Friday, January 4, 2008
Funny Holiday Picture
I saw this picture on a e-mail announcement for a band that Jules and I like and decided to put it up. Poor kid....
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Holidays in Paradise
I hope that everyone is having a delightful start to their new year and that the holiday season went smoothly. It is always interesting to me that people you talk too are sooooo looking forward to a little break of some sort for the holidays but when asked about how it was, always seem to bring up traveling, the hassles of coordinating dinners, and just a general want to get back into a daily routine. Well, not me and Jules.....I know that we both would have loved to prolong our holiday season and who can blame us. As you will soon see, our vacation to St. Maarten over the Christmas holiday was about as perfect as could be, even with some interesting little quirks here and there.
Jules and I departed from Boston on December 23 very early in the morning for our flight down to San Juan where we were to meet my family (Mom: Irene, Dad: Larry, Sister: Lindsay, Brother-in-law: Matt). They arrived several hours after we did and were fortunate to catch the connecting flight to St. Maarten. A quick hop south took us there and we then spent the next hour or so collecting our luggage and looking for the car rental guy to take us from the airport to the agency. Well, I guess this young man working for the agency didn't get the memo about holding up the sign with the names because as he clutched the sheet on a clipboard close to his chest, we probably wandered past him a couple of times. We got our rental car, a SUV that probably would have fit two of the normal sized St. Maarten cars in it, packed it to the gills with luggage and bodies and headed to our home away from home, The Royal Islander La Plage.
The room was very spacious and perfect for the beach. It was tiled everywhere and being on the 5th floor, we had a great view of the pool, beach, and ocean. There were two bedrooms and two bathrooms and a nice sized kitchen where we ate breakfast and prepared lunch every morning. Being located where it was, the resort also had another special amenity. We got to watch as every type of plane imaginable, from a prop puddlejumper to an AirFrance 757, landed at the airport runway just adjacent to the resort.
It was a pretty incredible experience seeing these large airliners line up the runway from way off and then fly over the beach only about 50-100 ft off the ground before landing. A bunch of us even went out to stand on the beach as a plane was getting to land and take off. During take off, the jet wash was strong enough to blow beach towels, chairs, hats, even carelessly tied bikini tops (just kidding) into the water behind the runway.
That first night we were treated to an amazing sunset (the first in a string of many) and then made plans to head out for a bite to eat before our minds and bodies turned to jelly after a long day of traveling.
Luckily we didn't have to go far since our resort was located in a fairly hopping area with a casino, shops, and a couple of restaurants nearby. We had a delicious Italian meal before dragging our feet back to our place for some rest.
The next day dawned warm and sunny and we headed out to explore the beach at Mullet Bay. Getting there early was key as we were able to get set up with our umbrellas and chairs before it got too crowded....not to mention parking the Behemoth. While the rest of the family lazed in beach chairs reading or the ocean rafts sunning, Matt and I headed out with some snorkel gear to check out the sea life around the rocks. A couple of minutes snorkeling revealed an octopus and lots of anemones, sea urchins (the long black spiky kinds and the less harmful white quilled kinds), and tons of fish. We also saw and held some conch which are large snails that live in those shells you may have seen islanders blow into to make an interesting horn like sound. The weirdest things that we found were a tape measure which I grabbed and threw to my Dad who was wandering on the rocks (of course, it broke though) and a $10 bill waving in the current of a cove. Well, that $10 paid for my lunch as we feasted not on freshly grilled jerk chicken, seafood sandwiches, or even fried plantains but on a Subway sub. It did the trick though and after a long day in the sun we headed home to make our plans for Christmas Eve dinner. We had a fine seafood dinner and some ribs at a local restaurant called The Boathouse that had a very nice fillet of grouper and some curried sea scallops. After heading home, we even stopped in the casino for a little gambling before calling it a night and retiring to our beds with dreams of sugarplums in our heads because the next day was.....
