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Although we are both working this summer, we managed to get away for a week in June to the colorful Carribean island of St.
Martin. The entire vacation went off with a hitch and we made sure to take advantage of all the sites without forgetting
to relax. The island had a way of reminding us to slow down and enjoy the beauty of the beaches, the personality and diversity
of the people, and the delicious cuisine. Driving was the obvious exception to this relaxed and pensive journey. As residents
of Southern California, it's easy for Tanya and I to equate the motorized mayhem to driving in Mexico. This, however, would
be an insult to our neighboors to the south. Transportation aside, we had a great time and hope you will vicariously enjoy
our trip as much as we did. Happy travels!
Most significantly, we got engaged while in St. Martin
and thought we would share this with you in a creative manner. On June 18th, 2001 after traveling for a day and a half we
arrived in Pelican Bay, St. Maarten (Dutch Side) at the Sunterra Beach Resort. Despite our long flights and little sleep,
neither of us were tired. Since I really wanted to ask Tanya on the 18th, I was especially pleased by our energy and excitement.
Just as long as we weren't falling asleep, I was determined to go along with my plan.
Preparations having been secured well in advance,
I set the scene for the nuptial question. Concealing a shell near our spot on the beach, I reminded Tanya of that
poem that I had been working on. I had prefaced it before so it wouldn't sound out of the ordinary. It was
just another poem I had been struggling with, so she thought. This provided adequate cover for me to operate in romantic-stealth.
Since I don't like streamers and festoons, and I didn't want to broadcast the moment on the jumbotron, this was crucial.
All of this foresight was partially intruded upon when the local beach-barman
while collecting chairs decided to interupt as I was reciting the first few lines of the first stanza. He urged
us to attend the evening festivities with all the ease of a casual car salesman. Obviously this disrupted the amorous
air I had intended to maintain....
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