May 28-31, 2011: Our Last Days in St. Maarten

Saturday, May 28, 2011:

Well, the weather looks decent today, so we will try the beach.  Don’t know how many days left we will have since I’ll have to start getting it all packed and the apartment put back the way it was.  But today, we’ll do the beach. I put some pork chops in the crock-pot, Gerald made sandwiches for lunch and off we went.

The beach was great.  Nice breeze, sun shinning…that is until we heard thunder! Good grief! We looked back toward the mountains and a MONSTER dark cloud had formed and it was a TALL one!  It was rumbling and rumbling, and you could see the rain coming.  It was about 2:30, and even though we wanted to hang around for happy hour and say goodbye to Willie, I don’t want to be on the beach in a thunder storm.  Rains isn’t too bad, but not thunder and lightening!

I ran up to say bye to Willie and we packed up our things to come back to the apartment.  It started to rain a little as we were leaving the beach, and most of it came down as we were driving through the French Quarter.  They’ve had lots of rain this year…hard to believe how much…but it sure has made the island looks beautiful because of it!

We got back to the apartment, to the yummy smell of the crock-pot cooking! Mmmm…such a great smell! We ate and tried to work on our schedule until we leave.  You know how much stuff I take with me…we are going to have to coordinate packing and the stuff we are leaving in the apartment.

Sunday, May 29, 2011:

We didn’t go to the beach today.  We stayed around the apartment.  It rained off and on, and Gerald’s still sore from his sun poisoning, so we decided that we would stay around the apartment again trying to get stuff together.  We did a load of laundry, but I know that I’m going to have to do it all again when I get home anyway, so we only did one. 

It is so hot and muggy, you just sit and sweat.  My suitcases are going to be heavier from all the moisture!

Going through some things, packing.  Just a lazy day trying to get used to the idea of having to pack and come home. 

For lunch and dinner we did “The Mamaw” … eating all the odd things and leftovers!

Monday, May 30, 2011:

Major pack day.  We’ve decided to try to get as much done and together today as we can and go to the beach tomorrow.  We had a couple good rains pass by, so it’s just as well.  I fried the last of the chicken for dinner with some hash browns.

I hate packing.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011:

Pretty much everything we are not going to use is packed, just the last minute stuff. I’ll probably rearrange my carry-on suitcases 4 more times (I know, I’m a little OCD about it.)  But I don’t have all the food to take back like I brought, so I should have lots of extra room, but I did get a new supply of Bounty candy bars for the trip…yum! 

We have to use that certificate we got from the Westin and drop the last two chairs off at Janet’s after the beach today, then that should be it.  We’re trying to figure out if we want leftovers again for dinner or just go out and eat.  As much as I love them, I’m getting sick of potatoes, and I’m bloating! =)

We tried to use the certificate we got from that painful Westin tour but apparently they changed the rules since we went through the tour and now we can’t use it at the store and have to use it at one of the restaurants.  So tonight we will go have dinner there.  I guess there are worse thing that could happen.

                                                         

We ended up going to the beach – had to get one more day in!  The weather was good.  Nice and hot.  For a while I thought rain clouds were going to develop (it must be me!) but they went away and the sun was hot as ever!  We took in one last Perch Happy Hour and packed our things to come back to the apartment.  We dropped off the chairs and I picked up a white dress from the market to match the one I got Erica.  We’re going to be twinkies! =)

We got to the apartment put some stuff away, got ready and headed to the Westin for dinner.  Gerald and I both ordered the filet, and they brought them to us frying on a hot dish…frying!  Grease was splattering everywhere, so much so that I held the napkin up to stop it from spattering on my shirt anymore!  It was good for the price (free) but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it.  Service was great…our waitress was awesome!  Actually, the cost itself wasn’t all that bad, for two 6 oz. filets, a Caesar salad, wine, coffee, and a rich chocolate desert; it only came to $75! I think that’s a pretty good price!  Our certificate was for $100 so I told our waitress to order something for herself! =) Of course, we left her a good tip too!

After dinner we stopped in the casino for a little entertainment, and I sat at this new volcano penny machine.  I put in a $20 and within a few pulls, cashed out with $98!  I took my winnings and went shopping at the hotel store next to the casino and bought a pair of beach shorts, 2 shirts and a little summer dress! HA! (Can you believe that for a hotel store!)  Then, when I was done shopping, I went back to the casino, and while I was waiting for Gerald, I put $20 in another penny machine, and 5 pulls later, cashed out at $68.25!!!  Take THAT Westin! Ppttthhhhhththththth!  You would have been better off giving me the $100 store credit to begin with! Eheheheh!!

I would imagine that there will be no posts for a few days till we get home and get settled.  I’m sure some sort of hilarity will occur that I must tell you about!  So until then…see you when we get home! 

May 26-27, 2011

Thursday, May 26, 2011:

Today’s a lazy day.  No beach…because we have no skin on our faces…since it has peeled off!  We are going to hang around and head over to The Perch for happy hour I think.

We found out why there was so much traffic last night.  Apparently there was a shooting off Welfare Road in a big empty lot … around the area where we got stopped by police.  The man was shot 7 times and died.  He owned Cappuccino’s Bar & Restaurant, a place we have frequented every year for decent food, open 24/7 and free wi-fi. One of the first on the island, if I’m correct, to be open 24/7 (which came in handy on late flights) and offer free wi-fi.  Unfortunately, the killing appears to be drug related. He had an arraignment scheduled in court for today for smuggling 170 kilos of cocaine.  Luckily, no one else was hurt in the drive-by and the vehicle fled to the French side.  The paper said the incident happened around 12:15 p and the road was closed until 4pm. How unfortunate.

