April 27, 2008 Sunday, Los Angeles
AAhh..back on USA soil! We are at the Cruise Terminal in San Pedro, CA. I watched while we pulled in and I was amazed at that we did. This ship came up the “canal”, just under the Thomas Vincent bridge in San Pedro and then the captain turned the behemoth beast around in the canal!!!! It was a little like trying to parallel park it! WOW! I WAS IMPRESSED.
After a quick breakfast we were ready to go ashore…however, before we could do this we had to clear US Immigrations and Customs. We were in Group 3 to clear and we finally got through about 10:45. Billie and Dan were waiting for us in the parking lot of the Cruise Terminal. Hey—it’s hot here in LA. I saw one thermometer register 93 degrees! WOW…and this is only April..if this keeps up Al Gore is right! (and not about inventing the internet either..but his global warming theory…you know the one he spouts every time he opens his mouth)
They borrowed Dan’s sisters SUV, so there was plenty of room for all of us. Off we went…and they made me drive since I was the most familiar with the area. Oh really? So where do we want to go? NO ONE could make a suggestion, so I headed for the only place I could remember…South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa! The four of us cruisers wanted to go to a grocery store (don’t ask) to get some “mix” and Al needed a new book, etc. In other words, we wanted to do something normal. I am sure Billie and Dan thought we were crazy! After finding a Target and deciding it really isn’t what we wanted we found a good ole Von’s and got our needed supplies for “mix” and some “snacks”…as if there isn’t enough food on the ship! But actually, we all wanted some normal food…you know, junk food! And all four of us are growing tired of the food on board. It is getting boring. I can only relate that it is like being in the service and all you get is mess hall food….well, yes it is probably much better than mess hall food, but it is still THE SAME. The menus are starting to repeat and the ship hasn’t re-stocked yet, so there are a few things they are out of. Also, as Jack said, every day the orange juice is getting weaker and weaker…watered down just a bit more.
Back to today. After Von’s we were all beginning to get hungry and we spotted a Red Robin and that’s where we had lunch. I voted for the In n Out across the street, but I heard groans from everyone, so I agreed that Red Robin was fine. Of course, for those who don’t know me well, I LOVE IN’N’OUT burgers. We had a great lunch however, and our next stop was the mall…namely, Barnes and Nobles. Al was out of reading material and of course I can never pass up a book store.
Then we headed back towards the ship, taking Pacific Coast Highway through Huntington Beach (my old stomping grounds) and Seal Beach and through not the best part of Long Beach back to the Norwegian Pearl. We bid Billie and Dan farewell, thanking them for coming to see us. We had a good, but too short visit with the kids!
Back on board, we watched as we sailed away….the US Coast Guard keeping small boats out of our way (what??? Don’t the people who are in these small boats see how BIG we are???) Finally back to the Pacific Ocean…we watched Palos Verdes peninsula slip away behind us. The Pacific was VERY calm…almost unbelievable…the sea conditions were titled as “Wavelets…. .3- 1.5 feet!
Dinner tonight was in the “Garden Café”—aka as the buffet. None of us were very hungry! The entertainment on board tonight wasn’t much of an interest to us either. After dinner Al went back to the cabin to read and Jack, Sue and I went to listen to the piano player for a while. I decided to go back to the cabin after a while and Jack and Sue wandered off.
It was getting windy outside, and a little on the cooler side. However, the sea conditions were still “wavelets” .3-1.5 feet. Hmmmm
April 28, 2008 Monday
Off the California coast heading towards San Francisco -- right now (noon) off the shore of Santa Maria, CA and no, we aren’t traveling very fast today.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JERRY!
Well, another day at sea. The sea is a little rougher today…”moderate” conditions, and wind speed across the bow is 25 knots. Ahhh……. This is the Pacific Ocean we know!!! We have sailed 4883 Nautical Miles from Miami and we are 207 nautical miles from San Francisco.
I am beginning to feel like I have been on this ship forever…I think a 19 day cruise is about 7 days to long for me! However, I am glad we did this cruise…it has been fun and interesting…but I would never make a good sailor!
Later in the day…
It is gray, cold, foggy and ugly outside. Needless to say, not many people (none) are at the pool today! Jack did go to the Jacuzzi after he worked out at the gym…and the Jacuzzi is outside. BRRRRRRR when you get out!
We pretty much rested today. This afternoon Suzi and I went to the Crew Talent Show, which was great. There is a lot of talent on board. One man from the galley sang and had a GREAT voice; another man was part of the printing office and he was an artist and did a quick sketch…amazing. The Cruise Director and his crew did one of the funniest skits I have seen in a long time and we laughed until our sides hurt!
April 29, 2008 Tuesday San Francisco
We were up very early this morning as we went under the Golden Gate Bridge at 6:40 a.m. and I wanted pictures. What an amazing site, very pretty site with the sun just rising. We are docked at Pier 35 and that is very close to Fisherman’s Wharf. I also got some good pictures of Alcatraz. I have already decided that the girls (Bev, Jenn and who ever else wants to come) should come back to San Francisco while the guys are hunting this fall. I need more time here.
A few facts about the Golden Gate Bridge for you….the main span is 4200 feet; length of one cable is 7650 feet; diameter of 1 cable is 36 3/8 inches; wires in each cable is 27.572; weight of each cable is 24,500 tons. There is enough cable to span the world 3 times in the bridge. That’s a lot of cable folks!
We took the City Highlights tour today and fortunately for us we were on a small bus. We probably saw more than if we had been on a big bus. We started out at Golden Gate Park, more pictures of the bridge. I probably have 400 pictures of the bridge already! From there we passed Ghirardelli Square; drove down Geary to the beach…can’t remember which district it is called. From there we drove to the highest point in town, the view of the city was remarkable. We drove through “Castro” part of town (gay section) and past the “8 painted ladies” (8 Victorian houses…all beautiful) and many more wonderful Victorian houses…many which are registered as national heritage houses. To qualify you must have at least 3 different colors of paint on the outside, marble or granite steps, all wood windows and maintain the house as to when it was built; which our tour guide said is very expensive to do. On to downtown, past the new City Center; into China town and through Little Italy. A few years ago (actually, probably over 10) I was here for a convention while I still worked at Boeing. Nancy W, John, Eva and Donna were along (at least I think Eva and Donna were) and we all took a streetcar ride…..I can never look at a streetcar again with out thinking of Nancy! Do you remember that Nancy? And of course we saw plenty of streetcars today.
Our tour dropped us off at Pier 39 where we were to meet Jack’s sister and husband for lunch. Jack and Suzi did just that. Unfortunately, Al was having a hard time with his knees and legs and couldn’t walk as far as we needed to --- so Al and I decided to just have lunch at a restaurant close by and then make our way back to the ship. I think the time he spent on the bus (no leg room) really did him in. We took our time and stopped several times for him to rest and we finally made it back to the ship. In the mean time while we were hobbling back to the ship, I was looking for a wheel chair for him. Yeah, right, as if I could push him up the ramp to the ship! NOT! He is laying down resting now; both of his legs are pretty swollen.
Our weather has been nice today….a little chilly and a wind blowing, but no fog or clouds so far. Of course like the tour guide said; at the beach it could be cloudy and cold and just a few miles inland in downtown it could be clear and warm! At least it isn’t like yesterday!
Tomorrow is our last sea day. We will be in Astoria on Thursday and Friday we will be in Seattle and our cruise will be over. It seems like a long time since we got on the ship on one hand, and on the other, it seems like we just started! At any rate we will have plenty of pictures to share and lots of memories.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Cabo san Lucas
April 25, 2008 Friday Cabo San Lucas
Ahhhh…we both feel much better! After I coughed for a while last night I finally propped my self up on several pillows and slept the night away. Consequently, Al got some sleep as well!
We arrived in beautiful Cabo San Lucas at 8:00 this morning. This is a definite place to come back to….I really like it here. We got off the ship around 10:30 for our “carriage ride around the town” tour. Yep..horse and carriage. I think those carriages need shock absorbers! Or smoother roads in Cabo! OUCH!
After we finished our ride we wandered around the port/marina area for a while; had lunch in a place called “Senor Greenbergs” – doesn’t exactly sound Mexican, does it? It was okay, not great, but I did get my taco’s that I was hungry for. They were rolled and fried, resembling more of a taquito; but they cured the craving.
After lunch Jack and Al returned to the ship while Suzi and I did a little shopping…more looking than shopping. After a while it all begins to look the same, just different names!
We set sail at 4:00 p.m. and had been at sea about 20 minutes when the captain announced we had a medical emergency on board and we were returning to Cabo immediately to get this person taken to a hospital immediately…so it must have been a life or death emergency. We watched from Jack and Sue’s room as the tender took the person to shore…how sad.
Dinner tonight was in the dining room…now we are back from dinner and Al and I are crashing; Jack and Sue are going to the show. Al and I are tired and still recovering, so I think we did good to stay up to 8:00!
Nite all!
April 26, 2008 Saturday
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAM B....YOU ARE 60!!!!
AT SEA ALONG THE BAJA COAST
We are really clipping right along since we left Cabo. Captain trying to make up lost time from our emergency yesterday.
This morning Suzi and I played Bingo...played is the correct word here, we didn't win! NADA...nothing, nilch, nix, none. But it was fun
After lunch Jack, Suzi and I went to play "Name that tune"...argh...we are really bad at this game. I know the words to most of the songs, but can't figure out the name of the $%^&*(* song! grrr
Speaking of lunch....we have been on the cruise too long...all of the food is beginning to taste the same. This happened last time as well....lots of variety, but coming from the same kitchen. Tonight we are going back to the Lotus Garden Asian Fusion -- me for some more of the good terayaki steak I had there a few nights ago.
AND IT HAS GOTTEN MUCH COLDER OUTSIDE! You can tell we have left the tropics....brrr! It is only 62 degree's today, with the wind blowing it feels like 40! I can't wait to get to Seattle and freeze!
Tomorrow is LA and we are meeting Billie and Dan for the day...should be fun.
Until then.............Adios.....
Ahhhh…we both feel much better! After I coughed for a while last night I finally propped my self up on several pillows and slept the night away. Consequently, Al got some sleep as well!
We arrived in beautiful Cabo San Lucas at 8:00 this morning. This is a definite place to come back to….I really like it here. We got off the ship around 10:30 for our “carriage ride around the town” tour. Yep..horse and carriage. I think those carriages need shock absorbers! Or smoother roads in Cabo! OUCH!
After we finished our ride we wandered around the port/marina area for a while; had lunch in a place called “Senor Greenbergs” – doesn’t exactly sound Mexican, does it? It was okay, not great, but I did get my taco’s that I was hungry for. They were rolled and fried, resembling more of a taquito; but they cured the craving.
After lunch Jack and Al returned to the ship while Suzi and I did a little shopping…more looking than shopping. After a while it all begins to look the same, just different names!
We set sail at 4:00 p.m. and had been at sea about 20 minutes when the captain announced we had a medical emergency on board and we were returning to Cabo immediately to get this person taken to a hospital immediately…so it must have been a life or death emergency. We watched from Jack and Sue’s room as the tender took the person to shore…how sad.
Dinner tonight was in the dining room…now we are back from dinner and Al and I are crashing; Jack and Sue are going to the show. Al and I are tired and still recovering, so I think we did good to stay up to 8:00!
Nite all!
April 26, 2008 Saturday
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAM B....YOU ARE 60!!!!
AT SEA ALONG THE BAJA COAST
We are really clipping right along since we left Cabo. Captain trying to make up lost time from our emergency yesterday.
This morning Suzi and I played Bingo...played is the correct word here, we didn't win! NADA...nothing, nilch, nix, none. But it was fun
After lunch Jack, Suzi and I went to play "Name that tune"...argh...we are really bad at this game. I know the words to most of the songs, but can't figure out the name of the $%^&*(* song! grrr
Speaking of lunch....we have been on the cruise too long...all of the food is beginning to taste the same. This happened last time as well....lots of variety, but coming from the same kitchen. Tonight we are going back to the Lotus Garden Asian Fusion -- me for some more of the good terayaki steak I had there a few nights ago.
AND IT HAS GOTTEN MUCH COLDER OUTSIDE! You can tell we have left the tropics....brrr! It is only 62 degree's today, with the wind blowing it feels like 40! I can't wait to get to Seattle and freeze!
Tomorrow is LA and we are meeting Billie and Dan for the day...should be fun.
Until then.............Adios.....
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Acapulco to Puerto Vallarta
April 23, 2008…HAPPY BIRTHDAY AL!
Leaving Acapulco…heading to Puerto Vallarta
This morning after breakfast Suzi and I decided to go ashore and try and take a picture of the ship. However, this thing is so big I couldn’t get far enough away to get the whole thing in!!! While ashore we had to fight off the offers of “taxi, lady?” or the various vendors trying to sell anything from Chiclets to silver (?) bracelets and beads. Uh, no thanks!
After the ship sailed and we had the necessary lunch, Suzi and I went to play “Name that tune” with one of the good on board performers. We discovered we didn’t know the CORRECT NAMES to a lot of very familiar tunes! We knew the songs, but didn’t know the correct song name…however, we did get 11 of 15 correct and it was fun.
Dinner tonight was in the steak house “Cagney’s” and it was excellent. Al enjoyed his birthday dinner on board complete with a cake…icky cake, but cake. After dinner we went to see the on board show, “Year of the Gisha” which was excellent. Later we crashed, as did Jack; Suzi decided to give the casino a chance to give her some money and she actually came out ahead.
Al is feeling better and the doctor took him off the IV today and is giving him the pill form of the antibiotic. He is still coughing, but not as bad as he was.
We can clearly tell we are getting farther north…the temp and humidity is coming down. Every night before I go to bed I sit out on the balcony for a few minutes…and most nights it is still warm and humid, but tonight I noticed it was not as warm and humid, and matter of fact, a little on the “cool” side. Okay, cool, in the high 70’s.
April 24, 2008 Thursday Puerto Vallarta
Okay, I give…now I have the crud! Coughed all last night and feel like crap! So I did go to the doc this morning and got some antibiotics. Doc says the family that coughs together stays together! I have a good case of bronchitis. Aren’t I lucky? I am staying on board today, and since we have already been here, I don’t feel like I am missing anything really. I HATE BEING SICK!
Al is doing better…he helped me cough last night however. Doc gave us both some strong, horrible tasting cough syrup; but promised it would help us. I hope so!
Jack and Suzi are on shore. Suzi saw a necklace a few years ago that she liked in one of the jewelry stores here so she is going is try and find it again. GOOD LUCK! Hope she finds it with out too much trouble.
