Leslie Nielsen

Bob & I were saddened to hear of the passing of Leslie Nielsen.

We were honored to be a part of his 75th birthday celebration back in February 2001. Word had leaked out and there was quite a crowd waiting for the Nielsen charter group at the Willy T's. It was a windy and choppy week but they had a "fabu" time... In fact, they did a return charter and condo combination. Nice people.

Were you at Willy T's that night?

For my brother's 30th birthday, Bob & I took him to see the film Airplane.

When we lived in France, the movie Y a-t-il un pilote dans l'avion? seemed to be always playing somewhere. A fun film.

Thanks for the joy you gave us, Leslie.

Monday Monday

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.  Some of you had a 4-dayer...

When I was a "fonctionnaire" in France we didn't get Thanksgiving off but it was made up for by LOTS of other holidays.  I loved the month of May, especially when the 1st fell on a Thursday because then we were able to "faire le pont" and make it into a 4-day weekend. With the 1st (Labor Day) on a Thursday, this made the 8th (VE day) also be a Thursday... Ascension usually fell in May, shortly followed by Pentecost and Whit Monday.  I used to get 6 weeks of paid vacation, too. Plus no-hassle HEALTH CARE, including dental!

Well, it hasn't rained much the past couple of days and when it has it's only been for a couple of minutes. I'm not complaining when the rain stops just as soon as I've closed the hatches. I'm not looking forward to a heavy rain because Buffy has been messing with our new weatherstripping.

Will this stop the rain from coming in?

If she's outside and notices that the forward hatch is only open an inch, she'll stick her paw in the gap and start clawing the weatherstripping along with an occasional munch.

I heard a noise a bit ago... Sounded like sails flapping which is unusual.  Popped my head out and it was the schooner Roseway heading out the channel.  She came back to St Croix last week after being up in the Great Lakes this summer.

Schooner Roseway

Not sure what to plan for today as the weather looks a bit unsettled.  Willow wants me to play with her some more :)

Listening to Randy California's Shattered Dreams album...

Hi again... I just went to check out Amazon's CyberMonday and noticed they had 40% off of BBC shows and had to tell you about this...

They have Black Adder Remastered: The Ultimate Edition available for only $44.99 today. This has the 4 seasons of Black Adder plus their various specials, as well as interviews, etc.  I bet that quite a few of you have never seen House MD's Hugh Laurie in his various comedic roles on English TV.  He is so funny in this series and Rowan Atkinson can be such a nasty, mean character... not like his more slapstick Mr.Bean character... although I really like the Mr. Bean's Holiday movie.

I would feel terribly guilty if I didn't mention this because it's something I enjoy so much and want to share.

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Yesterday we walked up to Pueblo supermarket to do our Thanksgiving shopping. We decided on a couple of nice steaks which will be a real treat.

Good thing we didn't see this video until this morning, or we might have had to buy out the entire meat department :)

Those guys at Epic Meal Time are some real crazy dudes!

While you are waiting for your T-Day dinner to cook or killing time during the commercials in the football games, check out what Amazon's Lightning Deals are for the hour...

Check it out! Sale ends Nov. 27, 2010

As it is Thanksgiving, I must remember to listen to Alice's Restaurant Massacree today... It's tradition!

Enjoy!

Day before Turkey Day

It is a blustery morning again here in Christiansted, but at least it doesn't look like rain... although sometimes it rains when the sun is shining :)

We were going to take the bus up to the big supermarkets yesterday but guess what?  It RAINED just about the time we needed to leave to catch the bus. We plan to walk up to Pueblo at Golden Rock this morning and get some fixin's for T-Day.  It's good exercise, too.

In Bob's BoatBits post this morning "T-Day minus one..." he mentioned dropping off something at a food bank. It would be great if Pueblo had a barrel at the exit door so we could put a couple of cans in it... Way back when I was a small child, stores used to do this and, remember Toys For Tots? Does this still exist?  Hopefully they still have food drives like this stateside, but I'm sure there are people here in the USVIs who would benefit, too.

This weekend was the Wahoo Tournament. We went to Saturday's weigh-in and they said that this guy would have probably won that day's catch except that a shark made out first :)

Click photos to enlarge

We didn't go to see Sunday's fish because... it was RAINING!

