Towards the peak of Bordeaux Mountain, nearing the end of my (10+ mile!) hike, I chatted for quite a while with a self-employed stone mason whose family has lived on St. John for several generations. He calls his masonry techniques "unorthodox" and attributes this to being self-taught. When he's not working on clients' projects, he's busy building his own wall, which will connect to four large pillars along the road backing his property. The pillars are a little irregular--not at all like what you'd see around Peter Bay, for instance--but they work and they're cool. Every rock, shell, piece of glass and other inset object looks like it's meant to be exactly where he placed it. He has this idea to gather rocks of various types and arrange them in matching "families" in the wall. I imagine it will be part mural, part sculpture. I'll have to check back.
I also learned about "gut sand," ate some guavaberries (and learned how to make guavaberry Christmas rum and varieties of guavaberry tarts), and heard some of the history of "Picture Point," which is steps from his family's land. I didn't get a photo of his under-construction wall, but I did snap plenty from Picture Point overlooking Coral Bay and Tortola, including this one. I'm not sure if I believe his statement that Africa is visible on a clear day, but supposedly the clearest time of year is late November and December. =)
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