Presents! & Palm Court Gardens/Shellworks

Hey, look - Santa's come to our house early! He got a bit lazy and dropped gifts off at the Post Office, but we encountered the friendliest workers there yet - and they didn't even make us open the box!

Presents, presents, presents...I love presents (especially when I didn't think we'd be swapping any)...



Jack & Zura do too.



Speaking of Jack & Zura - do any of you have cats that act as insect repellent? We have window screens so don't get mosquitoes often, but when they do get in, Jack sleeps up by my face and Zura sleeps down by my feet. When the pest(s) come to land on me, the cats kick into gear and kill them. I can always tell where one of the boogers is flying, because I can see the kitties homing in on it. This is much more pleasant than DDT, I must say. They're also pretty good about alerting us to centipedes and huge, tropical roaches...

BTW, we don't just like getting presents, we like giving them too, so while we were in town yesterday, we wanted to look for a couple of thank you gifts. Looking for something unique, we swung by a place we had recently heard about - the Shellworks Studio. This little shop is actually located within Palm Court Gardens, which absolutely must be added to your places to visit. This amazing property consists of:

• Beautiful gardens you are urged to wander through,
• The shellwork shop where they make the stuff on-site and with as many local finds as possible,
• A very successful frame shop (Amory Designs) that uses everything from drift wood, to old sugar-cane railroad ties, to timbers from old, old houses, etc.
• A really friendly Swiss proprietor, Claudia, who didn't even yell at us when we came through the wrong entrance,
• And the pièce de résistance , the salt-water pool (and hot tub!) with a view that rivals anything on St. Kitts. Even if you're coming off a cruise ship, if you're looking for a quiet place to just veg and spend some time, this is the spot to do it.

Right off the pool is a little bar that serves ice cream and drinks, which is the perfect combination, in my opinion. Entry is free this year giving you a tour of the place and a fluffy pastry, and for only $10US you can spend a day by the striking pool or in the hot tub (includes towel).

Claudia gave us a tour of her not so little workshop, which is a 3-woman operation (go sista's!). We also got ideas on how to decorate a tree Caribbean-style if we ever put one up. Michael & I will definitely be going back when we have more time to spend.

Unsurprisingly, the storm blob from yesterday has dissipated, but it was still weird to see it there in the first place. The threat of rain later in the week also seems to have lessened, so it seems to be the same old thing - warmth and sunshine.

Christmas Parties! Nirvana

Did you know it's almost Christmas? Can't say it feels overly Christmas-ish here, but lots of folks are having their holiday parties none the less. Yesterday, we had two in one day! The first one was a Christmas breakfast for Mr. X's Shiggidy Shack crew. I help out Mr. X occasionally (sometimes just by sending Michael down there to get him out of my hair), so was invited along. The venue was at the Nirvana Restaurant in the newly refurbished and reopened Fairview Inn. What a pretty place.

They'll give you a tour, but Paula & I just kind of wandered around on our own. Here's the front.



There were lots of little cottage offshoots spread around the property - some being used for offices, some various dining options, etc.



There was a pretty garden with plants/trees labeled. I loved these 2 chairs.



An old sugar silo. A newer gazebo (nice view, eh?).



A pretty salt-water pool and Paula getting her lime on.



We worked up an appetite, but had to wait as it took everyone (even Mr. X) an hour after our appointed time to arrive. Sheesh. While we waited, we had coffee, tea, and juice. I haven't had orange juice in years (too expensive), so had quite a party for my taste buds. Look at these cute little teapots - that's Sati trying to be all delicate. Actually that kettle was pretty heavy, kind of like a cast-iron pot. Inside was a filter thingy so you could flavor your tea as you poured the hot water in. Pretty neat. It really doesn't take much to impress me...

The restaurant provided a buffet, but set Esther and me (meat avoiders) up with our own plates consisting of two stuffed tomatoes halves and some lightly fried chickpeas sprinkled on top. It was delicious and appreciated, but just because we're vegetarians doesn't mean we don't like volume!! When we were done, we hit the buffet and piled on some very buttery scrambled eggs (they were decadent), some yummy johnny cakes, and carrot cake. I think my body is in shock.



After we finished hitting the buffet over and over again, it was time to take a photo for the Shack Christmas card. I'm wondering if I can Photoshop myself out or with a different head on my body as I was definitely having a bad hair day. I look like a female version of Carrot Top.



I'm hoping they use the gazebo pictures, which I stayed out of...



