THREADS OF FEELING

LEARN SOMETHING NEW IN WILLIAMSBURG! THREADS OF FEELING…

Monday, February 24, 2014
Williamsburg, Virginia
Sunny, 56 F

Excitement alert warning to Randy and Brian. We purchased our single day ticket for Colonial Williamsburg this morning for $25 per person, soon to be 43/per single day. We had a couple things in mind that we wanted to see and CW was not busy today. 

The Capitol—our own private tour. There we learned that our part of Pennsylvania was once part of Virginia, something we may have known before, but forgot.  We learned that Williamsburg’s population in the 18^th century was about 1800-2000 people and 52% were slaves.

The Charlton Coffee House---our own private tour.  In the mid-90s we saw the archeological dig here when the CW Foundation started researching and excavating a new site. Now there is a reconstructed coffee house on the site, not far from the Capitol. Virginian men in politics met here to discuss the topics of the day (1767 is being reenacted here). We had coffee today with 34 year old George Washington. He told us he had been to LeBoeuf and Fort Pitt in the north near where we liveJ.

Apothecary---we talked with Robin, the daughter of a Travelers Rest resident, who has worked at CW for 30 years!

Silversmith---now they have sterling silver beads for my bracelet!

King’s Arms Tavern—lunch!  I love eating as if it is 1775. Tim had fried chicken, I had a ham and cheese sandwich with homemade chips, and we shared excellent bread pudding. A violinist entertained.

Public Armoury Kitchen---this is where a blacksmith, a tinsmith, a carpenter, and other tradesmen worked together to make the ammunition and weapons for war. The kitchen was used for cooking meals for the tradesman and the manager of the armoury who lived onsite with his family.

John Greenhow---a city store that sells goods of the day, e.g. soaps, candles, pewter, games, toys, period clothing, etc. Always a favorite stop to look.

****Public Hospital and DeWitt Wallace Museum---First of all, I don’t like visiting the hospital for the insane for fear Tim will leave me. J J But, we had not seen it in a while and we visited quickly. Fortunately things have changed and people with mental illness are treated differently now.

THREADS OF FEELING at the museum.  This exhibit was so moving and heart rending, actually very difficult to view. 

According to the website, “The exhibition, which was originally curated and displayed at London’s Foundling museum in 2011, showcases fabrics never shown before which illustrate the moment of parting as mothers left their babies at the original Foundling Hospital.

In the cases of more than 4,000 babies left at the London Foundling Hospital between 1741 and 1760, a small object or token, usually a piece of fabric, was kept as an identifying record. The fabric was either provided by the mother or cut from the child’s clothing by the hospital's nurses. Attached to registration forms and bound up into ledgers, these pieces of fabric form the largest collection of everyday textiles surviving in Britain from the 18th Century. A selection of the textiles forms the focus of the Threads of Feeling exhibition, along with examples of the kinds of garments made from them, and the stories they tell us about individual babies, their mothers and their lives.

Visitors to the Colonial Williamsburg Museum in Virginia, USA, now have a chance to view this moving collection as the exhibition remains in situ until March 2014.  This will be the last time these objects can be exhibited for the foreseeable future, because natural dyes fade if exposed to light for too long. Two years on display is considered the maximum exposure that is safe.
The process of giving over a baby to the hospital was anonymous. It was a form of adoption, whereby the hospital became the infant’s parent and its previous identity was effaced. The mother’s name was not recorded, but many left personal notes or letters exhorting the hospital to care for their child. The pieces of fabric in the ledgers were kept, with the expectation that they could be used to identify the child if it was returned to its mother. In reality, very few of the children were ever reclaimed.”

Actually information in the exhibit noted that there were over 16,000 babies left in this hospital and only 152 children were reclaimed by their mother. Reading the notes that the mothers left with their babies really tore at my heart—there were so many circumstances, economics, unwed, the mother died. Actually the hospital still exists today, as an orphanage.

 

I just cannot imagine a mother having to leave her child like this. The heartbreaking circumstances that would lead to giving up a child.  The last act of leaving a token, like a piece of cloth or a note, or some token. I asked the Colonial Williamsburg curator if there were any records indicating how these children grew up and had families and did she know of anyone to trace their family back to a foundling baby. She said that the babies, with new names and christened, stayed with a wet nurse until they were 5 or 6 years old. Then they returned to the London Foundling Hospital and School for school and then to learn a trade. She said a CW employee has traced his family back to a foundling who learned a trade, came to America, and had a family.

