SEPTEMBER 19, 2008 VOLUME 2
***NOTE: SEE CURRENT VACANCY SCHEDULE AT BOTTOM OF PAGE FOR 2008 / 2009 SEASON ***
JULY 2008 (continued from VOLUME 1)
…back for a month of “little projects” in July – none the less they are ALL taxing!! Had water intake and over flow
rerouted into and out of my water tank, also, alas, had a water gauge installed on the outside of the tank so I
actually know how much (or how little!) water I have. With all the drilling into the tank, I had the tank emptied
(fortunately not a lot there to lose!), cleaned and fresh water pumped in – now we pray to the rain gods &
goddesses! The temporary gate at the fencing done last month was replaced with a more “finished” passage gate,
the columns were properly plastered & stone capped and steps were poured for easier access around the driveway
gate…I started the arduous task of repainting the floors in my apartment – this time going with a much lighter
color – bathroom and kitchen are done – living room, bedroom and front porch will await my return in September and
the assistance of Kenny, my “gardener/painter/pool cleaner/maintenance guy” upon his return from away! Guest
apartments will wait all together!…
In the mean time, have gone on a few dives with Suzanne & Tim. Then there is the very occasional Sunday afternoon
volleyball – although we do still manage to hang out at the beach in front of Stanley’s for Sunday cocktails (sorry,
but I refuse to call the restaurant by its given name!! and I CAN remember!!). Jill and I strive to keep up with our
power walks up and around Mt Pleasant and occasional swimming at Lower Bay. I actually started some pool
exercises that I was enjoying and with Donna’s input am now looking to ship down some aqua exercise equipment
(sorry, but for personal use only – not enough room in the pool for groups!)
August 1 brought about a trial change in GYM policy due to the increasing amounts of “non-payment”, unfortunately.
Now I offer only monthly memberships payable by the 5th of each month in addition, the GYM is no longer open on
weekends. I am working on options to accommodate visitors in season – most likely “pre-paid” work out coupons or
something like that…we shall see. It has become difficult to find privacy in my own home with people wandering up
throughout the day and evening to “check out” the gym, etc…but I do want to be able to offer the facility to the
community…just adjusting how and when!
A few days into August a wonderful couple from France arrived to stay at AQUA for three months, both for
vacation and to help with my ever present need for house sitting! Elisabeth and Jean Marc, as it turned out, are
also friends with our resident artist, Claude Victorine. Saffron and Razmataz took to them immediately and I
assured Jean Marc that he was welcome to train the dogs in French while I was away (I figured it would be easier
to teach me the French commands should he actually be able to train them in any way!!) After a few days for my
guests to settle in and acclimate and we enjoyed a pleasant dinner together, I again prepared to depart the VERY
hot and gradually quieting Bequia…this time for a month!!
My initial trek was Bequia to Barbados then on to New York where I checked in quite late to a hotel, only to wake
up and head to Grand Central Station the following morning. The concierge recommended walking the two blocks
versus “cabbing it” so, off I went to catch the train to Connecticut. Not really a great feat, typically. But I will
mention that aside from my roll along carry on bag and my average small sized roll along suitcase, I was
transporting….a sink…yes, a sink….a pottery sink, made here on Bequia and destined for my friend’s new house in
Boulder!! Fortunately, New Yorkers CAN be very helpful and it was my lucky day, as I had people help me right, left
and center as I made my way through Grand Central! Even upon arriving in New Haven, a very sweet lady carried
the sink to the elevator with me and offered to help me all the way out to the station! Once off the train, I had
things fairly well balanced, though, so, successfully made it to the AVIS rental office, packed everything in the
rental car and just as I closed the trunk, there was a huge bang of thunder – as if to congratulate me!!
Dad and Dollie met me in “downtown Clinton” while I had a late lunch, then we arrived to the cottage just before a
little storm front rolled in, causing us to have to start ‘happy hour’ early…what else were we to do on a rainy
afternoon?? Gradually, Lynda, Nick, Alex & Christopher meandered in for dinner. The following morning I enjoyed a
great yoga class at River Dog Yoga before my dental appointment and afternoon hair appointment where I had the
unexpected pleasure of running into my mom’s best friend, Evie, at the hair salon!
