Something you haven't seen in a while

And that is a lot of people at the beach. It has rained like you wouldnt believe for several days now! .

I don't know but I think I have grown 2" after being watered so much.

.

Yesterday the main street in Sosua, Calle Pedro Clisante looked like a river. Garbage was flowing down the street all morning and you couldnt see the street, the sidewalk or the first two steps coming into the restaurant.

.

Ok, enough about the bad weather. I guess we deserve it after not seeing much rain since late August. Besides I didn't have to shovel it so what the hell do "I" have to complain about~!

.

Business has been good. People had nothing else to do but come in and eat and drink for several days now. Even first thing this morning I had a customer in 15 minutes before we opened to get 2 sodas and water. We had a very busy day yesterday and I suspect equal for today and tomorrow at least.

.

I was up in Cabrera on Wednesday after staying Tuesday night in Nagua. It was hard to get a hotel room because of the inaugaration of the NEW Airport that supposedly opened there to serve Cabrera to Samana. Now I don't know if the Airport is actually opened but they did inaugarate it:) Like all things in the DR sometimes it is hard to tell what is what.

.

The project in Cabrera is coming along nicely. We poured the roof on the bigger house which is 490 m2 and the smaller house 430 m2 is in the finishing stages now getting ready for ceramic and plumbing fixtures and kitchen. Hopefully we will have both homes finished this year and begin on the condos. Notice I used the word Hopefully? That is just about all you can do here is hope sometimes since it is sometimes very difficult getting things done.

.

Construction is going great guns here on the North Coast Still. It is becoming a bigger boom here the way there are so many new homes are popping up every day. More and more people are coming here to purchase something. I speak to many people every day in the market for something.

.

Hopefully I will buy a new digital camera in the next couple of weeks. My 8 megapixel Nikon is a great camera but I am jonesing for one of those small thin and light cameras of high megapixel. Something I can put in my shirt pocket and whip out when needed:)

.

The message board that I post on http://www.lifeinthedr/forum is doing very good. After a few months there are about 350 members/posters there and there are often many people just logged on before becoming members. Check it out!

.

That's it for now. I know I haven't blogged much and I probably won't get on a regular stream for a couple of weeks but I promise I will be back and write as often as I did before.

. Hasta Pronto!

Now this is a beautiful Sunset!

Yesterday I headed up to Cabrera to take care of some business. I also stopped on the way up at a Tipico Dominican outdoor restaurant for some fish which of course was great! .

Anyone who has taken this trip with me has stopped at this restaurant to eat drink and be merry! You get more to eat than is humanly possible and if you can dance afterwards the rest of the day the food is free:)

.

Today I have a closing at 2pm where I am getting bought out by a partner on a couple pieces of property and tomorrow I close on a mortgage loan. This makes for a busy 2 days and cuts into my nap time tremendously but I will get through these days!

.

Business has been very good so far in October after a very slow September. I guess it will turn out to be the slowest month of the year for me. I will know for the future which is good.

.

I completed the building of a glass double door storefront to the small dining room which I plan on Air Conditioning for next summer. I will only have 16 seats but I think I will make good use of those seats next year if the weather is anything like it has been.

.

Now it has cooled off a bit and it is very comfortable here in the restaurant at 8am instead of sitting here typing and sweating like I did just about all summer. It was unseasonably HOT here this year but thankfully it is now cooling down a bit.

.

Last night I hung out in my pool for the first time at night that I can remember. I should have been doing that when it was hot but I guess I will figure things out at some point:)

.

My liquor mules have been working very hard. I now have Don Julio for my buddy Jackie Quontee who drank me out of business his last time in. For a few weeks Don Julio just wasn't available but now I am stocked up along with the Patron Silver which I also serve a lot of to one customer Tony Tequilla! He also puts a hurting to me whenever he is in town. Last trip it drank 2 1/2 bottles one afternoon and drank me out of business. This guy is actually know by that name btw. His name isn't even Tony but everyone calls him that! Between Jackie and Tony, Tequilla is about my best seller.

.

I have another mule coming today and the nice part of it is that they call my NY number from Duty Free to do my shopping on the phone! I can use some Balvienie 12 year old now but it hasn't been in stock lately. Hopefully I will get a couple of bottles today but I wouldn't bet on it.

.

My Scotch collection is becoming a real nice collection. I am thinking about doing a Scotch Tasting night and combining it with Food and Cigars and closing it into the new dining room. I would probably discount the Scotch by 50% just to give the people a chance to taste a bunch of different Scotch's from different regions. For instance if you taste a Coal Ila 12 year old next to a Macallan 12 year old the taste is amazingly different since it is produced in different parts of Scotland. Put the Macallan 12 yo next to the Balvenie 12 year old and again you have almost traveled to the other part of Scotland. Another good one to put up with these is the Glenfiddich 15 year old for another taste.

.

I would probably add to this tasting a 21 year old Balvenie and a 20 year old Caol Ila just to show the difference in aging although it also has something to do with the Wood barrels the whiskey is aged in additionally.

I will start asking around to see if there is an interest in a discounted Scotch Awareness night and if there is I will plan this with the kitchen and put on the night. If you don't have a taste for Scotch or know little about it this will be a fun evening.

.

Hasta Pronto!

A rainy Day in Sosua

Man it has been raining hard here in Sosua for 2 days now.

.

Not that I am complaining because we have only had 4-5 days of rain in the last month and a half.

.

This is a photo realistic view of a house in construction in Cabrera I am involved with. I will be back up to see the roof on Wednesday when the restaurant is closed.

.

Our liquor collection has grown tremendously since I last posted it so I am going to post it again.

.

