MOON OVER THE PACIFIC

One small area of the galley


Fashion Boulevard (shops)

The library and Internet Cafe (I had access to the Internet in our cabin, too)

The Sports Bar

Friday, January 29, 2010

Today was much cooler, but the seas were calmer than when we passed through last Friday. The last day of a cruise is usually very low key and people are sad about the ending of a vacation. We are very fortunate that our trip continues.

I started a new book, The Shooters, a Presidential Agent Novel by W.E.B. Griffin. There was a book exchange on the ship and I took Dry Ice to trade. I noticed one lady had 1776 by David McCullough and I asked her if she was really trading it in. I am keeping my Path Between the Seas by the same author. She laughed and said her husband told her that no one would want that book, others would only want romance books. We traded books because we instantly knew we had the same taste in books.

TK and I had lunch together at the buffet-bean/cheese burrito (me), chicken parmesan and roast pork (him). Desserts were all chocolate, fondu, cakes, mousse. Of course we shared.

Our Cruise Critic group met for the last time and then went on a galley tour. The Maitre D’told us many facts about the amount of food used, but I can’t remember many details. Three tons (6,000 pounds) of flour are used, for one thing. He said that the food is USDA inspected and that the galleys are subjected to random inspections in port. They take cleanliness seriously!

This has been our best Carnival cruise. We especially liked the layout of the ship. The staff was very friendly, our balcony cabin on Deck 4 (#4217) was the largest and brightest we have ever had, there was more closet space than ever. There were ample elevators, our cabin was very near the dining room and we could easily go straight up to the 9th deck Aft Pool. There was always room to lounge at the pools. (the deck chairs were uncomfortable and not sturdy though) I liked the water slide, the show lounge was comfortable, and no one was trying to persuade us to buy this or that.
The ports were special, too. We need to give Acapulco another chance, but we loved Zihuatenejo and Manzanillo. It was great to experience the Pacific Ocean and all the marine life in its natural habitat.

Tonight's dinner: mango soup, crab cakes, prime rib, baked potato, fried shrimp. The food was very good on the Spirit.

I hope the moon is as beautiful tonight for you, dear readers, as it is over the Pacific. We heard that it is the brightest tonight, as bright as when man walked on the moon. I may not have all the facts here, but the moon is fabulously beautiful tonight!!!

TK's Takes: All packed, ready to go. He packed this afternoon. Weather is even cooler and he checked and said the seas may be rough tonight.

WATCHING WHALES AT SEA

Thursday, January 28, 2010
A FUN DAY AT SEA

Today was sunny but a little cooler. We enjoyed omelettes at the buffet for breakfast and then headed to the Lido Aft Pool to read and watch for whales. The captain had told us last Saturday that when the ship returned north we might see whales near Cabo San Lucas. About noon we did indeed begin seeing spouts! For the next three hours we saw whales breeching, jumping, spouting, sometimes in pairs, sometimes alone. The captain was kind enough to reroute the ship to maximize the experience. Sometimes the whales were on the starboard side, at other times on the port side, or aft. We stayed on the ship’s aft the whole time and could see whales from all angles! We were told that this is the season that whales go to this particular area to give birth. It would be difficult to guess the whales’ sizes, but they seemed quite large to me. If a whale is 2 ½ miles away and one can still see it, it must be big!! That’s my take.

Dinner with Donna and Lawrence: Bing Cherry Soup, Escargots (TK), Shrimp Cocktail, Chateaubriand, Baked Alaska.

After dinner we went to see “The Big Easy, A Trip to New Orleans,” tonight’s main show in Pharoah’s Palace featuring the Carnival Spirit Dancers and the Spirit Show Band. This was a very vibrant show with laser beams, strobe lights, smoky “dry ice,” and flame effects, bright colored costumes, sequins, great vocals, many costume changes, a variety of music (jazz, country, rock, spirituals), and many different sets representing New Orleans’ scenes (e.g. Café du Monde). My favorite number was “The House of the Rising Sun.” The dancers’ wispy costumes represented gargoyles. At the end beads and confetti were thrown in the midst of the audience.

TK’s Takes: Whales, whales, and more whales. We saw more whales on this trip than we did when we went to Alaska in 1999. The temperature is getting cooler.

Aside to B1 and B2: Tonight’s towel animal was a turtle.

MASTERFUL FISHING IN MANZANILLO, MEXICO

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Today was full of wonderment! TK, Brian, his son Dan, Lawrence, Donna, and I disembarked by 7 a.m., on this warm and sunny day in Manzanillo (Mexico’s largest shipping port and home to the Mexican navy) and easily found the guide, Javier Rodriguez, to our sport fishing charter. He drove us to the fishing pier to board the Albatros IV, a 42 ft. fishing boat. Carlos, the first mate, set 2 outriggers and 5 flat lines straight off the back about 10 miles from the pier in water about 100 ft. deep (we were in the Pacific). The whole setup was just as I had imagined, with a chair for bracing and reeling the fish in. Mylar squid and live bait (small silver fish about 8 inches long) were on the end of the lines.