Friday, May 27, 2011:

Looks like another great day today and we will most likely head out to the beach.  It’s a little hazy though…you can hardly see St. Barts!  And look at the big cloud hanging over it!

**

My face started peeling last night, and you know I can’t leave it alone! So…in true Tina fashion… I used the scrub brush on it this morning and have most of the peeling skin scrubbed off…ouch.  Then I put lotion on (ouch again) so that I can protect it from the sun again.  What is wrong with me? …that was hypothetical…I don’t want you to answer…   I figure I just got an equivalent to a face peel for free when some women pay thousands of dollars for that! =) 

We got our things together and off we went.  As we pulled down the road, we got behind a 4-wheeler! Here’s a picture for ya.  You gotta love island life!

**

We got to the beach and man it was nice.  Sun was shinning, no wind.  The water was as calm today as I’ve ever seen it and the temperature was perfect!  It got a little hot so Gerald and I got in the water.  I had my lucky STL Cardinals hat on, so of course someone mentioned the Cardinals standings!  Turns out they are from the Springfield area! Then at about 1pm some ugly clouds came over the mountains.  It wasn’t happy hour yet, but I knew we were going to get it so Gerald and I went up to the bar and sat in the Herb & Jeannie seats and ordered a drink from Willie and waited for the rain to hit.  Soon it did, and it rained for about 30 minutes or so.  Then the sun came out again so we went back to our chairs. At about 3:30 the clouds came again and we just packed up our stuff and headed back to the apartment.  It sprinkled on the way back.

We got back to the apartment and we barely got our stuff set down and the maintenance guys came and hooked up the wireless internet off our deck.  I took some pictures of it, but I must warn you…all you electricians and IT people…just count to 10 and do some breathing exercises!

...and yes that is a Lock Tight container that they put the router in, then screwed it to the wall. They cut a hole in the bottom/back to get the electrical plug through...

...i'm pretty sure this is code right?  (at least they fixed the other light that was just hanging there by the wires)

**

Tonight for dinner, we are finishing the leftovers; frozen pizza, chicken parmesan (thanks to Paul & Deb), and then I fried some pickles…yes I did…and they were GOOD! 

May 24-25, 2011

Tuesday, May 24, 2011:

It’s a little cloudy today, but not bad. Certainly not rainy! (although we did get a little sprinkle this morning).  We were awoken this morning at 6:58a to the sound of a power washer blasting down below us.  Nice.  But at 10a….nothing – no noise at all from them! I don’t understand what the heck they are doing down there!

I think we are going to forego the beach today.  Our burns have burns so we will take the opportunity to run around, maybe doing some last minute errands and shopping.

We left the apartment, and it started to rain.  Go figure.  Gerald turned on the wipers and then one of the wiper blades broke and flipped off.  And of course it was the most important one…on the driver’s side of course.  We stopped and he tried to put it back on but the clip had broke and it wouldn’t stay.  It was coming down pretty good now, and steady with no break on the horizon.  We sat in the car for about 20 minutes but it wasn’t going to stop.  We didn’t want to sit anymore in the car and needed to get the wiper blade fixed, so we decided to head over to the car rental place and see if they could fix it.  Of course, within a couple blocks the blade fell off again.  Gerald pulled over and tried to fix it again, but it just wouldn’t stay on.  He started to look in the car for something to tie the blade to the wiper arm. Of course there is nothing in the car that would help. But you know WHO had something IN their purse right?  That’s right.  Me. Tina “MacGyver” Simons.  (I’m gonna change my name when I get home)  I had a hair pin (don’t ask me why) and Gerald used it to tie and wire the wiper blade to the arm.  Worked out pretty good!  So, wiper blade sufficiently MacGyvered in place with hair pin, we headed to the car rental company, before it fell off again. 

We traveled (safely now) through the rain, but by the time we got over the hill and headed towards Simpson Bay, it had stopped raining.  We needed to have it fixed anyway, because you know it will rain again, so we continued to the rental place.  The traffic going the other way was horrible again.  I still don’t know why.  No bridge traffic, or hold ups, except people stopping to chat with friends they see on the side of the road, or just gawking at the road construction (that wasn’t affecting the main road anyway)…which kills me.  The traffic was backed up past the runway and almost to the airport! Worse than home!

We finally got to the car rental and we told them the wiper blade fell off.  They looked at it and acted like we were crazy! They fiddled with it for a while, looked at it and because it was wired on…wondered “what’s the problem?”  I don’t think they could have (and didn’t) fix it any better!  They looked and looked and finally Gerald had to unwire the hairpin and show them.  Well, I can tell you, the look of disappointment on their faces was hysterical! He had just BROKE the wiper before their very eyes! =)  But Patrick sent the young man in to the workshop to get another blade to replace it.

