The Saints

This blog post title actually came about because we spent this past week on Saint Martin Island.  The Coultrips were saints to invite us to join them on their vacation, at their time share condo there.  And boy am I glad we went!

With saints as my blog theme, I decided I should do some research (CatholicBridge.com) because I was feeling confused about saints.  Paul refers to living Christians as saints.  All of us in the body of Christ, are saints.  But this is not the same as the "saints" that Catholics pray too.  Catholics fully agree with Paul about believers being saints, but even Paul sometimes gives the word a distinct meaning: "believers and saints" (Acts 9:32 ), "to the saints and faithful brothers" (Col 1:2). The term is used in a variety of contexts throughout the Bible. 

The word saint simply means "holy one" or "sanctified."  A Christian believer, who is automatically righteous in God's sight, is a saint.  I would say some Christians are more 'saintly' than others. 😇

When the Catholic and Orthodox Churches say the word saint, they are usually talking about a specific kind of saint, a canonized saint. The Church recognizes some Christians (saints) that have endured, entered Heaven and won the crown, and while there, have proven to be serious prayer warriors for us on earth.
The Church must be convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that the saint is in heaven. This is why they go through so much scrutiny over each and every saint. When they canonize someone they are really saying: "Hey, this person had a very cool relationship to the Lord while on earth and now they are in heaven and are really praying hard for us."


This lead me to ask, 'Isn't Christ the only one mediator between God and man?'  1 Timothy 2 does not say that God wants us only to communicate with Jesus. It says there is only one mediator between God and man, which is a different thing. The passage does not say we should be cautious of asking people to pray for us. It doesn't do anything of the sort.  The chapter begins requiring intercessory prayer by third parties, indicating that it actually helps bring people to salvation and knowledge of truth. Any mother who prays for her children knows that. Saints are serious prayer warriors. Catholics don't think that praying with the Saints detracts from the worship of God anymore than praying with friends detracts from worship of God.

So finally, this brings me to our one week vacation on St. Martin Island.  My next question was why so many islands were named after saints, and this is what I found:  Most Caribbean Islands were colonies of either the British or Spanish, and also French, Portuguese, or Dutch. The mantra of the colonial masters was to Civilize, Colonize and Christianize. As standard bearers for the Church, a lot of places were named after Saints.  And then I wondered, who was St. Martin.  He was a Roman soldier, baptized as an adult, and became a monk.  It is believed that he was a kind man who led a quiet and simple life.

Joe and I with Jim and Debbie at Divi check-in.

We left our 'dump' of a B&B before 8:00 Saturday morning, taking Uber to the Ft. Lauderdale airport.  We were there plenty early, and kept our eyes open for Jim and Debbie.  Once they got there, the socializing began.  We weren't originally seated together on the plane, but once under way, Joe and I moved forward to the empty seats in front of Jim and Debbie.

Waiting for the taxi.

The flight went well and we safely landed on St. Martin Island.  It was blustery out, but 77 degrees.  We had an exciting gypsy taxi (akin to Uber) ride to Divi Little Bay Beach Resort.  We were each treated to a (strong & tasty) Rum punch during check in (below) and then made our way to the condo.

Our condo is on the second story, with 3rd & 4th balcony,
 to right of the light post in the center of this photo.

After unpacking, changing clothes, and freshening up, we went out to tour the beach front around Little Bay.

Divi Little Bay Beach Resort ^ is located right here.

Divi Little Bay Beach Resort is all the red roofed buildings seen above, almost completely around Little Bay and some units face Great Bay (the aqua water on left side of photo).  The resort actually takes up most of this little peninsula, with Fort Amsterdam at the tip.  The cruise ships dock on the other side of Great Bay.

The main pool, right next to our unit.

View of pool and beach from our condo.

Infinity pool from opposite direction.

The Infinity pool just up the hill from our building.

The tame resident macaw who was out of her cage, socializing, all day long.

In the immediate foreground is the beach front of
the Belair Hotel, the only other resort on Little Bay.

We had a wonderful dinner at the Gingerbread House.  Everyone loved their fishy meals, and I enjoyed my chicken.  Seen right, a view of Divi Little Bay Beach Resort from where we sat outside at the restaurant.

Seen left, a view of the ocean and sunset during dinner.  We watched lots of ships coming and going to sea.
On the way back to the condo we bought some beer and breakfast items at a little resort grocery store. 

