You're looking at almost 100 starfish...... made yesterday and pulled out of the "oven" this morning.

The benches you see in the picture are typically used by guests to watch us blow glass during the day and night all season long. What do we do with those benches in the off season when we have nobody to watch us blow glass? use them as temporary starfish tables! The starfish in this picture will eventually make their way up to storage, where they'll wait to be purchased this season through our art gallery here at Maho or online.

Staying healthy by living on the coast

There was an interesting article yesterday on Businessinsider.com about how living or even spending time near coastal areas can improve your health. That sounds good to me and every other staff member that calls Maho "home!"

Naturally, they decided to use a picture of St. John, one which we're all very familiar with.

Thinking a little more about our lifestyles here at Maho, the article started to make a lot more sense. After work or on days off we tend to spend our time out on or in the water, snorkeling, diving, kayaking, sailing, surfing, swimming or paddleboarding. When you add a relaxing dinner overlooking the water each night to the equation our lives look very healthy, relaxing, stress-free, and revitalizing indeed.

If living down here isn't an option, don't worry, the article says "just visiting these areas can help people relax and revitalize." - So get that vacation planned!

One little, two little, three little... kittens!

Those of you that have been to Maho over the past few years have probably noticed that we have a fair amount of resident feral cats. All total we have close to a dozen named cats on camp. One thing they all have in common is that they've been taken to the vet to be spay or neutered. So imagine our surprise when word got to staff members that there were three kittens near a tent in 'A' section.

We were immediately curious, and upon investigation did on fact find three black kittens and their mom who had made underneath A11 and some nearby rocks their home. Since we already have so many cats on camp, and wanted to make sure these guys were healthy, we set about catching the cats. The mom was caught immediately and brought to the ACC. Three days (and several failed attempts) later we had caught the three kittens.

Danielle, a staff member, graciously offered to foster the kittens until they could be turned over to the ACC. In the few days the kittens were at Maho it was apparent that one is fearless and fiesty, one is shy and playful, and one is cautious and reserved. They've since been brought to the ACC who will keep them until they are large enough to be spay or neutered, and hopefully adopted. If they are not adopted they will be released back onto the wild somewhere on St. John.

If you're in the market for a cat, visiting soon, and want a cute cuddly reminder of Maho, you should consider adopting one of the kittens born on camp. If interested the ACC's website is http://www.stjohnanimalcarecenter.com/