Good Morning! I don’t know about you, but when I’m away from home on St. John, I often feel the need to breathe in the air (and the scenery) there. There are a ton of webcams that I have highlighted in the past. And those will sometimes do the trick. However, did you know that there is a way to watch a live stream of the sunset from different viewpoints around St. John every night of the week?
During the pandemic, Steve and Janet Simonsen began doing a live feed on the Steve Simonsen Photography Facebook page. Each evening, one or both of them retreat to a different corner of St. John in order to capture, and share, the island sunsets in real time on their page. Glimpses of Caneel Bay Resort, scenes from downtown Cruz Bay, panoramic views from beautiful villas and the waves lapping up against your favorite Northshore beaches all set the stage for the sunset show. Oh, and of course, there are some viewings from the water as well 🙂
We have actually run into Steve out on the water before as he zipped past us on his boat, Jackson, capturing the sun gently setting behind us as we moved Asante back her home in Great Cruz Bay after a long day of work. True excitement ensued as I looked at Teddy and yelled, “Babe, we’re in the sunset stream!” Hahaha! (Hi Steve!)
“We started the streams during the pandemic when so many people were needing a bit of an escape each day that only St. John could bring,” Janet told me.
Steve and Janet’s work and generosity in sharing these beautiful views has benefited so many people in so many places! As you watch, you’ll see people chiming in and saying hello from all over the upper 48…And beyond!
“We have a very dedicated group and even a gathering of sunset streamers this December (4th-18th) here on St. John where people who have met on the live stream will share some of the amazing villas here and get to know each other in person,” said Janet.
Steve added, “What started out as a lifeline to St. John lovers during some tough times has turned out to be mutually beneficial and we have personally met many wonderful folks who all have one thing in common and that is their love for this lovely place we call home.”
To date, Steve and Janet have done over 500 sunset streams since the beginning of the pandemic! A big thanks to The Simonsen’s for sharing these beautiful views to boost the spirits of so many people and bridge the gap between them and St. John.
So, what are you guys doing this evening? As I mentioned earlier this week, I’m in Oregon visiting my best friend. So, I’m going to whip us up a batch of Bushwhackers and tune in for the sunset, live from St. John 🙂
<<<All of the photos in this post are screen shots taken from various Steve Simonsen Sunset Streams>>>
Oh, and a lot of you have been asking, “Since the beaches close early on the weekends, where should we go to watch the sunset?” Well, I’ll be throwing up a highlight reel of my favorite sunset spots around this time next week! So, stay tuned and thank you for following along.
Why are the beaches closing early on weekends?
The Simonsen’s are truly amazing people!
Steve and Janet do a great job of bringing views from our home away from home to us in Michigan every night. The streams were especially nice during the long winter! Thanks guys!!!
Love it all, thank you !!
Last time we were on St John back in June we bought a beautiful watercolor of a St John sunset.
It is now proudly placed on our bedroom wall where we can both see it while lying in our bed “dreaming” of the next trip 🙂