Next morning, I did not make it to the yoga studio quite on time, so went to visit Lynda at the bank before running
a couple errands, packing, showering and off to New Haven to catch a train BACK to New York, to meet Mr.
Wonderful. I arrived at the hotel only minutes after he had; he, having just flown into LaGuardia. We had a great
time wandering around Manhattan and along with one of his colleagues, managed to make quite the round of “spots”
that evening….even taking a tour of the men’s room at the Rainbow Room – sounds crazy – but there is a magnificent
view of Central Park from there!! (Go figure – and the ladies’ is an internal space with NO windows!!) The bar
tenders were quite enamored by our enthusiasm!! A few places in between and then why we did it, no one will know,
but we decided to try the recently legalized concoction known as Absinthe at a trendy hotel bar….and we wonder
why we all felt a bit hazed the following morning! (Those artists in Montmartre were die-hards!!)
A walk through the city, Central Park, lunch at Tavern on the Green, “a pedi-cart ride for three” in the rain!, a nap!!,
then drinks and dinner in SOHO, made for a wonderful day and evening. Midday the following day, Friday, we
departed and headed to Connecticut.
We spent the weekend at the beach including a little sailing, jet skiing and waterskiing – with expert coaching,
Christopher proudly made his skiing debut! Dad even took his annual ski loop! We had the traditional lobster dinner –
fresh Maine lobster, corn on the cob, etc…always a great treat!
Tuesday morning we headed up the coast to Provincetown, Mass (at the tip of cape Cod)…we had all intention of
stopping in Newport, Rhode Island and / or Martha’s Vineyard to see the likes of some of the Bequia crew up there
– Kirsty, Chris, Nikki, and Brook – but it was a rather overcast day, including an interlude of torrential rain, so we
opted to drive straight through to P-town. We stayed at a wonderful place – Land’s End Inn. The next morning,
after breakfast, we started a little walk out the breakwater which turned into a three hour walk all the way
across the breakwater and out to the lighthouse at the “very tip” of the Cape – it was a beautiful sunny, cool, fall-
like day. After wondering about the main street area, we ended up at a great restaurant for dinner and had a fun
time cruising around! Our last morning there, we enjoyed the great breakfast porch at Land’s End for as long as we
could before packing up. A final jaunt through town and a few stops at sights along our way down the Cape and a good
decision to jump on I-95 to get back to Connecticut in a timely manner yet again prevented our intended stop to
see friends along the way.
Upon arriving back to Connecticut, we checked into Saybrook Point Inn for our last few nights on the East Coast;
dad & Dollie came to join us for dinner at the hotel our first night. The weekend was filled with “Westbrook
Muster” events, a brief dance at Water’s Edge, a light bite for dinner at 'Aspen'; spectating at the Muster Parade,
a cocktail party at Lynda & Nick’s – a great time catching up with the gang and even Cathy and Jack!! A last day on
the beach at Lynda & Nick’s then a fun-filled dinner with some of Nick’s family – Priscilla, Sal, Kristen & Drew – and
a pre- birthday kick off for Dollie and Martin, sharing birthdays only a day apart later in August.
Last morning, I had the joy of an early morning dental appointment (although I do appreciate Dr. Wall offering the
early appointment to squeeze me in!) then we packed up and returned the rental car to New Haven and our driver
picked us up for a stress free ride back to New York to catch our flight to Denver.
We arrived back to Boulder in the evening so stopped for a
favorite: a “zolatini” at Zolo’s…followed by two fun filled weeks
with no agenda. I was presented with a wonderful present our
second day there – a new “girl” bike! With a western-ish seat, a bell
and a basket!! I love it!! We went for a few rides, fortunately with
little impact on my knee (hopefully a “past” problem!).
