Florian Villa St. John USVI: The experience.

Chief's Test 2012

2011-08-18T16:08:00.000-07:00

Chief's Test for Boston Fire Department, we need the money to keep the charity going.

Is it worth it?

Dan Magoon at Florian Villa St John USVI

2011-08-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Dan Magoon for taking the time to take a disable veteran down to Florian Villa.
Dan Magoon is a firefighter for Boston Fire Department and is the president of American Legion Post 94 Engine 21's quarters.

Jim Hoar Ladder 4 Boston Fire Department scam

2011-08-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

Just for a clarification. Florian's Causes was at first at not for profit and now is a non profit. It is more of a tax ID number issue than anything else. James Hoar ( lives in Hanover Ma since 1999 )Ladder 4 Dudley Boston Ma was a little confused of the difference between not for profit and non profit. After sending an email to James Hoar Ladder 4 Boston Ma who resides in Hanover Ma since 1999, it was clarified that it was a non profit. Sue Kelley, Ann Cahill and several other board member's from Florian's Causes clarified the difference to Lt Hoar ( Hanover Ma 1999 )Ladder 4 Dufley Boston Ma. It was the difference between not for profit an non profit. Lt Hoar did not intentionally slander Florian Villa, Florian's Causes, or any of the members of the service despite not serving in the military himself. " said his cousin Cpt Gerald Hogan Engine 32, it was a misunderstanding. Cpt Hogan, also not a veteran, stated that Lt Hoar did not mean to slander the US military.

Thanks to Timmy Goddhard Ladder 26 Boston Fire Department

2011-08-18T11:41:00.002-07:00

Thanks to Timmy Goddhard for going on vacation at Florian Villa St John USVI. Timmy is from Ladder 26 Boston Fire Department.
Vacation for Vets, SUDS, Florian's Causes, and several other non for profit organization's benefit from Timmy going to Florian Villa St John USVI.

Thanks again.

Tha

2011-08-18T11:41:00.001-07:00

Maho Bay St John USVI Chronicle Florian Villa Boston Firefighter

2011-02-22T14:56:00.000-08:00

Just a word to the wise, if you are over 30 and are going to stay on St. John VI you might want to reconsider Maho Bay. It is nice and on the water but hot. Cinnamon Bay might be a better option, it is cheaper and has tents on the water. Both places have a ton of mosquitos. I am not pushing to rent a villa, but with the prices these days if you have a party of 4 it would be cheaper to rent a villa, it will be cooler and there is usually a pool and a hot tub. That being said, most of the villa's are not right on the beach with is a good thing. There are some really good deals, much cheaper than Maho ( and I like Maho ).

Skinny's Legs is a great place but I am not sure if I would travel all the way to Coral Bay just to get there. But if you are on that side of the island I would spot there and say Hi to Mo. He is a little off but very nice.

Thank you so much for Chronicle Channel 5 doing a piece on Florian Villa and mentioning the Boston Firefighter and them helping out with the disabled veterans and diving ( google diving vets on ABC ) or got to Florian Villa's press page. The guys were really unbelievable, like Deb said they were in really good spirits. They were from all branches of the service ( we just use MUDS marines undertaking disable scuba and snorkeling because I always feel bad from them ( being a Marine myself ). Although Deb helped out Chronicle that was awful nice of them to put Florian after Kenney Chesney's house.

I would also like to thank you everyone who participated in the raffle ( we will have another one soon ) and who let's not forget the families of fallen firefighters.
This is the link from last night's show on Chronicle Channel 5 Boston featuring Florian Villa and Florian's Causes ( charity for disable Marines and families of fallen firefighters )

Let it run for 4 minutes, Deb did a great job.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/26945857/detail.html?taf=bos

Please check out our press page at

http://www.florianvilla.com/florian-villa-press.php

Rent Florian Villa Now to Help the Cause
For Special Deals check out our website at

www.florianvilla.com

Our Causes Page for Families of Fallen Firefighters and Muds Marines Undertaking Disabled Scuba

www.florianscauses.org

Boston Firefighter, St John Maho and disable vets

2011-02-22T14:55:00.000-08:00

This is the link from last night's show on Chronicle Channel 5 Boston featuring Florian Villa and Florian's Causes ( charity for disable Marines and families of fallen firefighters )

Let it run for 4 minutes, Deb did a great job.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/26945857/detail.html?taf=bos

Please check out our press page at

http://www.florianvilla.com/florian-villa-press.php

Rent Florian Villa Now to Help the Cause
For Special Deals check out our website at

www.florianvilla.com

Our Causes Page for Families of Fallen Firefighters and Muds Marines Undertaking Disabled Scuba

www.florianscauses.org

Great Spot on Chronicle for Florian Villa and disable vets

2011-02-21T20:55:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Kathy at Chronicle Channel 5 for great story about Florian Villa with disabled Marines. It told the whole story of Deb at PWC and me at the Boston fire department and the families of fallen firefighters.

Check out the link at www.Florianvilla.com

Or florianscauses.org

Florian Villa on Chronicle Monday 2/21 Channel 5

2011-02-21T00:03:00.000-08:00

Florian Villa ( and Florian's Causes ) will be on Chronicle tomorrow night @ 7:30 pm 2/21.

I think it will be a good show about St John VI in general.

Danny McLaughlin from L15 the grand prize winner of the raffle for Florian's Causes is going this Thursday.

Here is a preview to the show.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/26916632/detail.html

Scott Wahlen
617 686 1088
callscott2000@gmail.com

www.florianvilla.com

www.Florianscauses.org helping families of fallen firefighters and disable marines
http://bit.ly/1hcFQ
florian villa's press page

2011-02-12T22:43:00.000-08:00

U.S. Serartvice men and women are asking everyone to say a prayer for "Darkhorse" 3rd Battalion 5th Marines and their families. They are fighting it out in Afghanistan & they have lost 9 marines in 4 days. IT WOULD BE NICE TO SEE the message spread if more could pass it on. Semper Fi, God Bless America and God Bless the United States Marine Corps... Often Tested, Always Faithful, Brothers Forever. Justin Allen 23,Brett Linley 29, Matthew Weikert 29,Justus Bartett 27,Dave Santos 21,Chase Stanley 21, Jesse Reed 26,Matthew Johnson 21, Zachary Fisher 24,Brandon King 23, Christopher Goeke 23,Sheldon Tate 27 All are Marines that gave their lives for YOU this week. Honor THEM by fowarding this. I just did.

I received this as a text as I bitch and moan about my day; how I wish I did that, I wish I had more money, I hate this person, the people I work with sucks. I wish my past was different, I wish I was different. I wish I didn't have to do this or that.

What am I grateful for? I am alive. I have my health, I have a job. I don't have to see the people that I don't like too often. My better half is truly my better half.I can't change people, places, or things and institutions but I could be a little greatful.

I receive phone calls for people who want to rent florian villa and it is the usually the same old script, but once in awhile I do get to tell people of my mission statement and why I started Florian Villa in the first place. It was for disable Marines and families of fallen firefighters. That is it. Not everyone, but most people think that is wonderful. I think it was wonderful after I read about the Marines in 3/5. I am also very grateful.

Florian Villa on St John United Stated Virgin Island is a nice villa on a beautiful island that houses Marines and firefighters families. It is a very small charity ( Florians Causes ) and it gets by on a shoestring. But that is not a complaint rather than a thank you everyone that ever gave us a chance and rented the villa, used it for a wedding or retreat or just called to say thank you.

And after reading about the Marines from 3/5 I forget all my problems and remember that starting Florian Villa and Florian's Causes was a good thing.

And I am grateful.

Florian Villa will be on Chronicle Channel 5 this spring 2011, stay tuned for the details.

Rent Florian Villa help out veterans and families of fallen firefighters

2011-01-11T21:32:00.000-08:00

In an age of what about me, I
have to be honest and tell you that Florian Villa is
Definitely not about the owners. We run Florian as a charity that has a huge mortgage. If it wasn't for the charity Florian's Causes we would
Drop it. But I do feel good about sending down the Kelly's even if it wasn't.a classic
No good deed goes unpunished. Same with the Cahill's, all from
Boston Fire Department. I just recently reached out to
The Chicago Fire Department and Told a families anytime you want to go down.

This is how it works. You rent the villa, we pay the mortgage and that let's us out weeks aside for
Veterans and families of
Fallen firefighters. There are a lot of villas on St John, this one is just that makes everyone feel a little bit
Better because we did something great in a person's time of need.

Can any of the other villa's say that.

My daughter Coralina was names after Coral Bay
She is 12 weeks old today.

Thanks Scott Wahlen

From a recent villa at Florian Villa St John USVI

2010-08-30T05:53:00.000-07:00

Comments:
We stayed at the Villa in March of 2010 and it was out of this world. The Villa is more beautiful than the video. The views are fabulous and especially so at night. It was incredible to lye in bed at night and look out over the water at the lights of St.Thomas and the stars in the sky. Scott and Deb's intimate knowledge of St.John and the suggestions that they made, got us into vacation mode right off. We traveled with 2 other couples and there was plenty of room and quiet for all.We have always stayed in 4 to 5 star hotels and my wife and I have traveled quite a bit. Renting a villa was new to us but friends said it was the best way to visit St.John. I can honestly say that Florian Villa made our St.John experience perfect. We have already booked it for next year

Taxi information on the island of St John USVI great list to have

2010-08-27T13:07:00.000-07:00

Taxi List

STJOHNUSVI
created & hosted by
STRATEGIC PROJECTS
Copyright 1996-2010
All rights reserved.

GETTING AROUND BY TAXI

Paradise Taxi Association
340/ 714-7913 dispatch 7 AM to 1 AM Daily
340/ 714-7875 Office
340/ 714-5698 Fax
Prompt reliable service on St. John. Courteous, trained drivers.

Official taxi rates from Cruz Bay to:

1 person 2 people 3 or more (each)
Annaberg $10 $12.50 $ 5
Caneel Bay $ 2.50 $5 $ 2.50
Chocolate Hole $ 4 $7 $ 3
Cinnamon Bay $ 5.50 $ 8 $ 3.50
Coral Bay $10 $12.50 $ 5
Gallows Point $ 2 $ 4 $ 2
Great Cruz Bay $ 2.50 $ 5 $ 2.50
Maho Bay $10 $12.50 $ 5
Reef Bay Trail $ 6 $ 9 $ 5
Trunk Bay $ 5 $ 8 $ 3
All official taxis or vans carry the letters JP on their license plates.
Round trip fares are double the one way fare.
Waiting charges are 15 cents per minute after the first 10 minutes.
Two hour island tours cost $30 for 1 or 2 passengers; for 3 or more $12 per person.
Taxi shuttles carrying 3 or more passengers are often available.

Taxi Commission: 340/ 776-8294, Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm.

Compare hundreds of travel sites at once to find the deal that's right for you.

St. John, US Virgin Islands

A Great Place to Visit.....again & again

info@stjohnusvi.com

Kenny Florian comes to Boston:::

2010-08-26T15:10:00.000-07:00

Kenny Florian is In Boston to fight on Saturday night and Florian Villa St John and Florian's Causes are hoping that he will do a love read to benefit their charity Florian's Causes: for families of fallen firefighters and wounded marines.

Kenny Florian was on WEEI this morning on the Dale and Holly show talking about his career. Kenny is a classy guy and we wish him the best on Saturday, come down to the Garden to cheer him on...

See St John excellent source of information

2010-08-26T15:06:00.000-07:00

From the blog see St John....

St. John Day Trips: Butterfly Garden St. Thomas
Posted by gerald in St John and Virgin Islands Stories, tags: butterfly garden, gifft hill school, St. Thomas
Welcome back!

If you’re spending time in the Virgin Islands and have kids, the Butterfly Garden is a visit well worth taking. The kids will love it. There are excellent guides who will answer all their questions.

Below are some photos taken at the Butterfly Garden during a St. John Gifft Hill School Pre-Kindergarten class trip.

Butterfly Garden St. Thomas USVI

Catapult: Virgin Islands Slingshot
Posted by gerald in St John and Virgin Islands Stories, tags: catapult, curtney chinnery, ghost

catapult

Some years ago I came across a piece of Lignum vitae wood. part of which formed a “Y” just the right size for a kid’s slingshot. I saved the wood, but never got around to making it a slingshot, I confess, I’m not that handy, but I’m not so bad at delegating. Anyway the king of Virgin Islands slingshot art happened to be in town and I seized the opportunity. I also dug out this article he had written about just that, making a slingshot, or as they are called here, a catapult:

The Catapult, by Curtney “The Ghost” Chinnery
Normally we children would not go into the woods without our choice of weapon – a catapult. The making of the catapult is simple. Taking a piece of stick that has the shape of a “Y”, we make a groove at the two ends. Then we take a thin strip of tire tube from either a bike or a car and tie both ends of the tube onto the ends, creating what we would call a catapult. Each kid has a catapult.

The tongue of a shoe would be used as a pouch.

All children back then awake at 5:00 in the morning. Most children would have a long distance to go. Some, like myself, would journey into the hill above Great Harbour. My daily routine was climb or walk up the hill, a trail as long as I can remember. Even today it being used. Taking my journey about three mornings each week just before sunrise. Before I leave the yard, I would go to my box outside the house, where I keeps my marbles, catapult, and other personal antics. Taking only the catapult, after drinking a cup of our local bush tea, into the hills to fetch the cows. This was not an easy task for an eight year old. In any case, on the way into the hill to input a little playtime, we would shoot lizards. By doing so, we would get better with our aim. The main purpose of our catapult was to hunt birds, mainly the Mountain Dove. The Mountain Dove normally sings in dry weather. The elders used to tell us that the song the Mountain Dove sings is, “Father God, please send rain.” We still have that saying here on Jost Van Dyke. As my morning journey carries me to the cow pasture, taking and filling my pockets with tiny rocks to be handy for reloading my catapult. Shooting lizards and constantly listening for either the song of the Mountain Dove or the sweet whistling sound of their wings as they sweep through the trees. The reason that the Mountain Dove was our favorite prey on the hills is because of the sweet taste when fried.

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Apr
20
2010

St. John Stories: Scotland Yard Comes to St. John
Posted by gerald in Life on St. John USVI, St John and Virgin Islands Stories, tags: British Virgin Islands, bvi, curtney chinnery, scotland yard, St. John, the ghost, tortola
I have an uncanny way of being able to find the Ghost. Case in point the “Scotland Yard Incident.”

It all started one day in 2002 when I came home to find a rather unsettling message on my answering machine. It was from a Detective Sergeant Michael Murfin from Scotland Yard asking me to please give him a call. He left a phone number from the BVI.

I immediately ask myself what I possibly might have done to incur the interest of this venerable law enforcement agency.

I rack my brain. What could they want? What did I do? Should I call? I can’t think of anything and so I decide to call.

“Hello, Detective Sergeant Michael Murfin Scotland Yard, who’s calling?”

“Gerald Singer from St. John”

“Oh good, Mr. Singer. I’m glad you called. We’re coming to St. John in a few days and we’d like to talk to you.”

“What’s this about?” I ask.

“We’ll talk about it when we get there,” he answers, “we’ll call,” and he hangs up.

Mystery still not solved.

Three days later the phone rings.

“Detective Sergeant Michael Murfin, we’re at Cap’s Place in Cruz Bay. Can you come down and talk to us?”

“OK,”

So I go down to Cap’s along with my then girlfriend and there sitting at one of the tables are two casually dressed agents along with their wives.

I identify myself, join them and take a seat looking out at the street.

“So what’s the story?” I ask.

Well, the story goes like this:

The two agents are on Tortola investigating a murder, in which the local BVI police department are getting nowhere. The Scotland yard boys, however are pretty sharp and they have a good lead, a witness or a suspect who was in jail and there was this guy sharing a cell with him that they felt had some information. They didn’t want to approach the guy directly or ask too many questions locally, because they were afraid that the guy would be suspicious and hide or run. In their investigation they find that this fellow with the information has a friend on St. John that could act as an intermediary and that friend is me, and the individual they’re looking for is Curtney Chinnery, the Ghost.

“Would you talk to him,” they ask.

Before I can even answer the question I look out onto the street and who is walking by but none other than the Ghost himself.

“Excuse me a moment,” I say to the agents and walk out onto the street.

I walk over to Ghost and explain the situation and ask him if he wants to talk to the agents. He says, OK and we walk over to Cap’s.

The agents deputize the Ghost on the spot and the information that they gather from him proves to be helpful in the ultimate solving of the case.

Detective Sergeant Michael Murfin and Detective Kenny Allen from Scotland yard, their wives (left), Habiba, the ex girlfriend (between the two agents) and the Ghost (front)

Island Sun August 2, 2002
“Man charged in Bally Murder Case”

On 30 July, Darren Hodge, age 25, a serving prisoner at Balsam Ghut was charged with the murder of Jason Bally. A police sources stated that this case has been unsolved since October 1999. Ag. Commissioner Barry Webb reviewed the case last year and recommended a renewed investigation.

His Excellency Governor Frank Savage agreed to two officers from New Scotland Yard being attached to the investigation team which has been led by Inspector Alexis Charles. The Scotland Yard officers are Detective Sergeant Michael Murfin and Detective Kenny Allen. Experienced RVIPF officers and Attorney General’s office have worked closely with the officers from London for the past six weeks to bring this investigation forward.

Bally, 25, was shot in the street outside the Domino Gas Station in Sea Cows Bay on 15 October 1999. A native of Trinidad, the victim had been employed at Foxy’s Bar on Jost Van Dyke.According to police, investigations revealed that Bally and a male companion were walking along the Sea Cows Bay Public Road in the vicinity of Domino Gas Station when a black male approached them from the gas station area. A loud blast was heard and Bally fell to the ground while his companion escaped unharmed and alerted residents of the area. On examining the gas station police found that an attempted burglary had taken place and recovered items used in that attempt.

While police have gathered enough evidence to bring a murder charge against Darren Hodge, the investigation is still ongoing. There were a number of suspects involved in the attempted break-in of the gas station and efforts continue to collect evidence to prosecute them for burglary and to determine what part, if any, they played in the murder.

The investigation team is still keen to hear from anybody with information about the case. In particular, assistance is sought regarding two gas tanks left at Domino Gas Station by the suspects. It has never been established where these came from, but it is suspected that they were stolen from someone on Tortola. Additionally, the weapon used in the murder is believed to have been a handgun that has not yet been recovered.

Police sources further noted that on 16 December 2001, Darren Hodge who was remanded to H.M. Prison for burglary escaped but later turned himself into police on 17 December. Hodge was due to be released on 19 August 2002, however due to the present matter he will have to reappear in the Magistrate’s Court on 23 October.

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the investigation team on a dedicated telephone number: 468-9136. All calls will be treated in the strictest confidence.

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Mar
18
2010

St. John Morning: Good T’ings
Posted by gerald in St John and Virgin Islands Stories, tags: aloe, hummingbirds, lime tree, Orchids, St. John

lime flower

I though I might share some of the little things that made me smile this morning.

I noticed that my lime tree is in flower again. This is a local lime tree, not a grafted one. The limes have seeds and they turn yellow when ripe. They’re full of juice and are sweet in a limey sort of way. I planted this tree from a seed given to me by John Gibney, taken from a lime grown on my favorite lime tree. The tree flowers all over and almost all the flowers ripen turn into limes that fall to the ground when they get ripe. I would guess that each time it bears it gives at least 100 limes, probably more.

Now the lime tree is in flower once again and today as I walked by, I remembered something about the flowers. They’re special also. They have the most delicious aroma, like a beautiful perfume from an expensive perfume store.

Good T’ing! Made me smile.

aloe flower

I have a lot of aloes in the garden. I used to used them in shakes, but not so much recently. They’re good for sunburns or any kind of burn. Now they’re all in flower. The best thing about the aloe flower is that it attracts hummingbirds. My neighbors Adam and Jane have a hedge of aloes where I took this video on day when the aloes were in full bloom.

orchid

This is one of my favorite orchids. It’s not native to St. John. My guess is that it came fro El Yunque in Puerto Rico, but I’m not sure. It has been in bloom many times and each time it makes me smile.

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Feb
08
2010

St. John Virgin Islands: The Ghost Recites “Your Counterpart”
Posted by gerald in St John and Virgin Islands Stories, St. John USVI, St. John Virgin Islands, tags: curtney chinnery, Jost Van Dyke, St. John, St. John Virgin Islands, the ghost, the ghost from jost

Curtney Chinnery aka The Ghost From Jost recites his poem, “Your Counterpart”

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Aug
09
2009

St. John Virgin Islands Stories: Take the Money and Run
Posted by gerald in St John and Virgin Islands Stories
I once read an article in the New York Times which suggested that the Virgin Islands was “a sunny place for shady people.” I happen to believe that the article was essentially correct, especially for the continentals that inhabit this tropical paradise and even more especially for those continentals living on the island of St. John during the decades of the 1970s and 80s.

I heard this story in upon returning to St. John after an extended hiatus. Neither the principals nor the story teller are presently available for comment or verification and I have no first hand knowledge as per the veracity of this story. Thus, no names. But I have to say that knowing some of the characters on John that have come and gone, it does rings true.

The story, which takes place on St. John in the 1980s goes like this:

One day a husband wife team came to St. John from America to promote a land development project. Their role was to bring together investors and developers, a service for which they expected a significant piece of the pie.

They were young, good looking and fast talking. Notwithstanding, after almost a year of concentrated effort it began to look extremely doubtful that their deal would ever off the ground.

Meanwhile the couple had purchased some land and had just started building. They got as far as the first cistern pour, when apparently the stress of building, the stress of their business failure and the stress that seems to be inherent in many St. john relationships began to effect their marriage, which soon came apart at the seems.

The man left the island and the woman stayed on hooking up with a guy who was a talented carpenter and builder. Together the two lovebirds worked diligently on the construction of the house, which she and her ex had begun.

When the house was just about finished, this relationship also went on the rocks, and the lady kicked the boyfriend out of the house. Having no more reason to be on St. John, her boyfriend returned to the states.

Shortly thereafter the end of the affair, the lady’s husband returned. They patched up their differences, got back together, sold the newly completed house, and left the island.

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Aug
08
2009

Virgin Islands Stories: The Mechanic
Posted by gerald in St John and Virgin Islands Stories, tags: Virgin Islands
It was the summer of 1969 and I was still living on St. Thomas. At the time I was driving an old Willys Jeep. Although usually extremely dependable, one day the old jeep began to have some rather serious problems that needed the attention of a professional. I was then living on St. Thomas’ Northside and I had a neighbor, a big, bearded, white boy named Norman, who was an excellent mechanic and not too expensive. I called Norman and the jeep and I limped over to Norman’s house and deposited the jeep inside the detached garage where Norman did his automotive repair work. The garage lay at the end of a steep, crumbling, concrete driveway and I knew that it wouldn’t get back up that road until it’s problems were solved.

I secured Norman’s promise to start work right away and went about my business – on foot.

I don’t remember what the problem with the jeep was exactly, but it must have been serious enough, because when I returned the next day there were jeep parts spread all over the garage mixed in with Norman’s tools and, for lack of a better description, “stuff.” It was really quite an impressive mess.

