Someone out there is catfishing people on dating apps, and is using my name and directing people to my website and social media accounts, saying that my work is hers.
First and foremost, I do not have dating profiles, nor any sort of meetup accounts. And, I would never, ever ask anyone for a gift or loan of any amount.
]]>Well, this is not something that I thought I would ever have to write on my blog: It seems that someone out there is catfishing people on dating apps, and is using my name and directing people to my website and social media accounts, saying that my work is hers and pretending to be me while asking for substantial amounts of money.
First and foremost, I do not have dating profiles, nor any sort of meetup accounts. And, I would never, ever ask anyone for a gift or loan of any amount.
If someone out there has contacted you representing herself as Deb, Debb, Debbie, Deborah, or any other variant along with the last name Liljegren, please reach out to me or contact the FBI's IC3 division and file a formal complaint.
The Con: "Fake Deb" uses some of the available information about me that anyone can find out - that I live in NYC, that I am a photographer, etc. "She" has gone so far as to get a gmail email with my name, uses a New York phone number, and so forth.
"Fake Deb" has a son named Henry and they take art/antiques buying trips. She will ask you for a loan of around $50,000.00 USD so that she can get her goods back to the US and she will pay you back stateside.
She won't.
Should you tell "Fake Deb" that you can't loan her the money, she will then ask you to send a few hundred dollars to cover flight change fees because now she has to come back because you didn't loan her the money.
I was lucky that someone that "Fake Deb" tried to catfish caught on, did research and found out the truth, and reached out to me.
Please, please, please...do not engage with this person unless you speak with the FBI.
The woman is the photos may be the scammer, may not be. If you know the woman and/or child in the photos, please reach out to me.
And, to all of you out there on dating apps, do your due diligence and make sure people are who they say they are. There are some awful people in this world, so trust your gut if something doesn't feel right. Remember, Google is your friend.
Stay safe everyone,
The Real Deb.
With the theme of “Hope”, the Southern Vermont Arts Center (SVAC) in Manchester, Vermont opened its annual Fall/Winter member exhibition on October 10th. On view in the Yester House, the exhibition represents an artistic response to this year’s Covid-19 pandemic by 75 of the 200 SVAC member artists. Their works invite visitors to ponder a range of media and to find respite from the stress caused by the health crisis.
The offerings are diverse ranging from Kathleen Fleming’s new works, the colorful “After the Rain” and “Beyond the Fields,” both mixed media on panels, to Todd Reuben’s graceful stainless-steel sculptures. Lauren Silver’s ceramic stoneware plants and Carolina Ellenbogen’s nine miniature portraits of “People I’ve Never Met” add to the serendipity.
Deborah Liljegren, Patty Hudak, and Anthony Surratt are among the featured artists with works ranging from photography to water color on Japanese paper to colorful abstracts.
Liljegren, a new member of the SVAC, originally thought of herself as a photographer rather than an artist. Photography, she says, taught her “to take what was there, what was real, the light, the dark, the mood, the balance, the air, and translate it through the lens.” Working in underwater photography, she created a series dedicated to bubbles, using light and movement to present illuminating images. Those years of work led to “a level of predictability” about how air and water cooperated, allowing her to capture aquatic figures that suggest an anthropomorphic quality. Her piece in the SVAC exhibition, “Thaleia/Maternal,” inspired by a mythological muse, takes the form of a pregnant woman, representing growth and warmth. “It’s calming,” Liljegren says. “Viewers can get lost in the work’s welcoming moment.”
Patty Hudak, who holds both U.S. and Irish citizenship, studied in Italy and France and has practiced her art in Asia, Ireland and Vermont. In Japan she studied traditional woodblock printing and carving. Her works in the SVAC exhibition, “Indigo Forest” and “Mood Indigo,” with their meditative blue, are water colors on Japanese paper, the former mounted on wood. The indigo blue tones are a response to the melancholy she felt because of the Covid pandemic. “The works capture my emotions and provide a place in which to process what is happening,” says the artist who walks in the woods each morning for inspiration derived from nature in the midst of shared turmoil.
