A fun sandwich, with the bun made of hellos and goodbyes.
Above we have Kai with three of his buddies, one afternoon at the pier. These boys are all from the Dominican Republic. For some reason they have decided to watch Kai's back at school. Although they don't spend time with him at school, they call him "Primo" (cousin). We think it is because although he is not one of them, he is a cousin to them. The resemblance is striking.
But wait, back up the bus...I am getting ahead of myself.
Hello #1 :
Ok, here is a photo of a group of our visitors. We are posing with a display of what 20 guilders can buy at the local bakery (sodium free)**Front: Emily, scratching her chin before the feast, Moi, Henry, my nephew
Back row: model Connely Packard, the everlovely Frances, and Allison with baby Isabelle (Allison is Frances' sister in law).
**dutch law requires all island bakeries to bake salt -free. This is due to high numbers of hypertension and diabetes and the cost involved in treating the people. Hmm.
Hello #2:
No party is complete without Kathy. Arriving from New York, Kathy joined us for a few days. On top is the adorable Poeske, begging for a ride on the dune buggy
St. Kitts in the background at botanical gardens.
Q. How many people can fit into this 5 person Jeep Cherokee?
- A. 10 persons, 2 boogie boards, 1 surfboard and a turtle floaty
- Fact: no seatbelts required on Statia
Introducing Allison to Zeelandia
With Frances about to go back to the states after 6 months with us, Henry will take her place for a couple of months. Charles now has 3 teenagers to torture him and drive him to behave like a wild, trapped animal daily. Commence the daily prisoner beatings.
Sophia gets practice babysitting little Isabelle, who as a matter of fact, hardly cried or fussed the whole trip. She was a great baby.
Boys looking for the white whale.
Zsa Zsa and stylist
***Now for the sandwich middle***
No blog would be complete without the fine dining of Smoke Alley and a party
While we are all sitting down getting ready to order drinks...
A certain 5 year old takes matters into his own hands and is caught at the bar ordering his own drink and a straw from the bartender. We were relieved that he ordered something non-achoholic. Did these people sitting next to him not find this an odd situation?
Philippe giving Charles instructions on how to get more Sprite without getting caught twice. The key, Charles, is to do it in French.
Side note: Philipe is French, his fiance Soledad, is Argentine. They lived upstairs from us and we have been friends with them for our entire stay here. We have really really enjoyed their company.
This time it is Ethan's party...FIFTEEN. Good grief, what happened to the time? If you don't believe me, count the candles.
Kai, Charles, and los Primos
This is the man who caught the fish. He is Naldo.
These are the people who ate the fish...Matt the trusty scuba instructor, Jamaican bodybuilder and pastry chef, Vinnete, 14 year old Julicia, her daughter, and the best mezzo soprano gospel singer I've ever heard, and Sole. In back: Ed playing peek-a boo.
Also caught for the fine dining: King crab. Julicia enjoying it whole-heartedly
Fact: Pineapples produce exactly ONE fruit before they die.
Goodbye, Philipe and Sole. Off you go to Argentina, then to Brazil to start your own scuba business. We are going to miss you. Charles especially. Both boys may look jovial here, but it was actually a miserable moment when they realized they were losing their buddy.
Goodbye, dear Frances. We will miss you. Back to Provo, real school, schedules, seatbelts, closed-toe shoes, curfews, chores, and responsibilites. You are going to miss us.
No ending is complete without the sunset.
PS Thanks for the gift you left the boys upstairs when you moved away, Philipe. And Ethan, the answer is no. You can't go down to Happy City and sell it.
