BERMUDA, WIFI, SUNNY DAYS, AND OCEAN BREEZES

Bermuda
July 21, 2017
86 F, Sunny and humid

Finally! WiFi! Bermuda is not a wifi friendly island, but this morning we are enjoying a scoop of freshly made ice cream at Alex and Pete's at the Dockyard with free wifi for 30 minutes. The weather has been great and we are enjoying our stay.

Right now my view is t he British dockyards which were last used for military purposes in as a staging area for the British in World War II. The buildings are made of stone blocks, some covered with moss. The buildings directly in front of me look like barracks. Now they are being used for stores and bike rentals, etc.

LET’S TRY SHOPPING IN BERMUDA!

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Celebrity Summit / King’s Wharf

85 F and humid/sunny

More about Bermuda: those 67,000 residents live within 20.75 square miles, making it the 3^rd most densely populated place on Earth. Monaco is first, followed by Singapore. It’s the 5^th smallest country in the world, after Vatican City, Monaco, Nauru, and Tuvalu (the last two are located in the South Pacific).

We did not make connections with our friends this morning, so we took the 20 minute ferry to Hamilton. Talk about upscale. Longchamps, Lili Bermuda perfume, the gold, the silver, everything one could want is here. Julie was not kidding when she told us that items were expensive in Bermuda. Tom’s Deodorant was $10.25/regular sized roll on, the small Pringles can was $3.25 ($1 in Erie).

We strolled a park, found out how to cross streets (left side driving confuses me when crossing streets) paid $5.50 for one small bowl of ice cream, looked at pink sand jewelry, and could not access the free Internet. Brown & Co. department store was charming. Shepherd’s Pie at The Hog and Penny Pub was $26.00 and a burger was $21.00. If we thought wifi was reliable there, we would have eaten there, but everyone says the wifi is bad everywhere on the island.

After 4 ½ hours of exploring Hamilton, we got on the Ferry headed for the Royal Naval Dockyard and our ship. The ride was smooth. Today the clouds are fluffy white and do not block the glorious sun. The sea is azure and gentle. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TK IN BERMUDA! CAVES AND ONIONS AND BIRTHDAYS

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Celebrity Summit / King’s Wharf

85 F and humid/sunny

Tim celebrated a birthday today! By about 9:15 a.m. all fourteen of us were boarding a Winsome bus with our driver and guide, Julie, for a tour of Bermuda.

The view from our balcony  in Bermuda for 3 days!!

First discovered by the Spanish in 1511, Bermuda has a population of 67,000 people and we learned that they have strict limits on immigrants. The island is much like islands in the Caribbean, but we are in the Atlantic Ocean. It is coral based with white sand. The island was first settled by the English in 1609 (the Spanish only returned once in those 100 years).

Water is at a premium and if one runs low on water, it can be purchased from the government for $90/1000 gallons. Julie’s water comes from a well, but it is partially salt water. Occasionally she has to buy water.

The average house is $1.2 million, gas is $9/gallon, and bread is $9/loaf. She owns the 14 passenger van and said it cost $100 diesel to fill. Some say Bermuda is the most expensive place to live in the world. She paid $350,000 for her home and it is now worth $1 million ---it seemed like the situation in California.

She also mentioned that they dread hurricanes—because Bermuda is on the Atlantic it can get hit quite hard. She also made a comment on how climate change is affecting the island.

Mayor Bloomberg and Ross Perot own multimillion dollar homes here, as the President’s son. Steven Spielberg keeps his yacht in Bermuda. As we traveled we observed huge mansion-estates, immaculate golf courses, red hibiscus, red, pink, lavender, and peach oleander, and native cedar. In one area the coral reefs go out 10 miles (I was not clear how much of the island this applies to), which is why there were so many shipwrecks (over 300) over the years.

Our first stop was Crystal Caves near Hamilton. We had a very knowledgeable and animated guide! After a very steep walk, we came to “floating pontoon pathways that span a large 55 feet deep azure blue underground lake.” The size of the beautiful stalactites varied from pencil thin to the size of tree trunks. One stalactite under water the “Lighthouse”) looked about 5 feet tall but was really 14 feet tall according to our guide. The top of the water is potable, but a few feet down it is salt water.

