April 4-5, 2011 - Settling In

Well…it looks like the e-mail notification is working, it just takes a while to get it, I’m assuming because the posts are so long.  Hopefully as posts are made (with any luck, daily again) the e-mail notifications will get sent quicker! 

Monday, April 04, 2011:

Up early today so that we can go over to the Cost-U-Less store and do some grocery and supply shopping. We can’t afford to go out to eat every night! Plus we have to pick up a few other things like a crock pot, hot pads, plastic bowls etc that the apartment could use to make it comfortable and easier to live in for the next month. 

Later, we will head to the beach and then go over to Paul and Debbie’s place to have ribs for diner!

We got in the car and headed down the road toward Cost-U-Less.  The traffic in this area is always a little snarled so as we were sitting there I noticed a store called Kitchen & Bath Gadget Store so I told Gerald to pull off so we could take a look in there and see what they have to price compare. It was on the way, and we wouldn’t have to cross traffic so it was convenient.  We parked and went in.  It was basically a kitchen/bath supply store and my eyes were BIG! They have LOTS of stuff!  There were pots, pans, appliances, gadgets (which I love) bedding supplies and decorations.  It’s difficult for me to see it all and not want to buy something! But we just noted some prices of things, because for now I’m pricing since we want to see what they have at Cost-U-Less.  So back on the road we went to Cost-U-Less.

Cost-U-Less is a smaller version of a Sam’s or Costco.  Selling some items in bulk, but you can also get individual items as well. That’s nice for a long time stay here.  They even have a bakery, produce and fresh meat section with a butcher and kitchen you can see behind the coolers! Nice! We got a few items including an iron and a mattress pad (the sheets are very thin in the apartment and you can see the pattern of the mattress – it’s clean but not so comfortable).  Gerald even found a pair of sunglasses that he can wear over his other glasses for $5!  We also got some canned chicken (where was that last week!?), chips guacamole and salsa, Rice Krispies treats and a big bag of Famous Amos cookies! (priorities!) We’ll have to get the rest of the stuff another time, because it’s getting late and we want to get out to the beach!  We got back to the apartment, unloaded and put away our bootie for the day, Gerald ate a sandwich and we loaded up the beach stuff and headed out.

We got to beach, and looked around for the gang but they weren’t there.  It was a little windy today and I really didn’t want to stay and get pelted by sand on the beach, so we decided to head over to Mt. Vernon – where they were staying.  We didn’t know what unit Paul and Debbie were in but we did remember where Mark and Bonnie’s unit was, so we went there and knocked on the door. Luckily Paul was there minding the ribs he was cooking for dinner.  He told us that everyone was at the pool today so we went and joined them until it was time for dinner. 

We headed up to Paul and Debbie’s place and visited until it was time to eat. We had ribs, rice, steamed veggies and corn on the cob – with yummy chocolate tart cookies for desert.  It was DEEE-licious! Of course, after dinner the “Smart Juice” came out again, this time in the form of Sambuco.  Discussions of history, politics, religion, philosophy, the beach (mostly about Ken & Barbie and their daily fashion show of matching swimsuits) and all kinds of things! We decided that Mark would start a hair cutting business and we even came up with a name for it! Once again my throat is sore and side hurting from laughing so hard!

Soon the wind picked up, it started to rain and it was getting late so it was time to get back to the apartment. We got back to the apartment safely and put the new mattress pad on before we went to bed. That felt much better! We were going to open the windows and door to catch the breeze, but the winds were gusting at times and was tossing everything on the deck, and inside the apartment.  We had to bring everything inside and shut the door. Unfortunately the winds made such a noise all night that I didn’t get much sleep. I woke up at 3am and had to stack the chairs in the corner of the deck to keep them from flying off.  All night the wind whistled and howled through the window and cracks where the air conditioner was.  It was bizarre! At times it would be relatively quiet and you would only hear the slight rustling of the palms, but then a gale-force gust of wind would come and you would think it was taking down the building! Hope this doesn’t last long!

Tuesday, April 05*, 2011:

This morning the rain and gale-force gusts of wind continue.  It’s a good day not to go to the beach, but stay home! I might take a nap today since I didn’t get much sleep last night. Gerald is missing his nap time anyway – he hasn’t had one in weeks!

We need to take advantage of the down time too and finish our shopping.  Plus I want to try to head over to Scarlet to see if I can get some sort of internet service here because this random internet connection at restaurants and bars is killing me and not reliable! But I’ll try to get a posting done before this afternoon anyway!

I’m working on my post, and Gerald is napping…that is until there is a knock at the door.  I’ve seen someone climbing up the side of the building and banging around downstairs.  Now he’s knocking at the door.  After the 15 minutes it took me to unlock the lock and get the darned door open, he just wanted to let us know he would be climbing on the roof.  At least no one will easily be getting in!  But now the sleeping crab is awake…and I have to deal with him! Curses!

 We get ready to head out for supply shopping again, to get stuff that we didn’t get done yesterday. You know how Gerald hates to spend money…and it was a stellar day in that regard! 6+ places to go, to either do something or pick up stuff and after that, he had just about enough shopping and running around!

First we went to Scarlet so I could get an internet router.  Not having internet easily accessible down here has been an issue and I don’t like the piece-meal of checking my mail on my iPhone if we happen to be someplace with wi-fi.  And going to restaurants with unsecure lines has not worked out at all. It’s too much of a pain to gather everything and sit somewhere else. This will work out better I hope!

Then we go to Flamingo so that we can make our reservations for next year.  That’s always a slow grueling process, but they were very nice this year and our reservations are made.  Check that off the list.

Next we head to Kooeyman. It’s a hardware store and we wanted to check it out and pick up a few things.  We got a sink stopper for the kitchen sink, an umbrella holder for the sand (Gerald told Bob to take his home), electrical power strips, but no ant killer (we have typical Caribbean ants - not as bad as in San Pedro Belize, but I don’t even want them to get worse!).  On to the next store.

Ace hardware! What we didn’t get at Kooeyman, we got here.  Terro ant killer, spatula, looked at knifes, weights for shower curtain, got a table cloth and clips, looked for small umbrella, got a crock pot and an oven mitt/pot holder.

Next to Kwik Bargains, the kitchen and bath gadget store!  I got a couple of knifes, coasters, suction cups, cup holders for the lawn chairs, spatulas and tongs.  I would liked to have gone to Cost-U-Less again, but the traffic in this area is brutal and Gerald is reaching his limit!  I better not push it for today.

