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STJ Escapades Part 8 - "Oooh YUM, Olive Tapenade!"
STJ Escapades Part 8 - "Oooh YUM, Olive Tapenade!"
Life is so sweet as I wake to my first lovely morning at Orchid Hill. What's not so sweet are the big, loud, annoying birds that live under the gallery roof. Those noisy little ba*tards made damn good on the saying "up with the birds" every day! The pool and views are very nice at this villa but the thing I love most about it is the gallery. You can whip out your inner couch potato, get your grub on, play lazy in the hammock, listen to tunes, and night or day, rain or shine, it's all GOOD!
<a href="http://s87.photobucket.com/albums/k138/ ... C_1206.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k138/ ... C_1206.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s87.photobucket.com/albums/k138/ ... C_1209.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k138/ ... C_1209.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Since the kids were making good on their sleep ins, Honey and I decided it was the best opportunity for a quick grocery run. First stop was Marina Market where we stocked up on a little food to go with our booze. We then drove over to the Starfish Marketplace where I wanted to pop in and see if the pretend Starbucks by any remote stretch of luck had a copy of the book I left at the San Juan Airport. Umm, that would be a no, but it's quite a nice little book & coffee shop if you're jones-ing for a read and a pick-me-up. After that, we drove over to the Lumberyard to stock up on blender ice and water jugs at STJ Ice Co, then headed back to the villa to load up the beach gear and grab the rugrats for breakfast cause after the liquidy egg goo yesterday, I so needed a yummy good morning meal! The destination of choice was Tamarind Inn and it did not disappoint! The little man ordered up the 2 stack of cakes but wouldn't quit bi*ching cause he wanted the 3 stack, Drama Girl ordered an Egg Sammie and Honey and I had the 3 (count them 3) perfectly cooked Egg Omelette with all kinds of stuffings. It was the goods let me tell ya. Now that's what I'm talking about people! Pancake Boy's 2 cakes were gynormous so he ate about 3/4 's of his plate. It's a good thing I didn't give in to the little sh*t with the 3 stack or I would have had to bean him upside the head with the one he didn't eat! Actually, I'm surprised he couldn't finish it, the kid eats his dad under the table. Food was yummy for sure here and very reasonable so it definitely made up for the "Really Bad Eggs" yesterday. They also have a different theme dinner every night that looked really great, but we never made back to check things out. Next time!
After throwing down some chow it's ALL about Hawksnest how I've missed you! I have waited two agonizing and excruciatingly long years to dip myself into the waters of feel good again. Leaving my little peeps bickering in the parking lot and Honey taking his sweet a$$ time trying to sort out the gear, it was straight down onto the sand and into the water, stripping as I went. IT WAS SO WORTH THE WAIT! The water was so warm and so calm and so clear, it took me straight back to the first moment I'd ever clapped eyes on it. Love at first look all over again, and like I'd never left in the first place. Simply amazing! Seeing Honey stomp down to the beach wearing a pi$$ed off expression, I played like I was sweet with a smile and asked him to bring me my gear. While Drama Girl had a tanning session, Snorkel Boy, Honey and I ended up snorkeling all around the bay for about an hour and it made my heart happy to find the Elkhorn Forest in better shape then I had expected after hearing about the bad storm before we left. Saw lots of fish and floated a while over a Flamingo Tongue which I love. The first time I ever saw one, I just thought it was just a cool looking shell. The underwater world is a mystical and magical thing! After the snorkel, I sat on the towel and just held onto serenity for a while. So Wonderful!
After spending some real feel good time at Hawksnest, we stopped at the park on the way back to the villa to scope out the vendors. I've been pining over a handmade necklace I found last trip and didn't get. I hate when I do that, it's a real problem! No issue finding the vendor again because well, to put is as mildly as I can, she likes to display her hairy girl pits along with her jewelry. I probably wouldn't have noticed this except for the fact that she spent the entire time we were standing there with her arms above her head instead of at her sides. I'm sure that since she's a member of the weaker sex it's just a cultural thing though and well, I'm cool with that, whatever floats her boat right? I'm just grateful that after witnessing Drama Girl's expression, Critter Boy didn't feel the need to ask her about it with me standing there or I would have had to find the nearest rock to crawl under! Perhaps the coconut the nice Rasta man sliced open with his machete and handed him along with a straw as we walked up did the trick keeping him preoccupied. Score one for the Rasta! The good news to this tale is that I was able to order what I wanted and she said she'd have it ready for me tomorrow. Cool!