“How’s it goin’, Norman?” I asked.

“Under control,” said Norman.

I had to hand it to Norman, and to all those whose mechanical intelligence so vastly surpasses my own, that he would actually, not only be able to put the jeep back together again, but also to render the old fellow St. Thomas road ready once again.

As I stood in the blazing sunshine outside the wooden garage marveling at the expertise of this mechanical wizard, I saw a black sedan turn off the main road onto the driveway making it’s way towards us. A middle aged black gentleman, who I recognized to be Al Wiltshire, a detective in the employ of the Virgin Islands police force, stepped out of the vehicle.

“Afternoon,” I said

“Afternoon,” he answered. “Norman, I have some bad news for you.”

Norman looked up from his work.

“What’s that Al?”

“I have a warrant for your arrest. Appears to be an old stateside beef. I gotta take you in.”

“No Al! Please, not now! ” I pleaded. “Can’t you just come back later. Let Norman finish up. Please!”

“Sorry, can’t do it. Let’s go Norman.

Norman and Al disappeared into the car leaving me staring at a thousand and one parts, bolts, screws, soda cans and tools and the stripped body of my old jeep.

“Don’t worry,” I heard Norman shout from the open car window. “It’s no big t’ing. Be right back.”

I did bump into Norman again, a little more than a year later, but by that time I had moved on to St. John. The jeep was history, but all else was just fine.

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Jun
08
2009

Virgin Islands Stories: The Tooth
Posted by gerald in St John and Virgin Islands Stories, tags: Jost Van Dyke, norman island, the indians, Virgin Islands
Some years ago I sporadically worked as a boat captain for Delbert Parsons when he owned Ocean Runner. On one occasion I served as captain for a family of five, mom, dad and their three children. a boy age 13 and two girls ages 9 and 11.

We checked in at Jost Van Dyke and from there went to Norman Island to snorkel the caves.

I stayed aboard while the others snorkeled.

The family must have loved the snorkeling because they were gone quite some time. When they returned, they told me that coincidentally both of the girls had lost a baby tooth on the snorkel.

When they got aboard I asked the girls what happened to the teeth.

The father answered for them saying that the teeth had been committed to the sea.

“Don’t you believe in the tooth fairy?” I asked the girls. Again the father answered for his girls, Not in this family, we don’t,” he said.

A few weeks later I received a letter from the dad. It seems that the older of the two girls had written a story for school concerning lost baby teeth and belief in the tooth fairy, which he wanted to share with me.

The little girl’s story…

Once there were two ten-year-old girls who lived in the same town. One night both girls lost a baby tooth.

One of the girls had nice parents that believed in the tooth fairy. She put her tooth under her pillow that night and when she awoke the tooth was gone but there was a quarter in its place.

The other little girl had cheap, mean, stingy parents who didn’t believe in the tooth fairy. They told the little girl to throw the worthless tooth in the garbage.

The next day both little girls went with the other school children to an outing at the zoo. The two of them, being friends, stayed together. They were fascinated by all the animals and they strayed off to the farthest part of the zoo. They didn’t pay attention to the time and the rest of the class left without them.

The two girls walked together to the zoo entrance and waited for the bus that was going back to their neighborhood.

The one little girl, who had the quarter from the tooth fairy was able to board the bus and go home, but the other little girl didn’t have a quarter because her parents were mean and stingy and cheap and she couldn’t get on the bus. To make matters worse it began to rain… hard!

The little girl had to walk all the way home in the pouring rain, and she got pneumonia and died and her cheap parents were to blame.

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Jun
07
2009

Tales of St. John & the Caribbean: Book People
Posted by gerald in St John and Virgin Islands Stories, tags: curtney chinnery, ghost, Jost Van Dyke, tales of st. john and the caribean

"The Ghost"

The First Time I Saw A White Person
By Curtney “Ghost” Chinnery
From Tales of St. John & the Caribbean

When it comes to tourists, I as a child saw very few. Reason being is because in those days, which were the 50s and 60s, not many yachtsmen would venture across to Jost Van Dyke. I for one used to call white folk “Book People,” for that’s the only place I used to see them, in books or magazines.

I remember one day in Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke, a little before where Foxy’s is today. It was the first time I came in physical contact with a white person. It happened one day while a white boy and girl were playing ball. I was asked to join in, this for me was a great privilege, and, happy as can be I played with them. From the paleness of their skin, and due to the fact that I could see the blue veins beneath their skin, the thought was placed in my mind that they were soft and fragile. This in turn created a sense of fear about touching or grabbing them too hard.

When the fellow’s sister hit the beach ball in the air, both him and I chased after it. He tripped and fell, causing me to fall directly on top of him. Fearing I might have hurt him I screamed with a feeling of fear mixed with sorrow. Immediately I rolled off him asking, “Are you okay?” In any case, seeing he wasn’t harmed I asked him with a little shyness, “Can I touch your hand?” He looked me in the eye and got serious. Then he answered without a smile, “Sure, but only if I can touch you next.”

The situation reminds me of a saying: Judging a book by its cover.

With my pointing finger I reached out at his arm. At first softly I poked his skin. He did the same, but to my chest. It seemed to me that he might have had thoughts of me being fragile, the same way I though of him. Something like me thinking he was soft as a jellyfish and his thoughts that I may be soft as chocolate pudding.

It was my first touching a being in the company of someone white. A twist of fate made it to be the same for that boy. It was exactly the same. The kid and I became friends that moment. When the yacht left Great Harbour, I watched with the hope that they would return someday. For almost two months, I would make my way to the bay in order to check if their vessel had returned.

That was my first dealing with the so-called white man.

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Jun
06
2009

Virgin Islands Stories: Dr. Paul Erdmann Isert
Posted by gerald in St John and Virgin Islands Stories, tags: slavery, st croix, Virgin Islands
Labor and the Plantation Economy of the West Indies
Failing to find gold, the Europeans who originally came to the West Indies endeavored to make their fortunes as masters of plantations exporting sugar and other valuable tropical products. However, these West Indian plantations would require a great number of low paid laborers.

As other Europeans would not consider relocating to this hot and unhealthy part of the world, working long hours (from sunup to sundown) all to be paid an abysmally low wage, the answer to this labor problem was to procure enslaved workers, who would have no choice in the matter.

Slavery
As a result, Africans, captured by slave traders, were chained and shackled, and brought to European slave-processing stations on the west coast of Africa. These unfortunates were then crammed into slave ships under the most horrible conditions imaginable, and transported across thousands of miles of ocean to labor in a strange land controlled by cruel and barbaric overseers.

Dr. Paul Erdmann Isert
Dr. Paul Erdmann Isert, a German national who had studied and lived in Denmark, came to the west coast of Africa in 1783. He was appointed Chief Surgeon at the fortified Danish settlement of Christianborg, which today would be in the nation of Ghana. He obtained this position even though he was very young, because it was a job no one wanted.

After a few years in Christianborg, Isert signed on as a physician aboard a slave ship, where he observed first hand a glimpse of the horrifying reality of what had become a large and lucrative ongoing business .

Inherent Stupidity of the System and a Reasonable Alternative
Sickened by the horror and human misery he saw, both in the slave-processing bins of Christianborg and aboard the ship, Isert came up with an alternative. The use of enslaved laborers on West Indian colonial plantations, Isert reasoned, was not only inhumane, cruel and immoral, but also absurdly stupid.

In a letter sent from St. Croix in 1787 to his father, Isert asked these questions:

“Why did our forefathers not have the sense to found plantations right there on the fertile continent of Africa; plantations for sugar, coffee, cacao, cotton and other articles that had become so necessary in Europe?

“Had we gone to Africa with the leaf of the olive tree in our hands rather than weapons of murder, willingly would the natives have given us access to the best and most fertile parts of their lands, areas which for untold years had been lying desolate. Why was not our approach more Christian, more intelligent and humane? Why?

“These African people would have helped us in freedom and, for low wages would have given us greatness and riches with no offense against nature, or our personal and national consciences.

“Why did we have to uproot vast numbers of people from their homelands, subject them to agony, torture, humiliation, and death; transplant them to alien continents, Caribbean islands, big and small? Why?”

Friends in High Places
Isert wanted to demonstrate that the establishment of working plantations on the continent of Africa could be practical and profitable. To this end, he enlisted the aid of Ernest Schimmelmann who was then the Danish Minister of Finance.

Schimmelmann, a well-known and well-off liberal, who was instrumental in the passage of the law ending the Danish Atlantic slave trade, agreed to finance Isert’s endeavor.

Isert also had an important ally in Africa, the Asante king, Osei Kwame. The two had become friends after Dr. Isert had treated an cured the king’s ailing sister.

Success!
Isert sailed to Africa in the summer of 1788 and established a plantation at the base of the Awapim Mountains, purchasing the land from Osei Kwame, on behalf of the king of Denmark.

With the help of Osei Kwame, who shared Isert’s enthusiasm about the plan, paid workers cleared the land and began cultivation of sugar and coffee.

On January 16, 1789, Isert wrote a report for the King of Denmark in which he expressed the fine initial success that he was enjoying.

Enemies in High Places
On January 21, 1789, just five days after writing the report, Dr. Isert was found dead on his African plantation reportedly a victim of a tropical fever.

Other information that surfaced later indicated, however, that he had been murdered in a conspiracy that was instigated by European financiers of the slave trade and powerful plantation owners on St. Croix in the Danish West Indies. Isert’s actual assassination was said to have been carried out by corrupt government officials at Christianborg and their henchmen.

Project Abandoned
After Isert’s death, the African plantation project was abandoned.

Florian Villa: an adventure vacation like no other on St. John USVI

2010-08-20T16:12:00.000-07:00

Craig Howie from LA Splash wrote this article about an adventure vacation at Florian Villa St John USVi. This article gives an accurate description of what a vacation is like at Florian Villa St. John. Our thanks goes out to him and everybody else that supports Florian Villa and Florian's Causes.

Trunk Bay on the US Virgin Island of St John

A peaceful veranda environment
Picture your perfect yoga retreat: An island in paradise, great food and company, sunrise Vinyasa and Ayurveda sunsets, and a schedule as flexible as you are.

Welcome to Florian Villa on St John, the most pristine of the US Virgin Islands. Here, owners Deborah Bernstein and Scott Wahlen host relaxing yet invigorating yoga vacations where guests exercise their bodies and minds on a beautiful poolside veranda overlooking lush jungle and island bays, in between day-boat trips, scuba diving, snorkeling and hiking around the island's secluded coves and white-sand beaches.

Best thing about the largely undeveloped island of St John – 90 per cent of which is protected national park -- is that it's part of the U.S., which minimizes much of the worry and hassle associated with foreign travel (a passport is not required for travel, though is recommended, and most cell phones work). Its US status also ensures it's one of the safest parts of the Caribbean for American travelers to visit. The British Virgin Islands are a short skip – and a passport stop – in a sloop or sailboat and Puerto Rico is just 35 miles to the north-west. St Thomas, the jumping off point for St John, is a short connecting flight from San Juan or a couple hours from Miami. These factors were key to Deborah and Scott's decision a couple years ago to locate their luxurious retreat on St John, which along with St Croix and St Thomas make up the larger islands of the Virgins.

St John's beaches frequently top lists of the world's best – you may have heard of Trunk Bay, Cinammon Bay, Maho Bay or Francis Bay, all strips of white surrounded by translucent blue. Laurance Rockefeller famously settled here in the 1950s, opening the exclusive Caneel Bay resort which to this day provides the ultimate in luxury for the jetset crowd including Angie and Brad and singer Kenny Chesney, who loved the island so much he bought a house here. Land prices top $1 million per acre and supply is severely limited. Rockefeller's legacy includes the donation of much of the island to the US government in 1956, ensuring its continued preservation.

A typical stretch of sand

Luxury villas on a nearby island
After meeting Scott and Deborah at St Thomas Airport and embarking on the 20-minute ferry ride to St John, guests quickly realize that their hosts for a full or half-week stay are not only bubbly and fun folks but are also exceptionally organized and accommodating. Want to skip sunrise yoga after a couple celebratory drinks the night before? No problem. Want three daily sessions of two hours or more of advanced yoga? You got it. Want to bake on the beach or snorkel all day? The island's clear, warm water and white-sand beaches are all yours.

The split-level hillside Florian Villa has four bedrooms – one king, one queen and twin, a full bed and queen, and a queen loft – and three bathrooms, one of which boasts an outdoors shower where you bathe surrounded by lush and fragrant flora. Rooms are large and have TVs and most of the usual amenities including wireless Internet, and were exceptionally clean and well prepared on arrival. The west-facing open living and dining area has a 180-degree view of the forest below and island-filled horizon through screens to keep the bugs out. It's hot but not too hot while the swimming pool and ceiling fans keep guests cool in the humid tropical air a mile or so inland of the island's main town of Cruz Bay.

View from Florian Villa balcony

Relax by the pool

Daybreak yoga sessions
Deborah, 37, who has practised yoga for ten years and taught Vinyasa, Hatha, Ayurveda and Kundalini for eight years, every sunrise and sunset expertly guides guests through the various techniques in a balcony veranda as relaxing as it is spectacular. Our group of four guests – including sisters Pam and Debbie from Florida and Virginia respectively and Lauren from Massachusetts – loved Deborah's instructive, adaptive teachings and marveled at the easy manner in which she guided us through complex exercises. Deborah enhanced our understanding of familiar elements of yoga and taught us new ways to think about the relationship between body and mind.

Ready to roll
Key thing to note here is that Deborah fashions her schedule and teaching to accommodate both beginners and experts. She will guide when needed and adapt her classes to include most elements of yoga depending on guest requests and skill levels. She also has a range of yoga props to minimize body stress. The villa is also available for yoga instructors to bring a group of their students and teach them in tandem with Deborah, or on their own.

Deborah says: "I usually try to adapt what I teach mostly to whoever is there, but it usually ends up being a Vinyasa flow (body healing through control of breath) and I also teach a lot of restorative yoga and meditation. We usually have between four and ten people, from people who are new to yoga up to experienced practitioners. To me, in keeping with the Vini yoga tradition, when I teach a class it's a good sign if everyone individually is doing something that works for their body.

"For the yoga adventures, we do the beginner retreats which you really don't need to be in shape for and for the adventure retreats we do a little more hiking. This is more of a water retreat. If people want to do a whole yoga program or yoga once or twice a day we can tailor that, too.

"Instructors can either do a hosted retreat where Scott and I will provide logistics, driving and food and we take them on guided hikes, or instructors can do a yoga independence where they have full use of the villa and they take a rental car around the island and I schedule trips in advance. A lot of instructors like to have us for logistics here though, the driving here can be real tough."

Deborah helps Debbie hold a pose

Lauren performs a crane

Split-level Florian Villa
Formerly a management accountant at a Fortune 500 accounting firm, Deborah turned her back on the corporate world six years ago to open her own Princeton, Mass., yoga studio before selling it to buy Florian Villa last year with her partner Scott, a newly promoted fire captain. St Florian is the patron saint of firefighters.

The Boston couple also has developed an ambitious plan to open the retreat to families of injured firefighters or those killed in the line of duty. Scott, 39, hit upon the idea after attending more than 50 funerals for the victims of the 9/11 attacks in New York. Every five weeks of guest booking allows Scott and Deborah to house a firefighter family for a week free of charge, and families from California to South Carolina have visited the retreat. Often they will rent a car on the islands and undertake their holiday at their leisure, largely undisturbed by their hosts who are always available when needed.

Scott, an 11-year fire service veteran, says: "A lot of them have had a lot of exposure and want a retreat from the world. We wrote to the unions and posted ads on firehouse.com and placed radio ads, saying if you need assistance to please get in touch. For firefighters we usually give them the villa and set them up with the caterers and our cleaners. We keep an eye on them but really they enjoy the seclusion. This is a place for them to get away. However, one of the firefighters from Boston and his family are going to come on a yoga retreat."

Scott has worked with Families of Fallen Firefighters, Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba (SUDS) based out of Walter Reed, the families of the Worcester tragedy and many other 503c charities. He has applied for charitable status for Florian Villa and has hosted the family of a firefighter killed in a California wildfire. "Anybody in LA or the California area that thinks they have cause – it's not just LODD (line of duty deaths) but anyone who has a story to tell we would like to hear it."

On a lighter note it was great to eat dinner with our hosts and hear Scott's stories from the fire service relayed with typically Boston good humor. Food was generally excellent. Deborah hires a local caterer to look after the costly and time-consuming business of preparing daily lunch and dinner. Dinner is the standout with dishes ranging from passionfruit chicken to grilled mahi-mahi. On the last night Deborah carefully delivered a perfectly cooked piece of sesame tuna seared to each guest's preference -- despite her protestations that she'd not cooked the dish before -- as Scott, a former bartender, mixed up some zingy mango and pineapple margaritas.

Deborah enjoys the guests' company at dinner

Pear and walnut salad with rosemary mash

Wine and salsa pre-dinner snack
Other meals included pear and walnut salad with pomegranate sauce, rosemary mash potatoes and deep-fried brie alongside tangy pumpkin seed and mango red onion salsas. Desserts included yummy lemon bars and impossibly rich chocolate cake. Two coolers on the balcony – the smaller containing essentials like spring water and milk and the larger essentials like white wine, Corona and Virgin Islands lager – were an ecological alternative to guests continually opening the fridge to get water and letting the chill evaporate. Breakfast is fruit juice, granola, bagels and freshly brewed coffee. Sandwiches, snacks and beer are provided for lunch stops on secluded beaches.

Snorkelling trips revealed astonishing coral formations, sting rays, octopus, moray eels and spiny lobster alongside parrot and pufferfish and others straight out of Finding Nemo, as described by our day-boat captain Nate, who runs Nate's Custom Charters at www.natescustomcharters.com / 1-340-643-7795. He takes guests on half or full-day snorkeling or fishing trips on an expansive tour of the island's secluded beaches and coves. He's knowledgeable and easy going and exceptionally accommodating and his double-engined boat speedily allows you to visit snorkeling spots and beaches with no land access. Sunset trips on a smaller beach cat boat with Han at Sail Safaris at www.sailsafaris.net / 1-866-820-6906 were tremendously serene and beautiful and a turtle-watching kayak tour was great fun with Sarah at Arawak Expeditions at www.arawakexp.com/ 1-800-238-8687. Scott also takes you by SUV to spots that only locals know about. And don't worry about costs: all of that is included in the cost of the trip.

Pam has fun next to the beach cat

Captain Nate

Translucent St John waters
Deborah acknowledges that the retreat can be expensive -- especially in high season when rates can top $700 a night for a double occupancy, check out www.florianvilla.com for more information about yoga retreats, adventure retreats, full-week rentals and other options -- but says that the island's location and resultant high prices for basic goods and services means that it is impossible for the couple to compete with other retreats in terms of price. Guests can expect to spend no more than $200 outside the cost of the retreat. And here you're also paying for the most unspoiled island in the Caribbean and the exceptional service provided by Scott and Deborah, and of course the use of their luxurious villa and a small contribution to the ongoing firefighter program. It's quite difficult to explain but the villa attracts largely independent people who have yet to be lulled by a cruise ship or an all-expenses luxury chain resort like the Westin down the road. The main clientele are yoga groups, families, couples and singles, who experience the best of St John and all of its charms from its plunging roads and trails that can only be traversed by Jeep or SUV to its rich history, magnificent beaches, friendly locals and great bars.

Picture it now. And breathe. And go!

A local school steel-drum group performs in Cruz Bay

A fire-juggling pirate on Halloween night

Welcome to the National Park

The beach at the Westin

Lauren gazes toward a mansion

Deborah leads the yoga class

Scott keeps us entertained

Enjoying island life

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The most common question and on of the most important question for Florian Villa

2010-08-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

The most common question is where to rent a car, try to rent a car in Cruz Bay USVI,
Also rent early because there limited cars on the island.

Florian Villa. www.Florianvilla.com

COMPLETE LISTING OF RENTAL CAR AGENCIES ON ST. JOHN

Driving around St. John is a wonderful way to see the island. Make a day of it, or a week. Stop at an inviting beach, enjoy a picnic lunch. These agencies can rent you a Jeep, a Suzuki, a Sedan, even a safari bus for more than 6 people. Many sorts of vehicles are available; one is certainly right for your group. Call for rates & information, or visit their sites & reserve via e-mail.
Conrad Sutton Car Rental
Cruz Bay
340/ 776-6479 Phone
340/ 693-8099 Fax
Secure On-Line Reservations at http://www.conradcars.com
e-mail: info@conradcars.com

Choose from a variety of top quality jeeps, trucks and cars, large and small, to accommodate your needs. Short walk to and from ferry dock. Free customer parking.
L & L Jeep Rental
PO Box 493
St. John, VI 00831
Phone 340/ 776-1120
Fax 340/ 774-3975
On-Line Reservations
e-Mail: Info@BookAJeep.com

Ferry dock pickup & drop off. Unlimited mileage. Jeep Wranglers 2DR & Jeep Liberties 4DR.
Beach Scooters
Lumber Yard, Cruz Bay
340/ 693-7368
Best Car Rental
Cruz Bay
340/ 693-8177
Prompt and professional service.
C & C Car and Jeep Rental
Cruz Bay
340/ 693-8164
Call for reservations or pickups.
Cool Breeze Jeep & Car Rental
Cruz Bay
340/ 776-6588
Courtesy Car & Jeep Rental
Cruz Bay
340/ 776-6650
Prompt, affordable, professional service.
Delbert Hill's Jeep Rental
Cruz Bay
340/ 776-6637
Denzil Clyne Car Rental
Cruz Bay
340/ 776-6715
Hertz
Cruz Bay
800/ 654-3131
340/ 693-7580
Hospitality Car & Jeep Rentals
Cruz Bay
340/ 693-9160
Free mileage and maps, pick up and drop off from hotels and ferry dock.
Reasonable rates and discount packages. Close to the ferry dock.
Love City Limo
340/ 777-RIDE
St. John's first & only brand new white stretch wedding limo.
O'Connor Jeep Rental
Cruz Bay
340/ 776-6343
Real Jeeps at the Texaco station.
Paris Car Rental
Cruz Bay
340/ 776-6171
Penn's Jeep Rental, Inc.
Cruz Bay
340/ 776-6530
St. John Car Rental, Inc.
Box 566
Cruz Bay, St. John, VI 00830
340/ 776-6103 Phone/Fax
Clean, well maintained Sidekicks, Vitaras, Wranglers, Cherokees & Monteros to suit your needs.
Spencer's Jeep Rental
Cruz Bay
888/ 776-6628 toll free
340/ 693-8784
Automobiles & 4 to 8 passenger jeeps. Pick up & drop off service.
Sun & Sand Car Rental
Cruz Bay
340/ 776-6374
Varlack Ventures Car Rental
Cruz Bay
340/ 776-6412

Chicago Tribune reports thousand to mourn the death of FF Wheatley

2010-08-13T21:22:00.000-07:00

Thousands mourn Chicago firefighter
Colleagues bid farewell to Christopher Wheatley who died in West Loop blaze

The procession moves along 103rd Street before a funeral Mass for Chicago firefighter Christopher Wheatley in St. John Fisher Catholic Church Friday. (Zbigniew Bzdak, Chicago Tribune / August 12, 2010)
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By Duaa Eldeib, Tribune reporter
8:48 p.m. CDT, August 13, 2010

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Under the blazing sun, they waited.