Finally, the last stop on the way back to the apartment is Sang’s grocery store to get a few things for supper.  Lettuce, soup, sour cream, Kleenex. 

After that, we’re done. Back to the apartment to unload and unpack.  I wash all the new utensils and appliances, lay out the ant killer and make dinner – salad and mushroom ravioli.

Dinner finished and dishes done, I sit down and hook up my router and see if I can get it to work.  Finally, with not too much trouble, I get it hooked up and working.  It’s not as fast as I would like it to be, but it works and I won’t complain! (too much!)  I get busy catching up on my e-mails, uploading the blog and pictures and hopefully will get on a normal schedule again (blame it on Bob!).

Gerald has gone to bed, and I’m hanging on with everything I have to get this done and something posted tonight! I’m so tired the screen is getting blurry! But I will persevere so that I can post again in the morning! It’s starting to feel a little normal…sort of.  Maybe it will get better once we get more settled in. At least my bed feels better since I put the mattress pad on.  Now I have to work on getting better pillows! …Gerald…what are we doing tomorrow?

March 30 - April 3, 2011 - Finally Another Update!

I HAVE INTERNET - YAY!!!!! Hopefully updates will begin to post on a regular basis! (I did it for you Bob...)

Thursday, March 31, 2011:

We slept in a little late this morning.  We’ve had a few late nights and needed the rest.  This morning Gerald and I are sitting out on the deck and enjoying the mostly sunny skies and view.  We’ve seen a lizard roaming the garden area here earlier this week. He comes out and forages through the bark mulch for bugs to eat.  Probably waiting for Judy’s arrival to make their appearance, as they usually do, and as they did this morning.  We’ve naturally not said anything to Judy…otherwise she would never come outside!  This morning there are about 4 of them scurrying about.  All about 12-14 inches long.  I’m sitting here typing this and watching them  scurry around and she is reading the paper, eating breakfast, oblivious of what is just a few feet from her.  It would not be a good scene if she saw them.  And luckily she won’t know until she gets home and reads the blog! Sorry for not telling you Judy…but sometimes it’s best that you don’t know these things (like in St. Thomas!) 

Oops! Judy saw one! (but luckily only one)  He made too much noise and she looked down! Chaos! And they are not afraid of motion either! I got the big red Skeeter Killing Bat and waived it at him…nothing.  I then got a big plastic bag and waived it in the air, making a popping noise…nothing!  I guess he thought I was tossing him food.  Judy even acted like she was going to throw a chair at them!  They barely even flinched! They are obviously being fed by some of the people who stay here (actually, I’m guilty of throwing dropped bacon out there too, but I didn’t tell Judy that!)  Ok…enough of the outside breakfast … Judy’s going inside! DO NOT GET IN BETWEEN HER AND THE DOORWAY OR YOU WILL BE RUN DOWN!  I’m guessing we won’t be sitting out on the deck anymore!  Better just go get ready for the beach!

We got to the beach and were surprised to see everyone there! Even those who drank lots of “Smart Juice!”  Not much happened today…we were all well behaved - lamenting the sadness of Tom and Linda Lou being gone.  We did have a round of Bushwackers at happy hour in honor of The Lindas … but it wasn’t the same, and we did not go for the 2^nd or 3^rd one to push us over the edge.  Or as Paul would say… taking “The Irresponsible Drink.”

Beach time over, we head home to get ready to go to the Bavaria German Restaurant one last time before Bob and Judy have to go home.  Rob and Linda are going to join us tonight too!  We got to the restaurant and had to get the skeeter weapons out!  Unfortunately I didn’t have my Killing Bat! So we just fumigated ourselves and put the wipes under the table to deter them!  The skeeters were fierce tonight at Bavaria! They were swarming above Judy and Rob’s heads!  They both wore black, and as I learned in Belize, you don’t wear black because it attracts them! (weird isn’t it!)  So just wear white in the evening and look fat…! =)  Despite the flying masses of skeeters hovering over us, dinner was yummy as usually.  Eventually a little breeze came and must have blown them away just in time to leave! We said our goodbyes and promises to see each other at the beach tomorrow.

For now, we’ll go back to the condo to do some preliminary packing…we definitely want to go to the beach tomorrow and absorb every last ounce of sun before Bob and Judy leave. So we want to get the majority of it done now.  Not that it would take very long anyway.  We want to move the majority of our stuff to the new place tomorrow, then have the boys take a final trip with the toiletries and electronics Saturday morning, that way we won’t have a car full of luggage, and not be semi-comfortable!

Judy and I pack and organize a little, then it’s time to get some sleep!

Friday, April 01, 2011:

Up early and continue the packing process before we head to the beach. We are meeting the gang at Rancho Del Sol for an anniversary dinner tonight for Rob and Linda (it’s where we had their reception last year after the wedding on the beach!) and we need to leave the beach around 2, so we want to get there early.  We also want to take a load of stuff over to the new place on the way to dinner, so that we can get our stuff out of the way when we take Bob and Judy to the airport tomorrow! =(

Judy and I run around getting it all together and I took the opportunity to post on the blog. We’re in good shape – now we are off to the beach!  It’s a gorgeous day at the beach to be sure. A great last day for Bob and Judy!  There is a cruise ship in town today so the beach is crowded. Unfortunately we didn’t get to stay too long to enjoy the beach frivolities, we had to leave to get ready and take our stuff to the new place and for dinner.  

We got back to the condo, took our showers, loaded up the car and headed to Phillipsburg to drop off the first big load before dinner.  We take our stuff up to the room (third floor again!) and take a look around.  There is a nice view of St. Barth for sure! The apartment is small with a kitchenette type kitchen, but it will serve the purpose. I’ll take pictures later and post for you so you can see.  But here are some of the views from our little deck:

 St. Barths is in the distance!

You can look around the corner and see the cruise ships in port!

Back on the road again to Rancho Del Sol for dinner!  The gang was there already so we sat down and ordered a drink.  We hear stories from the others about the cruise ship people that were in today.  I’m disappointed to have missed it! Bonnie makes a toast to old friendships and new friendships – may they last forever – so until we are all together again next year …. BAFOONARIE NOT BABOONARIE ON THE BEACH!  CHEERS!  