After that, it was back to the villa in late afternoon where Pool Boy got his swim on, Drama Girl got her float on, Honey got his lazy on, and I whipped up a batch of Becky's Hummus for some before dinner snacks to go along with our drinks. Drinks is a weird word. A damn fine weird word though! After some serious limin on the verandah, it was time to clean up for dinner. Drama Girl and I must have been having another pasta deficiency cause that's all we could think about so we informed the boys we were headed into town. Can you say Cafe Roma? Oh yeah! After parking at the Lumberyard (cause it's after hours), we walked down to the restaurant where we were seated right away and ordered up more drinks. Almost immediately, our server comes over with a basket of yummy and Critter Boy excitedly exclaims "Ooooh YUM, Olive Tapenade!" while grabbing for the goods. I'm like "WHAT!?" I was curious to know how Non-weird Food Boy knows what Olive Tapenade looks like let a lone how to pronounce it since I don't make it at home, and more importantly what the hell made him want to try it so I asked. "I saw it on iCarly and she said "OMG! This is gooooood!" I've been wanting to try it ever since!" It's official, the kid's OD'd on TV! That was so funny! After careful consideration though, maybe it was only funny cause we had a couple few feel goods in us already. Dinner selections this eve were the Mozzarella Bread followed with Spaghetti & Meatballs for Critter Boy, Lasagna for Honey, and Chicken Fettuchini X2 for the girls. OMG! Can I just say YUM! That pasta was so good I'm over here salivating just thinking about it. I'm pretty sure we didn't utter a peep for the first for the first ½ of the plate and I’m totally shocked due to the inhalation factor that we were even able to taste it! The BEST meal of the trip for sure, and for the evening’s entertainment, we were able to witness Drama Girl fly out of Roma’s down the alley bathroom stating “that is the scariest bathroom EVER! I’d rather pi$$ my pants!” Such is drama! Told you, island pots and her just don’t mix!
<a href="http://s87.photobucket.com/albums/k138/ ... C00578.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k138/ ... C00578.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
So after we gorged ourselves and had a nice little family chitchat, I pretended like I totally worked off the next week’s worth of fat grams I’d just consumed by shaking my hips all the way back to the Jeep. After some quality pool & hot tub time, it was so nice to relax in the gallery and fall asleep to the sounds of island chirping. The only issue I had with the day was when getting my jammies on, I unfortunately realized the cellulite had decided to come out of hiding and have a party on my @$$! Nice.
<a href="http://s87.photobucket.com/albums/k138/ ... C02530.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k138/ ... C02530.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s87.photobucket.com/albums/k138/ ... C02535.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k138/ ... C02535.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Next Up: Island hopping in the BVI’s Baby!
Post Script: Sorry, I couldn't find any shots of Hawksnest. I must have been too busy limin to even think about it!
<a href="http://s87.photobucket.com/albums/k138/ ... C_1206.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k138/ ... C_1206.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s87.photobucket.com/albums/k138/ ... C_1209.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k138/ ... C_1209.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Since the kids were making good on their sleep ins, Honey and I decided it was the best opportunity for a quick grocery run. First stop was Marina Market where we stocked up on a little food to go with our booze. We then drove over to the Starfish Marketplace where I wanted to pop in and see if the pretend Starbucks by any remote stretch of luck had a copy of the book I left at the San Juan Airport. Umm, that would be a no, but it's quite a nice little book & coffee shop if you're jones-ing for a read and a pick-me-up. After that, we drove over to the Lumberyard to stock up on blender ice and water jugs at STJ Ice Co, then headed back to the villa to load up the beach gear and grab the rugrats for breakfast cause after the liquidy egg goo yesterday, I so needed a yummy good morning meal! The destination of choice was Tamarind Inn and it did not disappoint! The little man ordered up the 2 stack of cakes but wouldn't quit bi*ching cause he wanted the 3 stack, Drama Girl ordered an Egg Sammie and Honey and I had the 3 (count them 3) perfectly cooked Egg Omelette with all kinds of stuffings. It was the goods let me tell ya. Now that's what I'm talking about people! Pancake Boy's 2 cakes were gynormous so he ate about 3/4 's of his plate. It's a good thing I didn't give in to the little sh*t with the 3 stack or I would have had to bean him upside the head with the one he didn't eat! Actually, I'm surprised he couldn't finish it, the kid eats his dad under the table. Food was yummy for sure here and very reasonable so it definitely made up for the "Really Bad Eggs" yesterday. They also have a different theme dinner every night that looked really great, but we never made back to check things out. Next time!
After throwing down some chow it's ALL about Hawksnest how I've missed you! I have waited two agonizing and excruciatingly long years to dip myself into the waters of feel good again. Leaving my little peeps bickering in the parking lot and Honey taking his sweet a$$ time trying to sort out the gear, it was straight down onto the sand and into the water, stripping as I went. IT WAS SO WORTH THE WAIT! The water was so warm and so calm and so clear, it took me straight back to the first moment I'd ever clapped eyes on it. Love at first look all over again, and like I'd never left in the first place. Simply amazing! Seeing Honey stomp down to the beach wearing a pi$$ed off expression, I played like I was sweet with a smile and asked him to bring me my gear. While Drama Girl had a tanning session, Snorkel Boy, Honey and I ended up snorkeling all around the bay for about an hour and it made my heart happy to find the Elkhorn Forest in better shape then I had expected after hearing about the bad storm before we left. Saw lots of fish and floated a while over a Flamingo Tongue which I love. The first time I ever saw one, I just thought it was just a cool looking shell. The underwater world is a mystical and magical thing! After the snorkel, I sat on the towel and just held onto serenity for a while. So Wonderful!
