Three Sheets on the Rocks

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Three Sheets on the Rocks

Life on a rock and occasional misadventures from St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. OM System photography, DJI Drone videography and writing by Jennifer Cole Simpson.

03/11/2026

After nearly a month of hard work in a Puerto Rican boatyard, Mike is finally sailing home today. He just caught this great shot while out to sea, thankfully from a distance!

31/10/2026

Who says I need to get out of my yard to see wildlife? This week’s wildlife sightings have included a mongoose chasing chickens in the cleared lot next door, an iguana family gathered in a circle in the cemetery behind us, a boa constrictor falling from the top of a huge tree while wrapped around an iguana, and a hawk hunting new chick hatchlings. Of course I wasn’t able to capture any of those crazy scenes. I even searched extensively for the snake and iguana that fell. They must’ve survived because I could not find any sign of them, but I’ll keep searching. The boas are an invasive species and I catch them if I can to turn them in.

So instead of sharing photos of the National Geographic level backyard scenes, I’ll have to leave you with another favorite subject of mine. The St. Croix anole (Anolis acutus) is found naturally nowhere else in the world except St. Croix and a few nearby cays. I love watching these little guys dart around my garden, but of course I’m still hoping to capture one of the more hectic scenes another day.

27/10/2026

I guess WAPA thought that we were feeling left out on St Croix. Power has been out for about an hour here. And another 3,100 out on St Thomas. Today’s forecast: heat advisory.

24/10/2026

“But look at where you live!”
“Poor you and your rough island life.”

If I post about a frustrating or bad day, I often receive comments like this. I’m used to them now, but let’s be clear. It doesn’t matter where in this world you live, you can still have bad days or be in a bad mood. In fact, as I’ve said before, it’s often where you live that is the reason for the bad day.

I’m writing this because, while we are fortunate to have power on St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John have been without power for about 48 hours. Keep in mind, it’s not autumn down here. Yesterday my thermostat registered 99°F. So when I see my STT and STJ neighbors rightfully express their anger over our failing power company and then people responding with comments like “Look at where you live!” or “Go to the beach and enjoy your day!”, I feel only rage. We are all Americans here, held captive by a corrupt power company, with who knows how many government officials dipping their fingers into the pot. We don’t see a way out. It’s been this way for decades and no one seems to care. Those in government who do actually care are ineffective because of the countless others who don’t, as long as their pockets are lined.

I don’t pretend to know the answer to this United States Virgin Islands issue. It’s been going on far longer than we’ve lived here. What I do know is our anger is justified. This morning I am grateful to be sitting in my AC after a tiny amount of yard work caused me to sweat from every pore. But I think of my neighbors north of me. Food spoils. Businesses lose income. People who depend on electrically powered medical equipment are put at risk. And in this stifling heat, even something as simple as getting a decent night's sleep becomes a challenge. I think especially of the elderly and sick, who are simply trying to survive. And I know St. Croix could be next.

So the next time someone living on an island complains about a bad day, remember that the view from their window doesn't tell you what they're living through.

Virgin Islanders deserve better.

23/10/2026

Good morning! I’ve not gotten out to shoot much lately as renovations for our house and gallery have taken up the majority of my time. Plus I’ll admit that deciding which of my photos to print for the gallery is more difficult than I could’ve ever imagined! I have captured countless photos over the years. Some are easy to rule out, while others are so similar that deciding which one in the series deserves a spot on the wall may make my head explode.

So. Many. Crabs.
So. Many. Sunsets.
So. Many. Waves.

Clearly I need to do better at culling photos as soon as I download them from my camera. Suffice it to say, that is not one of my strengths as a photographer.

Then there is editing. Making photos ready for Facebook is one thing. Making them ready to print and to sell is an exercise in self-doubt. I almost need someone standing behind me to smack my fingers with a switch any time I reach for my mouse to edit a photo for the millionth time. Edits so insignificant that no one else would ever notice them, yet they stand out to me like a crooked horizon in a seascape.