Whiskies Blantons Bourbon Jack Daniels Gentleman Jack Jim Beam Bourbon Jim Beam Black Bourbon Knob Creek 9 yr Southern Comfort Canadian Club Canadian Club 12 yr Crown Royal Crown Royal Special Chivas Regal 12 yr Dewers Dewers 12 yr Dimple Pinch 15 yr Glenfiddich 15 yr Glenlivet 12 yr Highland Black Balvenie 12 yr Balvenie 21 yr Caol ILA 12 yr Cragganmore 12 yr

JW Black 12 yr J W Green 15 yr JW Gold 18 yr JW Blue 21 yr Macallan 12 yr Macphails 45 yr Distilled in 1938 Montesol Oaken Signatory Vintage Distilled 76’ Bottled 9-29-96 Caol Ila Scotch - Bottle # 171 of 720 Smokey finish Jameson Irish Jameson 12 yr Jameson 18 yr Ken Laugh Irish

Vodka Absolut 80 proof Absolut Rasberry Absolut Limon Absolut Mandrin Absolut Peppar Belvedere Finlandia Finlandia Cranberry Grey Goose la vanille Grey Goose Limon Grey Goose L’Orange Grey Goose Iganoff Vodka Ketel One Montesol Sex Vodka Sky Vodka Stolichnaya 80 pr Stolichnaya GOLD Tanqueray Sterling Vincent Van Gogh Rum Bacardi/Barcelo 151 Bacardi O(orange) Bacardi CoCo(nut) Bacardi Limon Bacardi 8 yr amber Bacardi Reserva Barbancourt 4 yr Barbancourt 8 yr Barcelo Anejo Barcelo Imperial Bermudez Aniversario Brugal Carta Dorada Brugal Extra Viejo Brugal Siglo de Oro Captain Morgan's Caribbean Club 7 yr Centenario Comemor Don Rhon Reserve Facapa Centen 23 yr Flor de Cana 12 yr Medellin 8 Yr Mount Gay Siboney Viejo d Caldas 3 yr Gin Beefeater Bermudez Gordons Montesol Perigans Dry Gin Sapphire Bombay Tanqueray Tequila Patron Anejo Patron Silver Patron Reposado Don Julio Anejo Don Julio Silver El Jimador Blanco El Tesoro Paradiso Jalisco Revolucionario Jose Cuervo Gold Milagro Anejo Sng Brl Sauza Gold Tres Genercions Silver Tres Sombrero Blanco Tres Sombrero Gold Liqueurs Alize Gold Passion Alize Red Passion Alize Blue Alize Wild Passion Alize Gold Passion Amaretto disappore Amaretto di Saronna B&B Baileys Barbero Grappa Blue Curacao (Lagr) Cointreau Crème de Banana (Lagr) Crème de Cacao (Lagr) Crème De Menthe (Lagr) Cuarenta y Tres De Melon (Lagr) Drambuie Frangelico Liqueurs Galiano Grand Marnier Fior Di Uve Grappa Hpnotic Jagermeifter Kahlua Malibu Coconut Rum

Melocoton Peach (Lagr) Sambuca Black Sambuca Classic Schnapps Apple Strawberry (Lagr) Tia Maria Triple Sec (Lagr) Vermouth

Brandy 1 oz Delamain Vesper Cognac

Frapin VIP X.O. Cognac Hennesy VS Hennesy VSOP Hennesy XO Leopold Gourmel Cognac Montesol Cognac Royale Napoleon VSOP Remy VSOP Red

Remy XO Remy Red Beer – Domestic/Imported & Coolers Becks Bacardi Silver Bacardi Silver O2 Brahma

Brahma Grande Budweiser Budweiser Light Corona

Heineken Miller 12 oz

Presidente Presidente Light Smirnoff Ice 12 oz La Benedicta ------------------------

This list will increase today and every week until I have the largest selection you can imagine~!

Hasta Pronto!

I got this nice note from a customer of Quixote's Restaurante yesterday and decided to post it. Of Course I had to post this picture to go with it. Words well said and all that:) .

Well Scott,I'm back in the U.S.A. and back in the rat race. I miss the D.R. already and look forward to seeing you guys once I return in Feb 07!!! Here's something that just about blew my size 12 1/2 socks off!!!

.

http://largefeet.com/index.php?customernumber=53755352605&pr=News_Detail&newsid=14

.

I thank you so much for your hospitality, internethook up, use of your phone to call the states andespecially dinner, coffee, and drinks at "Quixote'sRestaurante" Unbelievably tasty!! When are you comingout with T-shirts??Your "US Bound" Friend,Al

---------------------------------------------------

Thanks Al for the nice note. The website referenced is a business my family owns in Atlanta which sells mens size 8-22.

.

It is a pretty famous place for people who like shoes and have large feet although you will have a choice of at least 400 different shoes in your size in the Store. Not quite as many online or in the catalog but a shoe horses delight.

.

We get in all the Professional Sports teams almost on a Daily basis.

.

http://www.largefeet.com click on famous faces on the upper right to see just some of our very famous customers.

.

Hasta Pronto!

This is a project I am involved with in Cabrera. You can see the footprint of a couple of large villas we are building. One home is 430 m2 and the other is 490 m2. A meter is 10.28 Sq. Ft.

.

On the left of the villas will be 28 condos.

.

These sit on a cliff looking down at the large Palm Trees and have a Panaramic view of the Ocean. .

I was up there yesterday to check on progress and it is happening pretty quickly now. .

In this picture the project is right over the red Orchid Hill.

.

This project is just starting to get exciting as the homes are coming together. We will start on the condos as soon as one of the homes are sold. I may end up with a condo right there myself even though I have a building lot with a similar view and also on a cliff. This project is a real nice one and I wouldnt mind living there.

.

Hasta Pronto!

Sentence of Reid

.

Remember the guy who got on a plane with a bomb built into his shoe and tried to light it? Did you know his trial is over? Did you know he was sentenced? Did you see/hear any of the judge's comments on TV or Radio? Didn't think so

.

Everyone should hear what the judge had to say. Ruling by Judge William Young, US District Court.Prior to sentencing, the Judge asked the defendant if he had anything to say. His response: After admitting his guilt to the court for the record, Reid also admitted his "allegiance to Osama bin Laden, to Islam, and to the religion of Allah," defiantly stating, "I think I will not apologize for my actions," and told the court "I am at war with your country.

.