Anthony Surratt, an abstract artist who works mainly with acrylics and mixed media, says he is inspired by mid-century modern art, architecture and design. His works on display, “Garden Oasis,” suggesting a stained-glass window and nature’s endurance in a time of turmoil, and “Garden Attacks Local Home, Gnome Reported Missing,” created with acrylic on birch panel, display his use of layered textures and bright colors. His paintings, he explains, involve adding and subtracting. “They are as much about taking off layers as adding them.” He often scrapes and peels as he works in order to “discover what’s there. It’s an organic process that I hope looks deliberate,” he says. In “Garden Attacks Local Home” he added and removed many disparate layers, arriving at a final painting with a whimsical motif. “I never start with a specific plan. I find inspiration as I go.”
On view in the Yester House’s elegant blue study is an exhibition of work by Marion Huse, an American painter who died in 1967. Huse was a Massachusetts native who worked as an artist for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) while maintaining a studio in Pownal, Vermont where she lived. An active member of Southern Vermont Artists, the group that founded the Southern Vermont Arts Center in the 1950s.
Huse’s work offers a unique rendition of landscapes and Vermont people who lived and worked the rural land. Her paintings show them planting, plowing, threshing and baling hay in naturalistic colors and hues. The large landscape, “Cedar Hill Farm Summer,” is a prime example of Huse’s work in the 1940s. “They also include “Oak Hill School” with a yard full of playful children, and the solitary “Station Master.”
By the mid-1940s, Huse was painting in thick layers with bold colors portraying the mood of rural Vermont. “Spring Plowing” and “Backyard Garden,” both part of a Lost Images Collection owned by proprietor Lyman Orton of The Vermont Country Store, are typical of this technique. In “Orchard in the Hills,” Huse uses thick colors reminiscent of the Fauve artists and a hint of Van Gogh while her “Abstract Village” is reminiscent of Cezanne’s strong strokes. These works move beyond the picturesque rural scenes of Huse’s early works as she experiments with new techniques in the 1950s, largely the result of having spent time in Europe after WWII.
This exhibition showcases just one artistic genre in which Huse excelled. It also introduces a remarkable artist working at a time when women struggled to be exhibited or to have their work commissioned or acquired by museums and collectors.
The Hope and Huse exhibitions continue to January. SVAC is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, www.svac.org
]]>I always have my strobes ready to fire, though I may not use them for a specific shot because strobe use is very shot dependent. Because I am in the water without lighting assistants, it means that I have to manage all lighting from my own rig, which is the fairly common. It also means that when I do use my strobes I have to consider backscatter.
For those of you new to underwater photography, backscatter is the reflection from all of those little things in the water that you may or may not see. Once the light from the firing strobe hits them, you get a plethora of speckles in your shot. See the image below of the shrimp and the anemone? All those little specks of white are the result of the backscatter. Normally I wouldn't show these images, but these are for illustrative purposes, not my normal quality. (Yes, I try to only show the good stuff!)
Even without firing your strobes, you can still get backscatter light depending upon the light's incidence/reflection angle relative to your lens. The photo of the freediver below shows how even without a strobe fire, you can still get significant interference in the image clarity.
There is a lot to consider when shooting underwater and why I suggest shooting a few times with your strobes or lights. Leave them on the boat and get in the water and think about the following:
If you are shooting macro, turn on those strobes because you will want that tiny aperture and will need the light. For those wide angle shots, leave the lights off and play with the aperture a bit.
If you don't already shoot in Manual mode - on land or in sea - start doing so. It gives you greater technical and creative control. And it gets you more comfortable with knowing your camera as well as elevating your thought process about how to solve challenges and do so at depth.
Have questions? Feel free to reach out to me and I will happily help. Don't forget to check out Ikelite's website as they offer great tips and tricks on how to get great underwater shots.
]]>I would then listen to people talk about the photographs and hear what people thought the bubbles "really were" as they often did not believe that what they were seeing were bubbles.
Eventually, I started to deliberately create a scene in which the viewer truly can not determine what they are seeing. Instead, I want people to hypothesize what are, in fact, these unknown objects.
Oftentimes, when I am working underwater, I will see objects that have no place being in our waters and it's heartbreaking knowing what we are doing to this precious resource.
See the current UFO Series (Unidentified Floating Objects) here and on TurningArt.
