Anguilla, melodramatic relatives and I heart Williams Sonoma

It's good to see that Anguilla (italian for eel, named by Christopher Columbus) has not turned into a super sceney St. Barts. Yes famous people do go there, Bill Clinton was playing golf the day we went to check out St. Regis Temenos, but Anguilla is still laid back. I heard the local gov't is putting a hold on any new foreign investment.

The island is part of the British West Indies, population approx. 8,000. Both of my grandmothers were born there and I spent many summers helping herd goats, freaked out by mongoose, and going to the beach.

I love going to SXM, but there is a downside to small island living. One of my aunts had a fit because she felt we didn't spend enough time with her at her birthday dinner. She was worried one of the other guests was going to gossip about how her nieces and nephew didn't care about her. She was so salty she dissed my mom at church, as if our mom had anything to do with our "horrific" behavior. We called our high maitenance aunt and worked everything out. My aunt is too much. She is so fearful of "catching a draft" and getting sick, she puts on a hat before she opens her fridge.

I used the W/S gift certificate from my sister and brother-in-law. There was a big sale at the Beverly Hills store. I bought Ina Garten's latest cookbook. There are at least 15 recipes I want to try. I also score with a blue and white cheese platter from France that was so pretty. I almost lost my mind in the store.