"Judge Young then delivered the statement quoted below:January 30, 2003, United States vs. Reid. Judge Young:"Mr. Richard C. Reid, hearken now to the sentence the Court imposes upon you.On counts 1, 5 and 6 the Court sentences you to life in prison in the custody of the United States Atto rney General. On counts 2, 3, 4 and 7, the Court sentences you to 20 years in prison on each count, the sentence on each count to run consecutively. (That's 80 years.) On count 8 the Court sentences you to the mandatory 30 years again, to be served consecutively to the 80 years just imposed. The Court imposes upon you for each of the eight counts a fine of $250,000 that's an aggregate fine of $2 million. The Court accepts the government's recommendation with respect to restitution and orders restitution in the amount of $298.17 to Andre Bousquet and $5,784 to American Airlines.The Court imposes upon you an $800 special assessment.The Court imposes upon you five years supervised release simply because the law requires it. But the life sentences are real life sentences so I need go no further. This is the sentence that is provided for by our statutes. It is a fair and just sentence. It is a righteous sentence.Now, let me explain this to you.

.

We are not afraid of you or any of your terrorist co-conspirators, Mr. Reid. We are Americans. We have been through the fire before. There is too much war talk here and I say that to every-one with the utmost respect. Here in this court, we deal with individuals as individuals and care for individuals as individuals. As human beings, we reach out for justice.You are not an enemy combatant. You are a terrorist. You are not a soldier in any war. You are a terrorist. To give you that reference, to call you a soldier, gives you far too much stature.

.

Whether the officers of government do it or your attorney does it, or if you think you are a soldier. You are not----- you are a terrorist. And we do not negotiate with terrorists. We do not meet with terrorists. We do not sign documents with terrorists. We hunt them down one by one and bring them to justice.So war talk is way out of line in this court. You are a big fellow. But you are not that big. You're no warrior. I've known warriors. You are a terrorist. A species of criminal that is guilty of multiple attempted murders. In a very real sense, State Trooper Santiago had it right when you first were taken off that plane and into custody and you wondered where the press and the TV crews were, and he said: "You're no big deal."You are no big deal.

.

What your able counsel and what the equally able United States attorneys have grappled with and what I have as honestly as I know how tried to grapple with, is why you did something so horrific. What was it that led you here to this courtroom today?I have listened respectfully to what you have to say. And I ask you to search your heart and ask yourself what sort of unfathomable hate led you to do what you are guilty and admit you are guilty of doing? And, I have an answer for you. It may not satisfy you, but as I search this entire record, it comes as close to understanding as I know. .

It seems to me you hate the one thing that to us is most precious. You hate our freedom. Our individual freedom. Our individual freedom to live as we choose, to come and go as we choose, to believe or not believe as we individually choose. Here, in this society, the very wind carries freedom. It carries it everywhere from sea to shining sea. It is because we prize individual freedom so much that you are here in this beautiful courtroom. So that everyone can see, truly see, that justice is administered fairly, individually, and discretely. It is for freedom's sake that your lawyers are striving so vigorously on your behalf, have filed appeals, will go on in their representation of you before other judges.We Americans are all about freedom. Because we all know that the way we treat you, Mr. Reid, is the measure of our own liberties. Make no mistake though. It is yet true that we will bare any burden; pay any price, to preserve our freedoms. Look around this courtroom. Mark it well. The world is not going to long remember what you or I say here. The day after tomorrow, it will be forgotten, but this, however, will long endure.

.

Here in this courtroom and courtrooms all across America , the American people will gather to see that justice, individual justice, justice, not war, individual justice is in fact being done. The very President of the United States through his officers will have to come into courtrooms and lay out evidence on which specific matters can be judged and juries of citizens will gather to sit and judge that evidence democratically, to mold and shape and refine our sense of justice.See that flag, Mr. Reid? That's the flag of the United States of America . That flag will fly there long after this is all forgotten. That flag stands for freedom. And it always will.Mr. Custody Officer. Stand him down.

.

So, how much of this Judge's comments did we hear on our TV sets? We need more judges like Judge Young, but that's another subject. Pass this around. Everyone should and needs to hear what this fine judge had to say. Powerful words that strike home. God bless AmericaPlease forward this----------so that every American has a chance to read it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I got this in my email today.

While I may not agree with everything the President of the US does and has done I still support him and respect him in a most difficult job at a most difficult time in history.

.

I only hope that others keep the resolve and do what is needed to keep these evil people from our doors all around the world.

.

Hasta Pronto!

Holloween is coming soon to a place near you...

Just wanted to wish you a happy in advance! LOL Thanks for the pic Unk!

.

Business is back to normal here after a horrible 2 weeks. I wasn't worried about it but after having the best week ever turning into the worst weeks ever was a bit bothersome:)

.

I am already looking forward to Tuesday when I finish work at about noon so I can take almost 2 days off.

.

That picture is a sight for sore eyes, huh? I mean if your eyes weren't sore before they will certainly be sore after! Reminds me of the fat lady pictures from about 10 years ago that were circulating on the internet. I just cant tell if this is a man or a woman. I tend to think woman because of lack of hair.

.

Hasta Pronto!

Business is Back!

Business is back to being decent instead of slower than a nakid old lady climbing over a barbed wire fence! How's that for a visual?

.

Today we were busy all day from 7:30am until I left for my siesta! Not that I was worried but it gets pretty boring when NO ONE WAS coming in until almost 10am.

.

Even the waiters were getting restless.

.

This picture is one that someone sent me although I can't for the life of me remember who. I saved it for this rainy day when I had no other pictures I wanted to put up. Great TAT!

.

Tomorrow Frank the Tank is Jetting in. It will be good to see Mr. Tank as I haven't seen him in quite a while. He is going to stay in my guest room as my rental condo is rented like all good rentals should be:) Mr Tank is so big when he enters my home all the oxygen leaves because his bulk displaces it! Welcome home Mr. Tank!

.

Hell I may even have one of the condos sold sometime this month. It has been very good to me but I am ready to move onto something else. Having the restaurant keeps me way busy enough. It's time to take some of the money off the table here and not work as hard.

.

I am going to try to take a small nap and then go back to the restaurant so this is a short one.

