Susan Solo – Photographer | Traveler | Adventurer

Tag: villas

St. John 2011

Sometimes you just have to go with the flow and drift wherever the wind takes you, or in our case wherever the storm redirects you. Chris and I had a beach trip in the Outer Banks of North Carolina planned in August this year, but Hurricane Irene decided that we would be better off going to the U.S. Virgin Islands instead.

Part of traveling to the Outer Banks during the summer is knowing that it’s hurricane season and that there’s always a chance the weather could be unpleasant or even dangerous. We’ve spent two summers (and one Thanksgiving) in the Outer Banks with great weather, but this time Mother Nature was not on our side. Hurricane Irene hit the coast of North Carolina on the day that we were supposed to check into our beach house. Not only was it not safe to drive down, the entire area was evacuated and no one was allowed entrance to the Outer Banks. There was nothing we could do. Throughout the weekend we remained hopeful that the weather would subside, and our fingers were crossed that no damage or harm would come from the storm. (Sadly, this was one of the more costly and damaging storms in the U.S. and our hearts went out to those affected.) By Monday, the situation was not improved and we weren’t sure when we’d be able to take our vacation if at all, so we decided to utilize our travel insurance and cancel the Outer Banks trip altogether. Thank goodness for travel insurance!

Thanks also to some quick-thinking and spontaneity, we were able to reroute our travels and book a vacation on St. John instead since we still had the week off from work. We already knew the island from our trip there in 2008, so it was an easy choice for a last-minute getaway. I found a beautiful villa called Palm Vista high on a hill overlooking Fish Bay, and it was the perfect spot for us to relax after the stress of rerouting our trip. We booked next day flights, which surprisingly weren’t outrageously expensive. Tuesday morning we hopped on a plane and arrived at the Palm Vista in time to enjoy an afternoon of sunshine and relaxation.

We didn’t do a lot of exploring or take a ton of photos – we ended up hanging out by the pool and at our favorite bars and restaurants because it really was just supposed to be a decompression trip, but here are a few images from the five days we were able to salvage. Not too shabby, huh? Five days of gorgeous weather in the Virgin Islands certainly beat a week of rainy weather in the States.

September 9, 2011
Just Daydreaming

I’m still here! (I feel so guilty when I don’t post anything on the blog for a few days.) I just had kind of a busy week last week, working on an album design, doing some back-end office stuff, and then I second-shot an amazing wedding for the equally amazing Kate Triano on Saturday. So I’ll have some fun pictures for you soon. In the meantime, for no other reason than sheer randomness (and the fact that I am daydreaming about another vacation) here are two pictures from my trip to St. John. I miss the super relaxing evenings sitting on the deck of the villa with the amazing view, enjoying the feel of a summery breeze high up on the hillside. Minus the mosquitoes, of course.

August 18, 2008
St. John Trip/Gary & Margie – 7.20.08

Chris and I just got back yesterday from six days in St. John, USVI. We stayed with some of his family in the Virgin Seabreeze Villa on the island for a really fun, relaxing vacation. Okay, fun except for the massive amount of bug bites I ended up getting (the last count was 49 bites). But with a view like this from any one of the decks at the villa, who can complain about a thing?!

As promised, I tackled #33 on my 101 in 1001 list: Go snorkeling (for more than 5 minutes even if I’m terrified). And I was pretty nervous after hearing reports from everyone else that had gone snorkeling the day before that there were tons of fish (I know…that’s the point of snorkeling) at Trunk Bay, and even fish that were a little aggressive and biting. However, they also said there was a beach called Cinnamon Bay that didn’t have much to see in the way of fish, so I figured it would be my best bet for beginner/scaredy-cat snorkeling. I have to say Cinnamon Bay is the most gorgeous beach I’ve ever seen in person and even in pictures. The sand is white and super soft, and the water was so clear it was like a swimming pool. And I’m really glad we went there because it took me some time to get used to the snorkeling equipment. We even ended up seeing some teeny tiny fish, a medium fish (?) and a sting ray! The sting ray creeped me out a little, but Chris was able to get a picture while I made a beeline back to the shore. But I was in the water for about 45 minutes before that so I’m super proud of myself!

And speaking of my 101 in 1001 list, there was another item I completed while on the island, though I had no idea I’d be doing it: #63. Photograph a wedding on my own. Chris’s dad, Gary, and his fiancée, Margie, surprised all of us kids by getting us together for what we thought was going to be a family portrait done on the beach. We all got dressed, piled into the cars and headed to Trunk Bay where we were meeting the photographer that they hired so that I could easily be in the picture. But when we arrived at the beach, the “photographer” turned out to be Anne Marie the minister who announced that it was the perfect day for a wedding. And I turned out to be the real photographer – talk about last-minute notice! We didn’t even know they were engaged. And I didn’t have all of the equipment with me that I’d normally have for shooting a wedding. But I quickly scraped my hair into a ponytail after getting over my shock and was so happy to shoot and get some good pictures for Gary and Margie. The ceremony was simple and beautiful and totally “them.” They couldn’t have picked a better setting.

Anne Marie whipped the bouquet out of a tote bag upon arrival. Before we knew there was a wedding and when I still thought she was the photographer, I have to admit to eyeing her tote bag and wondering how in the world she kept her camera and lenses in there without banging them around!

Anne Marie snapped this one of all of us together, so I guess she did end up being the photographer at least for one shot. From left to right: Chris’s brother Steve, me, Chris, Gary, Margie, Margie’s son-in-law Tony, Margie’s daughter/Tony’s wife Sarah, and Margie’s son Chris. Pardon my sandy, wet capris from running around in the surf trying to get good angles of the ceremony.

Gary and Margie, you totally pulled a fast one on all of us, and I’m sorry for asking so many questions about “the photographer” before I knew there was no photographer! I’m so glad we could be there and I was really honored to photograph this day for you. Thank you for an amazing trip!

July 22, 2008