Monday, February 28, 2011
 For Eric’s birthday I got him a pair of FiveFinger shoes. The shoes are made to truly give you a barefoot experience with increased traction and comfort. Sizing is very important because they literally fit like a glove on your feet. The Vibram Five Fingers are designed to promote better foot mechanics—naturally. As such, they're intended to be worn directly against the sole of your foot, allowing your foot to move as if barefoot
Eric reports back that they feel fantastic and I think I have finally figured out a way to get him hiking with me on St. John.







This is a link to FiveFingers website: http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/index.htm
Saturday, February 26, 2011






Above are photographs of Termite Mounds and Shelter Tubes found in the Mangroves on St. John. The termite is an interesting insect that has been estimated at 4,000 different species and can be found all over the world. The termites are divided into labor castes system like an ant, yet the termite is a fragile and weak insect. They create shelter tubes to protect them from predators. The shelter tubes are made of feces, plant matter, and soil.

The most interesting thing that I have read about the termite is: “ The US Department of Energy is researching ways to replace fossil fuels with renewable sources of cleaner energy, and termites are considered a possible way to reach this goal through metagenomics.” Now that is wild! For more information go to Wikipedia.

Friday, February 25, 2011
Is it really Friday already? Where does the time go?

I’m looking for followers of Sage Island! Since you happen to be reading Sage Island at the moment may I suggest that you become a follower!!! I know that if Mambo and Ming had any computer ability they would definitely become a follower of Sage Island. 
Just click on the Follower Button on the right hand column.
Have a great weekend!






A special THANK YOU to my first 7 Followers, you guys rock!!!

     I’ve always had a fascination with apples, maybe it’s because of my father would drag me to the apple orchid when I was young. While he picked apples all day, my brother and I would play in the orchid; climbing trees, having apple wars, and I can’t help but wonder how many apples we would eat in one day.

Of course I’m not alone with my apple fascination, religion, mythology, and folktales have all incorporated the apple as a mystical or forbidden fruit for years. The scene of the evil witch giving Snow White a poisonous apple by The Brothers Grim in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs comes to mind when finding out about the Manchineel Tree.

Have you ever heard of the Manchineel Tree? I never could have imagined that an apple could really be deadly. Its present day Spanish name is “manzanilla de la muerte” which means “little apple of death.” This tree is so deadly that you should never stand under it while it’s raining, if the sap touches your skin it will blister and can even cause blindness. The apples from a Manchineel Tree are fatal. Since the “little apple of death” is native to the Caribbean, this seems like vital information for everyone to know what the Manchineel Tree looks like. 
This is what to look for:



Adam and Eve photo source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Durer_Adam_and_Eve.jpg
More information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchineel

Thursday, February 24, 2011
Drunk Bay is located on the southeastern side of St. John, the trail is .3 miles past Salt Pond Bay Beach. Drunk Bay is on the windward side of the island, which makes it very rocky; this is not a beach to go swimming at.
The first time I came across Drunk Bay Beach was when I was staying at Concordia for the weekend. As soon as you step onto Drunk Bay Beach you realize how it got its name; from all the rocks and broken coral your feet start to act as though you’ve been at a bar.
Once you step onto Drunk Bay Beach you will also discover all the incredible coral and stone sculptures that people have made. Most of these sculptures are in the forms of people and scattered all along the beach. I really don’t know how this tradition got started but I had a blast photographing the sculptures. I do realize how the tradition of making these happy little coral people keeps on going because there is something about being surrounded by them that compels you to make your own coral person. I definitely recommend making your way out to Drunk Bay Beach on your next visit to St. John.










Wednesday, February 23, 2011





Extreme Dominica will be the highlight of your Caribbean vacation. I’ll admit that this was an adventure that I had to be talked into because rappelling down a canyon isn’t something that I would search out to do on my own. Extreme Dominica’s canyoning tour is, without a doubted, an amazing adventure and the most exciting part of my vacation on Dominica.

Rappelling into the deep gorges of volcanic bedrock canyons will be the only way you will be able to see these amazing formations that the owner of Extreme Dominica, Richard Metawi, calls “cathedral-looking.” Floating in a crystal clear pool of water at the bottom of a canyon, I cannot think of a better way to describe how amazing it truly is.

Extreme Dominica will outfit you in a full wet suit, helmet, harness, life jacket, and provide a training lesson, this makes such a big difference when rappelling down a waterfall for the first time. I can’t wait to go back to Dominica and do it again.












Thank you Richard, Liz, and Nahjie for making this an amazing experience.

National Geographic Travel Magazine just named Extreme Dominica one of the “Best Trips of 2011.”
Trip Advisor rates Extreme Dominica as the “#1 thing to do in Dominica.













Please note that some of the above photographs are made by Liz at Extreme Dominica.
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Welcome to my Blog

I’m a photographer living on a little island in the Caribbean called St Thomas with my husband Eric and Mambo (my talkative cat). My website is sagehammond.com

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