Have you checked out the Black Friday Sale (all week) at Amazon?  We got one of their Lightning Deals on a TV series (6 DVD) for only $12 plus free shipping. Hurray!

Check it out! Sale ends Nov. 27, 2010

And, thanks to whoever bought the Cuisinart!  Appreciate that you followed our link You get a Gold Star :)

At least with all of this crappy weather, I've been able to do some web work...

I heard that the folks who are messing about with that particle accellerator thingy & the big bang theory might soon have insights into other dimensions.  I could use some sort of time dimension so I could get more work done in a day (without wearing myself out) and a really useful one for all of us would be a spatial 4th dimension where you could have the accommodation of a 65-foot boat in a 34-foot boat package.

And, speaking of charities, have you pressed the purple button lately??? Go to The Animal Rescue Site and after pressing their button, run along the tabs at the top for Hunger, Breast Cancer, Child Health, Literacy, and Rain Forest and press their buttons, too.

Have an excellent day!

Amazon.com BLACK FRIDAY WEEK Saie

Amazon is having a Black Friday WEEK sale and it starts TODAY runs through Nov. 27, 2010.

They are starting Black Friday early and this is a link to their main page for this event where you can find Lightning Deals which change every few hours, so check often!

Bob & I are very interested in their Movies & TV DVD section:

• Early Bird/Gifting/Sci-fi Event savings up to 57% on over 3000 eligible DVDs and Blu-ray discs from 11/2 - 11/21
• Black Friday Event with savings up to 70% on over 3000 eligible DVDs and Blu-ray discs from 11/22 - 11/29
• 77 DVD and Blu-ray Specific Lightning Deals from 11/22 - 11/29 with savings up to 70% on eligible new releases on DVD and Blu-ray

Kitchen Home & Pets:

• Gifts up to 40% Off in the Kitchen, Home & Pets Holiday Gift Guide
• Black Friday Event with savings of up to 50% on a wide selection of products for the home from kitchen knives to vacuums from 11/22 - 11/27

Music:

• Deluxe Editions: Hundreds of CDs and DVDs including the 25th anniversary edition of Michael Jackson's Thriller, with prices starting at $8.99 
• Box Sets: Hundreds of box sets, including Hank Williams Sr., with prices starting at $12.99 
• Greatest Hits: Hundreds of titles, including The Beatles, with prices starting at $6.49

Check it out... Explore the sale 


Much more to come next week... Stay tuned...

Full Moon Party TONIGHT Trellis Bay Tortola BVI

There's a full moon party in Trellis Bay, Tortola, British Virgin Islands TONIGHT!

If you're over that way, check it out...

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Patti Smith's Book: Just Kids. And other STX stuff

Congratulations to Patti Smith for winning the National Book Award for Nonfiction for her New York Times Best-Seller, Just Kids.

Patti Smith - Just Kids

I saw Patti Smith in the summer of 1979 (30+ years???? No way!) in Seattle at the Paramount.  That was (perhaps still is?) a great venue for concerts. The guy I went with (JPH) worked at a record store and was always able to score good concert seats... front row balcony. It was quite an adventure to drive up to the big city and to see her perform.

The next day, back at work in my home town, a colleague from Medical Records told me that she saw me at the concert and was so shocked to see me there... It's good to shock people :) If she only knew what I've been up to since!

As it was a punk concert, they had strict security... looking for cameras and whatever.  I didn't have safety pins in my cheek so I was pretty much overlooked.

Her hit at that time was "Because the Night" written by Bruce Springsteen, which is on her "Easter" album. (We saw "The Boss" that summer, too).

You can buy the book from Amazon as a paperback or Kindle.

***** Oh, no... We're out of coffee!!! *****

We went over to St Croix Marine to check out their "yard sale".  We bought a 1/2 gallon thermos for $2 and 46' of double-braid line for $5 (i.e. 9.2¢/foot).  We then found some reasonably priced coffee at Schooner Bay Market THANK GOODNESS!!!

STX Marine has a great deal today on a Walker Bay inflatable kayak for only $600.

Thought we'd be able to do a few epoxy/fiberglass projects today because it hasn't rained for a few days and everything has dried out pretty much (there's still some water flowing down the streets)... but GUESS WHAT???  It rained... The ropes that were out that we were waiting to dry before putting away, are wet again.  Well, at least they're getting a good fresh water rinse.

