Please stop in at Tuesday Happy Hour at the Crow's Nest to say ¡Hi! and have some free snacks. the webmaster
This is the lady that
writes this column every month and to whom I am extremely indebted.
Please stop in at Tuesday Happy Hour at the Crow's Nest to say ¡Hi! and have
some free snacks. the webmaster
|
September |
2005 |
Greetings All
Yes I am still stuck in Pennsylvania and count on my friends and sister to
keep me up on “What’s Happenin” in Vieques! I keep an eye on the weather,
praying that we (okay we meaning those of us who love Vieques) do not get a
storm. Our hearts go out to all the people that were in the path of Katrina.
Many of us know first hand just how devastating a hurricane can be, but few of
us have lost everything like so many along the Gulf Coast. On that note, please
keep your fingers crossed that Katrina is the last of the major storms of the
year and that other storms stay out at sea.
On a sad note, the historic Casa del Frances burned down on August 18th. Arson
is suspected but I have not heard anything since the fire. There is lots of
finger pointing as to who or what was responsible for the fire. Regardless of
how the fire happened, this is a tragedy for the island. The Casa was the last
existing plantation home in Vieques. It had a rich history, some good, some not
so good, as to what it represented in Vieques for so many years. For many the
Casa was the first place that young people came to work. Irving and Helen would
recruit young people to come down for “season” and work. They would pay their
way, offer a food and housing and send them home in the spring. Many others also
came down to work at the Casa but found employment elsewhere and still stayed
for the season! I remember some fun Bingo nights at the Casa, shopping for “Jams
World” clothing at the Mall, and attending some great parties at the bar. Many
people got to see that Casa as they waited for the Bio-Bay tour to depart as it
is where Sharon originally ran Island Adventure from. In 2002, Robert Brambilla,
an architect from New York, bought the property. At the time of the fire he was
awaiting permits to begin renovations to the property and begin working on a new
“eco-resort” project. Unfortunately the property had been closed for the past
few years and the grounds were in disrepair, just waiting for the permits that
would allow it to be restored to its former glory. We hope that Mr. Brambilla
will consider rebuilding something similar to the original structure.
Many of you know Lyman, he used to own the Crab Walk Café in Esperanza and most
recently has been bartending at Café Coconuts in Isabel II. Well I really hate
to inform you all that Lyman was attacked at his home recently. He was stabbed
but managed to drive himself to the hospital. The people that were responsible
were quickly arrested and put in jail. Lyman had to have surgery to repair some
damage to his intestines. When I last checked he was due to return to Vieques
sometime around Labor Day. Keep Lyman in your thoughts for a speedy recovery.
Drinking in Vieques is just not the same without joining Lyman at least once a
week.
On another sad note, Everett, who used to own Coconuts then worked at Tradewinds,
died in July. He had retired in the spring and looked forward to his golden
years with family and friends in Maine. Our condolences to his family and
friends.
I recently heard that the Blue Macaw will not be reopening at the Inn on the
Blue Horizon in November. I did hear that Rick and Honor are scouting for
another location as they did want to reopen their popular restaurant. I am
waiting to hear as to whether the new owners of the Inn will be opening the
restaurant there themselves. It is such a gorgeous location, it would be a shame
not to have a restaurant or bar there.
Okay for anyone visiting the island in September, dining will be a challenge! As
is typical during our major hurricane month, many of the dining establishments
will close for at least part of the month. Below are the closings that we know
of:
Bananas – Closed Sept. 15-30
Bili – Closed Sept. 6-Oct. 1
Café Mamasonga – Open all month
Café Violeta – Closed Sept. and Oct.
Chez Shack – Closed until Nov.
Tradewinds – Closed Sept. 9-Oct. 6
The Palms – Closed Sept. 11-Oct. 13
bbh - Closed Sept. 11-Oct. 13
Tropical Baby – Closed after Sept. 5
Okay so now Eli and Glenn know what I go through each month trying to find out
dates for the calendar! I am extremely grateful to them for keeping Vieques
Events going in my absence though, but I am sure they are finding out how
frustrating it came be trying to get information from people, especially when
you are on a deadline!
