St. Martin Day Five: La Galion, Grand Case, and a Christmas Parade

Leave a reply

sxm_day5_07Day what? For those of you paying attention to a calender, you’d know it was Sunday. For those of us on island time, we barely noticed. The weekend on St. Martin is jamming and we are part of the island vibe.

It was another early day, yes, I went barefoot running for about 24 minutes again at 6:00 am Atlantic Time. I’m totally digging the foot freedom on the white sandy beaches of Grand Case. Our preparation last night had us ready for another full day at the beach. After breakfast and making our picnic lunch, we were off to Le Galion beach again. Continue reading →

St. Martin Day Four: Surf at Le Galion

Leave a reply

sxm_day4_05Our vacation is slipping away. After Merri Beth’s birthday it was time to get some sun on the beach. I started off the day with another barefoot run on the beach in Grand Case. Then Zander and I hopped in the water for about 20 minutes. The sun was barely coming up over the mountain ridge and the entire family was up, getting ready for the day. While we were finishing breakfast, a quick rain shower came through and a rainbow brightened our day.

We didn’t have anything planned, so we went with a beach day at Le Galion. It’s a family-friendly beach, rated number one on the island (or so the sign said). So we indulged. And the family friendliness was apparent as we drove up. Continue reading →

St. Martin Day Three: MB’s Birthday with Butterflies

1 Reply

sxm_day3_05It was another beautiful day on St. Martin. And it was a special day too, because it was Merri Beth’s birthday. The entire household was up early to celebrate (we wish)—it must be the island night life. I went out for another run, barefoot, after first breakfast. I came back to have second breakfast as the family was getting ready for the day.

Our first stop was the The Butterfly Farm located on the east side of the island near Orient Bay. We arrived shortly after they opened, perused the area for about 20 minutes, then went on a guided tour to learn all the things we wished we’d known about butterflies. Continue reading →

St. Martin Day Two: Beaches and Airplanes

2 Replies

smx_day2_14Our second full day in St. Martin started off bright and early. I was up at 6:00 am (Atlantic Time) and I went for a short run. Barefoot. On the beach. Born to run baby! After that, Zander and I went out for a swim in the Caribbean in front of our place.

After breakfast, we loaded up the car and headed out for the day. Our first stop was Pic Paradis, the tallest spot on the island with some great views. But I think we missed a turn somewhere on the single-lane road, lush with tropical foliage on both sides and only a few places to pull over and let other cars pass. Continue reading →

St. Martin Day One: Paradise in December

Leave a reply

SXM_024:30 am was an early start to our day, but it was worth it. Our flight to Charlotte (CLT) left Raleigh at 7:10 am, or at least it was supposed to. We were up, showered, and already packed by 5:15am, then it was time to start our long day of travel to St. Martin. We were at RDU International Airport before 6:00 am, checked-in and through security. Our flight had a slight delay taking off, but we made it to CLT within ten minutes of our scheduled time. Continue reading →

It’s an OBXmas light show

Leave a reply

obxmas_lights_10Zander and I headed to the Outer Banks on Saturday, December 14 for an overnight trip. We managed to skirt the rain sweeping across North Carolina. We left Raleigh during a break in the weather and only had to deal with light rain and drizzle for some of the trip. We had a holiday treat waiting for us once we arrived. Continue reading →

Red Hat Craft Fair: A huge success for salsa and books

Leave a reply

Red Hat Craft FairOn Thursday, December 12, I participated in my first Red Hat Craft Fair. It’s an event held at Red Hat headquarters where the crafty folks or their spouses/family members get a chance to sell their home goods to Red Hatters. I thought it would be a good idea to sell my book and my salsa. It turned out to be a good idea. Continue reading →

Bucket List Check Off: The North Carolina State Fair

Leave a reply

While not on my original fall bucket listnc_state_fair, I had to add the North Carolina State Fair to the must-do things in Southwest Raleigh. With almost 1 million visitors this year, the fair is a familiar time of year for my family. Attractions, exhibits, food, rides, games, and more are a great way to enjoy a nice fall day in Raleigh, North Carolina. Continue reading →

Bucket List Check Off: Go to a Carolina Hurricanes Game

Leave a reply

canes_03One of the items on my fall bucket list was to go to a Carolina Hurricanes game. Since making the list, I’ve been to two games and I’m going to the game tonight! The first game was on Friday, October 11 against the LA Kings. It was a total sports weekend for my family. My mom was in town and we took her to the Canes game on Friday, then the Syracuse at NC State football game on Saturday. But this bucket list item is about the frozen puck, not the pigskin. Continue reading →

Bucket List Check Off: Run the City of Oaks

Leave a reply

city_of_oaksFor the seventh year in a row, I’ve run in the City of Oaks half marathon. So adding this race to my fall bucket list was special. Why? Because it was my 20th half marathon—and to run that in Raleigh and cross the finish line at the NC State Belltower was awesome. For anyone new to Raleigh, running in a road race is a great was to enjoy the sites.

The weather was perfect for race day. Runners gathered at the start line, near the NC State Belltower, and headed downtown via Western Blvd. The course took us into Downtown Raleigh with a great view of Red Hat Tower, then through Boylan Heights for one of the best views of the Raleigh skyline. Runners then went through the heart of downtown, up Fayetteville Street, over City Plaza, towards the State Capital. Continue reading →