The "Total Destruction of Orient Beach: Part II - Club Orient As It Used To Be" Story

Preface:  I wrote the following story close to three years ago, yet never posted it on my blog for fear of what people might think of me.  But years have passed, I have mellowed somewhat and I fear not what others may think anymore, since I now have many more issues to worry about in my life.  As you read on, the two photographs that accompany my preface will illustrate what has become of Orient Beach, Club Orient to be exact.  The destruction that Hurricane Irma has left behind, as illustrated in the photos, shows what Club Orient now looks like.  Total destruction that will take years to rebuild and even more years to return to normal.  Life may never be the same in St. Martin!

One lonely orange chair somehow still exists on an empty beach with ruins in the background.

Very little remains and what is still there is just a shell of what it used to be.

It was an ordinary day.  The warming sun stood about 45 degrees in the eastern pale blue sky and the salty aqua water lapped at the edge of the brilliant white sand.  It was beach time!  

Aerial view of Club Orient beach.

Carol and I made our journey from the parking lot of Club Orient through their beautiful grounds, dotted with chalets and palm trees, to the beach.  Found a spot in the back row of orange colored beach chairs and parked our cooler and beach bag under the familiar yellow umbrella.  The beach was beginning to fill as beachgoers were talking with one another while others were spreading tanning lotion over their entire body, for you see, this beach is a clothing optional beach!   If you have never tried going to a clothing optional beach, you have to try it at least once before you head to the retirement home; or maybe you need to try it after you head to the retirement home, since all ages fill the orange chairs.  It is truly rejuvenating as well as cleansing for the soul.  And, everyone on the beach is equal.  No one has a better bathing suit than you.  No one is richer or poorer than the next person and no one cares.  We are all here for one reason; the overall tan.  Parts of your body that have never seen the sun before will take in some vitamin D.  Embarrassing?  Yeah, for the first 10 seconds. Then when you look around and notice no one is looking at you or even cares about you, you begin to realize that its not much different than on the textile end of the beach.  

Familiar yellow umbrellas and
orange beach chairs of Club Orient.

Only difference is that you don't have to sit in a wet suit or try to get sand out of your suit.  Carol and I tried Club Orient about a half dozen years ago.  Picked a spot, got comfortable and only got off our chairs to get in the 85 degree water that is about 30 feet away.  On another visit I walked to the nearby beach bar during happy hour for drinks for the two of us.  Eventually you start to feel as if it is as natural as having a bathing suit covering your body.  As for your neighbors who perhaps feel the same as you, you eventually get the nerve to make a visit and talk with a few of them.  Talk of family, locale where you live and favorite time to travel on vacation are topics of conversation.  A few years ago a woman spent the better part of a day making a sculpture in the sand at water's edge.  As the crowds disappeared at the end of the day she pulled out her camera to take a photo.  Cameras are frowned upon on this beach for obvious reasons and will be taken from you by security personnel.  Upon seeing that, I located my camera and walked in her direction.  Asked if she would mind if I took a photo of the sculpture.  She told me she waited until the beach cleared to take a photo for herself.  I thanked her and commented on the great job she had done on the reclining nude sculpture.  We both took photos and then I asked if I could take a photo of her ...... just a head shot.  Told her I wanted it for a blog story.  She readily agreed and after taking the photo, I showed it to her so she knew exactly what I had taken.  She smiled and said she was anxious to read the story.  Here's hoping that she, and maybe you, read that article from May or June of 2014.  Well, tomorrow is another day and we just may give this part of the beach, "where nothing is better", another try.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Total Destruction of Orient Beach: Part I - Past & Present" Story

It was an ordinary day.  I recently posted a few stories telling of the destruction caused by Hurricane Irma on the island known as Sint Maartten/St. Martin.  Well, the more I heard from friends and those living on the island, the more I fear it will never be the same for Carol and myself; particularly Orient Beach on the French side of the island.  Orient Beach has long been voted one of the top 10 beaches in the world and is even known as the St. Tropez of the Caribbean; and with good reason.  The water, beach, beach bars and total atmosphere make it one of our farorite beaches. I even found a video filmed with a drone that will show you the beach and surrounding area.  I have written quite a few times of the many beach bars known as the "Five Stars of Orient" which include: Coco, Kakao, Waikiki, Bikini and Kontiki.  I recently wrote a story about the oldest beach bar on Orient Beach known as Pedros.  Well, none of those places exist anymore!!  Irma took care of that.  I'm sure the resilient people of the island will someday revive all those favorite places, but it isn't going to happen overnight.  Certainly isn't going to happen by next spring when we are scheduled to return once again.  I guess we can only hope we will enjoy the beach as much as we have in the past.  Time will tell.  Below you will see a video of Orient Beach and then photos of what it now looks like.  I can't possibly say enjoy what has become of the beach, but perhaps after our visit next year I will be able to once again post a story with the "new" Orient Beach.  It was another extraordinay day in the life of an ordinary guy.