From OnlyGood TV
Morgan Cuffie, wearing only a robe, stands in front of the camera. She is in a studio with Stacy Berman, the creator of the ‘Love Yourself: The Naked Photoshoot’ program, because she had spontaneously agreed to go for it and pose. Now, a million thoughts are running through her head. “You feel this trepidation…and… like…wait…should I be doing this?” she recalled. “There’s definitely a point where you forget you’re naked. You have complete awareness and no awareness at all. You know that you are naked but you just don’t care.”
Baring yourself naked can be downright frightening. Stacy designed these shoots to use these uncomfortable feelings as powerful tools for transformation.
Stacy’s photoshoots are for women to come and explore what it feels like to embody emotions like sexy, powerful and strong outside of society’s gaze and redefine themselves. The women who are participating in these photoshoots have struggled through trauma and work with Stacy to overcome the effects of those experiences.
Stacy Berman is no stranger to trauma. She had a tough upbringing in the Bronx in the 1970’s. She was exposed to a lot of abuse; physical, emotional, sexual, psychological, drug and alcohol abuse. For the first seven years of her life the first and only emotion she experienced was fear.
She built a fortress around her heart just to survive. As she got older, she realized that wall needed to be broken down. She embarked on a twenty five year journey of research and healing. It was a process that would take her across three continents. Internally, it traversed her body as a trainer, her mind as a doctor, and her soul as a shamanic healer. It opened her eyes as to how she could heal herself and help others heal themselves.
This took shape professionally when at just 18 years old she started a year round outdoor fitness program, Stacy’s Bootcamp, in Central Park. Stacy then became a certified nutrition specialist, studied consciousness with a doctor of religion from India, apprenticed with a Shaman from the Native American Hopi tradition, studied quantum physics, epigenetics, psychoneuroimmunology, and earned a PHD in Natural Medicine.
The inspiration for the Naked Photoshoots evolved from her years of working closely with thousands of women. “No matter what they looked like on the outside.” Berman noted, “on the inside they always had this negative self-dialogue.” She wanted to use the experience of being naked in front of a camera as way for women to explore their own feelings, see themselves in a different light and to learn to love themselves.
Stacy has worked with Morgan, a single Mom overcoming two abusive relationships, for over a 3 year period. The photoshoots were transformative. Morgan admits “…I feel like I’ve spent a lot of time in my life trying to make myself smaller, and at least be invisible enough that you wouldn’t have to notice me and I wouldn’t be a problem.”
But with Stacy, “There’s not all these rules…it’s just you being you…and that’s cool and that’s rare and that’s precious.”
“It’s really nice being me again,” Morgan reflected after the shoot.
Morgan no longer sees herself as someone who should blend into the background. She found a sense of strength that was buried deep inside her fears. As Stacy often says, “It is in those shattered spaces that we can begin to rebuild ourselves.”
Watch the incredible OnlyGood TV interviews below or click here.
LEGAL: Images may not be used without permission (hence the watermark) but permission is usually granted.
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When most people watch any sort of fight — be it boxing, jiu-jitsu, MMA — they often don't realize the true extent of the training, physical and mental, leading up to that very moment. I had an amazing opportunity to witness it firsthand when shadowing super middleweight boxer Edwin Rodríguez over a period of nearly three years.
During that time, I photographed the training in his home gym and shot from the apron for several fights. But, it was often the times when the camera was down and the gloves were off that I learned more about the complexities of Edwin, his life and how the melange of those things combined to impact his training.
He had the challenge of having two children who were born so premature that they were presented with many physical challenges as infants and toddlers. He would say that his kids were the real fighters and his pride oozed more than the average father. In my opinion, he was fighting for them, for their futures.
While I was there for my own project, Edwin and his team were being followed by a documentary crew. It's tough to be focused in training as it is, and with pressures at home that most people will never have to face. Now add to it a video crew that is watching every personal and professional moment.
Edwin was always incredibly composed and gracious and will be forever grateful fo the opportunity to execute this project and proud of the shots that resulted.
The festival asked that we submit a series of work along with a statement. This is what I submitted.
The Serenity of St. Barth/La Sérénité de St. BarthThere is so much to embrace about this wonderful island — its people, the culture, the everbounding nature — yet the most intoxicating characteristic is its serenity.