Inside Crystal Cave

The next stop was the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo. Highlights included creatures of the Sargasso Sea like the HUGE spiny lobsters, the colorful fishes, the biggest tortoise that I had ever seen (eating loads of lettuce), the flamingos, and the sea anemones.

We had lunch at Swizzle Inn in Warwick. Most had the fish sandwich, but I had Southern chicken, the freshest chicken, probably without antibacterial injections, very tasty. Some tried the trademark Rum Swizzle.

One of my favorite spots was a sea glass beach. What a glorious sight! We were allowed to collect sea glass here and what a bonanza it was! Three different greens, frosted, amber, and white glass covered the beach. Everyone got into collecting the glass, but we were conservative.

Glorious "sea glass" on the beach!! 

Our last stop was St. George. In February 2017 there was an article in Victoria magazine about the Bermuda Perfumery, now owned by Isabelle Ramsay-Brackstone. I had the magazine article and recognized Isabelle and had my photo taken with her! She told me that when Victoria people visited it was a bad hair day for her. The scents were heavenly!

We also got a quick view of St. George Anglican Church, the oldest Anglican church in continuous use outside the British Isles.

On the hour ride back to the ship, Julie filled us in about Bermuda. In the 1700s the industries were shipbuilding and whaling. They transitioned to being pirates and privateers, then agriculture, including the Bermuda Onion! Tourism became a big industry, but now International Affairs and “Re-Insurance” are the money makers. Greg explained re-insurance, but I wasn’t completely clear—sounds somewhat like the housing bubble that collapsed the market before 2010.

We noticed that the Bermudans take great pride in their island and keep it very, very clean. We passed over the world’s smallest drawbridge (and it is in the Guinness Book of World Records) and shortly we were back at the ship, hot and thirsty.

At dinner Tim was given a birthday cake with candles and we all sang “Happy Birthday” to him!

AT SEA / TRIVIA GAMES AND ART AUCTIONS

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Celebrity Summit

80s F and slightly humid/sunny, smooth seas

Today was another gorgeous day. Room service sure rocks! We set our clocks forward an hour, but remembered to order our breakfast (croissants, coffee, and Danish) a little later.

We met Judy and Camille at the Rendezvous Lounge for Trivia. With 15 questions like: How many bones are in the human body (206)? How many acres in a square mile (640 acres)? Napoleon, Early River, and Morello are kinds of what fruit (cherries)? and What was Disney’s first full length animated film (Snow White)?, we did not do very well. We had 6 correct out of 15. The winner had 7 correct!

At 1:30 p.m. we headed to the Art Auction.  A lot of Peter Max. After the auctioneer said that there would be 60 pieces of artwork offered in 60 minutes and then placed two frames on easels with the back to us and asked us to “bid” without seeing to make it more fun, I decided that I had seen enough. Seriously?

After dinner Judy, Camille, and I went to the Celebrity Theater to see Jason Neistadt, an impressionist who performed as Jack Nicholson, Sean Connery, Michael Jackson, Elvis, Forrest Gump, and Johnny Carson, etc. This was the best act on the ship so far.

CELEBRITY SUMMIT BECKONS FROM BAYONNE, NJ!

Sunday, Monday, July 16-17, 2017

At Sea/Celebrity Summit

80s F and slightly humid/sunny, rain briefly on Monday morning, smooth seas

Sunday

On Sunday morning we reserved the shuttle for the port. At the Airport Ramada everyone else was headed to airport, so we had an easy ride to the Port all by ourselves! After easily going through security (TK did have to hand over the extension cord for his CPAP machine with the promise of its return when we leave the ship and that our stateroom steward would give us one) and checking in, we were on board the Summit.

We already knew that good friend Judy (from Florida, formerly of Nebraska) was delayed at the Jacksonville airport-the plane’s battery was dead and either another plane or a battery needed to be flown in. Communicating through texts, we knew this could be a difficult situation!

The ship is beautifully appointed, but not that much different than any other cruise line that we use.  Lunch was available in the Cosmopolitan Dining Room so we went there after we found Cindy and Greg in the lounge for those who have suites.

