Sorry for the delay in getting this report out but you know how things get in the way once you get home.

We left on Sunday morning out of EWR on US Air, changing planes in Charlotte. No problems with flights either way. Sunday seems much less hectic than Saturday. Claude from Sommerset Car Rental met up with us,we signed the papers and off we were. $120 for the week for a nicely dented small white car. Can't beat it, and you just leave the car in the airport with keys in the ashtray when you depart. It was then off to Royal Palm to pick up the cell phone from Sharon Harris. Again, quick, easy with no problems. Stopped at the Lido grocery for some supplies and also picked up a snack at the lolo out front. A full rack of ribs and 1/4 chicken, all for $5.00. Very tasty and a great way to start the trip.

This trip marked the first time we have gone to SXM twice in one year. We always spend 2 weeks in June/July at Pelican and have never been to the island at any other time of year. Our friends Chuck and Joni invited us to share some time with them at the villa they rent every year at the same time. Lucky for them---------they get to stay a whole month-------but we were happy to sneak an "extra" week at our favorite place on the planet. The villa is on Orient up the hill from Boo Boo Jam. The owners of the property own everything from the beach up to the road, including the Rancho del Sol Restaurant. They are also the owners of the building that is being worked on between Coco and Boo Boo Jam--------it's going to be a restaurant------hopefully sometime soon. Anyway, they are the nicest, most interesting couple you could ever hope to meet. The villa was great and the view couldn't be beat. Pinel, Tintamarre, Green Cay and fabulous sunrises. As an added bonus the villa also came with the owners 8 dogs (3 St. Bernard's, 2 Poodles and 3 Mix's), 4 donkeys, a peacock, an iguana, some pigs and some goats. Quite the menagerie but MaryAnn was in heaven. Chuck and Joni are early to bed, early to rise, I'm late to bed and early to rise, and MaryAnn is late to bed and late to rise, so we were all on a different schedule. However, everyone who wanted to got to walk/jog the beach every morning. Chuck and Joni are very easy going and it was absolutely great to be able to stay with them.

The weather was a little strange that week. In all of the 12 years we've been going to SXM we have NEVER seen Orient beach with absolutely no wind for 4 days. It was absolutely dead calm. The water was warm and flat. The down side of no wind is that it's very hot, plus there are LOTS of bugs--------especially those tiny gnats. We were elated when the winds finally stirred up again. However, on the other side of the island the beaches were disappearing due to the winds coming out of the southwest. Cupecoy was absolutey gone-------just big giant rocks and giant waves. Baie Rouge was very rough with large waves and hardly any beach. We basically stayed with Club Orient beach this trip, which is different than July when the winds at Orient are usually howling. We went to Dawn Beach one day and sat down at the far end, past where the old Dawn Beach Hotel used to be. It was also very calm there with absolutely no current running along the beach, which is usually quite strong. We've gone nude there for the past 5 years with no problems. However, this year the friendly"Chairmon" came running all the way down the beach to inform us that because of the new homes being built there, there would be no more nude bathing. He told us to leave and go up to Orient. We felt like a couple of school kids getting scolded. So basically that left us just Orient to enjoy. There was a lot of erosion as compared to July. The sand was gone in front of Papagayo's again. They were able to squeeze in about 2-3 rows of chairs on Club O beach, but it was kind of tight and you kind of had to maneuver around to stay in the sun, especially later in the day.

We basically had breakfast at the villa, packed a lunch in our cooler and ate dinner out every night. This time we went to California, which is the first time we have been back there since 1993. It was the first restaurant we ever ate at on our first trip to the island. We had pizza and salads and it was all good. In Grand Case we also went back to Il Nettuno------a favorite of MaryAnn's. She had the BEST mussels ever in St. Martin, along with the lobster ravioli, both from the appetizer menu. The meal was a bit pricey, but they did reimburse us $3 for parking in the lot across the street. Other dinners were at Jimbo's at Simpson Bay Marina-----very good Mexican food, reasonable prices and a great atmosphere. Peg Leg Pub was disappointing to me for the second time. MaryAnn loved her filet but my sirloin was very dry. Yvettes in Orleans was very enjoyable as usual. I had the combo of ribs, chicken and pork chops cooked creole style and MaryAnn had the lobster cocktail and garlic shrimp. Everything was excellent and very reasonable prices. Le France in the Marina in Marigot was disappointing this trip also. We enjoyed it last July, but this trip it just seemed to be missing something. They have 2 price fix menu's----one for 16 euro and one for 20 euro. I had the sirloin and it was quite small and they just gave us one shot of rum after dinner instead of giving you a choice. The meal was still good, just not the same.

On Friday the 29th we attended the TTOL party at Baywatch organized by Dave and Regina Baird. What a great time we had there. I think 65 people made it to the party and everyone had a blast. We got there about 6 o'clock and had dinner from Andy's special menu for that night. I had the 20 ounce rib eye and MaryAnn had the broiled seafood platter and both were fantastic. There were 8 of us at our table----Chuck and Joni, Gail and Gunny, Joanne and Roger and us. I think most everyone else had eggplant or chicken parmesan and loved it. Anyway, Andy had a DJ set up at the restaurant next door playing some great oldie's and doo wopp. Even did the Bunny Hop! (I think Andy wanted to see the topless ladies for that one!) Happy Anniversary again to Emily and Bob! Anyway, the drinks were flowing smoothly and the whole place was dancing away. A beautiful harvest moon rose over Orient Bay and before you knew it everyone headed down on the beach and were dancing in the sand and the ocean. To me it was a once in a lifetime experience and a sight to behold. MaryAnn says it was her favorite thing ever to happen to her in SXM (except for us getting married there in 2000). You just can't beat dancing naked in the moonlight on Orient Bay. It doesn't get any better than this!!!!!!!! Many, many thanks to Dave and Regina for putting this together.

Another highlight of the trip was the day sail we did with Don and Nancy, friends of Chuck and Joni who were down on a chartered sailboat from the Moorings in Oyster Pond. We sailed out of Orient, to Tintamarre, and then along the coast over to Grand Case. We anchored there and grilled hot dogs and had sandwiches and lots of Chuck's famous Grog. You could even see Saba from where we were. We swam off the sailboat and had a fantastic time. We learned a little about sailing and had a relaxing day enjoying SXM from another perspective. Thanks again Don and Nancy------hope it's not too cold yet in Minnesota!!!

All in all this was another perfect relaxing vacation in paradise. I forgot to mention that Atlantis Casino was very kind to MaryAnn at the blackjack tables this trip. If you go, make sure you sign up for their special booklet so you can get the match plays and free slot machine money. Every time we visit the island we leave with yet more new memories to keep forever. We're looking forward to our next trip in June.

Paul & MaryAnn
aka Beachbum and Beachgirl7

p.s.----------We'll be posting pictures soon.