagged a spot and wandered down the beach til we found just the right piece of sand. I guess it was crowded, but sure didn't feel that way. Set up camp and the 3 kids headed off to snorkel out to the island. About an hour later 3 waterlogged bodies dragged thmselves ashore. It was warm ,but breezy so the sun was more than bearable. Now I've always been more of a permanent sand dweller..it's the family joke that I never get wet. But the lure of that crystal clear blue water was too much even for me. I borrowed D's snorkel & mask and headed out to see the fish for myself! (Only kidding, sort of. Generally it's sun for me, but I entered the water at every beach we visited and even got in the pool at the villa. Advantage to a south shore villa is that the pool gets warm, even in December!) Left the beach about 2 and tried to get lunch in Cruz Bay. Everything closed but JJ's and the one waiter working warned us that both he and the kitchen were way backed up. We thanked him for his honesty, stopped at Starfish for bbq fixin's (yes the market was open on Christmas...and busy), and fired up the grill. Enjoyed burgers, veggie burgers and grilled cheese on the side deck. After lunch M, D, A and S walked down to check out the beach below. and spent some quality time together skipping stones. I cleaned up and took notes for this report. Left for our 8pm reservation at La Tapa hoping that their regular menu assurances for Christmas Day would be more real than Ocean Grill's! AND IT WAS. People were lined up outside trying to get tables (most restaurants were closed), but the hostess had our table ready in minutes. We were on the sidewalk, directly under the Quiet Mon, and thankfully, directly under the awning since once we sat it began to rain. We were dry, but I felt badly for our adorable waitress who had to negotiate amongst the raindrops and off the pretty large step at the end of the dining patio. Dinner was good, they accomodated my picky eater with something off the kids' menu (she's 17), but it was very expensive. And so ended another day...they were flying by at this point.

Day 5:

Ok, so the question for the day posed by D was, "Where's the hiking? Beaches are great, but you promised hiking." And so we went hiking. We decided on a shorter first hike, so our plan was to hit Annaberg, check out the sugar mill ruins, then head to the Rams Head Trail (about 2.6 miles roundtrip) at Salt Pond. Adorable family watching little ones ride their bikes in the parking lot. Grandma noted, "this is the only flat space on the island!" Quick stop and look around Annaberg. The construction of the buidings, including the windmill, was very interesting, but we saw it all in about 20 minutes and headed out to Salt Pond. Now it was about noon and getting warm, so I wanted to get this hike on the road. Started down the path to the beach to the trail head on the far left hand side of the beach. This is a hot, arrid hike so bring plenty of water. However there is an incredible wind tunnel about 1/4 mile from the end of the trail. If you don't hold onto your hat you will lose it. The sight of the waves crashing into the rocks through the crevasse was amazing though. On to the end of the trail where we just stared out into the endless blue. This is apparently the most southernmost tip of the island. Working our way back to the beach I assumed everyone would want to stop for a dip, but the vote was unanimous for burgers and beer at Skinny's. How much fun is this place?! Moe stopped by the table and we chatted for a bit. Driving back through Cruz Bay it became apparent that things were getting busier and we should make reservations for dinner. Made a reservation at Pastory Gardens, planning to play miniature golf first. Arrived at 6:30, noticed no one in the restaurant and went down to play a round. Had a great time playing golf and as we approached the 18th hole and looked up to see a few people at the bar and no one at the tables we skipped our reservation and went into town to find someplace with a little more life. I'm sure the restaurant was fine, but we prefer not to eat alone. It was after 8 so maybe it was busier earlier. Anyway, we wandered a bit, Lime Inn was packed so we found a table at the Fish Trap which at least had others dining there. Dinner was fine, but nothing special. They did have multiple choices for my "specific" eaters however and lighter menu choices which were appreciated by all. So we sat. we ate, we went home to bed!

Tomorrow..hint, hint...THE BIG HIKE!!!