We sat there for about 45 minutes while the young man worked and worked on that wiper blade trying to get it on.  First, he wasn’t using the right one, then had to go get another one.  Finally, using the right blade, he worked and worked but still couldn’t get it to stay on.  That’s because he didn’t have the clip to hold it on, so it kept falling off.  And for some reason, the idea of getting a clip just never occurred to him. (although we sort of dropped the hint several times…like “don’t you have a clip?” “does that one have a clip?” etc) Then Patrick came over (because it was taking so long) to take a look too and they figured what they would do is put the new wiper blade on, then bend and kink the wiper arm so that it would just hold the blade in place.  It took him a while, but he finally got the end of the arm bent sufficiently to hold the blade in place. It definitely wasn’t going to come off now.  Gerald and I just looked at each other and laughed! Talk about MacGyvering !  I told ya they seemed bummed when Gerald untwisted the hairpin! It was working just fine as it was! =)

So, with the wiper blade being fixed we thought we were done, but while we were there he asked us if he could put the new license plates on the car.  Not wanting to get stopped again, and having bad flashbacks of the last time we were stopped, we agreed.  After another 45 minutes had passed...with the kid working on exchanging the plates…we finally left, with the front plate riveted on and the back plate put on with a rivet on one side and a large screw that was (and I’m not making this up) hammered into the back hatch door on the other side.  OMG!  You wouldn’t believe it unless you saw it!

Done with car repairs (thank goodness), we tried to head back the way we came with the intent of stopping by the grocery store, then hitting the Carousel to get some gelato, but the traffic was stopped and not going anywhere. It wasn’t time for the bridge to come up, so I guess it was still the gawkers slowing down traffic. After sitting for about 15 minutes and not moving, we turned around and decided to head back to the apartment via going around the other side of the island. We drove through Marigot, which itself has traffic issues, and finally found out way back towards the apartment.

While driving through Marigot, I saw those gold lamé snake print pants again in a store window as we were passing, but Gerald still wouldn’t stop so I could get them.  He’s no fun.

We stopped at the Grande Marche in Phillipsburg to do our shopping and get some water and a few things, but when we came out it was starting to rain again.  We hurried back to the apartment to try to beat the rain wall we saw coming towards us and made it up just in time.  I cooked dinner, and Gerald took a load of laundry down to the wash room.  I made chicken fettuccini for dinner and I must say turned out really yummy!

Just watching the news and weather channel, and we’re watching the tornados moving across the Midwest…I hope everyone stays safe!

Now we’re watching American Idol.  I don’t like that show – never did – but Gerald does.  He used to watch it with his Mom, Avis and Karen.  It’s hard for me to watch people embarrass themselves.  And towards the end, I don’t understand why some stay who aren’t that good, and some get kicked-off who are great!  …and is it just me, or does Scotty look like Alford E. Neuman?  …I know, I know…it’s me.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011:

The sun is out today, but we are still recovering from burn (my forehead is peeling), so we won’t go to the beach, technically.  We are going to walk around Phillipsburg and Gerald is going to bring his guitar and play a song for Janet down at Pasanggrahan.  

Traffic going through Philipsburg was terrible! It’s busy! There are 2 cruise ships in dock, but what’s with all the other people here today? We ended up parking by the University and walking to town. We walked through the market, then down Front Street to Gold & Jewels to see if Monica was in the store today.  She wasn’t but I did get to talk to Larry.  We then walked down the street towards Pasanggrahan which is on the other side of town.  We sat and said hello to Janet.  After a while Gerald asked the owner if it was ok if he played a song for Janet before we left. He said ok!

**

It’s so funny to watch the expressions of people who have never heard Gerald sing and play before.  They are just amazed that sound comes out of him!  Well, I can tell you Janet was thrilled! She kept telling everyone to come listen! =)  It was so funny! Even the other gal that was there was singing along! After Gerald finished a couple songs, he put his guitar away and we came back to apartment to get cleaned up for dinner.  It was so hot, and not much of a breeze! 

We got ready and headed to Peg Leg’s for a steak dinner.  Traffic was a nightmare.  I can’t for the life of me figure out why?  Those of you who may know the island a little, from the Welfare Road roundabout going north on Union Road towards the Princess Casino, it was backed up on Union Road in the Cole Bay area all the way almost to the casino itself! That is ridiculous! Gawd only knows that it’s probably backed up to Maho on the other side!  And what’s worse, is that people coming from Philipsburg trying to avoid the roundabout are taking Peter’s Road cut-through…which made it worse on Union Road! While we were waiting in traffic, we saw a police car headed towards with lights flashing and siren going.  People were trying to get off the road, but it’s kind of hard to do, when there is not much of a shoulder and you can’t move forward because traffic is stopped.  We thought maybe they were going to an accident or going to help with traffic, but when it finally got up to our car and passed us, it was actually an escort for a limo (with license plates of Mr. 1).  I was flabbergasted! Residents and visitors to this island have been sitting in traffic for hours and a VIP gets run through with a police escort? Unbelievable! If it was a government official, they SHOULD have to sit in this traffic.  Maybe they will try to do something about it– but if you get to run through traffic with a police escort all the time, what’s the incentive for them to do anything? Status quo.   

But we finally got to Peg Leg’s.  I ordered a Cosmo and it was a great! Could have had 2, but didn’t want to risk hurting my ankle again! =) Then Gerald and I ordered the petite filets and listened to Craig/Bob and his Cover 2 Cover band entertain.  They really are pretty good and entertaining!  He went around to the tables and 1 couple had just gotten engaged, another table had 2 couples from St. Louis and another table was from Chicago! FUNNY! One guy from the other St. Louis table came over to talk to us.  He is from the Creve Coeur area (which is where Gerald grew up)!  Our dinner finally came and I have to say it was the best filet I’ve ever had. Gerald and I both agreed! They were tender enough to cut with a fork and had so much flavor.