The shore was rugged with a few sandy coves and the land seemed volcanic in nature with jagged mountains. Heavy smoke arose from stacks in the distance.

Within half an hour we saw a sailfin jump near the boat. Then we saw a few dolphins playing around, as well as at least 4 whale spouts. While most of us had rushed to the front of the boat to see the dolphins, TK stayed in back, watching the lines. Sure enough, there was a bite and the fight was on. For an hour and a half TK engaged in a battle with an unknown fish, reeling in line like the old fisherman he is. Pulling up slow, reeling fast, over and over again for 90+ minutes. The rest of us, the observers, could feel the strength of the fish against the strength of this sturdy man. TK’s whole body reacted to the mighty force of an unknown fish. At intervals the fish neared the ship, then swam away further. Finally the fish was landed onto the boat. It was only then that we knew it was a yellowfin tuna, about 80-100 pounds. TK met the challenge. The lines were reset, but there were no more bites. Shrimp boats were nearby. A very large brown sea turtle, the size of a garbage can lid, floated by the boat nonchalantly just like he was on a sailing vacation. We returned to shore about 1:30 p.m. The captain, the first mate and the guide all were going to share the tuna with all the other charter fishermen.

TK headed back to the ship and Donna, Lawrence, and I went shopping. Soon Lawrence discovered that there was sea glass on the nearby rocky shore and showed us the pocketful of glass and two sea worn marbles he had already found. After a little shopping, Donna and I had to look for sea glass, too. We climbed down the unstable rocky hill to the shore. When I overturned a rock, I saw a wormy wiggly thing, then realized it was a starfish when it started “walking” with so many legs. Sadly I was so engaged in looking for sea glass, I did not choose to get my camera out.

Before I knew it, I had about a pound of sea glass and one sea worn marble, too. By this time, both Donna and Lawrence had plenty more, including a black marble with green dots. The predominant color was an emerald green. Now I can have DDIL C’s sister make me a Manzanillo sea glass necklace. I hope she can find a tuna and/or starfish charm!

We walked a long long way back to the ship, but we weren’t as tired as the mighty fisherman!

Dinner with Donna and Lawrence in the Empire Restaurant: shrimp cocktail, tomato/mozzarella salad, veal parmesan, filet mignon, with cream cake layered with chocolate, raspberry, and vanilla.

Tonight all the ship’s bands joined together for a sort of “Live Aid” concert to benefit the American Red Cross for Haitian Relief and Development. Carnival has pledged $5 million.

TK’s Takes: Fishing wore him out today and he is sore. He said that reeling in the fish, he felt like he had a snag on the bottom that would not budge---like there was a huge weight at the end of the line that could not be moved. We saw lots of marine life on this sunny day.

Note to B1 and B2: Tonight a towel monkey was hanging from the rafter!

Brian’s joke on the boat today to relieve tension after the great fish was caught:
“A preacher, a priest, and a rabbi walked into a bar. The bartender said, ‘What is this, a joke?’”

A WHALE SPOUTED NEAR ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Another sunny day in the Pacific!

While I was enjoying my Continental breakfast about 7:30 a.m. on the balcony, about 10 miles away from Zihuatenjo (zee-wah-tah-nay-ho), I heard the strangest noise, a cross between a pig snort and a horse snort, at the same time that I saw water spouting. A whale emerged from the sea! I sort of cried out an exclamation just as TK was coming out to the balcony. We both saw about 15 foot of the whale about 30 ft. away from the ship. We had been observing lots of small fish jumping out of the water, but we had no idea that we would see such a marvelous sight. After that, we were able to keep track of the whale swimming about, mostly just under the sea. We also started to see dolphins playing about nearby. This is the way to spend an early morning!!!!

We tendered to the small fishing village of Zihuatenejo. We strolled by restaurants along the town streets, small shops, a market, and fishing boats unloading their catch. After our spending spree yesterday we did not splurge today. The vendors were so different than those in Acapulco, not aggressive at all. I found mesh tote bags featuring Frida Kahlo, a well-known Mexican artist who was married to Diego Rivera. I asked the merchant if the Mexican people like Kahlo more than Rivera and he said they did-I expected this response. We enjoyed a plate of tortilla chips with a cheese and refried beans topping and fresh salsa, with “Coca Cola Light” at Porto di Mer Restaurant/Bar. (aside: I have had Coca Cola Light in France, Italy, Toronto, and now Mexico and it tastes sooooo much better than Diet Coke. Why don’t we have this product in the U.S.????). Even though we were served ice with the pop, we had no problems!

Back on the ship we sunned by the pool. I can tell the sun is very strong here, but sunscreen has prevented sunburn. I am reading Dry Ice by Stephen White, a psychological thriller, a delicious beach book!

