The "Ship and Egg Yokes" Story

Click to enlarge.  The Simpson Bay drawbridge can be seen in
the center of the photo.  The building to the right of the drawbridge
with the yellow roof with red and yellow stripes is the Yacht Club.

It was an ordinary day.  Eating bacon and eggs over easy with home fries and toast while Carol is having fruit with an  English muffin.  Today's breakfast is at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club on the Dutch side of the island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin.  The club is at #90 Welfare Road, directly next to the drawbrige and is known worldwide for its St. Maarten Heineken Regatta which is held the first weekend of March every year.  

Carol watching a boat come through the drawbridge.

For years we would pass over the Simpson Bay drawbridge during our travels around the island, but never thought of stopping at the tiny property called the Sint Maarten Yacht Club which is right next to the drawbridge and where chairs are lined along the water to watch everything from dingys to mega yachts go through.  

Drawbridge beginning to open.

Then one night last year, while having supper with a friend we met on TravelTalk- Online, which is an online travel forum, Norm asked if we had ever eaten at the club.  Told us of all the fun times he and Betty had watching the ships go through while having a meal.  So, we knew we had to try something new this year during our visit to the island.  

Very large sailboat flying the British
flag passes through the drawbridge.

The bridge has set times for inbound and outbound traffic and Carol and I decided we wanted to watch both so we arrived for breakfast this morning about 5 minutes before the bridge opened to the outbound traffic.  After viewing a disappointing three small craft pass through the drawbridge, we had a leisurely breakfast and conversation with our waitress, trying to stretch out the time until the next opening.  The hour passed and the bridge opened once again and I had my camera ready.  One catamaran went through, then a series of very large yachts went through followed by a boat that seemed to be floating on air.  

Yacht Club flags from all over the world cover the ceiling
of the Sint Maarten Yacht Club.

Passed me and I realized it was a tunnel-hull vee boat with a central hull and a pontoon on either side.  Pretty neat design.  When all boats had passed and the drawbridge had descended, we called it a day and after saying Goodbye to our waitress, headed to the capital of the French side of the island, Marigot, to visit our favorite art gallery on the island.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - A few more photos from the yacht club follow.  Remember to click on them to enlarge them. 

The "Here's To The Heroes Of Our Country" Story

Old Glory flies outside LDub's house in Lancaster, PA

It was an ordinary day.  My flag is waving in the light breezes on my front porch and the articles abound in the local newspaper about the heroes who gave their lives in service to their country.  On this  Memorial Day I would like to express my thanks and gratitude  to all my relatives, friends and acquaintances who served in the armed forces to keep my country free and a safe place for me and my family to live.  

Brother Steve and me.

Yesterday my family celebrated with a pool party at my brother's house in nearby Ephrata, PA.  My brother Steve was in the U.S. Marines in the late 60s, serving in Japan.  Got me thinking about how many countries our service men and woman currently serve in to protect our freedom.  Do you know that our military is deployed in over 150 countries around the world with close to 160,000 active-duty troops serving outside the US.  

My sister-in-law Kathy decorated the front of the house
with flags to honor her husband, Steve.

Over 67,000 are stationed in Europe.  I just assumed Europe had their own troops who could handle their own problems, but I guess we want to make sure they do it correctly.  We also have about 52,000 stationed in East Asia and the Pacific as well as almost 5,000 in North Africa, the Near East and South Asia.  Then there is the Western Hemisphere, the Sub-Saharan Africa and the states that used to be the former Soviet Union.  We have troops in ALL those countries.  As of now only those troops serving in Afghanistan are seeing active action.  Our country is well protected in the name of freedom!  Well, anyway, my brother decided that he wanted to have a big celebration during the holiday weekend so our family gathered around his pool.  Had the event catered by a neighbor.  The food was fantastic, as usual, and the family had a great celebration in honor of my brother and all others who served, or are currently serving, in the armed forces of our country.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "Faces of Strangers: #16" Story

Leslie the sculptor.

It was an ordinary day.  Looking at the naked girl reclining on the beach.  But, there is something quite different about this special girl for you see, she is made of sand.  The builder of this day-long venture is named Leslie.  Leslie had built another reclining sculpture a couple of days ago, but the strong winds on Orient Beach totally decimated it.  Today the winds were more gentle so Leslie got to work early in the morning and by the time the beach boys had taken down the umbrellas for the day, her sculpture was complete.  This area of Orient Beach is quiet and the beach goers tend to be more friendly than on other parts of the beach. Many stopped to talk to her about her artwork, admiring the skill that she displayed.