.

Hasta Pronto!

Want to smoke a cigar??

I have no idea why people smoke cigars. They taste and smell awful and they don't even give you a buzz like you get from Alcohol. .

This is a friend and neighbor Norris who was thinking about lighting up. Perhaps my ugly stick I swing like a baseball bat convinced him that it wasn't a good idea! LOL

.

Sheesh you should feel lucky I let you smoke cigarettes for heavens sake! You people that smoke ought to clean up your acts for me and for your own health. Man I just can't understand with everything you read even about passive smoke why anyone does this.

.

Ok, so I have nothing much to say but wanted to put something up for heavens sake:)

.

Business sucks and I have nothing else to do with my time but write about BS.

.

Sorry for bothering you!

Hasta Pronto

Nice letter!

This is a picture of a two story villa being built in Cabrera. I am involved in this project from the financing end of the picture and also from a sales end via a business I am involved with Nikko the Communist. http://www.sosua-cabarete.com is our website if you would like info on either of these two lovely homes with the best view of the ocean you can possibly imagine. The property is a gated commnity sitting on top of a cliff looking down on tall palm trees and a panoramic view of the ocean. .

We are putting the roof on the two story home this week and the roof of the single story home next week hopefully as we start the finish of the inside of the 2 story one pictured.

. After the completion of these two villas we are going to build condos also with a great view. Cabrera is located just beyond Playa Grande which is one of the best golf courses in the Caribbean and also has one of the nicest beaches in the country. Cabrera is known for HUGE MANSION Villas and Villa Tourism as well.

. This is a bigger 1 story villa in Cabrera. The roof goes on next week.

.

I got a nice note from a fellow from Delaware today. He was here in Sosua 2-3 weeks ago. I am going to post it below.

--------------------

" Wed, 27 Sep 2006 07:10:10 -0400 To: "Scott" Scott, It was good to meet you during my recent visit to the Dominican Republic... I mean "PARADISE." The absolute only thing that was missing was a midget in white suit at the top of a bell tower shouting..."The Plane... The Plane!!!" My friends and I had a fantastic time and played one finest golf courses that I ever played... Ever! I look forward to returning in the very near future. Thanks for your hospitality... Meals at Quixotes in the Europa have already been recommended to friend planning to visit. Best regards from Delaware,

-------------------------------------------

What a lovely thoughtful note!

.

I also got another email today from someone that saw an article/interview I gave on a website inquiring about the purchase of real estate.

-------------------------------------------

Hasta Pronto!

This is BAD

Yes folks, Badpiece is back in town. He is sitting right now changing his flight to the last flight before he has to return to work. .

Business is getting strange these days. It is starting to firm up and get a bit stronger but now breakfast has been falling off a bit. Usually we do a good breakfast and a good lunch but when business slows down our dinner slows to ruin the day. Now dinner is picking up the day and breakfast is slow for the first time.

.

I guess figuring out business here in the DR is just about the same as thinking you are going to understand the culture! Impossible! I finally realize I can't figure out a darn thing here and no I feel secure:)

.

Yes folks I feel most secure when I feel insecure! LOL This is what living in the 3rd world does for you guys!

.

Today I leave work at 12 noon and dont return till Thursday at 7:30am. I am not sure what or how I am going to do this but I have to be in Cabrera sometime during daylight to check on a project.

.

Thursday I go back to the Dentist which I am NOT looking forward to but I will do it. I hate dentists/doctors universally. The most painful part is over so hopefully I wont be crying like a little baby.

.

Hasta Pronto!

Why I haven't been blogging!

I must confess there is a reason I haven't been blogging. I have been very busy helping out my new neighbor. She is just setting up her home and has asked me to help her out a lot. . The Gentleman that I am I have of course been helping. I have to admit I have been spending more time at her house helping her out than I have actually been at work. Hey, a gentleman has to do what is right, right? . Yes I know sometimes other parts of your life must suffer to be a gentleman but a man has to do what a man has to do! My partner in the restaurant has been asking me why I have been spending so much time helping her out and it is something that is very hard to explain to someone you are in business with. Sometimes to be chivalrous you have to spend some time to help others! .

I have been spending so much time helping my new neighbor out that I decided to take a picture of her to show you all. She has a really great personality and you will all meet her sooner or later so I just wanted to introduce you to her. Here she is up on the ladder with me holding the ladder for her.

.

Nope I think she has all the help she presently needs at the moment so you all don't need to volunteer to help me out in my time consuming tasks!

She does photograph well although I must take some credit because I took the picture with one hand holding the ladder!

.

Thanks for the pic Unk, it has come in handy already:)

.

Hasta Pronto!

Hello, Honey, I'm home!

Ok, Ok, I don't know why I haven't blogged. It has been very very hot in town and perhaps that has something to do with my writing abilities:)

.

This is what happens when you go out at night, have a few drinks and just looking for a good time. . I found this piece of bamboo that looked amazing like a cigar. I put it in my fingers like any other cigar toting guy would and asked the gals to light it up for me. I then handed them the cigar to light which they did. My bamboo cigar got lit 8 times by 8 different Dominicanas. . They even smoked it and had the piece of bamboo lit and smoking. I was in total disbelief along with the two guys that were hanging out with me. One guy even took a movie of a gal lighting it in front of a mirror and coming out with it and smoking it. .

I then took me cigar up to the Disco and the bouncers at the bottom of the staircase point to my cigar and deny me entrance. So like the good and righteous cigar smoker I am I argue with their decision to deny me entrance. After the end of a long arguement I bang my cigar on the railing and they are rolling on the floor laughing when they realize the argues over a piece of bamboo:)

.

Needless to say I was rolling on the floor. If I didn't have this movie one of the guys took with his camera it would be one of the stories that starts "You aint going to believe this shit but...". Now I have evidence of my crazy night and good times. . This is the first page of a 4 page flyer I had Carina design for the restaurant. I am going to have beautiful women handing them out to every extrajenero in town. I am also going to have them put under ever apartment door so people can see our menu.

.

