Decker

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No one celebrates a split series like a Gump

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Very true

This seems like the most cherry-picked stat ever. Just say you don’t like Alabama and the thought of them possibly making the playoff makes you big mad.

I still think GRRM used Bran as a surrogate for himself. A guy who is physically weak but has the knowledge of the entire history of Westeros becomes the king.

Pretty much a lock to have the best record of that group

I’ve read thousands of thyroid ultrasounds and performed fine needle aspirations on hundreds of thyroid nodules. Nothing in life is certain but there is a greater than 99% chance his nodule is benign based on the given description. A lot of physicians are afraid to commit and patients end up with unnecessary follow ups (which cost money) and unnecessary procedures (which can have complications). I prefer to use my expertise and experience to give patients the best advice I can and then I stand by it.

For anyone curious, just google “TI-RADS radiology” and study the different categories of thyroid nodules and the recommendations. You can also read about the chances of cancer, etc.

Doctors treat family members all the time

I really enjoyed eating pizza in Naples and then visiting Vesuvius and Pompeii. Some say Herculaneum is even better but we didn’t go there.

The highlights of our time in Positano were a chartered boat tour that included Capri and a private boat rental that I piloted (with relative ease) up and down the coast.

Rome is pretty self explanatory. Kids like ruins. The Vatican is amazing. If you are religious also visit Paul’s supposed final resting place. Eat in Trastevere if you can.

Edit: we ate at L’antica Pizzeria da Michele in Naples, and it was definitely worth it. They hand out numbers at the door and then you stand around until your number is called. We paid our driver a little extra and he found a shady guy who sold him an upcoming number so we didn’t have to wait for an hour or two.

Pimm’s was great. The service was impeccable. I made our reservation a week or two in advance. I think it books up quickly. I made our reservation at Strawhat that afternoon, so it should be an available alternative.

If you are staying at Zemi House, I think you will really enjoy eating at the beach shacks between it and Manoah.

I get it about drinking (although apparently you can drink and drive in Anguilla), but I still think renting a car is the way to go. If the sea is rough one day you can just zip over to the other side of the island. Heck, you can always get a cab if you are hammered and then get the rental car the next day.

Trip Report:

Summary:
Anguilla has amazing uncrowded beaches, fantastic food, and great people.

Travel:
We flew direct from Atlanta to Sint Maarten and then took a "ferry" (we used Calypso Charters, the boat held about 15 passengers) from Sint Maarten to Anguilla. The boat was docked very close to the airport. We paid for a transfer but could have walked. Sint Maarten aiport is under construction and the customs lines were long, but, luckily, someone came around and took travelers who were transferring out of the longer line and let us get processed faster. There were also shorter customs stops at the boat dock and then at arrival in Anguilla. The boat ride was nice, with complimentary non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks. We (family of 5) took my preferred cocktail of meclizine and zofran and no one felt sea sick on any of our boating excursions. For our return trip, we arrived at the Blowing Point ferry dock in Anguilla 45 minutes before departure and paid a departure fee of approximately $30 per person. At the airport in Sint Maarten, we made it through security in less than 1 hour (I'd recommend arriving at least 2 hours before your flight just in case). Food options at the airport were limited and the lines were long. We had crepes, which were pretty tasty. There are direct flights available from Miami to Anguilla, if you want to go that route.

Getting Around:
I rented a car from Junie's, which had great service. I rented an SUV but they had to cancel it last minute. They provided an escort free of charge to transport our luggage to and from the hotel. I tried to book from Island Car Rentals but they are closed on Saturdays and our hotel concierge said they are not the most dependable. I think I paid $250 total for 6 days, including insurance. Getting around by car is easy and my recommendation. Cabs are expensive. The roads aren't great but they are also not crowded. The maximum drive you will make will be less than 30 minutes. You drive on the left side of the road, FYI.