The sculpture.

The reclining girl looks much like the other bathers on this beach, decked out in a colored necklace with a flower in her hair.  Leslie's husband assisted her by filling her bucket with sand from the edge of the water where the sand is cleaner and packs much better.  

This view shows you the detail she adds to
her sculpture.  A true beach wonder!

He replenishes her plastic sprayer with sea water which is used to spray on the sculpture to keep it firm so it doesn't deteriorate as quickly.  As the sun was slowly dropping in the Caribbean sky, I walked over to see the results of her beach day.  Asked a few questions and asked if I dare take a photo of it.  She said she is going to her place close by and get her camera, telling me that at this time of the day, when the beach is beginning to empty, the security guards don't mind if you take a photo.  I waited for her to return and took a couple of photos of her sculpture and asked if I could take one of her.  The Houston, Texas visitor was more than happy to pose for my camera.  One of my favorite "Faces of Strangers" subjects!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.   

The "Speaking French" Story

The Good Morning Cafe in Orient Village, St. Martin. Click to enlarge.

It was an ordinary day.  Standing in line at the Good Morning Cafe in Orient Village waiting for my turn to order the chocolate croissants.  The young girl behind the counter fills a few orders then turns to me.  She looks at me and says, "Bonjour!"  So, I return it with, "Bonjour."  Now I'm in trouble.  I point at the croissants on the top shelf and say, "Two, please."  She says, "Ah, choc-co-lat.  Very good!"  She gives me the cost in euros and I hand her $5.  After getting the change I thank her and we exchange smiles.  When I was a junior and senior in high school in the early 60s, I took French with the teacher known as "Sheena".  Tall and blond, she looked exactly like Tarzan's girl.  So, I learned very little those two years while looking at her instead of the textbook.  

My French friend, Nicole!

Anyway, I learned just enough to get through the course.  Even had a French name.  Known as Raoul to my French classmates.  Well, the next day I arrive and am the only customer.  We exchange "Bonjour" and smile and I say, "Two choc-co-lat."  "Ah, very good!" she replies.  Eventually I get to know the names of all the varieties, since I did get tired of chocolate every day, and she seemed pleased that I would try pronouncing their names.  

The selection of croissants.

She was a good teacher and always spoke in English if there was something I couldn't understand in French.  By the end of my vacation I was starting to feel comfortable trying words with her since I knew she wasn't going to be upset or annoyed if I pronounced them wrong.  I told her that my last day of vacation had arrived and she said she hopes to see me next year again.  I thanked her for being so nice and teaching me a bit of French.  Gave her a $10 bill to pay that final day and walked away before getting my change.  She came after me and I told her, "No, that's for you for teaching me."  She gave me the biggest smile and a very nice, "Merci Beaucoup."  "Ah, I have so much more to learn next year," I said in return.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "The Traffic Man" Story

My "sidewalk friends" waiting to usher me
towards the traffic round-a-bout.

It was an ordinary day.  Pulled the car to the side of the road and was ushered by about a dozen goats to the traffic circle so I could take a photo of  "The Traffic Man".  The bronze sculpture of a thin man with a safari hat upon his head, a coat with flowers hanging from the button holes and a whistle in his mouth stands in the Cole Bay roundabout on the island of Sint Maarten.  I have passed this site many times during the past few years, but never knew the history behind the man known as Osborne Kruythoff until recently.  So, when I made a visit back to the island, I just had to take a photo of the sculpture and write a story about it for my blog.  

Cole Bay round-a-bout featuring "The Traffic Man."

His story and lifetime make him a candidate to be one of the true ambass- adors to this island in the Caribbean.  Osborne grew up working the sugar cane fields in Dominica.  At some point in his life he made his way to the island of Sint Maarten where he was said to have a job cleaning the seaweed from the edge of the beach of Great Bay.  At the time the Dutch side of the island called Sint Maarten/St. Martin had only 83 motor vehicles.  When it grew to over 200 in the early 1960s, Osborne took it upon himself to direct the traffic in his off-time at the square in front of the Court House.  

Old online photo I found of Osborne
Kruythoff, The Traffic Man.