Business has been real slow lately. We kind of went from feast to famine. We had our biggest Week ever and now it has really dropped off. The hotel is empty and wont fill up for another week. .

I will take the time now to do what I use to do so well which is to promote business. When we are packed with customers it is hard to even think about promoting anything other than my rest, but, I do enjoy promoting a business or a event.

.

I didn't do much on my day off. My trips to Cabrera won't start up again till next month. I will probably go up on Tuesday early evenings and return on Wednesday nights. This will go on for about a month or two and then relaxation again on my day off.

.

We have a lot of guys in from Bermuda this week. There are 3 condos in my complex rented out to them. Real nice guys and most of them are in the building trades in Bermuda. I have been spending a lot of time with them both in the restaurant and the rest of town. Fun guys for sure.

.

They came back to the condos yesterday while I was washing my cars on the side street and were hooting and hollering about me washing theirs next and of course I yelled back, "BRING IT ON". What the hell is one more?

.

Last night I went home and read a book. Didn't even go out for one drink. Woke up in the morning and turned the hot water on and read some more. Before I knew it the time was 7:45 am and I was late for work. I ran out of the house without my shower and went to open the restaurant. I like getting in before the employees. Today I didn't:( Imposible to do the books when the chatter starts! I usually get in 20 minutes before I left the house today. Had a great nights sleep and I feel great now that I caught up with everything.

.

Today Diego from Http://www.lifeinthedr.com is coming in with some glass guys. I need work to be finished on my Air Conditioned Dining room. I hired guys to do the work and they showed up with materials and started work. Needless to say they never returned. Hopefully these guys will finish the job!

.

Check out the website! It is maturing into a very nice message board to get some good info about this place. http://www.lifeinthedr.com/forum

.

It is sometimes tough getting work done here. I don't care who you are or who you know. Work Ethic is like a foreign language sometimes.

.

My buddy Jackie Quontee left me after showing up without prior notice for a surprise weekend. Of course the guy drank my bottle of Don Julio and then left town:) I actually had a guy coming the day after he drank it and I thought I was going to surprise him with a new bottle. The guy calls me from the Duty Free in Miami and guess what? They don't have the Don Julio tequilla. So I ask for another bottle of Patron Silver, Belvedere and I got a bottle of JW Gold label. I go pick Mark up at the airport and he shows me a broken bottle of Patron Silver:( At least I added two others to the display.

.

Come back soon Jackie! It is no fun not to be able to watch you crawl through the streets after knocking down a bottle of tequilla mixed in with the Buds~! LOL

.

Herbert, Edd, Jackie have all left me. I miss you guys! Town is so quiet you can hear a pin drop:!)

.

Hasta Pronto!

Terrorist at the airport-a sign?

I thought this was a cute picture to post. .

Yesterday was my day off and I went to Cabrera again. It seems as if I will be going to Cabrera more often now. I have some business that takes me there again. This is how I got to like the area. I had some business that took me there often and I enjoyed the town. One thing that I liked was that there weren't many bars on the windows as there are here in Sosua.

.

Business has been slow at the restaurant this last week. We went from feast to famine for some reason. We had our biggest day and then we have had a very slow week. The Hotel is packing up today so it looks like we will have a decent night and weekend. Good thing as Payroll is tomorrow:)

.

Nothing else is new here in Sosua except that a new bar/restaurant/wrestling and boxing ring has opened. I use to own that property and sold it to these guys who did a wonderful job renovating it. They will have live boxing and wrestling which is a first for the north Coast. I only found out yesterday that they had this in the Capitol. Stop buy and check out Andy's Bar/Restaurant on Pedro Clisante when you are in town. Tell them that Scott sent you.

.

Hasta Pronto!

Back to Bite them!

Dominican government "tremendously" concerned over decline in duty-free production . Santo Domingo.- Concerned over the decline experienced during the past months by the duty-free industry, president Leonel Fernandez summed representatives from the sector to analyze the situation in a meeting to take place this upcoming Monday in Santiago. During the announcement of the meeting, Technical minister Temistocles Montas and Duty-Free Council director Luisa Fernandez informed that, during the past six months, this secto had declined production by 8 percent. In this regard, Montas explained that authorities and the sector would embark in thorough discussions as to the problems faced by the sector. . Read the rest of the story:http://www.dominicantoday.com/app/article.aspx?id=17043 ----------------------------

While this government may be doing a few things right they have screwed the pooch on others. They have been too concerned with building a legacy instead of getting this country in a position to move forward into the future.

.

This is just one of the things that has backfired because of a bad government policy and that is manipulating the exchange rate of the Pesos to their own gain. Without balance things do and will come back to haunt them.

.

I have always said that I don't care for this government although it is a bit better than the last.

.

Peso manipulation

No Gas on Weekends

Restricted hours on serving of Alcohol

.

These are just some of the things that they do that effect this economy in a negative manner. If you have read my thoughts here you will notice I like the early hours for a lot of reasons but at the end of the day it is bad for the economy. Everytime they make a change they do it BANG and no one understands a damn thing and it upsets the apple cart.

.

Hasta Pronto!

Crowds Panic as Floods threaten Ireland

New York Times Via AP: Crowds Panic as Flood Threatens Ireland !! We've all seen the faces of those ravaged by the floods of Sri Lanka and New Orleans. This award-winning photograph of the recent flood waters rising in Ireland captures the horror and suffering of the victims. Keep these poor wretches in your thoughts and prayers.!!!

.