In their crisp blue uniforms and white gloves, hundreds of firefighters in perfect formation outside the funeral home waited.

For more than two miles along the hushed street, children on bicycles and old men waving American flags waited.

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Outside St. John Fisher Catholic Church, in the grassy yards of strangers, hundreds more waited.

And when the flag-draped coffin of Chicago firefighter Christopher Wheatley arrived on Engine 5, they honored him.

The bagpipes fell silent. The salutes held strong. The tears flowed.

One by one, the pallbearers lifted Wheatley's coffin and carried it into the church. Behind them, Wheatley's family — holding hands and crying softly — followed.

When Wheatley became a firefighter two years ago, after eight years as a paramedic, his mother, Mary, worried about her only son, the Rev. Thomas Mulcrone told the packed church of more than 1,000 at the funeral Mass on Friday. Fire officials estimated an additional 2,000 — from across the Chicago area and as far as New York and Boston — listened through loudspeakers outside.

"I want you to tell (your chief) you can't do anything dangerous, and if he asks why, tell him your mother said so," his mother had told him.

But Wheatley, who as a boy would painstakingly line up his toy firetrucks and firefighters so not a one was crooked, loved being a firefighter. He exuded a passion for his job, for running into a burning building when those inside were running out.

"Chris was the type of firefighter you wanted sitting next to you at the kitchen table, and he was definitely the guy you wanted with you when you were crawling down the hallway and the fire was rolling across the ceiling overhead," Mulcrone said.

He exemplified all the qualities of a firefighter and paramedic — pride, respect, courtesy, teacher, helper, worker — said fire Commissioner Robert Hoff, whose firefighter father imparted that list to him before he was killed in the line of duty.

Wheatley, who grew up in Lemont and played Little League baseball, died when he slipped off a fire-escape ladder at a West Loop restaurant Monday. He was weighed down by more than 40 pounds of equipment when he fell to his death.

"Rest in peace, brother," Hoff said.

Wheatley, 31, is the first Chicago firefighter to die battling a blaze in more than a decade.

During the Mass, the International Association of Fire Fighters awarded Wheatley's family — his mother, father Daniel, sister Kim Skubic, brother-in-law Chris Skubic and fiancee Jessica Roberts — the medal of honor.

The night of his death, Wheatley's mother said the loss of her son is a hole that can never be filled.

As devoted as he was to the department, and as committed as he was to his favorite football team, above all else, Wheatley loved his family.

"And how he loved you, Jessica," Mulcrone said.

Nearly everything Wheatley owned, including the tailgating grill his fiancee helped him score, sported the Chicago Bears logo. It seemed only fitting that when Truck 2 arrived at the church Friday morning, resting on top was a Bears flower arrangement.

"Chris is finding out the gates of heaven are not blue and orange," said Timothy Mannix, Wheatley's cousin and godfather.

The miles-long procession to the cemetery included more than 20 firetrucks from throughout the Chicago area and a line of cars flying miniature Bears flags. As they passed, firefighters flanked both sides of the street and saluted a final time.

As Engine 5, Wheatley's engine, turned the corner, the sun caught light of words emblazoned on the side: "We're here when you need us."

deldeib@tribune.com
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Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune

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Florian Yoga with a great letter to Bill asking for help for disable troops

2010-08-13T14:03:00.000-07:00

Dear Bill,
I've been a fan for years and love that you support the Wounded Warriors. My husband and I started a charity (www.FloriansCauses.org) to do our small part to support disabled troops and families of fallen firefighters. You met my husband Scott last year on St. Patrick's day in Boston when you took a ride on the fire truck in Southie - at the time he was the Captain of that firehouse. I've since read Bold Fresh and I have a whole new appreciation for your interest in South Boston.

I'm a yoga teacher and I just want you to know that some of us yogis are Patriots too (most of the rest are delusional, liberal moonbats). Here are some Yoga Patriot t-shirts I designed (http://www.cafepress.com/YogaPatriot) to raise money for our charity. Any chance you might include Yoga Patriot gear on your site??

Lest you think I'm making an unsupported claim about (some) yogis being moonbats....here's a link with my facts to back it up!

Thanks for reading my email.

Sincerely,
Deborah

ABC news, Florian Villa, and SUDS

2010-08-12T15:23:00.000-07:00

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7143416

ABC visited SUDS while it was at Florian Villa, the above link is the video of where guys that were there.

Thanks to all that were a help

Florian's Causes and Florian Villa

Why to stay at Florian Villa St. John USVI

2010-08-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

Why to stay at Florian Villa St. John USVI?

VI-bound,

I would presume that I am several months to late to be of service for your trip to St. John. I am responding for the sake of others who might be St. John bound.

I am currently at the Florian Villa and I don't think this forum will allow me enough space to fully explain how much I have enjoyed the Florian Villa. The last 4 days have been absolutely incredible and here are the reasons why.

1. The Florian Villa, from a facilities standpoint, is in impeccable shape.
2. The owner/operators are full of enerfy, knowledgeable, friendly and attentive.
3. The villa has a great pool if you choose to stay around the house for the day.
4. I loved the outdoor shower attached to my room.
5. Daily itineraries were planned for me based on what my interests were and all of the excursions were incredible. The operators know the best places in town for everything.
6. You can have access to a washer and dryer.
7. The meals were incredible and based on your family's need, the catering company can prepare special vegetarian meals.
8. The proprietors give back to the community by providing support, in the form of all inclusive stays at the villa, to injured veterans and the families of fallen firefighters.

I could go on forever. If anyone is interested in the Florian Villa, drop me a note and I can provide more information about the activities planned during my stay and even provide pictures that I took.

Florian Villa for disable Veterans by Kathy Burges

2010-08-12T04:54:00.000-07:00

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Boston couple helps wounded soldiers and fallen firefighters' families by offering tropical retreats
Jun 8, 2008 at 10:07 AM 4 comments
Healing wounds in paradise
Couple stakes all on mission

View the webpage here http://www.florianvilla.com/about-us.php

By Kathleen Burge, Globe Staff | June 8, 2008
The idea for Florian Villa came to the young couple during a vacation on a lush Caribbean island that they couldn't quite enjoy. Deborah Bernstein and Scott Wahlen had just visited wounded soldiers recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, delivering T-shirts and hats and other presents from Massachusetts. Not long after, the Hyde Park couple flew to St. John for a week of relaxation.
But they found the proximity of the two trips last year hard to bear. Walking on glorious beaches of the Virgin Islands, they kept thinking about the injured young men they'd just seen. "I think we both felt like this isn't fair," Bernstein said. "Why are we here and they're in Walter Reed?"
By the end of their vacation, they had an idea: The firefighter and the former management consultant would use their savings to buy a house on St. John where wounded soldiers and the families of firefighters killed in action could take some time to heal. They'd rent out the house part of the time and host yoga retreats to support their volunteer work.
"We cashed in our life savings, our 401(k) plans," Bernstein said. "We figured we could talk about this for the next 15 years. We figured why not throw it all in?"
Within a few months, they persuaded a bank to give them a mortgage and bought the house they'd name Florian Villa, after the patron saint of firefighters. Paying guests have already started booking yoga retreats and family vacations at the four-bedroom house on a hill above the Caribbean, paying as much as $800 a night. This summer, some widows and other family members of firefighters killed on the job will stay there for free. For every five paid weeks booked at the villa, the couple plans to donate a week's vacation.
Bernstein, 39, and Wahlen, 36, started dating in 2004, after they met in the South End, near her condo and his firehouse. When Bernstein got in late, she tried to park in view of the firehouse, feeling safer if the firefighters could see her get out of her car and head home.
As they got to know each other, the couple often talked about their connections to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Bernstein, then a management consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers, was supposed to be on one of the LA-bound planes. Her meeting was canceled and she stayed in Boston. Five of her colleagues from the company's Boston office, including a good friend, died when the plane hit the World Trade Center.
After the attacks, she began to make time for volunteer work, mentoring Boston high school students and teaching them yoga. In 2005, she made a dramatic career switch: She quit her job and opened a yoga studio in Roslindale.
As a firefighter, Wahlen went to more than 50 funerals for firefighters killed on 9/11. He and a few friends would pile into a car on their days off and drive to the funerals, often hitting several over the course of a few days.
"It just seemed like a lot of them had little kids, a lot of them had families," said Wahlen, now a lieutenant in the Boston Fire Department. He wondered, "What's going to happen in five years?"
Bernstein, who has an MBA from Boston University, now runs Florian Villa full-time, and leads yoga retreats there. Wahlen, a former Marine who later spent two years traveling the world, will lead adventure tours on the island during his vacations. They're raising money, beginning to advertise, and looking for families to help. They worked straight through New Year's Eve, and into New Year's Day, writing letters to families of fallen firefighters, telling them about Florian Villa.
Bernstein and Wahlen have also begun working with a group called Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba, or SUDS, which teaches wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to scuba dive. The soldiers receive some training at Walter Reed, but must dive in open water to complete their scuba certification.
Next winter, the first group of wounded soldiers will stay free at Florian Villa while they perform their open-water dives.
"It seemed to be a good fit," said John Thompson, the president of SUDS. He hadn't heard of Florian Villa until Bernstein and Wahlen called to offer their services, but he once lived in St. John and knew it would be an ideal spot for the soldiers to dive. And it would be considerably more comfortable than the military bases where the soldiers usually stay.
Bernstein and Wahlen have scaled back their own lives to save money. She sold her condo in the South End and her yoga studio in Roslindale. Earlier this year, she and Wahlen also sold her car, leaving them with a single vehicle: Wahlen's 1999 Honda Civic.
"So whenever it gets stressful, we just have to jerk ourselves back and put it in perspective of the people we're trying to help out here," Bernstein said. "They've got it a lot worse than us worrying about how to pay the mortgage."
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Comments

joezsgopamerica wrote: Jun 8, 2008 Reply
[this is good] Thank you for posting this I will pass it on for others to share , again Thank you !!!

Tankerbabelc wrote: Jun 8, 2008 Reply
Fantastic

Deborah wrote: Sep 29, 2008 Reply
Thank you LongIslandGirl for sharing our story with your readers....I just discovered your site this evening....all i can say is WOW.

LongIslandGirl replied to Deborah’s comment: Sep 30, 2008 Reply
Thanks so much Deborah! What you and Scott are doing for the wounded servicemembers is inspirational. I visited St John once, about 20 years ago. If any place can help with healing, it's St John. so, THANK YOU! Please keep me updated!
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Florian Villa reached out to FDNY family

2010-08-11T20:12:00.000-07:00

By Presspoint
Florian Villa Reaches Out to Family of Fallen FDNY Firefighter
Posted November 14th, 2008 by mjr729 in Society New York Event News death Family
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The owners of the Florian Villa, a Boston firefighter and a yoga instructor, reach out to the family of FDNY probationary firefighter, Jamel M. Sears.
Saint John, United States Virgin Islands, November 13, 2008 – New York probationary firefighter, Jamel Sears died Tuesday, November 11, 2008 at the Mt. Sinai Medical Center, one day after he was transported to the medical facility. Sears collapsed after successfully completing a routine training exercise at the department’s training facility.
Sears joined the FDNY on July 1 and was in the process of completing a 23-week probationary period with the department. A native of the Bronx, Sears was also a Navy veteran and served aboard the USS Alaska. He is survived by his wife Sherita, a New York City Police Officer, and two children.
In the midst of their tragic loss, the Florian Villa is reaching out to the Sears family during their time of need and grief. This quiet villa nestled on Gift Hill in Saint John offers a secluded retreat free of charge for families suffering from the loss of a firefighter or wounded veterans trying to cope with life after their active service. Wahlen and Bernstein reach out to these families, donating a week-long all-inclusive vacation for a family of a lost firefighter and to wounded veterans.
Florian Villa is a pleasant retreat located on the beautiful island of Saint John in the Virgin Islands. It is secluded and peaceful and was founded by Scott Wahlen, a Boston firefighter and former U.S. Marine, and Deborah Bernstein, a yoga instructor. While the villa is open to the general public, one of the missions of the Florian Villa is to provide a safe haven and relaxing retreat for the families of fallen firefighters and wounded veterans returning home from active duty.
“We cannot begin to imagine what the Sears family is experiencing at this moment, but we do want them to know that we are here for them,” stated Bernstein. “The family or their representative should feel free to contact us at any time to talk about how we can help,” stated Wahlen.
The Florian Villa extends their deepest sympathies to the family of Jamel Sears and is currently in the process of reaching out to this family to provide support and encouragement during their time of loss.
The Florian Villa was named after Saint Florian who is the patron saint who protects firefighters and their families. For additional information, visit http://www.FlorianVilla.com, http://florianyoga.blogspot.com or call (617) 429-6182.
About Florian Villa – The Florian Villa was founded by Scott Wahlen, a captain with the Boston Fire Department and former U.S. Marine, and Deborah Bernstein, a yoga instructor. It serves as a haven and retreat for the families of fallen firefighters and wounded veterans who have returned from combat. A secluded villa on the unspoiled island of Saint John, it offers a healing and supportive environment for families and wounded veterans. The owners donate a free week long all-inclusive stay at the villa for families of fallen firefighters and for wounded veterans.

Firefighter Remembered Fondly

2010-08-11T18:11:00.000-07:00

By Firefighter Nation

KARA SPAK, SALLY HO, ROSEMARY SOBOL, BEN MEYER-ABBOTT and TINA SFONDELES,
The Chicago Sun-Times

Inside the Engine 5 Firehouse in the South Loop, Christopher Wheatley stood out for his quick wit and the smile plastered across his face anytime except after a Bears loss.

Related
Chicago Firefighter Killed in Fall
Firefighter Dies Battling West Loop Blaze
Chicago firefighters mourn "one of our best"

On the street, though, the 31-year-old Chicago paramedic firefighter was all business -- approaching each call with enthusiasm, working out to keep himself in shape and diligently training.

About 12:30 a.m. Monday, Wheatley died responding to a grease fire at Avec, a restaurant at 615 W. Randolph.

He fell about 35 feet while climbing to the roof carrying about 75 pounds of equipment including an ax, compressed air tank and hose, fire officials said. The fire was quickly extinguished.

"He was a great guy," said Scott Buckley, a 16-year veteran Chicago firefighter who also fought the Avec fire.

Buckley recalled seeing Wheatley moments before the fire: "We all went together."

After Wheatley's fall, everyone rallied around him, Buckley said.

"All the guys jumped in and tried to resuscitate him," he said. "As soon as he hit the ground everyone was helping. It was bad, to be totally honest with you."

An emotional Fire Commissioner Robert Hoff hailed Wheatley as "one of our finest" at a news conference outside Stroger Hospital on Monday morning.

"I really ask that everybody keeps him and his family in his prayers," Hoff said.

In a statement from Wheatley's family, they said: "Chris lived his life to the fullest; he put everything he had into both work and play. . . . He loved people he had known all his life and was just as caring for those he had just met."

His mother, Mary Wheatley, says her son's death "is a hole that can never be filled," but she is "comforted by his memory."

His fiancee, Jessica Roberts, said in a statement that she called Wheatley her " 'Mr. Chicago' who was in love with the traditions and people of the Chicago Fire Department." She also said he was the "most generous and loyal man" she had ever known.

Wheatley is the first Chicago firefighter to die since the 2007 death of William Grant. Grant died when a school bus collided with the fire truck he was in.

Wheatley joined the Chicago Fire Department in 2000 as a paramedic, and crossed over to a paramedic firefighter job in 2008. His career choice didn't surprise Denise Dalton, a guidance counselor at Lemont High School who taught Wheatley social studies there. Wheatley, who was on the school's football team, graduated in 1997.

"He always had a positive attitude," Dalton said. "He was always willing to do what was asked of him and more."

Wheatley and some friends formed a group called Athletes Committed to Excellence, talking to junior high students about not drinking and using drugs, Dalton said.

"They were a great group of kids and he was one of the leaders," she said. Seeing his firefighter picture in the news Monday, she said he looked "exactly the same."

"He had that same bright smile," she said.

Brian Reese, who rode on Truck 2 with Wheatley, said he would remember Wheatley's sense of humor.

"Made me laugh all day long, but for all the humor, he took his job very seriously," Reese said.

Hoff said Wheatley was climbing a ladder attached to the building to Avec's roof, where the grease shield extended through.

"When he was making his way up, he apparently slipped and fell to the ground, causing critical injuries," Hoff said. "And when he was brought here [to Stroger], they worked to save his life, but it was too late."

He was carrying up to 75 pounds of equipment when he fell.

"You always need a young strong guy to carry the heavy stuff and he was there to do that," Reese said.

Hoff said Wheatley was popular with his fellow firefighters and paramedics.

"He was a very aggressive firefighter -- he was into the job," Hoff said. "He was into training. He was an all-around firefighter. He loved the job."

After Hoff announced his death, Wheatley's body was taken to the nearby medical examiner's office Monday morning in a procession of at least 25 police and fire vehicles -- and 14 people making the slow walk. A similar procession accompanied his body from the medical examiner's office to the Blake-Lamb Funeral Home in Oak Lawn Monday afternoon.

"There was nothing not to like about him," said paramedic Jeff Swagler, his eyes welling with tears.

Wheatley's passion for the Bears was on display on his Facebook page, which featured a picture of Jay Cutler as his profile picture, and Wheatley's Near West Side condo where a Bears flag hung in a window in his second-floor unit.

From the balcony, Wheatley could see another firehouse -- Engine 26, across Madison Street from his condo.

Wheatley would grill on the balcony, and wave to the firefighters across the street. He would walk across the street to get ice from the firehouse icemaker, and was occasionally detailed to work out of that firehouse.

"That's like a brother," said Dan Zeller, who works at Engine 26. "That's a part of us. But we gotta go on. We'll try to give even better care in a salute to him."

Zeller said Wheatley was looking forward to getting married.

"Now he won't get a chance," he said. "He was gonna start a new chapter in his life. This couldn't have happened at a worse time."

At Wheatley's firehouse at 324 S. Des Plaines, the American and City of Chicago flags were at lowered to half staff. Purple bunting was draped across the buildings, as 35 firefighters watched.

"This job is dangerous," Hoff said. "You never know what is going to happen when you pull out the door."

Copyright 2010 Chicago Sun-Times, Inc.
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August 10, 2010

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Brotherhood and the Boston Fire Department

2010-08-11T13:25:00.000-07:00

BRIDGEPORT -- Jim Kenney finished his shift with Boston Fire Department's Ladder 4 at 8 a.m. Friday. Twenty minutes later, the firefighter was on a train to Connecticut.

By plane, train, car and bus, firefighters from across the country traveled to Bridgeport Friday to pay respect to their fallen brothers, Lt. Steve Velasquez and firefighter Michel Baik, who died fighting a house fire last Saturday.

"If you don't have any serious obligations, you go," Kenney said. "These are awful situations, but you can't tell me it doesn't make that mourning family feel just a little bit better.

"We're all a bunch of big kids who never grew up," he said of the thousands of firefighters, including more than 100 from Boston, who joined him at funeral services for the deceased Bridgeport firefighters. "We've got the best job in the world. And when something like this happens, the one positive thing that comes out of it is that we can be there for those who aren't, for their families and for each other."

Any time more than one American firefighter dies on duty, two representatives from the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department attend the funeral or memorial services. The union covers the costs of travel, according to Bob Hargrove, who attended services with firefighter David Hill on behalf of the Dallas department.

"This is how we support each other," Hargrove said. "All of us are part of a brotherhood."

Hargrove and Hill, along with firefighters from Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Charleston, S.C., met coincidentally at a bar in Bridgeport Thursday night after long hours of travel. Peter Kopko, Southport Volunteer Fire Department's first assistant chief, later found himself at that bar and thanked the out-of-town firefighters for coming to honor Velasquez and Baik. It was then that he learned the two dozen men did not have transportation to the services.

"A bunch of us picked up about 24 of these guys Friday morning and escorted them everywhere they needed to go," Kopko said. "We tried to make them as comfortable as possible. They knew someone was going to take care of them, because that's how it works. They just knew they had to get here."

Kopko said he and the firefighters he met this weekend have become "friends for life."

"That's a cliche, but it's true," he said. "I know when we're in their neck of the woods, they'll take care of us, too. We'll call them -- we'll have to call them -- because if we don't, they'll get mad. ... The most wonderful friendships are made at these terribly sad events."

Kopko was on the Port Jefferson ferry last Saturday when he got the phone call alerting him of the deaths of Velasquez and Baik.

"The first thing you think about is, `Who was it? Do I know them?' And then you get the really bitter feeling of, `Why did it happen?' " he said. "It's not a scrape that's going to heal; it's done. But that's why it's important that we come together for this. When you see that wall of blue in the procession, it takes your breathe away."

Funeral services for Christopher Wheatley Chicago Fire Department

2010-08-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

Funeral Service Set for Fallen Chicago (IL) Firefighter

Aug 11, 2010
It is with great sadness that we report the line-of-duty death of Chicago (IL) Fire Department FF/PM Christopher Wheatley. Wheatley died while in performance of his duty at a fire at a still alarm at 615 W. Randolph in the West Loop early Monday morning.

The arrangements are as follows:

Visitation: Thursday, August 12th (1E) (EMS 1) from 3:00 pm-9:00 pm at the Blake-Lamb Funeral Home located at 4727 W. 103rd St in Oak Lawn.

CFD Assembly at 1830 hours - Walk thru at 1900 hours

Funeral Service at Blake-Lamb Funeral Home on Friday August 13th

CFD Assembly at 0800 hours

Prayer Service at 0915 hours

Walk-thru immediately following prayer service

Funeral mass will be held on Friday, August 13th (2A) (EMS 2) will be held at St. John Fisher Church located at 10234 S. Washtenaw in Chicago at 1030 hours

Interment: Holy Sepulchre Cemetery - 3001 W. 111th St - Worth. IL
Uniform - Class A (blouse & white gloves)

Please keep the Wheatley Family and all the members of Engine 5, Truck 2, and Ambulance 28 in your thoughts and prayers.

Chicago Firefighter dies in the line of duty LODD

2010-08-09T12:54:00.000-07:00

All DiscussionsMy Discussions

Chicago Firefighter Killed in Fall
Posted by FFN WebTeam on August 9, 2010 at 7:35am in Fire/Rescue News
Send Message View Discussions
Editor's Note: Local news sources have a more detailed report that state the firefighter fell from a ladder while operating on the fireground.

CHICAGO - A 31-year-old Chicago firefighter is dead after falling from a ladder while responding to a fire at a downtown restaurant.

Authorities identified the firefighter as Christopher Wheatley. He was taken to Stroger

Hospital in very critical condition and was pronounced dead early Monday.

Fire officials say Wheatley fell three or four stories while responding to a grease-chute fire at Avec Restaurant.

