Romney Manor, Brimstone Hill, Black Rock

 Here are a few pictures from the island tour we took during our first week here.

 This picture is from historic Romney Manor where they make Caribelle Batik, a special kind of dyed fabric.  This tree is called a lipstick tree because if you open up one of those red thingies it has a bright red substance inside that acts as a lipstick when you put it on.

 This is the main little garden area at the manor.

 Another tree at Romney Manor.  This is my favorite palm tree, a Traveler's Palm.  It's called this because the stems hold rain water which can be used as drinking water for travelers. 

 Another view of the Traveler's Palm.

 An old bell tower.

 A porch at Romney Manor.

 This picture and the next one show how they make the Batik paintings.  They start by drawing a picture with pencil on a canvas and then they cover the areas of the painting with wax where they do not want the dye to appear, and then they dip the canvas into the dye of their choice.  Then they boil off the first layer of wax and apply another layer in different areas, and then redye it with a different color.  They repeat this process over and over, creating a picture.  The palm tree pictures above the window here show the sequential process of making the painting.  The next picture shows the second half of the process.

 Here is the same palm tree picture shown in stages of completion.  The one on the far right is the finished product made with black, yellow, orange, and red dyes.

 Another view of the manor.

 A view from a wooden deck on the side of the mountain where the manor is located.

 Another view from the manor deck of Brimstone Hill, the fort located at the western end of the island.

 The garden as seen from inside the bell tower.

 This is the view from Brimstone Hill.  The island that is farthest away in the background is Saba, a special municipality of the Netherlands, and the closer island is St. Eustatia.  The town below is Charles Fort if I remember correctly.

 Another view of Charles Fort and St. Eustatia.

 A lower section of Brimstone Hill.

 Another part of the fort.

 And another.

This is Black Rock.  The rocks are hardened lava formations.  St. Kitts is a volcanic island.  A really pretty view.










Mom and dad enjoying the view.