Disney In Aruba?

There are some strange constructions on the island of Aruba. This one caught my eye in Seroe Preto, near San Nicolaas. It’s the site of a Disney-like castle that is lit up with Christmas lights during the season. Here it is during the day, in summer.

That’s quite a piece of work. The next photo shows the view from up there, which is equally impressive.

Finally, here is the direct Disney connection, a painting on the wall.

Snow White and her seven Arubian dwarfs are on display. Come Christmastime, I look forward to checking this place out when it’s shining bright against the Caribbean sky.

Bon dia.

Published in: on August 1, 2011 at 10:52 am  Comments (1)  
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Hollywood Smokehouse update…

During my last visit to Aruba, the Hollywood Smokehouse and Diner had just opened in my favorite town of San Nicolaas. Well, upon arrival, I made plans to stop in for some great food and, man, was I well-satisfied. Mike, the owner, was there. He updated me on new things on the island before setting me up with a couple of brisket platters for take away. And here’s the sight to behold:

That’s a beef brisket platter with cole slaw, potato salad, and beans for the low price of afl. 22.00. (About $12 US) Fair enough and plenty filling. That brisket will cut with a fork so forget the knife. Plus, chatting with Mike and the other patrons enhances the experience if you eat in. On you way to or from Baby Beach or just rambling about the island, don’t miss the Hollywood Smokehouse and Diner. Most excellent and highly recommended. Here is a shot of the menu card.

And the opposite side showing the location and the story of the place.

No excuses! Get there and fill in your bikini.

Published in: on July 31, 2011 at 12:52 am  Leave a Comment  
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Banner Towing!

There’s never a shortage of excitement at the local airport. Recently, there was a golf tournament at a nearby course and a couple of banner towing planes arrived. One in particular caught my eye, a modified Piper Cub. Take a look at this old bird.

Doesn’t look like much, but this is a very capable aircraft. As you can see from the next photo, it is outfitted with only the most basic instruments, the essentials for safe flight.

The pilot sits in there with no door on the starboard side in order to allow him to deploy the tow hook to catch the banner.

Imagine sitting in there for three or four hours a day, towing a banner in circles around a golf course or up and down the local beach. It takes a fair amount of practice be to competent at this job. The next photo shows the plane coming in at the end of the day, getting ready to drop the banner. Click on the photo to see it full scale.

He’s right on course for a safe drop. The banner landed perfectly in the grass between the runway and the taxiway. Then the pilot came around and landed the plane itself. I talked to this fellow for a while after he secured his plane. He’s traveled 2/3’s of the United States doing this kind of work. He’s been over everything from NASCAR races to horse tracks and more. Plus, flying that Piper Cub harkens back to the days when flying was basic and fun.

Published in: on July 3, 2011 at 12:17 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Martha’s Vineyard Flight

Recently, I had the pleasure of a nice cross country flight from my home base to the island of Martha’s Vineyard. The day was just about perfect: clear skies, light winds, great visibility. Here’s a photo just as I make a turn in over the island from the west.

Beautiful green scenery below. At this point, I was speaking with the tower. Great controllers on duty there, handling the traffic, which on a day like this one can be hectic. We flew in to the field and then onto a right downwind leg for Runway 24. After turning base, then starting on final, the next photo was taken.

There’s plenty of runway down there for the Cirrus to land. We touched down nicely then rolled over to the transient parking. After a snack at the airport restaurant, we took a short ride around one part of the island. I’ll have a few photos of that in the next post here at The Bent Page. Mean time, back to flying. After the tour, fueling up, preflight, and final checks, we headed for departure from Runway 24. Here’s a look just as the takeoff roll begins.

Looks like we’re going into warp drive there. Not quite. But the Cirrus does have some get up and go. We were off the ground in no time, climbing out to the proper altitude for the flight home. Here’s a view just as we’re leaving the edge of the island.

Heading toward Newport, RI, it was blue water below, blue skies above. Can’t beat that. This was a great flight all in all. The airplane performed well, the weather cooperated, and Martha’s Vineyard was an interesting place to see from both the ground and the air. I look forward to making this trip again, and possibly out to Nantucket. More about that later. Special thanks to my pal, Ben, for the company and photos while flying and to his father for the personal tour on the island.

Published in: on June 21, 2011 at 2:37 pm  Comments (1)  
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