Dinner over, it’s time to leave so we say our goodbyes.  Rob, Linda, Bob and Judy will be leaving tomorrow, Tom and Linda Lou left today, so it will just be Gerald, me, Mark, Bonnie, Debbie and Paul on the beach.  They have agreed and consented (perhaps reluctantly and by default =) to be our friends until they leave next weekend, so we won’t be lonely!  What are friends for! =)  But we won’t see them till Sunday since tomorrow we will be taking Bob and Judy to the airport and getting settled in to the new place. Hopefully they won’t hide from us! 

We head back to the condo to pack and organize some more before bed.  I’m done so I lay down to read a magazine before I fall asleep. While on the beach today, Linda gave me an O magazine she had gotten (…er…found).  A few years ago, I gave her a More magazine that I finished reading, and we wrote little notes and messages in it for her to read on the plane when they were flying home.  Today was my turn! I didn’t read it right away on the beach, but I did flip through just before I went to bed tonight.  I woke Gerald up laughing!  Funny guys! Very, very funny!

Off to sleep…tomorrow is going to be a busy and tiring day!

Saturday, April 2, 2011:

Up uber early so that I can get my teeth brushed, face on and get the last minute stuff packed so Bob and Gerald can take a last load to our new place.  No breakfast this morning, only coffee.  We were going to LaVista for breakfast today so we don’t have dishes to wash, plus all the food was going to the new place.  I got all my stuff together and then the Boys took off with the last load, while Judy and I waited for them to return.  When they did, we headed to LaVista for breakfast.  LaVista is a nice little place, next to Flamingo.  They are a timeshare but you can rent like a hotel too.  We’ve never stayed there, only eat there every year.  The breakfast and lunches are great and the place is kept up very nice.  We’ve heard the units are a little dated, but they are clean…and that’s important!  

** Here is a view from their restaurant. Nice huh?

 Bob...soaking up the last bits of sun before they leave!

Breakfast finished, we got in the car and headed over the bridge.  We wanted to get on the other side before the 11pm lift time.  Unfortunately, the airport is between two bridges (one on the Dutch side in Simpson Bay and one on the French side in Marigot) that open for boat traffic in and out of the lagoon about 6 times a day. 9am – in, 9:30 – out, 11 – in, 11:30 – out, 4 – in and 4:30 – out.  Simpson Bay gets the most of the boat traffic and so the bridge is up longer, which means vehicle traffic can get snarled worse than in St. Louis.  One day last week, it was backed up from the bridge in Simpson Bay almost to Phillipsburg.  That’s huge here.  And you don’t want to get stuck in that so you try to make sure you are on the side that you want to be before the bridge goes up.  So we were on a mission to get over the bridge before 11 and drive around a bit to check out the Maho and Cupecoy area and then sit at the Sunset Bar and watch the airplanes come and go until it’s time to leave.

We got in the car and drove over to Cupecoy to see the condition of the beaches over there. We didn’t go there last year because the year before it was so rough and there was no sand.  It was a beautiful beach this year! Something to remember if our beach gets too windy or busy (and sometimes it does).  

Here is what it looks like this year!

Here is what it looked like a few years ago in 2008!

We drove around the new Puerto Cupecoy to check it out. It’s a new development and is supposed to be very upscale.  It’s not completed yet, but is definitely nice and pretty much self contained.  Looks like they are trying to put in a monster 5 story mall next door too! Hope that goes over well! We headed back through Maho and to the Sunset to watch the planes and wait.

At the Sunset Bar I’m amazed at the transformation of this place over the years.  It used to just be this octagon shaped building and now they have built on so much and it is a monster place! Good food and fun. Of course, you don’t see the bras and panties hanging like you used to! So they’ve cleaned up a bit too…which is nice.  We have a drink and watch the planes for a while and snap some pictures!

** Judy can’t help herself to take a final look at jewelry!  And you know I was right behind her!

 **Look how close this plane gets! And we are towards the back!

Time passed quickly and it was time to go take Bob and Judy to the airport.  Check in was a breeze since we were early, and we sat with them a while.  But finally it was time for them to go through security and they walked us to the car, and the tears began to flow.  It’s difficult to see them go (even if Bob is a pain in the rear! =).   Plus it’s strange that they are leaving and we are not – we normally travel together.  Time has passed so quickly, it’s hard to believe 2 weeks have come and gone.  Of course, for me, it’s hard to believe 5 months of our adventure are over! Which is another story that I will elaborate on later!

We left the airport and began our trip home, wiping the tears off my cheeks and doing the after-cry-sniffs.  We had a few errands to run, so that should take my mind off being alone again with Gerald! =)

Our first stop was to get a few groceries.  We needed to have supper and decided we would cook for dinner.  We were gong to the big Cost-U-Less, but we didn’t bring the bags and just stopped at the little store in Simpson Bay where we normally go, just to pick up a few things for now. We were going to pick up some fruit at the fruit and veggie stand, but when we got there, they were closed, so we made a note to be sure to pick up fruit and veggies during the week!  We took the food back to the condo, then headed out again to Rima’s to get some beach towels since they don’t have any here. 

They also don’t have lots of appliances and supplies like an iron, hair dryer (I brought one) crock pot, toaster oven, beach towels or plastic bowls – but at 1/3 the cost of rent as the other places, we can probably afford to buy even a few hundred dollars worth of stuff and still be way ahead!  They have the necessities though; stove, fridge, coffee pot & microwave, so we will just have buy the stuff and store or give them away.  We need to find storage for our chairs anyway. 

We check out Rima’s (shoppers heaven for souvenirs!) and they don’t carry the beach towels anymore.  

We probably should have gone to Ace or a home supply store, but it was getting later in the day and they were probably going to close soon, so I had Gerald drop me off at the market in Phillipsburg.  They will have them and I can probably get a couple real quick and relatively cheap.  He dropped me off and drove around the block a couple times till I could make the acquisition.  I got there just in time, as the ladies were starting to pack up.  The last cruise ship was getting ready to leave and it was time to go home. I bargained and got them for $7 each and gimped my way back to the road to wait for Gerald to pick me up. 