Accomodations:
We stayed at Manoah Boutique Hotel on Shoal Bay beach. It is a good hotel for the price. The location is unbeatable. We had a two bedroom suite on an upper floor with a giant balcony and amazing views. The hotel provides a continental breakfast each morning that includes delicious freshly made croissants and is more than enough, although you can purchase additional items off of the breakfast menu. I walked down our beach and checked out Zemi House at the other end, which is very nice. We also had chances to check out Cap Juluca, Aurora, and the Four Seasons. All of these are great but they are pretty pricey and large and spread out. It really depends on whether you want to spend most of your time at your resort or explore the island a little more.

Beaches:
All of the beaches in Anguilla are public. We stayed at Shoal Bay East beach but visited numerous other beaches. The beaches are generally not crowded and most have chairs and umbrellas available for a small price or just for buying a drink at the bar that owns them.

I might be biased because we stayed there, but Shoal Bay East is probably the best beach in Anguilla. It is long and has the softest sand and beautiful water. There is decent snorkeling off shore. There are multiple casual restaurants along the beach that are all excellent. You can come right out of the water and eat at them. Zemi House resort is at the western edge of the beach. If you go any further west, the beach is rocky. Manoah and Shoal Bay Villas are at the eastern edge of the beach. If you walk past them to the east you can go around the point to North Shoal Bay Beach, which is pretty much empty. There are no hotels to speak of between Manoah and Zemi House. The beach was never crowded the entire time we were there. It was calm for the first 3+ days we were there. The last 2 full days, it was a little rough, so we visited other beaches.

We visited Rendezvous Beach one day. The Aurora Resort is on this beach, as well as Anguilla Great House. It is a beautiful beach with great sand and water and views of Sint Maarten across the channel. We ate at the Sunshine Shack, which was crowded and fun but had really slow service. All in all, it is a fantastic beach. If you stay at Aurora, you might want to figure out which building you are in, as part of the resort is not actually on this beach and is in a less desirable area. Parking was easy and free; we parked in a lot close to Anguilla Great House. We used their chairs and umbrellas and I bought a couple of drinks from their bar in return. The famous beach dog Saba came by and played frisbee with us for a long time.

We visited Maunday's Bay Beach (Cap Juluca resort covers basically the entire beach) one afternoon. It is equally beautiful, with soft sand and colorful water and views of Sint Maarten. We bought drinks at the Cap Shack and used their chairs/bean bags. You can park at either end of the bay, either by the main part of the resort or by the Cap Shack (I'd recommend parking at the Cap Shack). It seems a little uninviting because the resort covers the whole beach, but, again, it is all public.

We visited Savanna Bay Beach for a couple of hours. It is on the south eastern side of the island and completely deserted except for a restaurant that opens for lunch (this is where we parked). It was beautiful and calm but there was a lot of seaweed that day. Along the eastern side of the beach, near where we parked, the kids found some decent shells and a lot of brain coral pieces.

Sandy Ground is a very protected cove where a lot of boats anchor/moor and from which both of our excursions embarked. It has several beach bars, including the famous Elvis'. It is very pretty and typically calm. We saw several small sea turtles swimming there. We watched sunset there one evening and it was very picturesque. It isn't really a place for swimming but is nice for hanging out. There is an island (Sandy Island) not too far away that is tiny and only has a bar/restaurant on it. A boat shuttle can take you from Sandy Ground to the island for a small fee.

Barnes Bay Beach is one of the two beaches that the Four Seasons has access to. We visited it on an excursion and swam and snorkeled. It is great for both and was pretty empty while we were there. The beach itself is a little narrow.

Meads Bay Beach is one of the most famous in Anguilla. We toured by it by boat and ate at a restaurant on it one evening, but didn't spend any time on it during the day.

Little Bay Beach is only accessible by boat. We visited it on an excursion and it was a fun place to swim and snorkel. Additionally, there is a rock you can climb (a little difficult/scary) and then jump off of, which was fun.

Prickly Pear Cay is a small uninhabited island a few miles from Anguilla. You can visit it on calmer days, when the restaurant on the island is staffed. It is very beautiful and great for swimming/snorkeling/exploring.

Continued in the next post

You Can Count on Me is a fantastic movie