Tux(er)

Tuxer is a stray cat that shows up here at my shack in Aruba from time to time. He’s a regular visitor on an irregular schedule. He likes to take a nap on my patio, a drink from the water I put out for him, and an occasional snack, too. From the photo below, you can see how he got his name.

His black and white coat is just like a tuxedo. Those white shoes would be a big hit at a wedding celebration near you.

I feature cats in all my novels. For An Island Away, it was Screwball. In Bonk’s Bar, it was Larry. And in Universal Coverage, there is one named Marvin. I haven’t settled on the name for the cat in the new book I’m working on. But it’ll come. Maybe it will be Tuxer.

Bon dia.

Published in: on December 2, 2009 at 8:11 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Aruba Beach Chalets, photos!

Aruba Beach Chalets are a great place to stay in Aruba and this photo essay will show you a few of the reasons why. In the first place, this unassuming string of 6 units is in Savaneta, my favorite neighborhood on the island. Savaneta was the original capital of the island way back when. It’s a sleepy place now with 2 fantastic restaurants, a number of local quick snack joints, and Zeerovers, a fisherman’s wharf where you can dance and shoot pool. Back to Aruba Beach Chalets. There are a few off-street parking spots inside the compound just off the frame showing the entrance to Number 1 below:

Number 1 unit is basically twice the size of the Numbers 3-5. It also has a private pool of it’s own, as does Number 6, but we’ll get to that later. Let’s go inside a regular unit, in this case, Number 3:

This is the ground level, where you can see there is a little kitchen space, TV, sitting area, and just off to the right a convenient powder room. Looking out that sliding door at the far end of the photo, you’ll notice a covered porch that fronts the Caribbean.

That’s just a tease. More to follow. First, let’s go upstairs and have a look at the bedrooms. On the island side of the building, you’ll find a two-bed room like this:

That’s a cozy space with a bathroom of it’s own. Showers only, by the way, no tub. (Who needs that anyway?) The other bedroom is a queen bed, and this one has a mosquito netting just in case you want to sleep with the windows open. Check it out:

The reason you may want to leave the windows open, or rather the sliding door, is because this is your view:

Nice, eh? Well, going back downstairs, take a gander at the pool for Number 1 unit:

Very convenient, no? Well, stepping back a few feet, you can see how you could in the pool, a drink in your hand, looking out over the Caribbean Sea where the pelicans are fishing for lunch. Don’t believe me? Here it is.

That’s the view basically looking to the south, southeast. Turning around 180 degrees, you see this:

You can see the row of units, each with it’s own sitting area, the little beach, and how it all fronts the water. Number 6 has its own pool, too, and this unit rents on a longer term basis. Check with the owners through the website: www.aruba-beach-chalets.com. You can click right there and be transported to it, just the website, not the actual place here in Aruba. Sorry.

At any rate, if you’re looking for a place away from it all, give this one a try. I stayed here many times until I bought a shack. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t bought the shack and just rented there. It’s hard to beat.

Bon dia.

Published in: on December 1, 2009 at 8:29 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Caribbean Christmas Decor

It’s starting to look a lot like Christmas here in Aruba. These decorations were installed at the Radisson Hotel.

The Arubans go all out for Christmas, not just at the hotels, but their homes as well. There are roads you can drive with one home after another totally lit up with lights and scenes. It’s worth a few hours drive to see them. Of course the hotels do a good job, complete with Santa Claus visits for the kids and special events leading up to the big day. If you find yourself here, you won’t be disappointed… unless you’ve been naughty.

Bon dia.

Published in: on November 29, 2009 at 4:04 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Safety (not) First!

Here is an example of what not to do:

Toting a propane tank around in your trunk is a bad idea. Not securing it is a second bad idea. Keep the links out of the chain of disaster by using your head. Okay?

Bon dia.

Published in: on November 27, 2009 at 10:43 pm  Leave a Comment  
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