It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas on St. Maarten with blow-up Santas and Christmas lights popping up everywhere. It was also an exciting day on the beach. We noticed a black blob just offshore around 7:30a.m. and for the next two hours watched it make its way to shore. At one point it looked like a marine animal and then it would change and look like a partially submerged jet ski. Finally, we had our answer when it landed just up the coast from Karakters. As several men hauled the debris on shore, they told me that it was a Fireworks display. There were many black tubes that would have held the firecrackers and they were bound together by wood and netting. It had either fallen off an offshore vessel that was hosting the fireworks display or had been gently “nudged” when the show had concluded. Hmmmm.

We spent the day lolling around the beach and taking it easy. That seems to be recurring theme of this vacation and it’s so much fun. Rest-swim-people watch-repeat. Works for me. As the sun set on another fantastic day, we pointed our trusty Picante car towards Pineapple Pete and Gary knew what he was having even before he parked. That man sure loves his fish and chips and Pierre, plus his terrific chefs seem to nail this dish every time for hubby. After some big hugs of welcome, we chose a table a perfect distance away from the evening’s entertainment. The sax player/singer was terrific and just loud enough that we could talk comfortably. I wasn’t too hungry, so I opted for a salad and while we were waiting Pierre tried to tempt us with an amazing boat of sushi. It was huge and I was so glad when he broke into a huge grin and delivered it to a neighbouring table of ten adults. That was a lot of sushi! Then somehow Pierre’s famous Lobster Thermidor swam over to our table along with Gary’s fish and chips and soon I forgot I wasn’t too hungry and was digging into the various dishes with a gusty zeal. Pierre’s Lobster Thermidor has always been a crowd pleaser but every time I have it, I still swoon over the baked cheese crust. What an incredible taste. After a lot of catching up and picture sharing of the events of the last year with Pierre, the waiter arrived with the final treat from the kitchen, Pineapple Pete’s famous Crème Brulee topped with a good dose of aged Meyers rum. YUM!