Christmas! Waking up early, we all were amazed to see that even here in the middle of the Caribbean, Santa had made a visit, taking the time to put tiny stockings up on a poster with suction cup hooks and erecting a small artificial tree complete with Christmas lights. Upon further discovery, we found that he didn't have time to put ornaments on the tree but did the next best thing and left us each a package to create our own ornament using markers and glitter glue. Well, since the Lehmann family is well rounded and particularly adept at artwork, we spent the next several hours hunched over these tiny wooden cutouts of Santa, snowmen, Christmas trees, and stockings crafting each one with care that would make any of Santa's little helpers proud.
When we finally decided it was time to continue on with the day, we hopped in the car and drove over to a ferry to take us to Pinel Island. It was another beautiful day and the views of the harbor could not be beat. Reading and spending time with family in the Caribbean sun.....there is no better way to spend the holiday. We were stymied in our efforts to snorkel due to some rough surf on the far side of the island but a short hike did reward us with views of St. Bart's, Tintemarre, and Anguilla.
Heading home through the back roads of Grand Case was interesting but being Christmas, everyone was in high spirits and our enthusiasm for the day couldn't be diminished. A particularly good, and expensive I'm told (wink, wink), dinner at Le Bec Fin put the cherry on top of an all around fabulous celebration. The fish there couldn't have been better and we all wiped our plates clean with the French rolls that accompanied the meal.
Another early morning....another beautiful day. Julia and I headed out for a two tank dive with local SCUBA operators Ocean Explorers while the rest of the gang settled for that most American of post-Christmas past times, shopping in duty free Philipsburg where the jewelry, electronics, cigar, and liquor stores pack the sides of Front Street. On our SCUBA trip we had an opportunity to do a couple of wreck dives, even poking our head inside one of the rusted hulls. We saw among other things, another octopus, a turtle with a very large remora attached (never seen that before), several scorpionfish, a bunch of different eels, and a couple of ginormous spiny lobster. It was a really fun trip and only having 6 divers on the boat made it a personalized and enjoyable experience. After picking us up at the dive store, the whole family headed back to the resort for some naps by the pool and the beach. Of course, we were always wakened from our slumber by a certain family member who insisted that from 3-5 pm everyday we take advantage of 2 for 1 drink specials at the bar. Thanks a lot!!!!! Thoroughly mellowed from our drinks and breeze caressed dream time it was again time for a meal. Tonight we tempted our taste buds with some items from the largely Mexican menu of Jimbo's. Several of us had the fajitas and I am pretty sure everyone enjoyed the meal.....especially the shot of passion fruit infused tequila we got on the house. Feeling satiated we again tried our luck in the casino close to our resort and several of us won playing penny slots (OZZIE! OZZIE! OZZIE!) but the big story had to be Mom who found herself as usual at the craps table throwing down with guys who crowded the padded armrests. She wasn't having a whole lot of luck and then her favorite son showed up and the tides turned. Not saying that I was the lucky talisman but I am sure that the positive vibes Julia and I sent her way didn't hurt. Well, to make a long story short, she got on a great roll, throwing 7s four times in a row in the come out roll which basically doubles everyones money. She did so well in fact, that a gentlemen (with a big, bald bodyguard I might add) tossed her a $100 chip as he left the table. Of course, during her roll he probably cashed in about $5000, maybe more. She ended the night up and went to bed amped after her win.
Thursday morning was spent wandering the streets of Marigot, another small shopping area on the French side of the island. The shops were upscale and my Mom found some jewelry from a shop she had frequented on my parent's previous visits. We all enjoyed the day and had a delightful lunch at a restaurant that overlooked the harbor. From there we journeyed further around the island to Orient Beach. One of the largest beaches on the island, it was a little crowded but with the power of the law of attraction, we were able to find parking, beach chairs and an umbrella without little trouble. We spent the rest of day watching the endless lines of people walking the beach, the kite boarders skimming the chop just off shore, and relishing the refreshing breeze that came in off the ocean. I'm told that the far eastern end of the beach is clothing optional although I can neither confirm or discount that claim. Some members of our party might be able to though....ahem.... Dinner was eaten at a local restaurant called Cheri's where they had good comfort food and a raunchy stage show. Entertaining all around.