Bridge out on our condo balcony.

Once home, a wild game of Contract Bridge began.  Joe played most of the hands because Jim and Debbie had rotten cards, and Joe is a much more aggressive bidder than I.

I was up and out by 7 am Sunday.  I walked up the hill to look at Fort Amsterdam, or, what's left of it.

View of Little Bay from the fort.

There was plenty of wildlife (plants and animals) to be seen.  There were many birds, including wild chickens, and I could hear baby chicks hiding in the thick brush.   

These lizards were everywhere on the island.

The tops of this plant looked like bird feathers.

Sunrise over Great Bay seen from the fort.
Cruise ships can be seen in the background.

<- Here are some strange looking cacti.


I came back down the hill and continued my walk around Little Bay.  Jim and Debbie were at Church when I got back to the condo and Joe was still in bed.

Jim cooked us a wonderful breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast, once they got home.  Next we spent a few hours by the ocean, snorkeling, swimming in ocean and pool, sitting in hot tub and sun, and even taking a little nap.  And of course, more stories were told as we reflected on the past and caught up to the present.






Heineken's week long Regatta was ending Sunday, but we still got to see them racing out beyond our little cove, seen right.

At sea level, bodies are entombed above ground.

In the afternoon, the guys headed one direction by bus to a casino and Debbie and I set out on foot and walked to Philipsburg.  We checked out the cemetery as we came into town, some shops on our way through town, and then walked the boardwalk along Great Bay Beach.

Marble map of the island on the boardwalk at Great Bay.

We enjoyed a local beer under the shade of a palm tree and talked the afternoon away, catching up on each others life.  We also did a lot of people watching.



The guys caught a taxi back to our location and met us for dinner, another delightful meal, at the Green House restaurant.  Seen right, the cruise ships at dock in Great Bay.  Once home, we quickly got the cards out and started in on some more bridge playing.  I think I was the party pooper, but I was crashing (at 11 pm) because it was way past my bed time.

I started out Monday morning, in the weight room.  The machines were different enough, that I had to go slowly to figure things out and make weight adjustments.  But look at the view I had from the elliptical.


At 9 am, we all went down for the resort orientation that included Mimosas with our continental breakfast.  Cheers!  From there we scurried back to the condo, donned our swim suits and while Jim and Debbie snorkeled, Joe and I sat in the sun and the hot tub.

 




It got a little rainy, but we had a 1:30 appointment with the sales folks, so had to head in to clean up anyway.  Our meeting included a sandwich and chips for lunch and we would each get 50$ off our ticket to the boat cruise we had planned for later in the week.  We suffered through 90 minutes of a sales pitch, asked some questions to be polite and finely got the money (trip voucher) and ran.

Jim and Debbie

We had a little time before the complimentary cocktail party, so walked up the hill to the fort, for both the exercise and to look around.  

 







Then we got gussied up, and went to Gizmos, an outdoor bar and grill, for the one hour cocktail party including music and free drinks.

 
Addy was the DJ/entertainer who sang along to the Caribbean music he was playing, and there was some dancing.  I had fun (video) doing the Cupid Shuffle.









 




The party ended with the crab race.  First crab (#s painted on shell) to the perimeter of the circle was the winner.  It ended in a tie.  What a hoot.

Then we went on down the beach to the Gingerbread House where we had reservations to the barbecue buffet.  We enjoyed good ribs and chicken, coleslaw, potato salad, etc.  There was a duo playing steel drums and guitar along with the recorded music.
 
Debbie and I got back into the dancing mode after we had finished eating.  This poor quality photo is of a screen shot from Joe's video.  

Later we went back to Gizmos to enjoy more of Addy's singing and had more fun dancing... well, at least Debbie and I did.  The guys were good sports.  There were two couples on their honeymoon that were the life of the party, dancing and getting others up to dance. 

 

We ended the day with more bridge.  I finally was beginning to feel like I might be getting the hang of this complex game again.  Although, I never really had the hang of it back in the day.  There are so many conventions and bidding rules to remember, and then when playing the cards, there is a lot to watch and remember, especially in no-trump.  And scoring is a whole other entity, that I had little recollection of.

Tuesday morning we were up and out the door by 9:00.  Joe had rented a car so we could do a self guided tour of the island and climb the tallest 'mountain' on the island, Pic Paradise.  We drove in some heavy rain, had to make a few u-turns, but made it to the trail head.