By 1 p.m. we were in our stateroom #8134 and by 3:15 we were experiencing the required safety drills. After reading Dead Wake recently, a book about Cunard Line’s Lusitania and its sinking in 1915, I knew there was a time when safety drills were not done at all on ships. I think I paid more attention than usual.

At 6:30 we all gathered for dinner—our group now numbers 14! Originally, the group was Cindy, Greg, their daughter Jennifer and Dustin and their children Ben (9 years old) and Sarah (a junior in HS), Judy, Camille (Cindy’s Maid of Honor), TK, and I, BUT their other daughter Sue, her husband Richard, and their children Max (10) and Ethan (12) surprised them by coming too! Cindy really wanted us to sit together as one family, so the dining room servers accommodated us.  

Lots of conversation and remembrance mixed with prime rib, escargots, salmon, chocolate cake, and apple pie. Let me mention, those three boys are very, very big eaters with lots and lots of energy!

The Comedy Show was nothing to write about and everyone was tired.

Monday

If only we could get room service with croissants, Danish, coffee, juice, and an omelette at home!! I love waking up to that!

At the Cruise Critic Meet Up, we met the Captain, Alex Papadopoulos-Greece, and other officers. Notably, Hotel Director Danuta Nosidlak (Poland), has four stripes, equal with the Captain. One does not see such high ranking female officers on cruise ships.

At 10:30 we took the galley tour, one of my favorite things to do. Things I learned, things I saw on the Summit:

·         The executive chef is Singh Deoraj who was born in Guyana. His signature dish is lobster.

·         There are 700 food and beverage crew aboard the ship who either work in the bar, the restaurant, or in the 11 galleys. They work every single day, ten hours a day, broken up into 7 hours and 3 hours or six hours and four hours. A crew member has a contract for 4 months, with 2 months off. There are 53 different nationalities in the food and beverage crew!

·         Forty thousand meals a day are prepared on board. One hundred fifty chefs work as a team in the galleys: areas include pastry shop, bakery, main galley, crew galley, prep rooms for butchers and fish preparers, pantry, and sushi cook.

·         Public health regulations are followed and every morsel of food is accounted for. Leftover food and related items are ground up for fertilizer (I believe the Chef said it is returned to the U.S. port of call).

·         I always love the statistics-here are a few consumption figures for a week: 6 tons of beef; 1 ton of pork; 1965 pounds of turkey; ½ ton of sausage; 11 tons of fresh vegetables; 15 tons of fresh fruit; 3621 pounds of chicken; 3.5 tons of potatoes; two tons of rice; 3000 tea bags; 4 tons of fish; 1125 pounds of coffee; 3500 pounds of sugar; 9000 liters of beer; 9225 bottles of wine.

After the brief talk and a ride down the escalator, we toured the spotless galleys in groups.

·         Juicy, sizzling burgers on a grille

·         Shiny stainless steel everywhere

·         Huge bin of large capped mushrooms

·         Cold galley: delicately slicing tomatoes; loads of lettuce

·         Breadsticks were being rolled in the pastry galley

·         Full, clear kitchen bags filled with flour; 8 quarts of butter in a tub

·         Slicing cantaloupes

·         Carefully icing cakes with a flourish

From the galley we went through the Tuscan Restaurant galley with fresh pasta of all lengths, and widths drying. The pasta machine was about 2 ½ by 3 feet in size. There were tubs of ricotta. Everything smelled good! Now if only I could cook!

Judy, Camille, and I had lunch in the dining room, then spent a good part of the day reading at the Spa Pool area with Tim.  We fourteen mixed it up at dinner and I sat by Cindy and Greg’s daughter, Susan, who sailed on a schooner out of Woods Hole for six weeks, not only as a part of college, but as crew.  She was a biology major and now works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We compared notes about our experiences aboard the two masted U.S. Brig Niagara and the schooner, _________________.

The ship’s professional singers and dancers provided entertainment, but we were late after dinner and there were no seats.

Please note: The purpose of this blog is to help remember day to day, as well as to keep in touch with friends and family. I try not to be mundane and describe every little thing we do, believe it or not!  We need to get a U.S. National Parks pass—we lost the ones we purchased at El Morro in Puerto Rico.

