Saturday Video: Living the Good Life in St. Croix, Circa 1967
A lot of people lament the ongoing march of progress in the Caribbean, complaining that the region is not as special as it once was. You hear it all the time among older islanders and well-traveled grousers all-too-eager to share their romanticized version of the Caribbean the way it used to be. You know, when things were better…
In general, I wouldn’t say I’m a huge fan of a lot of what passes as progress in the region either, especially in my home island of St. Croix where a misguided fascination with casinos continues despite an obvious detriment to the local community, and a fancy new roadway designed to bypass downtown Christiansted will no doubt accelerate the historic town’s already rapid decline.
So yeah, I think there’s some credence to the notion that the good old days were just that (and in some cases, then some), but a lot of what was good back then also remains so today. To see for yourself, just take a look at today’s featured video…
The footage comes to us courtesy of Michael Luce, a radio/video creative pro based in Maryland. In it, you see and hear Michael’s Grandfather enjoying life in St. Croix in the late-1960’s.
For me, as a native Crucian, it’s fascinating to see these old images of people enjoying what looks to be Davis Bay (now Carambola Beach), boating to Buck Island, Grapetree, and elsewhere around the island. A good 44 years have gone by, and I still enjoy these same places in much the same way as Michael’s Grandparents whenever I’m lucky enough to be back home.
As Michael’s Grandfather says near the end of the video:
People have to do in this world what they’re happiest doing. Happiness is the thing that counts!
Then, as now, that happiness can be found in St. Croix… even with all the “progress.”
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