With summer apparently coming to an end (I'm told I can't wear white any more after Labor Day but often disregard this rule), I'm taking a vacation from writing on the blog today and have a guest blogger: Ed Tremblay - the community development director in Cohoes - who has a great story about his own recent vacation to Aruba.

Thanks, Ed.

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You know it is time for a vacation when your big venture for the month is a trip over the 112th Street Bridge into Troy. Yes, my job is to promote and boost the economic development in Cohoes so I spend a majority of my time here but sometimes you just have to get away. So when it came time for my wife and me to get away for a week we decided that it was time to venture back to a small Caribbean Island called Aruba. It is one of the southernmost islands and not in the hurricane belt so you don’t have to worry about getting washed away. And it is only 17 degrees north of the Equator so you know it will be warm, but I really think my wife’s choice was because Sprint does not have cell phone service and she knew my Blackberry would not work.

It was an uneventful smooth flight and we arrived on the Island, of course our baggage did not. So after a trip to the souvenir shop and the purchase of two overpriced bathing suits we hit the beach. Our timeshare was part of the Divi Resort so we had all of the amenities that are also available to those that had their all inclusive package. So we had our choice of restaurants, water side pubs and unlimited water side bars. Of course it was a bit of an issue when I had to pay for these services and all of the others just had to smile at the bartender to get their drinks. However, when you have to pay for your drinks you do pace yourself and make sure you do not overindulge.

For those of you not familiar with timeshares it works like this: We have a one bedroom timeshare in Cape Cod for the fall. If we do not have an opportunity to use it, we bank that week with one of the time share companies. We then exchange it for another week somewhere in their system. So we did not get to use our week last year at the Cape so we exchanged it for a week in Aruba this year. Someone else that wanted to visit the Cape last fall stayed in our unit. Pros and cons to the system but you make sure you get away at least once a year.

The weather in Aruba is gorgeous, sunny 92 degrees with an ocean breeze of 15 to 20 miles per hour. So we would go out early each morning, find a suitable palm tree cabana on the beach, and relax and read the day away. When you get warm you meander down the beach to the aqua blue 80 degree ocean and float out on the gentle waves. By the time you walk back to your cabana you are almost dry. A short walk to one of those nearby Tiki Bars and you can enjoy one of those frozen Island drinks with a straw and a fancy umbrella.

Later in the afternoon you go back to your room, shower, and put on your colorful flowered shirts and a white pair of shorts and you are ready to explore the Island culinary fares. From steak to lamb to a local fish called a “Wahoo” you can find anything that you like and you can spend a lot or spend a little. We chose the first, but had some fabulous meals, so the price did not really matter. The last night we ate at the “Flying Fishbone.” My wife and I sat with out feet in the ocean and watched the sun set in the Eastern Sky.

Well it is back to Cohoes and back to reality, but if you ever want an opportunity to do nothing but sit and relax Aruba is one of the best places to do it.