So here is what we do know is on the calendar for September:
Friday, September 2nd
Special Novo Latino Night at Island Steakhouse. Reservations appreciated
Margarita Madness – Free Margaritas 7-8pm at the Palms @ Villa Bravo
Tapas at Sunset – 3 Tapas and a bottle of wine (special value) in Bravo 6:30pm
Friday, September 9th
Margarita Madness – Free Margaritas 7-8pm at the Palms @ Villa Bravo
Tapas at Sunset – 3 Tapas and a bottle of wine (special value) in Bravo 6:30pm
Island Steakhouse Closed for a Private Party
Friday, September 16th
Special Novo Latino Night at Island Steakhouse. Reservations appreciated
Thursday/Friday, Sept. 22 & 23rd
Verizon selling cellular phones at Centro Comercial
Friday, September 30th
Special Novo Latino Night at Island Steakhouse. Reservations appreciated
Sundays
Prime Rib Night at Island Steakhouse, reservations suggested
Martini Sundays at UVA’S Next Door Tapas Bar with oriental tapas special menu
Mondays
Medalla Night at $1 from 4pm at Bananas
Tuesdays
Happy Hour at Island Steakhouse 5-7pm, drawing for free drinks
Fridays
Pasta at Martineau Bay Resort, includes soups, salads and desserts 6-10pm
Saturdays
Sushi Night at UVA, reservations suggested
Prime Rib Night at Paso Fino at Martineau Bay Resort 6-10pm
Karaoke with Andrew at Mar Azul 9pm
So for anyone who is interested, yes I am still in Pennsylvania. I am currently
doing chemotherapy at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. The commute is
just over an hour long but it goes by quickly. I love my doctors there and also
the nurses in the infusion room. Originally I was to be part of a study to test
the ‘Martha Stewart” drug, Erbitux, and whether it would be effective when used
with 2 of the standard drugs for lung cancer. Well to make a long story short, I
got kicked out of the study with only a short amount of time in! I had a severe
reaction to the Erbitux and ended up in Intensive Care overnight. My doctor told
me the next week that I really had scared the team in the infusion room and my
nurse, Patty, said “Judy, it is not often we get life threatening reactions in
here”. So I guess it was pretty bad but luckily I don’t remember much of it. So
I went back the following week to try the 2 standard drugs and so far so good. I
will go for 2 more treatments, then a week off , then another 3 weeks on.
Following the 2 cycles I will be rescanned to determine how I am responding to
the treatment. I expect that I could have 4-6 months of chemotherapy treatments
but that is really just a guess. I will leave it up to my competent doctors to
decide what my best options are. If possible, and my blood work looks good, I
may try and escape and get home for a few days. I continue on my restricted
vegetarian diet and non-drinking lifestyle, I live for my first vodka martini!
If anyone tells you that acupuncture does not hurt, well it is at least slightly
uncomfortable! I cringe when he puts a few of the needles in but maybe that is
because I have a new, unhealthy dislike of NEEDLES! I just had a central port
put in my chest so that I no longer have to get stuck every week. The bandage
comes off the port today and I am sure that I will not be happy with the overall
fashion look of it but Oh Well…….. And my good friend Laurel Loop, the amazing
singer/owner of the karaoke equipment used in Vieques, is sending a few wigs to
me! She said there is a selection of red and auburn wigs for me to use! So next
month be prepared to vote on your favorite look for Judy’s Chemo Time when I
will send Jim pictures and await your feedback on which wig or wigs I should
proudly wear! I will probably end up in a scarf more than anything but the idea
of changing hairstyles and colors is somewhat appealing. So for now that is
about all there is to tell of life in Vieques and life in Bethlehem. Again
thanks for all the prayers, energy, affirmations, happy thought, etc. Believe
me, all that positive energy that you were sending pulled me through a tough day
and I really appreciate it.
Take care and stay healthy
Judy
PS: If there is anything you would like to see in the newsletter or have any feedback please email Ask Judy. Thanks. askjudy@enchanted-isle.com
If any of you would like to see something specific in this newsletter please contact the webmaster and I will do my best to investigate for you.
Email: whats_happenin@enchanted-isle.com