Weather conditions in the US have affected us in the Dominican Republic this week. The Hotel is slow because people haven't been able to make connections caused by Hurricane Ernesto and John. . Thanks Unk for this photo and headline. I laughed and hope to give others the same laugh! . We had 95% of our business from outside the hotel yesterday instead of only 50-70%. I guess you would say business was a bit off considering this is a holiday weekend in the US. . Considering that last week was our busiest week ever I thought it would only get stronger but alas it fell off a bit. Only difference is that now a slow day is 5x the volume that a slow day was a month or two ago. Business is definately on the rise here although sometimes not as fast as I would like it. . We were steady slow during the day and dead at night but then we got a 9:30 pm Rush that made the day. All of a sudden we had 18 dinners going at the same time. Funny how one rush can change the days economy here. . Yesterday my buddy Edd Rellosk arrived in town. It is always good to see him even when he gets off the plane half toasted:) He is headed up to Costambar for a few days and then returns to Sosua for another week. . Edd brought me down a nice bottle of Scotch. Balvenie 12 year old. It was aged in two different woods and this is the nicest 12 year old single malt I have tried. Usually the 12 year old single malts taste like paint thinner to me. My other buddy Herbert who is also in town brought me down a bottle of Macallan 12 year old which I also liked but these are the ONLY 2 I have ever enjoyed. . After drinking the 12 year old Balvenie I poured a small taste of the 21 year old Balvenie which is aged in Port Wood just to see the difference. Funny thing was at first I thought that there wasn't any difference between the two until I switched back to a taste of the 12 year old and then I noticed a big difference. . I also got another Patron Silver in. Now I have 3 in stock. We have a customer who goes by the name of Tequilla Tony put a serious dent in my stockpile a week ago and ran me out of the Silver when he bought 3.5 bottles in one night. I love this guy! If I can get him back the same week I have my other buddies Jack Quontee and Edd I can probably save up enough money to buy the hotel:) These guys can drink! When Jackie was here he polished off the bottle of Don Julio I had which I just got replaced yesterday. . I am pretty sure that Tequilla is our biggest booze here by both dollars and volume. I never knew it was so popular before I went into this business. You never know though. I use to sell a lot of Bombay Saphire but that hasn't sold in a while but I have 3-4 bottles in stock. Go figger, I usually have "Just in time inventory". Thanks Dave for that term:) . Remember guys if you are coming down and can pick something up for me at duty free drop me an email and let me know! I can use all the help I can get always! . Tomorrow night is Taco Tuesday. I had a great time there last week! Great crowd and met a lot of new folks along with a bunch of the old timers! This week we should have a great crowd again. . Herman who is in town is leaving Tuesday. I am sorry to see him go. I can't wait for his return already. His villa has been rented for 1 year and he also bought a condo at Club Residential which is also rented. I took that homeless boy into my house so he didn't have to sleep in the Street:) If he didn't come into the restaurant to eat I don't think I would ever see him although he is in my house. I only ran into him one time when I returned to the restaurant one evening for the Dinner shift. He was so surprised to see me walk out of my bedroom to leave. He was sitting on the sofa using the internet and he said "I didn't even know you were home". I got home at 12:15am last night and he was already sleeping like every other night. . Hasta Pronto! PS>Maryanne I am going to send you a pic to kind of get the ball rolling!

Global Warming

My Uncle sent this to me today. I thought it was a cute shot!

.

We are closed on Wednesdays at the restaurant but we will be open today. Rearranged the schedual to allow the extra day because we were so busy last week and I thought we would be very busy today with the Labor Day Holiday in the States coming up. We slowed down yesterday and it will probably be just as slow today but it will still be a decent day. Even a slow day is 2x as busy as it was only 2 weeks ago.

.

We are getting a LOT of people back now that were here when we first opened in May. I have one fellow who is celebrating because he sold a screen play and I have another who was here a week ago who decided to come back to burn off the rest of vacation time he had coming to him.

.

For the first time I don't have to open. Dori is opening and I will go in at 11 or 12 and stay till closing. I have a bunch of my neighbors coming in for dinner tonight and I look forward to having them in QuiXotes! Most of them have already been in the restaurant many times and it is nice to see them come back!

.

Mr. Rellosk is coming on Saturday and my man Frank the Tank is going to also be in town soon. Nice seeing friends return and return often.

.

Last night Herman, Dawn and I went to Taco Tuesday. I had a real nice time and saw a lot of nice people. It was very crowded there.

.

Herbert is also in town but he needed to go to sleep early because the three of them are already on their way to Santiago to go shopping. I gave Herman 5000 Pesos last night to pick up some stuff at PriceMart for me for the restaurant. I am hoping they have a good liquor selection and maybe a better price on La Benedicta which is a hard cider which comes in a Dark Royal Blue beer type bottle. I have been selling lots of them and hope I can get a better price from PriceMart. Herman will call me when they get there and I will go shopping on the phone:)

.

Yesterday I got the first payment on a mortgage I gave out last month. Woo hoo! Keep the good times flowing:)

.

I got an email from a Brittish friend Michael this morning who just toured Eastern Europe with another Canadian Friend Fred. They both spend a lot of time here and Michael owns a condo and is a good customer at the restaurant along with a couple other of his friends. Seems like they had a real nice time. Hope they will return next month! He asked about the restaurant and wants to come back and have Dori's food. I can't blame him actually. We have some real nice stuff on the menu and I really enjoy the curries myself. He also sends regards to Dori and Dawn.

.

I tried staying out last night and wanted to close the bars at 1am but of course was way too tired. Ended up going home at 12:30am and falling out. Of course I was up at 6:30 today although I don't have to go into work until noon.:(

.

Well now I have to take a nap. 8am and I need a nap already if I want to feel good later when I close the restaurant.

.

I spoke to Jackie Quontee yesterday. He is real busy at work and is going to run for office so it looks like he wont return in October as planned. Too bad, I miss that Loco Indian already! Perhaps I will tell a tale of him in Sosua on his last trip on the blog. Nah, I can't do that!

.

Maryanne, I am still waiting for my pictures so send them already before I open photo shop and make my own:)

Hasta Pronto!

Say Hello to my friend and neighbor Norris. He is in town for about a month while renovating a condo in El Neptuno where I live. He is trying to keep up with the Jones. Next and to the left of Norris is Randall.

Randall is in the Commercial Real Estate Business in Harlem. From what I can gather Harlem is getting to be one of the hotspots in NY these days. Randall here with a group of guys who are mostly in the Real Estate business and associated business in Harlem. Great group of guys and it is nice to be able to talk dirt and finances with people that do what I do in other places. When you keep your mouth closed and listen you may just pick up a tidbit of info that can be a gem for your future.

.

.

