The "The Revival Of The Saturday Evening Post" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Looking at my latest edition of The Saturday Evening Post.  Have subscribed once again to the magazine that made Norman Rockwell a name known to millions of Americans.  The Saturday Evening Post was founded in 1821 and grew to become the most widely circulated weekly magazine in America.  It actually began as The Pennsylvania Gazette on May 9th, 1754 and if you stretch it a bit you could say it began on October 2, 1729 when Benjamin Franklin and Hugh Meredith bought Ephraim Chambers' Cyclopaedia and began to print the paper.  The Saturday Evening Post published current articles, editorials, human interest pieces, humor, illustrations, a letter column, poetry by readers, single-page cartoons such as Hazel and stories by leading writers of the time.  It also commissioned lavish illustrations and original works of fiction.  

Norman Rockwell (courtesy of Deborah Solomon)

The illustrations are what made Norman Rockwell a household name.  The magazine was published until 1969 when the company lost a landmark defamation lawsuit and had to call it quits.  But, in 1971 it was revived as a limited circulation quarterly publication.  Then in the late 2000s it began to publish six times a year by the Saturday Evening Post Society.  In 2013 the magazine was redesigned.  When I first saw a copy of it a few months ago during one of my many doctor's visits, I went to the nearby bookstore to purchase it and found they didn't have it on their shelves.  I finally found the magazine online and am now thoroughly enjoying my new prescription.  As far as Norman Rockwell, he became a household name with his beautiful covers of The Saturday Evening Post.  I published a story about Norman a few weeks ago when I posted famous Veteran's Day covers of the magazine.  Today's covers are from his Thanksgiving Day collection and maybe you might remember some of the covers that follow.  Enjoy the covers as well as have a Happy Thanksgiving.  For those reading today's post and don't happen to live in the United States, I realize you may not celebrate Thanksgiving, but you still may enjoy the artwork of Norman Rockwell.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Thanksgiving Day Blues.  November 28, 1942,  This Army cook hs just completed preparing a sumptuous holiday feast for 137 soldiers at Fort Ethan Allen, Vermont.  This is one of the few Rockwell covers that corresponds with an article in the magazine.  "Woes of an Army Cook" was written by famous newspaper columnist Earl Wilson.

Refugee Thanksgiving. November 27, 1943.  Norman Rockwell chose to paint a somber but hopeful scene in 1943.  The painting features a young girl in war-torn Italy draped in the coat of a passing G.I.  Through this image, he asked Americans to remember others less fortunate than themselves.

Home for Thanksgiving.  November 24, 1945.  Norman Rockwell went to Maine for this 1945 cover, harboring the belief that that state boasted the most homelike kitchens to be found.  The artist did his preliminary sketches in Maine and returned to Vermont for his model search.  The result: Dick Hagelberg, who was a bombardier with 65 missions over Germany to his credit, is happily pulling K.P. duty with his real-life mother.

The "SXM: One Of The Biggest Scares Of My Life" Story

Carol's lunch.

It was an ordinary day.  Fourth day of vacation on St. Martin/Sint Maarten and it was overcast so Carol and I decided to head to the Dutch capital city of Philipsburg to walk the streets and buy a few souvenirs.  Parked the rental car at Bobby's Marina, crossed the foot bridge, walked past the Sint Maarten Historical Society and headed West.  Enjoyed a leisurely walk along Front Street before walking a block South and heading back toward the car on the Philipsburg boardwalk which fronts Great Bay.  We decided to stop for lunch before we headed back to our villa in Orient Village and when we saw the sign that read "Crepes" we knew exactly where we would stop for lunch.  

My crepe!

I ordered a crepe with strawberry and raspberry jelly and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on it while Carol had Croque-monsieur.  As we were enjoying our meal a young man sitting across from us yelled toward our table, "Hey Grandpa."  Assuming he meant me, I looked at him.  He pointed out toward the dark sky across the bay.  He told us it was heading our way and it wouldn't take more than a few minutes to get to us.  He said we'd be best finishing our meal quickly, paying the check and heading back towards our car.  We saw the dark clouds, but didn't think they were quite as ferocious as he seemed to believe them to be.  We did finish quickly, paid the bill equally as fast and thanked him for his concern.  

Just the beginning of the storm and following another car.