The incline was similar to what we hike in TN, but the rain had made it a bit slippery.

We got hit by a shower while hiking, but otherwise fared pretty well.  The rains never lasted long and then the sun would be out to dry us off.


This snail took advantage of the damp ground and was seen making a beeline across the trail.

We certainly enjoyed the view from up at the top of Pic Paradise.

Even the many rock formations reminded me of what we have back home.



We continued driving around the island and got out of our rental car again at Palm Beach on Orient Bay.  This was the windward side of the island, so the sea and sky were much rougher.  The beach was nearly empty.

Lunch at Taloula Mango on Great Bay

We finished our driving tour of the island in Philipsburg, where we ate a big lunch and again enjoyed live music.
 

The restaurant was hopping because three cruise ships were at port.  There were tons of people to watch strolling by on the boardwalk as well.

Joe and Jim went to the casino while Debbie and I went window shopping and picked up our free jewelry prize we had won.  I absolutely love this bracelet, with the horse shoe hook, that we were given.

While biding time waiting for the guys, Debbie and I then took delight in this female sax player who also sang.  She was elegant, played the sax well, and had a rich, sensuous French voice.  

When we met the guys at the Casino, Jim was not ready to leave, but Joe wanted to get home for a nap, to prepare for an evening of Texas Hold-em.  We left Jim and Debbie at the roulette table and drove back to the condo after grabbing some groceries at a little store.  

Once 'home,' Joe napped and I did laundry while typing notes for this blog post. 

 



Jim and Debbie got caught in the rain while walking back, which I felt bad about.  We decided a quick dip in the hot tub would feel good, so did that before the guys left for an evening of gambling.  They took off in the rental car.  Debbie and I had planned to snack while watching the movie that was to be shown pool side, but again, it was too wet and windy, and was cancelled.  So, we had a quiet evening at home; reading, I typing blog notes, and chatting. 

Wednesday we were up early and to our check point (Divi lobby) about 7:30 am, for an all day sailing cruise.  I had taken Dramamine because it was very windy and I suspected I might need it.  Well, after waiting for our tour bus to pick us up, we got notification that the trip had been canceled because of the weather.  The sea was too rough.  Suddenly, we had the whole day to re-plan.


We decided to hike up the hill to Ft. Amsterdam.  Seen left, at the bottom of the hill, on the east side of the peninsula, Joe is looking out to the east, at Great Bay.

Once to the top of the hill, we thoroughly enjoyed watching all the activity in Little Bay and Great Bay.






From this bench where Debbie and I sat, we watched the Little Bay Scuba and Snorkel Cove.  Photo below was taken Sunday at 6 am.  The next five photos are a series taken Wednesday starting at 9 am.

Notice that two boats have arrived.

Now snorkelers are swimming in from a smaller third boat.
And notice the approaching cruise ship in the background.

As the ship gets closer...

... so do the snorkelers.

When the ship rounded the bend, point of the peninsula,
we got up and moved to the other side of the hill
 where we could then see Great Bay.

This fifth cruise ship took a long time to get docked.  The pilot boat had to come out and drop off the harbor pilot.  Then the cruise ship turned around and was backed into dock (seen below from the fort).

While watching the action, a sightseeing group had been led up on foot, to tour the fort.  Then on our way walking back down, a large group of bicyclist rode by and next a little train-tram carrying tourist.  It was a busy place.

We already had our suits on, so after working out on weights (seen below), we went straight to the beach and pool.  Jim and Debbie snorkeled and Joe and I read our books and took a refreshing dip in the pool.




After a bacon and egg brunch we played bridge on the balcony for a few hours.  We had considered playing down by the beach, but it was just too windy.







We went back out around 2pm, to catch a few more rays, until we were sufficiently 'cooked' for the day.  We returned to the condo, got cleaned up, walked to town, and caught a bus to another area of the island.



We had Happy hour drinks and an early dinner at a lovely restaurant called Lee's Roadside Grill, which was right on the water.  There were tons of funny signs hung everywhere.

The guys jumped out at one of the Casino's on the way home, and Debbie and I continued our bus ride to the cruise ship dock where several 'boat people' were let out.  Then we got out at our destination, and walked up and over the hill to get home.