REMEMBERING 9 11 2001 IN NEW YORK CITY

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Ramada Inn/Newark Airport

Newark, New Jersey

80sF and slightly humid/sunny

Tim drove quite easily from the DoubleTree to the Liberty Port area so we could catch a ferry to Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City, New Jersey to Greenwich Street, New York City. The ferry ride was smooth and the port area/park was refreshing. 

We saw the Statue of Liberty in the distance

We could see the World Trade Center and other skyscrapers, including the Empire State Building.  We thought this park was a good spot to place B2’s rock that she painted for “Rock Out Erie” after a quick photo with it.

A beautiful rock for ROCK OUT ERIE! Thank you, B2 and B1!

From there we walked through an exclusive mall (Brookfield Place) into another exclusive mall to get to the reflective pools and stunning waterfalls that are in the center of the memorial walls where each person killed that day, whether in NYC, Shanksville, or the Pentagon, is honored. 

9 11 Reflective Pool-Oculus in background with skyscrapers

Tim and the Reflective Pool

I knew this was going to be an emotional day for both of us. There was a fairly long line to enter the museum (10:30 a.m.), but it moved fast.  The museum was cleanly designed on part of the footprint of the original World Trade Center. When one goes deep within the complex, the footers of the original are visible. 

Footer of one of the original World Trade Center buidlings--note the photo of the

 two tallest buildings in the back of this image

Tortured, twisted steel columns stand firm, columns that once supported the structure along with others. The museum was quiet, occasionally we heard the sound of a bugle and Taps. The memorial area inside the museum helped tell the individual story the victims of the 9 11 tragedy with artifacts and video of people speaking of their loved ones. It was difficult to see Ladder 3, a firetruck that was crumpled when one of the towers fell.

Ladder 3

Artwork in the museum

In June 2001, Tim and a few other firefighters from Erie travelled to New York to attend the funerals of three firefighters who were killed in a Father’s Day fire. At that time they met a Gannon University graduate who was an FDNY firefighter in Harlem. He invited Tim and the others to his firehouse in Harlem and they struck up a friendship.  When 9 11 occurred, the Erie Firefighters contacted their friend, who survived, but he asked the Erie men to return for funerals if possible as there were so many services and their presence would help honor those firefighters who perished. Tim and few others did return to NYC twice to attend the ceremonies in September and October.  Firefighters honor their fallen “brothers and sisters.”

We viewed the museum with hundreds of others of all ages and everyone was very, very respectful. A friendly docent told us about the “Survivor Tree,” a pear tree that stood in the landscape of the World Trade Center and survived 9 11. According to him, “The tree endured the September 11, 2001 terror attacks at the World Trade Center, although it was severely damaged, with snapped roots and burned and broken branches. The tree was removed from the rubble and placed in the care of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. After its recovery and rehabilitation, the tree was returned to the Memorial in 2010. New, smooth limbs extended from the gnarled stumps, creating a visible demarcation between the tree’s past and present. Today the tree stands as a living reminder of resilience, survival and rebirth.”

After three hours in the museum (we probably spent more time than most people), we went to Engine House 10 across the street where Tim was invited and he purchased two FDNY t-shirts for him and another Erie firefighter. Shortly after, this firehouse had a call about a block away, probably syncope.  

Engine 10 Ladder 10 Firehouse

We walked to a nearby subway station and started an adventure of another kind. A friendly lady helped us purchase tickets (there is a dearth of signs—I like maps, directions, information about cost, etc. I guess in NYC that is too much information.  I also figured out that I do not like standing near those tracks. Scenes from the first or second season of House of Cards came to mind. We ended up following two couples from Missouri onto a train and off we went. They said to follow them! On the train I observed a few interesting things, like a new way to apply eyeliner. I did ask myself why some of the riders bothered to wear clothes. We did get to Times Square, where we wanted to go.  That is when I discovered that the scantily clad girls on the subway were perhaps overdressed because it wasn’t long before we saw three girls with virtually no clothes. People who paint their bodies and pretend that is clothing are sort of mistaken. Ah, New Yorkers!