Photos taken after Hurricane Irma struck in September.

The "Capital Day, Capital Day" Story

It was an ordinary day.  The daily newspaper proclaimed on the front page "Happy 240th, Lancaster".  So what's that all about?  Well, I have reported this before on my blog, but I must tell the story once again, since I have found the day to be a feather in the cap of my home town of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  

Lancaster's Court House as it appeared in 1777.

It was on September 27, 1777 during the American Revolutionary War, that Lancaster became the Capital of the United States...just for a day!  At the time Philadelphia was our nation's Capital, having left Baltimore in February of 1777.  British General William Howe and about 15,000 British troops began advancing on Baltimore after landing at the northern end of the Chesapeake Bay in late August and forcing Congress to head to Philadelphia.  And then, after the British defeated the Americans in the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777,  Congress began to realize it had to flee Philadelphia to escape the British once again.  It was decided to head west and Lancaster was the obvious city for Congress to flee so as to keep the government running (no pun intended).  Wagons were used to transport important Congressional papers and the wagons, as well as individual congressmen, took a circuitous route via horse and wagon through Bethlehem and Reading to avoid the British before arriving in Lancaster.  

Another view of Lancaster's Courthouse in 1777.

Enough members of Congress arrived in Lancaster to constitute a quorum so on September 27, Congress was called to order in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Those said to be in attendance were John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Richard Henry Lee and Charles Carroll.  All business conducted that day was military related.  It was decided to cooperate with General Washington in devising and carrying into execution the most effectual measures for supplying the Army.  The meeting was adjourned with all agreeing to meet in York, Pennsylvania on September 30, 1977.  It was thought that the mighty Susquehanna River would be a safe buffer for Congress, thus their decision that evening to move west to York, PA.  Since that time in history Lancaster has been celebrating "Capital Day" on Sept., 27.  A city resident, Matt Johnson, has taken it upon himself to make the day a festival day for all Lancastrians.  A few years ago he composed a song known as "Capital Day, Capital Day."  Lancaster's Mayor Rick Gray is known to sing the song as a part of the celebration.  Rick and I are both members of St. James Episcopal Church, but Rick was never a choir member, so I have no idea how well he sings the song.  The day is a festive celebration of Lancaster being our nation's capital for but one day in history.  Something that not many cities in our United States can claim.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary day.

This is a chair that was used on September 27, 1777 with Lancaster was the Capital of the United States.

   

The "One Of My Favorite Past-times: Part II - My Picks For Favorites" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Walking throughout the hundreds of cars and trucks at the Neffsville Car Show in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  Many were here last year when I also visited the show, but there are plenty of new ones to draw my attention.  I made an extra effort to find a few cars or trucks that I would call my favorites this year and take plenty of photos and learn about the history of the car or truck before I posted on my blog about them.  Well, as I stood next to the 1967 Thunderbird "Apollo" owner Gene, a judge of the show stopped by to tell him to have his car along the judges row by 3:30 pm for the trophy presentations.  Wow, I congratulated him as I left and continued my search.  The three cars I chose today all were in that group at 3:30.  Yesterday I also showed you a few cars that had won trophies, but the three cars that I will feature today are my choices to share with you today.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