Credit; Firefighter Nation

Excursions on St John USVI

2010-08-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

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“SCUBADU” – Scubadu is a 40-ft. luxury Catamaran, specializing in private sailing excursions in the USVI and British Virgin Islands. Trips aboard Scubadu are tailored to your needs; from the menu that you choose to the bays and beaches you desire. Relax and enjoy while you set sail for adventure with Captain Joe! Your trip includes: licensed captain/chef, first mate, gourmet food, open bar, snorkel gear, floaty mats/noodles, towels and fresh water showers. Scubadu offers day trips, breathtaking sunset sails, dinner cruises and overnight charters. ($150 per person / $750 minimum)

"TREAZZURE" - Treazzure, a 60' classic beauty, offers lush contemporary comfort with plenty of room to relax and have fun. Treazzure is fully equipped with air conditioning, spacious sundeck with shade awning, private changing rooms, shower, head and top quality gear, plus a large dinghy for exploring. Your daysail includes a gourmet lunch and open bar. Sunset dinner cruises and term charters also available. Customize your sailing adventure!! (Private Charter: $900/day for up to 6 people - Rates vary for larger groups, sunset sails, etc.)

"FANTASY" - Have the very best day of your vacation as Captain Pam sails no more than six guests on her 35-ft. sailboat "Fantasy" over to the famous St. John National Park and surrounding, uninhabited cays for some of the most spectacular snorkeling and beachcombing in the world! Sailing in gentle, protected waters, troll for fish while under sail, then drop anchor in a secluded cove for snorkeling! Swim with a Hawksbill turtle! A gourmet lunch is served in the shaded cockpit. Enjoy Pam's famous Bloody Mary's and Rum punches, toast to your day! ($135 per person - Private Charter: $810)

"DAYDREAMER" AND "COCONUT" - Have a fantastic day of great sailing, lots of snorkeling, excellent service and delicious food! These catamaran sailboats offer speed which enables them to explore more of St. John and islands around her. Expansive decks, shade awning and floats satisfy your need for comfort. They take you off the beaten path to some of those places you’ve dreamt about. And whether its snorkel instruction, beverage and food service or just telling tales, their amiable crew will help make your day memorable, safe and fun. They offer full and half day trips, sunset sails, Sunday brunch and BVI trips -- So much fun for your group -- small or large!!

POWERBOAT DAY CHARTERS

“PAINKILLER CUSTOM CHARTERS” - "Painkiller" is a 22' Inflatable Powerboat with a 225 Yamaha 4-stroke engine – Captain John will get you where you want to be in no time!! Plenty of room, comfort, and seating for up to 6 people! Swim, snorkel, island hop all over the U.S. or British VI's – and drink Painkillers! Custom trip -- your day, your way!! ($550/day) (addl. $20/person customs fee for BVI)

“NATE'S CUSTOM CHARTERS” – Complete Custom Charter designed just for you! Your itinerary is basically anything your heart desires. Explore the U.S. and British Virgin Islands at your own leisure and let Captain Nate customize your day for you. You can do a half day of fun in the sun and a half day of fishing. It is up to you! "The Natorious" is a 27-ft. Twin-Hull Cat-Powerboat designed for a smooth, yet powerful and fast ride!! Captain Nate knows the coolest places to take you!! ($550/day + fuel cost) (up to 6 people)

"HOOKIN-N-CROOKIN" - Captain Bob is ready to take you out for a custom day of island hopping, snorkeling, swimming, cruising, and/or fishing -- you name it, Bob will make it a fun-filled day for you on our beautiful Caribbean waters! Full Day Custom Charter: $650 (includes fuel, drinks and snacks).

“SEA MORE CHARTERS” – Join Captain Frank on your private 42-ft. yacht "Sea More" for a special day exploring the sites around St. Thomas, St. John or Jost Van Dyke and Norman Island in the BVI. Full day trips allow for time to relax onboard, explore a secluded beach or party at a beach bar! Want to snorkel? Snorkel gear is provided and Frank knows the best spots! Sea More can accommodate up to 14 people (12 for BVI trips), has an open bar and snacks. Lunch stop at a local restaurant. Experience the islands like a local - let's go boating with Sea More Charters!! ($1000/half day - $1550/full day)

“ELIXIR” – Elixir, a 60-foot custom Hatteras Motoryacht, is the largest and finest day charter yacht in the Virgin Islands. A maximum of six guests allows the staff to pamper you with an eggs benedict breakfast and filet mignon and lobster tail lunch served to you at a bronze sea turtle table on our shaded aft deck. Enjoy three fabulous snorkel/beachfront stops, top quality snorkel gear, double kayak, fast inflatable, double hammock, giant sun pad, air conditioned salon with Bose home theater system, and an open top shelf bar including vintage wine and champagne. Full day trips and sunset dinner cruises daily. BVI trips available on private charters. Unforgettable! Enjoy a true yachting experience aboard this 60' Hatteras – Captains Dave & Janet will show you what luxury cruising is really all about!

"WATERS EDGE RENTALS & CHARTERS" - Power boats are available for rentals to St John, the British Virgin Islands and all the islands, keys, cays and coves between. Pick up your very own rental boat from our St Thomas, USVI dock and you are on your way to adventures in the Virgin Islands! You can "bareboat" or hire a captain --your choice!! Luxury yachting excursions also available -- so many options -- so many ways to get out there and enjoy the Caribbean waters!! Sportfishing also available!!

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BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS EXCURSION....
FOUR BVI ISLANDS IN ONE DAY!

“BREAKAWAY” -OR- “NEW HORIZONS II” - The Baths (Virgin Gorda), Diamond Reef (Snorkel Stop), Marina Cay (lunch at Pusser's Resort/Restaurant), and Jost Van Dyke (Soggy Dollar Bar) – all in one day! Wow – what an adventure!! You receive first-class treatment and comfort. The captain and crew take special interest in catering to you for the entire day. Includes continental breakfast, a complimentary premium bar of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, snacks and an afternoon shrimp cocktail! ($145 per person + $30 customs fee)

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SUNSET COCKTAIL OR DINNER CRUISE

”DAYDREAMER" COCKTAIL CRUISE - End the day and start the evening with a romantic sail. Enjoy the scenery and watch a beautiful sunset in paradise on this 1-1/2 hour sunset cruise. Appetizers, cocktails and music included!

"SCUBADU" COCKTAIL CRUISE - Exclusive 2-1/2 hour private sail with Captain Joe -- enjoy cocktails and gourmet hors deuvres -- what a perfect way to end a beautiful Caribbean day!

"TREAZZURE" SUNSET DINNER CRUISE - A 4-hour sunset/dinner sail complete with chilled champagne and a gourmet 5-course meal. This is a classic adventure -- beauty and luxury all the way!

“NEW HORIZONS” SUNSET DINNER CRUISE – Wine and dine while watching the beautiful Caribbean sunset aboard a 65-foot sailing yacht. While boarding this luxury sailboat the crew serves champagne and strawberries. Once aboard, the captain sets sail to a calm quiet cove away from the lights of the island and to the ambient lights of the Caribbean sky! Prepare your taste buds for gourmet appetizers, three main entrees, great side dishes, dessert, and a premium open bar.

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FISHING CHARTER

“DOUBLE HEADER SPORTFISHING” - 35' and 40' sport fishing boats, center console, diesel powered, with a large T-top covering all seating areas. Their reputation for catching fish is largely due to the experience and knowledge of their captains and their desire to give their guests the most exciting fishing trip of their lives.

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“PATAGON DIVE CENTER” - An intimate dive experience away from crowded boats and crowded dives! Beginner dives, advanced dives, guided snorkeling tours, night dives, drift dives, shipwrecks, customized private boat tours.

“RED HOOK DIVE CENTER” - One tank and two-tank dives, night dives, dive instruction, snorkel gear, etc. -- Their specialty is personal service and customer satisfaction!

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OTHER WATERSPORTS / ACTIVITIES

“CARIBBEAN WATERSPORTS” - Parasailing Adventures – See the Virgin Islands like never before...from a bird's eye view!!

"COASTAL WATERSPORTS" - Jetski (Waverunner) Rentals @ Sapphire Marina - Get out on the water aboard your own personal watercraft -- starting at half-hour rates on up. Great fun -- double up for the same price!!

“VIRGIN ISLANDS ECOTOURS” - Kayak, Hike & Snorkel Multi- Eco-Adventure – Kayak past bird-filled mangrove islands through shallow and gentle waters...Hike a mangrove forest, coral & shell beaches and tidal pools...Snorkel in the shallow, protected waters of a coral-fringed mangrove nursery.

"SEAGRAPE SPA & FITNESS CENTER” - Full-Service Massage and Spa Services, including nail care, skin care, massage and body treatments and salon services. Located on the beach at Elysian Beach Resort, east end (near Red Hook).
* * * * *

JENNIFER (JEN) HALL
VIRGIN ISLANDS VACATION ASSISTANT
E-Mail: jenhall@vivajen.com
Cell: 340-513-9083

Nate the Mate Custom Charter Tours

2010-08-07T10:58:00.000-07:00

“NATE'S CUSTOM CHARTERS” – Complete Custom Charter designed just for you! Your itinerary is basically anything your heart desires. Explore the U.S. and British Virgin Islands at your own leisure and let Captain Nate customize your day for you. You can do a half day of fun in the sun and a half day of fishing. It is up to you! "The Natorious" is a 27-ft. Twin-Hull Cat-Powerboat designed for a smooth, yet powerful and fast ride!! Captain Nate knows the coolest places to take you!! ($550/day + fuel cost) (up to 6 people)

Scubadu the best sailboat in the virgin islands

2010-08-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

Home The Crew The Boat Day Sailing Dinner Cruises Testimonials Contact Us

Virgin Island Sailing Vacations

Make the Virgin Island paradise of St Thomas and St John your choice for a sailing vacation out of the ordinary. Enjoy the pleasure of sailing the clear blue waters of this region and visiting intriguing spots in the many bays and coves of the islands.

Scubadu is a luxury Catamaran, specializing in private sailing excursions in the US Virgin Islands. Scubadu departs from Red Hook, St. Thomas or St. John. Catamaran sailing charters are a fun experience with the freedom to move around aboard.

Trips aboard Scubadu are tailored to your needs. From your menu that you choose to the bays and beaches you desire.

Rates include: licensed captain, chef/1st mate, gourmet food, open bar, snorkel gear, swim mats, and fresh water showers.

Please note: We also offer sunset and dinner sailing cruises, day sailing cruises, and long term private sailing charters. Our boat has 3 berths for guests so you can share your sailing adventure with new friends. Book your sailing cruise.

Book your Virgin Island Sailing Adventure now. Enjoy sailing with your family or friends on a modern catamaran sailing ship. Check our day sailing cruises and the evening dinner sailing cruises. A Virgin Island sailing vacation is the perfect to your trip.

A week long private sailing charter offers a more extensive visit to one of the world's most beautiful locales. The flora and marine life are strikingly beautiful. You'll be re-energized from your cruise through the virgin islands.

Dr. Mike Hamrock BFD in the News

2010-08-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

Boston Fire Department Brings Health Care to the Firehouse
NFPA Journal® online exclusive, September 2008

In a job such as firefighting, which requires intense physical activity, consistent quality health maintenance is crucial. Chronic exposure to heat, smoke, and toxins cause numerous adverse physiological changes, says Dr. Michael Hamrock, the Boston, Massachusetts, Fire Department’s medical examiner, and evidence suggests that firefighters have a greater risk of developing coronary artery disease and cancer than other Boston residents.

According to Roderick J. Fraser, Jr., fire commissioner of the Boston, Massachusetts, Fire Department, however, only 32 percent of Boston firefighters currently get an annual physical examination as compared to 50 percent of City of Boston employees as a whole.

In a letter to Boston firefighters, Commissioner Fraser announced that the city has developed a Wellness Initiative in conjunction with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, one of its primary health insurance providers. As outlined in the letter, Harvard Pilgrim will conduct on-site screenings for high blood pressure and high cholesterol, two health problems closely linked to firefighting. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care will visit each fire department location at times that will accommodate all shifts, and firefighters will be able to meet one-on-one with health professionals who will explain the results and make individual nutrition recommendations. The free screenings are confidential, and firefighters can take advantage of the screenings even if they are not Harvard Pilgrim members.

In addition, Harvard Pilgrim will allow firefighters’ primary care physicians to perform additional screenings and lab tests during their annual physical examinations. These screenings and tests are designed to deal with the particular health risks associated with firefighting. Dr. Hamrock will provide firefighters with letters outlining what screening and tests should be performed. Again, these procedures will be available at no additional expense.

Finally, the Department will invest in new fitness equipment at each station.

In his letter to physicians, Dr. Hamrock says that comprehensive annual physical exams and screening tests should focus on primary prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer. These tests should screen for diabetes, hypertension, smoking, alcohol and substance abuse, obesity, family history of coronary artery disease, sedentary lifestyle, and high cholesterol. In addition, firefighters should be tested for skin, kidney, brain, lung, prostate, colon, and bladder cancer, as well as leukemia and lymphoma, 10 years earlier than the general population, where applicable.

The annual exam should also include:

Blood Pressure, pulse, respiratory rate, and temperature
Oxygen saturation
Weight and body fat index
Thorough skin exam
Eye exam and hearing testing
Oral exam
Heart and lung exam
Abdominal and testicular exam
Prostate and rectal exam with fecal occult blood testing
Pelvic and Pap exam for female firefighters
Vascular, neurological and mental status exams
Comprehensive metabolic and chemistry panel
Liver function tests
Hepatitis profile
Complete blood count
Thyroid panel
Hemoglobin A1c (for diabetes monitoring)
Fasting lipid profile and blood glucose
Urinalysis
EKG
PSA (Prostate specific antigen begin at age 40 for prostate cancer screening)
Pulmonary function test every three years
Chest x-ray every three years
Colonoscopy (begin age 40 and every five years)
Exercise stress test (begin age 40 and every three years)
Mammograms for female firefighters (begin age 35 and then every year)

Florian Villa Press Page

2010-08-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

Florian Villa in the News

May 2009 Recipient of Seven Seals Award presented by Department of Defense and Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve

May 2009 Lodging Magazine article about Florian Villa philanthropy

March 2009 ABC News - Good Morning America Bob Woodruff reports on Wounded Warriors/SUDS trip to Florian Villa-St. John

March 2009 The St. John Source Wounded Warriors/SUDS trip to Florian Villa-St. John

March 2009 St. John Tradewinds News Wounded Warriors/SUDS trip to Florian Villa-St. John

February 2009 Florian Villa Owner, Deborah Bernstein's Book Release, Yoga in America

December 2008 Florian Villa Owners, Deborah and Scott - Recipients of the Boston Celtics Heroes Among Us Community Service Award

December 2008 Travel Review Scotsman Magazine

November 2008 St. John Source Newspaper Article

November 2008 St. John Tradewinds Newspaper Article

November 2008 Veterans Day Report from BlackEngineer.com

November 2008 LA Splash Article about Florian Villa Yoga Retreats by Craig Howie

November 2008 Radio interview on Conscious Talk-see November 6, 2008 broadcast

September 2008 Write-up in Amaze Magazine

June 2008 Boston Globe Article "Healing Wounds in Paradise" by Kathy Burge

June 2008 Florian Villa receives $6,000 grant for upcoming SUDS - Wounded Warriors trip from Weber Foundation

June 2008 Yoga Retreat Review by Lenore Balliro

May 2008 Yoga and Drumming Retreat Review by Jess Weiss

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PTSD Lots of letters like this

2010-08-07T06:35:00.000-07:00

Hello. Im a OIF combat vet with PTSD and TBI. I am currently going through a PTSD group therapy with the VA.

I live in Panama City, Florida and desperately need to get out in the world. I sometimes dont go outside for weeks except for VA appts, etc.. My girlfriend is trying to help as she has suffered from secondary PTSD growing up with a Vietnam combat injured father.

I understand I might not qualify for your program but if you can refer me to other programs for single combat injured vets please do so. I would like more info on whats available to me either on the local level or national level. If you have any ideas please let me know.

Excellent article by Dr Michael Hamrock

2010-08-06T21:59:00.000-07:00

Aug 4, 2010
By Michael G. Hamrock, M.D.

The fire service does very admirable work in supporting and caring for cancer-stricken firefighters, but it needs to do a much better job on prevention, since cancer continues to take a devastating toll on U.S. firefighters and their families. In Boston, firefighters have two and a half times the risk of developing cancer than other residents of the city. In the past two months alone, three Boston firefighters were diagnosed with lymphoma, throat cancer, and a lung tumor while two more have started treatments for prostate cancer.

A strong commitment from the fire service on cancer prevention is needed now to reverse these troubling trends. This can be accomplished by establishing local and national firefighter cancer awareness and prevention programs. Promotion and implementation of early screenings, healthful lifestyles, and more effective training will dramatically reduce cancer cases in firefighters.

Chronic exposure to heat, smoke, and toxins put firefighters at very high risk for developing cancer. The by-products of combustion of ordinary household items such as cabinets, mattresses, curtains, insulation, and porch materials can be very carcinogenic. Inhalation, ingestion, and absorption of these toxic substances that make their way into the bloodstream of the firefighter are transported and stored in fat cells and organs. It is here where cell damage occurs that may lead to cancer. To gain a better understanding of this phenomenon, stand next to a firefighter three days after fighting a fire--you can still smell traces of smoke emanating from the firefighter’s body.

Daily exposure to diesel exhaust in the firehouse can also precipitate cancer. Analysis of the kitchen and bunk room walls and furniture in firehouses reveals a tremendous amount of diesel exhaust particles. These dangerous particles are inhaled and absorbed every shift and cause significant harm to firefighters.

All of these exposures do contribute to the elevated rates of cancers of the brain, lung, colon, prostate, kidney, and skin found in Boston firefighters. At times, the medical office at the Boston Fire Department resembles an oncology clinic where every three weeks a Boston firefighter is diagnosed with cancer. There are currently 16 active-duty Boston firefighters unable to return to firefighting assignments because of the effects of cancer. Many firefighters, unfortunately, do not last longer than five years after their retirement dates because of malignancies.

Firefighter cancer awareness and prevention programs will address and curtail these high cancer rates through medical surveillance, fitness promotion, nutrition counseling, lifestyle modification, quality training, and research.

Medical Surveillance
Firefighters need to be screened more early and often than the general public because of their higher risks for cancer. Every firefighter should obtain a thorough and confidential firefighter physical exam and undergo screening tests for prevention and early detection of these specific cancers annually. These recommended comprehensive exams are outlined below and should be given to the primary care physician to follow closely.

                 Recommended Firefighter Physical Exam and Screening Tests

              Annual Exam                                            Annual Labs and Screening Tests
Blood pressure, pulse
Comprehensive metabolic and chemistry panel
Respiratory rate, temperature
Liver function tests
Oxygen saturation
Hepatitis profile
Weight and body fat index
Complete blood count
Thorough skin exam
Thyroid panel
Eye exam and hearing testing
Hemoglobin A1c (for diabetes monitoring)
Oral exam
Fasting lipid profile and blood glucose
Heart and lung exam
Urinalysis and urine biomarkers
Abdominal and testicular exam
EKG
Prostate and rectal exam
PSA (begin at age 40 for prostate cancer screening)
Fecal occult blood testing
Pulmonary function test every 3 years
Pelvic and Pap for females
Chest X-ray every 3 years
Vascular and neurological exams
Colonoscopy (begin age 40 and every 5 years)
Mental status exam
Exercise stress test (begin age 40 and every 3 years)
Musculoskeletal exam
Mammograms for females (begin age 35)

Recently, several Boston firefighters have had cancers found early and in treatable stages by their physicians who followed these screening protocols. In addition, health insurance companies have expressed more interest in working with municipalities to cover these additional screening tests for certain high-risk workers because they understand early detection not only saves lives but is financially advantageous for the health plan and taxpayers as well.

Fitness Promotion
Excess weight and inactivity put firefighters at additional risk for cancer. A structured exercise program for firefighters will improve overall health and job performance and help to reduce cancer and should include doing the following:
Develop a mentality that firefighters are “athletes” and should train as such.
Set aside 45 minutes per shift for all members to engage in a firefighter fitness workout.
Workouts should consist of job simulation-type activities that focus on core muscular strength, endurance, flexibility, and aerobic conditioning.
Encourage firefighters to do three additional similar workouts every week on their own.
Set long-term goals of maintaining a healthy weight not exceeding five percent more than when they entered the fire academy.

Nutrition Counseling
The firehouse meals that contain large portions of red meat, saturated fats, and calories that far exceed the USDA total recommended daily allowances contribute to cancer in firefighters. A firefighter can easily gain one pound before leaving the kitchen table and responding to the next call. Some helpful dietary cancer prevention tips include
Adding more vegetables, fruits, whole grains to your diet and reducing saturated fats.
Emphasizing antioxidant and detoxifying phytonutrient-rich foods like spinach, squash, cauliflower, broccoli, garlic, and onions.
Limit meat intake to one serving per week; substitute with more baked or grilled fish.
Increase intake of calcium, vitamin D, fish oil, fiber, and folate supplements.
Practice better portion control. An adequate serving of meat should resemble the size of a hockey puck instead of a Frisbee.
Avoid raiding the fridge after midnight calls; eliminate second helpings.
Drink at least eight glasses of water a day.
Eliminate 500 calories a day by avoiding soda, chips, pizza, donuts, and ice cream.

Quality Training
Firefighters need to be continually educated about their occupational health risks, and training programs should be ramped up to include instructions in
Placing more emphasis on fireground training operations to better prepare and protect firefighters while working in smoky and hazardous environments.
Monitoring for better compliance with breathing apparatus use, especially during overhauling operations after the fire has been knocked down.
Regular cleaning of bunker gear.
Full compliance with the apparatus exhaust-removal systems in the firehouse.
Benefits of taking a steam or sauna, antioxidant foods and supplements, and a vigorous aerobic workout within 24 hours after a fire to hasten the elimination of toxins from the body.

Lifestyle Modification
Firefighters need to take more responsibility for their own health and cultivate lifestyle changes that will lessen their risks for cancer including:
Quitting smoking. The combination of smoking with years of inhalation of toxic smoke and gases at fires is a recipe for cancer development.
Regular use of sunscreen.
Limiting alcohol intake. Excess alcohol consumption along with smoking greatly increases the risk for throat, esophagus, and gastrointestinal tumors.
Showering immediately after returning from a fire to help remove the cancer-causing soot from the body.
Being up to date on the Hepatitis B vaccinations, to lessen the risk for liver cancer.
Performing monthly testicular self-exams or monthly breast self-exams for female firefighters.

Research
Fire departments need to partner with local teaching hospitals and academic centers to perform research into reducing cancer in firefighters. This partnership should include
Offering firefighters the latest in cancer screening tests.
Undertaking a cancer registry for the fire service to better identify and track potential carcinogenic exposures and monitor regional cancer trends.
Research into improving the technology of firefighter gear to help prevent the absorption of harmful chemicals through the skin.
Investigating ways to eliminate or neutralize the toxins from the body before they can do their damage.

Many cancers in firefighters can be prevented with these measures. Although it is impossible to eliminate all of the health risks inherent in firefighting work, these escalated rates of cancer are unacceptable. The firefighter cancer awareness and prevention programs will improve the overall health and fitness of all firefighters and reduce cancer on the job. A much more fervent commitment to cancer prevention is needed now.