As tourists, we felt very comfortable going into a Starbucks and buying an NYC mug in Times Square. There is so much to see and so much going on in these few city blocks, it is almost overwhelming. Lights, theaters, video screens, buses, cars, taxis, police, sirens, hundreds of people, so hard to focus. And I kept thinking, ‘I need to be aware of my surroundings.’

And no one would follow us around to find gourmet restaurants. Bubba Gump had fine fried shrimp and hush puppies. I have to eat conservatively anyway and I have said before simple food does not affect my stomach. We sat on the 2^nd floor across from the ABC TV studios and watched the headlines scroll along.  Right next to that screen another screen announced that yesterday “A city that caught 16,618,878 Pokemon yesterday must be one swell city.” 

We decided we better head back to the port. This time I found a map in the station, figured out that we needed to follow the R-Yellow line, and I knew we needed to get off at Cortlandt/9 11 Memorial. Now I felt in control and knew what I was doing. No need to follow other tourists blindly!  

Our ferry soon arrived—we had spent seven hours in the city—and before we knew it we were back at the car. Tim very good at remembering directions, but we had just a little snag when exiting the thruway and so we had a very personal tour of Newark. It was not long before we found the Ramada and checked in. A great and memorable day in NYC with my hero.

TK’s Takes: While waiting for the subway train back to the port, Tim discovered that the train tracks were full of rats. We both were able to take photos of the creatures scurrying around, including the young ones. Tim was thinking of the TV series that starts again this weekend, The Strain. I don’t think there are vampires in NYC, but there sure are rats.

Check this out!

MJ’s Notes: I loved the quotation in the museum, “No one shall erase you from the memory of time.” ----Virgil

I bought a t-shirt with that quote.

We will board the Celebrity Summit tomorrow about 10 a.m. I will not have wifi until Tuesday. I will try to access wifi in Bermuda. 

World Trade Center today-the tallest building

We will never forget.

343

A BERMUDA ADVENTURE BEGINS AND NEW JERSEY'S ODD WELCOME

July 14, 2017  / 80F

Bastille Day!

DoubleTree by Hilton/Newark Airport

Newark, New Jersey

Because dear friends from Connecticut wanted to cruise to Bermuda starting on July 16th to celebrate their 50^th Wedding Anniversary and 70^th birthdays, they invited us to travel with the. I have known them since 1967 when we studied in France together. Another schoolmate, originally from Nebraska, is also joining us. We have remained close and this chance to travel together again sure sounds fun. Cindy, Greg, Judy, and I enjoyed the French Riviera, including Nice and Monte Carlo, with two American soldiers a long time ago. Now Bermuda beckons, Cindy and Greg’s honeymoon location. Tim and I have never been to Bermuda, nor have we cruised on Celebrity, and we are always game for another adventure!

Thank goodness Tim is a travel planner second to none. He was packed and ready to go a day or so ago. This time I packed on the fly - not a good idea. I did have a list, but it was not very well thought out. I packed “stuff” for my hair, teeth, and face, but forgot to wash clothes I had planned on packing until last night. Wet clothes do not pack well.

I think one gets the picture here. The bottom line is I did get packed and was ready at takeoff time today, 11:00 a.m. Directions for plant watering for Brian and B1, a few emails regarding publicity for the Erie City Garden Tour and ESGR 45^th Banquet, remembering all the technology and the chargers, and we were off…at 11:09!

I knew that we were taking my car this time, but I did not know that I was going to be driving. I had my magazines, a good book, and my USA Today crossword puzzles, but Tim was already in the passenger seat. I forgot to tell him that if I was going to drive he would have to be silent. hahaha

Today was a sunny day, a little humid, but I-79 was dry and not too crowded. I believe in going 7 miles over the speed limit. Tim does not. Oh well. For the first easy 100 miles he did keep quiet and he was playing with the controls of the new car and figuring some things out. He already had set the GPS for our hotel in Newark.

I thought we were sharing the driving, but after about 200 miles, Tim told me to stop at a Pilot gas station—that had no gas pumps. On I drove. We stopped at a rest stop in Pennsylvania on I-80 to eat our tuna sandwiches on a clean picnic table. Tim, of course the excellent planner, made these great sandwiches and packed the Diet Pepsi and water. I was still driving. I-80 was getting busier and busier and Tim was getting more and more vociferous. He did not like the stories on Radio Classics, my fall back plan when we do not have audio books. He started having opinions about every driver. I was fairly content at 7 mph above the speed limit when possible and whizzed by two different police cars with radar guns. Finally, 4 ½ hours later, we stopped for gas, successfully this time, and Tim said he would drive. I think his patience was melting away with the miles.