We finished our dinner and said goodbye to Craig/Bob then went into the Princes Casino and gambled a little.  We lost our money and then came home.  Traffic had cleared, so it didn’t take long and we got back just in time to watch the winner of American Idol …which was disappointing to say the least!  It’s amazing what a bunch of screaming little girls can accomplish!  =)

May 21-23, 2011 - YAY THE SUN IS FINALLY BACK!!

Saturday, May 21, 2011:

So it rained over night and this morning.  Go figure!  Found some webcams so that I can see what’s going on round the other side of the island without having to get in a car and drive.  With gas at $5.50 +/-, you don’t want to waste it!  

WebCams:

1 – Villas on Great Bay, Shows the cruise ships in Phillipsburg: http://www.thevillasongreatbay.com/webcam.html

2 – Simpson Bay Resort:  http://www.simpsonbayresort.com/webcam.asp

3 – Westin/Dawn Beach Resort: http://islandcam.columbiasussex.com/view/index.shtml (but it points to the sand!)

The rain has subsided – it’s 2pm.  And there actually might be a thinning in the clouds and some sun could be leaking through!  I’m not planning on going anywhere now though – I’m too lazy right now. 

I found out the Capitan Oliver’s Regatta is today.  It starts at the Oyster Pond Marina, which is just north of us on the east side of the island – mid way up.  The race starts at the marina, goes north and then around the island back to the marina.  We should be able to see the boats pass from our deck when they come by!  I think there are about 5 classes of boats…I hope we get to see some!   The Regatta also goes tomorrow too, and it takes a couple of short jaunts over to St. Barts, but comes south by us first!  If it rains and we stay home… I’ll try to get some pictures!

Hey! We saw our first sailboat – don’t know if he was in first place or not…but it was the first one we saw!

**

Then we saw several come by.  Some catamarans and some smaller ones too.  Then a big Rescue boat!  May need it ‘cause it’s pretty choppy and windy out there.

Our first break in the clouds! ...it's a good sign! (or the rapture!)

**  

Nothing to look forward to tonight…’cept the coming and going of the rapture that was predicted.  Guess we’ll wait and see. 

Well…Gerald is mad because the rapture didn’t occur.  Now he has to take a bath (cause it’s Saturday night) and do the dishes…(cause I cooked dinner!).   Which also means I have to pay the credit card bill...darn!  Although…the skies are clearing – we can see stars… is that a sign?!?!?!?!?!

Sunday, May 22, 2011:

Woke up this morning to SUN!!! YEAH!!!  WOOO HOOO!!   PACK THE BAGS…WE’RE DEFINITELY HEADED TO THE BEACH!

Look!  This is what you want to see in the sky here! 

** Oh yeah!

** Uh…huh! Com'on Sun!

**….uh oh! 

** ... it can't be!

Not to worry! When we got to the beach the skies were clear and awesome! A nice breeze! Sun shining! Beautiful water! Nice!

Willie wasn’t working the Perch today, but we got a drink anyway to celebrate the sun and walked the beach. Got in the water several times…cause it was hot with the sun out!  And just soaked it all in.

Well, THAT was a fantabulous day out on the beach!    A couple of clouds popped up, but they stayed over the mountains and didn’t bother us.  In fact … I’d say it was almost PERFECT! (it would be perfect if our friends were there too!)  I even got a little crispy!  =)  Swweeeeeeeeeettt!

Monday, May 23, 2011:

Sun again today!  We are headed to the beach to get our burn, burned! =)

Noticed lots of people on the beach today with sunburns! Guess everyone was so excited to see the sun, they forgot to properly apply sun screen.  Oh well!

Beach ball races today and yesterday on the beach!  They are having fun.  Too bad we didn’t bring any!

I did watch a cloud build and die, build and die today over the mountain top.  I was a little worried a couple times, but it never interfered with our sun and by the end of the day it was done for. 

Almost 5pm and we packed our stuff and headed back to the apartment.  We’ve been staying later since it’s been nice!  I didn’t put anything in the crock-pot so we may just have to have sandwiches.  We are getting into the last week of being here, so I’m doing the Mamaw thing and eating everything I can before we leave.  Tomorrow I think I’m going to make mashed potatoes and pickle relish, with a garnish of Weber’s mustard! =)

May 18 - 20, 2011 - Rain Rain Go Away!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011:

It rained off and on all night.  At one point it was coming in the bedroom window and raining on us in the bed, so I had to shut the windows.  This morning, we had a few minutes of sun peak between the clouds. Then we watched a wall of rain come our way, and it rained for almost 4 hours…and rained hard! We ran around shutting windows and doors! It was almost raining sideways!

I put a beef steak in the crock for Gerald…so we got supper planned.  I love cooking in the crock-pot.  It smells up the apartment…and it’s making me hungry!

The rain stopped for a while, and there was a break in the clouds.  The yards around us are absolutely flooded…and the pool behind us is filling up again! And they pumped it out yesterday too!

**

…and here is the pool after the rain stopped! It’s up about a foot! 