His outfit consisted of a brown khaki uniform, a white safari hat,  a machete which he used as a baton to help him along with his traffic whistle which no one know where he got it.  If someone wouldn't listen to his directions he would take the flat side of his machete and give the car a good planass (a hit with the broadside of a cutlass).  He eventually started putting flowers in his shirt buttons and on his hat, so much so that he had to push aside the flowers so he could get his whistle in his mouth.  He became a tourist attraction and would have requests to have his picture taken with them.  He then turned to directing traffic wherever he thought it was needed.  He became one of Sint Maarten's most recognized and lovable characters.  Only wish I had been a frequent visitor to the island during his reign as "The Traffic Man".  Would have loved to have met him.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Simpson Bay Causeway" Story

Simpson Bay Causeway on the island of Sint Maarten during
the construction stages.

It was an ordinary day.  Heading to breakfast at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club by traveling across the new Simpson Bay Causeway which now connects Airport Road near the Princess Juliana Airport to Union Road near the border of Dutch Sint Maarten and French St. Martin.  Tried to get on the causeway late last night after landing and picking up our rental car, but couldn't find the round-a-bout in the dark that would have allowed us to enter the causeway.  

Ship from the Netherlands brings the Swing Bridge (atop
the aqua colored ship) through the Simpson Bay Drawbridge.

The construction of the causeway started in early 2012 and was completed in December of 2013.  It has a total length of 2,493 feet and features a two-lane highway for motor travel as well as a bicycle and foot path.  Round-a-bouts at either end of the causeway lead to the entrance of it.  

Aerial view I found showing the Swing Bridge after
being installed on the causeway.

For years Carol and I had to fight traffic in the Simpson Bay area where a drawbridge is raised many times a day for water traffic to enter or exit the neighboring lagoon.  The new causeway will hopefully alleviate this traffic problem as well as decrease the time and distance from the Dutch side to the French side of the island.  

Photo of the Swing Bridge open for water traffic.  I took
this photo while having breakfast at the Sint Maarten
Yacht Club which is near the Simpson Bay Drawbridge.
Click on any photo to enlarge it.

Many residents thought the causeway was a waste of taxpayer money as well as a project that would never come to fruition, but the naysayers were proven wrong in this case.  Close to the center of the causeway stands the Swing Bridge which is 220 feet long and weighs 450 tons.  I can remember watching a  YouTube video of the swing bridge arriving by freighter from the Netherlands and passing through the Simpson Bay Drawbridge in May of 2013.  Unbelievable accomplishment that was expected to take up to three hours, but was completed in approximately 20 minutes.  When Carol and I arrived last night the bridge looked beautiful off in the distance with lights the entire length of it's structure.  

Photo I took on our return trip while the Swing
Bridge was in the closed position.

The new swing bridge is opened according to a published schedule to allow passageway for mega yachts and other ships between the two sides of Simpson Bay Lagoon.  While eating our breakfast we could see the Swing Bridge open to allow the water traffic to pass through.  Then, on our return trip to our villa, as we were reentering the causeway, the lights flashed and the Swing Bridge began to rotate.  "Wow, I ought to be able to get a good shot with the bridge open," I told Carol.  Shortly the boat passed and we waited for the bridge to rotate back to the original position.  Carol said, "Remember that our waitress told us that it has malfunctioned three times already and cars had to back off the bridge while someone had to come and fix it."  Luckily didn't happen this time, since after about three minutes it began to turn.  Not long after we exited the causeway and headed back to our villa near Orient Bay.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Gate Episode" Story

Gated entrance to Les Jardins D'Orient Bay

It was an ordinary day.  Just got through the gate of Les Jardins D'Orient Bay on the French side of the island of St. Martin.  Rented a villa at the top of the hill that overlooks Orient Bay in the gated community of Les Jardins.  Neat place with beautiful homes with most of them having a view of Orient Bay and the small islands of Pinel, Green Cay and Tintamarre off in the distance.  The view from our villa used to be fantastic, but with all the vegetation increasing in size from year to year, we can see less of the bay beyond.  When we arrived a couple of days ago we were ushered to our villa by a young Frenchman by the name of Gael who made sure we knew how to use everything before he left.  One of the items he showed us was the new code to get through the gates at the bottom of the hill.  Special code to enter, another to exit and a third that was used for both, but between 8:00 PM and 6:00 AM.  Wrote them on a piece of paper and placed them in the rental car to make sure we could navigate the gate on our travels to and from our condo.  All went well until last evening when we visited with friends of Carol's who have a place in Grand Case, a nearby beach town.  

