07/07/07, 05/31/20
Trip to St. Croix, 2007 & August 2008 - Page 15-B

Ma's many flowering plants, from hibiscus to orchids to cacti.

The following photos were taken during my August/September 2008 trip.  If you know the names of the flowers
shown below, please feel free to send me the names!   Taken in Ma's garden unless otherwise indicated.
A sweet pepper from Ma's garden.
A hibiscus that does not open up.  
Drop of water can be seen on tip after  rainfall.
Hibiscus covered by a parasitic plant we call "spaghetti".
Flower from a cactus.  Opens at night, withers by sun rise.

Zinnia
or
Cabron
(as Ma
called it)
The Flame Tree - Flamboyant.  
Two colors!
The largest Egret I have ever seen.  Same Egret in both photos.  At right, you can also see a Mountain Dove.
Mountain Dove eating bread.
Falcon - An American Kestrel or Sparrowhawk.  On St. Croix, it is known as Killy-Killy, due to the call it makes.  
It sits on a perch for a while, searching for a prey.   
Once it spots a prey, it flies off its perch and glides down to catch its next meal.
It's a site to behold!  Here you can see him/her on a pole and on a tamarind tree below.

The photos above that show a date (in yellow) on the bottom right corner were taken with a Kodak Z 712 IS.  
The Canon PowerShot S5 IS, which was repaired before going down to St. Croix  (it was kicked off a bench on
Dominica during the June/July 2008 cruise) stopped working after taking about 42 photos.  The photos without a
date, were taken with the Canon S5 IS.  The Kodak camera was purchased at Office Max on St. Croix.  The Kodak
is very easy to use and takes some great shots!  The Canon has been mailed back for a second repair!!  
Eventually the Canon was given to someone after I purchased the Kodak Z990.

Update, May 31, 2020 - I am now using a Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ80 with a 60x Optical Zoom.
King Ixora (or Maltese Cross). Taken outside of K-Mart, Sunshine Mall, on the Queen Mary Highway, while I waited for
taxi.
Sunshine Mall, where the Frederiksted K-Mart is located.
This photo was taken from quite a distance using the zoom
Pink Allamanda

The rains from Hurricane Hanna.  At left, when it first started.  At right, when the sky truly opened up!
<----- Droplet
Known as Sleepy Mallow, Nodding Hibiscus or
Turk's Cap.



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Don Domingo's grocery store was on the first floor,
Queen Cross Street.  When I was a kid, we shopped
here, mostly on credit (trust)!
Queen Street.  Lilac home was once the Nielsen's
residence.  The family of Arturo Christensen
lived lower down, the two story house.
West side of Prince Street, a few yards from Queen Cross St., one can see this
engraved into the gutter.  Here you can see the GE of what was my name
written into the concrete.  Keep in mind that I was called George by everyone
except my relatives.  Some letters of Rodriguez and part of the year are
still visible.  It was done some time in the 60's.  Also see St. Croix #5.
Queen Cross St., close to Strand St., next to Cinderella Dress Shop, you can see flocks of Egrets resting
and/or nesting.  

Update (3/25/13) - Most of the plants Ma had were not there when I visited St. Croix in 2012!  Due to neglect most
have withered away!  Some plants were cut down and/or removed.  All that's left of Ma's beautiful plants are the
photos above, and throughout this site.  They will always remind me of the hard work Ma put into growing these
plants.  The beauty of the flowers will always be alive through these photos.