We decided to get out and drive a bit, and headed over to Simpson Bay to go to the pharmacy and pick up some more Sudafed.  Then we stopped at the grocery store to get water (and tater chips).  Traffic coming back was awful! Don’t know why, but it was bad.  There was no good reason for it, except they have closed down what was originally a detour road and tore it up, so now you go straight instead of turn off, but I guess people were gawking as they drove by…just like home!

I did notice that the island is starting to turn green.  A lovely, beautiful, new, spring green. The flamboyant trees are blooming their bright orange red blossoms and it’s just a wonderful sight.

**

I’ve never seen it like this in years…like the first year we were here!  I don’t know if it’s the rain or what!

We made it back to the apartment and I finished dinner.  The weather has turned out decent this afternoon, but around 8:30 it started raining again! ….wow!  Thunder and lightning too! Instead of taking a plane home, we may be arriving in an Ark!

Thursday, May 19, 2011:

Rain, rain, rain…all night, and all morning.  It finally stopped a little at about 10:30, but it’s still cloudy.  We were hoping that the sun would come out today and we could head to the beach and see if we could say goodbye to Sarah and Tony (they have to leave tomorrow).

We went ahead and went out to the beach anyway, just to be outside.  The rain had stopped for the time being, but the clouds were thick and low.  It looked like rain was coming over the mountains again, so we didn’t take our chairs to the beach, but decided we would sit at The Perch Bar and get a sandwich and a drink.  Gerald ordered a burger and fries, and we got some drinks.  We sat and talked to Willie until it was time for her to start getting ready for the 2:30 happy hour rush.  Pretty soon the line started to form and even though there weren’t very many people at the beach, all of them were in line at The Perch! 

The sun actually came out for about 15-30 minutes! We sat and watched Willie do her magic! She is something else! She has it all down to a science and makes those drinks like a well oiled machine.  And she makes the best ones too!

While we were admiring Willie doing her thing, a couple came by and sat next to us. Dawn and Eugene.  We introduced ourselves and started talking and ended up yacking till 4:30! They have a condo here and come about 2-3 times a year for a week at a time. They usually come at the end of March, during our normal time, so hopefully we will see them again next year!

We left the bar and headed to the car, just in time for the rain to start in again! Cheeze and crackers! My skin is starting to get water logged! 

We made it home, at leftovers and that was it for the night!

Friday, May 20, 2011:

Guess what it did last night?  That’s right.  It rained.

Guess what it did this morning?  That’s right.  It rained.

Guess what it did this afternoon?  That’s right.  It rained.
Guess what it’s supposed to do tonight?  That’s right.  Rain.

Ugh!!!! Everything is wet and damp…including everything in the apartment!  In fact, the paper said that St. Martin remains in a “Yellow” alert for heavy rains and flash flooding.  I hope we get a few days of sun before we come home!

We were bored, so we got in the car this afternoon and drove (windows rolled up) around the island looking for a hole in the clouds that we might find some sun, but when we went around the mountain and saw the rest of what covered the island…there is not a spec to be found!  The streets are flooded and we didn’t dare roll the windows down. The clouds are hanging so low, that you can’t see the mountain tops!  

We thought while we were out, we would stop by Scarlet in Simpson Bay to tell them when to turn off my internet, then take a look at a few local art shops.  Got the internet taken care of but the art shop next to Scarlet was closed.  Then we went to the Rent 4 Less car rental place and made arrangements for our departure (I know…it hurts just to think about it!).  After that we took off toward Marigot to see if we could find anything at the flea market, but the market was closed! I’ve never seen it “closed”! I guess no one wanted to stand there in the rain.  Then…we went to a shop on the other side of Grand Case that someone recommended for local art, but it was closed too!  Guess everyone is home napping through this nasty weather! 

This is generally not the time for the rainy season – although there is always the possibility of showers (it’s the Caribbean!).  That usually starts in July with the hurricane season.  I will say that the island is turning a wonderful green though, due to all the rain.  I remember the first time we came here on our cruise (in early January) it was so beautifully green and flowering everywhere.  But by the end of March (when we usually come), you’ve hit the dry season and everything is kind of deadish.  I don’t like days and days of rain, but I like the green results!

After Grand Case, we headed around to the French Quarter and stopped at the Paradise View restaurant.  They have a little market there too, but they didn’t have much.  That is also the place where you can get local spices and the locally made MaDouDou Rum.  I’ve never tasted it before, although I have a bottle of it at home that I use for decoration. They take old bottles, clean them, paint the bottles really pretty and then put the rum in it, decorate it and then sell it.  But first we went to the Paradise View restaurant.  We’ve heard pretty good things about the restaurant, but I don’t think we have ever eaten there.  We took a seat where we could see the rain coming and clouds covering the island mountains and ordered a coffee.  The coffee was good! Then we decided to eat a lunch and Gerald ordered a chicken club sandwich and I ordered a crepe with artichoke hearts, goat cheese and cream.  OMG!  It was SOOOOO good! I love the crepes at The Creperie House in Clayton, but this one was better! The artichoke hearts were about ½ in thick and had to be 3” wide! Not what I expected at all! And it was DEEE-licious! I couldn’t eat it all and neither could Gerald, so we got it wrapped to eat for dinner.  We also got a desert crepe too because they looked so good! They normally come with ice cream, but we just got a chocolate, banana and chocolate crepe and decided we would put ice cream on it when we got home.  My gawd it smelled so good! When we left, the rum and spice shop was closed (go figure!) and so we (meaning “I”) decided we would come back to take pictures when the weather was better and get some rum on another day.  