I made it to one yoga class and although I enjoyed the studio, our “non-schedule” never meshed for me to make it in
again. We drove through Rocky Mountain National Park one day, stopping at 12,000 feet (yes, a bit cold up there!)
and on the way back stopped for a beautiful walk around Bear Lake.
One night we popped by to say “hi” to Heidi at her cooking school – short but sweet! Always great to see you, Heidi!
Another night we started out up on the hillside at Flagstaff, watching the lights of Boulder come up before meeting
up with friends in town. Over the two weeks we celebrated a birthday, along the way, went to the movies, went to
the spa, just had fun and spent one night at home dancing and enjoying the beautiful lightning filled night sky! As
always, I was very sad to leave but knowing I will be back in October made it a little easier. October cannot come
soon enough, though!
My journey home included the requisite overnight in Miami before catching the Barbados flight in the morning and
landing back on Bequia the following early evening. Elisabeth and Jean Marc were kind enough to pick me up at the
airport; it was great to hear of their ventures and new acquaintences while I was away. I was warmly welcomed, OK
– practically knocked over - by Raz & Saffron when I came up the driveway! They were very happy dogs (I think a lot
due to all the French cooking and treats they are being spoiled with)…clearly well looked after in my absence!
Elisabeth and Jean Marc included me for dinner at their apartment so I did not have to worry about dinner my first
night home – we caught up on all the happenings over the past month! AND enjoyed a delicious dinner and freshly
baked lime pie that Elisabeth had made. A nice welcome home!
It is incredibly HOT these days (I actually am finishing this chapter at home…now
9:30pm, sitting on my chaise lounge in my living room, laptop in front of me, fan
three feet away blowing straight on me! Each trip to the kitchen for a wine refill
results in breaking out in a sweat!) This past Friday, Saturday and Sunday all
required significant time in the sea – the ONLY place to be in the afternoon! Friday
I enjoyed a casual lunch and long “float” with my friend (and hair stylist!) Emma –
we had a great afternoon “catch up”. Saturday, the canines were overdue for a beach
day, so we went for an afternoon swim, romp and long walk, before being joined by Tim & Suzanne. Soon after the
rain started, we all headed home! Sunday – with rain coming off and on, we still managed a few hours on the sand,
but mostly in the water.
Daily coffee at Stanley’s in the harbor has caught everyone up on everyone else’s vacations. A delicious lobster
dinner organized by Stanley, for Suzanne, Tim and myself for one of our “practicing poker” nights! …another
delicious dinner at Coco’s to catch up with Emmett…and just last night, a last minute visit at Salty Dog (or as I like
to call it at it’s new location at the old Timberhouse, “TimberDog”) to see Jill who just arrived back from her even
longer trip than mine!
Whew…with all that (obviously a bit more verbose on more recent events!), I think I am just about caught up here!
I did go for a great dive this morning, with Elisabeth – we were the only two diving with Rinaldo and saw a large
sting ray right at the start, eels, many large tarpon, not to mention all the schools of beautiful little fishes! And
here I am writing, writing, writing, ever since!!
It is with much sadness to note the very sudden loss of my best friend’s mom. LA Dee’s mom died suddenly at a
young age, a week and a half ago, Thursday. I am only glad I had the opportunity to know her…she will be missed.
The next few weeks look relatively quiet. Bequia is quite uneventful this time of year, with most of the
restaurants closed and many people traveling off island. I am looking forward to my return to Boulder in October; a
trip to Florida and Alabama in November, over Thanksgiving; Mr. Wonderful’s return to Bequia in December for the
holidays and as much as he can get away through the winter season; a trip to Mammoth Mountain, California to ski &
snowboard with Suzanne & Tim & Martin, along with some time in LA to catch up with family and friends.
PLEASE let me know what is happening with YOU!! I love to receive photos of everyone and the little ones! And to
hear what is going on in your lives!
Well, seeing this has ended up at (8) pages long!!! I will have to deter the final publishing until tomorrow when I can
add some photos and break this monster down into chapters for easier reading!!
Good night!!