#1 - 1967 Thunderbird "Apollo" - Winner of Best Interior in the show.  In 1966, Abercrombie & Fitch ordered 5 special 1967 Ford Thunderbirds with a retail cost of $15,000; one to be displayed in each of their upscale stores.  The cars were built in sequence with all Thunderbird options.  They were then sent to Detroit Steel Tubing Co. for the "Apollo" conversions.  Currently there are only three Apollos remaining.  An interesting fact about the cars is that they were all to carry the optional 428 cu. in. motor, but somehow one of them ended up with a 390 cu. in. engine.  That car happens to be the one in front of me which is owned by Gene Martini!  This "Apollo" is thus a "one of a kind."  Some of the options that you may see in my photos are: electric sunroof, Philco TV, dial operated radio telephone, reclining passenger seat with power headrest and footrest, special blue leather seats, foldaway desks in front seat backs, rover automatic ice detector (my favorite), quartz-iodine driving light, special blue vinyl roof, special blue chromed wheel covers, unique gold Thunderbird script - Landau bars - grille ornament, special chrome door jams and engine components and engraved Apollo nameplate.

The hood of the car is raised to see the 390 cubic inch engine.  On the grill is the Thunderbird logo which is gold anodized, a feature special to the Apollo cars.  My favorite feature on the car is the rover automatic ice detector which can be seen as one of the small lights below the grill.  It senses temperature and moisture and alerts the driver to icy conditions.

Here you can see the 390 cu. in. logo on the air filter cover.

This photo shows the desk that is on the rear of the front seat and the TV between the two front seats. 

Another gold anodized feature of the car on the roof.

Gene told me he wanted a license place with 1967 embossed on it instead of a sticker.  He managed to get that with the "Dealer" plate seen here. 

More gold anodizing on the side of the car.

Featured here is the phone and the gold anodizing on the horn rim and door pull.

The reclining seat and foot rest can be seen here as well as the chrome coverings on the door jams.

Between the rear seats are these reading lights.

#2 - 1935 Packard Eight "1200" 5 passenger Touring Sedan with 3 position ride control and chassis lubrication.  The owner is Steve Stokes and it was picked by the judges as the "Best Survivor."  Loved the car as soon as I came upon it and the dapper owner was having a good time showing the car to interested viewers. The car's original price was $2,385.00 and showed modernized styling to previous models.  Styling included skirted pontoon fenders, streamlined headlights, taillights and swept back "aerodynamic bodywork".  Mechanical features rarely seen in today's cars included adjustable shock absorbers, thermostatically controlled radiator louvers, automatic chassis lubrication and gull gauges including a crankcase oil level gauge.  Of course most people today wouldn't know what the gauges meant anyway. The "1200" Series was built on a 127 inch wheelbase.  The car was sold new on September 9, 1935 and kept by the original owner until the 1950s.  The car is equipped with optional bumper guards, trunk rack, trippe lights, hot water heater, radio and wheel discs.  The interior is upholstered in the "Original" English Wool Broadcloth.  There were 4,781 of these cars produced with only 21 known survivors remaining.  Check out the photos below:

Original license plate shows the year of the automobile.

Mr. Stoles poses with his beautiful car.

The engine compartment can be reached as shown above.

The rear seat shows the comfort of cars from the past.

Front seat with steering wheel and gauges.

Wheel covers are fantastic.  Just love them.

The straight 8 cylinder engine can be seen inside the engine compartment.

Steve can be seen accepting his trophy.

#3 - The final of my choices ended up winning "Best Of Show" in the 16th Annual Neffsville Car Show.  The car belonged to Jim Ayers and was a 1946 P15 Plymouth "Woodie".  And boy was it neat. My only problem is that I never had the chance to meet Jim during the show.  His car had a lot of foot traffic around it and I was able to leaf through his photo album showing the total reconstruction of the car.  Found in an old junk yard and restored to the point of winning "Best of Show" is a remarkable accomlishment.  My guess is he may have won the same prize in other shows with the remarkable car that I was viewing.  So, since I don't have a bunch of literature to share with you, I will let my photographs tell the story of the "Woodie".  Enjoy!!

From a distance I could tell this car was going to be remarkable.  Car #613 ended up winning the top prize.  Original tires for this car were Goodyear 6.70X15AA Super cushion.  The engine was a 117 cubic inch L-head six.  Engine color was silver.  Options available in 1946 were an electric clock, Model 803 Philco 7 push-button or Motorola 5 push-button radio.  Turn signals were also an option.  There were three heater options as well as three paint color options which were Mailbu Brown, Edmonton Beige and the Rio Maroon as displayed on Jim's Plymouth.

The scrapbook shows the condition of the car when it was found.

A few more photographs of the car when first found.

One more photo showing the Plymouth.

