July 8-9, 2009

Subject: Day 28 and all is clear, sunny and wonderfully beautiful
Date: 7/8/2009 10:11:14 A.M. Atlantic Standard Time

86 degrees with slight winds and it's feeling very summery around here. It's now day 38 of hurricane season and we haven't had any threats or hints yet of hurricanes, or himmacanes or even purr-icanes as my cat so eloquently put it. I suppose that is good news, or we are in for a wild time this fall!

I'm fully prepared for a storm with the exception of gas, food and drink. I haven't seen any deals on canned goods lately, to stock up on any. I only but about a gallon of gas for my generator at a time in off season, as I don't want the gas to get too old and gummy. Of course, if I think (har har har) I can buy a lot more gas, and just toss it in my heap of a jeep tank once a month, if the generator hasn't used it up. Duh... My brain must be getting slower with age, a very sad thing. I want a fast brain (can I upgrade for a fee?)

My crystal ball predicts that if you buy my book "Hurricanes & Hangovers" then we won't have any hurricanes at all this year! So buy the book and let's test this theory! And YES, volume 2 is on the way (soon come!)

T'ings are not crowded, so it's a GREAT time to come on down and take advantage of direct cheap air fares (to St Thomas) then take a scenic ferry ride over to the BVI.

For instance, US AIrways has fly on Sundays, from Charlotte NC to St Thomas for only $378 round trip. In August, certain dates are only $348. From Philadelphia to St Thomas as low as $470 on certain dates. When planning your vacation, it helps to work out the cheap air fare dates, then select which days you are taking off work. By being flexible with your fly dates, you can save a load of cash. From Phoenix, Arizona to St Thomas is only $623 round trip on certain days. Cheap airfare sites can sometimes beat the airlines and come in even cheaper for you.

Between searches, it helps if you DELETE cookies, close out your browser, then start over. Sounds crazy eh? But some sites will tell you only 4 tickets left, then 30 minutes later when you check again, (say you aske dyour boss what if I take these dates off and he says yes, so you come back to the site to buy the ticket) and then they sometimes tell you a much higher price. If you delete the cookies, close out the browser and start all over, you often end back up with the same cheap flights. I happened to pick US Airways because they let you choose flexible dates and click back and forth 3 days later or earlier and so on, until you find the cheapest round trip ticket.

Always look for direct flights from your town (or nearby) to St Thomas for the best deals. I flew into an airport recently, 90 miles from my final destination because the ticket was $500 cheaper that where I wanted to go. My friend said he spent $40 in gas to come fetch me (round trip, both ways) and I was more than glad to reimburse him.

Another Bottle Found on the Sea Shore this Morning!

Vidalia Onion Dip
1 cup mayo
1 cup Vidalia onions, fine dice
1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded


Mix together thoroughly, and bake at 350 degrees until golden brown on top. Serve with crackers or pita chips.

From Debbie of Atlanta GA

Debbie, that recipe sounds heavenly! To make Pita Chips, take a stack of pitas, and use knife or scissors to cut into 8 pie shaped slices, toss on cookie sheet and bake in hot 425 F degree oven until crisp, about 10 minutes or so.

Foxys is having a BIG celebration July 11th on Jost Van Dyke with a lot of live music (by the way Jost rhymes with MOST, GHOST, TOAST, GOATS etc.) ANyhow this is to celebrate his recent visit to see the Queen of England who personally awarded him a Medal as a member of the order of the British Empire in recognition of his exemplary contribution to tourism and preservation of the BVI culture.

Rumor is he even wore SHOES to see the Queen. While I have seen a picture of SOMEBODY'S feet shod in shoes, I am not convinved it it his feet. I think a stand in was used for the picture.


BVI Tourist Board plans a loyalty programme for global visitors
Sounds a tad complicated! But I hope it works out! I believe you can use your passport stamps to prove you qualify for the discounts.


One more swine flu case confirmed
Only three so far, I hope they are HOME and self-quarantined! Folks here tend to go to the beach when they are sick and wash away the malady, this surprisingly works for many ailments. Of course a day at the beach feels WONDERFUL no matter what, so of course it's very healing.

PAWS FOR THE CAUSE... TODAY'S QUOTES:
"I have studied many philosophers and many cats. The wisdom of cats
is infinitely superior." -- Hippolyte Taine


"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and
cats." -- Albert Schweitzer

"Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask
for what you want." -- Joseph Wood Krutch

Dear Miss Mermaid should go away more often! My cats have been sweet loving creatures since I got home. Of course, I also noted, their caretaker let them gobble up a month's worth of food in under two weeks, I am sure they begged for it too. They can act so pitiful and humble when they truly want something. (Like to be spoiled rotten!)


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Hurricanes & Hangovers by Dear Miss Mermaid
Warm and Sunny Regards,
DearMissMermaid.com

Today is day 39 of hurricane season. One of my gentle readers, Gary, pointed out that yesterday I mentioned it was only day 28! Well, that was a typo..I seem to be full of mistakes lately! I could blame it on the cat paws, but he didn't write the report, though he tried mightily in my absence. At least he wasn't a total cat-tastrophe!


I was just getting the hang of t'ings when you took your laptop back!

84 degrees at 8am, we had some super heavy dew in the form of a very brief shower just before daybreak. Birds are tweeting and all is quiet except for my neighbor's jerk-hammer.

The skies are beautiful! Winds are gentle but promising to pick up.
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Now, THIS is a bad day at sea (link below) . Apparently the owner refused to heed the weather warnings and put schedule ahead of safety. I understand he managed to turn around and come back to port (and change his undies again!)

While it doesn't mention the damages to his yacht, I can't imagine he made he back to port without a few thousand dollars in broken parts.

Why is it the MEN always do these foolish things and not the women? Are we just naturally born with better common sense?

I plan to nominate him as a Darwin award runner up! To get the actual award, you have to kill yourself (in a brainless way...)

DARWIN AWARDS:
Honoring those who improve the species...by accidentally removing themselves from it!


Click here: Sail-World.com : Yacht departs Southport - see the pictures and believe

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For some good news about brave young souls out having fun...
Sebastian Kornum is the youngest winner of the Highland Springs HIHO
SurferToday - Porto,Portugal
Sebastian Kornum of Denmark became the youngest winner ever in the 25 times the race has been contested in the waters off the British Virgin Islands today. ...

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Hurricanes & Hangovers by Dear Miss Mermaid
Warm and Sunny Regards,
DearMissMermaid.com