The BAD: the only downside to the vacation was seeing those long lines of people at the USAIR counter who were not flying first class. I would guess that the 1 ½ to 2 hour prior arrival time may not be enough in some cases. And the lines at the two security screening stations were each at least 30 people long. At some point the vacation travelers are going to rebel and say "ENOUGH"... and will drive where possible or not travel at all.<br><br>OK... moving onward... the plane arrived 15 minutes late at SXM instead of the typical 15 minutes early. And the lines at SXM immigration were the longest I have ever seen... 40 minutes of inching forward... then finally collecting my luggage which, for the first time ever, beat me to the pick-up area.<br><br>Then outside, looking for the sign with my name on it for the rental car... NOT to be found! A little waiting, some help from "Mickey" at Tropical Car Rental, and my ride arrived. Back to the car rental agency... filled out paperwork... and I was on my way... 1 hour later than I had hoped. The drive to Club Orient was through some rain showers but with a BEAUTIFUL RAINBOW... a precursor of the wonderful week to come.<br><br>Checking in at Club Orient was a breeze, as usual. After depositing my stuff at Studio #4 and shucking my duds, I stepped out the sliding glass door and was greeted by Steve... a guy that I had met last year through [color:red]Two Hearts</font color=red>! Ah... a wonderful feeling. It was too late to get onto the beach so I mosied on over to Papagayo and who should appear quite soon... Two Hearts (Keith and Carol). Warm greetings and an earlier supper there (don't EVER order the onion soup... it was execrable).<br><br>The days from Wednesday (12/4) through Thursday (12/12) had a similarity... get out of bed, cleaned up, and out to the beach. Chatting with Keith and Carol, Ray and Vlasta, John and Sugarae, Dan and Susan, Anna and Frank, Steve and Maria, Alan and Sherrie, Mike and Susan, Steve and Chris, Doug and Tina, Harry and Marsha, Jeff and Mary, Ray and Judy ... possibly others? Ray has an incredible talent for sand sculpture as well as body painting!<br><br>The Lagoon Cruise on Thursday evening was quite pleasant... we would all recommend it. Bas told a few interesting anecdotes and pointed out the amazing houses/buildings that can't be seen except from the water. Afterwards, some folks stayed at Turtle Pier for dinner (GOOD reports on that); Carol, Keith, and I went to Sunset Beach Bar for cheeseburgers ($6, EXCELLENT!) However, the ambience and music were for a younger crowd so we didn't stick around there for long... preferring to make a "donation" at the Dolphin Casino next door. While I was tempted to indulge further, my common sense told me that $25 was enough. If I had had GOOD sense, I probably wouldn't have walked in the door.<br><br>Dinner Friday night was at Sol é Luna in Cul de Sac. The food was good, though I am no judge of "red snapper", and the ambience peaceful and upscale. However, the prices are a bit high and the value not worth it to me. The company (11 of us) was OUTSTANDING!<br><br>Saturday night was the get-together at The Green House... well over 50 of us there... made very comfortable by Conan Westemeyer, the manager. The only difficulty was finding the place... I was looking farther down the road, past Bobbie's Marina. The Green House is off a short alley at the end (?) of Front Street. Arriving early with Keith and Carol (they really took me under their wings... thank you, Keith and Carol!), we had VERY good appetizers (fried mozzarella sticks and chicken fingers) and burger-type stuff. My chicken breast with cheese (on a bun) was VERY GOOD! My only regret was that I didn't have time to eat more than half of it. From 5 p.m. till 7 p.m. we were all busy greeting one another, renewing old acquaintances and making new ones. Thanks to Conan, the door prize was dinner for two at The Green House... won by Jim Cloutier (Congratulations again, Jim!). He told me on the beach on Tuesday (?) that he and Pat had an EXCELLENT meal there on Monday (?) night... the coconut shrimp (EIGHT of them!) were definitely worth ordering again.<br><br>Of particular note was Suzie and her red t-shirt... once again celebrating her birthday. Pictures of the Lagoon Cruise and the get together are available at http://groups.msn.com/sxmphotos/shoebox.msnw . Suzie was saying "socks"... I refused to believe her.<br><br>We all got to meet Patty Meotti (Patitaly)... a great gal as already noted by Sugarae... and Dina Jones and her daughter. Dina is on the Boad of Directors of "Safe Haven". Thanks to all who bought raffle tickets from her. There was a lovely lady there from the Herald, taking pictures and talking to folks. I gave her a brief, written history of www.traveltalkonline.com, hoping to see it in the newspaper... nothing by the time I left on Thursday.<br><br>Other places to dine: The Rib Shack in Grand Case. Ray Mann steered us onto this place... he and Vlasta, Keith, Carol, and I really enjoyed this on Monday (?) night. The ribs were NOT juicy (sauce dripping off one's elbow) and there wasn't an abundance of meat on the bones. However, they were VERY flavorful and there portions were more than ample. For those that aren't aware, "ample" is quite a bit for a guy 6'3" and 285 pounds. A strong feature is the price... $4 for a plate of ribs, $2 for ½ a chicken, 50¢ for a "johnnycake", $1 - $2 for other side dishes. Several cokes and Caribes swelled the bill for 5 people to $32... can't beat that with a stick!<br><br>Tuesday was 11 of us (a magic number?) at Le Petit Auberge (someone has to tell me what "auberge" means!) on the marino in Marigot. Ray Mann once again headed up this dining delight... very good food and fine chatter.<br><br>Wednesday, our last night, was dinner for 3 (Keith, Carol, and me) at California in Grand Case. This was the finest meal that I have had on St. Martin in 5 vacations... The filet mignon (boef something) was so tender and flavorful... and only $20 which is quite reasonable for St. Martin. Keith and Carol enjoyed their rib eye steaks ($16) as well. It was interesting walking the entire length of the main (?) street of Grand Case... and seeing all the restaurants that we have read about here. From looking at the menus, California has to be the least expensive!<br><br>So, that's it folks... the trip home was uneventful and I am once again in the bosom of approaching winter... 50º cooler and back to things "normal". If I have additional thoughts, I will append them. Again, thanks to Keith and Carol, Ray and Vlasta, and all the other wonderful folks who helped make this the best vacation yet. Oh, yes... 6 cans of cashews disappeared.