Continuous trying didn't work!

After sharing an evening meal at a restaurant located between our places, we headed home about 9:00 PM.  Roads were empty and we were able to pull into the gate quickly.  Pulled the slip of paper from the cup holder and punched in the code for after 8:00 PM and waited.  Waited some more.  Realizing I did something wrong, I tried the code again.  Waited again.  Geez, now what.  Tried the daytime code and still nothing.  So I backed up enough to pull into the other lane where the exit gate stood.  Told Carol to get behind the wheel, since I was going to jump the gate and punch in the code on the exit side.  Tried the night-time code and nothing.  Tried the daytime code and still nothing.  Geez!!  All this took probably 10-15 minutes and still no one else wanted to enter or exit so we could get through after them.  Across the main highway stands another security gate into the community known as Orient Bay.  Their gate is manned by security guards, so I backed up again and headed across the deserted highway to the other gate.  Now you have to remember that St. Martin is a French speaking island and neither Carol or I know French and quite a few of the people live on this side of the island don't understand English.  We drove over the first speed bump and the guard walked to our car.  

Finally, it opened!

My wife tried to explain to the young man our problem, but he was having a hard time under- standing the sheet of paper with the codes on it.  Then, appearing out of no where, a car pulled in line behind us to get through the gate.   The guard signaled us to pass through and park across the street, which we did.  We could see him on the phone and then he signaled us back towards the gate.  We pulled up in the exit side and he told me what the number should be.  1 letter off from what I copied from our Welcome Book at the villa.  Pulled back over to our gate and tried one more time.  "It's opening!" I said to Carol.  Then she looked above us and saw the myriad of security cameras that were pointed our way.  "I'll bet they had a good laugh tonight," I said to her.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - Gael returned in a few days to change the book that I had copied the number from and he said, "The number was incorrect.  I hope you had no trouble because of it!"  If he only knew!!

The "Faces of Strangers: #15" Story

Sara

It was an ordinary day.  Sara is telling us about her locks which she now has had for 4 years.  Told us that the locals don't like when people call them "dread locks", since it sounds so derogatory.  They would rather have them called just "locks".  Sara is our waitress this morning at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club on the island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin which is in the Caribbean.  Young, slender girl in her late 20s would be my guess.  I first asked her where she was from and she asked me to guess.  I naturally guessed Holland, since the side of the island where the club is located is on the Dutch side.  "No, try again," she said.  Carol guessed she was probably from Australia because of her accent, but that also was wrong.  She told us what should have been the obvious answer, England.  Grew up around the water.  Lived on a boat with her mother and father from the age of 3 until the age of 11.  Mom and dad home schooled her until she entered secondary school on the French side of the island for her final four years of schooling.  She still lives on the boat with her dad and comes to work at the Yacht Club by dinghy.  Pretty neat!!  Not sure what her life is going to hold in the near future when her dad pulls up his anchor for the last time and returns to England.  Time will tell for Sara.  Waved Good Bye to her as we left, knowing we may never get to talk with her again.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "The Sint Maarten Ambassador" Story

Marilyn, long-time worker at Cannegie's Liquor Store.

It was an ordinary day.  Marilyn and I are sharing a good laugh.  Minute or two ago I had asked her if the "Gardener" was working today.  She looked at me with the strangest look so I added, "Barbara told me to stop in to say hi to her husband Diederick.  She calls him her "Gardener", doesn't she?  Then the laughing began.  All started years ago when I began reading "Barbara Talks! A St. Maarten Blog!" (You can access it at http://barcann.livejournal.com).

Diederick standing inside his store on Front Street in
Philipsburg, Sint Maarten. He is holding a framed certificate
celebrating his 50 years in business.  This photo was sent to me
by his wife Barbara.  I hope to someday meet Diederick.

Neat blog about everything that's happening on the island of Sint Maaten/St. Martin in the Caribbean.  Many of Barbara's stories are about her and her gardener and for years I just assumed her gardener was ...... well, her gardener.  Then I read in The Daily Herald, the island edition, about a place called Cannegie's Liquor Store in Philipsburg, the Dutch capital of the island, that last year had celebrated 50 years of being in business.  

What the store looked like in the mid-1960s.  The Oranje
Cafe was owned by his parents and is where he started selling
his liquor products before he opened the store to the left.