This article is dedicated to Boston Firefighter Dave Galloway, of Tower Ladder 3, who died at the age of 42 on April 2, 2010 after a long and spirited battle with pancreatic cancer.

Michael G. Hamrock is a marathoner and a former Boston firefighter. He is the Medical Examiner for the Boston (MA) Fire Department and a primary care physician at Caritas Saint Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Boston. He is a board member of the Kenney-Quinn-Ford Foundation for Brain Tumor Research.

Best Meals in St. John

2010-08-06T18:46:00.000-07:00

Fred’s Restaurant Bar
Location: Cruz Bay
Caribbean
Phone: 340-776-6363

Hercules Pate Delight
Location: Cruz Bay
Caribbean
Here are some great restaurant's in St. John United Stated Virgin Island, why list them, because there are some very plain restaurants and very high priced restaurants in St. John USVI, don't spend a lot to eat in St. John and not get a quality dish.

Florian Villa presents best restaurants in St. John........

www.florianvilla.com

Phone: 340-776-6352

Miss Lucy’s Restaurant
Location: Coral Bay
Caribbean
Phone: 340-693-5244

Morgan’s Mango
Location: Cruz Bay
Caribbean/Latin
Phone: 340-693-8141
www.morgansmango.com

Rhumb Lines
Location: Meada’s Plaza Cruz Bay
Pacific Rim/Caribbean
Phone: 340-776-0303
www.rhumblinesstjohn.com

Sogo’s Restaurant
Location: Cruz Bay
Caribbean
Phone: 340-779-4404

Sweet Plantains Restaurant Rum Bar and Spice Shop
Location: Coral Bay
New World Caribbean
Phone: 340-777-4653
www.sweetplantains-stjohn.com

The Equator
Location: Caneel Bay Resort
Contemporary Caribbean
Phone: 340-776-6111
www.caneelbay.com

Windy Level Restaurant & Bar
Location: Grunwald
Caribbean
Phone: 340-715-2000
www.hillcreststjohn.com/windylevel.html

Meals on st John usvi

2010-08-06T13:47:00.000-07:00

Check out this link for meals on St John USVI.
http://visitusvi.com/stjohn/dining

Or contact Kati Lady on our website at
florian villa, she is great.

St John USVI can be tricky for food and expensive.....shop around

Contact us at Scott@Florianvilla.com for any suggestions about food,
Restaurants, and anything St John in general.

Www.Florianvilla.com

Florian's Causes at it's best......

2010-08-04T17:49:00.000-07:00

Florian Villa is a place where Florian's Causes sends families of fallen firefighters. It is a villa located on St. John USVI all rentals allows Florian Villa to stay open and in turn that allows families of fallen firefighters to retreat to Florian Villa on St. John as a safe haven to get away from it all. All rentals, weddings, yoga retreats, adventure vacations support our cause, so it is simple, rent Florian Villa for whatever you want, it helps Florian's Causes send families who lost a loved one in a LODD down to Florian Villa. Don't just take a vacation to St. John, take a vacation and help families of fallen firefighters.

BRIDGEPORT -- Jim Kenney finished his shift with Boston Fire Department's Ladder 4 at 8 a.m. Friday. Twenty minutes later, the firefighter was on a train to Connecticut.

By plane, train, car and bus, firefighters from across the country traveled to Bridgeport Friday to pay respect to their fallen brothers, Lt. Steve Velasquez and firefighter Michel Baik, who died fighting a house fire last Saturday.

"If you don't have any serious obligations, you go," Kenney said. "These are awful situations, but you can't tell me it doesn't make that mourning family feel just a little bit better.

"We're all a bunch of big kids who never grew up," he said of the thousands of firefighters, including more than 100 from Boston, who joined him at funeral services for the deceased Bridgeport firefighters. "We've got the best job in the world. And when something like this happens, the one positive thing that comes out of it is that we can be there for those who aren't, for their families and for each other."

Any time more than one American firefighter dies on duty, two representatives from the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department attend the funeral or memorial services. The union covers the costs of travel, according to Bob Hargrove, who attended services with firefighter David Hill on behalf of the Dallas department.

"This is how we support each other," Hargrove said. "All of us are part of a brotherhood."

Hargrove and Hill, along with firefighters from Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Charleston, S.C., met coincidentally at a bar in Bridgeport Thursday night after long hours of travel. Peter Kopko, Southport Volunteer Fire Department's first assistant chief, later found himself at that bar and thanked the out-of-town firefighters for coming to honor Velasquez and Baik. It was then that he learned the two dozen men did not have transportation to the services.

"A bunch of us picked up about 24 of these guys Friday morning and escorted them everywhere they needed to go," Kopko said. "We tried to make them as comfortable as possible. They knew someone was going to take care of them, because that's how it works. They just knew they had to get here."

Kopko said he and the firefighters he met this weekend have become "friends for life."

"That's a cliche, but it's true," he said. "I know when we're in their neck of the woods, they'll take care of us, too. We'll call them -- we'll have to call them -- because if we don't, they'll get mad. ... The most wonderful friendships are made at these terribly sad events."

Kopko was on the Port Jefferson ferry last Saturday when he got the phone call alerting him of the deaths of Velasquez and Baik.

"The first thing you think about is, 'Who was it? Do I know them?' And then you get the really bitter feeling of, 'Why did it happen?' " he said. "It's not a scrape that's going to heal; it's done. But that's why it's important that we come together for this. When you see that wall of blue in the procession, it takes your breathe away."

501c3 non profit a charity that should be noticed

2010-08-03T19:05:00.000-07:00

Deborah Bernstein and Scott Wahlen of Boston Massachusetts started Florian’s Causes on January 1st in 2005. It was first titled as firefighters helping veterans and then progressed into firefighters helping disabled veterans. ( Scott Wahlen is presently a Captain in the Boston Fire Department and has worked there since 1997. ) Most of the members of the Boston Fire Department is veterans and were more than happy to help out. A common tradition in the fire department is for the members to make a T Shirt representing their station or “house”. The T shirts range from simple letters and numbers to detailed graphic designs that would include the house cat, axes, houses, and the apparatus. The goal was to collect as many T-shirts that not only represented Boston Fire Houses but also to collect as many T shirts ( and other items of clothing ) that represented Boston, i.e. the Boston Red Sox, the Boston Bruins, the Boston Celtics, and of course the New England Patriots. Between February 1, 2005 and June 15th of 2005 over 1,000 fire shirts were collected, over 100 baseball caps, and over 100 shirts from Boston’s professional and collegiate sports teams. All of the shirts were collected and arranged to be brought to Walter Reed Hospital on June 18th, 2005. On June 17th 2005 Deborah and Scott brought the shirts down to Washington D.C. and on June 18th, 2005, with the help of the American Red Cross, the shirts were distributed to the wounded troops at Walter Reed. All wards received shirts ( including most of the staff ) and the ranks ranged from private to Lt. Colonel. (It should be noted that according to IRC 509(a) (1) and 170 (b) (1) (A) (vi), this type of support should qualify for a publicly supported public charity as the funds were solicited by the general community, the firefighters who donated their their shirts, hats, sweaters, of their own person, not those given out as uniforms by the Boston Fire Department. In other words, the firefighters paid out of their own pocket for the shirts and the designs, not issued clothing. To this day, the Boston Firefighters continue their support and Florian’s causes receives mostly small contributions through broad-based fundraising programs and we don’t rely constantly on the same major sources. Florian’s causes receives at least one third of its total support from governmental units, from contributions made directly or indirectly by the general public ( in this case firefighters, families of fallen firefighters, police officers, families of police officers, military members and family, and from a wide range of all civil service employees ) and in most cases from both governmental units and the general public. It also passes the 1/10th figure public support shown by documentation attached to this narrative. Public support is from not only private persons but most of them work for federal, state, or local agencies world wide. Although they work for an agency that may or may not contribute to Florian’s Causes, it is the small donations that keeps the not for profit charity sustainable. )
While attending Walter Reed, it occurred to Deb and Scott that most of the troops at Walter Reed joined because of the events that happened at 9/11/01 but interesting enough time and time again the members of FDNY and their families were brought up. They wanted to know if Scott and Deb knew of the firefighters at 9/11 and their families, which they did. The troops wanted to know about the firefighters and the families and of course all the firefighters from Boston and New York wanted to know about the disabled troops and how they could help out. In the Boston Fire Department a lot of the troops joined the military because of 9/11 and then joined the fire department in New York or Boston. To this day, the firefighters from all over the country ask about the troops and what they can do to help and firefighter’s continue to show their support to the members in the military. On Friday’s in Boston, all the firefighters where red in support all the troops in the military. The troops continue to send postcards from South Boston to Charlestown to the Fenway in support of the firefighters.

The history of Florian’s Causes explains why there is an umbrella that covers disabled troops and families of fallen firefighters. They are not separate or disproportional, they are exactly the opposite. They are equal and intertwined hence why there is one charity and not two. For the purpose of this narrative and to keep it simple and easier to understand, the narrative will be divided into families of fallen firefighters and marines undertaking disabled scuba and snorkeling to account for the past, present, and future of all the organization’s activities in each of the two subsets. It is also easier to understand each activity itself ( how it furthers an exempt purpose and the percentage of time Florian’s Causes will devote to it, where and by whom it will be conducted ( i.e firefighters from the scuba team helping out and teaching disabled Marines scuba and snorkel both in St. John USVI and in New England ), how it will be funded ( the financial information or projections will be provided in an attachment to this narrative and is consistent with the funding methods described in this narrative. Florian’s Causes will describe proposed activities that are not operational as well as past activities that have been completed. Again, it should be noted that it is only the purpose of this narrative to separate the two. The example above of former Marines who joined the fire department and became part of the scuba team teaching and helping out disabled Marines sums up Florian’s Causes and how they integrated.

Marines Undertaking Disabled Scuba started January 1st, 2005. ( At that time it was called firefighters supporting our troops but then evolved into firefighters supporting disabled troops ). It was started by Deborah Bernstein and Scott Wahlen at their house in Hyde Park Massachusetts. Scott, a former Marine, was on the honor guard at the Boston Fire Department and after 9/11 attended a lot of funerals of firefighters he knew and firefighters he didn’t know. Deb, was working at Price Warehouse and Copper during 9/11/01 and was suppose to be on one of the flights that left to Boston and flew into the World Trade Center. Both felt that there was something they could do for the families of the firefighters. After talking to some of the families, it was apparent that they were concerned about the troops overseas. Deb and Scott figured that if the firefighters ( and families wanted to help out ) help out the troops then they could help them support the troops and hence the T shirt campaign began. It was started in Scott’s house in Hyde Park but more importantly it was started at the firehouses in Boston. Scott and Deb brought over 1200 articles of clothing that had Boston Fire, Boston Bruins, Boston Police Department to Walter Reed on June 18th, 2005 in Bethesda, Maryland. In August of 2007, Deb and Scott combined all the monies and bought a villa on the island of St. John USVI. The villa, located on Gift Hill St. John USVI H-1 H-2 Reggenback, was going to be a safe haven for disabled troops. Florian Villa, the business was going to conduct yoga retreats, weddings, and adventure vacations, and any weeks not used would be for the troops. In June 2008, Deborah received a grant from the Weber foundation to support a retreat by SUDS, soldiers undertaking disabled scuba, John Thompson. John would train the veterans at Walter Reed and teach them how to scuba dive. Deb and Scott would do the rest. Florian Villa, owned by Deb and Scott, would house the veterans while they stayed on St. John, USVI. They would also handle all the cooking, cleaning, coordinating with the restaurants, coordinating with the captains of the boats on St. John, USVI. coordinating with Low Key Water sports which would take the disabled veterans out to dive, and they would transport the veterans all over the island in both of their cars. The grant covered the plane fare and food, Deb and Scott provided the rest. Since the time of the grant, coordination began with John Thompson of flights, dive times, room assignments, extra space for instructors, and even a get together with ABC and Bob Woodward. All details were ironed out and on February 28th, 2010 6 disabled soldiers and marines stayed at Florian Villa St. John USVI and completed 6 dives including an open water dive for their certification. After 7 days, SUDS, Florian Villa, and St. John USVI hosted more than 20 people so that 6 troops from SUDS could complete their dive certification and more importantly forget about life for awhile on St. John USVI. ( see attachments and pictures at the end of the narrative for the SUDS trip hosted by Deb and Scott ). Although not as extravagant as SUDS, Deb and Scott have sent down families of marines and soldiers to Florian Villa St. John USVI and either have discounted the whole price of the rental if they were disabled or half price if they have served in the military. In July of 2008, Deb and Scott sent down Carol Gill of Sure Hands to do an assessment of Florian Villa to report what could be done to make the villa more handicap friendly ( please see attachment at the end of the narrative ). As of today, Florian Villa uses this report to make villa more assessable to the handicap and hopefully someday ramps, chairlifts, and other high priced items can be installed so that severe handicap veterans and non veterans can enjoy Florian Villa.
Since SUDS was taking as a 501C3 ( soldiers undertaking disable scuba ), Deb and Scott from Florian’s Causes decided to rename it MUDSS, marines undertaking disable scuba and snorkeling ( it should be mentioned that this does not preclude the rest of the military, it just gave catered more to the Marines with Scott’s background and connection with the 1st Battalion 25th Marines in Fort Devons, Mass. ). Also MUDSS was a little less serious about scuba portion of the charity and more serious about the marines relaxing in the charity which is why snorkeling was added for those who Marines who wanted to take part in some water activities exploring the underwater but not to the extremes of scuba.

Presently, Deb gave a speech in May 2010 during Marine Week in Boston about our not for profit charity and explained what we do for the Marines. We are in constant contact with Col Durkin USMC from the 25th Marines, Cpt Suzy Stark USMC currently in charge of the New England chapter of wounded warriors for the Marines, and Col Anita M. Best USMC in charge of Marine Week. Florian’s Causes current mission is finding contacts that can help us get the word out to disabled Marines in New England of what MUDSS is if they are interested in attending one of the November of 2011. Florian’s Causes has the infrastructure on the island of St. John which includes a 8 passenger vehicle ( GMC Arcadia 2008 ) a Chevy Trailblazer (2007 ) and Florian Villa St. John which can sleep 8-10. Florian’s Causes also has support from the American Legion on St. Thomas and most all of the business’s on St. John. Nate McGowen has been instrumental in providing boat rides to disabled veterans and he stated that he would like to continue to offer his services ( and his boat ) in the future. Florian’s Causes would like to hold at least a 1 week once a year retreat for the MUDSS program depending on funding, focusing but not limited to disabled New England Marines to participate in snorkeling and scuba diving on St. John USVI and to stay at Florian Villa.
Funding for the MUDSS portion would include but not limit private individuals, grants, Deborah Bernstein and Scott Wahlen, program related services, donations from corporations, donations from specific entertaining fundraising events i.e. Comedy Bailout held at Florian Hall Dorchester Mass March 31, 2009 or Comedy Night at the Improv Asylum in the North End on Hanover St. April 3 2010., road race for disabled marines 2012, email solicitations for donations, mail solicitations for donations, solicitations by radio, solicitations by TV free services for donations ( car washes, yoga lessons, ) and private agency funding. Florian’s Causes has a website, www.florianscauses.org, which solicits monies for fundraising. The biggest fundraisers planned for the future will be two more comedy fundraisers, one at Florian Hall Hallet St. Dorchester Ma in 2011, the other at the Improv Asylum on Hanover St. North End Boston Ma, and finally there will be a road race in 2012 for Florian’s Causes in the Blue Hills in Milton. Florian’s Causes and MUDS does not expect principal sources of support to fluctuate substantially. Any and all grants will be pursued if applicable. Florian’s Causes and MUDSS does not intend to operate under a fictitious name that differs from either Florian’s Causes or MUDDS. Previous flyers for comedy bailout ( and the URL ) will be provided in attachments following this narrative.

Families of Fallen Firefighters is the second part of Florian’s Causes. Families of Fallen Firefighter started the second that we walked into Walter Reed Hospital Bethesda Maryland on June 18th 2005. It was then we realized how much the troops cared about the fallen firefighter and more importantly the families of the fallen firefighters. As stated before, Deborah Bernstein and Scott Wahlen bought Florian Villa ( they named it after St. Florian, the patron saint of firefighters ) and in September 11, 2007 decided that they would use it as a safe haven for firefighters but more importantly a safe haven for families of fallen firefighters that have died in the line of duty, also called LODD. Most of the families want exactly that, a safe haven from the rest of the world and St. John provides exactly that so a lot of documentations including names is not possible. However two families that we can mention that we have sent down to St. John USVI that died in Boston in the LODD ( with their permission ) was Cahill family and the Kelley family.

Anne Cahill and her family went on a retreat at Florian Villa August 2008. Her husband Paul Cahill was killed in the LODD in 2007. The value of the retreat was $5000.00

Gloria Kelly and her family went on a retreat at Florian Villa April 2010. Her husband Kevin Kelly was killed in LODD January 9, 2009. The fundraiser for the Kelly’s was held at the Improv Asylum (comedy) in the North End on April 3, 2010. Donations allowed to pay for all the Kelly’s food and accommodations, a value of $15,000.

There were other families of fallen firefighters that were sent down to simple accommodations at the Florian Villa ( the minimum ) to include boat rides to the Jost Van Dyke BVI to meals and transfers. These families wish to remain anonymous, which is again the sole mission of Florian’s Causes, to provide a secure ( and sometimes secret ) safe have for families that lost a loved one in the line of duty. Donations were private, mostly from firefighters and the villa donations, Florian Villa, was from Deb and Scott. Some donations were in the name of services, as Nate McGowen and his chartered boat, Nate the Mate excursions.

Funding will be the same as funding for MUDSS through Florian’s Causes however the firefighter’s and the specific houses tend to donate more of the funds.

Florian's Causes a charity like no other by 2 people

2010-08-03T18:59:00.000-07:00

AUG 3 version

In January 2005, Deborah Bernstein and Scott Wahlen of Boston, Massachusetts launched Florian’s Causes as a sanctuary and restorative center on St. John, US Virgin Islands, for both the families of fallen firefighters and for wounded U.S. veterans

As a member of the Boston Fire Department since 1997, and currently working there as a Captain, Scott was aware firsthand of the intense grief families of firefighters experience after losing a family member to the job. As a former marine during Desert Storm, he was also aware first hand of the after affects of war on returning soldiers. Some of these after affects included post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the challenges of re entering civilian life with disfiguring scars, loss of limbs, and chronic medical conditions.

Though Scott and Deborah had a history of volunteering their time to provide solace to families of fallen firefighters and wounded veterans, they wanted to fill a gap by creating a place specifically to help these populations heal. They envisioned a place in a beautiful natural setting where victims of loss could restore themselves, heal, and regenerate their energy within a supportive and understanding environment.

How Things Evolved
In their volunteer work, Scott and Deborah began to see connections between firefighters and wounded veterans. For example, they often heard from veterans returning from XXXXX that they enrolled in the military to fight terrorism following the tragedy of September 11. When Boston vets returned home, many of them found work in the Boston Fire Department. Wounded vets often expressed kinship with the firefighters who lost their lives during 9/11or were injured during their rescue work, and they expressed sympathy for their families left behind. The following history and evolution of the Florian’s Causes will clarify how these two missions— supporting families of fallen firefighters and supporting wounded veterans—overlap and strengthen one another.

Firefighters and Veterans
A large percentage of firefighters in the Boston Fire Department are veterans and show their support to U.S. military troops in many ways. For example, each Friday, Boston firefighters wear red in support of all the troops in the military. In addition, some Boston fire houses maintain communication with troops through postcards. When the firefighters heard about Scott and Deborah’s idea for Florian’s Causes, they willingly contributed to the cause, as in the case with Florian’s volunteer/charity work with wounded veterans at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. described below.

T-Shirts and Memorabilia : From Boston to D.C
A common tradition in the fire department is for the members to make a t-shirt representing their station or “house.” The t-shirts range from simple letters and numbers to detailed graphics that can include the fire house cat, axes, houses, and fire apparatus.

Scott built on this idea as a way for Florian’s Causes to begin providing support to wounded veterans recovering at the Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, DC. The goal was to collect as many Boston fire house t-shirts as possible as well as sports t-shirts that represented the city: Red Sox, Bruins, Celtics, and Patriots. many T shirts ( and other items of clothing ) that represented Boston,

Between February 1, 2005 and June 15th of 2005, Florian’s Causes was able to collect the following:
• over 1,000 fire shirts
• over 100 Red Sox baseball caps
• over 100 shirts from Boston’s professional and collegiate sports teams.

All of the shirts were collected and brought to Walter Reed Hospital by Scott and Deborah on June 18th, 2005. With the help of the American Red Cross, the items were distributed to the wounded troops in all of the hospital wards. Additionally, Walter Reed staff also received Boston memorabilia. The ranks of wounded vets ranged from private to Lt. Colonel.

During their visit, wounded vets asked Scott and Deborah if they knew any firefighters, or their families, from the 9/11 attack in NYC. Scott and Deborah responded that they did know some of them. What started as a mission to give support to wounded and disabled vets turned out to also be a reciprocal experience; the vets wanted to show their support of firefighters and their families—not just from NYC but from Boston as well. In the Boston Fire Department a lot of the troops joined the military because of 9/11 and then joined the fire department in New York or Boston. To this day, the firefighters from all over the country ask about the troops and what they can do to help and firefighter’s continue to show their support to the members in the military.
Scott, do you have any photos of this visit, press coverage, t-shirt

Families of Firefighters and Disabled Vets: Overlapping Concerns
Once Deborah and Scott were clear about their commitment to both families of fallen firefighters and to wounded and disabled veterans, they began to focus on how they could accomplish support to both communities. As noted, they saw the mission to serve both as intertwined.

Families of Fallen Firefighters
Scott, a former Marine, was on the honor guard at the Boston Fire Department, and after 9/11 attended a lot of funerals of firefighters he knew and firefighters he didn’t know. Deborah was working at Price Warehouse and Copper during 9/11 and was originally scheduled for a business trip on one of the flights from Boston that crashed into the World Trade Center. Both felt a responsibility for the families of the firefighters. They also discovered that the wounded veterans at Walter Reed Hospital, where they visited in 2005, had concerns for these families as well, feeling a kinship, especially, with victims of 9/11 and their families.

Deborah and Scott had already purchased their villa, named Florian Villa after St. Florian, the patron saint of firefighters. While their intention for purchasing the villa was for business purposes—yoga and adventure retreats, especially—they saw how they could expand the use of the villa for more charitable purposes. That is, they could offer time at the villa to families of fallen firefighters that have died in the line of duty (LODD). The tropical setting of the island, almost 70% preservation land, (did I remember this right? Maybe it is even 90%) and the peaceful and comfortable accommodations at the villa provide a perfect place for rest and restoration as well as family togetherness and fun activities. A stay at the villa is probably outside the reach of a family on a firefighter’s pension, but Scott and Deborah could offer stays, along with food and beach transportation, to the families free of charge.

Since the nature of retreats for grieving families means respecting the families’ privacy, Deborah and Scott have not documented the stays of the families that have used the villa so far through video, photos, and the like. However, two families —the Cahill family and the Kelley family—have agreed to allow us to share their experiences for purposes of this application.