I also have to remind myself that not every photo I share on this page has to be one I'd hang in my gallery. That capturing moments in time, even if only a simple sunset, is why I started this page in the first place. Once the gallery is open, I’ll start a page that will showcase my prints.

As for the gallery, it’s coming along, just not nearly as quickly as I’d anticipated. We’re likely still a few months out (at the very least). In the meantime, I’ll continue to share what I can, when I can, including this sunset from last week that I forgot I had. 🤣

19/10/2026

What started as a roof and facade cleanup on the derelict house next door has morphed into a full yard cleanup. As promised, Popo of Popo’s Yard and Maintenance came back today to finish the job. I’d asked him if he could clear the heaviest growth off the back so that Mike could more easily keep the invasive coral vine from taking over again. Now I’m sitting on my back porch, staring in wonder at his hard work. He not only cleared the back of the house, he cleared AND graded the entire backyard, raked the remaining debris and blew away the remnants.

I also asked him for a quote to mow our backyard. Mike has been super busy on boat projects to start the season, and I wanted to help. Popo included it with the service next door! I told him just a mow was fine, and I could go back and trim/pull weeds later. Our yard isn’t that big, but the rains were quickly turning it into a jungle. I had to leave for a dentist appointment, so I paid him (extra because I was so thrilled with his work!) and left.

I can’t begin to tell you how happy I was when I turned into my driveway and saw the results of his work. And he was STILL working. He had his edger out, working his magic. I walked around admiring my newly manicured yard, and it looked a million times better than I could’ve managed.

So, many many thanks to Popo! I added a pic of his card to the photos. If you’re on STX, save it! He’s not only reliable and reasonable, he goes entirely above and beyond expectations! 👏👏👏

18/10/2026

Edit: this post was in no way meant to be negative, political or complaining. I just thought people who don’t live here might find it interesting. I was smiling and waving at every car who passed.

If anyone is curious, this is how campaigning often happens in the VI. Forgive the terrible camera work - I had a bee land on me in the middle of the video. 🤣

16/10/2026

“Ding ding”

I heard a very faint ding, like some sort of device notification. I looked at my phone, not it. I checked my Echo Dot, not it. TVs/AC, charging earbuds, nope. I assumed it was coming from outside somewhere. But I kept hearing it, every couple of minutes, always faint. I stepped outside and couldn’t hear it. When I came back in, I couldn’t hear it. “Whew, it’s over,” or so I thought. I sat back down at my desk to work.

“Ding ding”

WHAT THE ACTUAL….!?

I got up to look around again and walked through other rooms. Nothing. I went downstairs and walked through there. Nothing. I came back up, gave up, and sat down again to work.

“Ding ding”

At this point I’d convinced myself I was actually hearing things and losing my mind. Deciding I’d worry about that potentially disturbing issue later, I got back to work, flinching at every subsequent ding. Wrapping up what I was doing, I sent something to print.

“Ding ding”

I’m pretty sure steam was coming out of my ears at this point. When I realized my print job wasn’t printing, I went to check the paper tray. As I bent over to look,

“DING DING.”

It was the printer. This entire time, while I wandered aimlessly inside and outside, on both floors of the house, it was the printer that was RIGHT NEXT TO ME. The printer that is always off. Apparently it comes online periodically to check for updates. If it needs an update, “ding ding” in the quietest possible tone. No lights, nothing on its screen, no notifications. Only a nearly inaudible sound that caused me to temporarily lose my mind. I’m grateful, at least, that it was only temporary.

Or was it?

14/10/2026

Sometimes a late afternoon stroll on the beach really pays off. A protected species, this baby green sea turtle is off to start its life, swimming away seconds after I snapped this.

11/10/2026

After a day of dark skies and much welcomed rain, we got a spectacular show tonight.

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Frederiksted

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http://www.threesheetsontherocks.com/

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