Madeariman Beach Club Anguilla

... a community feeling to it, especially because we visited in the low season, hurricane season. The steets were very quite, many shops were closed and not many tourists were visiting the island overnight.

We stayed for 2 nights and almost didn't made it back to St. Maarten because a hurricane was passing close by and the seas were too high for boats to run. So we ended up taking a plane.

... up to Pic Paradis (the highest point on the island) and instead, whiled away an unproductive and unpleasant afternoon at the Hidden Forest Café. Long gone are the days of fearless gallivanting. I guess you can say this vacation was truly a different experience, as it should be when traveling with an infant.

Suffice to say, we had an amazing time, despite all the bumps in the road to ...

Most of our days were spent visiting the French side of the island. We spent a long and lazy afternoon at Le Galion Beach so our little one could play in some shallow water. It’s a perfect beach for families with small kids or infants due to the calm waters. In fact, even in the shallowest of waters we saw some fish ...

... no road work is being done and you won’t be re-routed) or pass through Philipsburg (the capital on the Dutch side). Shopping in St. Maarten is all duty-free. And in the Dutch capital, there are plenty of jewelry shops all in a row on Front Street if you plan on buying some bling. Of course I had passed those up, and instead was more interested in stocking our mini fridge in the hotel room with some baby food, water, and some ...

... in Burger King who remarked “Welcome home, man!”. Jeff seems to touch people w/ joy wherever he is; this has become especially clear to us by the reaction of those he has touched here at Oyster Bay. This place is his Joy.
We stopped for a breather on Old Street and happened to stumble into a small sidewalk café called Café au Petit that had the most remarkable broccoli & bleu cheese quiche we ...

... 0-8-1-4-7.... NINE Jeff called out, followed by the announcers NINE! Jeff had won!! Jeff literally ran across the room to claim his prize...and announced to Beau Beau and all that he was giving his prize to his Mom. Mom came to the front of the room and gave Jeff a long, enduring hug....it was a poignant moment for all!! Jeff's win was a harbinger for the night to come as the lucky group was on their way to the Casino. Jeff ...

We started the day well rested after an eventful travel day frought with delays, food vouchers and freezing airports. We woke to the smell of fresh ground coffee brewing which we happily drank on our balcony overlooking paradise. Cindy and Jeff are raring to go (what else is new) and head out to the front desk to buy water, Barb and Becky cook a delicious breakfast back at the ranch with eggs, bacon, toast and jam.
Always up ...

... the docks where the racing regattas were moored. He took about 15 minutes to give us some background about the history of the sport and told us that one of the boats being used would be the famous Stars and Stripes that won The Americas Cup with Dennis Connor in 1987.

Our group was divided into 3 crews for 3 different boats and my wife and myself were incredibly lucky to be part of the crew for the Stars and Stripes. How cool was this going to be!! We got to participate as ...

... rough times! I feel taller naturally and spiritually as I get ready to embark on this trip and plan to take lots of photos. Which reminds me I need to add AA batteries and a conference note pad (like the ones in the pleather cases) to my long list of to-dos!

... Well, as it turned out, they developed quite a remarkable reputation for their carpentry and boatbuilding! The twin island nation of Antigua and Barbuda achieved independence in 1981, followed by St. Kitts and Nevis in 1983. Anguilla and Montserrat have elected to remain British Crown Colonies. As a result, the majority of the islanders remain very conservative. Anguilla's lack of rainfall, though good for us beach lovers, makes for unproductive soil for foliage ...