I then posted a question on Travel Talk Online (TTOL - a travel forum) asking where the store was located and if it was still in business now.   One of the many responses came from Barbara, author of the blog.  She said, "O yea, we are still open.  50 years and still going strong. A few stores down (west) from the court house on Front Street."  I finally put two and two together and realized that the author of the blog I enjoy reading was also the wife of the "Gardener" who celebrated his 50th year in business last year.  

Photo I snapped of what the store now looks like on
Front Street.  The garage door on the right is where
Dee's granddaughter has her store.

Then I found a blog entry she had posted giving a little history about the business and her husband.  Went like this:  The gardener opened up his liquor store 50 years ago (1963), putting up some shelves in his father's bar and selling a few bottles of liquor.  He sold out the first day and that was the beginning of it all.  We are very proud that he has been so successful, still in business after all this time.  The gardener is not one to brag or toot his own horn, but our daughter Erika thought it should be commemorated in some way.  

Diederick standing next to the plaque that was presented
to him to honor his years of service to the city of Philipsburg.
Diederick's daughter, Erika, was responsible for creating the
award and presenting it to him. Photo by Barbara

The celebration and the publicity were all her ideas.  She even purchased a plaque to put on the front of the building. While the gardener was a reluctant participant at first, I think he rather enjoyed the attention.  After all he can be proud of himself.  Not only is he a good gardener, but he is a good businessman too.  After I had finished reading the blog entry and the information on TTOL, I thought I should email Barbara and ask if she would mind if I would make a visit to the store and  write my impressions about her husband, the "Gardener."  She said, "What a nice thought.  I think my husband is the last local businessman still doing business on front street.  

This is Melanie, Dee's granddaughter.
She has her business next to Dee's store
with her mother Leona.

If you go to the store, ask if Dee is there.  He would love to talk to you about how he opened the store.  The cashier there is Marilyn, a woman who has worked for us for 30 years."  Well, Marilyn and I had not only a good laugh about her boss's wife referring to him as the "Gardener", but she told me some stories about his entire family.  Told me to stop next door to visit with Melanie, Dee's granddaughter, who has a store with her mother, and Dee's daughter, Leona.  Marilyn told me that Dee wasn't in at the time, but I may be able to see him in the afternoon on most days.  I did stop to make a visit with Melanie who is such a nice girl and who recently graduated from the University of Miami.  Her store sold hair ornaments such as ribbons and bows, according to my wife.  Melanie told Carol and I that she has an uncle who runs a hot dog stand that was down the street.  What a great family!!  My only regret was that I didn't have a chance to meet Dee, even stopping back several times to try and find him.  Melanie told me I was about his age and I would love talking with him.  Maybe next year when we make our annual visit to our favorite island.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Pirates Are Coming" Story

Early waterfront view of Marigot.

It was an ordinary day.  Telling Carol that we're almost at the top.  A few steps more!  We decided to take a day of our vacation to St. Martin in the Caribbean and visit the city of Marigot.  Neat town which is the capital city of the French side of the isle of Sint Maarten/St. Martin and is one of the most French, in spirit, of all the cities and towns in the Caribbean.  The main street is the rue de la Republique and offers facades that date from the 1700s.  Most of the buildings have a ground floor of stone with the upper floors of wood construction.

Another view of the waterfront from the 1980s.

For many years the city was the hub of activity on the French side of the island and defending it's warehouses in the port of Marigot was of great importance.  Products raised and harvested and stored in the warehouses years and years ago included coffee, salt, rum and sugar cane and to protect these products, a fort was needed.  It was originally developed in 1767 on the leeward side of Marigot Bay as three batteries of cannons and named after the famous crusading king of France, Louis XVI.  

Wasn't until 1789 that the walled fort was constructed with help from the

Fort Louis in Marigot, St. Martin

inhabitants of the city as well as their slaves.  During the 19th century the fort was restored, but at times fell into the hands of the English who inhabited the nearby island of Anguilla.  In 1993 the current restoration was completed with the help of the Hope Estate of Saint-Martin.  Great way to defend the town of Marigot, since it sat way up on the hill that overlooked the town.  Carol and I found that out today when we headed up the steps to the fort.   Lucky it was an overcast day and we didn't have to contend with the heat and humidity we normally would have.  Well, I got some really neat shots of the French side of the island as well as the city of Marigot below me.  Check them out!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

View from Fort Louis looking toward the town of Marigot.

Another view from the Fort.

Similar view as the first from the Fort.

LDub keeping an eye out for pirates!

