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{January 19, 2025} Just another Saturday…what did you do?

Saturday started crazy early, I was at dad’s house to help him get LaLa to the airport. Her flight was at 745a and I was driving them to the airport and he was going to go in and help her get where she needed to be.

When I say crazy early, I mean crazy early! 330a to be exact! I got up, then fell back asleep, but was up and out the door by 415a, we got to the airport, dad and LaLa went in and figured out where they needed to go. The nice part, I got to wait outside and no one asked, or actually, told me, that I had to move, so I got to hang out while they were in the airport.

Dad came out with some hot beverages and we drove back from Newark Airport to Staten Island. We decided we needed some breakfast and went to Z-One, they were closed, what?! It’s a diner! It was about 6am, not sure when they were supposed to open, so I looked at my GPS and there was another diner I found that said open, we got there and….yup, you guessed it, closed! What is going on?! Oh, duh, that was Mike’s Dakota Diner, the one that was open was Mike’s Unicorn Diner, back not far from Z-One! Duh!

Back to Mike’s Unicorn Diner, breakfast and good conversation, and the hottest bathroom on the planet! It was so hot, the soap was hot! That’s hot! Most restaurants keep the bathrooms relatively chilly, I think so you don’t spend a lot of time in there, well… this place missed that memo!

After breakfast, we were heading to Stop-n-Shop to pick up bagels and some more bialys, but stopped by L&I’s house, and IB just happened to be outside taking the trash out, we stopped and I got a hug, and a quick catch up!

Then on to the grocery store, I picked up a few things, then it was on to Beyars for sandwiches, something for dad to have later, something I might eat on the road or at least have at home. Let’s just say, really good sandwiches!

Back to dad’s house, I packed up my stuff, loaded up the car, podcast queued up, and headed out, I had about 2.5 hours to go. Nice and uneventful, only one stop for gas and bathroom break, drove as the snow started coming down and made it home…just in time to give the pups some lovin’, put our gift together, and back out into the cold!

We got in the Jeep, put in the latest Jack Reacher book on tape we were listening to and headed to the Lyndon Diner to have our holiday lunch with our IMRG friends. It was fun, we had good conversations, good food, and there was a gift swap. We ended up with a bottle of Crown Royal, I tried to keep the purple bag, but PSM wasn’t having any of that!

After a few hours, we headed home to chill out, while I did some last minute tidying up and getting ready for BK, PSM’s first cousin to come for the weekend. She had taken her son, JK, to Washington, DC to get settled in for his semester internship, then she was coming to spend the night with us and head to the next friend’s house for a few days, then another friend for a few days.

Tomorrow, we’re taking her to the LVMC clubhouse for breakfast, then we’ll see where we go from there before she takes off to parts unknown! Well…she knows where she’s going! Well…we’ll see if she does go tomorrow, the weather is coming in, who knows if the weather forecasters got it right! I’ll let you know tomorrow!

She got a tour, we hung out and talked, snacked, they watched some football and I did something else, and of course, she got some major puppy love, which was great, because she was missing her dog Lucy something fierce!

So… you know, just another Saturday around here, what did you do!?

{January 23, 2024} St Thomas Day 4: Charlotte Amalie, Emancipation Day Celebration, Sapphire Beach

It’s December 25th, Happy Christmas to one and all who celebrate!

This is not such a bad way to wake up. Some days with the sun, some days before it, some days after, whichever way the wind blows. Yeah, cheesy, I know. But, c’mon…look at that view…sigh.

We had breakfast, since we went to Moe’s Market and picked up supplies, I made breakfast almost every morning, a fabulous egg sandwich, y u m! and headed out to explore. It’s Christmas day, not much was going to be open or available, and that’s ok, we’re going to see what we can see! We head down to Charlotte Amalie, the capital and the largest city of the USVI.

The first thing we wanted to do was to go to the Hebrew Congregation of St Thomas, we thought…what better place for two Jewish kids on Christmas than to go to a synagogue. Alas…just like most of St Thomas, it was closed, oh well. We’ll go another day, promise! We got back in the jeep and looked for a place to park, that wasn’t on heart attack hill! Which a lot of St Thomas is! Oh my!

We went to Main Street, this is the street you probably see in photos of St Thomas, and if you’ve ever been on a cruise to St Thomas, you probably took a shuttle or a taxi to Main Street, this is where a lot of the tourist shops are for jewelery, and cosmetics, and liquor, and…and…and… It’s open whenever the cruise ships come in and since none were docking on Christmas, this street was shut up tight! It was kind of nice to be able to walk down the street and look at the beautiful colors without being accosted, so to speak from shop owners and people who work in them to come in and look at their wares. St Thomas really is beautiful and charming in some areas.

