16 April 2014

We awoke this morning to snow covered lawns, slippery roads, and a temperature of 30 F. Yesterday Mike Evans told me the temperature on St. Croix this past winter never dropped below 68 F. After a long, cold, and snowy winter it definitely feels good to be returning to St. Croix to trap mongoose dem. At check-in we were told to go through a special security check where we didn't empty our pockets, remove our shoes and jackets, nor send laptops through the scanner by themselves. Less than 15 minutes elapsed from counter check-in to standing in line at Dunkin Donuts for Jonathan's breakfast wrap. The time we spent in line at DD was longer than the security check-in - something that has not occurred since 9/11 when fear was substituted for reason in domestic and foreign policy.

In my role as Chapter President of the union (MSCA) representing the Faculty and Librarians at Westfield State University (WSU) I meet with WSU President Dr. Liz Preston. In our bi-weekly meeting yesterday we discussed the fact that we are likely in non-compliance with numerous state and federal laws and regulations. However, in many of those cases there seems to be no one in the state or federal government who can actually identify the specific rules we might violate until after we violate them. This system sounds too much like the games I play with my eleven-year old son Jonathan. If I start winning he tells me I am cheating. It is all in good fun and assists us both in establishing those very critical boundaries that he must develop and I must refine. The thought of state and federal regulatory agencies playing the same games with potential legal consequences is disconcerting at best and paralyzing at worst. Yet another reason to escape to a tiny, backwater, Caribbean island whenever I get the chance.

We arrived at Cottages By The Sea at around 3:30 pm, unpacked, got organized, engaged in spiritual healing in the waters of the Caribbean, and went to dinner at the Lost Dog in Frederiksted. We returned to Cottages in time to see the Mexican free-tailed bats eating dinner on the fly along the beach. I was also excited when one of my former students from McPherson College, Ty Burden, crossed the threshold of our cottage. Ty has been coming to Cottages ever since I introduced him to St. Croix 22 years ago. Our paths have finally crossed.