The Christmas lights are going up all around Aruba. Some people go to great lengths to light up their houses and businesses. They have the old standbys as well as the latest and greatest when it comes to holiday lighting. Check out this guy’s place:

I like those bells and flowers. He also has the full range of colors. Here’s another example:

Wow, glad I won’t be paying that electricity bill. Still, it captures the festive spirit of the season. If you happen to leave the island via airplane, these lights would be a fantastic sight from the sky. I’ll have to give that a try before the First of the New Year.

Bon dia.

Snikkers is a cat who loiters at Buffam’s Tropical Haven, a bed and breakfast here in Aruba.

Snikkers ambled in one day and more or less comes and goes as she pleases. Of course, she’s a friendly calico who likes you to give her plenty of attention. Then, after a quick nap, she bolts after a lizard or some other unfortunate creature.

Be kind to animals, it’s one of the keys to Heaven.

Bon dia.

The Holiday Season is in full swing here in Aruba. Live music is a key element and there are many venues enjoy it. Last night, I stopped in at Zeerovers where a friend was celebrating his new job. There was an excellent band playing. Here’s a photo:

The music did get a little loud for my taste, but I went around the back, on the water side of the joint and relaxed with an ice-cold Coca-Cola, good friends, and a view of the stars that was hard to match.

Whatever holidays you’re celebrating, enjoy them responsibly.

Bon dia.

Tuxer is a stray cat that shows up here at my shack in Aruba from time to time. He’s a regular visitor on an irregular schedule. He likes to take a nap on my patio, a drink from the water I put out for him, and an occasional snack, too. From the photo below, you can see how he got his name.

His black and white coat is just like a tuxedo. Those white shoes would be a big hit at a wedding celebration near you.

I feature cats in all my novels. For An Island Away, it was Screwball. In Bonk’s Bar, it was Larry. And in Universal Coverage, there is one named Marvin. I haven’t settled on the name for the cat in the new book I’m working on. But it’ll come. Maybe it will be Tuxer.

Bon dia.

Aruba Beach Chalets are a great place to stay in Aruba and this photo essay will show you a few of the reasons why. In the first place, this unassuming string of 6 units is in Savaneta, my favorite neighborhood on the island. Savaneta was the original capital of the island way back when. It’s a sleepy place now with 2 fantastic restaurants, a number of local quick snack joints, and Zeerovers, a fisherman’s wharf where you can dance and shoot pool. Back to Aruba Beach Chalets. There are a few off-street parking spots inside the compound just off the frame showing the entrance to Number 1 below:

Number 1 unit is basically twice the size of the Numbers 3-5. It also has a private pool of it’s own, as does Number 6, but we’ll get to that later. Let’s go inside a regular unit, in this case, Number 3:

This is the ground level, where you can see there is a little kitchen space, TV, sitting area, and just off to the right a convenient powder room. Looking out that sliding door at the far end of the photo, you’ll notice a covered porch that fronts the Caribbean.

That’s just a tease. More to follow. First, let’s go upstairs and have a look at the bedrooms. On the island side of the building, you’ll find a two-bed room like this:

That’s a cozy space with a bathroom of it’s own. Showers only, by the way, no tub. (Who needs that anyway?) The other bedroom is a queen bed, and this one has a mosquito netting just in case you want to sleep with the windows open. Check it out:

The reason you may want to leave the windows open, or rather the sliding door, is because this is your view:

Nice, eh? Well, going back downstairs, take a gander at the pool for Number 1 unit:

Very convenient, no? Well, stepping back a few feet, you can see how you could in the pool, a drink in your hand, looking out over the Caribbean Sea where the pelicans are fishing for lunch. Don’t believe me? Here it is.

That’s the view basically looking to the south, southeast. Turning around 180 degrees, you see this:

You can see the row of units, each with it’s own sitting area, the little beach, and how it all fronts the water. Number 6 has its own pool, too, and this unit rents on a longer term basis. Check with the owners through the website: www.aruba-beach-chalets.com. You can click right there and be transported to it, just the website, not the actual place here in Aruba. Sorry.

At any rate, if you’re looking for a place away from it all, give this one a try. I stayed here many times until I bought a shack. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t bought the shack and just rented there. It’s hard to beat.

Bon dia.

It’s starting to look a lot like Christmas here in Aruba. These decorations were installed at the Radisson Hotel.

The Arubans go all out for Christmas, not just at the hotels, but their homes as well. There are roads you can drive with one home after another totally lit up with lights and scenes. It’s worth a few hours drive to see them. Of course the hotels do a good job, complete with Santa Claus visits for the kids and special events leading up to the big day. If you find yourself here, you won’t be disappointed… unless you’ve been naughty.

Bon dia.

Here is an example of what not to do:

Toting a propane tank around in your trunk is a bad idea. Not securing it is a second bad idea. Keep the links out of the chain of disaster by using your head. Okay?

Bon dia.

I went for an early morning bike ride. Usually I roll around the northwest part of the island. This time I went south, parking at the entrance to the former Lago Colony then rode east around the edge of the island. Doubling back, I came across the entrance to the old Aruba Golf Club. In the background tower the new windmills. Take a look:

The photo above gives you an idea just how big those windmills are. At the same time, the Aruba Golf Club is looking rather sad. Time marches on is the old cliche.

Bon dia and Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Aruba’s first commercial wind turbine site is on its way to completion. Here at The Bent Page we updated over the summer on the construction phase. Now the Vestas turbines are spinning in the wind. Still some work to be done, but this is a beautiful sight:

Tour buses now take visitors past this area, as do the private guides. It’s worth a look. These units hardly make a sound and yet they produce a handsome amount of electricity.

Bon dia.

Here’s a photo looking over the Caribbean from Eagle Beach, Aruba. Those sailboats are racing along while the tanker sits at anchor.

Mean time, that handsome couple takes their morning stroll. Just one of the things that makes Aruba a fine destination.

Bon dia.