Seen from the Belair Beach Hotel, the Norwegian ship Epic,
leaving Great bay.  This photo is similar to a view we had,
of a different cruise ship.  They dwarf the condos. 

Debbie and I had planned for an evening of Latin American music at Gizmo's (the outdoor bar and grill).  The sun had set and the lights on the boats at sea and on the beach front were beautiful.  The band was just warming up.  But, after 90 minutes, not one Latino song had been played and there were only a few couples that got up to slow dance a few songs.  Some of the songs and music we enjoyed, but it was a big disappointment.  So, we went home early and to bed to read.

Thursday was another beautiful day in paradise.  Jim and Debbie were out snorkeling before Joe even woke up.  I was on the balcony sipping tea and working on blog notes when I took these photos.

Once Joe was up and we had breakfast, we started the day with a beach walk, going all the way around little bay to the rocky side where the waves were crashing in, hoping to find sea treasures.

Joe in orange and Jim in red, on the move.

Lobster trap temporarily stashed here on the rocks.

A large chunk (rock) of coral.

Sea Grapes in bloom.

Jim really wanted to find some sea glass.

We hit the gym on the way back and then the pool to cool off and get some sun.

Bird (maybe a small egret) getting a drink from the pool.

After lunch we had down time.  I went for a longer walk to explore a little more of the island around Little Bay and to get additional exercise.

This sandy road took me out to the beach.

I spotted this nearly two foot long iguana.

On the east side of Divi resort, I stopped to watch a group
of about ten guys jet skiing in Great Bay.

Then I headed up the road from Belair Beach Hotel
(that ended up not having a safe shoulder to walk on)
and took this photo while walking to the Divi turn off.

We played a few hours of bridge after my walk, swam and sunned a little more, and then got cleaned up to start on our evening out early.  We caught the Sunset Cruise leaving from our own dock at 5pm.  Seen left, the Lambada, a beautiful catamaran, motoring into our dock.

Once aboard, we motored out of the bay.

Then the sail was hoisted and we were under way.

It was a bit windy, so we stayed near shore for smooth sailing.  It was a beautiful afternoon and many of us went out to the front of the boat.  We were served snacks and lots of rum punch and with the Caribbean music filling the air, we were feeling happy.

While sitting on the trampoline of the catamaran,
Joe and I posed for a photo.

But then Joe decided to start screwing around,
pretending he was falling over or drunk.

So I decided, if you can't beat em, join em.  

After almost an hour of sailing, we turned around.  Seen left, the captain and first mate lowered the sail and we were under motor power heading home.










We all continued to enjoy ourselves and the scenery of the shoreline and ships at sea. 


We watched the sun drop below the horizon.  The boat's disco lights came on and the party was really rockin' as we neared home (video).









We disembarked about 7 pm and went to Gizmos. 
Not needing any more spirits, we sipped on water and listened to the band, and quite possibly, some of us danced.

But then... the Belly Dancer Show Girls came out and boy did they put on a show.  Beautiful, colorful, and wonderful dancing.
 









 






Joe, and then Jim, and then Debbie got sucked right in towards the end of the show, and became part of the show.  They were great sports and looked like they were having fun dancing with the sexy ladies (video).  

 
At the very end, they helped lead the conga line, which many on-lookers joined in on.  Lots of fun was had by all.

 








We left Gizmo's at 9:30 and still had time for a Bridge rubber before bed.

Friday was our day trip on the Santino, so we ate breakfast in our swim suits and headed to the check in area where we caught the tour bus at 7:45.  It took us to Simpson Bay where we then had to wait almost two hours until it was time for our ship to sail.  We walked the beach, rocky tide pools (seen right), and boardwalk; and then sat at a picnic table and played more Bridge.





Finally we boarded the Santino.  It was supposed to be a six hour snorkel cruise that went around all of St. Martin island.  But, because of high wind and rough sea, we stayed on the leeward side of the island.  Seen left is the captain and first mate, both who were wonderful and did a great job navigating the waters and entertaining us.
This video shows us getting under way.

Our first quick swim at Plum Bay.

We had a fantastic day out puttering around, anchoring at four different spots to swim and snorkel.
And, we saw lots of sights:

Trumps $20M home, now on the market for $28M.

The high waves made for an exciting boat ride into the wind, going to Creole Rock.  We all got drenched from the waves splashing in, but the ride was actually lots of fun.