More later……………
Later---
Well, I slept the entire afternoon…something I haven’t done in years. I think I may feel a bit better. Al seems to be improving as well.
Jack and Suzi had a fun afternoon, however, they didn’t find the jewelry shop; they did have a $69 LUNCH however! Jack said they had two margarita’s each, which they didn’t realize were $10 a piece! And they both said they weren’t spectacular margarita’s either.
We had dinner up in the buffet tonight. Al and I didn’t feel like eating too much, nor did we feel like changing clothes since in the dining rooms shorts aren’t allowed. That is something I don’t understand…shorts are not allowed, however, the shortest of mini skirts are? Oh, never mind! Jack and Sue joined us for dinner and now they are headed off to the show and we are headed off to bed. I think I may be able to sleep this stuff off!
Tomorrow is Cabo San Lucas and I am determined to go on our short tour tomorrow! And most of you know how I am when I am determined to do something! :-)
Also....our cruise has been very, very smooth so far as far as sea conditions. Even the captain has made comment several times on how unusual this is for the calm sea's. Apparently, usually once you get on the Pacific it gets a little rougher, however, that hasn't happened so far. However, after saying that, tonight is a little more "bouncy" than we have had in a while.
Night!
Leaving Acapulco…heading to Puerto Vallarta
This morning after breakfast Suzi and I decided to go ashore and try and take a picture of the ship. However, this thing is so big I couldn’t get far enough away to get the whole thing in!!! While ashore we had to fight off the offers of “taxi, lady?” or the various vendors trying to sell anything from Chiclets to silver (?) bracelets and beads. Uh, no thanks!
After the ship sailed and we had the necessary lunch, Suzi and I went to play “Name that tune” with one of the good on board performers. We discovered we didn’t know the CORRECT NAMES to a lot of very familiar tunes! We knew the songs, but didn’t know the correct song name…however, we did get 11 of 15 correct and it was fun.
Dinner tonight was in the steak house “Cagney’s” and it was excellent. Al enjoyed his birthday dinner on board complete with a cake…icky cake, but cake. After dinner we went to see the on board show, “Year of the Gisha” which was excellent. Later we crashed, as did Jack; Suzi decided to give the casino a chance to give her some money and she actually came out ahead.
Al is feeling better and the doctor took him off the IV today and is giving him the pill form of the antibiotic. He is still coughing, but not as bad as he was.
We can clearly tell we are getting farther north…the temp and humidity is coming down. Every night before I go to bed I sit out on the balcony for a few minutes…and most nights it is still warm and humid, but tonight I noticed it was not as warm and humid, and matter of fact, a little on the “cool” side. Okay, cool, in the high 70’s.
April 24, 2008 Thursday Puerto Vallarta
Okay, I give…now I have the crud! Coughed all last night and feel like crap! So I did go to the doc this morning and got some antibiotics. Doc says the family that coughs together stays together! I have a good case of bronchitis. Aren’t I lucky? I am staying on board today, and since we have already been here, I don’t feel like I am missing anything really. I HATE BEING SICK!
Al is doing better…he helped me cough last night however. Doc gave us both some strong, horrible tasting cough syrup; but promised it would help us. I hope so!
Jack and Suzi are on shore. Suzi saw a necklace a few years ago that she liked in one of the jewelry stores here so she is going is try and find it again. GOOD LUCK! Hope she finds it with out too much trouble.
More later……………
Later---
Well, I slept the entire afternoon…something I haven’t done in years. I think I may feel a bit better. Al seems to be improving as well.
Jack and Suzi had a fun afternoon, however, they didn’t find the jewelry shop; they did have a $69 LUNCH however! Jack said they had two margarita’s each, which they didn’t realize were $10 a piece! And they both said they weren’t spectacular margarita’s either.
We had dinner up in the buffet tonight. Al and I didn’t feel like eating too much, nor did we feel like changing clothes since in the dining rooms shorts aren’t allowed. That is something I don’t understand…shorts are not allowed, however, the shortest of mini skirts are? Oh, never mind! Jack and Sue joined us for dinner and now they are headed off to the show and we are headed off to bed. I think I may be able to sleep this stuff off!
Tomorrow is Cabo San Lucas and I am determined to go on our short tour tomorrow! And most of you know how I am when I am determined to do something! :-)
Also....our cruise has been very, very smooth so far as far as sea conditions. Even the captain has made comment several times on how unusual this is for the calm sea's. Apparently, usually once you get on the Pacific it gets a little rougher, however, that hasn't happened so far. However, after saying that, tonight is a little more "bouncy" than we have had in a while.
Night!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Acapulco, Mexico and a sick Al
April 20, 2008 Sunday
Sailing the Pacific on our way to Acapulco
Some info on our cruise that I found interesting. The average age on board is 65…there is one lady who is 99 years old on board. There are only 20 guests under the age of 18 on board. There are 2354 passengers from 29 different countries. On board we will consume over 40,000 lbs of meat, 48,000 lbs of vegetables, 1,800 gallons of ice cream and more than 80,000 eggs. I think we are already half way through all of this already!!! We will sail over 5,885 nautical miles on this cruise and through some very diverse climates. We will see tropics of the Panama Canal to the cool Pacific Northwest. By the way, Seattle had 7 inches of snow on Friday….IT’S APRIL…did someone forget to tell that to Seattle?????
We dined at the French Bistro tonight. Escargots was excellent, if it had been appropriate I would have licked the plate! Sue and Al shared a HUGE rack of lamb, while Jack and I shared the chateaubriand, which was so tender you could cut it with a fork and had a wonderful taste. Of course, we all ate way too much and we struggled to get up from the table! By the end of this cruise we will need cranes to lift us off this ship!!!!
The plan was to go to the evening performance of the magician, however, we had to walk through the casino to do this. Well, I had a $11.25 casino credit burning a hole in my pocket, so I stopped to play the “Le Tumbler” for a minute. Now this is a new machine to me, and it is hard to explain. There are tokens or quarters on a tray and you put in your token to try and knock off more tokens as your wins. I know I didn’t explain that well, but I hope you get the idea. Well, 1 ½ hours later I left that machine – losing my $11.25; however, I played for a long time and had a blast doing it! Jack and Suzi each played as well…it is amazing how those tokens can hang on to the edge of the ledge…and we surmise that the ledge must be magnetized in some way.
April 21, 2008 Monday – somewhere in the Pacific off the coast of El Salvador
After a good nights sleep for some of us (Al had decided catching a cold was the thing to do, so he was up all night hacking and coughing) we moseyed down to breakfast. Jack had eaten earlier and was already at the gym (can I just say here I really admire his dedication to working out) and after breakfast I had an appointment to have my nails done. What??? You don’t think I am going a month without having my nails done do you??? Of course when you go to the spa they always try to see you their products and I might say their products are very, very expensive. Hand cream is $50 A TUBE! I finagled a sample of it. I do like it but not for $50. And I will say the sample is a good size, so if I play it right I can use it for a long time. After lunch we all dispersed … Suzi to read in her room (or I bet sleep); Al to our room to read (and sleep); Jack to read down in one of the lounge areas and I took the camera and walked around the ship taking pictures. I had to laugh at one point…I went by the poolside one time and the band was playing “Mustang Sally “ and then the next time I went by they were playing “Careless Whispers” .. I will say I looked around to see if Jennifer was hanging around anywhere. She knows what I mean.
Right now the ship is beginning to show a little sideward movement…wind is blowing some and it is 92 degrees with 90% humidity.
In the afternoon we both took naps…I think I like taking naps. Dinner tonight was in the Lotus Garden “Asian Fusion” – best meal I have had on board. YUM
Al is feeling worse, so he decided to go back to the room; Jack, Suzi and I went to the show which was an Elton John impersonator…and a very good one at that. He actually is a performer on board as well and I want to catch one of his lounge shows while we are on board…he is really a great pianist and performer.
April 22, 2008 Tuesday
Off shore of Acapulco
Well, guess AL just can’t pass up a chance to go see what the hospital on board looks like. After a night of coughing and sounding like he was going to hack up a lung or two, I made the decision that he was going to see the doctor. Of course I got from Al “I’M NOT SICK” routine and I have learned when he says that we are going to be in for a bumpy ride. Of course he is sick! He has pneumonia. And a temp of 104! Fortunately, we caught it in the early stages and the doctor commended me for being persistent (Al said I was nagging---call it whatever you like) and has put Al on a regiment of massive antibiotics via IV and confined him to the ship for at least 3 days. Does this sound familiar? He was confined to the ship last cruise as well. When you are hospitalized on a ship you are usually just confined to the ship and your room unless you are very ill. The ship hospital only has 2 beds; and those are used as a staging before you are medi-evaced off to a local hospital. Doc said had we waited another day or two we would have been in that position. Sooooooo here we go again.
Later..same day
Acapulco
Al’s temp has came down to 99.5 and he had his second dose of antibiotics this evening. He is beginning to feel a bit better I think, but he is still cranky!!!!! Hope they give him some “happy” meds soon. Or I will be jumping ship! Just kidding.
I went ahead on our scheduled tour of Acapulco this afternoon. I really couldn’t enjoy it tho, too worried about Al. We did see the cliff divers and they were interesting to watch. We toured the city as well, old part, gold part and new part. I think I would like to come back here and spend a week sometime. Hopefully Al will stay well enough for us to do that.
Sailing the Pacific on our way to Acapulco
Some info on our cruise that I found interesting. The average age on board is 65…there is one lady who is 99 years old on board. There are only 20 guests under the age of 18 on board. There are 2354 passengers from 29 different countries. On board we will consume over 40,000 lbs of meat, 48,000 lbs of vegetables, 1,800 gallons of ice cream and more than 80,000 eggs. I think we are already half way through all of this already!!! We will sail over 5,885 nautical miles on this cruise and through some very diverse climates. We will see tropics of the Panama Canal to the cool Pacific Northwest. By the way, Seattle had 7 inches of snow on Friday….IT’S APRIL…did someone forget to tell that to Seattle?????
We dined at the French Bistro tonight. Escargots was excellent, if it had been appropriate I would have licked the plate! Sue and Al shared a HUGE rack of lamb, while Jack and I shared the chateaubriand, which was so tender you could cut it with a fork and had a wonderful taste. Of course, we all ate way too much and we struggled to get up from the table! By the end of this cruise we will need cranes to lift us off this ship!!!!
The plan was to go to the evening performance of the magician, however, we had to walk through the casino to do this. Well, I had a $11.25 casino credit burning a hole in my pocket, so I stopped to play the “Le Tumbler” for a minute. Now this is a new machine to me, and it is hard to explain. There are tokens or quarters on a tray and you put in your token to try and knock off more tokens as your wins. I know I didn’t explain that well, but I hope you get the idea. Well, 1 ½ hours later I left that machine – losing my $11.25; however, I played for a long time and had a blast doing it! Jack and Suzi each played as well…it is amazing how those tokens can hang on to the edge of the ledge…and we surmise that the ledge must be magnetized in some way.
April 21, 2008 Monday – somewhere in the Pacific off the coast of El Salvador
After a good nights sleep for some of us (Al had decided catching a cold was the thing to do, so he was up all night hacking and coughing) we moseyed down to breakfast. Jack had eaten earlier and was already at the gym (can I just say here I really admire his dedication to working out) and after breakfast I had an appointment to have my nails done. What??? You don’t think I am going a month without having my nails done do you??? Of course when you go to the spa they always try to see you their products and I might say their products are very, very expensive. Hand cream is $50 A TUBE! I finagled a sample of it. I do like it but not for $50. And I will say the sample is a good size, so if I play it right I can use it for a long time. After lunch we all dispersed … Suzi to read in her room (or I bet sleep); Al to our room to read (and sleep); Jack to read down in one of the lounge areas and I took the camera and walked around the ship taking pictures. I had to laugh at one point…I went by the poolside one time and the band was playing “Mustang Sally “ and then the next time I went by they were playing “Careless Whispers” .. I will say I looked around to see if Jennifer was hanging around anywhere. She knows what I mean.
Right now the ship is beginning to show a little sideward movement…wind is blowing some and it is 92 degrees with 90% humidity.
In the afternoon we both took naps…I think I like taking naps. Dinner tonight was in the Lotus Garden “Asian Fusion” – best meal I have had on board. YUM
Al is feeling worse, so he decided to go back to the room; Jack, Suzi and I went to the show which was an Elton John impersonator…and a very good one at that. He actually is a performer on board as well and I want to catch one of his lounge shows while we are on board…he is really a great pianist and performer.
April 22, 2008 Tuesday
Off shore of Acapulco
Well, guess AL just can’t pass up a chance to go see what the hospital on board looks like. After a night of coughing and sounding like he was going to hack up a lung or two, I made the decision that he was going to see the doctor. Of course I got from Al “I’M NOT SICK” routine and I have learned when he says that we are going to be in for a bumpy ride. Of course he is sick! He has pneumonia. And a temp of 104! Fortunately, we caught it in the early stages and the doctor commended me for being persistent (Al said I was nagging---call it whatever you like) and has put Al on a regiment of massive antibiotics via IV and confined him to the ship for at least 3 days. Does this sound familiar? He was confined to the ship last cruise as well. When you are hospitalized on a ship you are usually just confined to the ship and your room unless you are very ill. The ship hospital only has 2 beds; and those are used as a staging before you are medi-evaced off to a local hospital. Doc said had we waited another day or two we would have been in that position. Sooooooo here we go again.
Later..same day
Acapulco
Al’s temp has came down to 99.5 and he had his second dose of antibiotics this evening. He is beginning to feel a bit better I think, but he is still cranky!!!!! Hope they give him some “happy” meds soon. Or I will be jumping ship! Just kidding.
I went ahead on our scheduled tour of Acapulco this afternoon. I really couldn’t enjoy it tho, too worried about Al. We did see the cliff divers and they were interesting to watch. We toured the city as well, old part, gold part and new part. I think I would like to come back here and spend a week sometime. Hopefully Al will stay well enough for us to do that.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Cartagena Columbia and the Panama Canal
April 17, 2008 Thursday
Cartagena, Columbia
So much for not getting off the ship. Suzi and I decided we wanted to explore the cruise terminal and the duty free shops there. AND, the jeweler I had bought the emerald ring from had notified me that American Express wouldn’t approve the sale until I called them to let them know I was really in Columbia! Kudos for AmEx for double checking that….bad on me for not notifying them that I was going to be in Columbia and Mexico for a few days. SO, I had to figure out how to call AmEx. The salesman from the Jeweler came to meet me at the cruise terminal and between the two of us we finally got AmEx on the phone and of course, we were talking to Bogota and there was only one person in the office that spoke limited English. We finally got the sale approved. He was very gracious to me for being honest – as he said; I could have walked away with a $2500 emerald ring. However, I have to look at myself in the mirror every day! But like I told Suzi, I felt like I was doing a drug deal…meeting in the parking lot, strange man, etc!