When we came back around towards the water, we heard music and saw lots of people. We walked over and discovered Emancepation Garden and a wonderful celebration happening! It was the Christmas Emancepation Celebration, 175th celebration to be exact! From the article I just linked “A sea of people in red with sprinkles of green and white, traditional treats to fill the belly, and the island’s best renditions of Christmas songs converged at the Emancipation Garden on Monday morning for the 47th Challenge of the Carols as people gathered to be lulled by the holiday spirit.”

What a treat and honor for us to happen upon the celebration and to be swept up in the festivities and excitement! Everyone was decked out in festive wear, sparkling, not just from the sun, but their outfits! Steel drums, snare drums, and brass instruments made amazing music and sweet sounds that filled the air, the ears, and the hearts of all who were ther!

It almost felt like the music would never end! Not that we were complaining at all!

After the celebration, we decided it was time for a swim and a snorkel, so we headed to another beach on our list, Sapphire Beach. We were told it was gorgeous, fabulous beach, and a great place for sunsets. I have to admit, it was pretty, but it wasn’t our favorite beach that we went to. It was nice, the water felt great, but it wasn’t great for snorkeling, I didn’t snorkel for long, ended up taking off the gear and just floating for a few. The sand on one part of the beach was smooth, but a lot of it was the hard, broken shell type of sand. It was also very crowded when we got there, you have to get there really early to get a good spot, not exactly sure where that was, but it was very crowded. We enjoyed our time on the beach while we were there, but for us, it wasn’t a highlight.

After the beach, we were hungry so we went into Red Hook, it was on the way back to the resort, very convenient! We were both in the mood for sushi, so we went to Saki House Thai and Sushi Restaurant. The atmosphere was nice, the staff friendly, and when we walked in, we were the only ones so the service was great! By the time we left the place was filling up.

We orderd green tea, miso soup, sushi rolls, and spring rolls. The spring rolls were by far our favorite! The miso was flavorful but a little too salty for me, the sushi rice wasn’t the best, but I loved the avocado and cucumbers in the roll.

There was Christmas music playing and all of a sudden I hear a little voice singing the parum-pa-pa-pum from The Little Drummer Boy, it wa the cutest thing and I complimented him on the way out of the restaurant. We really did enjoy ourselves, the atmosphere, service, staff, a nice way to spend a Christmas dinner.

We walked around a little, then headed to the resort. We parked and walked down by the beach to watch the sunset and it was stunning. We did what we did the first or second day, we sat for a while, then when the sun set where we were, we moved left, and when it went down there, we moved left, until it was completely down and we made our way back to the room to shower, chill, and crash. Not a bad way to end the day!

We started our day with a beautiful sunrise, had a walk about, joined in an important and joyous celebration, got in the water, tried a new place, and ended with a fabulous sunset, what more could you want?

Happy Monday, Happy Christmas to all and to all…you know it, say it with me! a good night!

{January 18, 2024} St Thomas Day 3: Boat Trip, Snorkeling, Margaritaville, Jeep, Mexican and Tequila

It’s day 3 in St Thomas for us, December 24th, Christmas Eve, and our first excursion! It’s a jammed packed day, ya ready?

This was the first excursion we booked, don’t even remember the company, but we were supposed to go on the snorkel cat catamaran, but it turns out the catamaran was only going to two stops, so we opted for 3 and ended up the Breakaway. I’m wrong, just looked it up, and it’s New Horizons! The trip left from Margaritaville, we got a taxi up to the resort, found the launch point, got checked in and took a look around. A beautiful property, but, shhh…we thought our beach was better! We spent a bit watching the pelicans flying and dive bombing into the water, what a site to see!

And now we’re off, have our snorkel gear in hand, one of the things we always travel with when we’re going somewhere we know we’re going to swim. The great thing is we pack so little clothing, everything fits in our travel backpacks. We LOVE the ones we have from eBags, they are the Mother Lode Travel Backpack, I need to do an entire post on the eBags we have, I might sell you on some! The reason I mention them is we can fit all our clothes for the two or three weeks we’re traveling and our snorkel gear, which includes mask, snorkel, fins, waterproof bag, and travel towel. I’ll talk some time about how we pack, apologies for the digression!