Friday was our last day on the island and Julia and I were treated to a 2 hour jet ski tour by my sister and brother-in-law. Of course they came along too and we had a great time zipping along the water past the mega-yachts and hill castles of the rich and famous. We had the opportunity to see a different beach and do some snorkeling before hopping back on our machines for the short ride home. A little salty from our trip, we headed back to the pool at the resort where we reconnected with my parents and enjoyed the rest of the day in the sun and sand, poolside. We had another good seafood meal at Lee's Roadside Grill and then headed back to the casino to try our luck one last time. This time, I played some craps alongside my Mom who was welcomed back to the table by her $100 mystery man. He even got another player to move so she could stand in her lucky position. Well, the table wasn't particularly hot that night and I disposed of my funds after about an hour or so. But this wasn't before my Mom rolled well again (despite not hitting the point number even once) and earning all the players at the table some more dough. This time, her cash cow flicked her $200 and sauntered off to enjoy the rest of his evening on a multimillion dollar boat no doubt. The dice didn't roll true and when all was said and done she came out down but not for lack of trying. The important part is to have fun playing and craps in one of those games that you can play without losing all your money in a flash. I am looking forward to when my folks come back up so we can hit up the Mohegan Sun tables.
Our flight out on Saturday was later in the afternoon so we packed up in the morning, trucked our luggage over to the airport, checked in and then spent the rest of the day at the pool. Surprising as it sounds, it was nice to off gas a little from our very busy and exciting week on St. Maarten. We talked about plans for next year and trips to be made in the future. Despite an earlier flight, the family was able to gather once more at our gate before we said goodbye and headed back to Boston. It wasn't with tears though but with smiles; smiles that showed our contentment, thankfulness, and love at being able to enjoy this experience with people who were near and dear to us. Thanks Mom, Dad, Linds, Matt, and Jules for making this holiday a very happy one....and that is a lot from someone who REEEALLLLYYY enjoys opening presents :)
If you want to check out some more pictures from the trip visit my Fotki webpage. Matt just put one up too so if you search for mpaushter you could see his too!
Best wishes to everyone out there for a prosperous and healthy 2008. We have so much to be thankful for.....be sure to say it and feel it everyday.
Jules and I departed from Boston on December 23 very early in the morning for our flight down to San Juan where we were to meet my family (Mom: Irene, Dad: Larry, Sister: Lindsay, Brother-in-law: Matt). They arrived several hours after we did and were fortunate to catch the connecting flight to St. Maarten. A quick hop south took us there and we then spent the next hour or so collecting our luggage and looking for the car rental guy to take us from the airport to the agency. Well, I guess this young man working for the agency didn't get the memo about holding up the sign with the names because as he clutched the sheet on a clipboard close to his chest, we probably wandered past him a couple of times. We got our rental car, a SUV that probably would have fit two of the normal sized St. Maarten cars in it, packed it to the gills with luggage and bodies and headed to our home away from home, The Royal Islander La Plage.
The room was very spacious and perfect for the beach. It was tiled everywhere and being on the 5th floor, we had a great view of the pool, beach, and ocean. There were two bedrooms and two bathrooms and a nice sized kitchen where we ate breakfast and prepared lunch every morning. Being located where it was, the resort also had another special amenity. We got to watch as every type of plane imaginable, from a prop puddlejumper to an AirFrance 757, landed at the airport runway just adjacent to the resort.
It was a pretty incredible experience seeing these large airliners line up the runway from way off and then fly over the beach only about 50-100 ft off the ground before landing. A bunch of us even went out to stand on the beach as a plane was getting to land and take off. During take off, the jet wash was strong enough to blow beach towels, chairs, hats, even carelessly tied bikini tops (just kidding) into the water behind the runway.That first night we were treated to an amazing sunset (the first in a string of many) and then made plans to head out for a bite to eat before our minds and bodies turned to jelly after a long day of traveling.