Back on ship (with a bottle of vodka from the duty free shop) we met Jack and AL for lunch. After lunch we went to the show “Michael Clayton”…however, I lasted about half way through and I was freezing – it was so cold in the theater, so I left. I never did figure out the plot to the movie either.
Dinner last night was at the Mexican Restaurant on board. Not bad, however, I think the cook was Philippine because it had the same taste that the Mexican food used to have in Saudi when our cook at where I worked at JACOR would cook Mexican food….and he was from the Philippines. Adobo sauce instead of mole sauce. Oh well, it was okay.
After dinner Jack and Suzi went to the show, Al and I decided to just go back to the room. Al’s legs are beginning to really bother him; so he wanted to rest. I walked around the promenade deck three times (makes a mile) and then came back and read.
The sea is really choppy tonight….swells are 6-9 feet and the ship is rocking and rolling pretty good. We are traveling very slow as we are to transit the Panama Canal on Saturday morning and we aren’t that far from it.
April 18, 2008 FRIDAY.
HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY SHERRIE!! WE LOVE YOU.
Last night was one of those nights where you were either A.) rocked to sleep or B.) Hanging on to the edge of the bed so you wouldn’t fall out! Yes, it was a little windy and rough and it still is this morning. Makes walking a little more difficult and tricky.
By the way, there are a lot of people from the Pacific Northwest on board…which makes sense since this cruise ends in Seattle. Our neighbors on one side of us are from Redmond; he is a retired Seattle Police Detective. In the laundry the other day I met a lady who was from Portland, OR, however, she grew up and went to school in Medford. I casually mentioned that my sister and family lived in Medford and went to school there. When she asked their name I told her “Beaman”; she replied, I went to school with a Pam and Sue Beaman (my nieces)…after I picked up my jaw from the floor I wondered just how small this world is. Pam and Sue-- her name then was Carol Templeman and she graduated in 1967. I am sure if we searched hard enough we would run into people we knew from Bellevue/Redmond, etc.
Also, we have a celebrity aboard. Seal, the singer, is presently occupying the “owner suite”…ahem, which is advertised as $24,000 per person for the cruise. Of course, he has an entire entourage with him, but I can bet he isn’t paying the top dollar price – whadda’ bet he got a “special” price? Apparently he came out of the owners suite (which has its own pool, patio, etc…you would never have to associate with the common people) and into the reception area yesterday for a moment until he was recognized, then he disappeared quickly back to his own world! And no, he isn’t schedule to perform on board.
After breakfast Jack went to the gym, Al back to our cabin; that left Suzi and I at loose ends. What to do? We explored the game room, the library, the shops (again—nothing new) and basically wandered around the ship. Finally we landed in the Spa. We made appointments for a massage/facial for today. After lunch we headed to the spa. What a wonderful treat! First off, I don’t think I have ever been in such a luxurious spa…personal hot tubs, a plunge tub (we discovered it was ice cold…no thanks), sauna and steam rooms, hydrotherapy pool and heated lounges. WOW! We spent an hour in the hot tubs, hydrotherapy pool, etc. before our massage started. The massage was probably the best I have ever had and the facial was absolutely wonderful. I could do this once a week (Al said, no, I couldn’t!) After the pampering we crawled back to our rooms and changed for the show and dinner. The show was a tenor and he was good and then dinner in the Italian restaurant. It was good, but not spectacular. After wards Jack and Suzi walked the promenade deck and Al and I went back to bed. I collapsed into bed…yawn.
April 19, 2008 Saturday
PANAMA CANAL
We were up early this morning…6:15 a.m. to see the beginning of us going through the Gatun Locks.
We began transiting the locks at 7:15 a.m. and it is fascinating to watch. Our ship is the largest ship the locks can handle and it costs $314,000 for us to transit the canal! OUCH! This is the highest toll ever paid to go through the canal lock system. It is amazing how they can take this huge ship and put it through these small locks!
Gatun Locks
And watching the locomotives pull us through never ceases to amaze me. We stayed in our room and watched from our balcony. I did go up to the pool deck, but you couldn’t get anywhere near the railing. They were also selling Panama Canal souvenirs, but the line was miles long and I didn’t want to miss anything—besides, I have enough tee shirts! We finished transiting the locks at 10:00 a.m…and into Gatun Lake. After crossing the lake we went through the Culebra Cut to the next set of locks, the Pedro Miguel locks, which we transited around 2:30 p.m. Suzi and I were sitting on deck 12 aft when we did this and when we went under one of the two bridges.
Pan American Bridge seen from the Panama Canal
Pretty fascinating stuff. Also, since this ship is so large there are a lot of people on shore that come to watch it go through these locks.
I might mention here that it is 93 degrees with the humidity at 90%--a little like sitting out in a steam room! My camera lens keeps fogging up…so do my glasses. To say nothing of me wilting. But the aft deck has a nice breeze blowing across it and that made it bearable…barely.
Going through the last set of locks, the Mira Flora Locks at 4:30 p.m. today now we are on the Pacific Ocean side. There is a restaurant on shore and there were plenty of people there to watch the Pearl go through. It finally dawned on me why all these people are watching us go through…it only happens twice a year! Since this is a repositioning cruise from the Caribbean cruising of the winter months to the Alaska Cruising for the summer months. The Pearl won’t be back this way until October.
Finally, we went under the American Express Bridge and we were spit out into the Pacific Ocean. There are a lot of ships waiting to go through the canal towards the Atlantic side..I would say at least 30 or more.
So now we can say we have been through the Panama Canal and now we are on our way to Acapulco, in two more days. We have two full sea days ahead of us and we arrive in Acapulco on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. and our tour begins almost immediately.
So until next time……we are wroamin’ the sea’s with the Waddicks.
Cartagena, Columbia
So much for not getting off the ship. Suzi and I decided we wanted to explore the cruise terminal and the duty free shops there. AND, the jeweler I had bought the emerald ring from had notified me that American Express wouldn’t approve the sale until I called them to let them know I was really in Columbia! Kudos for AmEx for double checking that….bad on me for not notifying them that I was going to be in Columbia and Mexico for a few days. SO, I had to figure out how to call AmEx. The salesman from the Jeweler came to meet me at the cruise terminal and between the two of us we finally got AmEx on the phone and of course, we were talking to Bogota and there was only one person in the office that spoke limited English. We finally got the sale approved. He was very gracious to me for being honest – as he said; I could have walked away with a $2500 emerald ring. However, I have to look at myself in the mirror every day! But like I told Suzi, I felt like I was doing a drug deal…meeting in the parking lot, strange man, etc!
Back on ship (with a bottle of vodka from the duty free shop) we met Jack and AL for lunch. After lunch we went to the show “Michael Clayton”…however, I lasted about half way through and I was freezing – it was so cold in the theater, so I left. I never did figure out the plot to the movie either.
Dinner last night was at the Mexican Restaurant on board. Not bad, however, I think the cook was Philippine because it had the same taste that the Mexican food used to have in Saudi when our cook at where I worked at JACOR would cook Mexican food….and he was from the Philippines. Adobo sauce instead of mole sauce. Oh well, it was okay.
After dinner Jack and Suzi went to the show, Al and I decided to just go back to the room. Al’s legs are beginning to really bother him; so he wanted to rest. I walked around the promenade deck three times (makes a mile) and then came back and read.
The sea is really choppy tonight….swells are 6-9 feet and the ship is rocking and rolling pretty good. We are traveling very slow as we are to transit the Panama Canal on Saturday morning and we aren’t that far from it.
April 18, 2008 FRIDAY.
HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY SHERRIE!! WE LOVE YOU.
Last night was one of those nights where you were either A.) rocked to sleep or B.) Hanging on to the edge of the bed so you wouldn’t fall out! Yes, it was a little windy and rough and it still is this morning. Makes walking a little more difficult and tricky.
By the way, there are a lot of people from the Pacific Northwest on board…which makes sense since this cruise ends in Seattle. Our neighbors on one side of us are from Redmond; he is a retired Seattle Police Detective. In the laundry the other day I met a lady who was from Portland, OR, however, she grew up and went to school in Medford. I casually mentioned that my sister and family lived in Medford and went to school there. When she asked their name I told her “Beaman”; she replied, I went to school with a Pam and Sue Beaman (my nieces)…after I picked up my jaw from the floor I wondered just how small this world is. Pam and Sue-- her name then was Carol Templeman and she graduated in 1967. I am sure if we searched hard enough we would run into people we knew from Bellevue/Redmond, etc.
Also, we have a celebrity aboard. Seal, the singer, is presently occupying the “owner suite”…ahem, which is advertised as $24,000 per person for the cruise. Of course, he has an entire entourage with him, but I can bet he isn’t paying the top dollar price – whadda’ bet he got a “special” price? Apparently he came out of the owners suite (which has its own pool, patio, etc…you would never have to associate with the common people) and into the reception area yesterday for a moment until he was recognized, then he disappeared quickly back to his own world! And no, he isn’t schedule to perform on board.
After breakfast Jack went to the gym, Al back to our cabin; that left Suzi and I at loose ends. What to do? We explored the game room, the library, the shops (again—nothing new) and basically wandered around the ship. Finally we landed in the Spa. We made appointments for a massage/facial for today. After lunch we headed to the spa. What a wonderful treat! First off, I don’t think I have ever been in such a luxurious spa…personal hot tubs, a plunge tub (we discovered it was ice cold…no thanks), sauna and steam rooms, hydrotherapy pool and heated lounges. WOW! We spent an hour in the hot tubs, hydrotherapy pool, etc. before our massage started. The massage was probably the best I have ever had and the facial was absolutely wonderful. I could do this once a week (Al said, no, I couldn’t!) After the pampering we crawled back to our rooms and changed for the show and dinner. The show was a tenor and he was good and then dinner in the Italian restaurant. It was good, but not spectacular. After wards Jack and Suzi walked the promenade deck and Al and I went back to bed. I collapsed into bed…yawn.
April 19, 2008 Saturday
PANAMA CANAL
We were up early this morning…6:15 a.m. to see the beginning of us going through the Gatun Locks.
We began transiting the locks at 7:15 a.m. and it is fascinating to watch. Our ship is the largest ship the locks can handle and it costs $314,000 for us to transit the canal! OUCH! This is the highest toll ever paid to go through the canal lock system. It is amazing how they can take this huge ship and put it through these small locks!
Gatun LocksAnd watching the locomotives pull us through never ceases to amaze me. We stayed in our room and watched from our balcony. I did go up to the pool deck, but you couldn’t get anywhere near the railing. They were also selling Panama Canal souvenirs, but the line was miles long and I didn’t want to miss anything—besides, I have enough tee shirts! We finished transiting the locks at 10:00 a.m…and into Gatun Lake. After crossing the lake we went through the Culebra Cut to the next set of locks, the Pedro Miguel locks, which we transited around 2:30 p.m. Suzi and I were sitting on deck 12 aft when we did this and when we went under one of the two bridges.
Pan American Bridge seen from the Panama Canal
Pretty fascinating stuff. Also, since this ship is so large there are a lot of people on shore that come to watch it go through these locks.
I might mention here that it is 93 degrees with the humidity at 90%--a little like sitting out in a steam room! My camera lens keeps fogging up…so do my glasses. To say nothing of me wilting. But the aft deck has a nice breeze blowing across it and that made it bearable…barely.
Going through the last set of locks, the Mira Flora Locks at 4:30 p.m. today now we are on the Pacific Ocean side. There is a restaurant on shore and there were plenty of people there to watch the Pearl go through. It finally dawned on me why all these people are watching us go through…it only happens twice a year! Since this is a repositioning cruise from the Caribbean cruising of the winter months to the Alaska Cruising for the summer months. The Pearl won’t be back this way until October.
Finally, we went under the American Express Bridge and we were spit out into the Pacific Ocean. There are a lot of ships waiting to go through the canal towards the Atlantic side..I would say at least 30 or more.
So now we can say we have been through the Panama Canal and now we are on our way to Acapulco, in two more days. We have two full sea days ahead of us and we arrive in Acapulco on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. and our tour begins almost immediately.
So until next time……we are wroamin’ the sea’s with the Waddicks.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Santa Marta, Columbia
April 15, 2008 Tuesday
Somewhere in the Atlantic – heading to Santa Marta, Columbia
Day at sea…and a lazy day at that. We got up later than normal and after breakfast, Suzi and I were going to go swimming and try out the huge water slide..however, it was windy and our calm seas have turned just a little bit bouncy, so we abandoned that idea and just laid out in the sun. Al chose to sit out on the room balcony.
After lunch all of us went to see the movie “I am legend” with Will Smith. Suzi and I lasted about a third of the movie and left…to icky for us! Besides, I was too afraid the dog in the movie was gonna’ die and I would be upset!!! So we both did what all good, seasoned cruisers do..we took a nap. Hmmmm-I think I am beginning to relax..what a concept for me! I COULD GET USED TO THIS!
Tonight is “formal picture night”….but not for us. We decided to opt out for tonight and will just go to the dining room for dinner. I have to say, compared to Princess, the food on this ship is much, much better. I even had a decent cheeseburger at lunch today! The last one I had on a cruise tasted more like shoe leather.
We dined in the Summer Palisades Dining Room tonight…a large dining room but unlike most cruise ships which usually have tables for 8 or more, this ship has tables for 2, 4, 6 and 8 or more if you request it. I had beef wellington, which was excellent. Al had the orange duck and he said his was very good, not as good as Pat Voss’ duck, but good. And I had a glass of wine with dinner and so far, no repercussions from it!
After dinner we went to the show and tonight it was a comedian. He was in our age group and was very y funny for us…we understood his kind of comedy. After the show Jack and Suzi took a walk around the ship, but Al and I came back to the room – Al’s knees are bothering him tonight. We want him to be ready to see Santa Marta, Columbia tomorrow.
So until then…goodnight.
April 16, 2008 Wednesday
Santa Marta, Columbia
The ship docked this morning around 7:00 in Santa Marta. Not much to see from our stateroom door with the exception of some commercial cargo ships.
After a quick breakfast we were off on our Historical Tour of Santa Marta. After finding the bus and squeezing into the seats (I swear the seats are getting smaller!) we were off. First thing they did was take us up a mountain and over to a tourist resort of El Rodadero—very modern and nice, but we don’t stop, just drive through it. Then we drove through Santa Marta…typical Mexican town I thought…I could have been in San Luis or Nogales. And I observed that the dogs here all seem to the same breed…just different colors…brown, black, tan, gray and dirt! And the country side seems to be littered with, well, lots of litter! Plastic bags hanging off of trees and fences and trash everywhere. Just not clean.
