Fun times with friends on the beach

This is my final Aruba post for this year.  Even though they’ve been light on words and truly not that many pictures either, it’s taken me weeks to get them all done but I had to get the pictures and posts all up because they’re such great memories and this is my scrap book for Maisie. 

Every year we look forward to seeing our friends Sandy, Alan and Carl on the beach and it’s lonely and doesn’t seem right when they’re not there as they generally leave a number of days before we return home.  Maisie loves that each day they bring a special little candy treat for her and she adores going off with Sandy to put aluminum can pop-top tabs into Aloo.  (Maisie and Sandy collect aluminum can pop-top tabs all year and bring them to Aruba as the towel lady collets them in “Aloo” a bear shaped container.  The tabs are used as a fundraiser for sick children in Aruba.) 

Each year I like to get a picture of Maisie with our friends and we’re looking forward to hopefully seeing them again next December.

Alan, Maisie, Sandy & Carl ~ 2011

2010

2009

2008 

2007, Maisie’s first year in Aruba.

Maisie’s already talking about and looking forward to going to back to Aruba next year.  Unfortunately it may only be another few years that we’re able to go in December and not because of school but because of gymnastics.  Once Maisie gets to the higher levels her competition season will change.  Instead of meets starting in August and ending by the first week in December, her competition season will start in December and we won’t be able to get away, thus no Aruba.  We’ve enjoyed our years there (so far 23 for me, 6 for Eammon and 5 for Maisie) and we’ll continue to do so for as long as we’re able.  Then poor Grandpa will have to eat his breakfast alone and take his walk without a little jumpy girl, we’ll celebrate our Gotcha/Family Day in a different place, the birds will have to find another patient little girl to feed them and we’ll have to make other arrangements to meet up with our friends.

Another thing that we’ll miss is dining at some great restaurants like my favorite, Madam Janette and Eammon’s fave, Iguana Joe’s.  Guess I’ll have to cook up something wonderful, turn on the ceiling fan and pretend we’re feeling the warm trade winds as we dine.

Neither Arubian nor Caribbean but it’s easy, “Maisie safe” and delicious, Potato Crusted Pork Chops, my newest recipe posted over on Cook Lisa Cook.  Just click on the picture to be taken to the recipe.

Other delicious recipes posted on Cook Lisa Cook include: Mango Lassi, Stir-Fried Asparagus with Water Chestnuts, Ginger & Cashews, Curried Roast Chicken Pieces with Spicy Sweet Potato & Carrots, Grilled Corn & Bacon Pudding, Oriental Chicken Salad, Potato Salad with Bacon, Coffee Crusted Steak, Home Style Chicken Curry, Watermelon Frosty,  Mango Gazpacho, Toll House Double Stuff Oreo Brownies, Long Beans with Walnuts, Blacksmith Pizza, Rhubarb Crisp, Laksa, Math Book No Bake Cookies, Aloo Gobi, Mint Lassi, Red Curry Chicken, Lamb Curry, Grilled Corn, Avocado & Tomato Salad with Honey Lime Dressing, Baked Egg Cups Two Ways, Thai Peanut Salad, Holy Guacamole, Cantaloupe Agua Fresca, Wallaby Darned, Piggy-Out Cookies, Wicked Good New England Lobster Roll, Long Beans with Garlic, Super Simple Summer Shrimp Salsa Salad, Grandma’s Teriyaki Steak, Watermelon Tomato Gazpacho, Red Chinese Long Beans with Peppers & Red Curry, 24-Layer Crêpe Cake, Fig & Watermelon Salad, Grilled Chèvre & Fig Panini, Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad, Grilled Prawns, Spicy Brown Sugar Bacon, Kicked Up Piggy-Out Cookies, Pesto Pita Pizza, Cilantro Lime Chicken, Nutella Crêpes, Mango, Lime & Chile Spiced Ice Box Pie, Roast Beef & Garlic Herb Cheese Sandwich, Layered Crespelle with Bolognese, Fresh Mozzarella & Basil, Jamaican Jerk Meat Pies, Nutella No Bake Cookies, Velvety Mac & Cheese, Welsh Cakes, Tom Yam Ghoong (Spicy Shrimp Soup), Lime Jewels, Southwest Pasta Salad, Walnut Roca Squares, Uncle Bubba’s Shrimp & Grits, Chocolate Chip Gingersnaps, Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies, Copycat “KFC” Coleslaw, Happy 6th Birthday Maisie Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies, Thin Mint Irish Coffee, Caramel Apples, “Rotisserie” Chicken, Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwich, Mummy Hotdogs, Mango Upside Down Cake, Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens, Aloo Tikki, Pink Strawberry Cake Balls, Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake, Apple Dumplings, Rum Cured Salmon, Apple, Cranberry & Rhubarb Crisp, Hasselback Potatoes with Garlic Sour Cream, Crunchy Oat, Almond, Cashew & Pebbles Granola Bars, Texas Chicken with Lime Butter, Biscoff Fudge, Eggnog Popovers with Cranberry Butter and Creamed Corn with Cheese and Cilantro.

Enjoy!