The "The Best Of The Best Revisited" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Reminiscing about the many trips Carol and I have taken to the island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin over the past 20 years.  There were years that we didn't make it to the island as well as a few years when we traveled more than once to the island.  The half Dutch, half French island is one of the most beautiful in the Caribbean with 37 beaches, two Capitol cities and hundreds of great places to eat.  Years ago we met a young girl named Magali during our second trip to the island.  She was a realtor and became our go-to girl when we needed a place to stay each year.  Today she has her own company and knows our likes and dislikes and always finds a special place for us to stay each year.  Each year I always seem to find time to snap a few hundred photographs during our visit or visits.  When I return I go through my images and pick out my favorites.  During the lifetime of my blog, I have shared most of my favorites with you.  This year has been quite different and we have missed not one, but both of our vacations to the island.  To get my St. Martin fix, I have pulled out all the old favorite libraries and enjoyed the journey through each and every one.  Then Carol and I selected our all-time favorites and I have posted them today.  Wasn't easy to narrow the couple thousand photographs I have taken to 30 photographs, but each was chosen for a special reason.  I have added a sentence or two to let you know why we have chosen each photograph for our favorites.  Check them out and see if you can find a few that you enjoy viewing.  Might get you in the mood for a trip to the Caribbean.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Sitting in my beach chair on Orient Beach.  The colors of the Caribbean are amazing.  Click on images to enlarge them.

The ferry boat to Pinel Island loads at this location.  It draws a variety of customers who enjoy relaxing on the pure white sand of Pinel Island.

Another favorite beach is Happy Bay.  Very seldom is it crowded, but it is a hike to get there.  We are always rewarded when we get our first view of beach and water when we reach our destination.

When arriving at Pinel Island, the colors of the beach chairs welcome you.

What would a trip to Sint Maarten be without a trip to the Sunset Beach Bar to watch the planes land a few hundred yards from your table.

Every year Carol and I climb the hill to the top of Pinel Island to take the same photograph.  No two have been alike since the beach is ever changing from year to year. 

Boo Boo Jam Beach Bar had colorful shops and a fantastic restaurant.  It was located along Orient Beach.  About ten years ago it burned to the ground and was never rebuilt.

Always enjoyed this photograph.  Taken in Philipsburg which is the Capital of the Dutch side of the island.  This lion is guarding his collection of shops on Old Street.

This photograph has more meaning than it does beauty.  Carol and I took locks with us a few years ago and placed them on a fence just for that purpose along the new causeway that had just been finished.  They were a symbol of joining the two sides of the island and were still there last year when we traveled over the causeway on our trip to our villa.

One of our favorite artists on the island is Roland Richardson.  We made a visit to his gallery a few years ago and he showed us his studio and backyard which backs up to what was a military barracks years ago.  He often seemed reclusive so my photograph was taken to reveal that effect.

One of the many shops of different colors at Paradise View.  They were all destroyed during Hurricane Irma a few years ago.

One of the residents of Parrotville.  Great place to visit and take photographs.

This is one of the few Caribbean islands where we were able to see the "Sugar Birds."  Here one is preparing it's nest as I took the photograph.

There are also plenty of hummingbirds on the island.  Tough to take photographs of them.

There are iguanas all over the island.  This old guy was looking for a handout.  I agreed if he would pose for me.  We both got what we wanted.

This kitten has such a sad look on his face.  He was greeting me at the rum shop where he worked making sure no one walked off with a free bottle.

Market day and what island wouldn't have a fish stand.

Naturally, on an island you will find beautiful flowers of all varieties.  Here a butterfly is helping itself to a drink of the fruits of the Hibiscus.

I've taken so many photos of flowers that after awhile the all begin to look the same.

The small lizards always amaze me when they enlarge their throat.

It is sad, but there are many, many stray cats on the island.  And...everyone is so cute.  This guy seems to be looking up at the lizard above.

This is Fort Louis which at one time protected the French side of St. Martin.  The dutch side of the island has Fort Amsterdam.

Late afternoon sunlight always seems to paint the sky with neat light shows.

This was always one of my favorite photographs.  We pass it yearly as we head to our villa.  It sits below street level and all you can see is the roofline of the villa.

I took this photo on our last trip to the island last year.  Someone was flying a kite high above our beach chairs and umbrella on Orient Beach.  The color of the umbrella highlights the color of the kite and sky.

This photo was taken about 15 years ago and was a color photo when I took it.  It was taken on Friars Bay Beach and we were visiting the beach with friends Barry and Karen.  When Ia changed it to black and white it seemed perfect.

Every morning I get up and head to Orient Village for something to eat.  This is the shop that sold Macarons every morning.

Our favorite restaurant on Orient Beach.  Known as "Bay Watch" and was run by Andy and Cheryl.  Andy died years ago and Cheryl gave up the restaurant.  It was demolished in Hurricane Irma a few years ago.  This was our favorite lunchtime meal known as Mussels Ala-Andy.

Always loved the colors of the west end of Great Bay Beach which fronted the Capital of the Dutch side of the island, Philipsburg.

This was taken on Happy Bay under the umbrella we had rented from Bob.  I have a large print I made and framed and it hangs in the entranceway of our home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  See it each and every day when we head down the stairs in the morning.  Great memories of past vacations.