Chris is IN DC!

It's all been hush hush about my trip to DC to surprise my Mom for her 70th birthday party... until now!

I left Saba on Thursday morning and from the time I arrived at the airport the fun has not stopped! We get down to the runway on Saba only to see lots and lots of people around, just standing and waiting. Now this is somewhat uncommon since only one flight comes in and out at a time and the plane only holds 20 or so passengers. My flight was due to leave at 9:50am. I then find out that the 7am flight has not even taken off and the airline was trying to "fix the broken down plane". That doesn't bode well for anyone's confidence.

Our flight does finally get off the ground and make it to St. Maarten around lunch time which was plenty of time for the connection to Miami on American Airlines. It's NOT until we are on the plane and taxi-ing down the runway does the announcement come on saying we need to land in Puerto Rico for refueling but they'll "do their best" to make up time in the air so everyone could make their connections..... Bull Shit!

We did arrive in Miami around 7pm which meant I would have never made it through customs, immigration, baggage claim and back to the connection. The good thing is that I had already planned an overnight there to visit my friend, Karen so all worked out.

Friday morning, I'm back at Miami International airport at 7am to catch the flight up to DC. Not having any coffee yet and a limited amount of sleep I look at my ticket and proceed to gate C11 for my flight. Once I sit down to wait a few minutes I realize there aren't any people around. A few minutes later I look at my ticket only to realize that MY SEAT is 11C, not C11 and my gate departure is D47. Holy Fuck!

Time of revelation - 7:59am Time of boarding at Gate D47 - 8:05am

Now imagine a super pissed off (at myself) middle aged gay man with no caffeine in his system doing the "party trot" through the isles nearly 3/4 of a mile to make it to Gate D47 just as they are closing the doors and sealing off the plane.......

Baxter's new haircut! Poor Boy...

It's ALL my fault for not brushing Baxter more regularly and keeping his coat from getting matted. But the time had come for him to get his "new Summer Doggie-Doo" so Paul got out the dog clippers and went to town on him.

He had tangles upon tangles so we had to literally shave him down. He was not behaving so well during the whole ordeal so we ultimately had to stop before we were done with him.

Now he looks like he has mange.

Being such a sensitive guy he is just laying on the couch and pouting. God forbid he walks by the mirror in the hallway; he'll get a complex....

I don't think that working in a salon will be in my future!

Incense

Taco Tuesday was a big hit yesterday at Tropics. I felt like a fast food waitress running around asking "Crispy or soft?, Beef, Chicken or Fish?, Guacamole or Plain?"

But don't be jealous, it really isn't as exciting as it sounds.

We finish up with our Tuesday theme night, come home and crash into bed BUT Paul has been suffering from some insomnia lately so has taken to the couch many times to watch TV until the wee hours of the morning. That hasn't happened to me, luckily, since my trusted sleep aid (that would be Absolut) hasn't failed me yet.

Until now.

Paul's sleep issues combined with his newfound interest in incense is causing my own little problems with counting sheep. I wake this morning to this vomit inducing smell coming from the other room. It was like being in some Indian Hoo Doo Voo Doo Palace. By Indian, I mean the Slurpee-Push Start Indian, not the Casino-Totem Pole Indian.

So here I sit writing to all my fans in the pre dawn hours from our deck away from the stench.

Happy "not yet sunrise opium den" Wednesday from Saba......

Taco Tuesday

As we continue with our Summer Series Theme Nights at Tropics Cafe we are offering "Taco Tuesday" this afternoon from 3pm-6pm. It is a way to bring in some more Happy Hour folks in between lunch and dinner.

Choice of Beef, Chicken or Fish Tacos on either a soft or crunchy taco for ONLY $8.95. Add only a buck more for guacamole! Mmmmmnnnn, YUMMY!

Tomorrow is Lobster night with fresh Caribbean lobster tails and Thursday brings back our Summer Theater Series with Sarah Brightman, Live in Concert from Venice. (Not really live but on her DVD which was filmed live!)

And save room for Southern Fried Chicken again on Saturday.

Before you know it, Paul will have me down by the airport with a sandwich board walking up and down the runway advertising our specials as passengers arrive.

Happy Taco Tuesday from Saba.

Happy Memorial Day

So it is Memorial Day and also our day off and I'm sitting here with a cup of coffee in hand listening to Gorecki Symphony #3, Sorrowful Songs

http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&q=gorecki+symphony+%233&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=DJEaSrf3M4Oltgfb0cn_DA&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&resnum=5&ct=title

and I just burst into tears! Bottled up emotions and opera divas are not a good combination.

I need to just forget this classical crap and change the IPod over to some Country Western music.