I settled in to read my never yet read Oprah magazines and paid no attention to his driving. By the time we got to New Jersey we both needed a rest area. He pulled into the first one in NJ. We got out of the car only to see a sign on the window that it was closed—open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Are they kidding? He spotted 4 porta-potties at the end of the parking lot, the foulest smelling porta-potties that I have ever experienced. We had no choice. I will not elaborate, but New Jersey did not make a good impression at this rest stop.

With Tim’s skillful driving (eyeroll here), we got through the heavy traffic and arrived at this night’s hotel. By the way, his driving time was 1.5 hours. Our hotel for tomorrow night is next door. Tim’s super planning using our hotel points and hotel packages meant that the hotel we are staying in tomorrow night has very reasonable rates for parking our car for seven days. The DoubleTree did not have reasonable parking rates, but we are here on points tonight!

Tim’s plan is to catch the ferry to Liberty State Park/Manhattan and into NYC tomorrow morning and we will spend the day there.

TK’s Takes: That rest stop! That was a welcome center too! Ha! There was lots of traffic as we got closer to Newark.

MJ’s Notes: I will admit that Tim drives his truck skillfully to Florida every January and then home again. He will not allow me to drive his truck.

BERMUDA, HERE WE COME!

Yet again, we are preparing for a cruise!! We are leaving on Friday for New Jersey where we will catch a Celebrity Summit cruise--7 days with a three day layover in Bermuda!  The exciting part is that we are joining friends who went to school with me in France in 1967-1968!!  What  fun we will have!

VOLUNTEERS, HIGHWAY DRIVING, AND CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

Wednesday-Thursday, February 8, 9, 2017

Towne Place Suites by Marriott

Dade City, Florida to Mooresville, North Carolina

89 F to 45 F, sunny

Wednesday

Since Mary Lou and three of her TRR friends go to Daystar Hope Center in Dade City to volunteer in the used clothing sales section on Wednesdays, I joined them for their two hour shift. It was sort of like a small Salvation Army or a Goodwill store. Our job today was to sort the ladies’ and children’s clothing, making sure there were no spots, tears, or holes. We also arranged the clothing neatly according to color, with all the hangers going in the same direction. The task was not difficult. I observed that there were many women in the Center with their little children, looking for clothes. I felt it was important that the clothing looked well-arranged and neat—these people were worthy of thoughtfulness. I do volunteer work at home, but I have never worked in a store like this. One could purchase three tops for $1.50. Jeans, dresses, and other pants were $2 each. I am glad that I did this today—I think it is important to respect those who may not have what I am blessed with.

Mary Lou, Martha (NY), Barbara (NJ), Marilyn (OH), and I went to lunch at the Garden Restaurant afterwards to celebrate Barbara’s 75^th birthday. It does not take much to get to know the residents of TRR and they have become quite dear to us. I was amused at their conversation as they spoke of a friend who is looking for a permanent home in central Florida, somewhere it is quiet after 8 p.m. when most of them go to bed. I am not in that spot yet. Neither is TK.

While I was “working,” TK was packing the truck for Thursday’s departure. We had dinner at Coyote Rojas again, a Mexican restaurant almost as good at Torero’s in Erie. The rest of the day was spent in conversation on the patio enjoying the 79 F weather with Mary Lou and Scorchy---we took one last look at the TRR gardens with azaleas in full bloom, cacti blossoms almost out, and poinsettias still a beautiful red.

Thursday

We left TRR by 8 a.m. There is not much to say about being in a truck on the highway for 12 hours---the people who cut in front of you, the lack of turning signals, those who stay in the left lane so one has to pass on the right, the zoomers, the sloths. Most of the time TK is patient, but not all the time. I give him a lot of credit for his driving skills!

