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Vacations 7/7/2017 6:48:13 AM
Several years ago, well more like twenty-five, Virginia and I took the kids to Aruba to spend Christmas in a different place. We rented a villa not far from where that young girl disappeared a few years back except when we were there, it was safe and secure. The place we rented belonged to an old Dutch man of some wealth and he was kind enough to take us into his adjoining villa to show us his paintings. It turned out many of them were paintings by the Dutch Masters. We were floored by the exhibit and most thankful for his generosity. One of the other things that astounded me was that he recycled water from the washing machine to irrigate his garden. Fresh water is scarce on Aruba. It sometimes rains with no water hitting the ground.
On Christmas Eve we attended Mass at a Catholic Church and didn't understand a word of the ceremony because the Mass was in Arawak. Earlier in the day the kids complained that we could not celebrate Christmas if we did not have a tree. So, Virginia, enterprising as always, went with them to gather palm fronds which we taped to the wall. The kids joined in making paper ornaments and hung them (taped of course) on the tree.
A different kind of Christmas. We celebrated with gifts. I do not recall where we had dinner. Probably at the Aruba Beach Club where we owned time share and held a membership. But I do recall that it was the kids of Christmas one remembers. Odd to spend it with summer winds and the sound of the ocean thundering against the shoreline.
In our time together Virginia and I have done many different things. We once purchased a thirty foot camper which I named Dark Wind. Virginia's idea of camping was a complete unit with microwave, indoor bathroom and shower, private bedroom, stove and refrigerator. She was willing to forego television since the Canadians only had two channels and one movie a week. She introduced me to the concept of the microwave. Said it was non-negotiable. I tend to oppose anything new and the microwave was no exception. But one I accepted its true meaning of life, I also tended to overcook everything I inserted into it.
On one occasion the laundry was not dry yet, and I decided to dry my undershirt in the instrument of doom. And it was working. But my philosophy was that, if four minutes made it hot, twenty minutes would dry it completely. Those women who are versed in the microwave can predict what happened. The only unsoiled undershirt I had turned a slightly brown tone and had a burnt smell about it. Needless to say, I have moderated by use of the microwave. I still tend to overcook or over boil things but I have stopped doing my laundry in the infernal machine.