We were just about to the car when the skies opened and it just poured.  I knew the road back to our villa quite well, so I paid the parking fee and headed back in the downpour.  The wipers were on high and I activated the flashers.  For the next ten minutes or so we were behind a car that evidently knew where all the bumps and holes were in the water-covered road as well as where the side of road may be located, so we stayed close.  But then...he pulled into a driveway and I was on my own.  Carol said, "I'm glad you're driving and not me."  I thought of pulling over, but I had no idea where, since some places were so flooded along the sides of the road that it was better to try and stay on the road.  I can't remember EVER driving in rain as heavy as we experienced; and that's a real long time!  If only I had eaten faster, I continued to think to myself.  

Slowly becoming harder to see the sides of the road.

Then...viola...a driver pulled onto the road in front of me and I was back in business once again.  There were times when the water was close to our floorboard, but we dared not get off the road.  The last mile or so, through the area known as Orleans, was mostly level or uphill and when we reached that point I knew we were safe.  Final 200 yards was downhill, but the water was running in the gutters at this point in time.  We entered Orient Village, passed the guard station, and within a few minutes were parked in front of our villa.  I turned off the car, peeled my hands off the steering wheel and for the first time in 30 minutes was able to relax.  Now...how do we get into the house with the couple of purchases we have.  Carol sat in the car while I took off my shoes and got out of the car to open the gate.  After a few tries it opened.  By now I was drenched.  Carol ran for the gate and another ten feet to the backdoor, which was under cover.  I locked the car and the gate and followed her into the house.  We both headed to the shower and within ten minutes were both dry and warm.  

Weather Bulletin!  Click to enlarge.

But, it was still raining cats and dogs and the water on our back deck was almost to the door and the pool was just about ready to overflow.  The rain did subside slightly, but an hour or so later we read a "Special Weather Bulletin" on Facebook telling of heavy rainfall through tomorrow.  AND, THIS IS VACATION?  A short time later another report was posted to Facebook from the Minister of Public Housing telling about the heavy rains.  It read:
Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) Miklos Giterson, has taken note of the heavy rainfall being experienced today, Saturday, and would like to assure residents that Department of Infrastructure Management is at the moment busy assessing and resolving issues caused by the heavy rainfall.  Residents are urged to stay off the roadways for the rest of the day unless travel is necessary as all roads have the possibility of experiencing temporary flooding. If travel is necessary, motorists are advised to pay particular attention to flood-prone roads such as the Waterfront Road, Wellington Road, Zagersgut Road and the Mullet Bay Road leading to the area of the Starz Casino in Cupecoy.  

Now it's almost impossible to see where we are going.

Persons residing in the hillside areas should be vigilant of land movement, such as mudslides, as the island has experienced an increased amount of rainfall over the past weeks leading to an over-saturation of the ground. Persons residing in vulnerable areas prone to flooding are also asked to remain attentive. The Ministry has activated its water management system and the Great Bay canal has been opened as a precautionary measure and water is currently being pumped from the Salt Pond into the Great Bay sea. There have been reports of fallen trees, rocks and debris and the Ministry is actively working on clearing everything away.  The Ministry will continue to monitor for hazardous conditions and will alert the public with more advisories if necessary.  
Wow!  AND, THIS IS VACATION??  And, to top that off, an hour later a special radar broadcast was posted so I could see where my villa was located.  NOT GOOD!  NOT GOOD AT ALL!!  AND, THIS IS VACATION???  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Radar Bulletin

The "SXM: Ruby" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Told Carol I would be back in an hour or so as I left our rental villa in Orient Village.  My mission today was to find the gallery of one of St. Martin's most famous artists and poets, Ruby Bute.  

Sign to Ruby Bute's Gallery in St. Martin

I had been searching for her gallery for most of my vacation and finally was told she could be found on the road to Friar's Bay.  Wasn't long before I headed back the road.  I reached the parking lot at Friars and knew I must have missed the gallery, so I headed back, retracing my path.  Sure enough, there was a sign on a light post telling me of her gallery.  Along the bottom of the sign read: Please honk your horn & wait for the gate to open, thanks.  

Parked the car, opened the gate and entered into a
world of art, poetry and friendship.

Well, I found the gate which told me to make sure to close it after entering.  Found a parking space and helped myself to opening the gate and naturally closing it behind myself.  Off in the distance I could see a woman sitting by an outdoor table.  She motioned me toward her and in a minute I was shaking the hand of Ruby Bute.  She told me to sit with her as she finished her breakfast of whole wheat bread and pieces of cheese.  

Ruby's gallery.  Her residence was to the right of her studio.