***NOTE: SEE CURRENT VACANCY SCHEDULE AT BOTTOM OF PAGE FOR 2008 / 2009 SEASON ***
JULY 2008 (continued from VOLUME 1)
…back for a month of “little projects” in July – none the less they are ALL taxing!! Had water intake and over flow
rerouted into and out of my water tank, also, alas, had a water gauge installed on the outside of the tank so I
actually know how much (or how little!) water I have. With all the drilling into the tank, I had the tank emptied
(fortunately not a lot there to lose!), cleaned and fresh water pumped in – now we pray to the rain gods &
goddesses! The temporary gate at the fencing done last month was replaced with a more “finished” passage gate,
the columns were properly plastered & stone capped and steps were poured for easier access around the driveway
gate…I started the arduous task of repainting the floors in my apartment – this time going with a much lighter
color – bathroom and kitchen are done – living room, bedroom and front porch will await my return in September and
the assistance of Kenny, my “gardener/painter/pool cleaner/maintenance guy” upon his return from away! Guest
apartments will wait all together!…
In the mean time, have gone on a few dives with Suzanne & Tim. Then there is the very occasional Sunday afternoon
volleyball – although we do still manage to hang out at the beach in front of Stanley’s for Sunday cocktails (sorry,
but I refuse to call the restaurant by its given name!! and I CAN remember!!). Jill and I strive to keep up with our
power walks up and around Mt Pleasant and occasional swimming at Lower Bay. I actually started some pool
exercises that I was enjoying and with Donna’s input am now looking to ship down some aqua exercise equipment
(sorry, but for personal use only – not enough room in the pool for groups!)
August 1 brought about a trial change in GYM policy due to the increasing amounts of “non-payment”, unfortunately.
Now I offer only monthly memberships payable by the 5th of each month in addition, the GYM is no longer open on
weekends. I am working on options to accommodate visitors in season – most likely “pre-paid” work out coupons or
something like that…we shall see. It has become difficult to find privacy in my own home with people wandering up
throughout the day and evening to “check out” the gym, etc…but I do want to be able to offer the facility to the
community…just adjusting how and when!
A few days into August a wonderful couple from France arrived to stay at AQUA for three months, both for
vacation and to help with my ever present need for house sitting! Elisabeth and Jean Marc, as it turned out, are
also friends with our resident artist, Claude Victorine. Saffron and Razmataz took to them immediately and I
assured Jean Marc that he was welcome to train the dogs in French while I was away (I figured it would be easier
to teach me the French commands should he actually be able to train them in any way!!) After a few days for my
guests to settle in and acclimate and we enjoyed a pleasant dinner together, I again prepared to depart the VERY
hot and gradually quieting Bequia…this time for a month!!
My initial trek was Bequia to Barbados then on to New York where I checked in quite late to a hotel, only to wake
up and head to Grand Central Station the following morning. The concierge recommended walking the two blocks
versus “cabbing it” so, off I went to catch the train to Connecticut. Not really a great feat, typically. But I will
mention that aside from my roll along carry on bag and my average small sized roll along suitcase, I was
transporting….a sink…yes, a sink….a pottery sink, made here on Bequia and destined for my friend’s new house in
Boulder!! Fortunately, New Yorkers CAN be very helpful and it was my lucky day, as I had people help me right, left
and center as I made my way through Grand Central! Even upon arriving in New Haven, a very sweet lady carried
the sink to the elevator with me and offered to help me all the way out to the station! Once off the train, I had
things fairly well balanced, though, so, successfully made it to the AVIS rental office, packed everything in the
rental car and just as I closed the trunk, there was a huge bang of thunder – as if to congratulate me!!
Dad and Dollie met me in “downtown Clinton” while I had a late lunch, then we arrived to the cottage just before a
little storm front rolled in, causing us to have to start ‘happy hour’ early…what else were we to do on a rainy
afternoon?? Gradually, Lynda, Nick, Alex & Christopher meandered in for dinner. The following morning I enjoyed a
great yoga class at River Dog Yoga before my dental appointment and afternoon hair appointment where I had the
unexpected pleasure of running into my mom’s best friend, Evie, at the hair salon!