Luckily we didn't have to go far since our resort was located in a fairly hopping area with a casino, shops, and a couple of restaurants nearby. We had a delicious Italian meal before dragging our feet back to our place for some rest.The next day dawned warm and sunny and we headed out to explore the beach at Mullet Bay. Getting there early was key as we were able to get set up with our umbrellas and chairs before it got too crowded....not to mention parking the Behemoth. While the rest of the family lazed in beach chairs reading or the ocean rafts sunning, Matt and I headed out with some snorkel gear to check out the sea life around the rocks. A couple of minutes snorkeling revealed an octopus and lots of anemones, sea urchins (the long black spiky kinds and the less harmful white quilled kinds), and tons of fish. We also saw and held some conch which are large snails that live in those shells you may have seen islanders blow into to make an interesting horn like sound. The weirdest things that we found were a tape measure which I grabbed and threw to my Dad who was wandering on the rocks (of course, it broke though) and a $10 bill waving in the current of a cove. Well, that $10 paid for my lunch as we feasted not on freshly grilled jerk chicken, seafood sandwiches, or even fried plantains but on a Subway sub. It did the trick though and after a long day in the sun we headed home to make our plans for Christmas Eve dinner. We had a fine seafood dinner and some ribs at a local restaurant called The Boathouse that had a very nice fillet of grouper and some curried sea scallops. After heading home, we even stopped in the casino for a little gambling before calling it a night and retiring to our beds with dreams of sugarplums in our heads because the next day was.....
Christmas! Waking up early, we all were amazed to see that even here in the middle of the Caribbean, Santa had made a visit, taking the time to put tiny stockings up on a poster with suction cup hooks and erecting a small artificial tree complete with Christmas lights. Upon further discovery, we found that he didn't have time to put ornaments on the tree but did the next best thing and left us each a package to create our own ornament using markers and glitter glue. Well, since the Lehmann family is well rounded and particularly adept at artwork, we spent the next several hours hunched over these tiny wooden cutouts of Santa, snowmen, Christmas trees, and stockings crafting each one with care that would make any of Santa's little helpers proud.
When we finally decided it was time to continue on with the day, we hopped in the car and drove over to a ferry to take us to Pinel Island. It was another beautiful day and the views of the harbor could not be beat. Reading and spending time with family in the Caribbean sun.....there is no better way to spend the holiday. We were stymied in our efforts to snorkel due to some rough surf on the far side of the island but a short hike did reward us with views of St. Bart's, Tintemarre, and Anguilla.
Heading home through the back roads of Grand Case was interesting but being Christmas, everyone was in high spirits and our enthusiasm for the day couldn't be diminished. A particularly good, and expensive I'm told (wink, wink), dinner at Le Bec Fin put the cherry on top of an all around fabulous celebration. The fish there couldn't have been better and we all wiped our plates clean with the French rolls that accompanied the meal.Another early morning....another beautiful day. Julia and I headed out for a two tank dive with local SCUBA operators Ocean Explorers while the rest of the gang settled for that most American of post-Christmas past times, shopping in duty free Philipsburg where the jewelry, electronics, cigar, and liquor stores pack the sides of Front Street. On our SCUBA trip we had an opportunity to do a couple of wreck dives, even poking our head inside one of the rusted hulls. We saw among other things, another octopus, a turtle with a very large remora attached (never seen that before), several scorpionfish, a bunch of different eels, and a couple of ginormous spiny lobster. It was a really fun trip and only having 6 divers on the boat made it a personalized and enjoyable experience. After picking us up at the dive store, the whole family headed back to the resort for some naps by the pool and the beach. Of course, we were always wakened from our slumber by a certain family member who insisted that from 3-5 pm everyday we take advantage of 2 for 1 drink specials at the bar. Thanks a lot!!!!! Thoroughly mellowed from our drinks and breeze caressed dream time it was again time for a meal. Tonight we tempted our taste buds with some items from the largely Mexican menu of Jimbo's. Several of us had the fajitas and I am pretty sure everyone enjoyed the meal.....especially the shot of passion fruit infused tequila we got on the house. Feeling satiated we again tried our luck in the casino close to our resort and several of us won playing penny slots (OZZIE! OZZIE! OZZIE!) but the big story had to be Mom who found herself as usual at the craps table throwing down with guys who crowded the padded armrests. She wasn't having a whole lot of luck and then her favorite son showed up and the tides turned. Not saying that I was the lucky talisman but I am sure that the positive vibes Julia and I sent her way didn't hurt. Well, to make a long story short, she got on a great roll, throwing 7s four times in a row in the come out roll which basically doubles everyones money. She did so well in fact, that a gentlemen (with a big, bald bodyguard I might add) tossed her a $100 chip as he left the table. Of course, during her roll he probably cashed in about $5000, maybe more. She ended the night up and went to bed amped after her win.