Anne Cahill and her family experienced a retreat at Florian Villa in August 2008. (did I get the Date correct?) Her husband, Paul Cahill, was killed in the line of duty (LODD) in 2007. (Scott, how about describing the things that you provided for the family and maybe a quote from Anne if possible?)The value of the retreat, which covered (airfare, food, transportation to beaches and other sites on the island, and prevailing rental rate) was approximately $5000.00.

Gloria Kelly and her family attended a retreat at Florian Villa in April 2010. Gloria’s husband, Kevin Kelly, was killed in the line of duty (LODD) on January 9, 2009. To help raise money for the Kelly retreat, Florian’s Causes held a fundraiser at the Improv Asylum (a comedy club in the neighborhood of Scott’s fire house) in the North End of Boston on April 3, 2010. Donations allowed to pay for all the Kelly’s food and accommodations, a value of $15,000.
Scott, why the difference in the two values? Was it because the first was out of pocket so you had to have a modest scale, then the next was when you ahd more funds? Or was the family bigger?

At other times, Florian Villa has been made available to families, even when the operating costs needed to be scaled back because of resource availability. These retreats included boat rides to the Jost Van Dyke island, BVI, and meals Donations for these ventures have largely been private, most often from firefighters and the Villa itself (that is, Deborah and Scott’s personal finances.) In addition, Some donations were made in the name of services, as Nate McGowen and his chartered boat, “Nate the Mate Excursions.”

With a 501 C (3) status, Florian Villa could ensure that each retreat offered to the family of a fallen firefighter is fully satisfying and complete—including rest and relaxation for widows as well as activity and adventure for their children, who have suffered a great loss and deserve palliative care.

MUDS
I’ll work on this part tomorrow and finish it

Financial Contributions to Florian’s Causes and Compliance Documentation
Since its inception, Florian’s Causes has been striving to diversify its approach and types of fundraising efforts to avoid relying on only one source. For example, they receive small donations through the following:

• Broad-based fundraising programs, such as comedy nights (See attachment B: flyers from the events and URL for publicity and tickets)
• Contributions made directly or indirectly by the general public as well as employees and families of governmental units (such as families of fallen firefighters, police officers and their families, military members and their families, and a wide range of all civil service employees). At least one third of its total support comes from governmental units.

Florian’s Causes passes the required 1/10th public support figure. (Please see details in attached documentation A.)

According to IRC 509(a) (1) and 170 (b) (1) (A) (vi), this type of support qualifies for a publicly supported public charity as the

It should be noted that all of the t-shirts and other Boston memorabilia were solicited by the general community and by firefighters who donated their personal shirts and hats. All labor was donated. Travel expenses to Washington, D.C. were incurred at personal cost by Scott and Deborah. The firefighters did not donate parts of their uniforms issued by the Boston Fire Department; they only contributed personal items. It is our understanding that efforts like the t-shirt drive qualify Florian as a publicly supported public charity, according to IRC 509(a) (1) and 170 (b) (1) (A) (vi). To this day, five years after the t-shirt drive, the Boston Firefighters continue their support of Florian’s Causes

Future Fundraising
Florian’s Causes does not expect principal sources of support to fluctuate substantially. We are planning the following to build and strengthen our financial base:

• 2010 and ongoing: Seeking and applying for appropriate grants from private foundations and public grantors;
• 2010 and ongoing: Seeking support from Board of Directors for help with fundraisers such as house parties, mail solicitations, and other ideas;
• 2011: Two comedy fundraisers are being planned: one at Florian Hall in Dorchester, MA, the other at the Improv Asylum in the North End of Boston, MA.;
• 2012: A road race in the Blue Hills in Milton, MA.
• Lets brainstorm for a few other things to list

2010-08-03T18:53:00.000-07:00

This is a short blog to remind people if they rent at Florian Villa USVI that it literally keeps the villa open.

In turn, we then can send down more families of fallen firefighters to Florian Villa St John VI and more wounded warriors. It is a beautiful villa, very secluded and not on the beach it is on Gift Hill which is more like a mountain.

Please visit the web site at www.Florianvilla.com or www.florianscauses.org

Thanks

Florian's Causes helping families of fallen firefighters and wounded marines, rent a villa and see how you can help

2010-03-02T10:14:00.000-08:00

Support those who have sacrificed.
Join Florian's Causes and Boston firefighters to support the families of firefighters who have died serving in the line of duty.

You are invited to a comedy event and spectacular raffle on Saturday, April 3 at the Improv Asylum in Boston's North End. Raffle grand prize is a 7 night/airfare vacation to St. John, USVI, plus lots of other great prizes!

100% of proceeds from the event and raffle support Florian Cause's work with families of fallen firefighters and wounded Marines. You need not attend the event to win raffle prizes.

Event and raffle tickets can be purchased online: http://florianscauses.org or call Scott at 617-686-1088.
More information and buy tickets
Thank you very much,
Deborah and Scott
Founders, Florian's Causes

(About the Founders: http://florianvilla.com/about-us.php)

Boston Firefighter saves Woman on Way into work Engine 21

2010-03-02T10:12:00.000-08:00

Feb 27, 2010 4:25 pm US/Eastern

Boston Firefighter Saves Woman On Way Into Work

DORCHESTER (WBZ) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 1: Boston firefighter Pat Foley was heading to work when he noticed a fire in this apartment building on Sumner Street, about a block away from his station.
WBZ

One of Boston's bravest saved the life of a woman on his way to work Saturday.

Boston firefighter Pat Foley was heading to Engine 21 in Dorchester around 7 a.m. when he noticed a fire in an apartment building on Sumner Street, about a block away from his station.

Foley called in the fire, ran inside, banged on doors and found the apartment that was burning.

Firefighters from Engine 21 forced their way in and found an adult woman unconscious.

She was taken to a hospital in serious condition. No one else was hurt.

It's not clear yet how the fire started.

Damage is estimated at $50,000.

If you are going to St. John USVI, great guest post

2010-03-02T10:07:00.000-08:00

Chief,

Here are the minutes from the meeting, they are as is, and again they are only suggestions but sometimes they just give you a little leeway when you first get there. Believe you me, you guys will be fine ( especially Sully ).

First and foremost, I have contacted Nate (Cpt Boat ) about your Tuesday boat trip. I have already made arrangements to pay him. Katie is ready for you guys ( and your orders for food ) from KatiLady Catering. Again I would rent a car just in case ( all the contacts are in the previous emails if you need ANYTHING for contacts Deb, myself, and even Katie can help you out. I saw that Steve Simon ( the Jazz musician ) invited you to a private party on Saturday ( he knows that you want be there on Friday ). That is up to you and I recommend going if you are up for it.

One thing I didn't mention was Angela for the massages. I would contact her in advance as she works at the Westin. She comes right to Florian and outside or inside. Katii can book your massages, I think she has a massage person also if the wives want a guy.

Two Restaurants I would recommend ( not many on St. John ) are the Waterfront Bistro which is literally on the water and LaTapa, right near the infamous Woody's and Au Mon Pub. There are three bars kinda of right there in the little intersection and you can't miss it. Asolare (supposedly the best food on the island), I think is overpriced and not that good, my opinion. You would have a much better meal and less hassle if you had Kati catered at least 3 meals and then maybe go to Cruz Bay for drinks afterwards. Skinny's is great for lunch but I wouldn't head out all the way to Coral Bay for dinner however if you want to watch a particular Boston Sports event, Skinny's is the place to go. The only problem is that their are no cabs at Skinny's so you have to drive to Coral Bay. I would also go to the Donkey Diner on Sunday for Brunch ( and please again apologize for them for not getting credit for the Soldiers Undertaking Disable Scuba ). It is a great place and they did give us a lot of food for SUDS trip. So Skinny's, Donkey Dinner, the Jazz Festival, are all at Coral Bay. There is another brunch place on 107 and another restaurant but again it is far about 45 minutes.

I would stick with Kati ( even if order food from her and you guys cook it ), LaTapa, Waterfront Bistro all in Cruz Bay and Skinny's for Lunch. Also Kati is great with for stuff like breakfeast ( cereal milk, etc. ) and also for lunches on the go when you go on the boat and most days your at the beach ( except when you go for Lunch at Skinny's ). I would also have Kati cook a couple of days as it saves a lot of time. Again look at her menu. Also for simplicity sake, I didn't order the Stoli, water, corona, tonic water and the wine. I would do it all through Kati especially if you are going to have her get your food for breakfest and lunch. It is easier just to order everything from Kati. One last fail safe for a place to get something to eat wold Morgan's Mango, not a lot of food but decent and pricey.

Good places to get a beer and hang out: Au Mon Pub, the Beach Bar, Woody's, anything in the Cruz Bay which is right on the water and maybe go to Mongoose Junction right up the street but not on the water. They have a nice little micro brew their and some cool shops.

Sticking with food, if you do go to St. Thomas I do recommend Mafolie's for the food and the view. Call ahead. Also I recommend Agave Terrace. There are a lot of good restaurants on St. Thomas, Kati might have other suggestions.

Places to shop would be Cocoa's Place across from the bright Colorful Art Store. It is exactly between Coral Bay and Cruz Bay on Centerline Road (Rt 10). The Colorful Place has cool breakable stuff. If anything stop here for a picture of the view. Bambola's in Mongoose has good stuff ( both places will give you a discount if you mention Florian Villa and the BFD ) and I send a lot of customers their way. Cruz bay has cool stuff, the Salty Dog next to Skinny's in Coral Bay is the place to go for shirts and hats ( don't forget to talk to Mo the owner from Massachusetts the Marathoner, he looks like a marathoner ). Off the beaten track would be Herman and his wood carvings at the Market Place or he might be at Coco's and Ital off of 107 when you go to Ram's head, mention the yoga girls to Ital, he won't forget.

Random Contacts: Westin Marliyn at the Mango and Dolcares at the Front Desk and Angela the massage therapist works at the Westin. Of course Nate and Katii know much more than me. Coco's good if you needed something wacki and of course Steve Simon is a great guy to talk to ( Jazz ).

Beaches: Basically anything on the North Shore is great, just a matter if you like the beach or if you like the beach with snorkeling or if you want a little beach with great snorkeling. Hawksnest is the closest to Cruz Bay ( one of my favorite ) Trunk which is famous for its pictures, Maho which you can park the car right and jump in the water and Francis, which is great for snorkeling and beach but leave before dusk. Waterlemon is a great little snorkel trip with a little beach and good for turtles starfish and stingrays plus a million different colored fish. If you do swim out to the little Cay, rest at the beach and then take your time going around. People also miss the Annaburg Sugar Ruins, which is where you park. ( You are all the way out there it takes less than 15 minutes ). Cinnamon Bay is also a good place to book a scuba trip or windsurf. Cinnamon Bay is known for its camp ground and has nice amenities.

Also out by Waterlemon and Maho Beach is Maho Camp Ground, nice to see. It looks like Lord of the Flies with all this decking and tents. They have glassblowing, cermanics, cheap sailing and scuba, and tents. Great place for headbands for the ladies. The road going up is a little tough. Also they have a cafeteria style food ( which is really good most of the time but not that cheap $18.00 plate but a great place to see the sunset, it is so high up. ) It is near Maho beach and Francis Bay and Waterlemon so it worth while to check it out. It is also for sale and it is a big deal around the world ( I have no clue ) and a huge fire hazard. They are extremely polite as I have booked some guest their.

The other side of the island is Lameshur ( big and little ) for beaches. Little Lameshur is a great beach and the other side is Great Lameshur, a not so great beach. Yawzi Point is a good snorkel and I love it because of the coral and you swim around and meet everybody at Little Lameshur. This is also a local hangout. If you look straight out at the sea from Great Lameshur to the left is some of the best snorkeling on the island and where the Tekitie project was ( you will get a lot of snorkeling in on the boat also and almost everybeach has some snorkeling ( except for Cinnamon ). Salt Pond is Ok but I would stick to hiking on Ram's Head.

A note about this side of the island. The best restaurant is the Shipwreck on 107, the best hike is Ram's Head, don't forget to see Ital for nick nack's, the best snorkeling is Lameshur ( Yawzi and Big Lameshur ) and the best beach is little Lameshur. When you go out to Lameshur and Ram's Head I usually eat at Skinny's as it is the junciton of 107 and Rt. 10. I am not sure if I would spend more than a day out here however the exception is the Jazz festival so you might want to go out there twice. Ram's Head hike is short but hot, hotter and dryer than most of the island. Big Hats, Water, Cover up, and watch your feet with the Sandals as I always forget sun lotion there. Add bug spray and you can go anywhere on the island.

The Tourist Center in Cruz Bay past the Ferry before Mongoose Junction is a great place to get oriented with great maps and books ( It is operated by the Parks Department ) You can see how far everything is and plan accordingly. Parking around there is a little tough and I would park at Mongoose Junciton or the lot in Cruz Bay and walk over.

Hikes: Two stand out, the Reef Bay Trail and Ram's Head. They are both good hikes but exactly opposite. One is covered with trees marked ( telling you what they are ) humid the other is Ram's head which is hot and dry and not as steep. They are both excellent hikes, medium. Water, cover up, sun lotion, and bug spray. There is a great deal that is down through the vistor center where you walk down the Reef Bay Trail and they pick you up in a boat. You start in Cruz Bay, they take you by Bus to the Trail, and then they pick you up by boat ( it is cheap too ). Ask at the Tourist Center.

Scuba Diving: The Westin isn't bad and is close ( I wouldn't recommend Low Key for several reasons ), Cinnamon Bay, and Maho ( Maho does the best job when they go out and it is the furthest ).

Sailing: Nate has some recommendations for sailboats and we are trying to find one ( which isn't hard ) that leaves out of Caneel which I forgot is also a good place to eat ). I will pass it along as he passes it along.

That is Scott's recommendaton.

Just to give you an idea of when you land. You land, you get a big Safari Taxi probably to Red Hook, take the people Ferry over to St. John with your luggage. You will meet Kati with her sign Florian Villa. Kati will take your to the car rental place. You will drive the car and follow Kati to Florian Villa ( I suggest you get the snorkel stuff on the way, get it out of the way ) at Cruz Bay Watersports near the Fire Station but you might just want to go back to the Florian. Kati is going to have everything waiting for you on the first night including dinner ( plus the wine you order, water, tonic water, corona, stoli, and breakfest for the next day ). Ask Kati how to get to Steve Simon's place if you want to go ( again he is playing Saturday night private and Sunday day, if you guys get a little antzy then go out Saturday after dinner otherwise you will be beat from traveling on planes, boats, and taxi's. Again the more you order from Kati, the better you are off the first couple of days and then if you would like explore the market place owned by Mugar ). Saturday night I would recommend dinner at Florian Villa.

Sunday is a little out of order because of the Jazz Festival. I would go for brunch at the Donkey Dinner ( maybe go early because it might be busier than normal because of the Festival ) maybe head out to Lameshur and 107 for a little beach and then come back and hit Skinny's and the Salty Dog for hats and shirts ( Skinny's is exactly 30 min. from Florian Villa just the other way. So have a early dinner at Skinny's since you are over there.

Monday would be a good day to take your lunches and go to the North Shore beaches maybe drive through Cruz Bay and then go all along the North Shore Road ( when you come out of the villa take a left ). Poke around and drive that whole road. Monday night I would go out to LaTapa or the Waterfront Bistro.

Tuesday take your lunches and go out with Nate. I would contact Nate when you get there as he is usually well prepared. Tuesday night I would recommend dinner at Florian Villa.

Waterlemon is usually a day, shopping at Cruz Bay and Hawksnest could be another day. After that you will get it down. Caneel and the Sailboat and a beach day, etc. I only came up with this silly schedule because of the Jazz Festival Sunday Day at Coral Bay and Tuesday is with Nate with the boat. So planning with Kati those first few days is key. After that there is only 3 directions to go.

Hope this helps and please email or call with any questions.

Steve Simon Real Jazz on St. John USVI can't miss this

2010-03-02T10:04:00.000-08:00

The Hottest Blues Festival on the Coolest Island

"The hottest blues festival on the coolest Caribbean island"

Wednesday - March 17th through Sunday - March 21st

The main show is
Saturday evening March 20th - 7:00 PM
in the Coral Bay Ball Field

STARRING

The Deanna Bogart Band - The Ford Blues Band - EG Kight
JP Soars & The Red Hots - JT Lauritsen - Shakura S'Aida
Billy Gibson - The Ty Curtis Band - Washboard Jo

TICKETS PURCHASED IN ADVANCE ARE $25
(TICKETS PURCHASED AT THE SHOW ARE $30)
TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE
on St. John at:
Connections - Cruz Bay
Connections - Coral Bay
Chelsea Drugs - The Marketplace
on St. Thomas at:
Chelsea Drugs - Red Hook

Food & Beverage Service Available all evening long
So bring a blanket, bring a chair, but please be cool...........no coolers

$5 Safari taxi rides all night from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay Ball Field & back to Cruz Bay

Special 1:00 AM Passenger Ferry from Cruz Bay to Red Hook

For additional information go to stjohnbluesfestival.com
or contact Steve Simon at 340-643-6475 or at
stevesimonlive@yahoo.com

What we have and what we don't...

2009-08-17T13:26:00.000-07:00

I have been vising my friend lately who is bouncing back from home and the Massachusetts General Hospital. He has cancer and he is the fight for his life. I know this, he knows this, he family knows this, his doctor knows this, however his little girl doesn't know this. She is two, and is clueless, thank god. I wonder if she has a clue but the way she bounces around the place, I don't think so. I also have a cousin who died from brain hemorrhaging and her son does know. He is about five and called me the other day from D.C. and I hope that he forgets, I really do. I hope that time heals all wounds.
So driving back and seeing and hearing from these two families, I think about of all the wasted time that we think of what we don't have instead of what we have. I talked to one mother of three who lost her husband in a line of duty death. I told her that we send families down to St. John, USVI to heal a little, get away a little, reflect a little, and basically biding time until time will heals. Sad, we really don't know what we had until it is gone.
They say we never see our families except for weddings and funerals, and we never come together unless it is one or the other. Having run some weddings at Florian Villa St. John USVI (Florian Weddings) they are a lot of work but a lot of fun, so when I came across this video, I had to laugh and I remembered what I have.

The Fire Department, the Union, Our Country, and our Future

2009-07-01T17:02:00.000-07:00

So you're not a Bon Jovi Fan, understandable. ( at least from the last post you're not ) but for most of the fans out there, they do support the military or at least the troops in the military. Where do the troops go after the military? I am not quite sure, it is a fair question since a lot of people serve this country. Presidents, electricians, plumbers, real estate agents, teachers, all of the above. Well, I know where a whole bunch end up. Civil Service, especially fire and police ( they are the ones I know the most. ) Yup, don't pass go. Maybe a little of college, but for the most part cops and lunkheads all the way.

Why do I bring this up? I am a Fire Captain in the Boston Fire Department and furthermore a pool Captain. I don't have a home. I bounce from house to house sometimes every week and sometimes for months at a time. I have been doing this for almost 1 year and half. I have met everybody. I lot of new guys. Same theme, joined the service to get on, served in Iraq or Afghanstan, for at least two tours, and here I am. Shooting at bad guys one minute and ready to run into a burning building the next. ( Yes those from the SUCK, you get special star ). The same from Esat Boston to Dorchester to Beacon Hill. In fact over 90 percent of those hired since 9/11 have been in the active military and out of those over 75 percent of those have served overseas in some conflict. Amazing stats. Almost all said they joined to get on the job.

Well, today, from powers above higher than my pay grade, they started closing fire companies because of.... fill in the blank here. They say it is money but the union said that the guys would work for free so the city wouldn't be bare. Fair enough. Legally the city can't do that, but kudos for trying. Unfortunately, it is politics. Yup good old, grimy, city politics, going way back, dirty, old, well you get it.

Hello those in charge, you are in charge. Fix it. I am sick and tired of well we can't do this and we can't do that. So let me get this straight. A kid from South Boston or East Boston joins the Marines goes to get the job goes overseas, SURVIVES, gets the job, and then gets called all sorts of names in public for something he had no part of. I don't care if it is the mayor, or the commissioner, or Chief of Department, but do you know where these kids came from and what they did to get the job? And you make it look ugly? PTSD is a major issue and ... , oh yeah, that isn't your problem, tell them to deal with it. Wicked Smart.

These kids need leadership and it starts at the top. Period. Fix it. We will execute.

Some kids were listening to grunge what ever that hell that is. This is my equivalent to grunge music. I tell them to Have a Nice Day.

Who says you can't go home.......

2009-06-30T13:55:00.000-07:00

(Trying playing the video while reading the post).

The story is always the same. I am outta here. See ya. Quincy, Lexington, South Boston, Dorchester, Timbuktu, I don't care where you go, anywhere but here. Some join the service, some go to college, some travel. I was no different, I wanted to get as far as away from Boston, Massachusetts as I could. In fact, when I got out the Marines, I wanted to get as far away from New England as I could, so I went to Montana. When that wasn't far enough, I went to Morocco, Kenya, Thailand, and found myself at Alie Beach in Queensland Australia.

After traveling for quite a bit and sitting on a beautiful beach all the way around the world, it was time to go home.

Who says you can't go home?

We spend a good deal of our youth running. Sometimes we run from people, sometimes places, sometimes we run just to run. We spend a lot defending our home, whether it is with the military or with taxes, or volunteer work, and then we run and fast. I just was in the USVI in St. John Trunk Bay and I had the same thought I did I did over 15 years ago when I was on a beautiful beach, it is time to go home.

We went on a bunch of runs and I was very proud to defend the city that I call home. There were car accidents, drunks, college kids being stupid, some car fires, some house fires, difficulty breathing; and I felt like I was the last line in defense as everyone else dials 911 and and the Fire Department shows up.

The same could be said for our boys ( and gals ) across the pond in the dessert of Iraq and mountains in Afghanstian. They didn't dial 911, but they sure showed up. They are doing more than their fair share to defend our home. And guess what, I bet they can't wait to go home.

Who says you can't go home? ( I was in Timbuktu and I should of known then where home was )

Your confusing your rank with my authority...

2009-06-29T20:36:00.000-07:00

I was having a beer in the e-club with a buddy of mine in Lejeune who happened to be from Southie ( South Boston ). He was a disgruntled MP with short time and was telling me a story of how he pulled over a high ranking official and of course the high ranking official was not happy. The infamous quote, which I will never forget, was.

"Sir, you are confusing your rank with my authority..."

To this day, I will never forget those words and I as amusing as it was to a twenty something year old, I am baffled over who is in charge and what are they in charge of. Yes, the president is ultimately in charge of the country and in the city of Boston, the mayor calls the shots. I don't question their authority and I certainly don't question the tremendous responsibility that comes with their burden of power.

As good politicians, they compromise, they have to, it is in the job description and they want to like them. For the rest of us, I respectfully ask them to let us do our jobs. I really don't want their jobs and I know that they don't any of my jobs that I have ( and I have had some winners).