 See http://www.threadsoffeeling.com/ 

That exhibit ended our day at CW. We went to dinner at Uno Chicago Grill (aside to Friend H—do you remember the one in Denver?) I love their deep dish pizza!

Today was cooler, still wearing sandals! We are thinking about whether we will stay an extra day because of the weather.

TK’s Take: we got a call today from the owner of the Park Model in TRR—she ended up selling it today to her neighbor’s daughter. We knew she had first dibs, but the owner was not sure she could get financing. Oh well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WILLIAMSBURG, A FAVORITE STOP!

WILLIAMSBURG, A FAVORITE STOP!

Hampton Inn, Williamsburg, Virginia
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Partly cloudy, 72 F

We meandered to Williamsburg in about 5  1/2 hours. The roads were free of traffic congestion and we made a few stops. Now when we come to Williamsburg we are reminded of our great family visit several years ago when we all went to Great Wolf Lodge, Colonial Williamsburg, and other favorite places around here.

For dinner we went to Captain George’s Seafood restaurant. The cost has gone up to $31/per person, but on Sundays it is $27. Tim loves the snow crab legs (the Captain serves 1 million pounds of crab legs per year in 4 restaurants). I like the lightly breaded fried shrimp (125,000 pounds per year) and the scallops (300,000 pounds per year). This restaurant gets great reviews on Trip Advisor.

We spent some time in the large Yankee Candle shop and the Premium Outlets. I even scored a TB swim suit for 70% off, in my favorite style.

Today may be the last day for capris and just a top. The rest of the week will be cooler in Virginia, and we sure know it will be in Pennsylvania. Tomorrow will still be a good day for outdoor activities in Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown.

NORTH, HERE WE COME!

NORTH, HERE WE COME!

Hampton Inn, Fayetteville, North Carolina
Sunny, 70s F

After another quick look at the Breckinridge Park Model home, we said our goodbyes to Scorchy and Mary Lou and off we went about 8:30 a.m.  We took a detour to a showroom for RVs and other park homes along Rt. 301 just to do a little research. We already found out that our friends in Charleston were in California and the Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden in Bishopville was only open till 4 p.m. on Saturday, closed on Sunday, so this would be a travel day.

We used Randy’s new travel app, Waze, and it showed us how to avoid big traffic logjams along the Interstates. Bravely we got off the highway twice and took the new bypass route Waze suggested. One time we could even see traffic completely stopped for 5 miles on I-95 while we traveled parallel to it.

By 7 p.m. we stopped in Fayetteville for the night. It is so amazing to travel now with cell phones, GPS, and apps like Hilton, Marriott, Trip Advisor, Gas Buddy, and Waze, and more. With two phones I can look up something on one and call on the other.

We are about 4 ½ hours from Williamsburg, our destination tomorrow. Coleen texted me a photo of B2 at her first gymnastics practice meet (so professional looking), Friend M texted me about the weather in Erie, Friend MJ told me about her impending trip to Florida, and all suggested we either stay in Florida or delay our return! By the time we get to Erie on Wednesday if all goes well, it will be single digit temperature. Oh no! The upside: we see our family and friends again!!!!!!!

I kept forgetting to mention that while we were in the Dade City area we saw whole orchards of oranges being razed---there is a mite invading the trees and destroying the citrus farming.

GARAGE SALES AND HOMES FOR SALE! STAY TUNED!

GARAGE SALES AND HOMES FOR SALE

TRR, Dade City, Florida
Friday, February 21, 2014
Cloudy, rainy, 81 F’

Excitement alert / caution for Randy and Brian. J This blog is going to be about more fun and foodJ. Early this morning we headed to the Garden Club booth for coffee before we set off through the community to see all the garage sales. Next door neighbor Gene (retired FF from Michigan) loaned us his golf cart. I only bought books, but it was a good opportunity to meet a lot of the people who live here, full and part time, and see the various residences.  There is a good mix of northeastern U.S. residents and 14% Canadian.

We jotted phone numbers down for some homes in the “TRR Villages,” where there are manufactured homes.  Soon enough we were looking at three homes. The first one (2007) was quite large, with tiled floors, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, beautiful kitchen, two living rooms, laundry room, a Florida room, large lanai, and two very nice workshops, which I would use for my study, about 2000 sq. ft. Priced at $120,000, including a golf cart. At TRR one owns the home and land, pays taxes ($800 for Florida residents, $1,600 for non-residents), plus $3000 yearly park fee, plus insurance. Scorchy said to offer $80,000. The size was perfect, but the lot abutted others with less privacy than our house in Pennsylvania---although the houses are well-spaced and not on top of one another. 