Next stop was the “Museo del Oro Tairona” – the gold museum, which houses not only gold pieces made by the Tayrona culture 1500 BC…yup, before Christ, but ancient pottery and artifacts. Since our tour guide didn’t speak the best English, I tuned him out and wandered by myself for a while. But I did see the gold…wow! Then we walked (taking our lives in our own hands against the traffic) to the Cathedral, which is the oldest cathedral in Columbia; and by the way, Santa Marta is the oldest city in Columbia, founded in 1525. But back to the Cathedral….it was build in the Renaissance style and was pretty remarkable. And it was cool inside! A plus for today.
A word about the weather here…it is hot, muggy, humid, hot, etc. However, this is the end of their summer, which temps can get up to 110 and humidity of 99%...er, no thanks. However, winter is just beginning here (May to Nov) and the temps will be in the 80s and the humidity drops to 70%! It was hot and humid here today…Jack, Al and I were soaking wet…Suzi must be cold blooded, she shed not one drop of sweat! I think she is part reptile!
Back to the tour…. After leaving the Cathedral, back on the bus, we discover that the bus driver has no idea where he is going next as he and the tour guide are not from here but from Cartagena, our stop for tomorrow. Apparently there weren’t enough buses or English speaking tour guides here. After getting directions we headed to the small fishing village of Taganga---and for the life of me I don’t know why…again we just drove through it, no explanation, or talk about its importance to the tour. We did stop and at a view point up on the mountain (and by this time Jack, Suzi and I had decided we had done this in Greece as well…but in Greece the bus driver and tour guide were good, this bus driver isn’t the best either) – Jack got out to take a picture, but the rest of us stayed on the bus as there were plenty of vendors to sell us “jewelry” made by hand! No thanks!
Our last stop is at La Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino, a beautiful hacienda, where Simon Bolivar, The Liberator spent his last days and died here. Yes, the grounds are beautiful…big banyan tree complete with Iguana’s on them, Myna birds everywhere and beautiful flowers. The grounds even had their own distillery which they made rum from sugar cane.
Also here is the Emerald Museum…very small museum, but with it of course, is a jewelry shop dealing specifically in emeralds. Al and I had decided this morning if we could find a nice emerald ring at a reasonable price we would buy one. I haggled and haggled and finally got the dealer down to a price I could afford for a emerald ring! Thank you Al! He was dealing on a stone, but couldn’t get the dealer down below $220 per karate on a 10 karate stone….nope.
After we left there is was back to the ship…and lunch please. But before we got on board we did buy some Columbian coffee…but not from Juan Valdez. An interesting port, but not one I would visit again.
We had dinner at Cagney’s Steakhouse tonight and it was superb! However, I couldn’t begin to eat it all…I was still full from lunch. Then we went to the show – Showgirl Revue and it was good. After the show we decided to go up to Spinnaker’s Lounge to catch the comedian again…he was really funny. When we got back to the room we found this little bunny on our bed.
Tomorrow is Cartagena and since we have already been there we aren’t taking a tour or getting off the ship
Somewhere in the Atlantic – heading to Santa Marta, Columbia
Day at sea…and a lazy day at that. We got up later than normal and after breakfast, Suzi and I were going to go swimming and try out the huge water slide..however, it was windy and our calm seas have turned just a little bit bouncy, so we abandoned that idea and just laid out in the sun. Al chose to sit out on the room balcony.
After lunch all of us went to see the movie “I am legend” with Will Smith. Suzi and I lasted about a third of the movie and left…to icky for us! Besides, I was too afraid the dog in the movie was gonna’ die and I would be upset!!! So we both did what all good, seasoned cruisers do..we took a nap. Hmmmm-I think I am beginning to relax..what a concept for me! I COULD GET USED TO THIS!
Tonight is “formal picture night”….but not for us. We decided to opt out for tonight and will just go to the dining room for dinner. I have to say, compared to Princess, the food on this ship is much, much better. I even had a decent cheeseburger at lunch today! The last one I had on a cruise tasted more like shoe leather.
We dined in the Summer Palisades Dining Room tonight…a large dining room but unlike most cruise ships which usually have tables for 8 or more, this ship has tables for 2, 4, 6 and 8 or more if you request it. I had beef wellington, which was excellent. Al had the orange duck and he said his was very good, not as good as Pat Voss’ duck, but good. And I had a glass of wine with dinner and so far, no repercussions from it!
After dinner we went to the show and tonight it was a comedian. He was in our age group and was very y funny for us…we understood his kind of comedy. After the show Jack and Suzi took a walk around the ship, but Al and I came back to the room – Al’s knees are bothering him tonight. We want him to be ready to see Santa Marta, Columbia tomorrow.
So until then…goodnight.
April 16, 2008 Wednesday
Santa Marta, Columbia
The ship docked this morning around 7:00 in Santa Marta. Not much to see from our stateroom door with the exception of some commercial cargo ships.
After a quick breakfast we were off on our Historical Tour of Santa Marta. After finding the bus and squeezing into the seats (I swear the seats are getting smaller!) we were off. First thing they did was take us up a mountain and over to a tourist resort of El Rodadero—very modern and nice, but we don’t stop, just drive through it. Then we drove through Santa Marta…typical Mexican town I thought…I could have been in San Luis or Nogales. And I observed that the dogs here all seem to the same breed…just different colors…brown, black, tan, gray and dirt! And the country side seems to be littered with, well, lots of litter! Plastic bags hanging off of trees and fences and trash everywhere. Just not clean.
Next stop was the “Museo del Oro Tairona” – the gold museum, which houses not only gold pieces made by the Tayrona culture 1500 BC…yup, before Christ, but ancient pottery and artifacts. Since our tour guide didn’t speak the best English, I tuned him out and wandered by myself for a while. But I did see the gold…wow! Then we walked (taking our lives in our own hands against the traffic) to the Cathedral, which is the oldest cathedral in Columbia; and by the way, Santa Marta is the oldest city in Columbia, founded in 1525. But back to the Cathedral….it was build in the Renaissance style and was pretty remarkable. And it was cool inside! A plus for today.
A word about the weather here…it is hot, muggy, humid, hot, etc. However, this is the end of their summer, which temps can get up to 110 and humidity of 99%...er, no thanks. However, winter is just beginning here (May to Nov) and the temps will be in the 80s and the humidity drops to 70%! It was hot and humid here today…Jack, Al and I were soaking wet…Suzi must be cold blooded, she shed not one drop of sweat! I think she is part reptile!
Back to the tour…. After leaving the Cathedral, back on the bus, we discover that the bus driver has no idea where he is going next as he and the tour guide are not from here but from Cartagena, our stop for tomorrow. Apparently there weren’t enough buses or English speaking tour guides here. After getting directions we headed to the small fishing village of Taganga---and for the life of me I don’t know why…again we just drove through it, no explanation, or talk about its importance to the tour. We did stop and at a view point up on the mountain (and by this time Jack, Suzi and I had decided we had done this in Greece as well…but in Greece the bus driver and tour guide were good, this bus driver isn’t the best either) – Jack got out to take a picture, but the rest of us stayed on the bus as there were plenty of vendors to sell us “jewelry” made by hand! No thanks!
Our last stop is at La Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino, a beautiful hacienda, where Simon Bolivar, The Liberator spent his last days and died here. Yes, the grounds are beautiful…big banyan tree complete with Iguana’s on them, Myna birds everywhere and beautiful flowers. The grounds even had their own distillery which they made rum from sugar cane.
Also here is the Emerald Museum…very small museum, but with it of course, is a jewelry shop dealing specifically in emeralds. Al and I had decided this morning if we could find a nice emerald ring at a reasonable price we would buy one. I haggled and haggled and finally got the dealer down to a price I could afford for a emerald ring! Thank you Al! He was dealing on a stone, but couldn’t get the dealer down below $220 per karate on a 10 karate stone….nope.
After we left there is was back to the ship…and lunch please. But before we got on board we did buy some Columbian coffee…but not from Juan Valdez. An interesting port, but not one I would visit again.
We had dinner at Cagney’s Steakhouse tonight and it was superb! However, I couldn’t begin to eat it all…I was still full from lunch. Then we went to the show – Showgirl Revue and it was good. After the show we decided to go up to Spinnaker’s Lounge to catch the comedian again…he was really funny. When we got back to the room we found this little bunny on our bed.
Tomorrow is Cartagena and since we have already been there we aren’t taking a tour or getting off the ship
Monday, April 14, 2008
Sailing, Sailing, over the ocean blue
Sailing, Sailing Over the Ocean Blue
Somewhere in the Atlantic…..just off Cuba
Apr. 12…Saturday
Up earlier than I like and we got checked out of the condo and on our way to Miami. We decided to go down the west coast of Florida and then over “Alligator Alley” to Maimi. We stopped in Naples and found a Costco to get some gas. Gas is $3.40+ a gallon where we have been. Over alligator alley, and we only saw a few alligators. I think we were expecting it to be “lined” with alligators. We arrived in Miami, found our hotel for the night (no easy task) and got checked in. Jack and Sue returned the car to the airport, which was an adventure in itself. After they finally found the car rental return they had to wait over an hour for the shuttle to return to the hotel. We had dinner at the hotel restaurant “Schuckers” which was fairly decent.
Apr. 13 .. Sunday
Ahhh…cruise day has arrived. We hauled our mini mountain of luggage out to the front of the hotel to catch the shuttle to the port. WAIT! Where are all these other people going? There was over 50 of us for this shuttle…and I am looking at this mini van that was suppose to take us. Not only would our luggage not fit, but the people weren’t going to fit either. AHHHH --- there is more than one van…whew!
We arrived at the port along with the rest of the world…this ship holds 2500+ passengers and it is full. We couldn’t get to our stateroom so we did what comes naturally…we ate! This is our first cruise with Norwegian and it is very different from Princess and I think we are going to like it. First of all, NO FORMAL NIGHTS! Second, it what they call “free-style” cruising…you can eat when ever you like, do what ever you like, when ever you like, no schedule. Hmmmm. The Norwegian Pearl is the ship we are on and it is just a year old. Very beautiful and BIG – 965 feet long to be exact and can cruise up to 25 knots! There is even a bowling alley on board!! And, a rock climbing wall, etc. Just about anything you want to do in the form of entertainment is on board. Jack checked out the gym, Suzi checked out the casino and I checked out the pool area and the internet café. But actually, I have internet in my stateroom….how cool is that?
We got into our stateroom around 2:00 p.m. and got somewhat unpacked. And this time we did something really dumb when we booked our cruise. The person we booked with suggested that we book rooms across the ship from each other so we could see different things from the different side of the ship. DUMB! We aren’t in our rooms that much and we really like being next to each other so we can open up our balconies and it is just more convenient. We will know better from now on!
Anyway, after the mandatory evacuation life boat drill, we all decided to go to the “Sail away” party up on the pool deck. What fun! Suzi and I even got in the conga line! Had our usual sail away drink and just enjoyed the day.
We decided to have an early dinner so we could catch the show tonight. I don’t think any of us was that hungry, but we ate anyway. (Do you see a trend beginning here?) Then off to the show. It was an over view of all the lounge shows…and very good. After the show Al went back to the room, I explored the ship for a while and Jack and Suzi went to the Casino. We will be at sea until Wednesday so no use to rush into doing anything on the first night. This cruise is 19 days long and we are at sea for 8 of those days, which is fine…lots of time to rest.
April 14, 2008 Monday
Our first day at sea…and the sea last night was so smooth you couldn’t tell you were sailing. We passed the coast of Cuba this morning. Now, at 10:45 the sea is beginning to act like it should with a few rollers, but not bad at all. We have had our breakfast (what??? We weren’t going to pass up that chance to eat!) and now Jack is at the gym and Suzi and I are going to go for our walk around the ship to try and lose a ounce or so we can eat some more! More later….
Later……Well, Suzi and my walk around the ship this morning was side tracked by a bingo game getting ready to begin. Of course, we had to play. Suzi won the first game! I won a beach bag! After that we went to find the guys. Al was in the room reading and Jack was still at the gym, but our tummies were saying that they knew lunch was on…so off we went to eat—again. After lunch Al took a walk and Jack played Trivia; Suzi and I found ourselves in another Bingo game…we didn’t do so well at this one.
Dinner tonight was at the Teppenyaki (say Beni Hana) specialty restaurant on board. There are 11 of these type of specialty restaurants on the Pearl. After dinner, which was outstanding, Al decided to go back to the room, while Jack, Suzi and I went to the show. Tonight’s entertainment was a sensational singer, Lumiri Tubo. She sang just about anything you could want….show tunes, gospel, disco, dance hits, etc. And I will say she was fabulous. She had one of the better voices I have ever heard. After the show Jack and Suzi took off, I decided to walk around the deck. I could see Cuba off the starboard side and another cruise ship off the port side. All day the sea has been as smooth as glass….can’t ever remember being on a cruise this smooth.
Cortney – a note for you here…guess what I found for sale on board. MY CLOCK!!! And no, I didn’t buy it, but it is tempting.
And for Kali…I have met several people from Shreveport on this ship…are there any old people left in Shreveport, or are they all here?
Speaking of old people, there are very few young people on board this cruise. We are attributing that to the length of the cruise, and the time of the cruise. There are only 19 people under 18 on board!
On that note, I am going to turn in for the night….more tomorrow.
Somewhere in the Atlantic…..just off Cuba
Apr. 12…Saturday
Up earlier than I like and we got checked out of the condo and on our way to Miami. We decided to go down the west coast of Florida and then over “Alligator Alley” to Maimi. We stopped in Naples and found a Costco to get some gas. Gas is $3.40+ a gallon where we have been. Over alligator alley, and we only saw a few alligators. I think we were expecting it to be “lined” with alligators. We arrived in Miami, found our hotel for the night (no easy task) and got checked in. Jack and Sue returned the car to the airport, which was an adventure in itself. After they finally found the car rental return they had to wait over an hour for the shuttle to return to the hotel. We had dinner at the hotel restaurant “Schuckers” which was fairly decent.
Apr. 13 .. Sunday
Ahhh…cruise day has arrived. We hauled our mini mountain of luggage out to the front of the hotel to catch the shuttle to the port. WAIT! Where are all these other people going? There was over 50 of us for this shuttle…and I am looking at this mini van that was suppose to take us. Not only would our luggage not fit, but the people weren’t going to fit either. AHHHH --- there is more than one van…whew!