Head on view of the '46 Woodie.

The distinctive grill is pure Plymouth.

This model was known as the Special DeLuxe.  The car weighed 3,341 pounds and had a production total of 3,443.  Original factory price was $2,372.

Jim used White Ash to totally restore the wood sections of the car.  The car was classified as a station wagon and came with three bench seats with leather-like upholstery and carried eight passengers.

Interior of the door shows wood on both outside and inside.

Interior of the wagon shows the bench seat, dash and horn rim.  

There is also a turn-signal unit on the steering column which was an option rather than a necessary item in 1949.

The two rear seats were removable.  Door roof pillars, upper tailgate and side panels were all constructed of wood.  Unlike earlier models, the '49 had an all steel roof and all steel lower tailgate that housed the spare tire in a "continental" style enclosure. 

Another set of really neat hubcaps and wide whitewalls set the wheels off.  When I bought my first car, a 1953 Henry J, made by Kaiser-Fraiser, one of the first things I purchased for it were "Moon" hubcaps much like the ones displayer here.

This photo shows the rear of the car.  A unique drop-down bumper was required to allow the tailgate to drop down.  Bumpers and taillights were unique to this model.

The "One Of My Favorite Past-times: Part I - The Show" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Totally enjoying myself while walking around the Manheim Township Community Park in Neffsville, Pennsyl- vania.  Today is the Lancaster Sunrise Rotary Club's 16th annual Neffsville Car Show.  Last year I made a visit to the show for the first time and enjoyed myself so much that I didn't want to miss this year's show.  

Row after row of cars to visit. 

Owners of custom, classic and exotic cars as well as street rods are invited to enter their cars and compete for trophies.  The event also features numerous food vendors as well as stands selling car memorabilia.  "The Nomads", an oldies musical group, performed in the food pavilion for an hour during the afternoon.  

The Nomads perform for the crowd.

Last year's show drew over 600 cars and today looks as if there are at least that many and perhaps more.  As I wandered throughout the park I found a few friends who were displaying their cars.  A former member of the Lancaster County Corvette Club, when we were both members, was displaying his 1954 Ford Ranch Wagon.  

The Good Humor man was in attendance.

I hadn't seen Hop for years, but I knew when I saw the window sticker with his name on it, there just couldn't be two car enthu- siasts with the name of Hop.  We talked about the day we were driving in the Millersville University homecoming parade and were the last two Vettes in the parade.  

Hop's 1954 Ford Ranch Wagon.

I had the last of a dozen Queen candidates sitting on the back of my Vette with Hop bringing up the rear of the parade.  It was a hot day and I was riding my clutch quite a bit on the hills of Millersville and it overheated.  I managed to pull the car to the side of the street and Hop pulled up and offered the candidate a ride on his car.  Never left me forget that!  

Harry and Barb with their 1953 Ford Victoria. 

I checked out his car and snapped a few photos, then headed on.  Wasn't long before I saw Barb and Harry, members of the Vagabonds Car Club from Lancaster.  Harry and I first met while members at St. James Church where we were both members of the boy's choir.  Then in 1999 they were part of a group, along with  Carol and me, that took a two-week vacation to Hawaii.  

1967 Ford Cobra.

Took a few photos of their 1953 Ford Victoria and was on the road again.  After a few hours of walking the grounds of the park and snapping quite a few photo- graphs, the announce- ment was made that those cars that had won awards would be driving past the food pavilion and receiving their trophies.  Headed toward the pavilion to capture photos of the cars.  Seems that a few of the winners where cars I had just taken photos of to share with you.  So, those that won trophies today, and I had not already photos of, will be seen here, while the others will be featured in tomorrow's story.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - Click on photos to enlarge.

1972 DeTomaso Pantera

The rear engine comportment of the Pantera.

1936 Ford Coupe

1946 Ford Super-Deluxe Coupe

1947 Studebaker Pickup Truck. 

1953 Chevrolet Station Wagon.

1923 Ford T Bucket.

2013 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport.

Best-Of-Show Runnerup - 1963 Studebaker Avanti owned by Jeff King.

Jeff receiving his trophy.

The winner of Best Customized car was Bob Hershey with his 1959 Fiat which had 725 Horsepower.  Also could have won Most Loudest, since it really did a number on my hearing aides.

Interior of Bob's car.