The "Gaining Some New Friends On The Beach" Story

All our neighbors have left to find
more permanent shelter from the storm.

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting under the Yellow Umbrellas on Orient Beach waiting for the storm to pass.  Carol and I decided to wait out a nasty storm that pushed its way from the south side of Orient Beach to the north as well as toward the west.  Dark storm clouds had been accumulating for more than half an hour and many of the beach guests had decided to search for a more permanent cover than just a beach umbrella.  Our friends of many years, Don and Joy, decided to also wait out the storm and removed their own umbrellas from their base and drew them closer to the ground for better protection.  

Our friends Don and Joy have joined us in waiting out the storm.

Wasn't long after most beach goers had sought shelter than the skies opened and the liquid sunshine pelted us.  The large beach umbrellas supplied us with quite a bit of protection so we decided it was time to eat while the rain fell around us.  As I looked up and down the beach, the only true beach bums were Carol and myself, Don and Joy and a few hearty souls to the north of us on the beach.  As we opened our cold packs and removed our lunch, seems the smell of the food drifted toward two roaming dogs who found their way to our umbrella and hustled under it with us.  So, the four of us shared a few sandwiches, some cheese twirls, grapes, cheese crackers and drinks.  

Our very wet guests, Brownie and Blackie waiting out the storm.

After lunch Carol and I huddled together under our beach towels to try and get warm while our furry friends found refuge under our chairs.  Took close to a half hour before the storm passed and other beach patrons began to return to their chairs.  Our two new friends remained with us until the smell from some neighboring lunch baskets became greater than our friendship and they were off.  In the Caribbean, storms can arrive quickly and drench the beach patrons and just as quickly pass by.  The secret is to know which storms to ride out and from which to seek cover.  Carol and I knew we were going to get soaked one way or another so we chose to stay and eventually gained the friendship of a couple of furry friends.  Somehow they always find us.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "The Light At The End Of The Road" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Walking up a rather steep one-lane street in the center of Marigot, the capital of the French side of the island known as Sint Maarten/St. Martin.  How appropriate that at the pinnacle of the one-lane street would be the St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church which celebrated its 175th anniversary this past year.  The quiet street is lined with white-washed buildings which highlight the pastel yellow concrete building with the large red door at the end of it.  

The St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in Marigot, St. Martin.

I was all by myself on the street as I found my way to the top with my trusty camera to take some photographs of this historic church on the French side of St. Martin.  It was in 1648 that the French and Dutch divided the island, but the Roman Catholic Church still found some unity.  The French first lived on the Northern part of the island in the Quartier d'Orleans where they had a small Roman Catholic Church.  

Original Catholic Church in Marigot.

Later the Governor made Marigot the capital, but there were very few citizens in Marigot and a priest and church weren't warranted.  The priest in Quartier d'Orleans was a friend of a free Carib Indian named Louis.  They had an argument which Louis solved by decapitating the priest.  It wasn't until July 3, 1768 that St. Martin was declared a parish.  

The front door of the church.  The lock
holds the key to the many famous and
not so famous who walked through the door.

The French revolution changed much in the islands.  St. Martin had a slave rebellion and the church in d'Orleans, as well as many estate houses, were burned and the revolution bought a change in the relationship between the French state and the Roman Catholic Church.  Father Constant, the priest at the time of the slave rebellion was forced, along with the elite on the island, to build a raft and flee to nearby Anguilla. Then in 1841, an Irish-born priest, Father Wall, settled on Saint Martin and had the Marigot Catholic built.  It was blessed May 15, 1842.  The two transepts were added in 1871 and 1872.  

This small plaque shows a drawing of Saint Martin de Tours.

Recently, the small chapel in the church was renovated by the youth of St. Martin as a hands-on project under the "Compagnons de France", using mid-20th-Century construction techniques.  In 2016 the church celebrated their 175th Anniversary.

A small history of the church is displayed outside the front door.

As the name of the church suggests, it is dedicated to St. Martin of Tours who was a Catholic bishop of Tours in France who was elevated to the status of saint by the Holy See.  My tour was limited to the exterior of the church which I found to be in beautiful condition.  In the rear I found a small garden with a statue of Mother Mary standing in the garden.  I loved the quiet atmosphere and was able to enjoy my visit to the church. After a few quiet moments and a prayer, I departed the splendid church and headed back into center city Marigot.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Perfect photograph for a Caribbean Island Church.

One of the extensions that was added to the church after the original part was built.

One of the transepts added in 1871. 

The garden to the rear of the church.

Another view of the rear of the church.

The Virgin Mary in the garden of the church.