After spending some real feel good time at Hawksnest, we stopped at the park on the way back to the villa to scope out the vendors. I've been pining over a handmade necklace I found last trip and didn't get. I hate when I do that, it's a real problem! No issue finding the vendor again because well, to put is as mildly as I can, she likes to display her hairy girl pits along with her jewelry. I probably wouldn't have noticed this except for the fact that she spent the entire time we were standing there with her arms above her head instead of at her sides. I'm sure that since she's a member of the weaker sex it's just a cultural thing though and well, I'm cool with that, whatever floats her boat right? I'm just grateful that after witnessing Drama Girl's expression, Critter Boy didn't feel the need to ask her about it with me standing there or I would have had to find the nearest rock to crawl under! Perhaps the coconut the nice Rasta man sliced open with his machete and handed him along with a straw as we walked up did the trick keeping him preoccupied. Score one for the Rasta! The good news to this tale is that I was able to order what I wanted and she said she'd have it ready for me tomorrow. Cool!
After that, it was back to the villa in late afternoon where Pool Boy got his swim on, Drama Girl got her float on, Honey got his lazy on, and I whipped up a batch of Becky's Hummus for some before dinner snacks to go along with our drinks. Drinks is a weird word. A damn fine weird word though! After some serious limin on the verandah, it was time to clean up for dinner. Drama Girl and I must have been having another pasta deficiency cause that's all we could think about so we informed the boys we were headed into town. Can you say Cafe Roma? Oh yeah! After parking at the Lumberyard (cause it's after hours), we walked down to the restaurant where we were seated right away and ordered up more drinks. Almost immediately, our server comes over with a basket of yummy and Critter Boy excitedly exclaims "Ooooh YUM, Olive Tapenade!" while grabbing for the goods. I'm like "WHAT!?" I was curious to know how Non-weird Food Boy knows what Olive Tapenade looks like let a lone how to pronounce it since I don't make it at home, and more importantly what the hell made him want to try it so I asked. "I saw it on iCarly and she said "OMG! This is gooooood!" I've been wanting to try it ever since!" It's official, the kid's OD'd on TV! That was so funny! After careful consideration though, maybe it was only funny cause we had a couple few feel goods in us already. Dinner selections this eve were the Mozzarella Bread followed with Spaghetti & Meatballs for Critter Boy, Lasagna for Honey, and Chicken Fettuchini X2 for the girls. OMG! Can I just say YUM! That pasta was so good I'm over here salivating just thinking about it. I'm pretty sure we didn't utter a peep for the first for the first ½ of the plate and I’m totally shocked due to the inhalation factor that we were even able to taste it! The BEST meal of the trip for sure, and for the evening’s entertainment, we were able to witness Drama Girl fly out of Roma’s down the alley bathroom stating “that is the scariest bathroom EVER! I’d rather pi$$ my pants!” Such is drama! Told you, island pots and her just don’t mix!
<a href="http://s87.photobucket.com/albums/k138/ ... C00578.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k138/ ... C00578.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
So after we gorged ourselves and had a nice little family chitchat, I pretended like I totally worked off the next week’s worth of fat grams I’d just consumed by shaking my hips all the way back to the Jeep. After some quality pool & hot tub time, it was so nice to relax in the gallery and fall asleep to the sounds of island chirping. The only issue I had with the day was when getting my jammies on, I unfortunately realized the cellulite had decided to come out of hiding and have a party on my @$$! Nice.
<a href="http://s87.photobucket.com/albums/k138/ ... C02530.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k138/ ... C02530.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s87.photobucket.com/albums/k138/ ... C02535.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k138/ ... C02535.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Next Up: Island hopping in the BVI’s Baby!
Post Script: Sorry, I couldn't find any shots of Hawksnest. I must have been too busy limin to even think about it!
Last edited by chrisn on Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Xislandgirl
- Posts: 4163
- Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 4:03 pm
- Location: Slightly left of center
Chrisn- Hilarious fun...I love the stories...thanx... 
STJ Villa Map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... 2&t=h&z=14
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... 2&t=h&z=14
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gymnastika
- Posts: 291
- Joined: Fri Mar 28, 2008 10:01 pm
- Location: texas
Does my trip report just cut off? Are you guys seeing the other pics down at the bottom?
I wonder what happened. So sorry, will fix in the am. This segment is in a Word file at work.
FIXED IT!
I wonder what happened. So sorry, will fix in the am. This segment is in a Word file at work.
FIXED IT!
Last edited by chrisn on Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: STJ Escapades Part 8 - "Oooh YUM, Olive Tapenade!&q
Me thinks,Drinks is a weird word. A damn fine weird word though! After some serious limin on the verandah...
Too much drinks!
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.
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Robin in NC
- Posts: 332
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 7:19 pm
- Location: Kernersville, NC