Newsletter - Summer Holiday's

		*Jewelry Designer of fine custom art jewelry*

Newsletter:

Summer Holiday's!

Greetings from paradise….beautiful St. Maarten. The aqua colours are more intense than ever and the ocean is so calm, looking like glass or more aptly described - Larimar. For the most part the breeze is present – always a
welcome relief in summer.

Summer Holiday’s have been jam-packed with activities. The presentation by
The Motiance Dance Company was superb and the costumes terrific. The Lion King production started a bit late, especially for the tiny tots. A mammoth
battle ensued between being riveted on the edge of the chair and wiping
those sleepy unwilling out of focus eyes. Too cute for words!

Famous Dutch singer Suze Cramer, accompanied by pianist Micha Wink entertained us with her wonderful voice and theatrical cabaret style, singing
in four languages. She performed at La Chapelle on Orient Bay… an intimate setting and the Belair Community Centre.

Motiance Dance also presented a unique show called “Threads” featuring
many generations of dancers and productions that passed through their school.
A thoroughly enjoyable evening was had by all. I love that sense of belonging, one gets at a small community gathering.


The Lion King - Programme	Motiance Dance – Adult Production

This brings me to another story. Taking the bus into Philipsburg was truly an experience. At one point the driver stopped to pick up a lady with a couple of large storage containers. Immediately upon entering, the bus filled with the
most delicious, Spanish-type home-cooking aromas. It was late afternoon and everyone become aware of their hunger pangs. The driver asked if he can
trade for the bus fare. All followed suit. A gregarious atmosphere made the trip memorable. It again highlighted the closeness of a small community. Sharing
this is a privilege.

Summer time is low season on the island. That is when we usually work on developing new designs, make additional displays and do general maintenance.
At this point in time we’re talking about low season as if it’s an event
happening in the foreseeable future. We’ve been incredibly busy, mostly
with remodelling of jewelry and commission work, which is fantastic. The
18ct Gold mermaid pendant was a commissioned piece. That steered Hans
back to his favourite medium, which is wax carving. From there, the wax
carved pieces are created using the lost wax method. The pictures illustrate
the wax carving before casting



Mermaid on rock – from wax to 18ct Gold		From Wax to metal - 2^nd stage of work

Recent work completed can be viewed at
New Jewelry Designs from the Hans Meevis Collection
These art rings were also made applying the carved wax method.
Another medium Hans loves to working in is titanium. Here is a range he
created for men.
Titanium Jewelry for Men

And now the latest “What’s, what?” St Maarten.
Simpson Bay is becoming quite a hub. We’re pleased that our most favourite Marigot pastry/bakery La Sucriere opened a branch in Simpson Bay next to
the FedEx Building. They have a deck overlooking the lagoon – tranquil way to start the day. Down the road from us (old Hot Tomatoes), a branch of Grand Marche, called Gourmet Marche will open in the next few weeks. A new hair
salon Expert’s opened at the Palapa Centre. Now Anne is walking distance from Eyup, her favourite hairdresser. We’re hoping that our bank will open a branch soon. That will then negate any travelling in high season traffic. Banana’s and Marty’s Gyro were located next to Dolphin Casino. Both closed permanently.
Next door to us Philly Joe Pizzeria became El-Tahieb Shwarma. That closed
too. Two Canadians took over the premises. They have plans to renovate the rooftop to create a terrace where they will serve fresh fruit juice, ice-cream, sandwiches and tapas.

The new airport will certainly be open by November. Rumour has it that Queen Beatrix is scheduled to officiate the opening. The runway extension is being completed teaspoon by teaspoon (a local saying). The end of the runway has been finalized. The opening of the detour road remains a guess.

The top end of the runway new runway – the final distance of the extension has been set. This is the view you will see when joining the old Airport Road

We found this tiny little fluff ball on the new runway extension – a baby Tern

A positive development is that the Mullet Bay issue seems to have been
resolved. The unit owners sold out to Sun Resorts. We’re all wondering what development is planned for that property. It’s such a beautiful part of the
island and deserves to have it's scars healed.

Summer is the time for open-air movies at Loterie farm. We had a memorable evening, watching the sunset and being served the usual fantastic fare at
The Hidden Forest Café by friendly staff. We took our wine, spread the
blanket and watched Ladies in Lavender, on a balmy, starry summer’s night.

Our favourite new addition to Sint Maarten is Philipsburg Theatre, situated
next to Subway on the Pond-fill road. The owners worked many months to
get the theatre ready. This is a movie house with an old-world difference. The interior features plush velvet “loveseats” and side tables. They are licensed to sell wine, beer and mixed drinks. There’s a snack bar that offers usual popcorn and chocolate. A cheese platter or fruit salad is also on offer. Their movie
listing features Classics, Foreign Movies with subtitles or Creative Alternative Movies. Suggestions for a romantic evening – sundowners and meal at Antoine and then see a movie at Philipsburg Theatres. Movie listings can be found at Philipsburg Theatres

On the art scene – Ruby Bute and Youmay Dormoy held their first joint
exhibition at the Philipsburg Community Centre. They worked so hard to be
ready for the exhibition. Fine samples of Caribbean Paintings were creatively displayed and the opening ceremony was well attended. Their work can be viewed at Painting by Ruby and Youmay

News from Popcorn is that he had a visiting friend for a while. Coco is an
African Grey parrot. She is extremely clever. Learnt a couple of words a week
and even picked up a South African accent. Popcorn was not to be upstaged.
He is a cheeky bugger, who took every opportunity to tease Coco. Those two supplied much entertainment and laughter in our studio.

Finally, we’d like to thank Branjelina couple for making Swakopmund- Namibia famous. Makes it a whole lot easier for Anne, when explaining where she was born.

Time is catching up with us. Soon, soon it’s high season again. We want to
make a few changes to the cabinets, do some maintenance before then. On
the jewelry front we’re working on a Blue Amber Collection.

The sun is setting earlier and earlier, which means it’s that time of the year
again.

See you soon.

Hans & Anne ...and cheeky Popcorn