The "Welcome In My World Of Art" Story

Our new artwork painted by Tess using the
sand painting technique.

It was an ordinary day.  Just found the perfect place for our new piece of artwork that we bought while on the island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin.  Carol and I discussed at length whether we should, or needed, to buy any more artwork for our Beach House.  Just about every room in the house has artwork on every wall and the entrance foyer has at least a dozen pieces of artwork hanging on the 20 foot wall.  Standing in the closet off our bedroom are at least eight to ten large pieces of art that we took down to accommodate newer pieces we like better.  And to top that off, most every table or cabinet has smaller pieces of art on them ... so what would we do with another piece or art?  Well, we bought one anyway.  

ArtCraftCafe is located on the right
about halfway down Old Street in
Sint Maarten.

Just had to have it since it was so unique.  Called sand painting and it has mostly pastel colors with actual sand covering most of the painting.  The pastel colors reminds one of the Caribbean immediately upon viewing it.  Luckily the new artwork is rather small and doesn't need a large area to display it.  The artist of our new find is a woman named Tess Verheij who was born in Zandvoort, The Netherlands.  She lived, studied and worked in Holland for 31 years before moving to England.  She has a variety of degrees in all areas of art as well as a degree in education which she put to use when she became an art teacher.  Tess mainly paints figurative compositions in oils and acrylics on canvas, pastels on paper, inks on paper, mosaics and experiments with Tie dye on canvas.  In September of 2008 she started traveling with her two daughters, visiting Europe and Egypt to explore and visit inspiring artists and art movements and to spend more time with her two girls.  

Tess on the right stands with the island Minister of Culture,
Silveria Jacobs at the opening of her new gallery/school.

She then moved to the tiny island known as Sint Maarten where she taught art at local schools.  After three years she opened her own gallery/art school on picturesque Old Street in the Dutch capital of Philipsburg known as "ArtCraftCafe".  At first it was on the corner of Old and Back Streets, but the place had no running water and no bathroom and was too small. The size of her classes required she move into a larger building so she moved once again in September of 2016 to a larger place at 116 Old Street.  

Students work on their artwork at ArtCraftCafe.

She now has over 100 students ranging in age from 4 to 72 years old.  She has displayed mosaics, linocuts, acrylics and sand paintings.  As soon as Carol and I saw the sand paintings we knew we just had to have one.  The fact that they were small and carried the pastel colors of the Caribbean islands was all we needed.  The accompanied paper which came with it states, among other things, that we shouldn't hesitate to call, you're more than welcome in my world of Art.  It looks perfect on our antique cabinet beneath our wall-hanging television.  We can now continue to say we have never traveled to an island that we didn't buy at least one piece of artwork from that island.  Now, we are either going to have to change that philosophy or stop traveling.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

MIxed media painting by Tess.

Now exploring using glass paint on canvas which is seen in this colorful painting.

The "Did The Pope Really Eat Here!" Story

Al Dente Restaurant in St. Martin.

It was an ordinary day.  Raphael is visiting our table and telling a few animated tales.  Carol and I decided to try a new restaurant during our yearly visit to St. Martin and happened to find a new Italian cuisine restaurant on the French side of St. Martin.  Brightly lit place along a busy road that had a welcoming green, white and red sign that expressively yelled "Al Dente".  

Raphael talks with us at our table.

Pulled into the parking lot and for the next hour and a half we were both entertained as well as treated to a fine Italian meal.  As we entered we were met by Axel who showed us to a table and took our drink order.  Their Facebook page says they have close to 400 varieties of wine so I thought I should try a glass.  Shortly our drinks arrived and we ordered our meal of Lasagna for Carol and Veal Ravioli for me.  The restaurant was beginning to fill and I asked Axel if I could take a few photos.  Within minutes I had taken a variety of photographs showing the uniqueness of Al Dente.  In the center of the restaurant stands a tree.  Yep, a real tree that goes through the roof of the restaurant.  Close to the tree is a huge ceiling light made from clear wine bottles.  

Interior of the Al Dente Restaurant with tree protruding
from the center of the restaurant through the roof.

Close to that is another light that was made from copper air conditioner tubing that is formed into a sculpture that holds small lites.  On just about every square inch of wall space are photos of famous people, many consuming Italian food.  I asked Axel if all these people visited the restaurant at one time or another and as he gave me a big smile, said,"No!"  

One of many walls that displays primarily celebrities. 

Doesn't matter anyway since Carol and I had the best time trying to figure out who all the people may be.  Had two photos of President Obama as well as one of Sean Connery who played James Bond.  But, the item that drew the most entertainment was a large board on the wall that listed: Malattia (Disease), Vino (Wine) and Dose (How much to drink to cure the Malattia).  