Our next venture was to find Gerald a pair of sunglasses. I brought him 2 clip-ons and a regular pair of sunglasses (he is always forgetting them) and he broke the last clip-ons this morning! So we have to get him something or he will have bad headaches from squinting.  I know this will be a chore, because Gerald doesn’t like to spend money and we have to find something that fits right on his glasses.  We tried the optical shop that we got his glasses fixed but they were closed.  I know of several sunglass stores on Front Street, so we drove around trying to find a parking spot and ended up at the far end of the street! Lots of walking! (ugh!) Up the street we went scouring for sunglass places.  We went in about 5-6 stores, but none of them had anything but expensive non-prescription sunglasses.  We walked by a jewelry store that had sunglasses in it and we went inside to ask if they had any.  The girl said no, but directed us to a place on Old Street that might have them.  It’s the most help we have received today! We headed further down Front Street to Old Street and found the optical shop.  They do carry clip-ons but are custom made and it takes about an hour. Unfortunately they are $60 and Gerald doesn’t want to spend that. Back to the drawing board! 

As destiny would have it, the optical shop is next door to the Belgium Chocolate Shop where we love to get chocolate.  We didn’t get a chance earlier in the week when we were in town, but I’ll be darned if I let the opportunity pass again! And it was meant for me to get some chocolate anyway since I have been brought down this street to an optical store right next door!  You just can’t deny things like this … or my insatiable urge for chocolate!  So I went in (and don’t stand in my way or you will be run down!).  The woman that runs the place is a nice lady.  We’ve been coming here for years to get chocolates.  She is still working by herself – luckily she is young!  We had a conversation about business, the cruise ship that was in the day before and how she spent thousands of dollars in advertisement but no one came and bought anything. I finally picked out my chocolates, Gerald got a couple pieces too and choked at the price, then we said our goodbyes and left the store, goodies in hand!

One the way back to the car, we found a little side-hole shop that had sunglasses and in fact had clip-ons too!  Unfortunately they didn’t have any that would fit Gerald’s glasses (even though they tried to talk him into buying them anyway!)  Defeated again! (I should have gotten more chocolate!).  I know there are other places to get them on this island, we just need the time to find them before Gerald has a permanent headache. For now we need to get off Front Street, because the sun is setting and I don’t want to be out here walking after dark, so off we went again, stopping at a liquor store to pick up coconut rum before reaching the store! 

We got back to the apartment, up the 3 flights of stairs, and are in for the night – finally! Now comes the grueling part! Unpacking! YUCK! At least it will be for 2 months…and not a week! That has been terrible! I don’t know how Tom and Linda Lou do it!   And so we began…

**Gerald was helping me unpack again! (just kidding!)

We stopped to take a look around to see what we had and where everything was. Plus I still kept wondering what prank Tom and Linda Lou had left us! (they stayed here before we moved in and Linda Lou had that special shoulder wiggle and sparkle in her eye when she said she would leave something for us! That made me nervous!)  I checked the bed and they apparently didn’t pay the cleaning staff enough to short sheet us.  So far everything is in order.  Only a cute little teddy bear on the desk with a Mapleleafs jersey! It does make me think of Rob & Linda!  They even left us some groceries which included beer (unfortunately we don’t drink it), crackers, peanut butter, flour, pickles, eggs, bacon, milk, water, cheese, frozen veggies and about 7 Ziplock bags and bottles of frozen water (thanks guys)! We may not have to go food shopping for a while!

We made dinner, which consisted of ham that Mark had brought me (cause I cried that I wanted leftovers) and some purple, red and white new potatoes salted and nuked.  It was really good! We then did the dishes, unpacked the rest of our stuff, put our clothes away, took showers, had our Belgium chocolates and rested a bit before going to bed.  I put my foot up … poor little thing was getting puffy again!   =(  

Sunday, April 03, 2011:

My gawd, if I thought I was rid of the roosters…I was wrong! They are in full force here!  And dogs too!  I didn’t sleep too good last night, being in a new place with all the new noises.  Plus I still kept wondering what prank Tom and Linda had left us! But, nothing happened in the night, besides a few dog fights, and I’m sure I will get used to the surroundings and noises soon.

Gerald made his usual breakfast. It’s early yet, so I’ll work on my blog and we’ll head out to the beach to meet the remaining crew of Mark, Bonnie, Paul & Debbie and see what kind of trouble we can cause today! We haven’t been kicked off the beach yet…so wish us luck!

The beach was quiet today. (Go figure! No Lindas or Bob!)  Nothing to do but watch “Ken & Barbie” parade up and down the beach in their matching outfits.  (We don’t  know their names – we just dubbed them Ken & Barbie because they seem perfect, and perfect for one another!)  We’ve watched them for a couple days and they come to the beach with matching swimsuits, then for lunch they change into different matching suits, and later in the day, change again into another set of matching suits! Plus they have hats that match too!  You can’t beat beach entertainment.  Just like they all watch for us to see what all we bring and to watch Bob and Gerald set up the umbrella! Always a good time!

But the weather was absolutely beautiful and it couldn’t have been any better on the beach! It went by fast and in no time it was 4pm and time to leave.  Gerald and I didn’t know what we were going to do for dinner.  We had eaten the ham Mark & Bonnie gave us last night for supper, but we didn’t really have anything else but peanut butter!  And being a Sunday, finding an open, good grocery store in the location where we are staying is slim to none.  Our only alternative is to drive to the Simpson Bay area.   We talk about getting a salad at Toppers, or even going as far as Cheri’s to split some fettuccini, but as luck would have it, we drove by a Burger King and I got real hungry for a fish sandwich and fries, like I used to get with the girls at work.  Memories prevailed and we pulled in.  As bad as it sounds, it tasted really, really good!  The locals were looking at us like we were crazy.  Why come here on vacation and eat at Burger King! And they are right. Normally you wouldn’t do that because there are so many wonderful places to eat, but not tonight.  It was just what I wanted! Plus it was cheap!

Since we were so close, we drove up the hill to Hollywood Casino, dropped off Bob and Judy’s point cards, made our own contributions to the cause and left.  Home and to bed is our new goal! 

We got back to the apartment and the wind was picking up.  It would be a good night to have the screen door open so we could catch the breeze. The problem is that I don’t feel comfortable leaving the door open at night, even on the 3^rd floor, for fear that someone might shimmy up the wall and get in. I know … I’m paranoid.  But Paul & Debbie woke up with a guy in their room at 3am this morning over in Mt. Vernon (that’s on the French side), and I can’t help but be paranoid! (thankfully they were not hurt and nothing was taken)  So Gerald and I go through and measure everything in the apartment to use as a door stop.  We took apart the broom to use the handle, but that was too long.  We extended my cane, but that was too short.  Then finally I thought of my crutches and we took one apart and it was just right!  Now mamma bear can be happy! So we scooted chairs in front of the doors (just in case!) and went to bed. The only problem was the wind was gusting at times and every time we heard a noise, we got up to take a look! Oh well…no one got in and I’m very grateful for that! 