We were on the boat, I took my Dramamine when we were taking off, they recommend about 30 minutes to an hour before you go, I take it when we take off. I don’t have a problem being on boats, I live for it, what I have a problem with is the not moving and just rocking, even ever so gently, I do not do well with that, I’ll tell you about that another time! But…I was set. The ones I bought were chewable, ick! They did not have the sweet, orange flavor they boasted. Needed to be washed down with something!

As we took off, we were offered a light breakfast, juice, water, pastries, and fruit, nothing too heavy before we were going to get in the water. The sky was crystal clear, we were even treated to a rainbow, can’t beat that! We sped along, good crew got us up to speed on what we needed to know when we arrived and the music was terrific.

First stop the water was clear, in some places, and not so clear in others, but it was so amazing to be in the water again. I missed this so much! It’s been about two years since we were in the water, and snorkeling, can’t wait this long again! Not a huge amount of fish where we were, but the coral and sea life that was there was terrific!

Back on the boat and a bit of lunch and the drinks started flowing. They said they wait to give us drinks until after the first stop, so they can see what kind of swimmers we are! And if we swim differently after a beverage or two! Second stop was great! There were honu, the Hawai’ian word for sea turtle. All of the honu had passengers! Remoras, I thought they were baby sharks, but not to be! Sorry some of my pics underwater aren’t the clearest, it all depends on where you are and if it’s sunny or cloudy what you’re going to get.

After another beautiful stop, and oh my the water temp was just perfect, you know that feeling you get when you’re just not sure how it’s going to feel and then you jump in and all is right with the world. Well…let’s just say…every time we swam, all was right with the world!

After the last stop, it was back to shore and Margaritaville. We thanked our crew, in voice and cash, then went to change. The one thing I’m not always a fan of is riding back in my wet bathingsuit, only because later in the day it does get chilly and you’re brrrrr a little. We changed into dry things and went into the bar/restaurant to wait until our rental car from 360 Car Rental, really beautiful blue 2023 Jeep Wrangler, was delivered. Can you beat this view? This was the window at the restaurant looking out onto the lagoon/beach. If I didn’t take the picture, I would have sworn it wasn’t real!

We ended up talking to two nice couples, very different individuals. One couple was older and a little limited in their mobility, but ready for adventure, he was a former airforce pilot and she was a huge movie buff like me! the other couple were bikers, PSM had lots to chat with them about!

Once we got the car we headed out and went down to Red Hook for dinner, at Agave, Tequila Bar & Mexican Kitchen. We sat at the bar, which is where we tend to sit at most places. There’s usually availability, the bartenders are pretty cool, and sometimes we get to chat with people hanging out like us. We had two outta three, worked for us. The bartender was great and helped PSM find some things he enjoyed. They had a deep conversation about tequila, whiskey, bourbon, and some other things, he concocted a new drink and had PSM try it, too cool. He also gave him a to-go cup for whatever he was drinking when we were leaving, gotta love that!

It was one of the better meals we had while we were there, I have to say! The gucamole and salsa were both made in house and a real treat. PSM had fish tacos and I had veggie tacos, both were really good and a pleasant way to cap the evening.

After dinner, we walked around Red Hook, then headed back to the hotel to shower and collapse. It was quite the day, not sure we could have fit more into the day! Not sure what’s going to be available tomorrow because it’s Christmas day, but we’ll definitely enjoy whatever it is we end up doing! Happy Christmas Eve everyone!

{April 10, 2021} It’s Saturday, what new adventures await us?!

It is Saturday, and it’s a rainy day, what should we do?! It started off liesurely, get up, take the dogs for a walk, then…special treat after they eat, jump in bed with me! They absolutely love it and it really is a treat for them because they’re not allowed on the furniture, except the bed, and only when we let them. Now, Ruby can jump on the bed just fine, Bee needs a little help, so it’s not a guarantee they get on there at all! We have done it a few times and stopped Ruby enough that she knows she needs permission.

I was sitting on the bed, Ruby came into the room, and what she usually does is come to the side of the bed for attention, then…for that treat every so often, I ask “Do you want to come onto the bed?”, I pat the bed and she knows she can jump up. At that point, she usually goes back to the foot of the bed and guages how to jump on! As she settles in, here comes Bee…I grabbed Bee and put her on the bed and after they settled in, we snuggled watching tv until it was time for PSM and I to head out. It was a very nice Saturday morning.

We got dressed, headed out for St Louis and went down to the Dome at America’s Center for the Auto Show 2021. PSM has never been to an auto show and he was curious about it. I’ve been to a few and I love cars, so I was game! And hoping they would have some classic cars, which I really love, and I was right!