Diseases or Malattia that require wine to correct them.
The amount of vino is shown on the right in doses.

The diseases were listed alphabeti- cally and included everything from Anemia to ....renza D'Affetto.  Last one I couldn't read since a large bottle of wine stood in front of it.  That happened to be the only malady that required you drink the entire bottle of wine. Well, I got back to our table in time for the arrival of our meal which we thoroughly enjoyed.  

The "wine room" holds a vast amount of wines from all
over the world.  Most can cure the diseases posted above.

That's when Raphael arrived to see if we were enjoying ourselves.  We began a conver- sation that covered everything from his family to where he buys his food products for his restaurant.  Raphael speaks four languages, but is very fluent in English, though French seems to be his language of choice since he has lived in French St. Martin since 1978.  

A beautiful light sculpture made from
house wine bottles at Al Dente.

Raphael opened his restaurant about two years ago and is pleased with the response he has gotten from both tourists to the island as well as local residents.  Easy to see that everyone who enters the door enjoys the wait staff at Al Dente.  Many "air" kisses as well as hugs are exchanged by all the wait staff that also includes Nini as well as Axel and Raphael.  The Al Dente chef, Tony (Naturally, what else could it be for an Italian restaurant) seems to be famous not only for his preparation, but also for his voice since I read a few remarks on online rating sites that tell of him singing for their table for special events.  Our evening was a huge success and one that will definitely be repeated on our next tour of travel to St. Martin.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Another ceiling sculpture made from air conditioner brass tubing.

This was displayed inside the front door.  One of the few places we ate in on the French side of St. Martin that didn't allow smoking. 

Photo of the Pope appears on the wall.  Found out he didn't eat at Al Dente ... yet!

My meat ravioli with glass of house wine.

Carol's Lasagna which I also tried.  It was fabulous. 

Our Apple Cake Dessert.  Very sweet and served warm with ice cream.  Perfect way to end our meal. 

The "Great Eastern Wizard" Story

Original entrance into Lititz Springs Park.

It was an ordinary day.  Recently read about a colorful guy by the name of Millard "Milford" Linville Dellinger who lived in the little town of Lititz, Pennsylvania and who loved to entertain.  Dellinger was born in nearby York, PA in 1853 and eventually found his way to Lititz at the age of 45.  About twenty years prior to his moving to Lititz, a hotel bearing the name of Park House had been constructed at 20 North Spruce Street, at the edge of the Lititz Springs Park.  The hotel had been built as a place where visitors to the park could board overnight as well as enjoy a good meal.  

An artist's sketch of the Park House Hotel in Lititz, PA.

A saloon eventually was added to the hotel.  Lititz Spring Park was established in 1778 and was under the control of the Aufseher Collegium, or the Moravian Church.  The park was developed at the time so musicians of the congregation could indulge, late into the night, in merry making at the "Big Spring".  Seems there was a Spring Head that was located at the far west end of the park which had a water flow created by three springs that flowed from underground caves.  

The "Head" of the Lititz Springs Park.

The water flowed gracefully eastward and was known as the Lititz Run Stream.  This stream ran through the park as it does today.  In 1856 sandstone from the nearby Furnace Hills was transported by horse and cart to the park to keep the stream flowing in a controlled manner through the park. Over the stream was constructed an Arched Bridge from the same sandstone.  Well, when Dellinger came to Lititz he bought the Park House Hotel.  Visitors to the park could rent a room at the Park House for the night, paying between $.50 to $1.00, and enjoy their day at the park and not have to worry about finding their way home after a night of merry making.  

The original Arched Bridge over the
stream that ran between sandstone
walls.

Seems that Dellinger supplemented his income by selling Victrola talking machines and 78rpm records from the music room of the hotel.  Mr. Dellinger was not only a hotelier, but had a hobby of magic, hypnotism, and fortune telling.  A few years before he moved to Lititz, he performed his first magic show at Red Front Park in nearby Manheim, PA. where he amazed his audience with his tricks and sleight of hand.  Known as "Professor M.L. Dellinger, the Great Eastern Wizard", he gained a large following in the area with his performances.  He eventually ran a mail order business where customers could write to him at his "Magic Temple" in Lititz.  A 1905  advertisement read thus:  The Magic Temple — Having spent many years in research and study of the occult sciences, and the reading of character as indicated by the physical characteristics of the head, face, hand and handwriting, I am prepared to give lessons in sleight-of-hand, hypnotism and the study of character as revealed by the head, face, hand and handwriting.  

The Arched Bridge after being rebuilt.  It looks very close
to this shape and condition today.