We arrived at the port along with the rest of the world…this ship holds 2500+ passengers and it is full. We couldn’t get to our stateroom so we did what comes naturally…we ate! This is our first cruise with Norwegian and it is very different from Princess and I think we are going to like it. First of all, NO FORMAL NIGHTS! Second, it what they call “free-style” cruising…you can eat when ever you like, do what ever you like, when ever you like, no schedule. Hmmmm. The Norwegian Pearl is the ship we are on and it is just a year old. Very beautiful and BIG – 965 feet long to be exact and can cruise up to 25 knots! There is even a bowling alley on board!! And, a rock climbing wall, etc. Just about anything you want to do in the form of entertainment is on board. Jack checked out the gym, Suzi checked out the casino and I checked out the pool area and the internet café. But actually, I have internet in my stateroom….how cool is that?
We got into our stateroom around 2:00 p.m. and got somewhat unpacked. And this time we did something really dumb when we booked our cruise. The person we booked with suggested that we book rooms across the ship from each other so we could see different things from the different side of the ship. DUMB! We aren’t in our rooms that much and we really like being next to each other so we can open up our balconies and it is just more convenient. We will know better from now on!
Anyway, after the mandatory evacuation life boat drill, we all decided to go to the “Sail away” party up on the pool deck. What fun! Suzi and I even got in the conga line! Had our usual sail away drink and just enjoyed the day.
We decided to have an early dinner so we could catch the show tonight. I don’t think any of us was that hungry, but we ate anyway. (Do you see a trend beginning here?) Then off to the show. It was an over view of all the lounge shows…and very good. After the show Al went back to the room, I explored the ship for a while and Jack and Suzi went to the Casino. We will be at sea until Wednesday so no use to rush into doing anything on the first night. This cruise is 19 days long and we are at sea for 8 of those days, which is fine…lots of time to rest.
April 14, 2008 Monday
Our first day at sea…and the sea last night was so smooth you couldn’t tell you were sailing. We passed the coast of Cuba this morning. Now, at 10:45 the sea is beginning to act like it should with a few rollers, but not bad at all. We have had our breakfast (what??? We weren’t going to pass up that chance to eat!) and now Jack is at the gym and Suzi and I are going to go for our walk around the ship to try and lose a ounce or so we can eat some more! More later….
Later……Well, Suzi and my walk around the ship this morning was side tracked by a bingo game getting ready to begin. Of course, we had to play. Suzi won the first game! I won a beach bag! After that we went to find the guys. Al was in the room reading and Jack was still at the gym, but our tummies were saying that they knew lunch was on…so off we went to eat—again. After lunch Al took a walk and Jack played Trivia; Suzi and I found ourselves in another Bingo game…we didn’t do so well at this one.
Dinner tonight was at the Teppenyaki (say Beni Hana) specialty restaurant on board. There are 11 of these type of specialty restaurants on the Pearl. After dinner, which was outstanding, Al decided to go back to the room, while Jack, Suzi and I went to the show. Tonight’s entertainment was a sensational singer, Lumiri Tubo. She sang just about anything you could want….show tunes, gospel, disco, dance hits, etc. And I will say she was fabulous. She had one of the better voices I have ever heard. After the show Jack and Suzi took off, I decided to walk around the deck. I could see Cuba off the starboard side and another cruise ship off the port side. All day the sea has been as smooth as glass….can’t ever remember being on a cruise this smooth.
Cortney – a note for you here…guess what I found for sale on board. MY CLOCK!!! And no, I didn’t buy it, but it is tempting.
And for Kali…I have met several people from Shreveport on this ship…are there any old people left in Shreveport, or are they all here?
Speaking of old people, there are very few young people on board this cruise. We are attributing that to the length of the cruise, and the time of the cruise. There are only 19 people under 18 on board!
On that note, I am going to turn in for the night….more tomorrow.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Orlando -- The End
Kissimmee, FL
We about to depart the land of Mickey for Miami tomorrow. The last few days here have sure flown by.
Before I forget, on Tuesday when we were at Kennedy Space Center, we saw this critter.
I got a chuckle out of the bus driver that day...she said there were "shoe" "wallet" "briefcase" and "Suitcase" size gators...this one was a suitcase size! We also saw a manatee and a few armadillo's. We have seen a couple of turkey's (the bird, not people!) lots of blue heron and a flamingo! WEEEEEE! Critter count.
Thursday Jack and Suzi went to Sea World. Al and I rested and hung around the condo. I have been fighting some stomach problems the last week and I decided to just rest yesterday. I still feel a little queasy, but I am not going to let a little stomach upset to ruin my trip! Last night we went to Sonny's Real Pit BBQ for dinner. Al and I always try and have at least one meal at this restaurant....it is always good and it didn't disappoint us last night.
Today Suzi and I fought with the two washers and dryers here in the condo building and got our laundry done. These condo's that we are staying in are less than stellar that we have come to expect with and RCI exchange. Matter-of-fact, this condo is old, out dated and in sad need of being refurbished and updated. I am very disappointed in this condo timeshare.
This afternoon we headed off for Downtown Disney for lunch and strolled around there for an hour or so. Then it was off to the Tampa area to meet Peggy and Phil. Peggy was my high school girlfriend and we have been friends since forever. We met at Buco di Beppo's in Bradon, Fl; about half way between here and where they live in North Port. We had a great meal and a short, but wonderful visit. It is always fun to see these two!
Peggy and Phil
Tomorrow we head to Miami for the night and board the ship on Sunday for our Panama Canal Cruise.......
We about to depart the land of Mickey for Miami tomorrow. The last few days here have sure flown by.
Before I forget, on Tuesday when we were at Kennedy Space Center, we saw this critter.
I got a chuckle out of the bus driver that day...she said there were "shoe" "wallet" "briefcase" and "Suitcase" size gators...this one was a suitcase size! We also saw a manatee and a few armadillo's. We have seen a couple of turkey's (the bird, not people!) lots of blue heron and a flamingo! WEEEEEE! Critter count.
Thursday Jack and Suzi went to Sea World. Al and I rested and hung around the condo. I have been fighting some stomach problems the last week and I decided to just rest yesterday. I still feel a little queasy, but I am not going to let a little stomach upset to ruin my trip! Last night we went to Sonny's Real Pit BBQ for dinner. Al and I always try and have at least one meal at this restaurant....it is always good and it didn't disappoint us last night.
Today Suzi and I fought with the two washers and dryers here in the condo building and got our laundry done. These condo's that we are staying in are less than stellar that we have come to expect with and RCI exchange. Matter-of-fact, this condo is old, out dated and in sad need of being refurbished and updated. I am very disappointed in this condo timeshare.
This afternoon we headed off for Downtown Disney for lunch and strolled around there for an hour or so. Then it was off to the Tampa area to meet Peggy and Phil. Peggy was my high school girlfriend and we have been friends since forever. We met at Buco di Beppo's in Bradon, Fl; about half way between here and where they live in North Port. We had a great meal and a short, but wonderful visit. It is always fun to see these two!
Peggy and Phil
Tomorrow we head to Miami for the night and board the ship on Sunday for our Panama Canal Cruise.......
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Florida..so far
Orlando, well, actually, Kissimmee, Fl
Greetings from Mickey Mouse! Yes, we are in the land of Disney..or at least near it. Orlando is consumed with Disney!
Our trip started back on Saturday morning at o'dark thiry---rising at 3:00 a.m. to ge to the airport in time to catch our 6:45 a.m. flight to Atlanta to connect to our flight to Orlando. Jack, Sue, Al and I all grumbled about getting up so early. We arrived at the airport in plenty of time...only to find out our flight had been delayed an hour....so we had hurried for nothing. FInally got on the plane and arrived in Atlanta an hour late...leaving us with less than 30 minutes to catch our connecting flight; which, of course, was on another concourse. But I had anticipated this and had ordered a wheelchair for Al...thank goodness. He actually got to our next gate before we did!! At any rate we were the last 4 to board the plane. But then we were delayed due to a minor mechanical problem, so we were late leaving Atlanta by 45 minutes...another hurry up to wait ordeal. Arriving in Orlando to very stormy weather, we went to get our luggage. Well, half of it arrived, the other half was among the missing. Of course, why, would anything be right on that day???? We decided to wait for the next flight from Atlanta to get in which was 45 minutes. So we went and got the rental car and then went back to wait for the luggage. An hour and half later, we had luggage. Off to find the timeshare...which we found and litterally dumped our luggage and went in search of food. It had been about 12 hours since we had last seen food, with the exception of peanuts, pretzels, etc. After feeding our selves we went to the store for some basic necessities, i.e., coffee, bread, etc. IT started to really rain and thunder and lightning when we left the store. Florida? Right?
Sunday
We awoke to pouring rain! And I do mean, pouring. It rained, rained and rained some more. About noon friends Randy and Judy Rahbar arrived from Indian Harbour Beach and a few minutes later their son Randy Jr., wife Liz and son Curtis (7)arrived.
Curtis
Randy Jr. is a twin and a few minutes later twin Tara, husband Frank and son Nathan (2) arrived.
Frank, Nathan, Tara
Now we have known the Rahbars forever....since the twins were 2 years old and we were all in Lancaster together! We all had a great visit...and I tell you those kids are great kids...Nathan is so cute and Curtis is so well mannered and so smart! He knows so much about the planets! He really impressed us. Oh, and did I tell you it was raining??? Rained all day and night. And I do mean RAIN! THUNDER! LIGHTNING!
Rahbars: l-r, Tara, Nathan, Frank, Liz, Curtis, Randy Jr. Randy Sr. Judy
Monday arrived with just overcast skies. Jack decided to go to the gym and Suzi and I decided to hit the outlet mall that wasn't too far away. Al chose to rest and read. Randy and Judy came over later in the afternoon and we all went to a faboulous Lebanese restaurant that Randy and Judy had been to. All I can say is that it was great. I think Jack and Suzi were a little hesitant about it, but they both said they enjoyed it. And I had a shawarma...for those of you who know what a shawarma is, this one was good...almost as good as the ones you get in Riyadh! YUM
Yesterday, Tuesday, we drove over to the Kennedy Space Center for a tour. We had a great time and learned so much. OF course, some of this was "going back in time" for us who have worked on the space program at some point in time in our past lives. Did you know that the Shuttle program is over in 2010? And that they are replacing it with a program called Orion. It is targeted for operations to the International Space Station and will start around 2015. Things we learn!!! At any rate the tours of the launch pads, the landing strip, (even though we have seen the shuttle land dozens of times at Lancaster) and just being there where it all happens was so facinating for us. Just to think what we (Americans) have accomplished in the space race over the past 50 years is amazing.
After a great day there we drove down the beach a bit to where Judy and Randy live. They have a beautiful condo right on the ocean. It is so nice to sit out on their veranda and just listen to the surf. We finally decided it was time to eat, so we wandered over to a little place not far from their house on Hwy A1A called "Bunky's"...what great seafood they have! I ate my share of raw oysters (yum, yum, yum) and they were probably the best I have ever had! They are from Appleachicola, Florida and they are small, and very, very tender. We finally waddled out of their and headed home.
Today, Wednesday, we went to the required timeshare sell presentation. What we won't do for 100 bucks! At any rate, we didn't buy, as if we needed another timeshare! And they did try their best to sell us one....or a dozen. I have to laugh at the sales people....we have been to so many of these over the years we could practically give the sales pitch and we have the routine down pat....first the sales person, then the "heavy" who tries to come in and give you a "deal" and then the closer, who starts to give you your "freebie", only has one more "deal" up his sleeve! ARG! We escaped with our lives and pocketbooks intact however. Tonight the Rahbars are coming over here again so we can venture out for dinner.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring....so stay tuned!
Greetings from Mickey Mouse! Yes, we are in the land of Disney..or at least near it. Orlando is consumed with Disney!
Our trip started back on Saturday morning at o'dark thiry---rising at 3:00 a.m. to ge to the airport in time to catch our 6:45 a.m. flight to Atlanta to connect to our flight to Orlando. Jack, Sue, Al and I all grumbled about getting up so early. We arrived at the airport in plenty of time...only to find out our flight had been delayed an hour....so we had hurried for nothing. FInally got on the plane and arrived in Atlanta an hour late...leaving us with less than 30 minutes to catch our connecting flight; which, of course, was on another concourse. But I had anticipated this and had ordered a wheelchair for Al...thank goodness. He actually got to our next gate before we did!! At any rate we were the last 4 to board the plane. But then we were delayed due to a minor mechanical problem, so we were late leaving Atlanta by 45 minutes...another hurry up to wait ordeal. Arriving in Orlando to very stormy weather, we went to get our luggage. Well, half of it arrived, the other half was among the missing. Of course, why, would anything be right on that day???? We decided to wait for the next flight from Atlanta to get in which was 45 minutes. So we went and got the rental car and then went back to wait for the luggage. An hour and half later, we had luggage. Off to find the timeshare...which we found and litterally dumped our luggage and went in search of food. It had been about 12 hours since we had last seen food, with the exception of peanuts, pretzels, etc. After feeding our selves we went to the store for some basic necessities, i.e., coffee, bread, etc. IT started to really rain and thunder and lightning when we left the store. Florida? Right?
Sunday
We awoke to pouring rain! And I do mean, pouring. It rained, rained and rained some more. About noon friends Randy and Judy Rahbar arrived from Indian Harbour Beach and a few minutes later their son Randy Jr., wife Liz and son Curtis (7)arrived.
CurtisRandy Jr. is a twin and a few minutes later twin Tara, husband Frank and son Nathan (2) arrived.
Frank, Nathan, Tara
Now we have known the Rahbars forever....since the twins were 2 years old and we were all in Lancaster together! We all had a great visit...and I tell you those kids are great kids...Nathan is so cute and Curtis is so well mannered and so smart! He knows so much about the planets! He really impressed us. Oh, and did I tell you it was raining??? Rained all day and night. And I do mean RAIN! THUNDER! LIGHTNING!
Rahbars: l-r, Tara, Nathan, Frank, Liz, Curtis, Randy Jr. Randy Sr. Judy
Monday arrived with just overcast skies. Jack decided to go to the gym and Suzi and I decided to hit the outlet mall that wasn't too far away. Al chose to rest and read. Randy and Judy came over later in the afternoon and we all went to a faboulous Lebanese restaurant that Randy and Judy had been to. All I can say is that it was great. I think Jack and Suzi were a little hesitant about it, but they both said they enjoyed it. And I had a shawarma...for those of you who know what a shawarma is, this one was good...almost as good as the ones you get in Riyadh! YUM
Yesterday, Tuesday, we drove over to the Kennedy Space Center for a tour. We had a great time and learned so much. OF course, some of this was "going back in time" for us who have worked on the space program at some point in time in our past lives. Did you know that the Shuttle program is over in 2010? And that they are replacing it with a program called Orion. It is targeted for operations to the International Space Station and will start around 2015. Things we learn!!! At any rate the tours of the launch pads, the landing strip, (even though we have seen the shuttle land dozens of times at Lancaster) and just being there where it all happens was so facinating for us. Just to think what we (Americans) have accomplished in the space race over the past 50 years is amazing.