Our bellies were full and with the rain it made us sleeeeepppyy…so we came back to the apartment to take a nap! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz   I only got a few minutes in because in between the downpours, some kids were playing in the pool…and you know kids can’t be quiet at the pool!

So, we hear that doomsday is tomorrow.  Hmmm…I should have gone to the jewelry stores today!  So, I guess if it’s all over tomorrow, I’m not going to have to pay the credit card bill! Ha!  =)

May 14 - 17, 2011

Saturday, May 14, 2011:

It rained all night off and on, and even this morning.  A little later around noon the sun came out a little, but not for long. We didn’t do anything today, just laundry from all the wet clothes from the rain pouring under the door. 

I’ve been trying to upload video to the website today too, without success.  Looks like I’m going to have to do some maintenance.  

The rain started coming down tonight again. ugh...

Sunday, May 15, 2011:

It rained all night last night.  I got up at 3am with the hearing of the chairs being blown across the deck from the rain storms.  Then the rain started coming under the door again, so I put the towel in place to soak it up.

I can’t get any e-mails in or out this morning.  Going to have to stop and do some major maintenance today I guess.  I love technology and gadgets, but sometimes, I just hate it!

The rain started coming down again this afternoon and it rained for several hours.  This weather is not indicative of this time of year. Of course, it would pick when we are here to be odd right!?

Monday, May 16, 2011:

It’s a no go to the beach again today.  This weather is crazy! Even when we see a crack in the clouds, we look the other way and its dark clouds hovering over the rest of the island.  I’m getting cabin fever! =)  The house under our deck that they have been working on has a pool.  It’s not functioning, so they have had to pump it out, almost on a daily basis. Yesterday the pool was half full after 2 days rain; and it was empty before that.  Everyone’s cisterns are (or should be) full that’s for sure! 

Tuesday, May 17, 2011:

Our first sign of real sun for several days!  We gotta go to the beach…I’m getting pale!

The sun felt great today.  The beach was a little windy, but not too bad. At least the sand wasn’t blowing around, because it was wet! There weren’t any cruise ships in today either, so it wasn’t real crowded.  After sitting a while we took a walk down the beach.  Well, mostly I gimped.  The terrain is not level on the beach and it slopes pretty good close to the water, and it hurts my ankle to walk on it.  It’s not so bad with my bad foot on the low side, but it really hurts walking with it on the high side! Naturally my ankle was nice and swollen and sore at the end of the day. 

At 2:30 we decided to partake in the daily happy hour at The Perch Bar.  Willie is working today so the drinks will naturally be good!  Gerald got in the line that was forming, waiting for the bell that marked the beginning of happy hour to ring, and I went and sat at the bar where Jeannie and Herb used to always sit.  I figured we would have a drink in their honor!  Some history: we met Jeannie and Herb many years ago. Bob and Gerald used to always get Jeannie in trouble, especially during happy hour, and usually when Judy and I were shopping!  We had lots of fun and laughs over the years with them. Well, sadly Jeannie passed away a few years ago, and this year was Herb’s first year back.  He was only here for a short time, but we enjoyed seeing him again anyway.  It broke my heart to see him still missing her so terribly.  ! =).  We sat and talked until almost 4, when they had to leave and meet their taxi.  We hope to see them again before they leave, and maybe even next year! =)

Friday, May 13, 2011

Friday, May 13, 2011:

This morning the clouds are still thick, but occasionally we see the sun breaking through.  We decided we would go checked out a place in Parc de la Orientale where are friend is going to stay next year, and then head around to Friar’s bay again.  Looks like the sun might be shining pretty good over there.  We headed out, took some pictures and then we were beach bound.

We got to the beach and set up our chairs and umbrella.  Not too many people on the beach today, but it is a lovely day with just the right amount of breeze!  After a while, we went up to Kali’s and ordered a drink. Gerald wanted to sit at the end, which was next to a little place that was selling clothing and stuff.  Of course I had to go look…there were cute things hanging there!  I was like a moth to a flame! I immediately fell in love with a couple of things (of course), but unfortunately (or fortunately – if you are Gerald) I didn’t bring very much cash with me, so I couldn’t get anything.  I don’t know if Gerald will take me back to get what I wanted, but I could always take a cab I suppose. Ha!

Speaking of Gerald…his selection of seating is becoming questionable.  First, he tortures me next to the little clothing shop, but he also sits us down wind of a Rasta man who lit up a big fatty! Wow! That thing was as long as a Capri cigarette and as big around as a small cigar! I’m wondering if Cheech and Chong are here making a movie?! (you youngsters probably won’t get that reference) Well, my glaucoma is better, I can tell you that and I’m thankful that I don’t have to take a drug test anytime soon!  GOOD GRIEF!!!! I finally got up and went back to the beach before I caught too much more of it!