There's a Wahoo fishing tournament this weekend.  This explains why we were waked many times between 3:00 and 6:00am this morning (lines in the water at 6:30).  Is that why they're called wakes? Because they wake you up??? If it is NOT RAINING we might go check out the weighing in of fish this afternoon & see if they have put anything more out at the yard sale.

Thank you to whoever bought the power tools through Amazon. Hope your work isn't weather dependent.

So It Goes... and keeps going :)

As does Patti Smith!

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Friday BOAT Cat Blogging - More boxes

Continuing with cats in boxes...

Willow surprised us by sleeping in Buffy's Box. This was a first...

Buffy took it OK and didn't seem to mind. She good and shares her toys with her sister.

Buffy finds the box very handy as it keeps her from rolling around when the anchorage is so swelly as it has been lately.  Might put out a stern anchor...

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Check out our Nautical Greeting Cards and More store We only make a few pennies on purchases but everything helps and we appreciate it!

FUNNY VIDEO: I want to sell my yacht

This video has great bits in it (and some profanity... you've been warned).

You can also apply it to other industries... I recognize a certain type of client we get from time to time, and you probably do too with whatever business you have :)



Hope you enjoyed it!

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Check out our Nautical Greeting Cards and More store We only make a few pennies on purchases but everything helps and we appreciate it!

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Another basket cat... Charter Yacht Marolanga

Gus and Marcella, owner-operators of the charter catamaran Marolanga, sent us this picture of ship's cat Sasha who also loves a good basket.

Sasha is a beautiful Persian.  Charter guests love him.

Marcella had bought this basket with the intention of it being her new fruit basket but Sasha got first dibs on it.  He's so cute... how could you take it away from him?

 Sasha's home, Charter Yacht Catamaran Marolanga, Virgin Islands

The charter yacht Marolanga is a fully air conditioned, 43-foot Catana catamaran which accommodates up to 6 guests in 3 cabins, plus they have an additional single cabin for kid's use. They love having families aboard and have toys for all ages and an assortment of sizes for life jackets and snorkel gear.

Marolanga is currently available for Christmas and New Years in the Virgin Islands!

Visit Paradise Connections to see more about Marolanga.

You can read a recent post about Marolanga on our Yacht Charter blog.

We have blue sky this morning... doesn't look like rain.  Maybe the weather is improving :)

So It Goes...

Basket Case Cat & St Croix Sunday

In response to yesterday's post with the Japanese cat and his love for boxes video ("Many to small boxes and Maru") my brother sent me this picture of one of his Ragdoll cats.

Edgar seems to prefer baskets to boxes. Looks like a cozy place to be when it is 28°F outside.

It might be a bit warmer than that down here in St Croix, but guess what??? It's RAINING...

But, looking on the bright side of this gray, dismal and gloomy day, Bob has just made waffles.

Here's some real good news... After being held captive by Somali pirates for over a year, the Chandlers are free.  See the BBC report.

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Check out our Nautical Greeting Cards and More store We only make a few pennies on purchases but everything helps and we appreciate it!

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Friday / Saturday Cat Blogging: Cats and Boxes

This was on BoingBoing.net yesterday but maybe you didn't see it. If you have a cat that has a thing about boxes, you'll love it :)

Many to small boxes and Maru

Of course, there's the classic Simon's Cat...

Simon's Cat in 'The Box'

Buffy loves boxes...

So did Bullwinkle...

Paper bags are great fun, too :)

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Check out our Nautical Greeting Cards and More store We only make a few pennies on purchases but everything helps and we appreciate it!

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IL PLUIE... LOTS OF RAIN FOR ST CROIX

They say that St Croix has been hit worse than St Thomas or St John with the amount of rainfall we've had over the past few days.  The schools on St Croix are closed today while the other islands of the USVI are open.

This video was posted to YouTube on Wednesday, November 10, 2010. I wonder what it looks like now.

Yesterday we planned to walk up to the Pueblo supermarket at Golden Rock Shopping Center. When we got to the Christiansted dinghy dock we realized that the rain was coming towards us, so we high-tailled it (well, putt-putted) over to St Croix Marine and walked over to Schooner Bay Market while it was raining lightly.

It was really coming down while we were in the store and when we left, the streets were flowing with water. It let up for a bit, rained for a while in the afternoon, and then it rained all night. We have a couple of inches in the washtub I left outside, so I suppose the roads are even worse now.