Next morning, I did not make it to the yoga studio quite on time, so went to visit Lynda at the bank before running
a couple errands, packing, showering and off to New Haven to catch a train BACK to New York, to meet Mr.
Wonderful. I arrived at the hotel only minutes after he had; he, having just flown into LaGuardia. We had a great
time wandering around Manhattan and along with one of his colleagues, managed to make quite the round of “spots”
that evening….even taking a tour of the men’s room at the Rainbow Room – sounds crazy – but there is a magnificent
view of Central Park from there!! (Go figure – and the ladies’ is an internal space with NO windows!!) The bar
tenders were quite enamored by our enthusiasm!! A few places in between and then why we did it, no one will know,
but we decided to try the recently legalized concoction known as Absinthe at a trendy hotel bar….and we wonder
why we all felt a bit hazed the following morning! (Those artists in Montmartre were die-hards!!)
A walk through the city, Central Park, lunch at Tavern on the Green, “a pedi-cart ride for three” in the rain!, a nap!!,
then drinks and dinner in SOHO, made for a wonderful day and evening. Midday the following day, Friday, we
departed and headed to Connecticut.
We spent the weekend at the beach including a little sailing, jet skiing and waterskiing – with expert coaching,
Christopher proudly made his skiing debut! Dad even took his annual ski loop! We had the traditional lobster dinner –
fresh Maine lobster, corn on the cob, etc…always a great treat!
Tuesday morning we headed up the coast to Provincetown, Mass (at the tip of cape Cod)…we had all intention of
stopping in Newport, Rhode Island and / or Martha’s Vineyard to see the likes of some of the Bequia crew up there
– Kirsty, Chris, Nikki, and Brook – but it was a rather overcast day, including an interlude of torrential rain, so we
opted to drive straight through to P-town. We stayed at a wonderful place – Land’s End Inn. The next morning,
after breakfast, we started a little walk out the breakwater which turned into a three hour walk all the way
across the breakwater and out to the lighthouse at the “very tip” of the Cape – it was a beautiful sunny, cool, fall-
like day. After wondering about the main street area, we ended up at a great restaurant for dinner and had a fun
time cruising around! Our last morning there, we enjoyed the great breakfast porch at Land’s End for as long as we
could before packing up. A final jaunt through town and a few stops at sights along our way down the Cape and a good
decision to jump on I-95 to get back to Connecticut in a timely manner yet again prevented our intended stop to
see friends along the way.
Upon arriving back to Connecticut, we checked into Saybrook Point Inn for our last few nights on the East Coast;
dad & Dollie came to join us for dinner at the hotel our first night. The weekend was filled with “Westbrook
Muster” events, a brief dance at Water’s Edge, a light bite for dinner at 'Aspen'; spectating at the Muster Parade,
a cocktail party at Lynda & Nick’s – a great time catching up with the gang and even Cathy and Jack!! A last day on
the beach at Lynda & Nick’s then a fun-filled dinner with some of Nick’s family – Priscilla, Sal, Kristen & Drew – and
a pre- birthday kick off for Dollie and Martin, sharing birthdays only a day apart later in August.
Last morning, I had the joy of an early morning dental appointment (although I do appreciate Dr. Wall offering the
early appointment to squeeze me in!) then we packed up and returned the rental car to New Haven and our driver
picked us up for a stress free ride back to New York to catch our flight to Denver.
We arrived back to Boulder in the evening so stopped for a
favorite: a “zolatini” at Zolo’s…followed by two fun filled weeks
with no agenda. I was presented with a wonderful present our
second day there – a new “girl” bike! With a western-ish seat, a bell
and a basket!! I love it!! We went for a few rides, fortunately with
little impact on my knee (hopefully a “past” problem!).
