December Album

We've often been this time of year just prior to the holidays, the island seemed busier than in the past and the sea was flatter.
First afternoon walking down to Flamands was weed-free, this was not the case at other beaches and changed on a day to day basis. The harbor was completely full and it looked like the .001% were doing quite well.

The condition of other beaches varied. Gouvanier with about a foot or so of seaweed.
As we walked down (does not show well in this photo) but some people set up right in the middle of the weeds.

We schlepped our umbrella to down about 2/3 of the way..from our experience, it's rare to have the sea so calm this time of year---snorkeling was VERY good.

Other beaches like Shell in front of the restaurant Do Brazil made a huge effort clearing with light and heavy equipment plus manpower.

We found a high awareness among locals regarding mosquito borne illness. I was told the Collectivite has contracted for increased spraying of the island and checking for places where breeding can occur.
My screen people (here replacing a slightly torn one) told me they were backed up with orders and doing new installations in places that had never had them prior. I've always found it curious as a US Contractor that only a small fraction of homes on St Barth have screens. Most Euro/French windows I've seen are not made to accommodate them and it can be a quirky retro-fit, especilly with hurricane shutters.

Our neighborhood has long maintained a contract with this company to spray all our villas every two weeks---they informed they were hiring new workers expanding business into some of the shops and restaurants as well.

Something we've never done before: back home we live right near an organic farm and have become spoiled with fresh greens on a regular basis, even in winter. Since we often lunch on the villa terrace or have a salad before dinner, I thought I'd bring some along. They were checked as baggage and traveled very well.

We had an excellent Sancere at LeSprit and checked with our favorite wine guy David at his shop in town (some of you may remember him from the Wall House) who happened to be the Island's distributor for this particular one.

After an always excellent lunch at Santa Fe we spoke with Proprietor Manu along with a popular and good natured drummer Papa Guyo, who told us he would be on-island during the high season playing a number or venues.

Dining was very good this trip: Eddie's, Le Sprit, Le Carrie, Tammarin for lunch, L' Ardoise---new casual place where the old Villa Creole and others used to be in St Jean across from Andy's-----and our last night at La Provenca.
I almost felt a little guilty for enjoying the last one so much* (elegant atmosphere, flawless service, beautifully presented, perfectly prepared fare) since I'd been good friends for so long with the prior owners. Fact: it's a delightful experience to dine in this establishment and the gracious and attentive manager Leonie is making it happen. It's on the top of the list of recommendations for our villa Guests this season.

We're back in Spring and hope to see friends then....enjoy our little paradise.

*for Sopranos fans: remember when Tony dined at the other Italian restaurant and said he felt like a "traitor" for enjoying it more than his old friend Artie's place?

Lots of familiar faces.

Nice report and a great pic of your smiling faces at the end!

You pack so much into your time on the island during each visit, Jeff -- and, it's always fun to read your reports. I'm happy to know where David is . . . he always was charming at "The Wall House." It looks like you ate very well. Always nice to see Caroline!

As usual, a terrific report. Thanks, Jeff. You and Caroline never age!

Thanks for the report. Would love to know the name of the Sancerre.

You are a busy man, Jeff! You take such good care of your villa. I'm smiling at the photo of you, Manu and PapaGuyo. He is one funny dude! Bisous to you and Dr. Caroline.

The bottle in the image is a Sauvignon Blanc, a Petit Bourgeois from Henri Bourgeois. It (and David) can be found at Le Gout de Vin, the wine shop just up the street from Le Crêperie.

Kevin is right, David called it a "young" Sancere, which was good enough for us...

Always like your reports Jeff!! You manage to balance a mix of fun and villa maintenance - even when Caroline is on the island with you! And don't feel bad about enjoying La Provenca! No doubt that Bernard and Julien would be happy to know that the new restaurant is continuing their legacy of delivering a top-notch customer experience.

I always enjoy Jeff's reports too. There's always a facet in there that is uniquely "villa owner", which the rest of us don't experience.

When I was on-island in November, I visited David Damien at Le Gout de Vin, which I try to do on every trip. I told him that he and I "have breakfast together" every morning. Over the years, we've collected stacks of glossy SBH restaurant cards and SBH business cards. Some of them have now been laminated into place mats, either for our use, or as gifts to a few close friends. One, with David's business card, is usually placed where I sit in our breakfast area. David, who we also know and remember fondly from Wall House, thought that it was highly amusing.

Dennis, you can find David at Le Gout de Vin whenever it is open. He is extremely happy with his change of career. It has permitted him to spend quality time with his daughter, time that would not be available if he was still working in the restaurant business.

Thanks for the compliments. Nothing I do at our place is different than other villa owners (or their agents/managers) perform. A place in the Caribbean requires constant maintenance, especially when you keep it to a weekly rental standard. Sun, salt and winds can be brutal---Guest wear and tear, however, has been surprisingly light. It's given me a lot of pleasure having the villa to enjoy ourselves along with Guests who make it possible. My wife has put up with me over the years with so many tweaks and improvements that now it's less work (I take a mostly maintenance trip alone in the off season) and we have it just as we like for vacation. I do love interacting with local business owners and tradespeople and I'm grateful for good staff, along with friends on the ground have certainly had my back on numerous occasions.

A first....an insurance claim, French = complicated...but it's a 500E deductable similar to my home in Michigan.
Damage from Hurricane Gonzalo last October ruined this railing on our side deck which has the gas grill. The Sat dish was also damaged in the wind.

Buddy DDA was booked solid, so I scheduled another excellent tradesman who'd worked with me prior. Construction was done a couple of days between Guests before our trip (a lot of sawdust) but part of the railing toward the right to match the rest of the house rest of the house was not exactly as I wanted, when I was sent the photos. My good friend back home (he's French, has been to the villa) explained exactly how I wanted it re-worked to match. I've learned it's important to be delicate in these matters when you ask someone to correct their work...

The lead carpenter on the left speaks almost no English but with pointing and help from others it's surprising what you can get done.
This little front part took most of the day, so Caroline planned time at the plage and a long lunch.

Finished product: (3100 Euros later) much stronger than before and a perfect match or as the French say "set exact".


Just another day in paradise....

a usual great report.......thanks for sharing

Nice report Jeff. I rotated a few images for you.

Also reached out to JB on the 10 image limitation.

iJEK

Much appreciated...a good trick for sure.

Deck repairs are certainly expensive, Jeff. The result looks great.

as usual Jeff, a great report

Nice report. It's good to see Flamands Blue is being well maintained. It brings back special memories for us.

Good report Jeff! How many years have you had your place in Flamands? I can appreciate your effort in maintaining it.

Thanks Tim, anyone who visited your former villa saw a home loved and perfectly maintained, mostly by your own effort---the surface of the deck was like the finish on a Chris Craft.


This will be year 15 for us at Flamands Blue.