After a great day there we drove down the beach a bit to where Judy and Randy live. They have a beautiful condo right on the ocean. It is so nice to sit out on their veranda and just listen to the surf. We finally decided it was time to eat, so we wandered over to a little place not far from their house on Hwy A1A called "Bunky's"...what great seafood they have! I ate my share of raw oysters (yum, yum, yum) and they were probably the best I have ever had! They are from Appleachicola, Florida and they are small, and very, very tender. We finally waddled out of their and headed home.
Today, Wednesday, we went to the required timeshare sell presentation. What we won't do for 100 bucks! At any rate, we didn't buy, as if we needed another timeshare! And they did try their best to sell us one....or a dozen. I have to laugh at the sales people....we have been to so many of these over the years we could practically give the sales pitch and we have the routine down pat....first the sales person, then the "heavy" who tries to come in and give you a "deal" and then the closer, who starts to give you your "freebie", only has one more "deal" up his sleeve! ARG! We escaped with our lives and pocketbooks intact however. Tonight the Rahbars are coming over here again so we can venture out for dinner.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring....so stay tuned!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
What a difference a week makes!
Tucson
This time last week we were in St. Louis in freezing weather; this week we have the air conditioner going and it is 87 outside! However, it is windy...trying to blow us off this hill again.
We arrived home safe and sound last Monday afternoon. Left Kansas City in 34 degree weather; arrived in Tucson to 87 degrees! Needless to say, we were happy (at least I was) to see some sun and heat.
This week has been devoted to doing our $%^&* income tax! I hate this job! However, the only part I really hate (besides having to pay) is the collecting of the data needed. Every year I say I will, on a monthly basis, do a spread sheet for taxes....and every year I don't! GRRRR
Yesterday I spent all day doing something I LOVE TO DO! I spent all day riding my ATV. Bruce and Holly, plus my nephew Bruce and I went ATV riding up the back side of Mt. Lemmon. Round trip was about 40+ miles and I had the time of my life. It was so beautiful back in the wilderness, and since we left fairly early in the day, we had very few people to contend with. The road to the back side of Mt. Lemmon is pretty much a 4 wheel drive road, unless you have an ATV. For the first half or more of the road, it is fairly smooth and an easy ride. Then, just past the old mine, the road changes and it gets narrow and fairly rough in spots and steep in places. Beautiful scenry tho. Once we got to Mt. Lemmon we had lunch and of course, a piece of pie; then it was back down the road. Now, the old mind decides to kick in and sayes "What goes up, must come down"....hmmm. However, it wasn't a bad trip down...until we stopped for a break half way down. When we went to start my ATV again, it refused to start. Nothing either Bruce did would convince it to start. NOW, is the time I was very thankful I wasn't up there alone! Finally, Bruce pulls out his tow strap (I tell you, he was prepared...unlike I was!) and winds up towing my ATV (with my nephew Bruce on it) back down to where we were parked with truck and trailer. Sure am glad I didn't have to ride back on the ATV being towed. HOlly and I rode her ATV back. So, now my horse (as I call my ATV) is broken! (Insert a pout here) Bruce looked at it today and decided that we probably need to take it to Honda; so being the wonderful person he is (And he really is a great guy) he will take it in for me tomorrow. BOO HOO...my horse is broken.
Bruce Spaid, Holly and Bruce Sanderson
wild poppies along the trail
The rest of this week will be spent getting ready to leave on our next big adventure; Orlando Florida for a week and our Panama Canal Cruise. We leave for Orlando next Saturday and I am so excited to see some good friends from Lancaster days who live near Cocoa Beach; and also my high school girlfriend and her husband who live on the west coast of Florida.
So, until next time, we hope all is well for everyone.
This time last week we were in St. Louis in freezing weather; this week we have the air conditioner going and it is 87 outside! However, it is windy...trying to blow us off this hill again.
We arrived home safe and sound last Monday afternoon. Left Kansas City in 34 degree weather; arrived in Tucson to 87 degrees! Needless to say, we were happy (at least I was) to see some sun and heat.
This week has been devoted to doing our $%^&* income tax! I hate this job! However, the only part I really hate (besides having to pay) is the collecting of the data needed. Every year I say I will, on a monthly basis, do a spread sheet for taxes....and every year I don't! GRRRR
Yesterday I spent all day doing something I LOVE TO DO! I spent all day riding my ATV. Bruce and Holly, plus my nephew Bruce and I went ATV riding up the back side of Mt. Lemmon. Round trip was about 40+ miles and I had the time of my life. It was so beautiful back in the wilderness, and since we left fairly early in the day, we had very few people to contend with. The road to the back side of Mt. Lemmon is pretty much a 4 wheel drive road, unless you have an ATV. For the first half or more of the road, it is fairly smooth and an easy ride. Then, just past the old mine, the road changes and it gets narrow and fairly rough in spots and steep in places. Beautiful scenry tho. Once we got to Mt. Lemmon we had lunch and of course, a piece of pie; then it was back down the road. Now, the old mind decides to kick in and sayes "What goes up, must come down"....hmmm. However, it wasn't a bad trip down...until we stopped for a break half way down. When we went to start my ATV again, it refused to start. Nothing either Bruce did would convince it to start. NOW, is the time I was very thankful I wasn't up there alone! Finally, Bruce pulls out his tow strap (I tell you, he was prepared...unlike I was!) and winds up towing my ATV (with my nephew Bruce on it) back down to where we were parked with truck and trailer. Sure am glad I didn't have to ride back on the ATV being towed. HOlly and I rode her ATV back. So, now my horse (as I call my ATV) is broken! (Insert a pout here) Bruce looked at it today and decided that we probably need to take it to Honda; so being the wonderful person he is (And he really is a great guy) he will take it in for me tomorrow. BOO HOO...my horse is broken.
Bruce Spaid, Holly and Bruce Sanderson
wild poppies along the trail
The rest of this week will be spent getting ready to leave on our next big adventure; Orlando Florida for a week and our Panama Canal Cruise. We leave for Orlando next Saturday and I am so excited to see some good friends from Lancaster days who live near Cocoa Beach; and also my high school girlfriend and her husband who live on the west coast of Florida.
So, until next time, we hope all is well for everyone.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
The Easter Baskets are Hung by the Chimney with care?
O'Fallon, Missouri
Happy Easter
Well...this is interesting. We had several titles for this blog...such as: I'm Dreaming of a White Easter? or, We Wish you a Merry Easter, or Here comes Easter Bunny right down egg lane? Why, you ask? Well, we are having a white Easter...yes, the white is SNOW! We awoke to snow this morning...of course, we have had snow, rain, sun, windy, etc, repeat.
I rest my case...I am cold!
A busy week this has been. We arrived in Kansas City late last Sunday after a bumpy departure from Tucson, where, incidently, it was snowing when we left there! I give up!
Monday we met up with grandson's David and Danny and David's girlfriend, Tiffany. We decided to go see the museum exhibition "Bodies Revealed", which was very, very good and interesting. It was raining buckets in Kansas City that day....all day. But the rain didn't stop us!
Danny, Grandma, David
Tuesday dawned cloudy and overcast, and windy. Oh well, better weather was forecast for the next few days. We spent most of the day visiting with David and Danny and did a little shopping. We said our goodbye's after dinner.
Wednesday we headed to O'Fallon to see Mike, Bev, Sarah, Natasha and Nadia. Weather was okay for us, but just south of us it is flooding BIG TIME! Three rivers out of their banks and many people displaced.
We met our newest great granddaughter, Nadia today...she is 3 months old. Nadia is a cutie too.
Natasha is growing up so fast. She is 8 years old and a real young lady.
Thursday Bev and I spent the day playing and visiting the quilt shops. We bought some material and made a couple of table runners....I do love to quilt.
Friday Natasha, Beverly and I went to St. Louis Art Museum to see the Quilts of Yesterday Exhibition....very impressive. We had lunch at Wolfgang Pucks restaurant, very good.
Saturday was spent in preparation for Easter Sunday. Sarah, Natasha, Nadia and I did have lunch together and a quick trip to Target.
Today we got up and went to church (in the snow); then came home and had a great dinner. Stephen left for the airport this evening and we are packed and ready to head to Kansas city and the airport there tomorrow. We flew Express Jet this time and we have to say it is a great little airline.
We have had weather from snow to 72 degree's while we were here...it must be spring.
So until next time I will leave you with some pictures.
Grandpa and Grammy with Nadia and Natasha
Grandpa and Grammy with Sarah, Stephen, Nadia and Natasha
Mike, Bev, Dad, Stephen, Sarah, Natasha, Nadia
Happy Easter
Well...this is interesting. We had several titles for this blog...such as: I'm Dreaming of a White Easter? or, We Wish you a Merry Easter, or Here comes Easter Bunny right down egg lane? Why, you ask? Well, we are having a white Easter...yes, the white is SNOW! We awoke to snow this morning...of course, we have had snow, rain, sun, windy, etc, repeat.
I rest my case...I am cold!
A busy week this has been. We arrived in Kansas City late last Sunday after a bumpy departure from Tucson, where, incidently, it was snowing when we left there! I give up!
Monday we met up with grandson's David and Danny and David's girlfriend, Tiffany. We decided to go see the museum exhibition "Bodies Revealed", which was very, very good and interesting. It was raining buckets in Kansas City that day....all day. But the rain didn't stop us!
Danny, Grandma, DavidTuesday dawned cloudy and overcast, and windy. Oh well, better weather was forecast for the next few days. We spent most of the day visiting with David and Danny and did a little shopping. We said our goodbye's after dinner.
Wednesday we headed to O'Fallon to see Mike, Bev, Sarah, Natasha and Nadia. Weather was okay for us, but just south of us it is flooding BIG TIME! Three rivers out of their banks and many people displaced.
We met our newest great granddaughter, Nadia today...she is 3 months old. Nadia is a cutie too.
Natasha is growing up so fast. She is 8 years old and a real young lady.
Thursday Bev and I spent the day playing and visiting the quilt shops. We bought some material and made a couple of table runners....I do love to quilt.
Friday Natasha, Beverly and I went to St. Louis Art Museum to see the Quilts of Yesterday Exhibition....very impressive. We had lunch at Wolfgang Pucks restaurant, very good.
Saturday was spent in preparation for Easter Sunday. Sarah, Natasha, Nadia and I did have lunch together and a quick trip to Target.
Today we got up and went to church (in the snow); then came home and had a great dinner. Stephen left for the airport this evening and we are packed and ready to head to Kansas city and the airport there tomorrow. We flew Express Jet this time and we have to say it is a great little airline.
We have had weather from snow to 72 degree's while we were here...it must be spring.
So until next time I will leave you with some pictures.
Grandpa and Grammy with Nadia and Natasha
Grandpa and Grammy with Sarah, Stephen, Nadia and Natasha
Mike, Bev, Dad, Stephen, Sarah, Natasha, Nadia
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Quilts, Josh, Eagle and other things
Tucson
Mar. 16, 2008
Brrrr...our weather has been crazy!!!! All last week it was in the 80's! It was wonderful....then this morning it is 45? WTH? It seems as if we have a cold front coming through and snow is predicted for later today/tomorrow for elevations over 3400 ft! That is periously close to our 3200 feet! And of course, the wind is blowing a gale, so it's cold! However, the wildflowers are out and they are beautiful again this year. And the desert is green, from the recent rain/snow we had. Of course, all the "things" are in bloom as well....achoo!
The Spaids have all gone back home, with the exception of my brother Dick, who has the house below us in the winter and my nephew Bruce who is staying with him. We had a great reunion and missed the ones that couldn't come. Next year we are planning to have the reunion over Spring Break so perhaps more nieces/nephews/cousins can come.
Bruce, Dick, Al and I spent 3 wonderful days at Spring Training. The Mariners were in town for 3 games, so we took advantage of it. Bruce and Al saw all three games, Diamondbacks, White Sox, Rockies; Dick and I saw only two, but it was great. And we all decided we want to do it again next year. It was hot and sunny and we all came away from the games a little on the "burnt" side.
I spent most of last week quilting the baby quilt for Joshua.
I am so hooked on quilting...I can hardly wait to start my next baby quilt, which will be for Nadia. I am finding that quilting relaxes me, especially the sewing part with my new machine. And it challenges me as well, which is good. I need a challenge other than Al sometimes. :-)
Kali and Josh are here visiting Gary and Jeannette, so we spent some time visiting with them.
Josh is the best little guy...he is now 7 months old, but as smart as can be (don't ask Gramma (Jeannette) about that....she will say he is the smartest baby in the world...and Grampa (Gary) agrees!) He is such a good baby as well, fusses very little, usually when he is hungry, wet, tired, etc. Kali is a great mother as we knew she would be. What a blessing this little guy is to the family. 
Last night we had our annual corned beef and cabbage dinner for St. Patricks Day. Yes, a little early, but since we will be gone on the 17th, we decided to do it early. Hubbells, Voss's, Spaids and Bob Grabow were here. Good friends, good food and good times. On Thursday we had Bruce, Holly and Cortney over for a pork roast...a new recipe I tried out and everyone loved it! And it was super easy.
This morning we had a visitor. Both dogs were barking, so Al went to the front window to see what was outside....lo' and behold, we had an Eagle! He was perched on one of our big rocks, just looking around! We have never seen an Eagle here! And he stayed around for over an hour!!!
And our resident road runner (we named him "Freddy")was not happy about being invaded. Freddy actually was near the eagle looking at him as if to say "What are you and why are you here?"
So our wildlife population continues to increase. The javalina's are busy around here as well. When we came home the other night there were 8 of them trying to get into the bird seed we have stored in gallon containers by our deck.
We are flying today to Kansas City and then on to St. Louis to visit. Danny, our grandson who is in the Army is home on leave, so we will spend some time visiting him and his brother David in Kansas City. Then we will drive to St. Louis to see Mike and Bev, Sarah, Natasha and Nadia and Stephen will be home from NYC for Easter, so we will get to see him as well. We are both excited about this trip.
So until next post, we hope everyone is happy and healthy and living life the way they want....