An energetic young man who has inclinations for occult science and its mysteries can secure employ- ment as an assistant, or may buy my entire parapher- nalia at a reasonable price, as old age demands my retirement. Call on or address:  M.L. Dellinger, Dealer in all kinds of Magic and Conjuring, Apparatus, Toys and Novelties,  Lititz, Penna.  Millard eventually gave up the hotel business and performing in the 1920's and moved to 226 S. Broad Street in Lititz and became a laborer at the Express Printing Company.  

The Park House Hotel can be seen in the distance, standing
a few hundred feet from the water's edge.

As far as the Park House Hotel, it no longer was a boarding house by the late 1930s, but did become an auction house until it was demolished in 1957.  Today, a smaller version of the hotel can be seen across from the entrance to the park on North Broad Street.  Mr. Dellinger's wife Rebecca gained notoriety by being the first woman in Lititz to cast a vote in the 1920 presidential election between Warrne G. Harding and James A. Cox.  Seven years later she died and Dellinger eventually took to performing once again.  In 1931 the local newspaper reported:  Up To His Old Tricks — That M. Linville Dellinger, who many years ago astonished the folks in these and other parts with his feats of magic, has not lost any of his deftness as was demonstrated Sunday a week ago when he entertained a large group of relatives and friends at Pleasureville in York County with his tricks.

Looking at the hotel from the west.  It can be seen on the right.

Mr. Dellinger left here Thursday to visit in that section, and on Sunday he was the recipient of a birthday dinner given by his niece, Mrs. Geo. Hess at Pleasureville in honor of his 78th anniversary. Following the dinner, the party repaired to the town park where an impromptu program was staged with Mr. Dellinger entertaining the guests for more than an hour.  It is unclear how much longer he performed, but he did live to the age of 97.  You may try to Google Dellinger's "Magic Temple", but you will more than likely be disappointed.  The story of the "Great Eastern Wizard" is now folk history and the story of this Mr. Dellinger and his magic act is being passed down from generation to generation.  He is one of the legends of Lititz, Pennsylvania.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.      

The "Our Island Escape" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Trying to figure out where I should start my story, since there are so many ways to begin how we search for our yearly island escape.  Since the early 2000s Carol and I have been traveling to the dual island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin.  One half of this Caribbean island is Dutch while the other half is French.  I have told the story before about how it was determined where the border would be located, so that's not going to be retold once more.  Years ago we chose to stay on the French side of the island for our vacation, or holiday as it's known in France, since the French side is less developed, less traveled, more quiet as well as being known for some of the best food in the Caribbean.  Now, as far as how we chose a place to stay.  At first we stayed a week in a resort along the shoreline of the World Famous Orient Beach.  After a few years at the resort with prices increasing, we found a real estate agent who helped us find a private home, or villa as they are known in France.  

Magali as seen on her Facebook page.

Our agent was Magali and she showed us what was available near Orient Beach in our price range and we would make a choice.  Found the cost to be about half that of the resort so we changed our vacation/ holiday to ten days.  Magali always made sure our stay was enjoyable and stress-free having someone on hand in case we had any problems with something at the villa.  Eventually we increased our budget and added a few days to our stay which made it two weeks.  For a few years Magali helped keep our stay intact at two weeks and then found us a place that we could afford and increase the stay to three weeks.  But, Magali left the real estate business for a year or so and we had to deal with another realtor.  We continued to get excellent help, but missed Magali's welcome smile when we arrived on the island and her "Welcome Home" hug and kiss.  Last year we visited with her during our visit and found she was starting her own business.  This year we are staying in a different villa with a lower price tag and a minute walk to the beach.  She suggested Villa Matisse 2 which is a 3 bedroom villa on Orient Bay Beach in a gated community.  We found the villa to suit all our needs and the location is perfect.  One of my wife's major concerns is that the villa have U.S. cable TV channels so she can watch "Dancing With The Stars."  Our only concerns were: Since the owners are French, most of the books on the bookshelf were in French and the huge painting on the wall in the living/family room was a winter scene.  Couldn't have found a nicer place for our vacation needs at a reasonable price.  If you care to check out Magali's "Island Escape" offerings, visit www.Islandescapesxm.com.  I'm sure she can find something for you and you'll enjoy the attention she gives to you.  The following are some photos I took of our vacation villa this year.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The kitchen was spacious and well equipped. 

The large living/family room with leather recliners and sofa.

Rear yard with palm trees.

Master bathroom.  The spacious shower was to the right. 

Master bedroom.

My wife loved the curved tile staircase. 

Master bedroom porch with hammock.

And ... the watchcat that protected the backyard from other varmints.