The photographs from the Serenity Series feature a single element that is a visual centerpiece that anchors the calmness that envelopes the viewer.
These photographs are from a 2016 two-month stay during which I explored St. Barth from the top of Morne du Vitet to the bottom of waters around Île Coco.
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Il y a tellement de choses à embrasser au sujet de cette île merveilleuse — ses gens, la culture, la nature incroyable — pourtant la caractéristique la plus enivrante, pour moi, est sa sérénité.
Ces photographies de la Série Sérénité présentent un élément unique qui est une pièce maîtresse visuelle qui ancre le calme qui entoure les gens ceux qui regardent les photos.
Ces photographies sont créés pendant d'un séjour de deux mois en 2016. Pendant ce séjour j'ai exploré St. Barth des hauteurs du Morne du Vitet jusqu'au fond de la mer autour de l'Île Coco.
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There is a lovely article about the festival here. It is in French, but the translation is good for those of you would would prefer it in English.
To be recognized for my work, especially the work of St. Barth, is a great honor and it will always remain dear to me.
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You can have the most expensive photography equipment and every doo-dad — and goodness knows that I travel with a lot of gear — but you don't have to have all that to create really nice photographs for your own personal memories.
The most important thing to remember is to breathe. Literally, breathe.
All too often I'll watch newbie photographers trying to get the right shot and they will forget that they are underwater. You have to remember that you need to breathe properly. That means more than just taking in and out air, it means staying calm. Take your time compose the shot and take the picture.
There are a few other things that are as simple and that you should understand. For example, how light moves through the water column. The deeper you go, the more you lose warm tones. That means you start losing reds, oranges, and yellows as you go deeper. The easiest way to correct this is put an appropriate filter over your lens. If you are in the Caribbean where the water is a little bit bluer, you're going to want to use an orange lens to balance the color. If you're in some greener waters, you want to use a red filter. An easy way to remember this is that red is a complement to green; orange is a complement to blue.
If you're just starting out, keep it simple. I know many people who use GoPros and they can be really fantastic for video, but if you're looking to get still shots go with a point-and-shoot. My big rig with all my strobes and housing — known as "Baby" — has a little sister named "Baby Blue". She's a little Nikon Coolpix that I keep tucked in the vest of my BC and I get some great still shots and as well as some wonderful video with it. This powerhouse can go to 100 feet, has an underwater setting, and is great topside as well.
]]>First up is Laurie and her team at Fly Deeper. If you are going to St. Barth and you want to scuba dive, learn to swim, teach your kids to swim, or have a great video and photos of a day with your friends and family, reach out to Laurie. Why? Because she's great at teaching at all levels, plans a great concierge-level excursion, and is a pleasure to be around.
I should mention that Laurie might be part fish or even a mermaid because she navigates and moves within the water as if she was born there. She is genuinely a wonderful person with a fantastic work ethic and her photos are pretty fabulous as well. So, whether you want to try out scuba, get some private swimming lessons, or spend the day diving with your loved ones and have the day documented with some great photos and videos, Laurie is your gal.
Her website is in development, so check out her Facebook page for now.
Laurie can work directly with you, but she is also partnered with several hotels, villa agencies, and dive/boat operators around the island and provided photo services in conjunction with their offerings.
P.S. Laurie is also a personal trainer and will come to your villa/hotel to train with you. It's a nice way to keep in shape and still meet your daily quota of rosé wine.
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Committing to a commission, as an artist and as a collector, is a lot like dating. So, before you enter into an artistic romance, here are a few tips for both the artist and the collector in order to ensure a fruitful commission.
What attracted you to me? Knowing what you like about the artist's work — medium, subject matter, style, collectibility — is the base of any good commission. Talk with each other about which areas are open to interpretation and what, if anything, you want specifically within the artwork — color, subject matter, size.
Let's take this to the next level Once you have established that there is some chemistry, talk business. Some artists out there just fainted, but don't worry. Review past artwork sales relative to the planned artwork's physical size, scope, materials, and date of completion and you have your starting point for pricing and duration.