I think the Carnival Spirit will be one of our favorite ships. It has the feel of a Princess or NCL ship, our cabin is more than ample, the staff is extremely friendly, the public areas are easily accessible to our cabin, absolutely no rudeness because I have a Coke card, the food is good, and it isn’t very crowded. The elevators are usually empty when we buzz them and there are no lines anywhere, even with tendering. Room service arrives at exactly the time I request (7:30 a.m.)

Tonight’s dinner with Lawrence and Donna included peach cream soup, fried mozzarella, flat-iron steak, baked potato, and chocolate melting cake. We shared Acapulco and Zihuatenejo experiences. In Acapulco they bought some very nice silver jewelry in the same marketplace we went to and in Z-town they enjoyed a beautiful beach. We took a look at photos after dinner- one of me looks like I was holding onto an electrical fence and here I thought my hair was blowing beautifully in the wind at the time. It was good for a laugh anyway.

We need to get to sleep early tonight as Wednesday we are going deep sea fishing in Manzanillo at 7 a.m.!

TK’s Takes: He bought a Mexican wrestling mask (like “Bolivar’s” we were told). It is black and gold and he really likes it. When I first saw them, I thought they were evil. He liked the sailfish displayed by a fisherman as we first walked onto the pier.

Aside to B1 and B2: Playing monster will never be the same!
Every night there is a different towel animal on our bed when we return from dinner and the show: a dinosaur, a little Chinese boy, a crab, a frog

DIVE IN TO AMAZING ACAPULCO

Monday, January 25, 2010

About noon today we arrived in Acapulco, Mexico’s premier beach resort from the
1960s, attracting the rich and famous. The temperature was a comfortable 80+ F. We are over 1600 miles from San Diego, California. As we approached the crescent shaped bay we could see the old fort San Diego (El Fuerte de San Diego built in 1783 to replace the original structure built in 1615 that was destroyed by an earthquake in 1776) and the modern city with a population of 2 million. The fort is actually very close to our cruise ship and we can see it from our balcony. Acapulco, very close to the Sierra Madres mountain range, is about 4 hours from Mexico City.

We needed to make some phone calls to TK’s family when we disembarked, so we stayed in the terminal for a short while. Phone calls were $1.25/minute. After the calls we found a taxi to go to a local market for $10 round trip. It turned out that the taxi driver (Alberto 45) would escort us to the market and accompany us around it. We determined that he was guiding us to vendors who were his family. This was really not a problem, but one tries to politely say, “I’m just looking,” over and over.

We bought tees for dear granddaughters B1 and B2, a Harley “muscle shirt” for TK, and a bottle of pure vanilla. One lady had attractive tees on which she had hand-sewn sequins into the tropical design. They were lovely and I bought one. After a particularly aggressive encounter in a small jewelry booth, I finally signaled the driver that this was enough. He drove us back to the ship through the “real deal” in old Acapulco, sturdy old buildings, and narrow cobblestone streets, places where the Mexicans shopped.

This evening, after sunset, we boarded a bus to see the cliff divers at La Quebrada. The short trip took us to a lookout area that was quite a few steps down. TK and I were able to have our picture taken with two of the divers before the performance. Below the precipice where we were standing the ocean swirled in a gorge with 11 to 15 ft. deep water. Soon, seven young men in their teens or early twenties ran down those steps carrying torches. As everyone cheered they then climbed down to the gorge belo, swam across the water, and then proceeded to climb up the face of the jagged granite cliff (the cliff looked perpendicular to the sea). The divers stood in pairs at 4 different levels, the highest at 136 ft. on top of the cliff. They were assessing the waves that came into the gorge. They time their dives to coincide with just the right wave so there is more depth to the water. They dove at intervals, the last two plunging simultaneously while carrying torches.

This is an unbelievably gripping sight, one I thought I would never see. I remember reading about the Acapulco cliff divers in a Weekly Reader while I was in 4th or 5th grade many years ago. It is truly a death-defying performance and we were told that the men spend years practicing. We were also told that they used to do only swan dives, but tonight we saw back flip dives and somersault dives as well (I don’t know the proper names for the dives). After the dives, the men climbed back up to our area while dripping wet to greet everyone.

The bus tour continued along the bay through this delightful city. We saw huge glamorous hotels, shops, open air dining, bingo, beaches open 24 hours (all beaches in Mexico are public! I think the guide said that there are 9,000 miles of coast in Mexico), Wal-Mart, grocery stores, markets, as we drove. We arrived at an open-air restaurant, “Linda Vista,” that overlooked the city. While listening to a very good Mexican band, we enjoyed a great, authentic Aztec meal: tortilla chips with salsa and “deep refried beans”-spicy but I could eat it; fabulous leek and potato soup; warm garlic bread; chicken quesadilla; red snapper; chicken breast; chicken taquito; guacamole; sour cream; rice; and banana flambé for dessert. The food was excellent. This very enjoyable tour, arranged by Carnival, was worth the price. We returned to the ship at about 10:30 p.m.