View of waterfront as it appears today.

This is a photo of the old Post Office.  No date found for this photo.

The Post Office (in the distance) as it appears today.

    

The "No Croissants For You!" Story

Tree that had fallen across the road that took us from our villa
to the main entrance gate of our gated community.

 It was an ordinary day.  That is until I hopped in the car and headed down the hill to pick up the requested chocolate croissants for breakfast.  I drove about 30 feet and there in front of me was a tree draped across the road.  I guess I should give you some background into what occurred yesterday and last evening.  The sky opened and buckets of rain can pouring upon us.  The sound on the metal roof of our villa was deafening.  

Very large thorns on the branches of the fallen tree made
made it impossible to grab the branches and move them.

Our visibility was no more than 50 feet when looking toward the beach below.  Then, as dusk came, the winds picked up and things started to fly.  By morning the sky was brighter, but the remnants of the storm were visible.  I drove as far as the tree and got out of our rental to see if I could budge the tree enough to get by it.  Tramped on one of the branches and one of the sharp, long thorns came through the bottom of my Clog sandal.  Decided right then it wasn't going to be me that would move the tree.  Directly next to the tree was another property that evidently didn't know that a tree was blocking their way towards the main road.  I walked up to the gate and found a brass bell that I assumed was to summon the owners.  Looked down toward the villa and realized the owners were taking a dip in their pool au naturale.  Hey, this was important, so I rang the bell.  Boy did they hustle when they heard that.  Their dog was the first to greet me than the woman came to the gate. When she said, "Bonjour!" I knew I may be in trouble. Seems she knew zero English and I know the same amount of French, so we stood there and used hand language.  

Two workers work on removing the tree from the road.

After pointing to the tree it was obvious to her what my problem was.  Then her husband arrived in his bikini and the three of us signaled to each other.  Finally he held his hand to his ear as if talking on the phone and I got the idea.  Jumped back in the car and backed back to our villa.  About an hour later I heard the noise of a motor coming from down the road.  Walked down the hill and saw two young guys clearing the tree.  One was using what looked to be a weed-wacker while the other was using a machete.  Too late for the croissants, since we decided on eggs and sausage from our fridge, but at least I was able to take my wife out for supper on Mother's Day.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "A Taste From Nicolas" Story

Rhums Arranges De Fifi

It was an ordinary day.  It's only 10:30 AM and I just had my fourth rum sample.  And  loved them all.  Made a visit to the French capital city of St. Martin, Marigot.  Neat town that has all types of stores as well as an open-air market that features souvenir items for the thousands of tourists that flock to the city during the year.  Many of the open-air stands have more than the trinkets that seem to sell so well to the tourists.  One stand features T-shirts which have been screened printed on the island by the owners of the stand.  They not only print them, but design the shirts.  Carol and I both have a few of these.  Another stand features hand painted tiles that can be used in your bathroom or kitchen as accent tiles.  Carol has two of the tiles as artwork next to the sink in our master bath as well as having her eye on another.  One of our favorite artists on the island also has her stand in the market where you can watch her paint palm fronds and palm bark. Oh yeah, can't forget Tessa who has a permanent spot in my wife's jewelry box back home.  But, today we have come upon another stand that caught our eye.  Young guy by the name of Nicolas talked us into adding a few bottles of rum for our shelf at home.  For years we have purchased hand-painted bottles that were filled with Ma DouDou rum from the French cul de sac area of the island.  Used the petite glass bottles to display sand that we had collected from the different islands we have visited.  Naturally drank the rum and enjoyed it, primarily the Banana-Vanillae.  Well, Nicolas' testing session with us showed us that Ma DouDou is not the only rum manufactured on the island that is tasty.  Nicolas was born on the island, but his parents are both from France.  

Nicolas supplying us with a taste.

The 22 year-old is fluent in French, English, Creole and somewhat in Spanish and is planning on taking over his mom and dad's rum business when his parents are ready to retire.  He told us their flavored rum is made by boiling sugarcane powder then adding the imported rum and fruits to the warm sugarcane.  Somewhat different than others on the island due to the length of time they "cure" their flavored rum mixtures.  I bought a bottle of Mangue (Mango), Ananas (Pineapple) and Exotic which is a mixture of 6 different fruits.  I'm afraid if I had tasted too many more, I might have run out of space in my suitcase.  Memories of the island will last as long as the rum does when I get home.  Gonna have to drink is as if I'm on island time.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.