Today is Friday and we have been in Curacao since Tuesday night. So far it has been a really fun trip. We are staying near Westpunt, in the northwest corner of the island, which is very sleepy and out of the way. Our little resort is low-key and not fancy, but it has a pretty pool and is near some very beautiful beaches. It is big enough for the five of us. Deb and Jonathan are right next door, and Ron and Dina and Darrah and Jason have little villas a few doors down. The weather is gorgeous – sunny and in the 80s during the day and mid-70s at night. I am typing this post from the balcony off of our room at 10:15 at night, looking out over the ocean (though it is too dark to see it right now). I can see the lights of nearby houses stretching off to the right, along the coast.

Yesterday we celebrated Ron and Dina's 50th anniversary with a vow renewal at the synagogue here, which is the oldest functioning synagogue in the Western hemisphere. It was a lovely service. The synagogue is in Willemstad, which is the capital of Curacao. We only spent about an hour walking around after the ceremony, but will return to Willemstad later in the trip. We've been to a beautiful nearby beach twice, and A tried swimming today with snorkeling goggles so that she could see the fish. I stayed here with N instead of going to the beach and he and I hung out by the pool instead so that he could take a nap.

N has been sleeping like a champ at night – 12 hours – and napping well when he has the opportunity. He is enjoying being surrounded by lots of people, including his cousin Eden, who is one week older than him. The girls are having a lot of fun with Olivia.

It is nice to be in this remote part of the world, away from the snowstorms on the East Coast, the fiscal cliff, and the everyday routines of life in DC. We will be happy to get back but for now it's a nice respite

I haven't had the chance to download any pics from the camera yet. We haven't taken that many – most of them are of the family waiting, waiting, waiting for dinner to come the last three nights. The service in Curacao is atrocious. Tonight we waited 2 hours for our dinner to come. With little kids and 2 babies at the table, that's really hard. They've all been good sports about it, but it's a big pain. And it's everywhere we go. I think these kitchens need to bring in some efficiency consultants!

Here are a few pics. Then I am going to sign off and enjoy the breeze.