TK’s Takes: Gas is very expensive, $1/litre. Two different drivers mentioned that there are no refineries in Mexico, so their oil is sent to America for refining and then sold back to Mexico as gasoline. He liked the Walk/Don’t Walk signs on the street corners. The little man in the sign actually walks when it is time to walk.

Note: I have not been inserting photos because the Internet is slow and costs about $.40/minute. Downloading photos takes quite awhile. I hope to have time when we return to San Diego to add some photos!

More for Friday, January 22, 2010

We easily boarded the Carnival Spirit about 1 p.m. in another rainstorm. Fortunately, Brian, Nancy, Lawrence, and Donna all helped us with our luggage and the ship was less than a half block from our hotel.

The Spirit, inaugural cruise in 2001, is a beautiful ship, 960 feet long and a 106 ft. beam. As soon as we boarded we walked around the ship. From a fact sheet, there are 1062 “staterooms,” 15 elevators, 12 bars and lounges, 4 swimming pools, 72 ft. spiral waterslide, 5 whirlpools, a casino, spa and gym area, beauty salon /barber shop, video arcades, an Internet café, a medical center, a jewelry shop, liquor shop, shops with clothes, cosmetics, perfumes, etc., a library, a 3-level show lounge, a 2-level main restaurant, and the buffet area has many different kinds of food offerings: a pizzeria, sushi bar, a grill counter, salad bar, a deli counter, dessert bar, plus the “Taste of Nations” lunch/breakfast area.

Our balcony cabin is the largest yet. There is so much room, we even have space left over (think so much luggage it takes 6 people to handle it). The queen size bed is very comfortable. Lighting is more than excellent and the bathroom is very adequately sized (shelves on both sides of the mirror). (Even if Lawrence says that in cruise ships the showers are so small you have to soap up the walls and spin around in them). Large lighted mirrors, a safe, a TV (not flat screen yet), a couch, a coffee table, 2 end tables with doors, vanity with drawers.

After the obligatory safety drill, the ship set sail from San Diego at 4 p.m. Both TK and I took Bonine before the ship left port because we could tell the weather was going to be challenging. As soon as we came upon the Pacific, the seas were rough. I hate to write about this for those dear readers who have not cruised before, but sometimes nature happens.

I began to unpack, but TK was lying in bed, down for the count. He did not get sick sick, but he needed to be in bed. Later I was able to ask Captain Guiseppe Donato how he would describe the seas this night. He said, “There were long swells with 15 ft. waves.” He explained that 4-5 cold fronts went through the area rapidly with low air pressure and this caused the unusual disturbance. He also said that the weather was worse as the ship approached San Diego the night before, the same night we were flying in.

I went to dinner with Donna and Lawrence-flat iron steak, but returned to the cabin and read for quite awhile, trying to adjust to the time zone. TK slept.

SAILING THE PACIFIC!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Today the seas were a little calmer, but the air was too cold for me. My room service Continental breakfast (sliced melon, croissant, and coffee) was delivered at 7:30 a.m. TK felt a lot better and had breakfast on the Lido deck (buffet). I won a hydrolift facial and went to the spa at 9 a.m. to enjoy this treat. My face glows now.

Our Cruise Critic “Meet and Mingle” was at 10 a.m. in the Club Cool lounge. There were about 30 people who introduced themselves. Our diverse group has people from California to Florida. Most on board seem to be from California and Arizona. Donna liked our Erie gift, especially the Lake Erie beach glass. TK and I ended up with a gift from Sacramento: a Sacramento shot glass and a “Bag O’Sacra-Tomatoes” candy “gourmet marionberry taffy.” On the bag it read, “California grows 95% of the nation’s food industry tomatoes! These tomatoes are especially bred for the food industry which turns them into everything from ketchup to pizza sauce. The most amazing fact is that all these tomatoes are grown by only 225 growers in the Central Valley! And since most of those growers are centered around Sacramento it has given rise to the nickname-Sacra-tomato.” Wendy and Marty of Sacramento said it is actually known as “Sack o’ tomatoes.” The candy is quite tasty. I need to Google marionberries.

I read the Panama Canal book most of the day. TK entered the slot tournament with no luck. We dined with Donna and Lawrence again—flat iron steak and caramel crème brulee. Lawrence’s witticisms abound. E.g. “If a doctor told me I had to lose weight, I’d take off my clothes.” Today he brought Donna an omelet by the pool. She mentioned that she needed salt. He replied, “Jump overboard. There’s plenty of salt in the ocean.”

Saturday’s show was a so-so magic show with Woody Pittman. We all stayed in the show lounge for the midnight R-rated comedy show with Tom McGillen. Since we had to set the time ahead an hour, we returned to our cabin at 2 p.m.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Today was sunny and much warmer (70s) and after a Cruise Critic get together (kindly arranged by Brian) with 7 senior officers, including the captain (Guiseppe Donato), the chief engineer (Vito Antonelli), the physician, the hotel director, and the cruise director, we headed for the “beach.” I am confused about why Carnival buys the worst lounge chairs. They are not designed for reading comfortably.

