X IS FOR X-TRAODINARY

A coincidental dinner party...
Created a memory of a lifetime.
TAKEN: APRIL 7th, 2025
Palm Beach, Aruba 

Before we landed in Aruba, we knew we wanted to eat at a specific steak house. Trouble was, there were only two seats in an evening, and they didn’t take reservations; you had to line up outside.

So, on our second night there we decided to roll the dice and see if we could get in. 

We landed in line about forty five minutes before the doors opened and we instantly began chatting up two young ladies in line. 

As they came out of take names and numbers of people dining, we asked the two if they would like to have dinner with us, as a table of four had a better chance at getting in than two tables of two. They cheerfully agreed.

As always, my travel buddy hubby was as comical as ever. He kept them laughing the entire time. When one of his jokes crossed the line, I call him by his name and said “that was far enough.”

The young girl (in the photo above) instantly turned white and asked if his first name was really what I had called him. When we said yes, her eyes filled with tears, and she began to cry. What she shared next had our jaws drop.

Earlier that day she had spread her husband’s ashes on Palm Beach (he had died of brain cancer), and he and my hubby shared the same first name. She was overcome with emotion, as were we once she'd shared.

In a nutshell, I believe we were meant to have dinner with those two, on that day. And though we never did get their names…. We will remember that evening together for the rest of our lives. 

Truly X-traodinary!

U IS FOR UPBEAT

Enjoying the upbeat music
from our 18th floor balcony.
TAKEN: APRIL 12th, 2025

 Like most, upbeat music is definitely a part of who I am. As a matter a fact, any and all music is.

The trouble with live entertainment when you're on vacation, is it usually happens after you've had a day full of sun and snorkeling; so being in a crowd of a couple of hundred people when I am tired isn't at the top of my list.

Vacation or not, I should clarify that my travel buddy hubby and I are both morning people. Actually, when on vacation, we give each other an hour of grace. By 7am we are on our second cup of coffee and by 8am we are dressed and on the move. 

So, by nightfall when the nightly entertainment gets started, I am ready to shower away the sand and sunscreen, and get begin to get ready for bed.

It wasn't like that last fall in the Mexico, but then again we were stuck in the middle of a tropical storm, so water activities through the day were limited - leaving energy for night time fun.

I guess you can say that this trip, we were given the best of both. 

Amazing twelve hour days in the sun, and a balcony seat to the entertainment stage (lit up in pink and blue in my pic) at our sister resort next door.

Though we couldn't really see the singers and dancers, you can clearly see the theatre was packed, and the acoustics of the music flowing over was fine.

Yep, what can I say... an Aruban Michael Jackson with backup singer/dancers doesn't get much more upbeat than that!

#yagottalaughaboutit

S IS FOR SUNSCREEN

Day three and almost ready for our
2nd bottle of 30 SPF sunscreen.
TAKEN: APRIL 8th, 2025
(Palm Beach, Aruba)

 For a maturing woman my age, I don’t fret that I have never had a manicure, pedicure, or even a facial. 

Yet, I will boast that the one beauty staple I seriously embrace, is sunscreen. As a matter of fact, for my trip to Aruba, I packed five different kinds. 

I did a lot of personal research before leaving on that jet plane. And with the island having a closer proximity to the equator than we'd ever experienced, I knew the last thing I wanted to do was burn. 

The photo I am sharing today, I snapped on our second full day on the beach. (Yes, those toes are with me... but not mine.) 

For my entire stay, I started my morning with a waterproof 50 SPF applied to my face and shoulders, and a 30SPF spray applied to the rest of me. For the afternoon, I moved away from the spray and used a sweat resistant 30 SPF sunscreen lotion.

I wasn’t always so diligent. I’ve always worn it when away but in the last decade the strength of the UV Rays has become more intense.

For example, when we traveled to Jamaica for a long weekend to celebrate our wedding anniversary in June 2023, I only used spray. On our last afternoon there, the wind made me miss some areas around my shoulders and I burnt. My skin took more than two weeks to heal; signifying the UV intensity.

Nothing makes me cringe more than seeing people burnt to a crisp on with very first day of holiday. Not only because I know the pain they will be in as they try to sleep – but also because I am seeing a complete waste of money. 

You spend thousands of dollars to holiday.  Then remain in pain the entire time, limited on what you can enjoy, having to shy away from the sun your traveled to experience.

Rhondi Rule #412: Always wear sunscreen. Because it is simply the ultimate in adulting!

O IS FOR ORANJESTAD

Driving past the Malecon boardwalk
in downtown Oranjestad, Aruba.
TAKEN: APRIL 13th, 2025

During my recent visit to Aruba, I travelled through their capital of Oranjestad four times. In all expereinces, the downtown traffic was horrendous.

That said, as the lightbulb for the letter 'O' went off in my head, I was on a coach bus headed to the airport to fly home. This was the only photo I snapped. 