Thursday morning was spent wandering the streets of Marigot, another small shopping area on the French side of the island. The shops were upscale and my Mom found some jewelry from a shop she had frequented on my parent's previous visits. We all enjoyed the day and had a delightful lunch at a restaurant that overlooked the harbor. From there we journeyed further around the island to Orient Beach. One of the largest beaches on the island, it was a little crowded but with the power of the law of attraction, we were able to find parking, beach chairs and an umbrella without little trouble. We spent the rest of day watching the endless lines of people walking the beach, the kite boarders skimming the chop just off shore, and relishing the refreshing breeze that came in off the ocean. I'm told that the far eastern end of the beach is clothing optional although I can neither confirm or discount that claim. Some members of our party might be able to though....ahem.... Dinner was eaten at a local restaurant called Cheri's where they had good comfort food and a raunchy stage show. Entertaining all around.
Friday was our last day on the island and Julia and I were treated to a 2 hour jet ski tour by my sister and brother-in-law. Of course they came along too and we had a great time zipping along the water past the mega-yachts and hill castles of the rich and famous. We had the opportunity to see a different beach and do some snorkeling before hopping back on our machines for the short ride home. A little salty from our trip, we headed back to the pool at the resort where we reconnected with my parents and enjoyed the rest of the day in the sun and sand, poolside. We had another good seafood meal at Lee's Roadside Grill and then headed back to the casino to try our luck one last time. This time, I played some craps alongside my Mom who was welcomed back to the table by her $100 mystery man. He even got another player to move so she could stand in her lucky position. Well, the table wasn't particularly hot that night and I disposed of my funds after about an hour or so. But this wasn't before my Mom rolled well again (despite not hitting the point number even once) and earning all the players at the table some more dough. This time, her cash cow flicked her $200 and sauntered off to enjoy the rest of his evening on a multimillion dollar boat no doubt. The dice didn't roll true and when all was said and done she came out down but not for lack of trying. The important part is to have fun playing and craps in one of those games that you can play without losing all your money in a flash. I am looking forward to when my folks come back up so we can hit up the Mohegan Sun tables.
Our flight out on Saturday was later in the afternoon so we packed up in the morning, trucked our luggage over to the airport, checked in and then spent the rest of the day at the pool. Surprising as it sounds, it was nice to off gas a little from our very busy and exciting week on St. Maarten. We talked about plans for next year and trips to be made in the future. Despite an earlier flight, the family was able to gather once more at our gate before we said goodbye and headed back to Boston. It wasn't with tears though but with smiles; smiles that showed our contentment, thankfulness, and love at being able to enjoy this experience with people who were near and dear to us. Thanks Mom, Dad, Linds, Matt, and Jules for making this holiday a very happy one....and that is a lot from someone who REEEALLLLYYY enjoys opening presents :)
If you want to check out some more pictures from the trip visit my Fotki webpage. Matt just put one up too so if you search for mpaushter you could see his too!
Best wishes to everyone out there for a prosperous and healthy 2008. We have so much to be thankful for.....be sure to say it and feel it everyday.
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