I have never driven this Chevy Avalanche. The only time he let me drive his last Avalanche on a Florida trip was when I left my wallet in a fast food restaurant in South Carolina and did not realize the loss until 3 hours down the road. I had to drive the three hours back to the restaurant, and then all the way “forward” to where I realized my error and THEN on to Williamsburg, Virginia, arriving at midnight—that was about an 8 hour mistake. I am much more conscious of what I do with my wallet now. [Note: I do not think I exaggerated about this, but I did not check the blog from about 4 or 5 years ago when that happened.]

Most importantly, my wallet was turned in and safe and sound!! I was very lucky!

At least there was no rain today, because we have experienced very heavy rains in the past when we were driving home. Charlotte is the worst area on I-77-no matter what time of day there is always heavy traffic and today was no exception. There is a bypass now, I-485, but that offered no relief today. Someone, perhaps the aforementioned driver, gets very frustrated at stop and go traffic. We always try to stop north of Charlotte for the night on the FL to PA trip so the morning is a little easier. We hope to be home by tomorrow evening. West Virginia is always unpredictable, but TK thinks the weather will be OK.

We were both very tired tonight. Our hotel was not surrounded by restaurants so we ended up in Hangar 33, a bar/restaurant that was not too far from the hotel. It was definitely a bar with gals and guys in their 40s. While we were eating our burgers and fries, a disc jockey got started and was distributing papers to patrons. When he got to our table he didn’t say, “What are you old people doing here?” He asked, “Do you know what music bingo is? We are playing a game.” I thought that was so sweet. We were accepted right off! TK told him we would be leaving soon as we were travelers. Darn! They were playing for $30 in gift certificates!

I hope to put more photos in the blog when I get home—that sketchy Internet slowed me down.

Safe travels tomorrow!

SPONGES IN TARPON SPRINGS!

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Dade City, Florida (Travelers Rest Resort)

79 F, sunny

Another beautiful day! TK and I decided to take a ride to Tarpon Springs, about an hour away from TRR. This was our 4^th visit—we enjoyed taking Randy, Coleen, and B2 there a few years ago when we were in Disney World. Tarpon Springs has the highest percentage of Greek Americans of any city in the U.S. mostly because Greek immigrants arrived to work in the sponge industry here in the early late 1890s.  

I decided that I wanted to purchase deep water yellow sponges harvested here in Tarpon Springs to share with my writing group—What are sponges? According to http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/porifera/poriferalh.html, sponges come in an incredible variety of colors and an amazing array of shapes. They are predominantly marine and can be found at all latitudes beneath the world's oceans, and from the intertidal to the deep-sea. Generally, they are stationary, though it has been shown that some are able to move slowly (up to 4 mm per day).

The person working in the shop told me that sponges are animals and they lay eggs. The sponge population in the Tarpon Springs area is healthy and there are more sponges now than when harvesting began over 100 years ago. But, the youngest sponge diver is about 45 years old, and there is only one sponge company in the area now.

This web site http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/sg095 had the most interesting sponge facts: 

·         Bath sponges may be the first non-edible product harvested from the sea.

·         One of the first drugs for successfully treating cancer, cytosine arabinoside, was isolated from a Caribbean sponge, Cryptotheca cripta.

·         It is thought that some sponges live for a very long time, perhaps over 100 years.

·         Sponges are remarkable pumping "machines." In general, considering the different types of sponges there are, sponges can pump 10,000 times their own size (volume) in water in one day. A sponge the size of a gallon milk container could pump enough water to fill a residential small size swimming pool within one day.

·         Recent Sea Grant research has shown that shallow-water sponge populations in the Keys are much more dynamic than previously thought to be.

·         On average there are approximately 13 sponges to the pound.

·         Because of their sessile nature, biologists once considered sponges to be plants. However, sponges are indeed a part of the animal kingdom, but they are very much different than the types of animals that are familiar to most people. Actually, in many ways, sponges can be considered to be a colony of single-celled organisms that work together in a coordinated fashion to survive.

Okay, I got a little carried away with sponges, but this is the first time I decided to really take a good look at what they really were! I thought it was interesting that unlike manmade sponges, these sponges do not harbor bacteria.