March 29-30, 2011

March 29-30, 2011: Group Posting

Tuesday, March 29, 2011:

I think the mosquitoes crawled up my pant leg last night, cause I got eaten up! And I even sprayed down! (except up my pant legs!) Guess I’ll have to wrap myself in plastic to keep them from biting me!

It’s a little windy and some storm clouds are coming in…not a good day to go to the beach.  We watched a cruise ship come in, a big storm cloud passed and then a beautiful rainbow came out.  It was originally a double one, but by the time I got the camera out and on to take a picture…it was only a single one!

How’s this for a morning view!

Today Judy and I have lunch with Monica and then we have the pool party at Tom and Linda’s place.  Judy and I get ourselves ready and the Boys drop us off downtown.  They are supposed to drive around the island a little then go to Tom and Linda’s, which is not too far from downtown, and we will call them to pick us up when we are ready.  There are 4 large cruise ships in town today (including a Disney one, which surprises me) and a monster mega yacht.  Today is going to be busy on Front Street!

Judy and I walked up and down Front Street until it was time to meet up with Monica at her store.  The crowds weren’t too bad. It had started to rain so we hung out in Monica’s store and dried off a while. 

**Judy at our favorite place!

Monica came in and Judy made some final purchases (I didn’t make any =(  before we went to lunch.  The skies had cleared, and we all headed down to the Kangaroo Court restaurant, which is right next door to the Courthouse. (Get it? Kangaroo Court? Next to the Courthouse? The Pun was definitely intended.) As always, lunch was fabulous! We had a monster sized salad and Monica forced us to have a piece of pecan pie with whipped cream and a scoop of ice cream for dessert.  I love it when she forces me to do that! =)  It was all so good! We had a lovely lunch and I told Monica since we would be here a couple months, I would probably be down to say hello from time to time.  I also told her that if she needed help in the store, for anything, to let me know and I would be glad to help!  I don’t think I can stand to go to the beach every day for 2½ months! (maybe every other day!)  Hopefully she will ask me to help do something…I think that would be FUN!

After lunch, Judy and I walked down the street towards Pasanggrahan, where we were supposed to meet the Boys to pick us up.  We wanted to check out the Flip Flop store we’ve seen advertised.  It’s a new store and they have every kind and type of flip flop there, and some are scented like coconut! Had to go see that! We went in and it was great! WALLS OF SHOES! I’m in my element!  They did have every imaginable kind and brand! Plain…fancy! Even had clips to dress your flip flops up! (Girls only please!).  I had my hand on the package for those…but ugly dark rain clouds were coming in again and it started to rain…so we needed to call the Boys to pick us up.  We stopped in at Pasanggrahan to say hello to Janet and then met the Boys in front of the hotel to pick us up, and we headed up the hill to Tom and Linda’s place. 

Everyone was there hovered under the gazebo hiding from the rain.  It had cooled off significantly and the mosquitoes came out in full force! It rained off and on all night! But that didn’t stop us. We ate the goodies that everyone brought and then Gerald got his guitar out and played till about 8:30! I think everyone had lots of fun! 

Pictures: 

** Gerald with Bob (aka the percussion section)

**Gerald with The Linda’s as backup singers and dancers

**The gang:

 Debbie, Paul & Tom

 Rob, Mark (The Cook), Bonnie

Paul, Tom (Judy's Leg), Linda & Linda Lou

(pointing at me while Gerald played Margaritaville - 

when he sing's it's a woman's  fault! 

The nerve!) 

Tomorrow we will plan on seeing everyone at the beach, then after beach time, we have all been invited to Mark and Bonnie’s for a feast for dinner.  Bonnie promises that there will be nothing low calorie served … my kind of feast! Tomorrow is also Tom and Linda’s last day on the beach.  =(  They are leaving Friday and will be spending the day on Thursday packing … I don’t envy them! It will be sad to see them go!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011:

Up this morning and the sky is full of clouds and rain. Yuck!  Hopefully it will clear up for a nice day at the beach.  I see a break coming…hopefully it will last!  The weather has the seas a little rough.  You can hear the waves pound against the wall outside our condo.

The cruise ships are coming in.  The paper says there will be 5 in today! It’s going to be busy at the beach!  Better get our stuff ready and get out of here so we can get a good spot!

It was a great day on the beach. Everyone was there and in good form.  The Lindas were well behaved and staying out of mischief … that was until happy hour at the Perch.  Well, actually they were still behaved at happy hour, but then in the last minutes remaining of happy hour, Rob had the brainy idea to get them a third Bushwacker!  It went downhill from there.  Not quickly, probably more like a slow downhill slide for the duration of the evening.  Not that anything too awful happened mind you … except Gerald’s only good glasses getting sat on and demolished … but the results of the evening would prove to be the cause of my sore throat and aching side the next day (from laughing!).  It was just the winding up for the evening!

We all left the beach a little early to get cleaned up to go to Mark and Bonnie’s place for dinner.  We were all taking turns with the sink and showers at the beach bathroom.  That’s when Gerald’s glasses got sat on and squished.  He had put them on the ledge where we were putting our bags and people were sitting.  Unfortunately he didn’t put them in his bag, and they were under something and Linda sat on them!  Luckily he brought his work glasses…but they were back in the room! Bob is going to have to drive now.  We finished getting cleaned up and then all headed over to Mark and Bonnie’s place.  They had left the beach real early to get things together.

We got to their place and had to walk what seemed like a mile to get to their room! I don’t know how Bonnie did it with her bum foot!  The walkway consisted of a rock sidewalk, and not smooth ones either.  Perfect for a secondary twisting of the ankle! Walking slow was in order.  Then we got to steps and there were lots…and not one of them was a normal height. Some were shallow and some were very deep…deeper than the rock I walked off of in St. Croix!  Luckily I had Linda Lou there to help me.  But since Rob’s contribution of the 3^rd drink at happy hour, Linda Lou’s sense of balance and coordination were a little skewed!  I was holding on for dear life!  Judy was in panic mode watching from behind! But Linda Lou got me there safely.  And I am thankful!