How do you feel about a pre-nup? Have a contract as it protects both sides. It also makes for a great project outline. Contracts can be simple — art description, price, size — and should have language about target dates with coordinating payments. At minimum there should be a deposit for materials, but one-third or one-half upfront is fairly normal. As a collector, ask for photos as the artwork is being developed. It is wise to include language that protects the collector or artist should the other party change his or her mind about the piece altogether. Some artists will take ownership of an unclaimed piece and keep the deposit, but that will depend upon your contract.
I just need some space Do not over-direct the artist's work. Yes, it's your commission and your money that is paying for it, but the artist is the one who is creating the piece, you like his or her other work, so why curtail that creativity? An American sculptor, who asked not to be named, was commissioned by a collector who already owned several of her pieces and he loved her style and media choices. He explained what he wanted, she sketched up some ideas, presented them, and he said they looked good. The sculpture should have been done in a month's time, but three months later she was still working on the piece because he'd been sending weekly emails with detailed changes. She finally just followed them blindly.
"I didn't think the piece would ever be finished because he kept tweaking it. Other than the media, you'd never know it was one of my pieces. I don't even put it in my portfolio."
The collector has since bought more of her work, but the artist said that she wouldn't do a commission with him again unless she was given total freedom. You want the artwork to be representative of the artist's hands, so don't tie them behind his or her back.
I'm not that kind of girl A client asked me to photograph him and his fiancée underwater, Holiday Card Style, and I explained that wasn't the sort of work that I do. He insisted and I acquiesced, but there was a huge problem: I did not like the result at all. We only had 30 minutes to take the photo, the weather wasn't cooperating, and underwater strobes have distance limitations, not to mention the issue of backscatter. I could have certainly had a crew of two with me to distance place the lighting, but I don't work that way because it changes the look of the finished product. Ultimately, I gave them the photos, no charge, but I was embarrassed to have my name attached to the photos. I should have just stood my ground and turned him down.
Communication is key to a long-lasting relationship. If the piece is progressing, but either one of you doesn't like it, tell the other. Regroup in order to figure out what's not working because it could be something simple.
It's not you, it's me. If it's still not working, don't force it. It's best if both parties agree, like dating, but if not, be honest about it and end the commission with dignity. If you have that contract, it will be much easier, legal, and without too many tears.
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When he wrote the song in the late 70s, he was sailing around the Caribbean, but there are some claims that the famous burger was actually in Road Town in Tortola. So, which is true? Only Mr. Buffet knows for sure and maybe it's both islands. Maybe it's another island altogether.
The important thing to remember is that in the title, the 'paradise' speaks to the island, not the cheeseburger. So when you step up to the counter at Le Select, know that this "cheeseburger in paradise" is as basic as it comes—think of a work cafeteria cheeseburger. It's not bad, but it's nothing special and the fries are solid. If you come to Le Select, it should be for the local vibe, a cold beer, and a few moments of quality people watching.
Do note that there is a sign at Le Select that claims to be the inspiration for the song. It's approximately a meter in diameter, is affixed to a tree, and looms over a table outside. As for why that matters, that sign is a beacon for tourists and you want to avoid that sign if you want to enjoy your beer in peace. I speak from personal experience.
When you sit near that sign, you will have tourists leaning over you and your table in order to take a photo...even if you are in their photo. It's a frustrating display of poor etiquette, but now you know to avoid it. However, if you are a professional photo-bomber, or one in training, you could be provided with excellent opportunities.
I am not really a fan of the song and spending this much time talking about it is making me even less fond of it. I think I will stop here and head over to Jojo Burger for a burger that is paradise.
Le Select
Rue de la France
Gustavia
Jojo Burger
Anse de Lorient
Lorient
Yes, the majority of the wines are French, but it's safe to say that the French know what they are doing when it comes to wine. You will find other offerings from around the world, but since you are here, why not get some of the best that France has to offer and, bonus, try some wines that might not get exported to your home country.
To do just that, head over to Goût du Vin in Gustavia. One of the last shops on the hill as you are leaving Gustavia, the caviste, David, greets everyone with a smile and a hearty knowledge of his wines. You can go in with the most bizarre request* and he will surely help you out.
There are several other options for wine around the island, but if you are looking for that perfect pairing...or dégustation for cocktail hour...David will guide you true.
