Snow Again!

Can you believe it? We have 2 new snow storms coming in and it's the end of February! We still have some on the ground from the last one. Will I never see the bare streets again? Maybe it's going to snow all year...ugh! I think I should be a "snow bird" and move to Florida with the rest of the blue-haired ladies. This time though, my shovel is on the porch. Last time, it was in the garage - big help there.

Anyway, just downloaded another book for my Reader. I hate to be stuck inside with nothing to read. And, I have some comfort food; popcorn, pretzels, chocolate, cookies and wine. So guess I'll survive!

Paradise Continued...

Tuesday was a "stay at home" day to loaf around,get some sun,visit with the family, take pictures,and make new friends. Donna had prepared activities for the rest of the week so that evening, we signed up for whatever we were interested in. In the evening, we had "Italian Night" on the beach and all 3 villas ate together. It is very easy to get used to this kind of life....hmmm?

Wednesday, Barb & I joined most of the group for an all day sailing/catamaran trip. Our Captain was Pernell and local; the Mate was Nicki and from South Africa, Susan. Said she came here with another catamaran (where they build them) and stayed. A lot of the group went snorkeling in a small cove then we sailed to a barge/restaurant called Willi T's and had lunch. We told our brother that he could do the same thing only we would name it Willi P's! BTW, Willi T. was named after William Thornton who designed the Capitol in D.C. in the 19Th C. On the way back, Nicki made us some "Painkillers" that are made up of orange, pineapple and coconut juice along with a tot of rum. Pretty good! I'll have to send Joe the recipe for his new lounge.

Thursday, a deep-sea fishing trip was planned so Barb and I had hot-stone massages instead. I never had one quite like it. She even put hot stones on my forehead and between my toes. It felt so good.

Donna caught a 64 lb. Wahoo! Mike had to help her haul it in. And, they enjoyed it for dinner. By the way, Mike put you both on his friend's list so you can open his pictures.

Friday, we went out on a yacht for the afternoon. He took us past Necker Island (Richard Bronson's) where we visited 9 years ago. We also saw a lot of other places/islands that we only read about. I never was in and out so many boats in all my life.

Saturday, found us back on the Mystique with our favorite captain & mate. This time, we headed for Jon Von Werk Island to eat lunch at the Soggy Dollar. Pernell could only bring the cat in so far so we had to take the dinghy. I about croaked when I saw it as I am not the most graceful person around. All in all, I made it but got my butt wet as we were a little crowded.

And, Sunday we bummed around. My camera's battery died on the 3rd day so I didn't get many pictures. However, Bill and Mike did. I will post the ones I got as soon as I upload them.

As usual, I came home with a cold/bronchitis. It started on Saturday and I'm still coughing. So it goes. I came home to all of this snow and more predicted. Enjoy your warm sunny days! I envy you!

Bill and I were talking about this trip and the one at Necker. Virgin Gorda was more "people friendly" but we had great service at Necker. But who can afford $50,000 a day? I'll take VG!

A Short Vacation in Paradise

We left home at 4:30 A.M. for Philadelphia Airport (17 degrees outside) dressed in our summer clothes with a couple of sweaters/hoodies...mighty, mighty cold! Leaving at 7:45 and flying USAire to San Juan took 3 1/2 hours. We were met by a pilot from Air America Charters who took our luggage and herded us to another gate for our flight to Tortolla. Here we met Bill, Donna, Jeanneanne, Brian and baby, Davis. The rest of the family came in later. The flight to Tortolla (BVI) took about 30 minutes in a little prop plane which held just 8 people. In Tortolla (Beef Island Airport), we went through Customs (didn't even have to take off our shoes) then took a water taxi to Virgin Gorda (translated Fat Lady), our destination. At the harbor, we were met with an truck with open rows of seats in the back and to our villa on Mango Bay, Aquamarne. It's about 12 miles from Spanish Town and is back in the hills - very beautiful. I was freaked out because the cars drive on the left side of the road but soon got used to it. There was a sign posted on a tree "Left is Right and Right is Suicide!

There were 3 villas inter-connected by flagstone paths. Each villa had 3 master suites, 1 double and a studio. Barb and I had the double which was on the 2nd floor. We had an indoor shower (more on that later) and 2 balconies, one with a hammock. Bill & Donna, Jeannette and Tom and our cousins, Mike and Sandy had the master suites...all had "outdoor" showers but were covered with lattice and foliage. I would stand on the balcony and talk to them when they were showering and I really couldn't see anything but a shadow. Soon stopped though...was only good for a short period. Haha!

Downstairs, the villa had "open" walls along with a patio, pool and faced the Caribbean that was only 1 flight down. There were kayaks for our use as well as beach chairs and lots of towels. The kitchen was well stocked with food and drink so each day, Mike or Donna made breakfast or we scrambled on our own. A Chef prepared our dinner. This was true for all the villas. Housekeeping took care of our rooms and laundry was picked up twice a week. Talk about being pampered.

The rest of the group from N.C. didn't get in until 7 P.M. It seems they had to drive to Charlotte because of a snowstorm.

I'll continue this tomorrow.