As Glen attended the meeting, I went on the spouses' tour. These tours are often shopping trips with a little history added to make them interesting but this time we drove across the island to the French side, St. Martin, and met a local artist, poet, and storyteller, Lady Ruby Bute. As we gathered in her Silk Cotton Grove Art Gallery, Miss Ruby welcomed us to her home. Her melodic voice and warm nature silenced the chit-chat of old friends as she told us of her life.
Miss Ruby was born in Aruba in 1943 but her parents were originally from St. Martin. She began painting when she was six with her mother's encouragement, and is a self-taught artist. In her late twenties, Ruby returned to St. Martin. She told us she felt a bond with the land of her parents and made this island her home. Today, her house and gallery sit on land that once belonged to her father's family. Her ancestors came to St. Martin on a slave ship and worked the plantations until emancipation of 1848 (her most moving painting is called Emancipation Day). Ruby's house is not far from the beach where the first slaves landed.
The gallery is alive with the bright vibrant colours of her art as well as the paintings of other artists who share the space with her. She is mentor to many aspiring painters not only in her gallery but when she speaks at schools on the island. She brings the history of her people alive and inspires the young to explore their talent and work hard to succeed. In 2005, Her Majesty, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands decorated her for the contributions she has made to the island and its culture.
After her introduction, Miss Ruby read us some of her poetry which captured her love of the island and its people. One poem was 'Lady in Blue' from her book Golden Voices of S'maatin.
The sea around the Bay
is a lady in blue
the prettiest blue that there is to be seen.
Artists have tried to capture this color so true,
but could not come close to the radiance of this lady in blue.
A young woman who had a business catering to the Rastafarian community on the island served us mid-morning tea. Her vegetarian food was delicious with chick pea pasties and plantain curry cups. She had two types of tea and I found the ginger/lemon grass one very addictive. Unfortunately, the wind caught the shopping bag draped over my arm and I knocked over a coconut 'wine glass' filled with watermelon salad. Not my finest moment, to be sure. Later, we learned that this young woman married by 'jumping the broom' under Miss Ruby's Silk Cotton tree.
Miss Ruby is most proud of her 300 year old silk cotton tree and often tells her stories in its embrace. Over 80 feet tall, its 6 to 10 foot buttresses stretched out on all sides. The tree gets its name from fibers that protect the tree's seeds. It cannot be spun but is often used for insulation or padding. Pirates also used the trees to mark where they had buried their treasures, often killing the slave who dug the hole so the place would remain secret.
Our time with Miss Ruby ended with a slow tour of her yard. She wanted to tell us stories of each tree and plant. Finally, we had to say farewell and clamber back onto our bus. As we left, we passed a bridge with three goats on it. I chuckled to myself when I realized they were a family similar to the Billy Goats Gruff. A fitting end to a morning of stories.
I met Glen for lunch and he also had had a great morning. After a leisurely lunch overlooking the pool, we walked the beach before I embarked on tidal research while Glen napped in a beach chair. I was not sure if the tide was coming in or going out so I stood at the water's edge for twenty minutes watching and counting the waves. A couple from the meeting came by and I assured them the tide was coming in so they didn't scramble across the rocks to the next beach.
That evening we went to Chesterfields in Philipsburg for Glen's birthday supper with our good friends, Tim and Sheilah. It is a quaint restaurant located at Dock Maarten. I had their seafood platter which was delicious but the grilled grouper Sheilah ordered was fantastic. Best of all was the most flavourful baked potato I've ever eaten and only sour cream embellished it. Sheilah had rented a car (she organized the meeting and all its tours) and was brave enough to tackle the narrow streets of the island. It is not for the faint of heart although we were assured by locals that accidents are rare.
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