House #2 was much older and smaller and would need a lot of work. Mary Lou said to have floors inspected because they often need replacing.  It had two bedrooms and two baths, smaller kitchen, laundry, separate dining room, large Florida room/lanai, living room, and a small workshop area. $80,000. The lots in the TRR Villages are valued at $35,000-$40,000, although there are no lots available anymore. This lot was much more private.

House #3 was older too, 1977. Two bedrooms, two baths, nice kitchen, huge living room, huge Florida room, laundry, small lanai, and workshop, but to get to the Florida room and the lanai, one had to go through a bedroom. The nicest thing about this house was the lot—backed up to a creek and trees, with deer included. $89,000.

All three houses had RV hookups, too.

In the past 5 years we have looked at a lot of places, from southern Georgia to Estero, Florida. We have many friends and family who live in Florida full or part time. Some live in condos—high condo fees which increase yearly, living very close to others; gated communities---high yearly fees (we have seen up to $800/month—no land ownership); manufactured home communities—high yearly fees and one owns only the home, not the land (up to $800/month). Some have golf courses, most have activity centers/pools. I have to say the best deal seems to be here at TRR where one owns a share and has a vote in the community. Mary Lou said that about 1000 people live in TRR, full or part time. There is an emergency services department too, as well as a post office. She also said that RV parks are being bought up and turned into subdivisions. When a community becomes non-solvent and that happens, an entrepreneur buys it and raises fees. Some have gone bankrupt. TRR is solvent. 

If we ever did buy, we sure would know to find one where we owned the home and the land. Since we have our almost maintenance free house in Pennsylvania, we sure do not want a second home that needs lots of maintenance either! Another option is just buying a home like we do in Erie, but if we only stayed there 2-3 months, we would worry about which neighborhood, security, and so on.

The other thing we are noticing is that people ARE buying in Florida again!

After such a busy morning, we drove to Zephyrhills for dinner, another great restaurant, Sunrise Eatery. Since it is our last day in Florida, I opted for shrimp, which came with a very tasty authentic Greek salad. Tim had a variety of seafood-shrimp, fish, and clams.  Even at 2 p.m. there was a line for this restaurant (we did not really eat breakfast or lunch, as usual, so we have early dinner and a snack about 6 or 7).

Now we are preparing to leave Dade City tomorrow morning to head to Bishopville, South Carolina and the Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden.

Last night we got to “Facetime” with B1 and Denise, a real treat!! We miss our family! While they were cozy in their house, we were sitting outdoors in shorts talking to them at 9:30 p.m.!

Update: OK, maybe a change of plans: While we were having strawberry shortcake at Mary Lou’s, we looked at the TR Times and saw two “Park Models” for sale. We made some calls and went to see them. A Park Model is a sort of transition between an RV and a home.

Park Model #1 was a 2011, very neat and clean, tasteful colors, electric kitchen, one bedroom, one bath, full kitchen, living area, study area, screened in porch, and a shed. $60,000, no golf cart, no TR Share. No washer and dryer.

Park Model #2 was a 2007, very neat and clean, tasteful colors, gas kitchen, one bedroom, one bath, full kitchen, living area, study area, screened in porch, and a shed. $28,000, includes newer golf cart, new washer and dryer, and a TR Share ($2700+---this is what I mentioned before, one has to have a share in the park to live here). Owners (from Maine) told us they leave the air on in the summer while they are gone and the electricity cost is $20/month. That prevents moisture and other problems.

 And so here we are, will we stay another day and take another look? We saw the sites at night. Could we live in a smaller space for 2-3 months a year? They are bigger than a balcony stateroom on a cruise ship. Stay tuned.

 

CHEFS DE NAPOLI AND CABANA HAPPY HOUR

CHEFS DE NAPOLI AND CABANA HAPPY HOUR

TRR, Dade City, Florida
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Sunny, 84 F

Scorchy and Mary Lou are so busy in this community! Scorchy played 9 holes of golf early this morning and Mary Lou’s Garden Club met again today (they actually meet twice a week I found out). More planting, more clean up with a coffee break now and then!  There was a wedding in the gardens tonight so the club wanted to make sure the garden was at its best. By the way, the azalea bushes are huge and their flowers are very big too.

So while Scorchy and Mary Lou worked, I read a book while sitting in the shade of a live oak in their backyard. When they got home we headed to Chefs de Napoli in Brookville for lunch---an authentic Italian restaurant we enjoyed last year. The fresh warm homemade bread was sure tasty. I had cheese ravioli, Tim had the Tastes of Italy dish—cheese ravioli, lasagna, and “some round thing.” Mary Lou requested a stop at Publix for snacks because tonight was the cabana area happy hour.