From the St Croix Source (Yesterday's news... I hope they update soon):

• The Day After: Crowds View Frederiksted's Battered Beachside
• Body Of St. Croix Flood Victim Recovered 
• Governor, Emergency Officials Assessing Flood Damage

Here's something I didn't know was in the works...

Smoking ban in effect; enforcement is delayed
By Aldeth Lewin, Daily News Staff
Published: November 10, 2010

ST. THOMAS — The new smoking ban goes into effect today, but the V.I. Health Department and the V.I. Licensing and Consumer Affairs Department will not enforce the new law for another three months.

The Smoke-Free Act prohibits smoking in any public place including restaurants, bars and all places of employment. Smoking still will be allowed on beaches, but not within 20 feet of concession stands, restaurants and other businesses located on the beach.  

Environmental Health officers will not issue citations until Feb. 10 so businesses will have more time to come into compliance with the new law, Health Commissioner Julia Sheen said in a statement issued Tuesday.  Read more...

Buffy & Willow are outside taking advantage of this break in the rain to be outdoors.  Willow loves lapping up rain drops once it stops raining.

Let's go fishing...

No Tropical Cyclones At This Time

This is what I like to see...

 NOAA: No tropical cyclones at this time

Yesterday it had a yellow blob over our area. We had lots of rain and even managed to collect a bit. Willow didn't like the thunder.  Last night we had an almost simultaneous flash & crash. I jumped up and looked through the deluge and saw that our neighbor's boat still had a mast and was floating... Sometimes it feels good not to have a mast sticking up like a lightning rod.

On the radio this morning they said that quite a few roads were closed on St Croix due to flooding. Seems like a good day to stay on the boat.

The weather forecast for today was intermittent sun and probably lots more rain.  Of course it will rain some more... today is the last day of the St Thomas Charter Yacht Show. The cats are running in and out, up and down, taking advantage of this morning's dry spell.

I like the Self Repair Manifesto poster that is in today's Boat Bits blog.

Just having second cup of coffee... we'll see how the day goes...

Reminder: Eastern Mountain Sports big sale this weekend

Sorry, no Friday Cat Blogging today except to say that Buffy and Willow are such good girls.  We went shopping up at Kmart & CostULess and waited for a bus forever and didn't get back to the boat until almost 4 hours late for their lunch and they didn't give us a bad time... Wonderful puss cats :)

But, I'd like to remind you that this weekend is EMS (Eastern Mountain Sports) BIG SALE!! Don't you hate it when a friend tells you about an event like this on Tuesday after the fact? Bummer....

No excuses... You've been told !!!

 -The sale is over. Hope you got some good deals-

For their online sale, they are having "power deals" every three hours.  For example, right now they are taking an extra 10% off of EMS tents between 6-9pm EST. (Is it Standard Time now? Doesn't it change on Sunday at 2am?  Living in the Caribbean makes it easy... there is only Island Time... no daylight time... just AST.)

So check out the EMS sale... Maybe there's a Christmas present there for YOU or a loved one :)

They handle just about everything: Clothing & Footwear for men, women, and kids; Camping; Hiking; Bikes, Climbing; Kayaking, Water sports; Snow sports; Travel bags, packs, luggage; Yoga; Cookware; etc. They've got lots of helpful advice on their site such as "How to Choose Socks" and "Winter Cycling Tips".

Enjoy!

Nice photos from the BVIs - Charter Yacht Promenade

My friend Kerry, owner-operator of the sailing-diving charter yacht Promenade, has some of her family aboard this week for her first yacht charter of the season.

Here's a couple of interesting photos they have taken this week...

Fishing Bat

Dolphin

Diver silhouette

Blue Coral

Lobster

We hope to find some critters soon. We haven't been able to try our new lobster snare that Bob made due to sinus issues :(

These bushwackers sure look tasty!

Here's a video of the Charter Yacht Promenade 'cuz you might like to see who I talking about from time to time...

If you are interested in chartering Promenade contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters.  Promenade has 2 cabins available on their cabin week (beginning February 13 for either 6 or 10 nights), plus they are having a special all-inclusive deal for the summer and take groups of up to ten guests...

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Check out our Nautical Greeting Cards and More store We only make a few pennies on purchases but everything helps and we appreciate it!

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