Say hello to John and Wendy. John lives here most of the time and has a apartment just up the road from QuiXotes so we are usually blessed with his company when he is in town.

.

We have been real busy at the restauant for the last 5 days. I this has been our biggest week ever. It felt like when we first opened. I got out late and had to go straight home to bed every night because I was exhausted. Little different now than in the beginning where I was the waiter, bartender, cashier, bus boy and cleaning woman. We had a full staff plus an extra cook who was training. We did great although it was way too hectic.

.

I am looking for another Bartender and another cook now so I can get them used to our ways. When we get into the season I want to be ready so the service doesn't suffer and we can keep up our quality.

.

I am sitting here with Bob K and Karl having breakfast now. Bob K and his lovely wife are in the process of building a new home here. Karl will return here to live as soon as he sells his business in Atlanta. We are picking up our game here in Sosua with more quality people every day!

.

Hasta Pronto!

Last night at the Restaurant

Herman and Dawn were in Quixotes for dinner last night. I finally joined them when things settled down. We had our busiest day ever last night. We ROCKED.

.

Believe it or not this was with a very light breakfast crowd. Maybe served 10 breakfasts yesterday and had a record day.

.

Today we served 45 to 55 Breakfasts so I am hoping for another record breaker. When I left to go home at 1pm today the place was crowded and people were eating and drinking. Should be another good day if things carry on like they started.

.

When we first opened Dori put Buffalo Wings on the menu but they were really BBQ wings. I changed them to dynomite Buffalo Wings after receiving justafied complaints. We served the wings today to some guys that were last here when we first opened and complained that they weren't BBQ Wings:) I will never win. I would like to have both on the menu. One weekend we sold 50 lbs of Wings. Since it was the first thing on the menu I thought everyone had attention deficit disorder and couldnt concentrate past #1 on the menu:)

.

In another hour I go pick up Herbert. His flight on Continental was delayed and had to switch planes. He has some goodies for me which I can't wait to discover:) Woo Hoo, my booze selection is looking good. I got Absolute Rasberry today and hadn't had that before. Maybe I will have something new for later!

.

I was showing off my cognacs to a guy today who was drinking Remy VSOP this afternoon at the restaurant. I also have the Remy XO now and Frappin XO. I also showed him Dalmaine and Leopold 20 Carrot. Add Hennesy and Montesol and Napoleon to that my selection is the best in town and probably the country. Even the high end restaurants can't offer the selection I have already and growing.

.

Before you know it I will have achieved my goal in having the best selection of liquor in the entire country. I may have the best selection overall already but I ain't gonna stop until I can't display one more bottle. I will keep adding onto the display and love it!

.

Hasta Pronto!

Guess who came for dinner?

Herman is back in Town! Dawn and I went to the Airport yesterday afternoon to pick up Herman to bring him to Sosua. .

For all of you that don't know Herman he is what we consider the social director of Sosua. Before he rented his villa (da stinkin bum) everyone wanted to be on the "A" List to get an invite to one of his Dinners. Now that he isn't in his villa we usually go somewhere to eat with a large group of people or a small group but we are always doing something when he is here.

.

Herman bought a condo to stay in after renting his villa and renovated it with all the class he is famous for here in Sosua. He is staying there now but will be staying in my house for a few days at the end of his trip because of conflict of renters there also. Sheesh Herman can't seem to keep a home:)

.

Great to have him back and I have already heard many Hermanisms in the car on the way back to Sosua. He had people laughing all the way back to town!

.

Today Herbert is coming to town. I just got off the phone with him as he is sitting on a plane in Newark waiting on a part. If they can't get that part they will have to change planes. Cool, Herman and Herbert at the same time! Dawn will be in all her glory having two good friends here together! The three of us plan on heading to the airport if things work out to pick Herbert up!

.

Yesterday Herman brought me 2 bottles of Patron. The bottle of Silver is half finished already.

Tony Tequilla hurt me again yesterday. I had to call Herbert to put another bottle of Silver on top of the list for todays milk run:)

.

Hasta Pronto!

I just got this email from one of the guys here for a party because one of the 11 was getting married.

.

"Hey, Scott hope things are great with you. Oh, man!!! what a great time we had we can't stop talking about it. Scott thanks for everything. "I shall return".

.

This is one of the 4 guys I put a picture of last week. 11 guys and everyone a great guy both together with the gang and individually. The father of the Groom was here also and man what a GENTLEMAN! These are the customers that make being in a Restaurant/Bar business worthwhile. My good friends who I have had for a long time when in town I would be hanging out with them regardless if it was in my place or someone elses. It is meeting strangers who are great people that make me enjoy this place.

.

I have a few guys here now who were here the first day I opened the restaurant. Tony Tequilla and his cousin Paul. These guys were laughing their asses off at me when I first opened with raw light bulbs (NOT ONE LIGHT FIXTURE) and not one employee working the floor except for myself.

.

They still talk about me being crazed when we were busy one day and the owner of the hotel came in to ask that one of the cooks move his motorbike out of the middle of the circular driveway. I wanted to fire that guy on the spot. (Would have if we weren't so busy and having no replacement) I couldn't believe how stupid a guy could be.

.

It is great to have these guys back in town. Hell Tony Tequilla ran me out of 2.5 bottles of Patron in just one evening. He thought he could bust me but I still have 2 in stock:) Actually a Friend Ben brought one just in time after Tony dented me that one night.

.

Today I pick up Herman from the Airport. It has been a while since Herman has been here. He is going to be staying at my condo for the last few days that he is in town because his villa is rented and there was even a conflict with him staying in his own condo because that was rented! .

Starting today this town is going to ROCK. By Saturday you won't get a room here at all. I am looking forward to it! We were busy as hell last week and faded on Tuesday. We close Wednesday now because it is the slowest day of the week this time of the year but Thursdays gets crazy as all the people come into town every week.

.

I should reread this blog year after year to see what business is going to be like. What a great resourse of the history of business in Sosua it will be for me.

.

Today I pick Herman up and Tomorrow I pick Herbert. Everyday I have friends coming into town for the next 10 days and how I look forward to it!