We got to the room and there was a beehive of activity!  12 adults in this studio apartment buzzing around like busy worker-bees, and all the while Mark was trying to cook a huge feast in the kitchenette!  He was excited because this unit had a full refrigerator and stove, but in the midst of preparing dinner, the stove went out and he was trying to finish everything in the little microwave! But he didn’t skip a beat and had the meal set out in no time!  We had a ham, deviled eggs, carrots, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, bread and butter! All the lovely potatoes! I was in heaven! We even had ice cream and Toblerone’s for desert! It was fantastic, and was the best meal I’ve had in a long time! Just like being home for the holidays!  

After dinner we sat around and talked, listened to music and had our fun! At one point, when The Linda’s went outside on the deck to smoke, we all left the apartment and turned off the lights!  They came back in to a dark and empty apartment!  Then, without missing a beat, they came out the front door dressed as gypsies … they had grabbed some towels and tablecloths and wrapped themselves up before coming out! We all laughed at ourselves acting like school kids!

More laughter and frivolities occurred and the consensus was that the intelligence levels increased with every glass of B&B and Jamieson!  So we dubbed the combination of BB&J as “Smart Juice!” The “Smart Juice” brought on conversations of war, politics, music (and singing) as well as Canada bashing (Rob and Linda are from Canada) and southern state bashing (primarily Arkansas) – no one was safe!  

The Linda’s were fighting over who would get to sit next to Gerald, eventually calling a truce and having Gerald sit in the middle. (Linda Lou is in love with Gerald because he sang her a love song on the beach! =)

I don’t have enough time to go into all the details about what occurred  … cause mostly I don’t remember all of the details (evidencing a good time was had), plus I’m sure the FCC would require me to install an age limit acknowledgment and access window on my blog page, but I will tell you we laughed and laughed hard.  We’re betting on how many will make it to the beach tomorrow…you know how the sun and heat hurts a hangover!

It was getting late so we said our goodbyes to Tom and Linda, with promises of potentially seeing the others at the beach!  Back at the condo we quickly fall asleep.

**

PS:

As we have taken our rides back and forth to the beach, I’ve noticed more of the island in anticipation of writing for my blog.  In a couple of weeks, Gerald and I will take a drive around the island, take some pictures and show you what is here…and why we fell in love with St. Maarten initially.  I’ve tried to take some pictures, but the guys are in a hurry to get to the beach…and it’s difficult to get them to slow down to snap a good shot! I’ll post those later!

The crime has increased tremendously, and may affect our decision to retire here permanently, but so far everyone has said to just take the normal precautions and we should be fine.  I hope so! The little condo we rented has 24 hour security, and Tom and Linda (who are staying there now) said they have been fine. It’s on the 3^rd floor again, so back to steps…but you don’t get the good views on the ground! Wish me luck!

March 25-28, 2011: NEW POSTING - AND THAT'S NO APRIL FOOLS JOKE!

GROUP POSTING: 

  

Friday, March 25, 2011:

Breakfast, Beach, Sun, Sand, Rum, Condo, Dinner, Bed.

Saturday, March 26, 2011:

Breakfast, Beach, Sun, Sand, Rum, Condo, Dinner, Bed.

Sunday, March 27, 2011:

Breakfast, Beach, Sun, Sand, Rum, Condo, Dinner, Bed.

Monday, March 28, 2011:

Breakfast, Beach, Sun, Sand, Rum, Condo, Dinner, Bed.

!! That’s about it !!  Disgusting isn’t it?  Especially with all that snow you guys are getting up north! (yuck!)  And I guess I’m taking a vacation from my vacation on these postings … doing them every few days instead of every day.  But with Bob and Judy here, and being with all the gang at the beach, we’re staying out late and I’m not getting much done with regard to the blog. Sorry about that! After we get settled in to the new place…and with all our friends gone and no one to play with…the blogs will be more on a regular basis I’m sure! I’ve already been looking around on our drives to and from the beach and can’t wait to take some pictures and tell you about the island!

But the good news is the e-mail notification widget I put on the blog page is working.  I got an e-mail myself with my blog posting! Yay! So just put your e-mail address in the signup to the left and and you will get the blog via e-mail! Or don’t, and you can check back every few days! =)  (but let me know if you have any problems with it too!)  The bad news is when I upload the pictures to update…you’ll probably get it again.  But hey, won’t it be fun reading about all the adventures again too! =)  …ok, maybe not…so you can just scan to look at the pictures (like when you were a kid looking at old National Geographic magazines!)

So here are some highlights about what has been going on and happening to us in the several days:

Friday, March 25, 2001 – Packing Day:

Today we have to pack up all our stuff.  This year we have to move to a different unit for our second week – normally we get to stay in the same unit.  That will be a bummer! I haven’t really felt settled and didn’t totally unpack because we won’t be in the same place for very long…seems like a waste of time when I have to repack soon! And we will have to do it again this Friday and Saturday too so we can get moved into the new apartment. Besides, some of it we don’t really need here in this condo.

We went to the beach first though! We do have priorities you know!  Especially since we haven’t been there in a couple of days. The beach was awesome.  The sun was shining bright, no clouds, and the wind was not too strong. In fact, if we didn’t have some wind, it would cook us like eggs in a skillet! It was perfect! And quiet! The Linda’s were taking a break and had gone shopping!  Rob and Tom were thankful that Judy and I weren’t with them!  We offered to go and help them out, but they know how we shop! =)  So we just baked a little today. (except Judy…she stayed under the umbrella!)

4:00pm…and time to leave the beach.  We pack up all our stuff and get ready to head back to the car. It’s a trip to be sure! Bob and Gerald load up the dolly and Judy and I gimp behind. We get back to the condo, clean up and head to Cappuccinos for dinner.  They have wi-fi and our hope is that I can upload the blog and check my e-mail while we are eating dinner.  Unfortunately that was an unsuccessful venture.  I don’t know why I’ve had such trouble. But it was a total waste of time for sure. After we finished dinner and I gave up on getting anything done (plus the gang was getting restless), so we headed back to the condo to drop off my computer. 

After we dropped off the computer, we had plans to meet Jerry, Barb and Jim at the Red Piano!

