Work Day - Wednesday July 9

Today Paul took Kevin to St. Martin to see him off on his 3-week sailing/diving trip. This will be Kevin's longest time away from his dad and it was kinda cute to see him get all nervous, but then super excited as soon as we got down to the dock where they were going to catch the Rapid Explorer ferry. Thankfully the water was very calm today so the trip would be smooth sailing.

At the ferry dock:



Ever see a moon in the sunlight?


Given that Suzanne and I (or at least I) have very few motherly instincts, I thought that after a quick hug it was OK for us to bolt out so we could get breakfast at La Creperie, which we did. One ham, egg and cheese and plate of bacon later, I was a very happy camper ready to do some power shopping before the conference call I had to take from the pool at noon. We had heard that the shops in St. Jean were better than in Gustavia (seriously, who really buys stuff at Christian Dior and Gucci other than sunglasses?) and they were definitely a little closer to my price range.

Both Suzanne and I spent the entire afternoon working /reading - Suzanne may have had a nap in there as well - then we had to get ready for our champagne sunset boat trip on the catamaran that we dove from yesterday. I put on my new St. Bart's wear and we headed out, and ended up getting to know some really great people on the boat, including a couple from L.A. on their honeymoon and of course Carol and Annette from yesterday. We sailed out to Columbier beach and settled in to watch the sunset while having snacks and sipping champagne. Nice. Not sure it was worth 80 euros per person though. We should have each also been provided with a hot frenchman to caress our backs while watching the sunset as well.

The Honeymooners:


Sunset, wishing for a hot frenchman:


Showing off my new fashions on the boat, I had to include this because it makes me laugh so very hard:



After having been directed by my sister to try as many of her recommended restaurants as possible, we chose O Corner in Gustavia, conveniently located for us after we docked. One would think that a place called O Corner would be an irish pub or some other casual place. Au contraire mon frere. Quite chic, again with the decor, the music, and as cheesy as I feel using this word - the "vibe". Paul was supposed to meet us there but was not there so I started to get worried and, while I headed back to the villa to see if he might be there and if he was joining us for dinner, Suzanne ran over to Le Strand to quickly meet The Ambassador. I gave her strict instructions that when I sent her a text stating "take a moment, say your goodbyes" she was to return to O Corner sans Ambassador. What do you think happened when we met back at the restaurant. Yes, he was right behind her.

In this blog I have restrained myself from the true descriptions of The Ambassador and his conversations - note I did not say "our" conversations, because he is the only one who talks - but let me try to sum it up here. While he is extremely nice, he thinks he is, um, the Bee's Knees of St. Barts. Or excuse me, St. Barth. But since we are not "in season" he is unable to show us how important and popular he really is. Yes, he does know a lot of people who work in the hospitality industry here, but wouldn't anyone after spending as much time here as he has? I feel kinda bad for him, he really wants people to like him and just goes about it the wrong way. And for me, it was really the wrong way. I get not so nice around people who irritate me and I'm pretty sure that became obvious when I told him at dinner to stop talking about himself and that I would rather sit in silence. I know it was totally rude but I just couldn't hear one more story about his belongings that are stranded in Bel-Air with his porsche at his ex-girlfriends house and how he practically owns the Beverly Hills Hotel, among other things. Anyhow, I think he felt bad because he ended up picking up our tab for another outstanding meal. Momentarily after the bill was paid, I bolted and could not get back to the villa fast enough......