Monday seems to have passed in a haze, as has most of the last two and a half weeks if the truth be known, but that’s often what happens when you’re having fun. Did nothing special but had a lot of little errand-type things to do. We spent some morning time at the pool and said goodbye to some departing friends and then off to do ‘stuff’ before we leave on Wednesday. We came back ‘home’ to grill the steaks that were to have been our Sunday dinner. Yummy - steaks on the grill with campfire baked potatoes. My cabana boy did a great job! We were meeting a friend at El Zafiro in the evening so we ended up having salad and drinks there for dinner. So, tell me, how can you do nothing of consequence all day and still be exhausted at the end of it? I don’t know but we were!

So things of note (or non-note.) this trip:

We have still NOT seen as much as a drop of rain the two and a half weeks we’ve been here, and while I’m not wishing rain for anyone’s vacation, the island desperately needs it. In a few places we’ve been, when you walk on the grass it crackles like straw under foot, the hills and the golf course are dry and brown, and I can’t imagine what the resorts are paying for water to keep their plantings as beautiful as they are. Hopefully this weather pattern won’t ultimately end up in a serious drought for the island like we experienced in Saba a few years ago. That was like a chapter from Herman Wouk’s ‘Don’t Stop the Carnival’ and I surely wouldn’t wish that on SXM. Or anywhere, for that matter.

The surf here at BSV and along this stretch of Simpson Bay has really kicked up sincewe first arrived - not great for getting in and out of the ocean but the sound effects at bedtime are heavenly. The really nice thing about this trip for me has been even though I haven’t spent much time in the ocean, the swimming pools at both places we’ve stayed are right off the beach so you can see it, here it, and cool off and not end up with sand in places you didn’t know you had places!

We have still not experienced any seaweed this trip but we only did one beach day on the French side of the island where we’ve been told it’s been a problem. Again, we’ve seen none. We also experienced no electrical outages and no water shortages. GEBE has been good to us.

And lastly, this is the time of year we’ve visited EVERY year since our first trip in November, 1973. We know it encompasses a lot of holidays and island events that result in holiday business closures and we plan our island days accordingly, but I always feel badly for those who aren’t aware of street closures for parades and holiday store closures that force then into the resort areas for their grocery needs. Good Friday is a huge island holiday with lots of closures and the local people celebrate the day. Easter Sunday not so much beyond their normal worship routines. And then, there’s Easter Monday which is a huge party day. There are at least two parades associated with Carnival that can cause huge traffic snafus and then there’s Jouvert! Times two. There’s a Holland dignitary’s birthday - King, Princess, Prince, Queen? Not certain which one anymore - that is recognized and celebrated and tomorrow, May first, is Labor Day. And there may be another one that escapes me but remember, this is all in a short span and at Carnival time. It’s a fun time to be here IF you know ahead of time and plan accordingly but lots of visitors are disappointed because they are unable to do some of the things they had planned on doing and their week passes quickly.

Us? We planned nothing, or at least not too much, so “No problem, Mon!” And now we pack, and unlike Scarlet, I will NOT think about it tomorrow.