I made it to one yoga class and although I enjoyed the studio, our “non-schedule” never meshed for me to make it in
again. We drove through Rocky Mountain National Park one day, stopping at 12,000 feet (yes, a bit cold up there!)
and on the way back stopped for a beautiful walk around Bear Lake.
One night we popped by to say “hi” to Heidi at her cooking school – short but sweet! Always great to see you, Heidi!
Another night we started out up on the hillside at Flagstaff, watching the lights of Boulder come up before meeting
up with friends in town. Over the two weeks we celebrated a birthday, along the way, went to the movies, went to
the spa, just had fun and spent one night at home dancing and enjoying the beautiful lightning filled night sky! As
always, I was very sad to leave but knowing I will be back in October made it a little easier. October cannot come
soon enough, though!
My journey home included the requisite overnight in Miami before catching the Barbados flight in the morning and
landing back on Bequia the following early evening. Elisabeth and Jean Marc were kind enough to pick me up at the
airport; it was great to hear of their ventures and new acquaintences while I was away. I was warmly welcomed, OK
– practically knocked over - by Raz & Saffron when I came up the driveway! They were very happy dogs (I think a lot
due to all the French cooking and treats they are being spoiled with)…clearly well looked after in my absence!
Elisabeth and Jean Marc included me for dinner at their apartment so I did not have to worry about dinner my first
night home – we caught up on all the happenings over the past month! AND enjoyed a delicious dinner and freshly
baked lime pie that Elisabeth had made. A nice welcome home!
It is incredibly HOT these days (I actually am finishing this chapter at home…now
9:30pm, sitting on my chaise lounge in my living room, laptop in front of me, fan
three feet away blowing straight on me! Each trip to the kitchen for a wine refill
results in breaking out in a sweat!) This past Friday, Saturday and Sunday all
required significant time in the sea – the ONLY place to be in the afternoon! Friday
I enjoyed a casual lunch and long “float” with my friend (and hair stylist!) Emma –
we had a great afternoon “catch up”. Saturday, the canines were overdue for a beach
day, so we went for an afternoon swim, romp and long walk, before being joined by Tim & Suzanne. Soon after the
rain started, we all headed home! Sunday – with rain coming off and on, we still managed a few hours on the sand,
but mostly in the water.
Daily coffee at Stanley’s in the harbor has caught everyone up on everyone else’s vacations. A delicious lobster
dinner organized by Stanley, for Suzanne, Tim and myself for one of our “practicing poker” nights! …another
delicious dinner at Coco’s to catch up with Emmett…and just last night, a last minute visit at Salty Dog (or as I like
to call it at it’s new location at the old Timberhouse, “TimberDog”) to see Jill who just arrived back from her even
longer trip than mine!
Whew…with all that (obviously a bit more verbose on more recent events!), I think I am just about caught up here!
I did go for a great dive this morning, with Elisabeth – we were the only two diving with Rinaldo and saw a large
sting ray right at the start, eels, many large tarpon, not to mention all the schools of beautiful little fishes! And
here I am writing, writing, writing, ever since!!
It is with much sadness to note the very sudden loss of my best friend’s mom. LA Dee’s mom died suddenly at a
young age, a week and a half ago, Thursday. I am only glad I had the opportunity to know her…she will be missed.
The next few weeks look relatively quiet. Bequia is quite uneventful this time of year, with most of the
restaurants closed and many people traveling off island. I am looking forward to my return to Boulder in October; a
trip to Florida and Alabama in November, over Thanksgiving; Mr. Wonderful’s return to Bequia in December for the
holidays and as much as he can get away through the winter season; a trip to Mammoth Mountain, California to ski &
snowboard with Suzanne & Tim & Martin, along with some time in LA to catch up with family and friends.
PLEASE let me know what is happening with YOU!! I love to receive photos of everyone and the little ones! And to
hear what is going on in your lives!
Well, seeing this has ended up at (8) pages long!!! I will have to deter the final publishing until tomorrow when I can
add some photos and break this monster down into chapters for easier reading!!
Good night!!
|
| UPDATED 2008 / 2009 VACANCY SCHEDULE |
