Wrinkly Bits
A Blog by Gail Cushman
Originally posted 1/25/26
The Cowboy and I were stopped at a light in Billings, headed for what I hoped would be the final recheck of Freda the Foot. It was at least the tenth time we had been to the doc or the ER or Urgent care for Freda since the September 17 surgery, and I’m sick of doctors. Freda is doing fine, but I’m a wimp and want to make sure I’m gonna be able to run in the Olympics, if the IOC offers it.
Cowboy said, “Enough is enough. Let’s go somewhere besides to the doctor. How about St. Maartens?”
St. Maartens lies in the Caribbean, with the undercover name of Heaven on Water. Half of it is owned by Holland and half is owned by France. I have been to the Caribbean Islands numerous times, and like them, but I had never been to St. Maartens. I love the Caribbean Islands and one time my sister-in-law literally had to drag me off St. Thomas after I had decided “to heck with teaching school, I’m not going back to sentence structure and Chaucer. I’m buying a bikini and selling Fiji Water on the beach, like others were doing.” The real trouble with the Caribbean is that at some point you have to go home.
Anyway, I didn’t really pay much attention to what Cowboy was saying. Freda was still angry about the surgery and I just sort of dismissed him. He rambled on about how pretty it was, the water, boats, sun, blue skies, airplanes. I believed what he said, but still…a long way from Montana, and we love Montana.
He called Cindy, my wonderful travel agent. She said, “No problem,” and booked us. Air, hotels, the whole nine yards, and all of a sudden, we were on a plane, headed for St. Maartens. Freda didn’t complain a bit.
We arrived at St. Maartens on Saturday afternoon and it is wonderful. Totally out of our league with the 50-million-dollar airplanes, 90-million-yachts, and hotel with a view. As I write this, it is 90 degrees outside. I am drinking a glass of vino and writing a blog. Cowboy is rambling about airplanes and corrosion, something about stowing an airplane on the beach is good for business.
We are having a great holiday, Freda has stopped her screaming, and I’m wondering how hard it would be to sell Fiji water on the beach.