Mar. 16, 2008
Brrrr...our weather has been crazy!!!! All last week it was in the 80's! It was wonderful....then this morning it is 45? WTH? It seems as if we have a cold front coming through and snow is predicted for later today/tomorrow for elevations over 3400 ft! That is periously close to our 3200 feet! And of course, the wind is blowing a gale, so it's cold! However, the wildflowers are out and they are beautiful again this year. And the desert is green, from the recent rain/snow we had. Of course, all the "things" are in bloom as well....achoo!
The Spaids have all gone back home, with the exception of my brother Dick, who has the house below us in the winter and my nephew Bruce who is staying with him. We had a great reunion and missed the ones that couldn't come. Next year we are planning to have the reunion over Spring Break so perhaps more nieces/nephews/cousins can come.
Bruce, Dick, Al and I spent 3 wonderful days at Spring Training. The Mariners were in town for 3 games, so we took advantage of it. Bruce and Al saw all three games, Diamondbacks, White Sox, Rockies; Dick and I saw only two, but it was great. And we all decided we want to do it again next year. It was hot and sunny and we all came away from the games a little on the "burnt" side.
I spent most of last week quilting the baby quilt for Joshua.
I am so hooked on quilting...I can hardly wait to start my next baby quilt, which will be for Nadia. I am finding that quilting relaxes me, especially the sewing part with my new machine. And it challenges me as well, which is good. I need a challenge other than Al sometimes. :-)
Kali and Josh are here visiting Gary and Jeannette, so we spent some time visiting with them.
Josh is the best little guy...he is now 7 months old, but as smart as can be (don't ask Gramma (Jeannette) about that....she will say he is the smartest baby in the world...and Grampa (Gary) agrees!) He is such a good baby as well, fusses very little, usually when he is hungry, wet, tired, etc. Kali is a great mother as we knew she would be. What a blessing this little guy is to the family. 
Last night we had our annual corned beef and cabbage dinner for St. Patricks Day. Yes, a little early, but since we will be gone on the 17th, we decided to do it early. Hubbells, Voss's, Spaids and Bob Grabow were here. Good friends, good food and good times. On Thursday we had Bruce, Holly and Cortney over for a pork roast...a new recipe I tried out and everyone loved it! And it was super easy.
This morning we had a visitor. Both dogs were barking, so Al went to the front window to see what was outside....lo' and behold, we had an Eagle! He was perched on one of our big rocks, just looking around! We have never seen an Eagle here! And he stayed around for over an hour!!!
And our resident road runner (we named him "Freddy")was not happy about being invaded. Freddy actually was near the eagle looking at him as if to say "What are you and why are you here?" 
So our wildlife population continues to increase. The javalina's are busy around here as well. When we came home the other night there were 8 of them trying to get into the bird seed we have stored in gallon containers by our deck. We are flying today to Kansas City and then on to St. Louis to visit. Danny, our grandson who is in the Army is home on leave, so we will spend some time visiting him and his brother David in Kansas City. Then we will drive to St. Louis to see Mike and Bev, Sarah, Natasha and Nadia and Stephen will be home from NYC for Easter, so we will get to see him as well. We are both excited about this trip.
So until next post, we hope everyone is happy and healthy and living life the way they want....
Saturday, March 08, 2008
The Winter of our lives...
And it's winter before we know it.... I don't know who wrote this, but it is good!!!
REFLECTIONS
You know, time has a way of moving too quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years.
It seems only yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate.. And yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all . and I have glimpses of how things were back then and of all my hopes and dreams.
But, here it is ... the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise!
How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my babies go? And where did my youth go?
I remember well, seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that my winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.
But, here it is ... we're retired now and we both are turning getting gray ... we move slower and I see in us those older folks I used to see that we never thought we'd be. We're not in such bad shape considering our years ... but, I see the great changes and our winter is upon us.
Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore ... somedays it's mandatory because if I don't on my own free will ... I just fall asleep where I sit! And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do all the things I love.
But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last ... this much I know, that when it's over...its over....Yes , I have regrets .There are things I wish I hadn't done, things I should have done. But indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done Its all in a lifetime of living and loving.
So, if you're not in your winter yet ... let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you ever thought possible. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly!
Life goes by swiftly so, do what you can today, because you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not!
You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life...so, live for good today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember...
"Life is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one."
LIVE IT WELL MY FRIEND!!
~author unknown~
REFLECTIONS
You know, time has a way of moving too quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years.
It seems only yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate.. And yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all . and I have glimpses of how things were back then and of all my hopes and dreams.
But, here it is ... the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise!
How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my babies go? And where did my youth go?
I remember well, seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that my winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.
But, here it is ... we're retired now and we both are turning getting gray ... we move slower and I see in us those older folks I used to see that we never thought we'd be. We're not in such bad shape considering our years ... but, I see the great changes and our winter is upon us.
Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore ... somedays it's mandatory because if I don't on my own free will ... I just fall asleep where I sit! And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do all the things I love.
But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last ... this much I know, that when it's over...its over....Yes , I have regrets .There are things I wish I hadn't done, things I should have done. But indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done Its all in a lifetime of living and loving.
So, if you're not in your winter yet ... let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you ever thought possible. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly!
Life goes by swiftly so, do what you can today, because you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not!
You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life...so, live for good today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember...
"Life is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one."
LIVE IT WELL MY FRIEND!!
~author unknown~
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Aunt Alice Hicks haunts us once more!
Tucson
Mar 5, 2008
Well...we have a bunch of Spaids wroamin' around our house! As I said before, my (Jo) family reunion is here and my sister, two brothers, one sister-in-law and a nephew are still here. We are having a great time. Over the weekend, Jennifer was here and my nephew, Bobby Dean from San Diego was here. I never realized that Jennifer had never met my nephew Bruce; and she didn't remember Bobby Dean...well of course not, she was just a year old the last time she saw him! And we have been a bunch of busy Spaids while we have been together!
Jo and her sister, Jean
I picked up sister Jean and brother Bob and wife Mary from their cousins in Surprise, Arizona last Thursday. Now, mind you, their cousin's aren't mine...don't ask! Anyway, I finally got to meet the Verver side of the family ... what a great bunch of people I met! Joanne, Kent, Karen and Keith...I have heard about these people all of my life, but never have met them until then. I can't wait to see them again! And we all practically live in each other's back yards in the winter.
Friday we picked up Jennifer from the airport and went to have lunch at El Charro, a great Mexican place in Tucson. Gary and Jeannette joined us as well. Then Saturday we hosted a steak dinner at our house for 16. All Spaids that were coming were here and we had a good time talking over old times.
SPAIDS: Dick, Jean, Jo, Bob
Sunday we went to brunch and then Jennifer, Jean, Mary and I went shopping. Those 3 can out shop me any time!! Whew!
Monday was spent taking Jennifer to the airport and running a few errands. Yesterday all of us with the exception of Al went up to Mt. Lemmon. We had a great time exploring the rebuilt Summerhaven and having a piece of the great pies that Mt. Lemmon is so famous for in these parts! Today we went shopping .. again. I am truly tired of shopping. Tomorrow Jean, Mary and I are going to Mexico and Tubac...yup, more shopping. I am shopped out.
Two evenings have been spent going over my grandmothers and aunts birthday books (see previous post for explanation on these) trying to figure out who is who in our family. We finally figured most of the people out with the help of my sister Jean who has a wonderful recall of all of these people and she was the smart one that asked questions of our grand parents, parents and aunt and REMEMBERED what they told her. I have never wanted to much to ask my parents questions as I did these two days as to our family history. So all you out there with parents still around, look at them as treasure troves of information on your family history and ASK QUESTIONS while you still can! Any way, we found our selves back to "who was Aunt Alice Hicks?" My sister thought she knew a few weeks ago when I asked her; however, that person she was talking about was Aunt Katie, not Aunt Alice! We all came to the conclusion that we had no clue who Aunt Alice was! Well, now it was really starting to bug me....who the heck was she? So I spent one night searching on the Internet -- do you have any idea how many "Alice Hicks" I came up with? Good grief! Finally I paid the fee and went to Ancestory.com. I found our Alice Hicks and her husband, but still didn't know who she was or how she was related to us. After a while, I called a distant cousin, Jim Chapin in Smith Center, Kansas who has done some research on the Chapin side of our family. I could only hope he knew the answer...and he did. Apparently our great, great grandmother Lydia was married twice. Once to a Forbes and once to a Merrifield. Our Grandmother was a Forbes, Alice was a Merrifield, and they were half sisters....which makes Aunt Alice Hicks our great, great aunt....I think! After all of this, I think I am my own grandmother. And yes, Jennifer and Melanie, I have this all down on paper...and it makes some kind of sense...maybe.
So now I am going to go unscramble my brain and see if I know who I am! My brothers and Al stayed out of this mess and just let us "women" try and figure it out! Figures!
Until next time...I think I know who I am, but I finally do know who Aunt Alice is!
Mar 5, 2008
Well...we have a bunch of Spaids wroamin' around our house! As I said before, my (Jo) family reunion is here and my sister, two brothers, one sister-in-law and a nephew are still here. We are having a great time. Over the weekend, Jennifer was here and my nephew, Bobby Dean from San Diego was here. I never realized that Jennifer had never met my nephew Bruce; and she didn't remember Bobby Dean...well of course not, she was just a year old the last time she saw him! And we have been a bunch of busy Spaids while we have been together!
Jo and her sister, JeanI picked up sister Jean and brother Bob and wife Mary from their cousins in Surprise, Arizona last Thursday. Now, mind you, their cousin's aren't mine...don't ask! Anyway, I finally got to meet the Verver side of the family ... what a great bunch of people I met! Joanne, Kent, Karen and Keith...I have heard about these people all of my life, but never have met them until then. I can't wait to see them again! And we all practically live in each other's back yards in the winter.
Friday we picked up Jennifer from the airport and went to have lunch at El Charro, a great Mexican place in Tucson. Gary and Jeannette joined us as well. Then Saturday we hosted a steak dinner at our house for 16. All Spaids that were coming were here and we had a good time talking over old times.
SPAIDS: Dick, Jean, Jo, BobSunday we went to brunch and then Jennifer, Jean, Mary and I went shopping. Those 3 can out shop me any time!! Whew!
Monday was spent taking Jennifer to the airport and running a few errands. Yesterday all of us with the exception of Al went up to Mt. Lemmon. We had a great time exploring the rebuilt Summerhaven and having a piece of the great pies that Mt. Lemmon is so famous for in these parts! Today we went shopping .. again. I am truly tired of shopping. Tomorrow Jean, Mary and I are going to Mexico and Tubac...yup, more shopping. I am shopped out.
Two evenings have been spent going over my grandmothers and aunts birthday books (see previous post for explanation on these) trying to figure out who is who in our family. We finally figured most of the people out with the help of my sister Jean who has a wonderful recall of all of these people and she was the smart one that asked questions of our grand parents, parents and aunt and REMEMBERED what they told her. I have never wanted to much to ask my parents questions as I did these two days as to our family history. So all you out there with parents still around, look at them as treasure troves of information on your family history and ASK QUESTIONS while you still can! Any way, we found our selves back to "who was Aunt Alice Hicks?" My sister thought she knew a few weeks ago when I asked her; however, that person she was talking about was Aunt Katie, not Aunt Alice! We all came to the conclusion that we had no clue who Aunt Alice was! Well, now it was really starting to bug me....who the heck was she? So I spent one night searching on the Internet -- do you have any idea how many "Alice Hicks" I came up with? Good grief! Finally I paid the fee and went to Ancestory.com. I found our Alice Hicks and her husband, but still didn't know who she was or how she was related to us. After a while, I called a distant cousin, Jim Chapin in Smith Center, Kansas who has done some research on the Chapin side of our family. I could only hope he knew the answer...and he did. Apparently our great, great grandmother Lydia was married twice. Once to a Forbes and once to a Merrifield. Our Grandmother was a Forbes, Alice was a Merrifield, and they were half sisters....which makes Aunt Alice Hicks our great, great aunt....I think! After all of this, I think I am my own grandmother. And yes, Jennifer and Melanie, I have this all down on paper...and it makes some kind of sense...maybe.
So now I am going to go unscramble my brain and see if I know who I am! My brothers and Al stayed out of this mess and just let us "women" try and figure it out! Figures!
Until next time...I think I know who I am, but I finally do know who Aunt Alice is!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Quilting, Company, Scrapbooking
Tucson
Feb 24
I didn't realize it has been two weeks since I posted to my blog...been too busy to post!
We had a short, but nice visit with our friends the Skidmores in Lake Havasu. Boy, it sure is windy there...glad we didn't decide to move there! It is always good to get together with these two....we have been friends for many years. Carl was the best man at our wedding and Ruby was my matron of honor.
Al & Carl Skidmore
Before we left to go to Yuma and Lake Havasu I had been neck deep in scrapbooking our pictures from the last cruise. I scrapbook a little different than most people. I first do my pictures on the computer in a scrapbook, then print those and then paste those to another scrapbook. This is the first time I have done that and I am hooked! I will have to say they turned out pretty good for an amature!
Ric, Janet and Cammie arrived on the 15th and last week was some what of a whirlwind! Sunday we all piled in the car and headed for Mesa and the Mesa Swap Meet. We spent a few hours and dollars there, then headed home to attend Cortney's 17th birthday party. We had a great time at her party and enjoyed seeing some people we haven't seen in a while. Christy (Holly's sister) was there with her four children...boy have they grown in the last four years! Cute kids!
Cortney is 17!
Monday we kinda' hung around home in the morning, doing a quick Costco run and us girls had lunch at El Charro, a great Mexican Restaurant here in Tucson. Then Cammie and I hopped on the ATV's (I borrowed one and we have one) and headed out in the desert. Boy was that ever fun. I would do more riding if I had someone to ride with. I love to ride my ATV.
Cammie
Tuesday I had a quilting class most of the day. Dad and Ric had picked up yard pavers on MOnday so Tuesday Ric, Janet, Cammie and Bruce put in pavers in front of the deck steps. Sure does look nice. Then Tuesday night we all went to see the U of A Girls Softball team play the 08 girls Olympic team. The Olympic team beat us 16-0! But it was a fun outing.
Wednesday we had lunch with Roger and Jude Hubbell and the kids got in a quick visit with them; then Roger, Al, Ric and Pat Voss all went to play golf. Janet, Cammie and I went out to the new Robson development, Saddlebrooke Ranch and looked at the model homes. We were amazed at the decorating in these homes, I felt like I had stepped back into the 50-60's! That night we had a wonderful dinner at Pat and Patti Voss....they are so much fun.