Joe and Jim with Creole Rock in the back ground.

The water was so warm, even I could get in without flinching.  The snorkeling at Creole Rock (a nature reserve on the French Side) was very good (although I abstained from snorkeling... just not my thing).









This boat excursion included all drinks, was sponsored by Coors, so I enjoyed a few beers.  Rum punch is usually a hit with tourists, and today's 'party' was no different, although rum with other mixers was also served.

We docked at Mullett Beach, on the French side, and had a big lunch at this French restaurant.

The Santino docked at Mullett Beach.

Heading home, we anchored and snorkeled and/or swam into Happy Beach on the French side, which was 'suits are optional', so some of us saw more than just marine life.  Seen right, I was drying off after a swim to Happy Beach, which can be seen behind me.  The water was crystal clear and a beautiful aqua marine color.



On the way back, motoring past the airport, the planes coming in looked as if they were going to land on the beach.  As they took off, they seemed to barely clear the mountain top.

Internet photo.

Double masted ship seen from our condo balcony.

Showers were much needed by the time we got back to the condo at 6:00.  The guys went to the Casino, and we girls went to Gizmo's for dinner, a drink, and to listen to music.  One group of dancing tourists we had befriended early in the week invited us to join them.  Debbie headed back to the condo and I stayed till the end of the set.  When the band took a break, I went back and got most of my suitcase packed for the trip home.  The boys got done at the Casino early, Joe 'walking away' with nice winnings.  The casino actually ordered a taxi for them, so they could get home safely.  Then, our last night had to end with more bridge.

Saturday morning was leisurely.  Joe and I got in one more visit to the pool.  I only sunned for an hour, but was feeling anxious about time.  Joe continued to soak up rays, unhurried about anything.  I got dressed for travel, finished packing, helped Debbie clean up around the condo, and then tried to chill until checkout time.  Joe, on the other hand, came in with little time to do all he had planned before getting to the airport.

Seen left, one of several resident cats that were seen all around the resort.

With Joe lagging behind at the condo, Jim and Debbie went ahead to check out and settle the bill for the week.  Joe and I arrived in the lobby as they were finishing up.  Then, when the taxi arrived, Joe had disappeared.  We figured he was in the restroom.  I finally found him at the lobby computer, printing our boarding pass.  Thankfully, the taxi was willing to wait a minute, or two or three.

Seen right, the two, less tame Macaws that remained caged in a large enclosure.

Traffic was a little crazy, but I never worry if we aren't driving.  Once at the airport, we had line after line to wait in, as we jumped through all the hoops, required to take an international flight.  We finally arrived at our boarding gate nearly two hours after getting to the airport.  But we still had two more hours to wait before boarding.  We enjoyed lunch, our last meal together, and played a rubber of Bridge.  Soon we boarded the plane and then sat, maybe another 30 minutes, because our plane had to wait for its turn down the runway.

The three hour flight went smoothly, and quickly, as I got over 100 pages of my Dean Koonz novel read and took a nap.  There were more lines at the Ft. Laderdale airport, but getting through customs went fairly quickly.  Once we claimed our checked bags, we gave Jim and Debbie big hugs good bye, and they headed for their parked car and a four hour drive home.  We got an Uber and were taken to our Air B&B, three miles from the airport.  It was a great improvement over the one near the beach a week ago.



We walked a half mile to a German restaurant and were placing our order while enjoying a beer at 8 pm.  I had a filling, tasty, pork tenderloin and potatoes, with all the German accoutrements.  I picked up an ice cream on the way home to try and mask the German flavors I was burping.  But it only made me feel all the more fuller.





Sleep did not come easy as my stomach was boycotting dinner and a day of travel.  So I lay in bed, thinking about the fun week we had had on the Island.  I couldn't think of a better way to vacation, unless maybe it was on a cruise ship.  We are so thankful that Jim and Debbie invited us, and included us in, on their time share vacation on Saint Martin Island!

We saints (Christian believers) need to keep marching on, or in to battle.  One of the first songs I learned on my clarinet was 'When The Saints Go Marching In.'  This song originated as a Christian gospel hymn, is often played by jazz bands, and was first recorded in 1938 by Louis Armstrong.  My mom was a saint for taking me to weekly music lessons, I think for about eight years. 
Finally, to end this week's blog, guess what's coming up next week?  St. Patrick's Day, March 17th.