Wasn't long before her white cat made a visit to my side.  Reached down and stroked her head as she looked at me.  Ruby told me she doesn't usually allow strangers to touch her.  I must be someone special to her.  Ruby told me she was born in Aruba and eventually moved to St. Martin in 1983.  The home she lives in now belonged to her father who gave it to her upon his death a few years ago.  We sat outside her kitchen talking about her love of art and I told her about my work in stained glass.  

This beautiful tree sat next to her home.

Our conversation was about family, art and life in general.  She then wanted to show me some of the paintings she had in her home and ushered me into the kitchen.  In the corner stood an old easel with plastic containers holding used tubes of oil paint.  After viewing paintings of her family and some of her most recent paintings, she ushered me into an attached room and pointed out seven large boxes that had just arrived by mail.  Inside were some of her latest pieces that she had painted and placed on tiles and framed.  She asked if I could help her open them so I could see what she had just finished.  The first tile was of the enormous tree that sat in front of her house.  Over a hundred years old, it's majestic limbs were displayed in many pieced of her artwork I had viewed.  

Ruby showing me one of her latest tiles she had just finished.

She told me about the man who had brought her old metal shutters that had been blown off buildings during the recent Hurricane Irma that destroyed much of the island.  She used the shutters to paint upon and then transferred to tiles which are now in frames.  We opened all seven boxes and I heard the story of each as we talked about her work.  A few of the tiles had some of the glue used to hold them in the frames smeared on the tile's surface as well as the frame.  

The artist's oil tubes and easel.

I helped her clean the frame and tiles of the glue and after repackaging them, carried them back into her home.  This beautiful woman, who had never met me until an hour before, was my best friend in no time.  I told her I had to return to my rental as she too had some errands to run.  I promised to stop as soon as I could so I could visit her studio and purchase a piece of her artwork.  I did make another stop a few days later, but found she wasn't at home.  My vacation had ended and I did not get to return to visit with Ruby.  I hope she understood that my not returning wasn't due to not appreciating her artwork, but due to time constraints during my vacation to the island.  

Sample of Ruby's artwork.

Just that hour or so I did get to spend with her told me volumes about her and her love of art and humanity.  I haven't forgotten you Ruby!!  I will return on my next visit to  the island.  It will be on the top of my list of things to do.  Please accept my apology for not returning!  She is one very special lady and St. Martin is so lucky to have her as an ambassador for their island.  And, I can hardly wait to tell my cats about this beautiful girl I had a chance to pet during my visit.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Another painting of the tree I have pictured above.

The "SXM: Good Morning” Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just bought two chocolate croissants, a ham and cheese sandwich made on a French baguette and a lemon dessert that is unbelievable. 

Good Morning Restaurant in Orient Village

Bought all these items at a little restaurant in Orient Village called “Good Morning”.  Years ago, during one of our first visits to the island of St. Martin, I began buying our breakfast croissants at the restaurant.  At the time the clerk was a young girl who helped me learn all my breakfast choices in French.  I’ll never forget my final morning when I bought my croissants for the last time. She was so impressed with my French, after ordering them for over two weeks, that she gave me a big hug.  Well, the store has sadly changed owners several times over the past years and this year’s owner, Ramon, has become a good friend in the time I have known him. 

Ramon

He knows what Carol and I enjoy and when he sees me walk across the street from my usual parking space at 7:30 am he has my croissant order ready.  He then asks if I want a sandwich for the beach today.  Many mornings I will buy one of his choices: ham & cheese, tuna salad, chicken and vegetables or French Salami and pickles on a French baguette.  Most days I will get the ham & cheese with mayo on it as well as lettuce and tomato with onions on my half of it.  The bread is delivered earlier in the morning so it is right out of the oven.  We take the sandwich to the beach for lunch and may see others on the beach with sandwiches also from “Good Morning”. 

Croissants for sale in the display case.

A few days ago I asked if he could make sandwiches on his regular croissants and he shrugged and grabbed two of them.  Cut them in half and placed the ham & cheese on them and added the rest.  The cost was slightly more, and we didn’t care for them as much as on the French baguette.  I have also bought other desserts, but usually keep them for part of our evening meal or as a snack after we return home from  a restaurant in the evening.  I am one of just a few daily customers who is American speaking English.  I just love to hear his other customers enter with a “Bon Jour” for he and his wife.  As for me...I just look up at his sign for my greeting...”Good Morning”.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Desserts offered for sale.