The sun was starting to hide behind the clouds, so it was time for us to leave.  And, they got worse as we went towards the apartment.  We stopped at a KFC to get dinner on the way.  We had gotten some coupons in the paper yesterday and it made me hungry for KFC!  But when we got there we ordered something totally different than what was on the coupons! Then it started to rain. We got our dinner and out the door we went.  When we left KFC, we heard a band and looked down the street to see a parade coming up the road towards us! OH NO! We don’t have good luck with parades! We quickly ran to the car and got in! Gerald nearly ran over the photographer that was in the front of the parade taking pictures, trying to get out of the parking lot before we got stuck there for the night!

Then it started to pour…buckets…and buckets…and buckets.  We waited in the car for about 15 minutes and it never let up. So I braved coming up to the room. Of course we got soaked.  Unfortunately, the water had run under the door again and was running into the bedroom.  It got all the clothes wet that were in the laundry basket.  We mopped up the floor, picked up the stuff and hung up what we could around the apartment.  After that we showered (with soap) and ate. 

The rain only let up for a brief moment, and has been raining pretty steady ever since.  There has even been thunder!  It rained for at least 5 hours and it has not let up.  W even had to ring out the towel that we put at the bottom of the front door and had to put another towel down too! Then it started blowing and raining in the bathroom and living room windows! (there is only louvers and screens, no window to close.)  Sigh…it’s probably going to be a long night!

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Thursday, May 12, 2011:

Well, the skies are FULL of clouds this morning. No sign of the sun peaking through at all! And the weather is calling for 60-70% chance of rain and thunderstorms. Looks like the next few days are going to be much of the same too.  Bummers!  So I doubt we will find sunshine today.  The air is so thick and heavy with humidity that droplets of water are forming on the screens. It’s like a steam sauna! I don’t recall it ever being like this before. Not the best day in paradise, but still better than snow!

Since the beach is pretty much out, we’ve decide we will go to Cheri’s tonight for dinner to get some of our favorite fettuccini and then go to the Casino Royale to gamble a bit.

Evening finally came and we got ready and headed over towards Maho and Cheri’s.  While we were coming into the Simpson Bay area we came upon a Claude VanDam checkpoint (that’s what Gerald calls the police). We’ve seen lots of these this year but we have never been stopped by them.  I guess they recognize us as tourists and waive us through, but tonight was not going to be one of those times and we got pulled over!  They already had about a dozen cars pulled over. The officer came up to the car and asked Gerald for his license and then the registration and insurance.  Great, I have no idea where that stuff is in this car!  I looked in the other car and knew it was there, but didn’t check when we got this new car! (hey…I was busy getting my hair done!)  Unfortunately I couldn’t find the insurance paper, and the sticker in the window was expired as of March 26. !!!  Let that be a lesson…ALWAYS check to make sure you have registration and current insurance in your car!

Well, the officer was not happy! We told him it was a rental, and he was surprised – I guess he didn’t know, but now he was stuck doing his thing.  He then went into his lecture of the importance of insurance and then proceeded to tell us why he had to confiscate the car because he couldn’t let us drive around without insurance in case we hit someone! AAAAAAAAHHH!!!   Then he took the keys (like we were going to abscond on this little island!) and said he would not ticket us personally for no insurance because it was not our fault.  I told him we understood the importance of insurance and that I would contact the rental company.  He said if they can bring proof of insurance right now, then he would let us have the car back.  I’m sure they will (they better!) but the problem is that it’s like 5:30, on a Friday night! I just hope someone is around still! 

So we sat on the side of the road, being glared at by the Claude VanDams, while I pulled my phone out and frantically tried to call the rental company.  I tried and tried to dial the numbers to the rental company that were on the contract, but I was so nervous and upset, I couldn’t get the darned number dialed right no matter what I did. I was about to have a major panic attack! (my daddy raised me with an over abundance of fear of authority!)  The officer came back to the car, running out of patience, and I told him I couldn’t get the phone to dial the number and he told me to try to dial the + sign first.  DUH!  I should have remembered that, but I was a little verklemped at the time!  So I dialed the + (after remembering HOW) and then got through to the emergency number and left a message.  Then I dialed the office number and thankfully got a hold of Anthea, one of the gals in the office.  She was just getting ready to leave! I told her the police had us pulled over and they wanted proof of insurance because the window sticker was expired.  She said to tell the officer that the car was insured but I told her that if she didn’t bring proof to him now, he was going to have the car towed and impounded – he already had the keys.  And just as I was saying that, the guy in the car next to us was being hauled out of his car and they took it away to be towed.  I looked over in the open lot across the street, and there were 4 tow trucks waiting…1 just left with 2 on its back and within 10 minutes he came back for more!  Anthea said she would be down in a minute!  Luckily the office was not too far down the road.

I thought I was going to have a major panic attack…being pulled over, the insurance expired and not being able to get a hold of anyone at first, and then being faced with the car being towed and impounded, and possibly the car place charging us and saying we needed to pay for thousands of dollars in damage. This was all flashing in my head! But Anthea showed up shortly with the company policy and we stood there another 15 minutes waiting for the police officer to come back and look at the policy. When he finally did come back (in between hauling off another 3-4 cars), Anthea told him that the insurance company did not give them the window stickers this year and he proceeded to lecture her that she should have put a copy of the policy in the car.  (Calm down Claude!)  He carefully read over the policy then agreed we could leave, unfortunately he forgot that he had taken our car keys and he had to go look for them! (I think he gave them to one of the tow truck drivers!)  Finally the officer returned with the key and apologized but said he was just doing his job.  I told him we understood the importance of having insurance, mostly I was just thankful to be let go!

