I could totally get used to this – writing on the beach with a cold beer in hand. But, alas, I did not move to Aruba, I only went there last week for vacation. Here are the pics to prove it:
Megan and I arrived after noon, changed, said “hi” to the various friends and relatives at the timeshare, then headed to the beach bar for a Brown Lady. That’s one of those drinks that tastes like a chocolate milkshake and packs a punch. It also added 2 inches onto my rear, but hey – I’m on vacation, right?
And it’s not a vacation unless I destroy something. In this case, it was our room coffee maker. Neither of us trusted it after the “explosion of grounds” incident, so we staggered out each morning to Dunkin Donuts for our morning caffeine.
There was a lot of work on this vacation. Megan owns a graphic design business, and I released Stolen Souls while on vacation, plus I got some writing done of the draft of Demons of Desire. Still, we managed to rent a UTV and head off-road for a day. Off-road includes a lot of actual “roads” in Aruba since some areas are unpaved. We started out on the trails that run from the California Lighthouse down 
to what used to be the Natural Bridge. All along the way were thousands of stacks of rocks. The beach is mainly made up of fossilized coral, and the balanced rock artwork was amazing. Here’s one particularly odd example. Yes, that’s a baby doll with a plastic bowling pin in its head. I’m thinking it may wind up in one of my books eventually
Creepy, huh?
After wandering off the beaten path and through the residential streets, we lunched at one of the best places on the island – Ramada Columbiana. Pan fried fresh fish, red beans, rice, plantains, and amazingly hot salsa.
We also joined two other friends for a tube-ride. Nine o’clock in the morning, with only half a cup of coffee, I got onto an inner tube and held on for dear life as we were towed high-speed behind a boat. It was a total rush. We went so fast that one of the hair-ties for my braids came out along the way.
Here’s a shot from my room just before heading to the airport:
And here’s what I arrived home to:
Ah well, spring will be here soon. Hopefully.
debradunbar
Thanks! I hated coming back to the snow, snow, and more snow.
debradunbar
Oh, I hate those cockroaches! I spent a summer at Daytona Beach, and even my dog was afraid of those things.
I don’t mind doing author stuff on vacation – in fact I kind of enjoy it. Now if I’d had to take my day-job along, THAT would have sucked!
sandy l
Sounds like a fun time! Don’t worry – we here in Florida will be complaining bitterly about the weather later this summer. And monster cockroaches and spiders raining down out of the trees. So, getaways for us involve mountains and snow.
Sorry there was a lot of work on your vacation, but looking forward to you next book all the same.
Susan Illene
With this crazy winter, it’s been easy to forget there are places in the world where it’s actually warm. Glad to hear you had a nice trip and loved the pics!