More desserts for sale.

French baguettes 

Chocolate and apple croissant...daily breakfast for both Carol and myself.

The "SXM: Meals With Caribbean Flair" Story

Crystal talking with us at her restaurant Le Piment

It was an ordinary day.  Talking with Crystal who owns, along with chef Sylvan, Le Piment.  It is the restaurant that we head to on our first night on the island of St. Martin.  Always have the same meal which is a Prosciutto salad and Lasagna.  

Pe Piment is located in Orient Village, St. Martin

One salad and one lasagna is more than enough for the two of us.  And, to top off the meal is the usual shot of Ma Dou Dou banana-vanilla rum which is formulated on the island.  This year we spent many evenings at the restaurant in part because the food is remarkable and also because the restaurant is one of a few within a manageable night-time driving distance.  Over half the local restaurants are still battling renovations due to Hurricane Irma which hit the island a little over a year ago.  I have posted photos from a few of our evenings with information about the meal as well as restaurant where we had the meal.  Hope you see something that may look tasty.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Special" board at Le Piment.  Hand written in both English and French every night by Crystal.

A Le Piment favorite Beef Stew.  The beef is marinated in wine for a few days before being served.  My favorite part of the meal is the small container of potatoes that has onions in it with a cream sauce.  

Spaghetti Carbonara with raw egg.  Delicious. 

My spinach ravioli meal made special just for me.  Carol makes ravioli for me with a butter and sage sauce which is excellent.  I asked if they could duplicate the meal for me instead of their usual sauce.  They didn't have any sage, but did substitute garlic for the sage.  Good, but not as good as my wife's ravioli.

We had a fantastic meal at Al Dente Ristorante one evening.

Very tasty lasagna with small salad.

Carol had the Penne Pasta.

Al Dente has some of the neatest ceiling lights made by the owner.  This one features dishes of various sizes.

This light is made from glasses.  All lights work and give off quite a bit of light. 

This light had to be close to eight feet long and was made from wine bottles.

We had one meal at Chesterfields in Philipsburg.  Carol and I both had the Mahi Mahi stuffed with crabmeat.  The photo shows a great meal, which it was, but showed no special skills as did most of the other meals.  It was just food!

La Plantation opened for business while we were on the island.  We visited one evening.  They used the old signage which was evidently damaged during the hurricane.  

Started the meal with a mango smoothie.

I once again had ravioli with a cream sauce.

Carol had pasta with vegetables.  Carol really wanted the pork mignon, but they didn't have pork.  We also wanted pina coladas, but they didn't have any coconut juice.  We knew they had just opened after a year of getting ready, so we didn't say much.

The "SXM: Friends With Support" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Parked the car in the parking lot at the Price-Leader Grocery Store in St. Martin and headed to the front door of the new store.  Entered the door and looked for a shopping cart to do our initial shopping for groceries.  There were none.  They did have some small plastic baskets, but not enough to hold the amount of groceries we needed. I asked a clerk and they pointed to the parking lot.  I told Carol I would be right back and headed to get a cart.  Then, I realized I needed a quarter to place in the handle of the cart to release it from the cart in front of it.  At the same time another shopper was returning her cart and told me I could have her cart for a quarter.  As I walked toward her I noticed a wide elastic belt around her waist, just as I was wearing due to recent back surgery. 

My new friend Silvia.

I introduced myself and she told me her name was Silvia.  My guess was she was close to my age.  When she saw I also was wearing a belt, we had to talk about our different operations and how long we would have to wear our belts.  All this in the parking lot of a grocery store.  I eventually handed her my quarter and asked if I could take a photo of her standing next to me.  Another shopper volunteered to take our photo, but failed to get our belts in the photograph.  About 10 minutes later I walked into the store to greet my wife who by now had her hands full of groceries.  What are the chances of that happening on an island in the Caribbean?  Well, pretty great since a few days later Carol and I were in Philipsburg, the Capital city of Sint Maarten, and took a turn off of the main street, Front Street, to walk down Old Street and see if some of our favorite stores had made it through Hurricane Irma which struck a little over a year ago. 

Another new belt friend, Jean Pierre.  I know I look as if I'm
wearing the same shirt, but I do have more than one blue shirt.