Nancy and Donna convinced me to go on that 72 ft. spiral water slide and it was so much fun, I did it again! This is probably the first time I have been in the water on a cruise ship since the early 90s!

Donna and Lawrence stopped over to finish watching the football game before dinner-they wanted Milwaukee to win and the game went to overtime. Tonight’s dinner was lobster and prime rib.

TK’s Takes: He did not even place in the Slot Tournament today. The water is still a little cool—trying out the aft pool. He misses a big screen TV for watching football like those on last year’s cruises.

The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough (Simon & Schuster, 1977)
This morning I finished this meaningful book and I am glad both TK and I read it. I am so moved by the effort that was expended to build this tribute to the human spirit.

From p. 613, “The creation of a water passage across Panama was one of the supreme human achievements of all time, the culmination of a heroic dream of four hundred years and of more than twenty years of phenomenal effort and sacrifice. The fifty miles between the oceans were the hardest ever won by human effort and ingenuity, and no statistics on tonnage or tolls can begin to convey the grandeur of what was accomplished. Primarily the canal is an expression of that old and noble desire to bridge the divide, to bring people together. It is a work of civilization.”

I will experience this water passage, this supreme human achievement, this “masterpiece in design and construction.”
Other things about this “Monument for the World” that interested me:
§ From the first time they were first put in use the locks performed perfectly.
§ The complete transit required about 12 hours. I wonder if that is true today.
§ The average toll in 1975 was $10,000 per ship. I am anxious to know what it is now.
§ For all general appearances the canal remains the same as the day it opened.
§ With the French work and the American work, approximately 30,000 people died during the building of the canal (disease/construction accidents)
§ The time and cost of the American construction was less than anticipated.
§ An earthquake struck four days after the last gates were opened for the first time. It lasted more than an hour with a level of magnitude greater than the San Francisco quake of 1906. Walls cracked in Panama City, there were landsides in the interior, and a church fell, but the locks and Gatun Dam were untouched.
§ The young General Electric Company had a great part in the perfect efficiency of the entire electrical system. (p. 601: “The canal, declared one technical journal, would be a ‘monument to the electrical art.’ It had been less than a year since the first factory in the United States had been electrified.” The canal opened in 1914.
§ Operation of the locks would depend on 1,500 electric motors. All controls were electrical. General Electric Company produced approximately half the electrical apparatus needed during construction and virtually all the motors, relays, switches, wiring, and generating equipment that was installed permanently, in addition to towing locomotives and all the lighting.

A SPIRITED TRIP TO CARNIVAL SPIRIT

Can you imagine that we woke up this morning to a view of the harbor, 3 tall ships and 3 cruise ships, and a sunny day! (one is the Star of India)

Yesterday's journey was interesting! We left our hotel at 5:45 a.m. While we were in the air to Atlanta to make our connection, the airport closed due to storms. The pilot announced that fuel was low and we were rerouting to Columbia, SC. We weren't too worried because our plane was the one we were also taking to San Diego. That changed when we finally got to Atlanta. We waited six hours for the next very full flight to San Diego. On a positive note, that gave me a chance another third of the big book I'm reading about the Panama Canal! We had a leisurely lunch at Chili's. The Atlanta airport is clean.

We finally boarded a Delta 747 for San Diego at 5:10 p.m. Off we went for another 5 hours, flying into the clouds and more storms. The pilot kept announcing that the San Diego airport was closed because of storms, but that we may be OK to land. The long flight was not really that bad, a few rocky moments. It's a good thing we ate because the free biscotti, nuts, and pretzels just would not have been enough. TK paid $6 for a big tasty looking chicken sandwich.

We arrived safely in San Diego at 10:40 p.m. EST/7:40 PST. This is when we discovered together we cannot really physically handle 4 large suitcases (about 50 lbs. each), 2 carry-ons, a computer briefcase, and a purse, even though some are on wheels. The bags are !$%* (darn) heavy! That means, of course, that we have ALL of our luggage!!

After a $10 taxi ride we checked in at the Holiday Inn on the Bay. We were told our room overlooked the bay, which did not mean much until this morning. We walked across the street in the sprinkles to Anthony's to meet our Cruise Critic friends. It was so good to see Brian and Nancy from California and Donna and Lawrence from Wisconsin. Both couples had their own weather related tales. A eucalyptus tree fell on a camper next to Brian's at a campground nearby that morning. Donna's flight from Chicago was very rocky and at one time they feared for their lives during attempted landings in San Diego.

We went to bed about 1 a.m. EST and awoke in the middle of the night to a crashing sound-I thought the bed broke, but it was a chair on the room's balcony blowing over. Windy and rainy!!