The Red Piano is a bar not too far from the condo.  We used to walk there, and normally would…but not this year…cause it would take an hour for me to get there!  They have entertainment that is usually pretty good.  They sit at a big red baby grand piano (hence “Red Piano Bar”) play sing-along music and involve the audience.  Sometimes the entertainment is really good, and sometimes it’s just ok (never awful).  Tonight the gal was pretty good.  She was from Arkansas and had a slight accent.  Of course, Gerald being from Arkansas, she reeled the boys in! She had them all sitting at the piano having fun. Us girls stayed in the corner talking!  At one point there was a stir in the crowd and I thought she was going to get Gerald up on the piano!  We were hoping to see that, and I got my camera ready, but just at that time a bunch of young kids came in, surrounded the boys and they relinquished the piano to them! (it’s a coveted spot – to sit at the piano!)  We visited a while more with Jerry, Barb and Jim, then said our goodbyes – they are leaving the island tomorrow. =(   Besides, we couldn’t stay out too late because we had to get back and pack up our own stuff to move!

We came back to the condo and packed our stuff, keeping our beach items and valuables that we will take with us, since we won’t have access to a safe until tomorrow night. We have to have everything ready by 10am so the porter can pick it up and transfer it to the new place…but we can’t get a key till 1pm.  We have an extra cooler, so we will put the refrigerator stuff in that and hope they get it put away and not leave it out!

Bedtime can’t come soon enough.  It’s been a busy day and we are all pretty tired!

Saturday, March 26, 2011:

We got up early to finish packing the fridge stuff and organize.  I slept so good, I don’t think I moved at all and woke up in the same position that I went to sleep in! That felt good! We ate breakfast, cleaned up everything and sat until the porter came and then headed to the beach…with more stuff!

It was another great day at the beach. Hardly any clouds and a perfect breeze, just enough to keep you cool!  Linda Lou didn’t come (she got overheated from her walk this morning and wasn’t feeling so good) so only half of The Linda’s was there (the other half of T.R.O.U.B.L.E.!).  But we were all well behaved, for the most part anyway (and I won’t say who that most part is…Bob).  But without incident (or arrest) we left the beach early to get back to Flamingo to see our new unit!

The new unit we are going to is on the point, and is a ground floor unit.  Could have used that early on!  It’s the same as our other place, a few things backwards, but other than that, the same floor plan.  We’re right next to the water here, so we hear the waves hitting the shore. I’m a little paranoid though with all the crime and theft, to be on the ground floor! But we’ve got a decent view, not as good as it would be if we were higher…so it’s hard to complain.  Ok…it’s not really hard for me to complain, but seeing how home is getting snow upon snow, I should occasionally keep my mouth shut! (but only occasionally, so don’t get your hopes up!)

We get into the unit and they have piled all of our suitcases on the couch.  I’m surprise it didn’t buckle under the pressure!  We walk around the unit checking out the setup and investigating the new surroundings.  I’m checking all the windows to make sure they lock and are shut.  One had the latches turned to lock, but it wasn’t shut all the way, so a thorough inspection was in order!  Instead of sliding glass doors, we have a window and a regular door.  The one in our bedroom is so corroded we had a hard time opening it up…so I don’t think criminals are going to work that hard to get in! The key hole is definitely so full of corrosion…there is no way a key would ever go in again…and I’m hoping we don’t lock ourselves out on the deck! Luckily we would just have to hop the rail…but I’m not in a position to do any hopping really!

Looking round, we discovered the door to the lockout was open. (that’s the one bedroom on the back side that you can keep open if you want to have a 2 bedroom unit).  We inspected the bathroom and noticed that they have only have left us 3 bath towels and 2 wash clothes. We call the front desk and ask them to come lock the door and bring us some towels…we really need to take a bath before dinner!  Judy and I unpacked everything and then a couple of us get showered while we waited for security, but no one came. 

All of us were in need of a shower and we were getting really hungry, so I got the brainy idea to just go next door to steal some towels from there.  They didn’t lock the door, so that’s not my fault!  So Judy and I headed over to scrounge for supplies…only to find that there was only 1 towel over there! Good grief! Even when I decide to break the rules and sneak around it doesn’t pay!  But, we took the one and only towel anyway and came back.   We shoved a chair in front of the lockout door, piled some other stuff in front of it and took our showers. Judy ended up using a hand towel to dry off with!

After we got ready, we put our valuables in the safe and then walked to Topper’s By the Sea (the resort restaurant – but there is another one on the main road) and ate a quick dinner and came back.  Still, no one had come by to lock the door or bring towels. 

Then Judy tried to get into the safe to get her Nook and camera chargers, but it wouldn’t open.  Then I tried. Then Bob tried, but no luck.  The keypad was saying “opened” after you put the code in, but then gave an error message.  …great!  Seeing how fast they normally respond, we’ll just wait until morning to call the front desk again.  Judy can use my chargers for her Nook and camera until they open it in the morning. 

Until then, we are all beat…and hit the bed.  Doesn’t take long and we are all snoring!

Sunday, March 27, 2011 – Maggie’s Birthday:

Up early to get ready for the beach.  Mark, Bonnie, Paul and Debbie got in last night and we can’t wait to all be together again!  Breakfast with coffee, then call Maggie to wish her Happy Birthday. 

There isn’t much of a breeze that gets to the deck of this unit, and because it is on the ground floor, it unfortunately means the mosquitoes are bad.  They hover in the entry way too…so you have to be quick when you go in and out! The mosquitoes are definitely worse here in St. Martin than they were in St. Croix.  Not as bad as Belize though!  The big problem here is there is a danger of getting Dengue Fever.  They definitely recommend Deet here, where in Belize they didn’t want you to use it because they were trying to maintain their natural environment and ecosystem from contamination.  But I’m ready for them! I’ve got a supply of skeeter wipes and sprays to try to keep them at bay. I also bought an electric Mosquito Killer Bat at the hardware store the other day too.  It’s big, black and red and looks like a tennis racket.  Don’t know why they call it a bat!  The skeeters were some flying around in the condo, and I was having a hard time chasing them down with one bad leg.  I thought about bringing the one I had at home, but didn’t have the room in the luggage, so when I saw the electric bats at the hardware store…I bought one…much to Gerald’s chagrin. (you know how he hates me spending money!)  So now I wait for them to come to me…and they will…and I FRY the little buggars! (hoping I don’t shock myself in the meantime. But there is a double guard, so I should be ok. Well…normal people should be.)  They call me “The Skeeter Slayer” now!  Now all you hear, outside and inside, is ZAP! POP! POP! ZAP! POP! ZAP!  Just me killing skeeters!  There are tens of thousands of skeeter bodies that lay on the floor as a reminder of the battles fought! 