Happy Memorial Day from Saba.

What ever happened to the English language?

In this era of Facebook, My Space, texting and others I am amazed at how the English language is being chopped apart, shortened, butchered and mutilated.

I know I sound like a grumpy old man when I have to ask Paul what things mean in cyber lingo.

I mean, come on now:

LOL
LMAO
BFF
UGOGURLLL
OMG
OMFG

I think I'm going to come up with some ones that people haven't heard of just so they can come and ask me what they mean. It will be my own little "language".

Thank goodness I don't Twitter since they only allow a certain number of characters and I haven't mastered the shorthand, so to speak.

Off to serve Sunday Brunch and Tropics and then, maybe, sunset wine and cheese at Wells Bay!

"T-F-C"

On Saturday nights at Tropics we now feature Southern Fried Chicken from 4pm-7pm during Happy Hour. It's our own little version of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) but recreated it to become Tropics Fried Chicken (TFC)

Not having ANY fast food joints on the island there is a definite need AND want for "comfort food".

We had our first fried chicken "fest" last Saturday and we sold out before it was even over so today Paul nearly doubled the amount in hopes of some high sales again.

2 pieces of Southern Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy and creamy cole slaw and homemade biscuits for $10.95. Not a bad deal at all!

It's F*&$(ING HOT AS Hell here!

Temperatures are in the 90's here and it is like a sauna here with the sun blazing! 90's in the sun and about 20 degrees hotter in the kitchen at Tropics. Ugh!

It's no wonder I'm rapidly approaching the 50 lb. weight loss milestone.

3 more pounds to go to hit "the big 5-0". Even my new size 33 shorts are getting loose.

Happy Hot as Hell Friday from Saba.

Earthquake in the Caribbean

There was a little eathquake in the area last night that caused a little rattle and roll on the islands. I didn't feel anything but reports from St. Maarten and St. Barths say that windows shook and things bounced around a bit.

All in all, nothing too major to worry about. At least the patrons cocktails didn't spill.

Summer Theater Series

Tonight at the restaurant we are having our second Theater series nights on the big screen poolside. We are showing Whoopi Goldberg, Back to Broadway starting at sunset.

We set up the dining tables outside around the pool and serve dinner during the show. We're not yet sold out but have a bunch of reservations for the event.

Hopefully we don't have any prudish hotel guests here that will take offense to her skits on feminine protection and masterbation.

Happy Whoopi-fest day from Saba.

Mandatory Food Safety and Hygiene class

Once a year people who work in the food service industry have to take this required class for food safety and hygiene. It lasted nearly 3 hours yesterday afternoon and went something like this:

Cut chicken - wash your hands
prepare meat - wash your hands
clear plates off tables - wash your hands
serve drinks - wash your hands
sneeze - wash your hands
cough - wash your hands
take a crap - wash your hands
pick your nose - wash your hands
scratch your armpit - wash your hands

You get the idea. Imagine about 180 minutes of mind numbing information that normal common sense would have dictated anyway.

Happy "clean hands" day from Saba!

So much for the beach

Today's our day off and we have torrential rains right now. We had talked about going to the beach today to get a little sun and take a dip but that looks like it isn't going to happen. Weather here on Saba is fickle though. It can be cloudy and overcast here at the house and hot & sunny down in Wells Bay at the same time. I hope the sun will come out later and we can do an afternoon trip down to the water.

If not, I'll just have to occupy my time inside and entertain myself.

Whew, that was fun!

Yesterday afternoon we had 2 separate dive groups that checked into the hotel. All of them arrived on the last 2 flights of the day. One group of 17 are from the San Antonio, TX area and other group of 5 are from California. We already had 4 tables reserved for dinner service and both dive groups decided at the last minute to have dinner with us as well.

Nothing like service 30 some odd people within a span of 45 minutes!

The Texas group especially are going to be a hoot this week. They "like them some cocktails"! I need to go in to the restaurant early today to restock all the liquor shelves and beer coolers before brunch today.

Happy Sunday from Saba.

New Decor for Tropics Cafe

Paul found these hand blown art glass plates on the internet and thought they would look great at the restaurant.

They do actually look pretty cool and gives a nice contemporary look to the place.

Several people have asked whether they are Dale Chihuly art glass and naturally I lie and tell them "Why yes they are"! Only the best for Tropics Cafe here on Saba.....

Now I have a question for you; If (and that's a big fat IF) I was in the position to acquire 4 authentic Dale Chihuly art plates, why in the Hell would I place $20,000 - 30,000 worth of them in an open air restaurant where a wind gust could blow them down and some clumsy patron would want to "touch" them and knock it off the wall???

