Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The "Baywatch" Story

It was an ordinary day. Carol and I are sitting in "Andy & Cheryl's World Famous Baywatch
Bar & American Grill" eating our lunch. This is the neatest place. Open air dining on wooden benches that are bright blue and yellow beside wooden tables painted the same colors. On the right side of the entrance is a sign proclaiming "Garden State Parkway" while on the left is a "Handicapped Parking Only" sign. A small sign standing in the sand says "Naked Egg Diner." The USA, US Marine Corps and Canadian flags fly above the restaurant. Oldies are playing in the background. A short distance away the waves gently lap at the pure white sand. Beach chairs and umbrellas line the edge of the sand. Sound relaxing? It truly is vacation. People of all brands sit with us. Some are bright red from the sun while others are tanned bronze. Some have shorts and T-shirts on while others are topless. Pretty tough eating a burger with the girl across from me dropping ketchup on her boobs from her burger. And...it's not Carol. She's sitting next to me. Another couple came in and needed a spot so Carol and I shared one side of the table and they sat on the other side. You've never experienced true beach freedom until you been to Orient Beach in the Caribbean. Andy (NJ) and Cheryl (NY) are the owners of the restaurant. Really great people. Both moved to St. Martin in the 80s, met and married. Cheryl walks around and greets you with a big smile and a bigger hug. Seems to know everyone. Andy always has his muscle shirt, shorts, hat and apron on. What is so unique about the place are all the license plates from all over North America which adorn the bar and restaurant. One from NY says "SMILFIXR", one from Wisconsin says "1 MOR TME", another from Missouri says "CHCKEN", one from New Hampshire says "I SPY 4 U", a Florida plate says "SND TRTL", one from PA says "XCUUZME", a Maine one says "THIRSTY", "EXMAYOR" is one from New Jersey, another NY one says "O2BNSMX" and on and on and on. Places like this are what makes the Caribbean so special to Carol and I. Today Carol is having the special, "Mussels a la Andy" and a Carib with a slice of lime. The garlic sauce on the mussels is to kill for. I'm having a "You're in Paradise Cheeseburger" which is a 1/3 lb. with lettuce, tomato and sometimes a kiss. Always ask for grilled onions on it and never miss the kiss. We also will share an order of fries. You could order anything in this place and it would be really good. I'm not sure what our new table neighbors ordered, but it was something that she put ketchup on. Next time I'm having "The Furgitabou'tit Italian Dawg." As we finish and bid farewell I notice a poem hanging on the post as we leave and two lines in it say it all, "My comrades are trying to tear me away....as I cling to the steps of this jewel by the bay." It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

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