.

Ok, guys, you know who you are, the ones that haven't been here for a while, email me and let me know your plans!

.

This week I added Ketel One, Remy XO, Grey Gooses L'orange and a couple of others to the list. I hopefully will be adding others in the next few days. Thank goodness I expanded the liquor display JUST IN TIME!

Hasta Pronto!

The guy on the left is getting married!

These guys just left yesterday. There were about 10 or 11 of them and these guys were great fun. Every last one of them were great guys and I thoroughly enjoyed their company.

.

The guy getting married won't return but the others will. They loved the place. Perhaps they or some of them will stay in my condo on their return.

.

The restaurant was real busy this week but yesterday we slowed down and today is real quiet. Starting on Thursday we will get busy again which I am looking forward to. Thursday my buddy Herman comes in and Friday my buddy Herbert arrives. It gets better after that as more friends start showing up. Jackie Quontree leaves today but I had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with him while he was here. Sorry to see Jackie go for sure but he is back in about a month so I will now look forward to his return. Patrick Badpiece is in town now and in the restaurant showing off his new found inventory just about nightly:)

.

We are going to have quite a crew of old friends by Labor Day here and I look forward to this scene. Hey Edd come to the North Coast where it is pretty instead of that ugly South!

.

Today is Taco Tuesday again which I plan on attending. Tomorrow is my day off which I am looking forward to!

.

Yesterday a friend Ben brought me some goodies. Remy XO, Patron and Kettle One. When he was taking these bottles out of his bag I couldn't believe how excited I was getting. Man my collection is looking good!

.

If you guys can bring some booze for me I would appreciate it. My wishlist includes Sex Vodka, Patron Silver, Tres Generations Anejo, Don Julio Tequillas, Macallan 12 & 18 year old, Bushmills Bourbon, Level One Vodka, Hennesy VSOP. Wild Turkey 17 YO and Tribute, Noahs Mill, Southern Comfort, Makers Mark, Elijah Craig 12 year old, Old Ezra, Grey Goose Regular, Heaven Hill, Bourbon Valley, Martin Mills, Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve, Classic Cask just to name a few. I need to increase my selection of Bourbons since they sell very few here.

.

This week one guy who we call Tony Tequilla ran me out of three bottles of Patron which I had in stock. He usually buys 15 to 25 shots at a time for everyone here. This guy is a lot of fun and as soon as he walks into the bar the place fills up in anticipation:)

.

I will gladly pick you up at the POP Airport if you need a ride!

.

Hasta Pronto!

More Improvements to the Restaurant

In this first Picture you see how I display my selection of liquors. I wanted to wow you when you came in with the selection up in the air above the bar.

.

Well I have ran out of space and not only needed the space which was over crowded up on top but the back bar was also overflowing.

.

We are now finishing the area around the back which you will see below and that will also be full of the biggest selection of Liquor in the WHOLE Dominican Republic.

.

I first wanted to WOW you when you walked in. Now I am going to blow you away with truly the best selection of booze you may have ever seen in one place. I am improving my selection just about every week with a bigger selection. .

Here in the next photo you can see the expansion. As of tonight the mirror is installed as well as the glass. The Metal Trim is going up probably tomorrow. YAHOO, the place is starting to come together.

.

I also have new fixtures coming in this week for this side of the bar. Three to be exact and hopefully they will be installed soonest.

.

Business is a little soft this week but still not bad. They hotel is book from Thursday into next month so we will be busier after our day off which is now on Wednesdays and tomorrow!

.

Off to Taco Tuesday.

Hasta Pronto!

Another week another Change...

We at QuiXote's Restaurant in Sosua Dominican Republic try to make positive changes in our new Restaurant every week. If you have been following this blog since the opening you will understand that sometimes it is somewhat difficult to make the changes happen! .

This weeks changes are the custom made covers with our logo on them to present the bills to our customers in. It isn't a big deal but just adds a bit of class to serve the bills to our customers. Sets us apart from most of the others here along with other things that we continually try to improve. Just another part of presentation which we feel is important.

.

Greg who is our evening waiter wanted some sort of fold to present checks and suggested that I come up with something last week. Thanks Greg for the suggestion that I was able to implement in short order. You have helped to guide us up the service scale and I thank you for it.

.

You can see the Granite bar top which was also added this month to QuiXotes. That is one of the most talked about improvements. Even the Dominicans who aren't customers have commented how beautiful it is.

.

Tomorrow I will show some pics of what we are currently working on. I took the pics but the battery died in the camera before I could offload them onto the computer. After I switch batteries I will put them up so you can see a little construction going on here.

.

Tonight is Taco Tuesday and I have already arranged to take the time off tonight to attend. Opening a restaurant had limited my ability to go there and I am trying to change that. I want to go back to doing some of the things that make my life here as enjoyable as it has been and Taco Tuesday is about the first change I have been able to affect so far but it is a start.

.

Taco Tuesday is held at a small place on the beach just before Kite Beach in Cabarete. I have been going for quite a while and always take friends with me since I enjoy it so much. I will take pictures and post them tomorrow! (if I remember to take the freakin camera)

.

I like this place from the moment I walk in when I see the beautiful piece of property overlooking the beach and the ocean! Then you get to the bar and all the people are sweet and friendly which just makes for a great night. They have an all you can eat Taco Bar which is very good. It has already been copied but the original will always be the original! The copy will always just be a copy! I look forward to going tonight and hanging out with friends present and future as I always do here.

.

Last night Cassidy was in the restaurant and I thoroughly enjoyed her company. I look forward to seeing her tonight also. If you read this Cassidy, your first Scotch is on me tonight! LOL

.

If you are planning on going I will see you there. Sam if you are still in town and need a ride give me a call. The free taxi leaves at 6:30pm promptly from Sosua! Gosh I miss Timmy! If you are reading this Timmy make a comment and let me know how you are. Better yet send me a long email and let me know what is going on with you! Timmy is serving he country somewhere overseas at the moment but spent a year here on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic enriching our lives with his friendship, humor and just being an all around great friend and I miss him!

.

Hasta Pronto