Goût du Vin
Rue Oscar II
Gustavia
97133 Saint Barthélémy
Tél/Fax (590) 590 27 88 02
gdv.sb@wanadoo.fr
As with many shops in Gustavia, do note that Goût du Vin is closed midday, so be sure to get there before noon or after 14h00. Their hours are clearly posted on the door should they have changed since I have written this.
* I once went in looking for a white or rosé wine in a blue glass bottle. The glass itself had to be blue, not painted or decorated blue. It was for a client commission that wanted to drink the wine and then have me create a painting with the glass from the bottle. I was happy to oblige, but finding the wine wasn't so easy until David stepped in.
]]>If you want a great massage, a mani-pedi after all that time at the beach, or you need a little waxing, stop over to Spa Oasis in Lorient. It's a small, but nicely appointed space. Sandra and Manon, the owners/therapists, do a wonderful job. At about 30-50% less than the hotel spas, you get the same or better service, just without the beach view or massive changing room. It's still relaxing and easier on your wallet.
Spa Oasis
Centre Oasis, 1er étage, derrière la clinique vétérinaire
(Behind the veterinary clinic)
97133 Saint Barthélemy
Tél: + (59) 05 90 27 90 67
spaloasis@gmail.com
http://www.spaoasis.fr
If you are staying at a villa and want in-villa services, have your concierge arrange it for you as they have relationships with select "soin-bien" providers. Whether you want a traditional massage next to your pool, a reiki treatment in the garden, or a facial treatment and make-up application for your night out, your concierge will have the best hook-ups for your availability and services. Just tell them what you need and trust them. I've done this half a dozen times and it's often a different practitioner (unless otherwise requested) and it is always solid.
Should you want to go the hotel and resort spa route, this is my go-to list:
Occasionally there is an outdoor massage table at the beach at Eden Rock. Often there will be availability, so just walk up to the enclosed white tent and ask for a time.
From time to time you might get someone saying 18h00 and you brain-knee-jerk drop the "1" and think 8 p.m. as opposed to 6 p.m. so it's just better to reference everything according to the 24 hour clock as shop hours (horaires), flights, etc. are made according to this schedule.
And, there's no Daylight Savings Time so the time is the time all year. What time is that? Atlantic Standard Time (AST) or 4 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
]]>First, the basics.
All of those are correct...in a fashion.
The official name of the island is Saint Barthélemy. It was named by Christopher Columbus for his brother Bartolomeo (Bartholomew). The locals and the francophone world refer to it as Saint Barth or St. Barth so that's what I use.
In English, people will often change it to St. Barts and you will see that used in a lot of travel guides. Even specific online forums like SBHOnline.com and St. Barths Online use St. Barts and St. Barths respectively. However, the usage of St. Bart's, though seen often, really isn't correct. Think of the U.S. Virgin Islands, they aren't known as St. John's and St. Thomas's; St. John or St. Thomas would be correct. With that application, St. Bart's really isn't ideal. St. Barts is more correct if you are going to pop that 's' on the end.
As well, you will see St. Barths bandied about. It gets confusing, so I say act like a local and use Saint Barth. Just remember that the 'h' is essentially silent as the 'th' in English doesn't make the cut in French.
]]>I have used the same leasing agent for years and she's never let me down. Ellie Bettle at Travel Keys is a bit of Villa Rental Goddess. It's safe to say the she's seen nearly every available property on St. Barth and she can advise you like no one else. Email Ellie with any questions about properties that you see on their website. There are a few that may not be on there, so reach out to her with even the most bizarre request and she will point you in the right direction.
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Before you jump to conclusions about St. Barth — as I did before I first visited — understand that, as with most things, the perceptions and reality don't equate. Upon my first visit here, I assumed that there would be a slew of celebrities dripping with couture and render me side-eyeing and loathing paparazzi. Not the case at all.
Certainly there are people here that you will be hard-pressed to not notice. However, that is likely by personal design via jewelry, clothing, and yacht selection. Yes, yacht. To be sure, this is not a cheap island, but you can come here and do it relatively affordably while getting the most out of this wonderful island.
How? Well, I am going to tell you how in the coming days as I prepare to head down to St. Barth for 62 days of artwork creation.
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