The little shops in this small village are very attractive and inviting. TK is the most patient husband ever. He lets me wander in and out of shops to my heart’s content, thank goodness. I especially liked a spice shop, the boutiques, the rock shop (same person I saw yesterday at Webster Flea Market with mounted bats, lizards, and bugs, he helped me add to my brother’s collection), all the sponge shops, and a jewelry shop where all the jewelry was made of carved vegetable ivory — I know about this South American tagua nut because buttons were made of this material before plastic in the 1880s.

Finally, and most important of all, we had lunch at Hellas Greek Restaurant and Bakery—our very favorite Greek restaurant!! We started with an appetizer, Saganaki, which is a strong sort of mozzarella cheese served flaming. Fabulous! We both chose Pastitsio as our entrée, a ziti macaroni layered with ground beef and a tomato sauce and topped with the creamiest of cheese flavored with a smidge of nutmeg—a Greek version of lasagna and my favorite Greek dish, accompanied by sweet peas in a tomato sauce and rice.  We decided to take our Baklava and Kataifa (looks like shredded wheat) home to share…hahaha.

Our appetizer, Saganaki--I was not quick enough with the camera to get the flaming part! 

 It is eaten with bread

TK demonstrates.

Our Pastitsio

We really enjoyed this warm and sunny day!

FROM COCONUTS TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA: A VISIT TO WEBSTER WESTSIDE FLEA MARKET!

Monday, February 6, 2017

Dade City, Florida (Travelers Rest Resort)

Mid 70s, sunny

Early this sunny, dewy morning TK and I headed to Webster West Side Flea Market about 45 minutes away in Webster, Florida.  According to the website, it has been the place to find everything imaginable for the past 50 years!  There are thirty five acres of open air markets with produce, flowers, bakery items, jewelry, plants, boutique items, furniture, musical instruments, electronics, hardware/tools, pet supplies, crafts, and clothing—just to name a few things. Webster, open every Monday rain or shine, is especially known for great deals on good quality antiques and collectibles as a primary source for the old and unique. Today it was open from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m.

So what did we see? What did we buy? First, I was quite surprised to see what looked to be advertised as medical marijuana. I did not really study the situation, and I do not know if it were really so, but the packages looked the part. I also saw rifles for sale and small working cannons. Mounted lizards, bats, and beetles were intriguing and I heard the vendor say that he orders the specimens from South American and then prepares them for selling.

However, I was more interested in any World War I items (there were none), handmade American Girl clothes, crocheted necklaces, and watches. Perhaps that is what I purchasedJ. TK bought kettle corn and deep fried pretzels.

Together we purchased a flat of strawberries, fresh from Plant City, Florida. Can you imagine fresh strawberries in January? We finished our shopping at Webster—in four hours I racked up 4.5 miles on my Fitbit!

We had lunch/dinner at Sunrise Restaurant where we have eaten before—they have my favorite fries (coated).

On the way back to TRR we stopped at Publix in Zephyrhills for whipped cream and shell cakes for strawberry shortcake. While looking for the little cakes I asked a young man stocking the shelves if he knew where they were. It turned out he was from Germany and had only been in this country for four weeks. He had no idea what strawberry shortcake was! We had a delightful conversation and when we found the little cakes I showed him the picture on the front.

Encounters like this have really made me consciously think of the many nameless people who come into our lives every day, like our dear servers on the ship, wait staff in a restaurant, the cashier at a gas station, those people behind the scenes like the cooks or the even the people who wash the dishes. Every day I depend on so many nameless people who I may never meet or I meet for a brief moment in time. I must value the network of people who enrich my life.

After our excursion today, we returned to TRR. The drive along the back roads is very interesting—orange groves, beef cattle, horses, an assortment of shotgun houses, bungalows, and estates, palm trees, barbed wire fences. I have reported before that George Steinbrenner of NY Yankees fame had a plantation very near TRR that his sons now own and I believe are trying to sell. Contractors/builders are trying to buy the land in this area for more Florida 55+ communities. The farmers are giving in little by little---and every year we are here there are more developments being built. The infrastructure is amazing—TK is always commenting on how nice the road system is.

The strawberry shortcake was delicious and tonight I am writing from the TRR library with very good Wi-Fi service!

Finally, I forgot to mention that a few days ago I finally found rocks! For my brother! He lost some J