Thursday Al had a doctor appointment in the morning; then Cammie and I went shopping in the afternoon. I have been looking for a new sewing machine and finally splurged on an ELNA Pro Quilting Queen. I have been looking at all of them for some time but really wanted this one. It does so much more and I have never had a good sewing machine. I am so hooked on quilting (Thanks Ardis!) I am sure this machine will get lots of use.
Friday I had another quilting class. When I signed up for these classes they were on different days, but had to be moved for scheduling reasons, so that is why they were both this week. I made a table runner this week and had a blast doing it. Now I have a baby quilt cut out and ready to go.
Cammie and Cortney went out shopping while I was at class and Janet worked on her greeting cards. Friday night we had Cammie's 18th birthday party (Arizona version) here. Sandersons, Spaids, Gary and Jeannette were here.
Cammie blows out 18 candles!
Cammie and Cortney
Early yesterday we took the kids to the airport in Tucson...last week sure went by fast. Both cats and dogs are busy moping around wondering where Cammie, Ric and Janet are. But then, so are we!
In the middle of all this, Melanie, my oldest daughter decided to give us all a scare by being taken to the hospital with chest pains. Fortunately, she did not have a heart attack and tests are still being run to see just what was wrong. She is feeling a lot better now, thank God. Enough drama for one week! But no, not yet, Marilyn, Al's ex-wife slipped and fell and broke her hip on Friday and had surgery yesterday. Ric says she is doing just okay. ENOUGH!
So, yes, we have been busy. But we like it this way. If we weren't busy we would just be sitting getting dusty! Next week is starting out busy as well. Various doctor/dentist appointments, plus the start of the Spaid Reunion(Jo's family) on Thursday and the weekend is all Spaids. Jennifer will be flying in on Friday for the reunion. Melanie was scheduled to come as well, but couldn't get time off from work...darn. :-( Maybe next year. So our next blog will be all about Spaids I bet!
Feb 24
I didn't realize it has been two weeks since I posted to my blog...been too busy to post!
We had a short, but nice visit with our friends the Skidmores in Lake Havasu. Boy, it sure is windy there...glad we didn't decide to move there! It is always good to get together with these two....we have been friends for many years. Carl was the best man at our wedding and Ruby was my matron of honor.
Al & Carl SkidmoreBefore we left to go to Yuma and Lake Havasu I had been neck deep in scrapbooking our pictures from the last cruise. I scrapbook a little different than most people. I first do my pictures on the computer in a scrapbook, then print those and then paste those to another scrapbook. This is the first time I have done that and I am hooked! I will have to say they turned out pretty good for an amature!
Ric, Janet and Cammie arrived on the 15th and last week was some what of a whirlwind! Sunday we all piled in the car and headed for Mesa and the Mesa Swap Meet. We spent a few hours and dollars there, then headed home to attend Cortney's 17th birthday party. We had a great time at her party and enjoyed seeing some people we haven't seen in a while. Christy (Holly's sister) was there with her four children...boy have they grown in the last four years! Cute kids!
Cortney is 17!Monday we kinda' hung around home in the morning, doing a quick Costco run and us girls had lunch at El Charro, a great Mexican Restaurant here in Tucson. Then Cammie and I hopped on the ATV's (I borrowed one and we have one) and headed out in the desert. Boy was that ever fun. I would do more riding if I had someone to ride with. I love to ride my ATV.
CammieTuesday I had a quilting class most of the day. Dad and Ric had picked up yard pavers on MOnday so Tuesday Ric, Janet, Cammie and Bruce put in pavers in front of the deck steps. Sure does look nice. Then Tuesday night we all went to see the U of A Girls Softball team play the 08 girls Olympic team. The Olympic team beat us 16-0! But it was a fun outing.
Wednesday we had lunch with Roger and Jude Hubbell and the kids got in a quick visit with them; then Roger, Al, Ric and Pat Voss all went to play golf. Janet, Cammie and I went out to the new Robson development, Saddlebrooke Ranch and looked at the model homes. We were amazed at the decorating in these homes, I felt like I had stepped back into the 50-60's! That night we had a wonderful dinner at Pat and Patti Voss....they are so much fun.
Thursday Al had a doctor appointment in the morning; then Cammie and I went shopping in the afternoon. I have been looking for a new sewing machine and finally splurged on an ELNA Pro Quilting Queen. I have been looking at all of them for some time but really wanted this one. It does so much more and I have never had a good sewing machine. I am so hooked on quilting (Thanks Ardis!) I am sure this machine will get lots of use.
Friday I had another quilting class. When I signed up for these classes they were on different days, but had to be moved for scheduling reasons, so that is why they were both this week. I made a table runner this week and had a blast doing it. Now I have a baby quilt cut out and ready to go.
Cammie and Cortney went out shopping while I was at class and Janet worked on her greeting cards. Friday night we had Cammie's 18th birthday party (Arizona version) here. Sandersons, Spaids, Gary and Jeannette were here.
Cammie blows out 18 candles!
Cammie and CortneyEarly yesterday we took the kids to the airport in Tucson...last week sure went by fast. Both cats and dogs are busy moping around wondering where Cammie, Ric and Janet are. But then, so are we!
In the middle of all this, Melanie, my oldest daughter decided to give us all a scare by being taken to the hospital with chest pains. Fortunately, she did not have a heart attack and tests are still being run to see just what was wrong. She is feeling a lot better now, thank God. Enough drama for one week! But no, not yet, Marilyn, Al's ex-wife slipped and fell and broke her hip on Friday and had surgery yesterday. Ric says she is doing just okay. ENOUGH!
So, yes, we have been busy. But we like it this way. If we weren't busy we would just be sitting getting dusty! Next week is starting out busy as well. Various doctor/dentist appointments, plus the start of the Spaid Reunion(Jo's family) on Thursday and the weekend is all Spaids. Jennifer will be flying in on Friday for the reunion. Melanie was scheduled to come as well, but couldn't get time off from work...darn. :-( Maybe next year. So our next blog will be all about Spaids I bet!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Whew,,,it's been a busy couple of weeks!
Yuma
Feb. 10
Yup..we are in Yuma right now visiting friends and Jo will attend the Red Hat convention tomorrow. From here we will go up to Lake Havasu to see long time friends Ruby and Carl Skidmore for a day or so before we race back home to Tucson.
Like I said, it has been a busy couple of weeks. First of all cousin Holly had surgery on her ankle on Jan. 16, so we have been keeping a close eye on her. She is doing really well, and getting around on crutches and now a walking cast.
Then Jeannette decided to scare us all and she came down with a whopping big case of vertigo...still have no idea what caused it, but she was in the hospital for a few days and had us all very worried. She is better now and almost back to normal (at least she was yesterday when I talked to her). I know how vertigo is as I still have occasional problems with it.
So between those two I felt I had enough worry and sadness to last a while. But, no, just last week we were notified of a good friend who passed away. Gerry Rawlings was our back door neighbor when we lived in Bellevue and he was the nicest guy. We really didn't get to be good friends with him and his wife Catherine until we moved away!! We saw more of them after we moved to Odessa and they moved to Whidbey Island than when we were neighbors. Gerry was a bicycler and hunting enthusiast and rode in the American Lung Association Big Ride one year and other rides through out the years. Catherine notified us Gerry died on his 72nd birthday, Dec. 30. We are deeply saddened by his death and will miss a good friend. He was a great guy. It's so hard to lose friends.
We understand Odessa has been buried in snow for the last few weeks...sure glad we aren't there. Washington has really had some wicked weather this year. We finally had some inclement weather...we even had a 5 minute blizzard! Actual snowflakes...both of them! That's enough for me! We did get some rain a week ago and of course our road decided it was time to wash out again! So now we have the road contractor schedule for tomorrow to build us a new road...one that we hope won't wash out so quickly!
Bruce, my nephew finally got here from Anchorage last week. He is staying with his dad (my brother) for a couple of months and we sure are glad to see him. He is such a nice guy and we really enjoy having him around and so does Dick.
Jack, Suzi, Al, Dick and I went to a Willy Nelson concert last week. He was good, but not as good as we have seen him in the past, but it was fun. We always meet for an early dinner before the show at the Agave Restaurant at the Desert Diamond Casino .. and that is a treat; the restaurant is great.
Feb. 11
I got interrupted yesterday....actually my connection to the internet was so slow that my blog timed out!
The Red Hat Convention for the Yuma area was today. My friend Lano and her group put this on every year and it is always fun and today's didn't disappoint me. Her group put a log of work in to these.
Tomorrow we head for Lake Havasu for a day to visit friends there. On Saturday son Ric, daughter-in-law Janet and grand daughter Cammie will come for a week visit...we can hardly wait. Then the Spaid re-union commences shortly after they leave, so our month will be busy.
Feb. 10
Yup..we are in Yuma right now visiting friends and Jo will attend the Red Hat convention tomorrow. From here we will go up to Lake Havasu to see long time friends Ruby and Carl Skidmore for a day or so before we race back home to Tucson.
Like I said, it has been a busy couple of weeks. First of all cousin Holly had surgery on her ankle on Jan. 16, so we have been keeping a close eye on her. She is doing really well, and getting around on crutches and now a walking cast.
Then Jeannette decided to scare us all and she came down with a whopping big case of vertigo...still have no idea what caused it, but she was in the hospital for a few days and had us all very worried. She is better now and almost back to normal (at least she was yesterday when I talked to her). I know how vertigo is as I still have occasional problems with it.
So between those two I felt I had enough worry and sadness to last a while. But, no, just last week we were notified of a good friend who passed away. Gerry Rawlings was our back door neighbor when we lived in Bellevue and he was the nicest guy. We really didn't get to be good friends with him and his wife Catherine until we moved away!! We saw more of them after we moved to Odessa and they moved to Whidbey Island than when we were neighbors. Gerry was a bicycler and hunting enthusiast and rode in the American Lung Association Big Ride one year and other rides through out the years. Catherine notified us Gerry died on his 72nd birthday, Dec. 30. We are deeply saddened by his death and will miss a good friend. He was a great guy. It's so hard to lose friends.
We understand Odessa has been buried in snow for the last few weeks...sure glad we aren't there. Washington has really had some wicked weather this year. We finally had some inclement weather...we even had a 5 minute blizzard! Actual snowflakes...both of them! That's enough for me! We did get some rain a week ago and of course our road decided it was time to wash out again! So now we have the road contractor schedule for tomorrow to build us a new road...one that we hope won't wash out so quickly!
Bruce, my nephew finally got here from Anchorage last week. He is staying with his dad (my brother) for a couple of months and we sure are glad to see him. He is such a nice guy and we really enjoy having him around and so does Dick.
Jack, Suzi, Al, Dick and I went to a Willy Nelson concert last week. He was good, but not as good as we have seen him in the past, but it was fun. We always meet for an early dinner before the show at the Agave Restaurant at the Desert Diamond Casino .. and that is a treat; the restaurant is great.
Feb. 11
I got interrupted yesterday....actually my connection to the internet was so slow that my blog timed out!
The Red Hat Convention for the Yuma area was today. My friend Lano and her group put this on every year and it is always fun and today's didn't disappoint me. Her group put a log of work in to these.
Tomorrow we head for Lake Havasu for a day to visit friends there. On Saturday son Ric, daughter-in-law Janet and grand daughter Cammie will come for a week visit...we can hardly wait. Then the Spaid re-union commences shortly after they leave, so our month will be busy.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Rain's a comin' - or so the weather guessers say!
Tucson
So, our local weather guessers are saying we will be getting the rain tomorrow that has drowned California for the last few days. Uh Huh! I want the weather guessers job! What other job can you be wrong 99% of the time and get paid good money for it? First, we were suppose to get rain on Thursday, but it "stalled"; so then today..so far nothing - now it is supposed to be Sunday. We shall see! Just to be on the safe side I am taking the dogs for a walk today...nothing worse than sopping wet, smelly dogs!
Our son,Ric walked the 60 mile cancer walk in Seattle last year. Well, this year he has some company in the walk. Jennifer and Sherrie have both signed up to walk and both of them are in training! They walked 6 miles last Saturday and have walked at least 2 miles a day, regardless of the weather during the week and are doing another 6 mile walk today. GOOD FOR THEM! We are really proud of their dedication.
One of the reasons we love Arizona:
I love our sunsets!
Friends Rod and Cheryl Grahek were in town a week or so ago and we met them for dinner at Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse. Rod is our son-in-law Dan, father. We had a short visit with them and a great steak!
Rod and Cheryl Grahek
This has been a fairly quiet week--at least for me. I FINALLY got all of our last cruise pictures printed! YEAH! Now I am busy putting them in a scrapbook. I am so far behind on printing pictures -- I think I am two years behind. My goal it to get caught up this year...
I also signed up for a couple of quilting classes at our local quilt shop. I got a gift certificate for the shop for Christmas, so I am putting it to good use. I still have two baby quilts I want to get done, plus a ton of other projects! Life isn't dull and I am not bored! Some days I want to retire..oh, wait, I AM RETIRED! Hmmmmm
So, our local weather guessers are saying we will be getting the rain tomorrow that has drowned California for the last few days. Uh Huh! I want the weather guessers job! What other job can you be wrong 99% of the time and get paid good money for it? First, we were suppose to get rain on Thursday, but it "stalled"; so then today..so far nothing - now it is supposed to be Sunday. We shall see! Just to be on the safe side I am taking the dogs for a walk today...nothing worse than sopping wet, smelly dogs!
Our son,Ric walked the 60 mile cancer walk in Seattle last year. Well, this year he has some company in the walk. Jennifer and Sherrie have both signed up to walk and both of them are in training! They walked 6 miles last Saturday and have walked at least 2 miles a day, regardless of the weather during the week and are doing another 6 mile walk today. GOOD FOR THEM! We are really proud of their dedication.
One of the reasons we love Arizona:
I love our sunsets!
Friends Rod and Cheryl Grahek were in town a week or so ago and we met them for dinner at Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse. Rod is our son-in-law Dan, father. We had a short visit with them and a great steak!
Rod and Cheryl Grahek
This has been a fairly quiet week--at least for me. I FINALLY got all of our last cruise pictures printed! YEAH! Now I am busy putting them in a scrapbook. I am so far behind on printing pictures -- I think I am two years behind. My goal it to get caught up this year...
I also signed up for a couple of quilting classes at our local quilt shop. I got a gift certificate for the shop for Christmas, so I am putting it to good use. I still have two baby quilts I want to get done, plus a ton of other projects! Life isn't dull and I am not bored! Some days I want to retire..oh, wait, I AM RETIRED! Hmmmmm
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