Liz and Beth wanted breakfast, so we ended up at Joe's Diner, where some local men were eating. A thin, older man with dreadlocks and a gray beard came down the street and pulled his T-shirt over his face for a moment. He was a little off-kilter. He came into the diner, and apparently the men there gave him a hard time.

With his T-shirt over his face again, he backed away from one of the men and accidentally bumped into Beth. The men yelled, "Hey, you hit her!" He apologized to Beth by kissing her hand. The other men's hostility drove him off. He walked to the corner, where, in a rage, he lifted some large rocks and slammed them into the pavement.

Beth and Liz near Mongoose Junction

Mongoose Junction

We went to Captain's Corner. We all bought Cruzan rum -- Liz and I got sampler assortments, while Beth bought large bottles for gifts. Liz also bought four-for-one T-shirts for her grandkids. We went up to the Spice Shop briefly, where I checked out the electric mosquito rackets for $15, then to the public washrooms. After that we headed to Mongoose Junction.

Liz led us to Bamboula, where I found the Cool Session Brass CD that I enjoyed listening to in the taxi yesterday. Liz bought a turquoise bracelet that reminded her of "what I see when I close my eyes by the pool." Beth left the shop empty-handed, then immediately went back in to buy the orange peace sign change purse she liked.

We went to the Deli Grotto. Liz and Beth shared a smoothie that Liz spiked with one sample bottle of her rum. We brought Liz to the Friends of the VINP Store, where she completed the T-shirt purchases for her grandkids.

We returned to the park by the dock. We hung around Captain's Corner while Liz phoned Alissa, then took a taxi back to the Westin.

Flamboyant tree blooms

While Liz took a nap, Beth and I went to the beach at the Westin (Great Cruz Bay). Beth lounged on a chair while I swam along the beach, from one end of the swimming area to the other, around the raft, and back.

Then I joined Beth on the lounge chairs. We watched some of the Westin gardeners prune a couple palm trees. They leaned a ladder against the trunk. One man climbed the ladder and hacked off the lower branches with a machete.

When we started walking back to the room, we saw that he must have hacked off more than just branches. Two young women were sitting on a bench drinking coconut milk right out of coconuts. We noticed, for the first time, the watersports shop (downstairs) and gift shop (upstairs) by the beach and went in and looked around.

Contest in the pool

It was Beth's turn to take a nap, and I returned to the beach with Liz. While Liz and I were swimming, we watched the Westin ferry boat pull up to the dock next to the swimming area. A bunch of people got off, and a few people got on. Liz and I had the same thought: second-shift employees arriving from St. Thomas.

Our relay continued -- Liz stayed on the beach, and I went back to the room. Then Beth and I went to the cafe between the pool and the beach for dinner. I think we both ordered things we'd had before -- a rather limited menu. Afterwards, we went to the Mango Deli for dessert.

Later we returned to the watersports shop and gift shop. At the gift shop we heard a song on the radio about President Obama. Beth asked the sales lady about it. She said the song was by a local group that had won a song contest.

Back in the room, we all started packing.