Right now we are enjoying our sunny harbor view, 54 F. We will go to the cruise ship about noon PST. We have a lot to look forward to in the next 5 weeks, including 30 cruise ship days!

TK's Takes: He likes San Diego, a little cool. He is enjoying a beautiful rainbow over the harbor right now and called me to look.

_____

In my marathon reading, I discovered that Theodore Roosevelt was especially interested in the War of 1812! It is so interesting to read about how the doctors overcame malaria and yellow fever-the realization that a specific mosquito and its parasite were the root of the problem. I am fascinated by the politics and intrigue that preceded the building of the Panama Canal by the Americans, including the "revolution" of Colombia/Panama. Panama was previously part of Columbia.

SAN DIEGO, HERE WE COME!

It was about a three hour sunny, warm drive to Fort Lauderdale. We stopped at Sawgrass Mills Mall in Sunrise, Florida-one of the largest on the eastern seaboard. My main goal was the strawberry shortcake at the Cheesecake Factory. That is my very favorite meal there--I learned some time ago that I could just forego lunch and dinner and just order dessert! Why not??? TK had a Cobb salad.

We brought all 8 suitcases and various bags into the hotel (Hampton Inn / Plantation) so that we could organize everything that we wanted to take with us tomorrow. This did not cause as much controversy as I thought it would. We are actually taking 4 suitcases and 2 carry-ons. (Reminder: I packed one large suitcase, a carry-on, and a small suitcase for the driving part for myself--someone else packed the other suitcases). Our Delta flight leaves at 7:50 a.m. EST and we need to be at the airport at 6:15 a.m. We arrive in San Diego about 12:20 PST. We have dinner plans with Brian, Nancy, Donna, and Lawrence-friends from our Princess cruise last year. Other new friends from the Cruise Critic chat site will also meet us.

TK told me that the weather is quite bad in southern California right now and that when we leave the port aboard the Carnival Spirit, there might be 20 ft. waves. That could get interesting, but we are veterans of the high seas and we are prepared (Bonine). I do hope the flight is smooth-let's get there first!

TK's takes: It's dark out and 67 F right now (7:15 p.m.). It was 76 F earlier today.

Side Note: Because he packed only 30 floral/Hawaiian shirts, he bought another one today at Sawgrass Mills at Tommy Bahama's-the deal of the century. It was marked $128 and he paid $27. Who knew?

BLACK SHEAR, GEORGIA TO TITUSVILLE, FLORIDA

Janie at Dixie Crossroads in Titusville, Florida

We spent the last two days with cousins in Black Shear, Georgia. The weather just gets warmer and sunnier as we drive south! I can barely remember the cold weather in Erie!

There are 7 different homes in this "subdivision" owned by family. I like the idea of a getaway in the south inhabited by so many cousins! Some live here year round, but most come down in the wintertime.

Black Shear is a pleasant area, sandy soil, palms, tall Georgia pines, usually temperate weather (60s-70s most every year we have stopped by in January/February), a few restaurants, a hotel, a few stores, population about 3200, in Pierce County (in Georgia each county has one school district-the Pierce County high school is near my cousins' homes). The town is about 80 miles north of Jacksonville, Florida and is the end point of Florida's hurricane escape route. I think the town will grow a lot in the future. We smelled turpentine being manufactured in another area of the town. We were also told that Eggland's Best eggs and Egg Beaters are made here.

On Monday night we drove to the Jacksonville airport to pick up my cousin arriving from Toledo. On the way we ate at St. John's Seafood restaurant in Hilliard, Georgia. The fried shrimp was very fresh and tasty.

Tuesday morning we headed for Cocoa Beach and Titusville, Florida, some of our favorite areas in Florida. We found the shoe store we always stop in at Ormond, Florida-I can always find the best fitting shoes there and this time I bought a pair of Finn Comfort sandals-better than sneakers for my feet!! We also stopped at RonJon's to see the new beach fashions for people a lot younger than we are!

We had dinner at Dixie Crossroads, one of our favorite seafood restaurants of all time. Hush puppies in powdered sugar, "Fried Krabbie Bites," fried shrimp (again), and TK had rock shrimp (a little sweeter), scallops, and shrimp, all very fresh! We are near the Atlantic Ocean and this is shrimp fishing time.

I am getting excited about our upcoming cruises and have read about 1/3 of the book Path Between the Seas about the building of the Panama Canal. The section I read was about the French attempt to build the canal and I have been absolutely astounded about the cost expended, the conditions under which the attempt was made, and the loss of life (estimated to be at least 20,000 during the time the French were working on it).

I wanted to reflect on the tragedy in Haiti at this time. There is a terrible loss of life, injuries, and destruction because of the earthquake. We have spent a great deal of time in the Caribbean and we are very sorry for the suffering. As we travel we have seen many efforts to collect money for the American Red Cross, today at Publix, grocery chain. We can only hope that our contributions can help these people.

TK's Takes: Today he wore shorts!!