As we were looking for a place to park, we could see smoke, hear the tires squealing and screeching, and smell burning rubber…we found it! We headed towards the crowd and could see, smell, and hear much better! The street was blocked off and it was the Drifting with Vaughn Gittin Jr., Chelsea DeNofa & Mystery Driver. I honestly don’t know who we saw, it was loud and I missed what the announcer said. It was a lot of fun to watch, the smell was awful, who likes the smell of burning rubber?! but the action was great! I sent this video to my dad with the subject: “This was not me!” For anyone that knows me, I have always had a lead foot and I have gotten so much better, but I knew my dad would appreciate it!

We headed around the block, it felt like many around the blocks, but we made it! The city was a kind of crowded, the Auto Show, a St Louis Cardinal’s game and FEMA had opened a Covid-19 vaccination site at the Dome. The line for vaccinations was crazy long and we went through the same door, but we went to the right, they went to the left. Very glad the line was not as long to get into the auto show!

We walked in and it was not crowded at all. There were signs posted for social distancing, people walking around with signs and instructing people to wear their masks, and people cleaning each car at all times. They were constantly cleaning the outside and as soon as someone got out of a car, they went in to clean, it was very well run. Not to mention hand sanitizer stations everywhere!

We walked in, and if you have never been to an auto show, they are set up my car manufacturer. Some cars you could get into and get a feel how it would feel to own and drive one, some cars were locked, and others were behind ropes, no entry or touching! I lost track of all the brands on display. They had Alfa Romeos, Chevy, Dodge, Ford, Toyota, Jeep, and so much more, and…my favorite emblem…the Volksvagen! They don’t make Beetles any longer, but it was fun to look and drool over a lot of the cars. Some of my favorites were the muscle cars, especially the Mustangs, I told you, I’m a car girl. They even had a SHELBY truck and a Mustang truck, and the Mustang Mach-E, all electric! If you haven’t seen Ford vs Ferrari with Matt Damon and Christian Bale, what are you waiting for?!

There were some classic cars in the same area from the Horseless Carriage Club, founded in 1944 with 150+ members and one of the oldest surviving car clubs in the world. They had a Cadillac from 1937, one from 1941, and 1950 Buick, 1973 Plymouth, and a 1977 Corvette, those were some beauts! That’s when cars were individuals, had character. I’m not saying that today’s cars don’t have character, hey, Annie has a personality, but there was something about those classics! whew…

We walked through the arena by some vendors towards the Million Dollar Mile, these are some of the highest dollar cars. My focus was on the Corvettes presented by The Original Corvette Club of St Louis and oh boy did they deliver! My two favorites were a black Stingray, I think it was a ’67 or ’68 and a 73 Corvette that had about 80k miles on it! That’s the way to own a classic car, drive it!

Nearby was a custom shop, oh boy, what they can do to a car!

Then…mecca! After VWs, my favorite car, one that I can identify the headlights at 40 paces…Porsche. I can’t explain it, there is something wonderful about a Porsche. I’ll be honest, there are quite a few models that I don’t care for, but a 1985 red 911 is one of my dream cars, but…it MUST have a whale tail! I used to own a 1985 gold 944, that thing cornered like it was on rails! wow!

Needless to say, I was a happy camper when we left!

Food, need food! A new place that I had on my list and wanted to try and…vegan options! Mayo Ketchup by Plantain Girl. Fast, casual Puertorican, Dominican, and Cuban food. Plantains…y u m! This is one of my favorite fruits/foods, and what they did with it, wow!

We ordered and hung out waiting for the food while we explored restaurant. The decor was inviting, some color here and there, brick walls, a boogie boarding Santa, some flamingos, and quite a bit of Star Wars kitch. It was a lot of fun.

We started with Tostones con Aguacate, twice fried plantain, smashed avocado, pickled onion, cilantro, lime, SO good! Then I ordered Vegan Jibarito, which is smashed avocado, lettuce, tomato, pickled red onion, potato sticks, vegan garlic mayo layered between twice fried green plantains. Oh wow, this was fabulous! PSM had El Cubano, a roasted pork, ham, swiss-american cheese, dill pickles, mustard on pressed cuban bread, he said it was yummy!

Back home to take care of the pups and chill for the evening. They were a bit happy to see us, ha ha. What a fabulous day…a car show, classic cars, and a new place to eat. Two more want to do Missouri, check! What’s next?! Cannot wait for tomorrow!

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