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Rich and I returned to St. John in mid August, after Rich had spent several months in the winter and spring at Andante overseeing the repairs and restoration. While he stayed into mid-April to make sure the last finishing touches got done, I had already left to return to work. I didn’t get a chance to see the house painted, the landscaping completed, the pool up and running, or all the construction debris removed until we returned in August. What a treat!
We arrived in the late evening. As usual, we stopped in St. Thomas to pick up supplies and stuff we knew we needed for our projects. It was already getting dark, but as the car ferry came into town, we couldn’t miss how much farther the island had come since we left, and how much energy and warmth surrounded Cruz Bay.
By the time we got everything down to the house from the car, we were tired, stiff and sore. So we decided to take a page from all of our guests and sit in the hot tub under the stars. The house was even more beautiful than before. The plants we had planted in our new planters in April had grown to 4 times their size. The flamboyant tree and the Schefflera beneath the pool (skeletons when we left) had grown even more beautiful than before. The island had returned to its verdant green state.
In the hot tub, the clear starry sky was above us; the wonderful view to the east, south and west to the twinkling lights of St. Thomas extended around us; and we were able to look back at the sea side of Andante.
We marveled at how much had been accomplished with the help and expertise of so many wonderful skilled people. We thought of all the big and little crises that we had come through and we felt enormous gratitude.