Three of 4 cameras were in play, so hopefully one of them got us all smiling and staring in the same place.

Everyone was asked to wear their Shiggidy t-shirts for a group photo and I loved how this little girl's Mom converted hers into a cute dress.



I also liked this one including a happy Triggers, who was celebrating a birthday.


We had a good time in a pretty place. Thanks to Mr. X and the Nirvana staff!! If on-island, go there some time with your bathing suit, have some lunch and enjoy the pool and the views.

Then I had time to fix my gnarly coif and get ready for an evening party thrown by Thomas and his visiting mother. She apparently likes to cook (?!) and actually asked him to invite over all his friends (??!!). Not ones to disappoint, we did our part and showed up (note to you readers - if you don't really want us to come then don't invite us - because we always come).

The party was quite a mishmash of people we've met from investors, to contractors, to sales staff, to managers.


Thomas's Mom really went all out with appetizer after appetizer after appetizer appearing. We were glad when she finally came out of the kitchen because we were starting to feel badly. She started with some great fruit - the kids glommed onto it and thought it was the best they had ever had (it was good, but I think they were just hungry). They were even more pleased when the chocolate came out (the adults were pretty happy too).



Michael's new family...I was in the picture but didn't like how I looked (the advantage of being the editor).




So the Eagles play at 2 today, which means an early beach day. Probably for the best considering afternoon clouds always seem to creep in. You guys sick of winter yet?

Oh, did I mention that one of Michael's workers borrowed Michael's car and not long after the vehicle was returned it wouldn't start? Turns out someone took out Michael's brand new battery and replaced it with an old one. Gotta love it... A pal of ours caught one of his guys stealing fuel from the generator to gas up his car. Glad we could make Christmas merrier for these boneheads.

Thanks to William and Carole who sent us our new theme song for next year's ahole party. This subject oddly seems to be a bit popular - even Hardee's did a commercial about it (gross!)

Final Beach Fix for Pals and a trip to Ottley's

Well, as I type this, the Walker clan is sitting at the Charlotte airport waiting to catch the last leg of their flight back to Phoenix. Before they left though, we gave them a final taste of island life. On Friday night, we took them to The Dock at the southern end of The Strip. It's where a lot of locals and working expats go on a Friday night to enjoy a 2-for-1 happy hour from 5-6 (the onion rings are really good here too), and where many bring their kids as well. We thought it would give Isabella a chance to play a bit and give Erin & JD a chance to let loose before they headed back.



Erin & Bella taking a cool-down dip while the bigger kids try to tempt the gods on the slippery rocks. There's Carnival's cruise ship taking off for the week.



Of all the pictures we took only one came out. JD was doing an unkid-friendly gesture. I returned the favor later, which is also on record. Yes, JD it seems we share that "essence." Ah, friends...Hope Bella doesn't pick up our potty-mimes.

Saturday morning, we went to N Frigate beach where the Marriott is located.



We had hoped the breakers would be blocking the ocean waves enough to enjoy a relaxing dip and get some reef snorkeling in. It wasn't as calm as we thought it'd be, but Bella was enjoying the surf anyway. Snorkeling wasn't too impressive.



Today, we'll be heading to Sandy Bank for our usual fix and will be thinking of our weary travelers while we try out the boogie boards they brought us. There's always such a vacuum when guests leave. I don't think Michael & I have spent that much time with a child, ever, and were in awe at how tough it is to be a parent (well, we knew somewhat, which is why we chose to be kid-free). Kudos to all you Moms and Dads out there! The cats were less impressed and were in rare form last night as they took back over the place. Of course, we're already using all kinds of Bella-isms ("'scuse me/giggle/sweet smile after a burp/toot; "Oh, I forgot" when we do something the other person didn't want us to do, etc.). Let's hope we didn't give Bella any bad habits to share with friends, although she was pretty impressed with Michael's deafening belches...Sorry guys!

Here are a few pictures I lifted from JD's camera to sum up the trip.

Ziggy's (The Strip/S Frigate)



Home (JD - that's Zura on the left; Jack on the right; you will be tested upon your return)



Sandy Bank (Turtle Beach)





Spice Mill (Cockleshell Beach)








Mr. X's Shiggidy Shack (the possessed child is Stara)



Ottley's Plantation



Good times!

Our pals on Merengue should be here next! Time to start practicing our Mexican Train Dominoes, not to mention the excuses that'll come with it ("A monkey took the domino I needed!"; "I can't play unless I'm on a boat").