Our week away was so jampacked that working on the challenge took a back seat. As I planned to catch up on my writing on the plane, as I traveled to the airport I began to go through my up coming words in my head. 

This one, specifically, has always been a challenge, and usually signifies when the onset of writers block sets in. How I couldn't have thought of this word in advance makes me scratch my head. perhaps a simple single of how my overthinking begins.

Anyway, this bustling harbour city feels a tad over developed. When traveling east to west, if feels like you're grains of sand going through an hourglass. Two lane traffic where tens of thousand get off cruise ships to browse luxury retailers, and traffic slowly creeps through the city center.

Don't get me wrong, we had an amazing time, but won't be returning. Not because of the expense, or traffic in Oranjestad - but because of the airport.

It was the most painful I have ever had to navigate... and believe me, I have navigated a few!

M IS FOR MEANINGFUL

 

My meaningful tradition.
TAKEN: APRIL 2025
Palm Beach, Aruba

Well, I am back home and trying to play catch up. I started posting whilst I was away but the sun and the sand convinced me that there was a bigger plan in place.

As I celebrated my 29th birthday (for the 31st time) I would have been remiss, if I didn't pack one of my treasured glasses, so that on my day, I could celebrate and have a drink with my Dad.

For those new to reading, I have been collecting the Petro-Canada vintage Olympic glasses (as shown above) for the better part of twenty years. I have travelled about a radius of approximately 180 miles, and searched every thrift store, garage sale, and online buy and sell site to collect more than 220 of them.

When I was staging my photo shoot in the beach, I could spy people watching me. As I returned to our palapa, I had one lady ask me, 'are you going to drink that?'

Ï simply laughed and explained that whenever or where ever I travel, I pack one of these beauties in bubble wrap, so that my Dad travels with me in spirit. Suffice it to say, I think he would have loved absolutely everything about Aruba.

Now, I know there are some folks out there that may think the glass collecting obsession is silly, but it doesn't faze me. 

Instead, if I could offer one vantage point of logic to their negativity it's that what they don’t know is, in the very minute I hold one of these new to me special treasures in my hand, I'm in a wonderful moment with my Dad. 

Today, on the beach, I could hear his laughter as he rattled the ice cubes in his glass, signifying it was empty and that he was ready for a refill.

Keeping his memory alive is very meaningful to me... and there's nothing even remotely silly about that.

L IS FOR LIGHTHOUSE

My Travel Buddy Hubby
at the California Lighthouse
(on Northwestern tip of Aruba)
TAKEN: APRIL 11th, 2025

 

Drone shot highlighting the
Sasariwichi dunes. Breathtaking!
(c) Wikipedia
Taken prior to the 2016 - 2017
restoration of the lighthouse.

H IS FOR HOSTILITY

Internationally recognized as a
symbol for Canadian travelers.
TAKEN: APRIL 9th, 2024
Palm Beach, Aruba

As I mentioned with my chaos post, I have never had issue with any American when travelling. That said, before leaving, we knew the island of Aruba was an American travel haven, so my husband and I wanted to be easily identified as Canadian.

Well, this afternoon, when playing musical trivia around the pool, we connected with a few gals from Windsor, Ontario. 

When I snagged the fastest answer for my favourite song (September but Earth, Wind, and Fire) we were asked to choose a team name. We chose Canada Strong.

Without hesitation, we were immediately and loudly booed. Booed by Americans in Aruba. Unexpected hostility, met in a country that markets themselves as ‘One Happy Island!’

Heading back to our room, I mentioned to my travel buddy hubby that if that is the temperature for Canadians here, I am glad we have decided no to cross the border and enter their country for several years.

I followed up with, 'I think our encounter by the pool is simply further evidence that our old relationship with the United States is officially over'.

… Which truly makes me sad.

G IS FOR GUSTY

Very gusty, kite surfing winds!
San Nicolas, Aruba
TAKEN April 8th, 2025

As I mentioned, I have been looking at Aruba as a travel destination for about a decade and a half. The one thing that the travel websites always highlighted to potential travelers was that it was 'windy'. Well, we soon discovered that 'windy' was an understatement.

Anyway, the one thing we knew we wanted to do was rent a car and explore the entire island. First up was the world-renowned Baby Beach. With a 10am start, we packed up and were headed back through Oranjestad; the Capital.

With the southeast coast of the island in our sites, we stopped at the large landmark red anchor, and turned left. Through right was the direction to Baby Beach, our mishap was a view to behold. A backdrop of the deep blue Caribbean Sea and azure blue skies.

Though the anchor stands both as a memorial to all who have lost their lives at sea, it is also a silent reminder that San Nicolas is still a vibrant and gusty windswept part of the island of Aruba. 

Which makes me think it should also stand for the lives of any brave souls learning at the Aruba Pro Kite School

PS: My photo was taken from a distance, and the surfer of the kite captured is navigating the challenging swells. 

PSS: The bottom left shows a kite surfer staying closer to the shore - but I missed capturing their bright orange kite.