Anthea and I were talking about us getting a copy of the policy for the car, because I didn’t want to go through this again.  Then I tried to take pictures of it with my iPhone, but it wasn’t coming out so good.  Then Anthea remembered that The Post Office was just down the road, so we decided that we would go there before it closed, which would be in 10 minutes!  OMG!  What a night!  I know the island made tons of money tonight!  About $100 for each impounded vehicle plus no telling how much for the tickets themselves!  Taxi’s should have been there waiting too, because there were lots of people that were standing there watching their cars being towed away. 

Anyway, thankfully it all worked out.  We met Anthea and got a copy of the policy and have it in the car now, so I feel better.  With the incident over, and no real damage done, except to my psyche, we headed to Maho for our planned dinner at Cheri’s. Although I think I need a stiff drink first!

Now, if you ever get to St. Maarten, you simply have to go to Cheri’s.  The food is absolutely great and there is a show every night at 8pm put on my the Sweet Chocolate Band.

(that's Tina...as in Tina Turner!)

 Look at the stuff hanging from the ceiling! You know this is my kind of place! =)

**

These guys do a phenomenal job too!  I know it’s kind of a touristy place, but it’s so much fun.  We parked the car and rather than get a table, we just hopped up to the bar and talked with Cordel - the awesome bartender.  He has been there for years and is so funny! He was like a carnival barker trying to get people to come in and sit at the bar! During this time of year (off-season) there are not a lot of people walking around, so they try to get as many as they can! But we weren’t really there for the show, we came for the fettuccini, which in my opinion, is one of the best I have ever had!  But first things first…I ordered a cosmo…

**cosmo…mmmmmmmmm.  Cordel makes the best ones!

Gerald got a soda, then we ordered a salad, fettuccini (to split – cause it’s a large order) and garlic cheese bread.  Gawd it was so good! Then at about 8pm (Caribbean time – which means about 8:30) the show started. We sat for a while and watched just to give our dinner a chance to settle in our stomachs.  It was dark and my camera doesn’t take good pictures, even with a flash, so I took some video…it turns out better that way! Go figure!

 *

Here are some videos...you can see better!

argh...I'm having trouble uploading the rest of the videos! Will try again later!

Then after a while, we were having fun so Gerald ordered a BBC and I got a chocolate martini (for desert!).  MMMMMMM! 

**

And promptly at 9pm, the Casino Royale dancers did their thing out in the middle of the street.  I tried to take some pictures but ended up with a video of that too!  They always do it right in the middle of the Cheri’s show…I’m not sure why they don’t stop for a while!  Anyway…hope you enjoy!

**video

Our bellies full – almost to the point of miserable – we said goodbye to Cordel and walked next door to the Casino Royale (yes…just like the James Bond movie!).  We went to the VIP desk and signed up for a card and got $10 free play! Nice! Then quickly deposited it into the slots.  I found one by the door and put my last $20 in.  By the time we left at 10:30, I cashed out with $30 and enough points to get a little lunch/beach cooler!

Here’s a picture of our booty for the night!  A little Casino Royale cooler, clackers and the potential for a small hangover tomorrow from the martinis I had! =)  (see photos above!)

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Wednesday, May 11, 2011:

It poured down rain this morning…for a long time too. Currently as I’m writing this, we have a break in the clouds and may head to the beach.  But from the looks of the forecast…it appears we will have lots of rain and storms for the next week.   It’s not yet hurricane season, but it wouldn’t be out of the question to have one during this time of year.  Depends on if the conditions are right.  But I think they are only right for maybe tropical storms…not a hurricane. So we’ll take our chances and find a beach to see if we can get some sun today.

We got ready and drove over to Orient to see what it was like there today.  Unfortunately as we drove over there we watched the clouds build and develop into nice, big, tall rain clouds that hung in the mountains over and behind the beach.  When we got there, we didn’t even take the chairs out of the car.  I told Gerald lets just walk the beach for a while and see if the rain goes over us, and if it does, we will take the chairs out then.  So that’s what we did.  

**Darned rain clouds!

We started walking and noticed that the beach was awful crowded! I couldn’t believe the number of people! There were 2 cruise ships in today, and everybody on the boat must have been here!  You couldn’t even walk between the lounge chairs it was so crowded!

It’s quite congested with little bars here too.  They are all right next to one another.  Most of the bars and restaurants are the same as in previous years, but I did notice a couple new ones.  This one called The Sun Beach Clubber had inflatable chairs and couches, and it had a second floor! Looked like a pretty neat place.

 ** The Sun Beach Clubber! Looks like a cool place:

 We just kept on walking and went all the way down to Mt. Vernon and then headed back.  My ankle was killing me!  We stopped at Bikini Beach for a while because they had a band playing and we got a drink and fries.  (and that way I could rest my food for a while). 

While we were at Bikini Beach it rained off and on.  It looks like the clouds are not going away so we walked back towards the car, but before we could get there, the clouds opened up and it started to rain hard. 

We got back to the apartment and I took a nap (because the margarita I had this afternoon made me sleepy!) then I got up and we ate dinner, and that’s about it for excitement today. 

  

My gawd it’s hot and muggy today and worse tonight!  There’s hardly any wind, so no breeze to help cool you down.  It’s going to be a long night!