SAVANNAH, GEORGIA IN THE RAIN

We drove into downtown Savannah by 9:20 a.m. and boarded the Old Savannah Trolley on this very rainy day at our Hampton Inn Historic District by 9:45! Our driver said that Savannah is the largest urban historic district in the U.S. with 2.5 square miles. He said it is called an urban forest with over 60,000 live oak trees downtown. Live oak trees' leaves are always green. Here the lovely Spanish moss hangs prolifically. I think there are more trees and more ornate homes here than in New Orleans. I do love the way the city is laid out, with 22 of the 24 original town squares and the parks. James Oglethorpe, the founder of Georgia and Savannah, wanted the city to be on "high and healthy ground," and it has never flooded!

We saw Flannery O'Connor's house (I read Wise Blood and A Good Man Is Hard to Find in college), the house of Juliet Gordon Low (founder of the Girl Scouts), a Sears pre-fab house from the 30s, the 1820 Federal style Davenport House, the 1892 Renaissance Revival Kehoe House, and the 1816 English Regency style Owens-Thomas House, Victorian homes, the 1734 Pirates House (the oldest house in Georgia-now a restaurant), cotton warehouses, Revolutionary War battle sites, the riverfront, and house that Gen. Wm. Tecumseh Sherman occupied in 1864, the market area, and more!

This is a city rich in history and culture, but I think our heart still lies in New Orleans. We did have lunch at The Lady & Sons, Paula Deen's restaurant (102 West Congress Street). We had the buffet ($13.99 per person) The heavenly southern fried chicken was phenomenal, I savored every bite. The Hoe Cake was an unbelievable type of corn pancake melting in my mouth. The mashed potatoes were smooth and silky. TK mentioned that my last mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving "weren't bad" but these were the best he had ever had. I liked the black-eye peas and TK liked the lima beans with ham and the ribs. I had peach cobbler for dessert and TK had "gooey butter cake" (chocolate cookie with pecan "stuff" and a chocolate sauce-3 layers). Fabulous!

Bubba's son, Jay, was working in the gift shop (Bubba is Paula's brother) and he helped me buy something special in the gift shop for D and C, B1, and my DSIL whose birthday is on Valentine's Day! He mentioned that Paula's birthday is soon and that the family would be celebrating this evening. They rented a historic home and the invitations assigned each person a famous name who he/she had to impersonate the whole evening at a "Who Killed Paula Deen Murder Mystery Birthday Party." He said that Paula had no idea that the party had this theme. This is surely not something that everyone knows! Jay also said that Paula is the real deal and does not mind that the family "follows along on her shirttails." Our tour guide said she owns two private jets.

TK's Takes: Too much rain to really explore Savannah. But we don't have to shovel rain!

PATRIOTS POINT - HONORING OUR HEROES

We spent a wonderful day in Charleston/Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina! The Medal of Honor museum is a very worthwhile visit. The meaningful exhibits exemplify the values of the Medal of Honor recipients: courage, sacrifice, patriotism, integrity, and commitment.

Jennifer and Pat Waters greeted us like royalty. I feel so fortunate that I was able to be a part of the development of the Medal of Honor national curriculum-I have gained so much from meeting these two delightful people, as well as several Medal of Honor recipients, including Jack Jacobs, Leo Thorsness, Alfred Rascon, Pat Brady, and Gary Wetzel.

I especially liked the touch screen information panels with video that told the story of featured recipients. There was a wall of recipient names from the Civil War to the most recent. Abraham Lincoln, who first signed into law the provision for the Medal , said "Any nation that does not honor its heroes will not long endure."

Pat Waters took Jennifer, Tim, Dick Trammel (Executive Director of Patriots Point), and I to a fabulous lunch at Langdon's (778 S. Shellmore Blvd). The arugula lettuce salad was the best salad I ever had in my life-beef strips, arugula, goat cheese, poached pears with mild balsamic dressing. Tim really liked his shrimp and grits. Over lunch our conversation was about museums, education, curriculum, history, and family.

We returned to Patriots Point and toured the Yorktown with Mike Sudzina, a Marine veteran of Viet Nam. He gave us a special tour of several decks on this retired WW II/Viet Nam era aircraft carrier. I wanted to see the captain's quarters (sparse), the captain's dining area (when I lived in France in 1967-1968 my friend Judy Porter and I were invited to dine at the captain's table aboard the U.S.S. Roosevelt and I wanted to remember that time), the galley (not unlike that of a cruise ship--huge huge pots), the medical center area, offices, the crew quarters, the admiral's quarters. I was amazed at the planes aboard, including a Tom Cat, a Huey, and so many more. We saw the elevators that lifted the planes up to the flight deck from the deck below, the tail hooks, and so much more. We actually spent another three hours at the museum. My favorite Navy veteran, TK, enjoyed the visit to Patriots Point.

Dear Readers, this blog is longer than I anticipated, but we visited this area specifically to visit the Medal of Honor museum and I don't want to forget the impact it had on me.