Make the policy or change the policy and then please get out of the way. Let Generals be Generals, Firefighters be Firefighters, Captains be Captains, Doctors be Doctors. I know your in charge but let us do our jobs. Some do it for the their patients, some do it for the men, some do it for civic duty, and yeah, a lot do it for the love of their country.

Toby Keith says it best.

Movies: How they change the way we view the world?

2009-06-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

I was talking to a Boston Fire Lt., who was a former Marine ( and very proud of it, he looks like tall version of Val Kilmer, he is also a somebody you want to crawl down a smokey hall way ) and he said that the movie that drew him to the Marines was Full Metal Jacket. I always thought it was a good movie, but that wasn't the point. That movie at that time was the final push that drove him into the United States Marine Corps. So what was it, the movie, timing, or a little of both.

For me it was Backdraft. I saw that movie and eventually it rolled around in the back of my head because I would have never taken the Fire Test while I was in college if it wasn't for that movie. ( and definitely wouldn't have got on when I did )

I think Heartbreak Ridge might have been another movie that made the difference between the Marine Corps and the Army. These ripple affects amaze me in our own personnel lives.

Books give us a general guide, people too. Florian Yoga recalls, " In Search of Excellence " as a book that was guideline to her management career. Again, a guideline ( and probably much more accurate ) but we like to ponder about books. I ponder about the book "Flags or Our Fathers" and what it was like for those guys coming home. I don't ponder over Saving Private Ryan. I just remember images and how it was too disturbing for the World War II vets, it was too real.

Good or Great movies make that line distinct for decision making processes where we don't really want to know how the world is, we just want a 1 hr 19 min clip with images ( and it doesn't matter if it is accurate or real ).

Life would be simpler and we would get more done if we could boil how we see the world into 1 and a half hours.

How else would you see the world? Local TV, The Papers, Bill O'Reilly, Keith Oberman, Rachel Madow, Sean Hannity, George Stephanopoulos, Rush Limbaugh, Oprah, Dahli Lama, The Pope. American Idol, Donahue, they all have an opinion of the world and they will share it with you whether you realize it or not. ( I know, shocker )

Guidelines and entertainment are great, but this life is yours, not theirs. So here is a novel idea.

Go live your life, it is not a rehearsal, and there no time outs or cuts.

For me today on this cloudy afternoon, I am going to see The Hangover, and maybe laugh for a little while, and take a movie for what it is worth.

Kind of like these guys did below for 2 minutes, laugh a little bit when they can, and maybe that is why they got over 2.1 million hits on youtube.

"Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart"

2009-06-26T20:54:00.000-07:00

" Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart... Thirty True Things You Need to Now" is a great book by Dr. Gordon Livingston ( and short too; who doesn't love a short book, you feel like you accomplished so much when you finished it, especially in a self help book. )

Woody Allen said that 80 percent of life is showing up. Ain't that the truth. One point the doctor brings up is that with the entertainment industry skyrocketing out of control since the World War II, we are letting cable TV, movies, video games, and the Internet wash over us for hours as we do a lot of nothing. When we do something, it is a lot of talking about nothing . Like Woody said, we are not showing up.

The song below has the lyrics, " I would rather be dreaming than living, because living is too hard to do." I first I thought it was someone that didn't want to live but then when I thought about it is so much easier not to participate in life, to dream and talk about a better life than go out and actually do it. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow isn't here, so all we are left with is today.

Sounds Yogish to me, or something that Florian Yoga would blog about rather than Marines, Florian Villa, the Fire Department, or Disabled Scuba.

Wounded Warriors, Florian Villa, National Health Care

2009-06-25T12:39:00.000-07:00

I think people are getting confused with National Health Care, non profits such as Wounded Warriors and Florian's Cause, Marines Undertaking Disable Scuba, the Veterans Administration, and the Walter Reed Medical Center. No I don't think it is simple. Here is how I would bring some light on all of these:

Walter Reed in my mind has some of the best treatment in the world. I was there in 1996 and again in 2005. I think the Doctor's are the cream of the crop. Period. I think as far as being run by the military that is the best you are going to get.

Wounded Warriors has to be the best non profit around. It has a huge following and is very popular with the troops and civilians a like. Funding is always going to be a problem.

Veteran's Administration has the great doctors but tries to hard to make things simple and forgets that a secretary would be handy from time to time. After going to the VA in Boston for over a decade, I would have to say it is getting better. A government fund program that does the best it can for a government run program. More on Myhealthy vet and Oxycontin robbery at Jamaica Plain in my next post.

National Health Care. I went to a hospital in Brisbane, Australia and another one in London, England. As much as I agree that something should be done, I think somebody should go to the a clinic first hand and try to get a cat scan, and then please Senator debate the issue. The United States can do better.

Florian Villa, Florian's Cause, Florian Yoga and Marines Undertaking Disable Scuba/Snorkel. I believe that small business's like Florian Yoga and Florian Villa will not be able to support their non profit causes' if the economy runs itself into the ground. Whether or not that not building an airplane will support that, I have no idea. Small Business and donations make Wounded Warriors, Florian's Cause, and MUDS ( Marines Undertaking Disable Scuba ). The economy goes, and so do we.

And who do we support, please play the video to find out.....

The Unexpected Hero Among US

2009-06-23T19:16:00.000-07:00

Everybody wants to tell everybody what there are doing?

Twittter, Facebook, MySpace,Blogs, email, texting, I am amazed that we get anything done or that we have enough to actually to say. Joe Biden on Twitter, good or bad, he is there and he has something to say. Dennis Leary has a lot to say, not about Rescue Me, but about everything else and he does, better yet a lot of people follow him. Fox News and Michelle Obama, both on twitter. Every organization in the world is on Facebook, include ours ( Florian Cause's, Florian Yoga, and Florian Villa) and part of it is that you want to tell everybody what you are all about and what you do.

I understand that part, sharing information for the cause, help us and we will help the ones that can't. We just have to get the information out there. Follow me and I will follow you. ( a little twitter humor there). We all have a lot to say. We are all important. We have to express ourselves 24/7. I am on Facebook,Twitter, email, this blog, and I am not quite sure I have a lot to say. How about the people that don't say much, are ordinary and yet they do extraordinary things.

Like Harold Crick? Yes, the main character in Stranger Than Fiction. He knows that he is going to die tragically and can change his future, but doesn't. And why? By him not changing the course of fate, he keeps everybody's lives in tact, except his own.

Hero? Maybe, Maybe not.

Actions speak volumes over words. They might not have much to say but then again they don't have to. I don't know about hero, but I do know the world would be a better place if there were more people like Harold Crick.

Joker One, Taking Chance, A Few Good Men, "Baby Don't Hurt Me, No More.."

2009-06-22T14:32:00.000-07:00

So as we started thinking about new 5013c names such as Florian's Causes and A Few Good Men or a different version of SUDS, we were stumped for the Marines that were disabled and were going to St. John Virgin Islands to Snorkel or Scuba Dive.

Then it was simple, MUDS, Marines Undertaking Disable Scuba.

I was thinking that about Gitmo and a Few Good Men the other day how it made Marine Corps to be a machine, which was Hollywood's version of what it meant to be in the Marine Corps. Joker One was the view of Platoon Commander, very real, jargon right on, but again the view from an officer in Ramadi, not a regular 03 in Vietnam. Taking Chance starring Kevin Bacon ( now available on Neflix ) is probably the most accurate account of what all wars cost. I am sure that United States Marines Corps honored their fallen to the best of their abilities in all conflicts, from Iraq, to Liberia, to the Root, to Iwo.

To me, the Marine Corps was making the best of the worst. When I was in boot camp, a fairly young colonel delievered this speech: "

We the willing, lead by the unknown. doing the impossiblle for the ungreatful. Have done so much for so long with so little. We are now qualified to do anything with nothing."

I was look back and try to make the best out of a bad situation as these guys did in the video below.

The Ying and the Yang of Florian

2009-04-12T16:30:00.000-07:00

So for all you liberal moonbats and the right wing nut jobs hang on, as you probably put yourself into one of these categories and will dismiss anything that says PBS or Fox News. It is not about that.

Stretch up and push your right elbow against your left knee and suck in your stomach and with your right hand grab your left knee and turn right or is it left.

Yesterday I am sitting in my house in Boston and it is literally the worse weather weather I can imagine out ( not cold enough to snow, but wet, raw, and around 35 degrees ) with my better half hanging out at Florian Villa St John USVI on Gift Hill dry hot over looking St. Thomas. Her day is exactly opposite of mine. I am getting ready for Tuesday's with Morrie, but before I listen to about a half hour of the Phantom Gourmet on WTTK with the Adleman brothers ( their father will play out in this blog at the end ). They are actually talking about firing their father Eddie Andleman. I am also thinking about Easter and how i wish did more, what I could do for lent next year. I think of being Catholic and how people pick apart what they want to believe in ( I am no exception ) and they turn it into a psuedo religion, one that fits their lifesyle and beliefs and not the church, again I am not judging, I guess I just don't believe in everything the church says but I know the rituals and the rules ( all of them I think I broke at least twice ), and I follow along but why?

Look up to the sky and arch your back with your forehead on the floor grap your ankles and with your biceps pull so that your head goes forward while keeping the arms straight....

Are you with me?

( I have no idea what to in this Bikram Yoga class, I just watch the flexible girls in front, and I have no idea what I am doing with my religion so I just watch the priest in front and do what he says )

My better half getting ready for a turnover ( guests coming and going from Florian Villa ) doesn't really have anytime for this silly blogs stuff and I am glad I am not there. Cleaners, gutters, water ( yes she had to call for a water truck, dry as a bone ) and sure is not listening to the sillyness of the Andelmans especially Dave Andleman who all the gals gang up on because he is older and not married. ( Personally I thought he was a great fit for another talk show host but I will let you guess.) She doesn't have interest this night with Morrie Schwartz or Mitch Albom not because she doesn't care about Morrie or what they do on Tuesday, she doesn't have time for it. What she does have to time to do to ask me about Easter? I guess in St. John and the other virgin islands they closed everything down for Easter. She is fascinated with the rituals of the Catholic church, which is interesting because she is from a very Jewish family. I don't know all about passover but showing up is a big deal. I don't thing she actually wants to covert to being Catholic and I am not sure how she feels about the whole Jesus being the number one guy, but she she is very curious about the rituals and why we do this and why we do that. I am curious about Judaism but I don't think I would covert either, it is like ying and yang. I am tall, she is short, and that is just the way it is.

Or is it?

Know holding out your left hand grab your left foot with and keep your right leg strong, with the right leg strong, kick out with your left leg, and charge the body forward leading with your left hand straight. Kick and lean, kick and lean. Touch the mirror.

I taped all the early morning talking heads starting with Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace ( hold on moonbats I will get to you ) and also Meet the Press with David Gregory and finally Face the Nation. I like it best with Juan Williams talks on Fox News with Britt Humme and Bill Kristol because he is obviously out numbered but gets his rational thought across. Meet The Press tries with NPR and Michelle Norris but they really should try get someone polarizing, like Glen Beck, and let him rant about Liberal Fascism. But I give them all their fair due on this Easter Sunday and they all had two points where they concurred, that they hoped that Cpt Richard Phillips was OK and they talked about Bo, the brand new dog in the White House, and they all wished everybody a Happy Easter Sunday. Conservatives and Liberals, Fox News and NBC, at least were on the same page to wish everybody a happy holiday.
It was a nice Ying and Yang. Not conservative talk radio and not a Slobbering Love Affair by MSNBC. Very different sides talking about Jimmy Carter and Ronald Regan and the foreign crisis at hand. Again two sides, two stories.

You want to grab your knees both your knees and put your shoulders and hips on the floor and for the love of God concentrate on your breathing.

It thought about the heads and how much they missed. I find it unbelievable that George W. Bush gave the most money to Africa than any other president, and Africa nees it. I have been to Addis Ababa, to Mogadishu, to Mombasa, to even over priced Zaniibar, and they all need it. Turkana, which attracts people for all walks of life, for their game parks need it. And the number one influence in Turkana, yep, the Nuns and the Catholic church. I am not sure if the church gives the most money but they definitely have the most interest in education and feeding the poor. George W. Bush and the Catholic Church having the most influence in Africa, now that is a Yin and Yang for you.

I want point your left foot towards the wall and with your hips inline sit down and turn left and and push your right leg out and reach the ceiling with your right hand.

( There are all lot of opposites coming up so try to keep up ), so, as I, the most non yoga person in the world head to my 5th Bikram class, I am trying to find the ball game but the radio was on WTTK, with of all people one of the very few liberals on a very conservative talk show and who calls in but Jay Severin who is a very conservative talk show host on WTTK. Severin and Myers, you want to talk about yin and yang. Jimmy Meyers was booted from WEEI 850 sports years ago with, you guest it, Eddie Andleman, father of the Phantom Gourmet. Now Eddie is right on after Jimmy but he doesn't talk politics, he talks sports on Sunday night. You think that that Phantom Gourmet, Mike, Dave, and Dan Andleman would help out there Dad. Oh, that is right, they are going to fire him as referred to earlier. So Jimmy Myers and Eddie Andleman who once were the number one sports guys in Boston are now are the worst spot and worst for Jimmy, the very Liberal Politcal Talk show host, has Jay Severin calling in who has one of the best spots on this radio spot. So Jimmy Myers and Eddie Andleman were once great, are names that we recognize in the past and today are hanging on by a thread. ( Even worse for Eddie Andleman, the father is going to be fired by their sons who are thriving on TV with the Phantom Gourmet ). Again once on top now on bottom, moved aside for the next era, a change, new and young, v. old and has beens.

Now we are going to breath out of our mouths 1 million times without breathing in.

Which brings me to today. Cpt. Richard Phillips is saved and looks like the president made his first foreign policy unscathed. He didn't say anything, but he didn't have too. Hillary laughing about the pirates on TV couldn't have been good for him and I am sure he wasn't happy, and he kept quite. In the end, he did he right thing which I am sure he wants to do. What more can you ask from your commander in chief. He came through in the end. The surge worked, and for that particualar day or former commander in chief came through. Policies we can argue like the heads this morning but on those twi issues, the number one guy came through, left or right, up or down, liberal or conservative, democrat or republican....

Now lay on your backs and sweat some more until you pass out.....

It is all ying and yang. It is a push and pull in our country and our lives. Good news and bad. Great yoga retreats and challenging ones. While watching Tuesdays with Morrie, I wonder what Morrie would say about my theory of politcs, and religion, yoga and Buddha, Boston and St. John, America and Africa. Yin and Yang.

Morrie was big into hugs and dancing. He was big into family and eating. He loved his students at Brandesis and loved to teach. When he was diagnosed with Lou Gherig's Disease, he new that he was going to die, and took advantage of it. If only we could teach one more lesson to the world, which he did brillantly on ABC and in Mitch's book. He taught us to laugh, and dance, and sing, and eat. It reminded of a lot of other books that I read, everything I needed to know I learned in kindergarden, and don't sweat the small stuff, and that funny practice I went today called Yoga. I Morrie's prorities were exactly inline with what he believe in, it was the simple things that we live for ( and die for ) and as simple as they might be they are the hardess lessons to learn and to teach.

That is what I think Morrie would say.

I wish that was the end of my day, on a happy note of a strange world of yin and yang. But with good news comes with bad.

I learned today that two firefighters from Houston lost their lives today. My heart and my prayers goes out to their families. They were killed in a search where the family got out alive but they didn't.

and I am glad that I have a god so I can say a prayer for their families, despite with my difference of opinion, my church is their for that.

and I am glad that St. Florian is a saint that I believe, the patron Saint of firefighters that will take care of them.

and this is why my better half is down at Florian to make sure that there is place of refuge for the families. How tragic a reminder of what is important in our lives.

Take care

Where do I go to get good advice for a villa rental on St. John?

2009-04-11T08:38:00.001-07:00

Where do I go to get go to ge good advice for a villa rental on St. John USVI? Good question and I don't have a good answer. There are a lot of management companies such as VIVA and although they say that they have a great reputation, on VRBO, they really don't. I really like Catered To although they are pricey. If you can hang in there, try villa rentals by owners, such as Florian Villa, because two things, the owners really do care if you have a good experience and they will work with you because they might have two villas, usually one. The other companies have twenty five villas to keep up. Destination St. John is OK but again they are more in the category of building and selling where the money is and that is where the money is or was. If you never rented a villa before, I wouldn't count out the Westin St. John. It does have a beach but not the North Shore beaches when you think of Megan's Bay or Maho. They are protected and the Westin is on the South Shore of the island overlooking St. Thomas. Places like Tripadvisor and Travelpost are usually good for general information but have a stake in the game when comes to rental. Shocker that they work for the rental companies. What do you think they do on the island all day? I was just referred to by Rick who lives out by Salt Pond and Concordia and he inherited some money and lives and rents there part time. Most owners go through a management company and never see there property. VRBO is an excellent source for finding not only a place on the United States Virgin Islands but anywhere really, and you will get the best price, sorry Tinkerbelle, Villa Fish is biased and not as good as you think. When we hosted SUDS and ABC, the question was asked how to we manage the property. Well, if you let some else do it, it will be a disaster. You have to have a vested interest and basically keep things up. It is no different than being a home owner, again the Westin wouldn't be in this category. The Westin Restort on ST. John is not a villa, although they say they have villas which is bizzare. They are a resort and they do a lot of things well. They have full time staff for everything.

So I have been reading a lot of but which place is the best and where to go to. Google there the villa name, read about it, read about the owners if you can, see if they do anything different like yoga retreats, yoga weddings, adventure retreats, basically see if the owners are involved. If a management company is involved, google them. Look at where they are, what there office is like. I know that sounds kind of silly but can you really take a management company serious if they are working out of a closet or if they are a front for a real estates scam.

A little research of a bunch of different sites will go far. And nobody cares about their property more than the owners, that you can put your money on. To find out more about florian and florian's causes such as SUDS and families of fallen firefighters, google florian villa and go to the press page or contact Florian Yoga Companion.

Jude, Bikram, Marcus the Navy Seal, and Ladder 19

2009-04-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

So I figured out why I hate Yoga so much. Was it because of Florian Blog Spot or because of Florian Companion? Was it Estes Park and Yoga Journal? It certainly wasn't because of Charlie's Angels and Jude English who is moving on to become a famous actor. Is it because I don't like saying Omm. It is because of Rolindale Yoga and how I almost destroyed the building. Is it because of all the mailings that I sent out and the egocentric teachers would only reply if it was about them. Was it because of Florian Villa and everytime I look at the place I think of a yoga retreat? Was it because of the blog of whether or not Obama was a Yogi? ( I can't believe that caused such a stir in the Yoga World, on posts such as Florian Companion, and in Yoga magazines everywhere.) Nope, I can't even say that Tim Thomas the Bruins goalie who is an avid yogi had anything to do with it. Is it that fact there are over 1000 yoga studios in California alone and 1 in South Dakota.

Nope it is simple. I can't do it. I can't stand on one leg, my hamstrings are tight, the girl in the front is always talking about my elbows and keeping them in and that it is not about the posture, it is the process.

It is not about the posture, it is the process. Kinda of like it is not about the goal, but getting to the goal. I have heard that before, Tuesdays with Moray maybe. But how true. We think of Yoga as putting our foot behing our head and I always thought about it as stretching and breathing. Lisa, one of the angels, said that her brother thought it was the same thing. One of our first retreats, we had 4 pretty girls from New York City that were all yogi's and proud of it. Their ring leader, Jude, was an excellent teacher and leader which made my job at Florian Villa that much easier, epecially on a yoga retreat. Isn't it about breathing and stretching, and by God, what about the heat.

Deb from Florian Yoga or Florian Yoga Companion says everything is yoga. Jesus, Buddha, and Ghandi are all yoga. So is running, and firefightering? Well firefightering is a good example. Breathing is important and stretching is very important so I would say yes, yoga should be part of firefightering. Firefighters would get less injured. Same for runners, although I am not sure about some of the stretches for the knees, but again I am new to all this and to be fair to yogi's and the instructors and the bloggers at Florian Yoga Companion, they always say it is not about the stretching or breathing, it is about the process.

So in that respect I guess you call whatever requires a process Yoga, including life. If Yoga requires for us to be in " the moment " ( how I wish they would come up with a better phrase than that even though it is true ) then again I question why do we spend so much time in the past and future. I was talking to a bunch of guys from SUDS, soldiers undertaking disable scuba, and they were very much in the moment. Not only were they in the moment, they didn't look back, and if they did, they didn't show it. I was watching a show about Markus the "Lone Survior" of seal team 10 and how they gave him a dog for therapy, a little golden retriever puppy. The puppy was named Daisy, after his members in his squad, and Daisy got away for less than ten minutes and she was killed by some idiot. The story wasn't about this idiot who was going around Texas killing dogs, it was about Marcus. Marcus receiver or the Navy Cross, true moment was that dog. You could see he face wretch as he told the story. Marcus found his inner peace, not through Yoga, or through running but through this puppy. That was his now, not his past, not his future, his now. So maybe in the way, that was his Yoga according to Florian Yoga Companion, feel free to chime in.

So now is a big thing with Yogi's. Sure they have there quirks and sometimes I think it is a crock to fill a whole in their life, how ever I do believe in the process, not matter what it is.

So as I part my way with Ladder 19 and I am said to move on, I realzie that wasn't end, it wasn't my future, it was here and now, and I think I am OK with that. I have had some great here and nows and I get sad looking at the past but however the future as bleak as we might see it, it isn't here yet and the story hasn't been writen, so we might as well enjoy the ride while we can.

Happy Easter all.

Ask Mel Robbins

2009-04-07T13:04:00.000-07:00

Last night I received a phone call to be on the Mel Robbins show. I realize Mel has a morning spot on Saturday morning at WTTK 96.9 in Boston. She was also party of the Diva maddness with Michelle, please don't take my photo, McPhee; Margery, I am from Fall River, date Jim Braude, host with Jim Braude, went to Stanford act like I am from Brookline, Egan;, and of course let me tell how to fix your problems, Mel, I can fix all your problems but haven't seen my kids in two weeks, Robbins. ( By the way from a forty year old man's perspective, you couldn't pay me enough to attend that event. ). I told the nice lady on the phone that were busy with SUDS soldiers undertaking disable scuba and the fundraiser ( Donovan Slack thank you so much for coming and confronting Eddie, classless ) Comedy Bailout. She asked me how Mel bailed me out, and I said she didn't, she made things 1000 times worse. Florian Villa is not joke, it is a lot of money, in fact all of our money, Florian Yoga and Yoga in America are basically run by three people, but mostly Deb and myself, and that we really didn't need quality time together. We just needed to get through the next couple of weeks. She said that was fine and would I still be on the show. So in the last month I have escorted Col David Hunt, told Bill O'Reilly to jump up in the front seat of Engine 2, had Bill Mush Carroll on the Today show at K street and East Fourth, so let me check my schedule, yes I was available.

Mel's producers calls and I am listening to Mel go on and on that we work 24 hours a day and that we don't have time for ourselves. We are not sleeping enough. We are depressed because we lost our jobs, or are going to lose our jobs, or don't have a job. I didn't know where I was going to fit in. I have a job and the economy is hurting me as the business is slow at Florian Villa but I am getting by. I had to make adjustments and a yoga wedding would be great or a better yet 4 yoga retreats in October of 2009 would be even better but it is what it is. Then Mel asked me the million dollar question, " how have I helped you..."