I guess people really are "that naive".

Happy hot and sunny Saturday from Saba.

The Carnival Prototype has arrived!

There is a costume manufacturer in Trinidad that made our Carnival costume samples. The colors are in orange, greeen and blue. I chose the pretty blue costume since it matches my eyes....

The headress has spires across the top with seahorses on them. The collar is supposed to be the ONLY top piece worn. Geez, that means twice daily trips to the gym for abs workout starting now until late July when Carnival hits Saba.

The Seahorse belt will be worn over a pair of blue tight bike style shorts. Lookout Saba, here I come!

Home "early" tonight!

We finished with dinner service early tonight! Thank goodness. We had a handful of reservations, one of which was scheduled for 7pm. Well all of our tables were seated, served and finished by a little after 8pm and our reserved table for 3 reserved at 7pm showed up at 8:20pm for din din.

In my most gracious manner, I said "Gosh, I'm sooo sorry but the chef (I always blame it on Paul) has already closed the kitchen for dinner tonight". "If I had only known you were "running late" (a fucking hour and a half) we would have kept the kitchen open for you".

Thankfully for my fantastic personality and congenial way about me I was able to re-book them for tomorrow night's dinner which is the start of our Summer Starlight Theater Series which is showing Andrea Bocelli's "Live in Tuscany" performance on the big screeen!

I know I'm wonderful but you can all respond and remind me of that just to keep me humble.....

Rainy Days

After 6 or more weeks of nearly no rain here on Saba we are finally getting our due. The last 2 days have enshrouded the island in a fog bank with plenty of rain which is a great thing for the plants and filling the cisterns with much needed water. It's not such a great thing for my mood however. It gives me a full appreciation for people who suffer from Seasonal Affect Disorder.

These two shots are taken from our deck and, as you can see, we're in a total cloud bank!

On the restaurant front, we've been really busy. Mother's Day Brunch was a big hit and the start of the week brought a small conference to the hotel. The DCNA (Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance) is here for their annual meetings for several days.

We need to go in early to set up their coffee and breakfast snack service each day. Yesterday they had both lunch and dinner at Tropics Cafe which made for a pretty long day for both Paul and me.

Well, off again. Happy Wednesday from Saba!

Mother's Day Brunch at Tropics Cafe

We had a "nearly" full house at Tropics yesterday for Mother's Day Brunch. In addition to our regular brunch menu we offered a 3 course special menu with Swordfish and Ribeye steaks finished off by a selection of homemade desserts.

It was hotter than Hell yesterday so I was running around serving folks sweating my "you know whats" off. Luckily I didn't sweat into anyone's plate as I was serving them. It would have made the meal just a little too salty.

After finishing up Brunch we had invited a nice couple from New York up to the house for sunset and then went off to a great steak dinner.

Today's our day off but we're gearing up for our new theme based nights starting this week. We are offering Taco Tuesdays, Lobster night for Wednesday, The Starlight Theater Series for Thursday with movies and live concerts on the big screen and many more fun things!

Going into the Low Season we are trying to come up with fun new ideas to bring in the crowds.

Happy Monday from Saba!

Kitchen and Cork

Last night we had our first monthly wine tasting dinner at Tropics to a sold out crowd.

Paul worked very hard on pairing the wines of Argentina to the four course menu.

We all worked our butts off from about 10am and got everything ready for the dinner to start at 6:30pm. It was a huge hit and everyone enjoyed their evening!

We got the restaurant cleaned up and closed down at a little after midnight.

It was a ton of work but at the end of the night I think we made a profit of about $43 dollars so it was all worth it.

Next month's wine dinner celebrates the wines of Spain. Come on down and enjoy!

My name in print!

A couple of months ago Paul and I were interviewed for an article on Saba specifically deatailing how the island was "open arms" about welcoming Gay and Lesbian tourists to the island.

http://www.miamiherald.com/407/story/1023362.html

Well, the article got published in the Miami Herald in the travel section and we were quoted!

Happy Tuesday from Saba.

New "toys" for the bar

A Package arrived earlier this week and when Paul opened it up you could imagine my surprise.

He said "it's the little things in life that make him happy". I found them to be halfway between a ridiculous waste of money and a cute way to mesmorize the bar clients so I didn't have to.

After all I know they come into Tropics Cafe to be regaled by my stories of old and classic, witty and fantastic jokes but now they just sit there with their drink in hand staring at these stupid birds bobbing back and forth into the water glass.

Come to think of it, I now think they are simply fantastic! Now all I have to do is sit there.

Happy bobbing bird Friday from Saba...