It was an ordinary day. Our friends from State College, Jerry and Just Sue have arrived bearing gifts from their latest trip to the Dominica Republic. Mamajuana!! Did you read that correctly? Nothing illegal, allegedly. Had to open the decorative bottle and take a smell as soon as Sue handed it to me. I immediately smelled cedar wood. Since we were heading to the Chesapeake Bay the following morning for a day of sightseeing, I passed on giving it an immediate try. I enjoy the flavored rum that I get on St. Martin, but that had a flavorful aroma to it, much different than the mamajuana. It seems that anywhere you travel in the world, each country has its own native drink. Mamajuana is a drink that is concocted by allowing rum, red wine, and honey to soak in a bottle with tree bar
k and herbs. Taste is supposed to be quite similar to port wine and the color is a deep red. Rumored to be an aphrodisiac or the Dominican version on Viagra. It is also used for its medicinal value, especially as a flu remedy, digestion and circulation aid, blood cleanser, kidney and liver tonic, and to treat prostate and ovarian disorders. The bottle that I was holding DID NOT have the FDA label on it! The name, mamajuana, comes from the English word Demijohn, which refers to a large squat bottle with a short narrow neck, usually covered in wicker. Since the name refers
to the container that holds the brew, rather than the brew itself, the recipe for the mamajuana varies from one maker to the next. Some brewers add, in addition to the rum, red wine, honey, tree bark and herbs, things such as cinnamon, raisins, molasses, and lemon or lime juice. The result is generally 40% proof or 20% alcohol. Well, the time has come for us to sample the concoction. Got out our decorated shot glasses and poured a small sample into each glass. You see, I was making Jerry and Just Sue drink a sample with us. OK, down the hatch. Wow! Pretty smooth. Tasted like cedar! It certainly was a deep red color. I waited and waited to see what it would do to me, but all it did was make me sleepy. The next morning I felt some of the results. Cleaned out the digestive tract pretty good! Not sure when I'll have more, but if you're in the neighborhood and want a taste, knock on the door. It was another extraordinary day in the life an ordinary guy.
ing the terrorist attacks on 
C and reading our favorite novel. I doubt if we were in the 3%. Looked to the heavens a few times during the day and at one point saw a few nasty clouds, but zero everything else. Seems that the day was an invisible judgement day. No earthquakes, storms, plagues, or even another day of rain during our vacation. Harold should have been with us for the whole vacation and maybe we would have had better weather. OK, now he tells us that May 21 was only a t
rial run for THE REAL THING. That's going to happen on October 21! Gives us a few more months to prepare for it again. Should I live it up until October 21 or should I be praying harder each day? Oh, the choices! Then I checked my calendar and low and behold, I'll be on another beach on October 21. Probably Bottom Bay beach or Crane Beach in Barbados. I hope Barbados is excluded from his prediction, but just in case, I'll be watching the skies again as I sit on my chair, under my umbrella reading my book. Oh yeah, with a drink in my hand. Hope it won't be a "Dust in the Wind" ending! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
Marine Park, which means that jet skis and fishing are prohibited. Moorings that are placed by boat owners are done so with the OK of the Reserve Naturelle so as to help limit damage to plant beds. Ashore you can walk along the botany path, sit on the spit of salty land that protrudes from the north-west side, shop in the Boutique, walk to the deserted other side, or snorkel the trail that has been established. Since 2002 Carol and I have been taking a day trip every year to Pinel because of the calm, beautiful water and the pure white sand. There are three concessions on the sandy side which are Yellow Beach, Up on the Key, and Karibuni. All c
harge for two chairs and an umbrella, with Up on the Key giving two free drinks with their deal. Guess which one we head to when we exit the ferry. We have snorkeled the trail and enjoyed the beach, but we have also, every year, climbed to the top of the island and taken a photo of the sandy beach where we always sit. A
nd, we're worried!! The first digital photo I have is from 2004 and when I compare it to the photo we took on our recent journey in 2011, it seems that the island is disappearing. The sand is being moved from the beach and spread out into the waters around the beach. You can walk at least 50 yards or more from the 
sand into the water and it will only be up to your waist. Hate to see the beach disappear. I'm sure the concessions do also. Maybe some day the tides will change and will bring some of the sand back to the salty piece of land. It 
was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - photos from the top are: Pinel beach as you are arriving from French Cul-de-Sac via ferry, the "King of Pinel" who runs the Boutique, back side of the island which is usually deserted or use as a nude beach, beach photo from 2004, beach photo from 2007, and beach photo from 2011.