As we approached the end of the street I told Carol to look down the street at the man standing in the middle of the street.  Fellow by the name of Jean Pierre was standing there wearing an elastic support belt just like mine.  When he turned and looked at us he got a smile on his face.  We walked to him and I introduced myself and asked him about his need for the belt.  He had not had surgery, but found that by wearing it he could ward off the surgery which he cared to avoid.  He was renovating his restaurant and found it helped to wear his belt since he had to move many heavy items inside the building.  Carol took our photo and we shook hands before we headed back to Front Street.  You never know what will happen to you while visiting on vacation, but to meet two people with the same malady within a few days on an island in the Caribbean is definitely a strange occurrence.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "SXM: Part III - Orient Village/Club O, Now!" Story

Photo from Google Earth taken pre-Irma of Club Orient Resort.

It was an ordinary day.  Just finished walking the length of the Club Orient property and snapping a few photographs.  Photographs are usually frowned upon on this clothing optional beach, but most everyone walking the beach with me were also taking  photographs of the devastation away from where the bathers were seated.  

Same location post-Irma.  Click on images to enlarge.

I found some souvenirs of happy visits long gone as well as document- ing my visit to the beach today.  As I stood and stared at what used to be a beautiful resort on the island of St. Martin, I wondered if it will ever look the same again.  Probably not in my lifetime!  I stood in the gruesome Papagoya's Restaurant and Bar, looking out at the beautiful aqua colored waters and thinking back to a year ago when Carol and I sat in the same spot enjoying a tropical lunch and a BBC drink.  

The entrance leading into Club Orient as seen today.

During the past couple of weeks on the island we talked to so many people who told us so many different stories about what is going to happen to the Club Orient resort.  Seems that there are two entirely different entities that control the future of Club O.  First is the Orient Beach Club (OBC) which employs all of the staff and operates the resort.  

An old and weathered beach chair with umbrella.

They are the managers of the resort.  Second is the Copropiété (Copro) which owns the land on which Club Orient is built and is similar to an HOA which is responsible for the vast majority of structures.  There were many properties on the grounds with chalets and studios that were owned by people from all over the world.  As far as I understand it, the Copro can't speak for them.  OBC received its insurance money in full on October 31 of 2017, which included business interruption insurance.  

The resort still looks like what you see in this photograph.

OBC has now been waiting over a year to get money from Copro so that they can rebuild.  All along they have had to pay 85% of their employees salaries which is the same as unemploy- ment in the United States.  But, while we were on the island it was reported that OBC has now given up and has pulled out as the management company leaving Copro with having to find a new management company to rebuild the resort.  

Photo taken inside the Papagoya Restaurant.  Carol and
I ate many lunches sitting along stone wall in the distance.

They really don't want to do that, but they can't afford to continue to pay the employees without generating revenue from the rental of the units.  A vicious cycle.  Does this mean that Club O is finished?  NO!!  It merely means the management company is leaving.  Once Copro finally receives its funds and the re-building begins, a new management company will have to emerge and operate the resort.  So, who will now be responsible for paying the employees their 85% salary?  Wow, doesn't seem that anyone knows what's going on!  

The front row of orange chairs and yellow umbrellas are still there.

All hasn't been negative, though.  Seems that one of the long-time employees who worked the beach for many years managed to get permission to continue renting the iconic orange beach loungers and bright yellow, with a few red, green and orange, beach umbrellas for all to use on the beach.  Cédrick had worked at Club O since we began to visit the beach in the early 2000s.  He is a big guy who demands respect, but as gentle a guy as there can be.  

Cédrick is responsible for keeping the
beach chairs and umbrellas on the
beach.  He is the savior for Club Orient.

He stops to visit with beach patrons a few times a day, answering questions I'm sure he has already answered many times before.  He runs the rental business and employs a few other young men who place the umbrellas and chairs in position early in the morning and collect them late afternoon.  Tough and physically demanding job, but I never saw anyone complaining.  They are some of the residents of the island that actually have work.  Cédrick is so well loved by the patrons and workers alike that he recently was asked to visit with French President Macron during a visit he made to see the devastation that still exists in St. Martin.  What will happen next?  I believe no one really knows.  Will Club Orient survive.  Everyone who has ever been to the resort is hoping they do, but hope doesn't pay the bills.   Tourists do!  So, if you care enough, plan to spend a few weeks on the island and bring an influx of funds to those in need of your help.  I'm positive they will appreciate it.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

He and his workers distribute and collect the chairs everyday.

True bliss on the beach!

At the end of the day Carol and I pose for a self-portraiture as the sun sets yielding long shadows.