TK's Takes: Shrimp and Grits! Dick Trammel is going to share a recipe with him!

We decided to head to Savannah (about 105 miles). We got a room at Hilton Garden Inn/Savannah Airport without a problem.

MOUNT PLEASANT, SOUTH CAROLINA

Today's ride was a short 350 miles. We left Max Meadows at 8:45 a.m., 19 F, and clear. There is still snow on the ground left over from the snow storm that affected the Eastern seaboard about 10 days ago.

TK's Take: Within 20 minutes on the road, the temperature doubled to 38 F.

We were coming down from the mountains near the North Carolina border-beautiful scenic views. By Statesville, North Carolina there was NO SNOW!!!!!

When we hit South Carolina at 11:15, it was 46 F and we saw PALM trees. An hour from Charleston it was 55 F. Because we are on the road and trying to escape the cold, it seems we are only noticing the weather!

Our purpose in Mount Pleasant is to visit the Congessional Medal of Honor Society's museum aboard the U.S.S. Yorktown and meet with Jennifer Lennon, Director of Development, and Pat Waters, the grandson of General George Patton. I am very excited about this meeting!

Hampton Inn/Mount Pleasant

WISTFUL IN WYTHEVILLE, VIRGINIA

This is our house two days before we left Erie (January 11)!!


Icicles at New River Gorge in West Virginia on January 13.


441 miles from home!
Believe it or not, we were able to get on the road by 9 a.m. for our land, air, sea adventure! TK made tuna fish sandwiches for our lunch and then loaded our suitcases (all 8 of them, plus the laptop, plus the camera bags, cooler, and tote bag for my journal, etc.) TK remarked that the truck was already full! However, there was room for me after all!

It was 19 F and clear when we left Erie and the roads were dry with not much traffic. We stopped in Grove City to pick up a few things for the $10 gift exchange for two of the cruises. Our gift bags each contain Pulakos sponge candy, beach glass that TK and I collected on Lake Erie, a Steelers golf ball, an Erie mint tin, and a Niagara post card.

We are listening to The Strain on DVD, a book by Chuck Hogan. It is just our style: a vampiric virus has been found in New York City and could infect the entire world. We listened for about 3 hours and there is plenty of intrigue. Ron Perlman is the reader.

We saw lots of white-tailed deer, even a herd of over 25. Turkeys, too.

We stopped at New River Gorge in West Virginia, like last year. Icicles were hanging from the visitor center roof-about 32 F by this time.




I also spotted an outlet mall with a Fiesta store in Flatwood, West Virginia. TK was willing to stop and the next thing I knew we had a big box for the truck. At this rate, we will have to rent a U-Haul to bring all the anticipated souvenirs home.

We arrived in Wytheville, Virginia (Hampton Inn-Max Meadows) by 5 p.m., our stop for the night.

I finished my tuna sandwich and TK went to Wendy's for a chicken sandwich. I told him I was going to eat conservatively because I have to lose at least 3 pounds, if not 10, before the cruises or I won't fit into the clothes I brought. He was real excited about that.


TK's Takes: "It is still cold." He can still see snow.

The Inspiration of Jimmy Buffett

Tonight I realized that I am far from ready for this cruise. As I was debating which project to finish, I could hear the notes of a Jimmy Buffett tune coming from downstairs. I think TK is ready!

We have had about 30 inches of snow in January and more on the way. Wednesday looks like a good day to drive away.

CRUISING TRIATHLON-PART 2

Next week TK and I are beginning another adventure and I am going to blog again. It is snowing and snowing in Erie so going south and west is very exciting!

TK has done a great job of planning our trip:
Jan. 13-Erie to somewhere in Virginia
Jan. 14, 15: Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (Medal of Honor museum and USS Yorktown)
Jan. 16, 17: Savannah, Georgia
Jan. 17, 18: cousins in Black Shear, Georgia
Jan. 19-20: Fort Lauderdale area
Jan. 21-fly to San Diego
Jan. 23-Board the Carnival Spirit-8 day Mexican Riviera cruise (Manzanilla-deep sea fishing; Acapulco-cliff divers at night; Zihuatanajo/Ixtapa)
Jan. 30-Stay in San Diego for a few days then drive to Los Angeles(zoo; etc.)
Feb. 5-board the Coral Princess-15 day Panama Canal Cruise (Cabo San Lucas; Acapulco-cliff divers by day; Huatulco; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Puerte Amador/Panama City; Cartagena, Colombia; Aruba)
Feb. 20-arrive in FLL-board the Crown Princess--7 day Western Caribbean (Roatan; Grand Cayman; Cozumel)
Feb. 27-arrive FLL, pick up car and drive to Black Shear, GA to visit cousins for a day or two, then drive home by March 4.

I hope that I will be able to pronounce all the names of the cities we are visiting by the end of the trip!

I am going to miss my beautiful granddaughters, but this will be an adventure to share!