Well Mel...

I said that Deb is in St. John battling VIVA, CIMMERON, PIA, and all other evils on the island, again you have to see Lost on ABC to follow, they are the others, no they are worse than the others. But we are holding our own. I told Mel and her listeners ( I think I would be a great talk show host ) not to sweat the small stuff, enjoy the simple things in life, and for the love of God don't get off the internet, turn off the radio and the TV and go for a run, or a yoga class, or just walk around the market. Most are free or cheap and you will feel much better that watching the stock market go up and down. Mel interjected her two cents about how we have to make time for each other.

Duh.

If you are a wall street broker and things are well you are going to work a million hours. An intern at a hospital, a million hours, a brand new lawyer at the fanciest law firm in town, a million hours, a new raising star at PWC, a million hours. The only difference is you are buying two hundred dollar sunglasses on a business trip and flying first class. Money isn't a problem but time is. Is it the opposite now, money is a problem but we have a lot of time. I asked my grandmother what they did in the depression for fun and she said point blank, we created our own fun because we didn't have a nickle.

Think about it Mel. You have a blackberry, a cell phone, cable, two cars in your family, a nice house, your own radio show, at least two tv's in your house, at least 3 ipods, and the list goes on and on....

I asked people all the time when I was traveling to crazy destinations that people couldn't find on a map like Mali, Ko Samui, Auckland, Goree Island, and I learned what is a huge diffenece between Americans and the rest of the world. We consume. We consume a lot. People in Australia, they travel. People in the US, like their cars. So if we don't consume, the stock markets go down, and if we do, they go up.

Even as I type this I am using a computer, a blog spot, a electricity, etc.

So back to Mel. Maybe the answer is to make time, to uncomplicate things, to take a class in whatever, unwind, instead of wind up. I think one of the biggest drawbacks of listening to the radio or watching TV is the commercials that we are bombarded with. Buy this buy that. Here it seven times they say and you will. So is the answer money, time, both, family, running, yoga, marriage, Mel Robbins.

I think the answer to the life is song in a country song. The song talks about the answer to life and then at the end says there is no answer. Which is the truth. Blanket statements about people and problems won't get you anywhere. Your Gremlin is the antithesis of the answer to life. But your answer is very hard to explain because the person with the most information about your problems, your hopes, your dreams, your turn ons, your turn offs ( I sound like a eharmony commercial ), your lows, your highs, your memories is you. Simply the anwer lies within you and if you believe in God, the answer lies in God which would also be you.

Easy to figure out hard to solve. That is the secret to life and happiness. Now go and find it.

St. John USVI the good the bad and the ugly

2009-04-06T14:02:00.000-07:00

So after looking for a handyman to fly down to St. John and totally failing to explain what the island was like, I turned to a Dive Club to try to explain New England Wounded Warriors and the new charity Florian's Causes. After explaining that all I wanted to do was get a pool time for the disable veterans and again failing, I thought of the island and whether it was worth it to buck Cimmeron, Viva, and the rest of the inbred connections on the island. Don't get me wrong, there are 80 percent good people of the island, but after talking to " Nancy " the new property manager, I thought are these people really out to destroy the prestine island or are they there to turn it into an episode on Lost. So after deciding that Nancy was going to be more trouble than it was worth, Deb flew down to St. John today after the Sox were rained out. Looking out the window, thinking about the next dreary day in Boston, I realized that nothing ruins a place. If you have problems at home then you will bring these problems to the anywhere even to a beautiful city such as Boston or a beautiful island as St. John, USVI. So the question is why do are problems follow us. I am sure the postmaster of Florian Blog Spot or Florian Yoga is asking the same thing as she over looks the sunset from Gift Hill to St. Thomas. As I pose this question, I came up with an a very answer.

After a bad work night, I didn't know what to do while Florian Yoga was at Florian Villa in St. John USVI. I wasn't really sad as much as what can I do to change the next couple of weeks of living alone, making the place where I live better. I then thought of this book Taming your Gremlin by Rick Carson. On the front of the book it states, " A Surpisingly Simple Method for Getting Out of Your Own Way. " With out turning this this post into a book report it basically is a yoga philosphy that means stay in the present, not in the past, and not in the future. I thought about that for a second and after the shootings this past weekend on Friday April 3 in Bingham New York and then more killings and more shootings and I think one of the talking heads said it best, " We could end up dead tomorrow. " This particular talking head said that his mother committed suicide and that he was an alcoholic by the age of thirty. I thought about the head and reaized that he is absolutely right. He is a rising star but to realize that looking to forward or to far back leaves you know room to live for today. After a bad weekend of work and several papers of CYA and then getting yelled at filling out these papers for CYA, I thought of the insanity that we all fear which is repeating the same actions over and over and over and getting the same results, ( I think that was best said in "Who moved my cheese". Something tragic happened, we were told to document everything, we document everything and from the bosses I get a phone call asking if I am implying that they don't do their job. Actually, no bosses, I am stating to you what is wrong and documenting it like you said because we had a tragedy. Implying would be very passive agressive which is what I try to avoid. Bottom line, they don't know wha to do and they don't want more blood on their hands. That would be living in the past and future. CYA for the past and paper work for the future and nothing gets done. Classic.

So again I turned to Florian Yoga and Florian Blog Spot and the key of course is a balance and never forget the present. I am a runner at heart. I believe like most runners that running solves a lot of problems. I can't think too much when I run and if I do I am not running fast enough. I thought will come into my head and then past. It helps me sleep, it keeps me balance. And again like most runners, I get injured and then gain weight because I can't stand to anything else. Instead of running a little bit day by day, stretching, trying something different like Yoga, I think about running. I guess this would be out of the box thinking for all the business types out there. However, you have to love what you really hate to get through bad spots, in life, in running, in climbing the ladder. Just learn to love it a little, don't worry about it so much, tomorrow the sun will rise, and stay present.

I always wanted to ask the disable veterans how they did it. How did they put the pain, the hate, the uncertainty behind them? Of course I never got the courage, but I remember reading about Travis Roy the BU Terrier who in a freak accident, was paralyzed. I think about what he lost and I am paraphrasing but look what he had to gain. He is a major speaker for events. He did let that freak accident take control of his life, he took control of his life. Why do people rise to become great in moments of adversity? I think the answer is that they stay present, look at what good is out there, and most important when things are really down, or just can't stand doing something, live to love it just a little bit no matter how much you hate it. I also believe for every action there is a reaction and so if you love something so much that there are going to be times that you hate it no matter what.

I think that is what happen at Florian Villa and dealing with Tripadvisor, VIVA, St. John's Property Manager, Cimmeron, Pita the constant forum writer. They are Gremlins and it just a matter of taming them because St. John is not an ugly island as I have cursed sometimes during a yoga retreat or a yoga wedding. It is a beautiful island with vistors that came to escape that are under stress, no more, no less.

Again you no mattter how much you hate it, you have to love it just a little.

Off to Rosindale Yoga with Heather who is lives in the moment of everyday.

"It is awful thing to live"

Tripadvisor at their best.....

2009-04-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

First Heather would see me, then she wouldn't see me about compliance issues. Now, unfortunately she won't see me at all and she is about a 15 minute drive. I was going to ask why their company lets people with vested interests become experts, i.e. st. john and their expert bloggers. It is such a beautfiful island, why do we as humans always screw it up. I recently went on a trip and paid for everyone else to come down for charity event and they were mean.

Why are people mean and why does no good deed go on punished as Florian Yoga points out, see florianblogspot.com.? Anybody? I can understand if there is money involved, but why after that.

Anybody?

Hi Scott, Unfortunately I am unable to set up an appointment to meet with you. I'll be happy to assist you with any questions you may have via email. Best, Heather Lee Compliance Specialist TripAdvisor LLC heather.lee@tripadvisor.com www.tripadvisor.com Get the truth. Then Go.

Tripadvisor The experience

2009-04-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

How not to handle customers.

Hi Deborah,

Thank you for stopping by our offices today, unfortunately we simply cannot accommodate visitors who just walk in.

Although this is not my department, I did some research and found out who can help you further. Since all our Vacation Rental listings are provided by our partner site, FlipKey, we cannot make this change for you.

For more information about the FlipKey listings, please see:
http://www.flipkey.com/userhome/alert_signup/

and to learn more about vacation rental listings on FlipKey, see:
http://www.flipkey.com/learn_more/faq/#manager

I hope this information helps.

Heather Lee
Compliance Specialist
TripAdvisor LLC
heather.lee@tripadvisor.com

Mind you we called, we wrote, and we were told that the only way to get in touch with Heather is to email. We were right there and we said we would come back anytime of the day or anytime of the week. Is she the Wizard of Oz? We should write to Channel ?

If you have a customer, please don't handle them this way.

Florian Villa and the Battle with Tripadvisor

2009-04-02T14:03:00.000-07:00

I write this blog as I know nobody will read it however that being said.

Florian Villa brought down six wounded soldiers and marines to St. John United States Virgin Islands to scuba dive, part of the SUDS program. Florian flew the guys and the instructors down, paid for meals and gas, and everything else that came with it. Florian Villa hosted the party that ABC attended for their mini series of Swimming Soldiers ( if you go to ABC and search for SUDS or swimming soldiers you can find it )
The guys from Walter Reed had a great time and the owners of Florian Villa just a fundraiser at Florian Hall ( Comedy Bailout ) last Sunday March 29, 2009 for six more disable Marines under Captain Stark to visit Florian Villa in December of 2009 to not only scuba dive but to enjoy the whole island this time. Patti Ross and company did a great job in the fundraiser and if anybody else reads this blog, I hope than can help.

Florian also sends families of fallen firefighters to St. John to get away from the madness, media, and mayhem of the real world. So a lot of people are intrigued and we have received a lot of support from firefighters, to soldiers, to marines, to families, and even from Col. David Hunt, whom I talked with on St. Patrick's day in South Boston.

So all these people have gone on tripadvisor to write about the villa. This was not a very popular move by the islanders on tripadvisor. My theory is that a lot of the management companies on the island blog a lot on tripadvisor and they write reviews to help villas that they managed. Since Deb manages our villa, we are not in the in crowd on St. John which is fine because I never have been an in crowd type of guy. That being said Deb and myself decided to visit Tripadvisor at 141 Needham Street in Newton Massachusetts and found the name of Heather Lee. All we wanted to do was to move Florian Villa from Specialty Lodging to Villas for Rent. We were told that Miss Lee was in a meeting and that wouldn't be available. I asked when was a good time to come back to Tripadvisor and she the receptionist stated that they don't see anyone. They don't see anyone. I just wanted to ask some questions about the causes forum, how to be an expert, etc. Tripadvisor on 141 Needham Street in Newton Mass. doesn't actually see people. You can email Miss Lee if you like or try to call, but not in person. So I tried calling to no avail. I thought it was strange that Tripadvisor this big source of Travel in a economy where you would want every dollar to count, would be open for questions.

I wish I was a reporter for Channel 7 to do some investigating reporting just to find out what is behind close doors. Better yet Channel 5 would be interesting since the tower was literally right behind us.

So if you go on vacation, I would ask the people at the forums as most of them are quite delightful but I do have my reservations about St. John USVI for advice. I think for the most part they do a good job but if they have a vested interest, let's say for villa rentals, you might be better of with VRBO which is the go to of all vacation websites by owners. If you do find out something with Tripadvisor and how to get in touch with them, please let me know.

Don't forget to visit Florian Yoga Companion posted by the most talented bloggers ever, Deborah Bernstein.

Take care and thanks for everyone's help. Now go post something nice under causes at Tripadvisor since that is what everybody reads.....

Taking Chance

2009-03-25T10:13:00.000-07:00

Taking Chance.....with Kevin Bacon honoring Lance Corporal Chance Phelps.

Again, a movie that states we are a great country because of the people of country, and part of country is our military.

Highly recommended by Florian and Friends..

USMC and Florian Villa

2009-03-24T13:38:00.000-07:00

Just a note of the Marines that will be visting Florian Villa in November.

I saw the Movie with Kevin Bacon where he brought home a KIA Marine. It was graphic, it wasn't dramatic, it was sad, but sad in a good way that people did respect that this young man and this Lt. Col. were headed back to Wyoming to bury this young Marine.

SUDS soldiers undertaking disable scuba

2009-03-24T13:21:00.001-07:00

I just returned from Florian Villa. At first when I was helpling out with yoga retreats and I posted florian villa st john, I thought I didn't have a lot to contribute as far as yoga retreats. Then came the military guys from SUDS, soldiers undertaking disable scuba. These guys, wounded in recent wars in Afhganstain and Iraq, were here to scuba dive. Did they practice yoga? Absolutely. They were very excited to see Deb everyday and they were there to scuba dive, exactly they idea for yoga retreats. However it wasn't until this group where I felt a connection between Florian Villa, the business, and the cause. Sure we sent down families of fallen firefighters and sure we had yoga weddings and yoga retreats, but with all the whoopla with the news, it kind of all came together for me. The press, the people on St. John, what was important, what wasn't. Was SUDS a great organziation, well sure if it is funded and supported. ( Yes there were a few people that we paid for to come down that were there for a free ride, just a few ) Florian Villa and the community of St. John was reponsible for SUDS and this trip. So in the future to make things run smoother and more streamline Florian Villa will raise the money, pick the divers, and then give to someone else to pick the troops. This time Captain Stark will provide us with seven disabled Marines to bring down from New England and this time there will be no mass confusion with the feds and the board. Simply we will get these guys to scuba dive and then bring them down to St. John to do to there open water dive. Add some yoga and that is our charity and more importantly that is our business.

One sad note on the yoga community, just when I thought Yoga was all Zen like I realized that you have to pay to have a book review. So for Yoga in America to even be considered, Deb will have to pay for a full page ad in Yoga Journal. Capitalism at its best, but I am not quite sure this is the best for Yoga. If you thought that the media and journalism is dead, it certaintly is unless you have money or if you bleed ( if you bleed it leads ).

As I got off work last night, there were two fires in South Boston and I realized that you need to take care of your family, your friends, your neighborhood, your city, and then your country. I grew up thinking that country was first, and we could have our differences. This isn't the case. I heard Michael Grahmn this morning flat out lying on the radio followed up by later by more lies on the radio and then when I thought that it was all done, I heard lies on the TV about the department.

Is it possbile to stay in business or government and be ethical?

baby it's cold outside

2008-12-20T17:44:00.001-08:00

wish your at florian villa, check out florian companion and find out how to win a free vacation.....

baby it

2008-12-20T17:44:00.000-08:00

Florian Companion and Florian Villa St. John USVI

2008-12-04T14:21:00.000-08:00

Steve Simon called today stating he would help out with Florian Villa and SUDS in anyway he could possible. Steve Simon plays in a jazz band for the troops overseas and also plays on St. John twice a month. It was very refreshing to see that the people on St. John read the article in Tradewinds and are interested in helping out in anyway possible for the troops and for the families of fallen firefighters. People have said that everyone would forget 9/11 and the events that happened that day. People also said they would forget about the Worcester 6. This is not the case. the Worcester Fire Department just built a new firehouse right where the warehouse fire was in 1999 and there was a flury of calls to help out the 9/11 victims and other firefighters. Today, in the globe, there was a picture of Governor Deval Patrick giving awards to the two firefighters that were killed in West Roxbury fire and also to others from surrounding communites. Forget, never. Again not in this town. Margery Egan and others might want to bash police, the firefighters, the troops, let her. That is her right. She has the column. The people will never forget and long after Margery Egan has gone, people will always remember. I heard her say that the police have a great job. That is was easy and that fisherman are in the top ten for most dangerous jobs ever. True. Police and Fire and Troops aren't always in harms way, but when they are, it is not joke. A couple don't die, thousands die, for their city, their state, and their country.

So back to Florian Villa the Experience. The villa has been laughed at on WEEI, on WTTK, and most other radio shows and then the connection hit me. It has been laughed at in the same way that Margery Egan, the Boston Herald, the Boston Globe will laugh at something to pump up ratings, to sell newspaper, for their job security. They will laugh at the police ( and police details ) they will laugh at the fire ( during investigations ) and they will make fun of the war with troops still on the ground and they will laugh at Florian Villa because there is no need for it. In their mind, there is no need for a safe have for those whose served something more then a paper or a radio show. Ask the people who have gone. I believe a lot of them went to St. John and to Florian not just for a vacation, but it was a vacation with a cause. They had a great time, enjoyed each others' company and went home knowing that in the end it all matters. Florian will stand for one more month because they had a great time. That is what they call on The Office a win win win.

The buisness, the charity, and the award.....

2008-12-03T18:38:00.001-08:00

On Monday night 4 December 2008, Deb and myself received an award by the Boston Celtics Heroes Among Us. It was supposed to be for us, the work that we did with SUDS and families of fallen firefighters. Sure, Florian Villa was not just an adventure destination a yoga destination a wedding destination. It wasn't just a villa on the island of St. John for Viva to rent. It is a place of refuge for veterans and LODD of the families of firefighters. It is a place where people come individually alone and leave with a bunch of friends. Safe, absolutely. Fun sure. Just for yogi's, well that is could be questioned. I have never seen a bunch of strangers land somewhere and within a day they talk like they have known each other all their lives. Does Florian Companion begin to describe Florian Villa? I think that is a start. So back to center stage at the Celtics game. The ref asked me if I had any questions for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce? The guy from the Mass State Lottery asked me how I came up with this concept. I didn't. It was suppose to be yoga retreats, pure and simple. It was suppose to be adventure retreats for people that didn't want to do Yoga. Weddings just naturally happened. Florian, after St. Florian, was a good fit and only then did I realize that why not have all of the guys that I knew that lost a loved one from the fire department, on off weeks. During the loss to the Patriots loss to the Giants, after hearing the SUDS PSA it was a natural fit. I then understood that when we ran a retreat or wedding it wasn't our villa it was the villa for the disabled veterans, it was a villa for the families, it was a way to show that we care about those that took care of us. When I looked up at the crowd and saw the cheers, I realized that it wasn't our award any more than Florian Villa was ours. It was their award. It was the veterans and families of the firefighters award. Heroes Among Us wasn't Deb or myself, it was any veteran and every firefighter that served his city and country and most of the times both. When I went to go to the bathroom, I also realized that this is a special city, the city we call Beantown. Yes, liberal as they come, but not veteran haters. Oppose the war, democrat, liberal, but not veteran haters. Has Boston Fire Department take some lumps in the paper. It sure has but it was Boston's Fire Department. The people that call talk radio and complain are not the people that they serve, well maybe sometimes, but for the most part they don't live in Boston. No, the people of Boston love their Marines, Soldiers, Airman, and Seaman. They also love their firefighters and police. They sure do. We are not LA nor any other place in California. This is our town. This is their villa. Florian Villa is not ours, it is the people who vacation there, who we keep in contact with, who were married there. Heroes Among Us. Absolutely, they are among us. I personally don't believe it is Deb or myself but they are among us. Florian Villa is just a place that they all come together, kind of like this great city of ours Boston, or this great nation, the United States of America. Just a place, I don't think so . It is never the place it always the people and to those people I say thank you.

The last day Wyoming womens yoga retreat

2008-11-21T11:11:00.000-08:00

The Wyoming Women’s Yoga Group last day from Florian Villa kicked off without a hitch. The yoga retreat left on the Stormy Petrol to Virgin Gorda, the British Virgin Islands. The group did more snorkeling and of course went to the famous baths of Virgin Gorda. I asked the group if they wanted to go to Skinny Legs, the only Boston Sports bar on the island, to watch the Patriots but they instead opted for one last sunset at Florian Villa.
The Wyoming Women’s Yoga Retreat was a success. It was Florian Villa’s 2nd to last yoga retreat of 2008, we have one more in yoga adventure vacation in December of 2008 which will be a Florian Villa Yoga Independence package.

Wyoming Women Yoga Retreat at Florian Villa Day 5

2008-11-12T18:40:00.000-08:00

Today was Day Five of the Wyoming Women Yoga Retreat at Florian Villa St. John USVI. The woman split up today and went, half went to Cruz Bay and the other half went to the to ten rated beaches by Travel and Leisure, the famous Trunk Bay. The shoppers polked around the quaint shops while the the beach bums did some snorkeling, some tanning, and some even made sand castles. They all met up later to pose for their aquayoga moment (see facebook and florian group photos ). After departing in the Florian mobile, which got some use today, the group hit Skinny's one last time before going on their moonlight kayak with Walt from Hidden Reef Eco Tours. The ladies loved going in and out of Round Bay towards the East end of St. John. The ladies saw different forms of algae that lit up in the water, differents reefs from different light angles and all above the full moon. The drive back was late and drunken chicken was waiting for them at florian villa with chocolate cake by Katielady who is known for her desserts. This day was a classic day of adventure combined with early morning yoga and late night meditation. Florian Villa is not set up to as a compound to stay at Florian Villa, it is set up so that people see the National Park, hike, snorkel, visit world class beaches, poke around and shop, and yes yoga. Is it Bikini Bootcamp? Not really, it is more for the the beginner yogi that once to get off the compound or the serious yogi that wants to work at Florian Villa but maybe climb Ram's head for an sunrise yoga session. If anything, Florian Villa is flexible with all their events, yoga and adventure and our end result is the customer. We kept the Wyoming Women Yoga Retreat happy and that isn't easy. Tomorrow, Virgin Gorda on the British Virgin Islands and the Stormy Petrol.

Wyoming Yoga Retreat at Florian Villa November 2008 Overview

2008-11-12T09:28:00.000-08:00

The Wyoming Women Yoga retreat started Saturday November 8 2008 at Florian Villa St. John USVI. The Wyoming Women wanted both Yoga and Adventure which is exactly what this National Forest provides, plenty of hiking and snorkeling accompanied by great weather and a good instructor and this is a yoga/adventure vacation that no one will ever forget. The Wyoming Women set the standard high and the people from Florian Villa St. John were up to task. Two other ingredients were needed for a great vacation: food and a place to stay. Florian Villa is a classic caribbean villa with one wall literally missing which means that it is an indoor/outdoor villa. There is a lap salt pool and 5 fruit trees behind it. The view up on Gift Hill is west which means that you are overlooking St. Thomas and it hundreds of lights ( not mosquite bites if you are referring to Kenney Chesney's song, "Blue Rocking Chair" ) that make people wonder if they are better off at St. Thomas with the nightlife or will the 90 percent national park provide a great place during the day and a quite peaceful and safe yet rather slow pace at night. That is up for the yoga retreaters and the adventure people to decide. The last ingredient is great food. Restaurants are not the highlight of any yoga retreat however Katilady could be as the former pastory chef is reknown for her key lime pie but her Mahi Mahi and tuna is the best St. John has to offer. So with the setting in place, can Florian Villa St. John measure up to Mexico and Costa Rica as far as a yoga retreat for these serious adventure Wyoming Women that would like a side of yoga, preferably mild at night and two hours at sunrise will do. Stay tune on this blog and see what St. John has to offer yoga and adventure retreaters and you can decide. www.florianvilla.com, www.katilady.com,la splash article will give you a preview