They guys called security this morning to ask them to lock the middle door again and open the safe.  They finally came and looked at the door between the units, but the first guy didn’t have the right key…so he had to have someone else come lock it.  Then, someone else had to come fix the safe.  The guy that came looked like security.  He had an electronic master key and tried to use it, but it didn’t work so he had to go get someone else.  Pretty soon, the security guy came back with another guy.  This guy looks like he is in maintenance because he has a tool belt.  They tried to open the safe again, but still can’t open it.  Nice…our money, computer, passports and cameras are all in there!  What are we going to do now?  Then…all of a sudden we hear BANG…BANG…BANG! I came around the corner and saw the maintenance guy taking a sledge hammer and crow bar to the front of the safe! ?????  After about 10 minutes of taking whacks at the electronic keypad with a chisel and crowbar, he had pried the keypad off.  Unfortunately…the safe still didn’t open! SURPRISE! It was at this moment he must have decided that drastic measures were required.  So then he started bashing, prying and chiseling at the front door of the safe.  Well, at least we know that no one will be able to get in it easily without being noticed!  After about another 15 minutes of hearing the pounding, banging and chiseling, the safe relented and opened its door.  We got our things out, wiped the dust and chunks of steel and enamel off, and got it ready to take to the beach with us.  Can’t imagine that it’s going to be done quickly! But, a few minutes later, the maintenance guy came with a new safe and had it installed in no time!  BRAVO!  They even brought the extra towels!

**Defeated safe!:

Door locked, new safe installed (filled again and tested), clean towels received, sandwiches made, everything together and ready, we headed for the beach.

We got to beach, and everyone was there. Bonnie had sprained her ankle a couple of weeks ago too, so we are the right ankle twinkies!  Bonnie, Judy and I are the handicappers of the group!

I even got in the water today! It was so hot, and the water wasn’t too cold.  I strapped on the brace and in the water I went.  (Bonnie was brave and didn’t use her brace!)  Mark let me use one of their snoodles to float on and that made it lots better – that way I didn’t have to worry about standing on my foot…I was able to just hang on the snoodle. The bad part was that my foot brace has two inflated pockets on either side (for comfort) and it kept floating up on top of water! Oh well! At least I got to get in the water, and I was able to get out with no further injury (with the help of Tom and Gerald!)

It’s 4pm and time to leave the beach.  We’ve decided that we will all meet at LaBamba again after dinner.  Judy and I were headed up the walkway towards the car from the beach, they guys were already to the car, and suddenly a big, bright green, 3 ft iguana started to cross our path.  As you may know… Judy is not fond (in any way) of lizards.  I suddenly stopped and held my cane up like a railroad crossing gate, in order to stop Judy from walking any further until the big guy got across the walkway. Judy then eyed the thing and froze! Luckily she composed herself bravely and didn’t clime up me like she did Bob in Acapulco!  We let the monster go on his way and slowly proceeded on ours…without injury!  That was a close one!

We got back and cleaned up for dinner.  We decided we would eat at The Garden…a new restaurant that they put in where the old putt putt golf used to be.  It’s really nice and was recommended by Jerry & Barb.  The ambience was great and it would be a great place for a large party or even a small intimate gathering.  They have lots of lounge chairs and sofas, and seating nooks for smaller parties. Including a bocce court!  And the food was pretty good, except they didn’t have ranch dressing for Gerald’s salad. Points off for that! =)

Dinner finished, we headed over and met the gang at LaBamba’s again!  It was really crowded already! The music was awesome and we had lots of fun.  Bonnie and I chair danced and made a pact and promised to tear the dance floor up next year when we can both walk normal again!

**Gimps in Stereo!

We called this "The Oreo".  Bonnie just got here so has no color...unfortunately a speck of dirt (BOB!) got in the picture too! =)

 Linda Lou, Bonnie (Bob's head) and Linda

Another late night…back to the condo and to bed!

Monday, March 28, 2011 – Gerald’s Birthday!:

Today is Gerald’s birthday so we will do what he wants.  You know that means right?  Beach. (Definitely not shopping!)  =)

Rob, Linda, Mark and Bonnie were not there today…they went shopping!  So the rest of us had to pick up the pace!  But nothing too extreme!

Mike and Debbie, a couple we met at the beach earlier last week, came by and invited us to a happy hour at Buccaneer Beach Bar tonight that he is sponsoring.  He has a website that people who love island living get on and post information and stories… (TalkTimeonLine.com).   Mike likes to raz me that I’m faking an injury to get sympathy! =)

We left the beach early so we would have time to get cleaned up before we headed to the Buccaneer.  But before that, we had to stop by the store to pick up stuff to make for the potluck tomorrow.  The store didn’t have exactly what we wanted, but we got some things to make that hopefully will do the trick.

We quickly cleaned up and headed down to the Buccaneer.  We met lots of nice people…some we have seen on the beach like Patty.  She is a single woman who now lives in St. Maarten and Spain – originally from New Jersey.  We talked with her most of the night and got some great information about the island.  She is a real nice lady!

The electric was off this afternoon (thanks GEBE for your random unnecessary black-outs) so when sunset came it started to get pretty dark!  The bar hooked up a small generator for a light in the bar, but it didn’t shine very far.  Luckily I had a flashlight…in my purse! =)  Came in handy when we had to use the bathroom!

We drank and ate dinner in the dark and talked till about 9pm.  Gerald got serenaded by the group about 5 times with the Happy Birthday song – just in case he had forgotten that he was getting older! 

When the lights finally came on, we decided it was time to leave.  We paid the bill and drove past Hollywood Casino towards the condo…then after a brief discussion, we drove around the block a few times and went in! I hit a progressive on the penny slot and won $52 … and left the casino with a total of $80 in my pocket! Not bad!

Back at the condo the Boys wasted no time in falling asleep…like in about 30 seconds! Judy and I got busy and prepared the food for tomorrow afternoon.  I cut the cheese up for the hors d'oeuvre and Judy drained the spinach for the dip.  We were trying to make a chicken wing dip, but couldn’t find any canned chicken…so we thought we would try the same recipe with spinach instead – sans hot sauce.  It turned out YUMMY! (cause you know we had to test it!)  We made a list of stuff for the Boys to bring so they would not forget tomorrow and then went to bed!