March 30, 2002 – Some have set up camp only for the long Easter weekend; others have been out since the weekend before. While many head out to the traditional party place, Cramer's Park, on the easternmost stretch of St. Croix, others seek out more intimate and serene places on the island's shores to pitch their tents.
It's a tradition dating back more than 30 years for some Crucian families to stake their claims on a piece of beachfront property, set up their camping gear and enjoy the life of leisure that tourists enjoy year-round.
"We started from last week Saturday," Sherece Sewer says as she keeps an eye out on the little swimmers ranging from 2 to 6 years of age as they splash along the shore. This is her third year camping out with her family and friends. Her family likes the Salt River beach because "It's close to everything." She explains that her mother had just returned from the grocery store. The beach, also known as Columbus Landing, is on a bay behind the Salt River Marina on the northeast side of the island.
The chants of Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry" echoed over the hill from a nearby campsite accessible by trekking barefoot across the unbearably hot sand. Here, there are about 50 sparsely anchored tents. Seagrape trees provide lots of shade for sea bathers. A white sign lettered in red, gold and green posted on a coconut tree reminds campers to "Be a Proud Cruzan, Don't Litter."
"Here is not as crowded as it was last year," one visitor says as she is leaving in her car. She said she had dropped by to visit some friends from the post office who were out for the weekend.
Nancy Crane's idea of enjoying the weekend is reading a good book at the beach. Looking up from Evelyn Khan's "Wayward Winds," she says, "I came out here for my kids." Her two girls "just love it," she says.
Later that afternoon, Crane, a registered nurse who works in the Juan F. Luis Hospital emergency room, waves as she heads off to the hospital for her 7:30 p.m. shift. "I'll be back," she says.
Tents dot the shoreline like soldier crabs huddled together as the waves roll up the sand to greet them. Some campers opt for fresh fish daily as a part of their menu. Some cast their nets close to shore, while others ride out across the waves to seek their harvest. Michelle Greene, fisherwoman for the day, set out with her rod and reel Saturday morning for the "catch of the day." She didn't like what she caught.
"I ran down the beach screaming 'Help! Help!' as I peered at a pink and white fish with red spots resembling a rock with fins," she relates. All she wanted was get it off her hook. "I threw it back because a fisherman said it was poisonous," she adds.
In a makeshift kitchen erected from plywood, the week's menu is posted on the wall above a shelf of condiments. It lists the entrees for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Good Friday dinner was dumplings, sweet potato and saltfish.
The Pena, Sewer and Greene site boasts a shower stall constructed by Police Sgt. Kenneth Edwards, who makes sure the womenfolk are comfortable before returning to work. Sheets of plywood 6 feet high form three sides with a 30-gallon plastic tank as the water reservoir. An upright PVC pipe serves as the shower head and a bicycle foot pump is used to pressurize the water through the spout.
"This is my first year," Cedahlia Pena says as she sits next to two coal pots simultaneously preparing a luncheon of grilled turkey burgers and the evening meal of boiled corn, stewed chicken and spaghetti. "At night, you got to first get used to the tent blowing away or someone else bunking in your spot," she says, "but after a couple days, you can grow to love this."
While some families will sit down formally to an Easter luncheon, Dawn Sewer says she will be serving her family their traditional meal right off the grill. Sewer, a postal worker, says she took annual leave for the outing because the long weekend is not a federal holiday. Her husband, also a postal employee, was at work Saturday. "This is survival out here," she says. "You might as well enjoy what others travel miles and spend lots of money for."
Sewer describes a memorable sight the night before: "The moon rose as an orange ball" in the eastern sky, she says. "It was very beautiful."
For some campers, the set-up is home away from home. A gray and white Coleman tent is adorned with lilac sheets and carpeting. Beside the inflatable mattress are two lamp tables made of lilac plastic storage bins topped with lilac towels and Coleman lamps.
In the evening, some brave the dark warm waters, while others entertain themselves with board games, cards, dominoes or television. One family site has a volleyball net set up on the beach, where a group of girls are at play.
The Arroyo and Delgado families brought along a generator so they could watch movie videos. A couple of their young ninos are enjoying a game of pool beneath a blue tarpaulin awning. Yes, they brought along the pool table. They brought a kitchen sink, too.
The number of campers at Cramer's Park has dwindled this year, but the number of those from the Dominican Republic has grown. One, beautician Nilda Sanchez, says she enjoys the opportunity to relax and meet with friends.
Throughout the long weekend, traditional campers also can be found at Shoys, Solitude and Hay Penny beaches on St. Croix's East End. Others stake their claims on the West End at Dorsch, Campo Rico, Williams and Clover Crest.
Whether families keep it simple or set up with all the comforts of home, their campsite comes with the peaceful sounds of the waves rushing along the shore and the gentle breezes cooling down the sweltering heat. It's a little piece of America's Paradise, and they don't have to board an airplane to get there.
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