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!
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!
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