Happy Spot, Aruba

The Happy Spot opened only a few months ago, in November 2009. In my rambling about the island, I rolled past it, doubled back, and stopped in for an ice-cream. Here’s a photo of the joint.

The Happy Spot is located on the road that leads off the highway from where the old Adventure Golf used to be. Just follow that inland and opposite the Cheng grocery, you’ll this little place on the other side of the road. (For some unkown reason, Aruba refuses to name many of its roads and streets, which makes giving directions difficult, but exploring can be fun. They also do not number buildings sequentially. Perhaps this is what prevents an enemy invasion?)

Nonetheless, much joy was had in the form of a chocolate ice-cream. If you don’t believe me, here’s a photo to prove it.

Notice the pen in pocket, always prepared to jot down some story material. I chatted with the owner for a few minutes. Nice guy. I hope he does well. He explained to me that they also make all sorts of smoothies here. That’s not my thing but by the number of people ordering them, I would say they must be good.

Bon dia.

Published in: on February 22, 2010 at 11:00 am  Comments (1)  
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Spanish Castles

Any visit to Spain has to include a castle or two. There are plenty to choose from. In fact, the challenge is which ones to visit given the limited amount of time during a particular tour. I found a website that has plenty of photos. Here’s the link:

http://www.castillosnet.org/spanishcastles/source/mapa_index.php

The homepage has a map that you can click on. You are then directed to that particular region’s castles. So many photos that you can spend hours sorting through them. One thing that always amazes me about these castles is simply how many stones had to be cut and stacked. Millions of tons! Incredible feats when you think about the lack of machinery. I’m looking forward to posting my own photos soon of a couple of these castles. You’ll find them right here on The Bent Page.

Published in: on February 19, 2010 at 9:51 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Flight Before the Storm

There’s a major winter storm forecast to hit the mid-Atlantic. Taking advantage of the calm before the storm, I took a nice flight to Cape May Airport. Winds were calm, visibility decent, and the venerable Cessna 172 running fine. I headed south to Wilmington, DE then turned south east, basically following the Delaware Bay. Here’s a look at the finger of Cape May sticking out:

From this point, Cape May is more than 20 miles away. Notice all that snow on the ground from the last storm. But no worries. I headed into KWWD, also known at Cape May Airport. It looked like this:

Plenty of runway there to land and take off. Looking a little closer now.

A friendly sight if you need to land. Anyway, I came in, landed, taxied back, and took a few minutes to reset all my instruments and such. Then it was back up in the air. On the way back, I snapped this shot of KILG, also known as Wilmington, Delaware.

Again, those are big runways designed for heavy planes. I have landed there many times but only for practice with the tower. Normally, I stay clear of the bigger airports and aircraft. No need to mix with them.

All in all it was a great flight. Of course, probably won’t be able to go for another two weeks given the horrendous weather on the way.

Published in: on February 5, 2010 at 6:36 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Popi’s Restaurant, Philadelphia

In South Philadelphia, not far from the sports stadiums, you’ll find Popi’s Restaurant. This is a neighborhood place with lots of regulars, entertainment on weekends, and some very good food.

I’ve been going to Popi’s for years now, sometimes stopping in for a drink at the bar, other times having an expansive meal with friends. Either way, you’ll find yourself in a friendly environment, hosted by people who truly care about your experience.

Last night, my wife and I were there with a dear friend, the three of us at a corner table, relaxing, catching up, and generally having a great time. After a trio of salads we moved on to the entrees. Our friend ordered the chicken marsala, which is pictured below:

My wife likes Popi’s crab cakes and ordered them as her entree, as can be seen here:

I’m a simple guy and last night was looking for hearty food. Thus, I decided to go with rigatoni bolognese, an old standby.

Add a few glasses of wine, lots of conversation, a great waiter, and it all comes to a fine evening out. Popi’s is the kind of place you think of when you want a quality italian meal in a setting where you feel like you belong. The staff is on point, the hostess keeping an eye out, and everyone else in the place is enjoying themselves. That feeling is contagious, which is why I keep coming back to this place. Sometimes my wife and I will stop in just for dessert and a drink at the bar.

If you’re in the Philadelphia area, or not, give Popi’s a try. After all these years, they’ve never let me down.

Published in: on February 4, 2010 at 11:36 am  Comments (1)  
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