By the time we got home it was time to go to a neighbor’s yard with chairs, drinks, and our snacks (I bought little cream puffs). There were about 30 people there—what nice conversation! We were introduced to everyone. When we told one new friend that we were headed to Williamsburg, she told me two of her daughters work there-one in the millenary shop, the other in the apothecary. The two daughters have worked there for 30 years! She gave us their names and was going to call them to say we would be there soon. I truly think Williamsburg would be a dream job!!  Anyway, this is a very friendly community.

Back “home” we could hear the wedding music in the garden (Mary Lou’s site backs up to an area of the garden (the garden is at least a half-acre, if not more, not including the lake).

Because of Tim’s tech savvy and our Dish Network set up, we watched the 10 p.m. Erie’s FOX 66 news last night and there was my brother talking about maple sugaring! I called him today and they are busy tapping the sugar maple trees. He and Marge advised us that it will still be cold next week when we get home. We are trying to soak up as much sun and warmth as we can before we get home!!

Janie’s Take: We did not win the Powerball Lottery, but Scorchy won $4.00 with his ticket!

POWERBALL AND LIVE UNION

POWERBALL AND LIVE UNION
TRR, Dade City, Florida
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Sunny, 80 F

Amazing weather! Sunny and warm again!  Our field trip today was to Brookville for supplies for the Garden Club coffee booth at the park’s block sale on Friday. We stopped at Sam’s Club, Publix, and a dollar store. I spotted Walmart and many small plazas along the way---a version of Peach Street here.  B1 would be highly amused that Poppy happily drove his sister around through the traffic and all the stores without one complaint. J

While we were out we had lunch at Buffet City, a Chinese buffet restaurant. In Erie I do not do Chinese buffets, but this one was clean and the food was very good. Our fortune cookies told us our lucky numbers, so we all decided to play the Powerball at Publix and use those lucky numbers for our picks. I have never bought a Powerball ticket on my own, but it was easy. The PB is up to $400 million today.

Tonight we went to a concert at the main community center, “Link Union.” Link Union is a musical family that stays at TRR when they are performing in Florida.  Tonight’s show was filmed for A & E, from what I understand.  What a musical family!

There are 4 brothers, aged 14 to 26, their sister, about 25, the mother, the oldest brother’s wife, and the father. The young couple has a darling 1 ½ year old daughter. The musical talent goes back 6 generations, originally from Missouri. When the children in this family (surname Link) were very young, the grandmother and mother taught them the piano. The children started picking up other instruments so the mother took them to perform at nursing homes. Then churches started asking them to perform, as well as fairs and other venues. Now they perform year round across the U.S. and Canada.

Instruments included violin, cello, electric guitar, guitar, banjo, recorder, keyboard, and mandolin. They started with Elvis, then country, Johnny Cash, bluegrass, Celtic, and more. They played my favorite, Ashokan Farewell. Others: Devil Goes Down to Georgia, Dueling Banjos, Dixie, two hours of delightful music.  www.linkunion.com

 

TRAVELERS REST RESORT--SUN AND CLOUDS ARE OK!!!

TRAVELERS REST RESORT

Dade City, Florida
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Sunny, 75 F

What a beautiful day!  The golf course is open for cyclists and walkers on Tuesdays until noon, so Tim and I took a walk around the course. We saw a hawk, an anhinga (water bird with long snake-like neck), and a 7 ft. long alligator in a small pond. He did not look too hungry! We also walked along the “Villages,” the area where the permanent homes are. Tim and I talked about looking around for something. There are homes for sale, but one has to be very careful. Banks won’t give a mortgage if the house is more than 25 years old, and older homes need more maintenance of course. I do think we like this area and what it offers. It is not as congested as Tampa, Fort Myers, or Stuart. Zephyr Hills is 12 miles away, Tampa and Tarpon Springs are not far. Most people who live around here are well-off (like George Steinbrenner). There are horse and cattle (even Brahma) farms. The smaller towns are old Florida charming. Plenty of restaurants, a large movie theater, other cultural activities nearby. Some would say it is not warm enough in Central Florida, but there is no snow. Anyway, we had a nice thoughtful walk this morning.

OUR NEW FRIEND ON THE GOLF COURSE

 

FOR SALE--PALM TREE IN FRONT!

 

Mary Lou and I went to a fashion show, “Have a Colorful Day,” at the main community center this afternoon. I loved the way the style committee organized it. First, the fashions were white, e.g. an 85 year old lady wore a wedding gown! Black was featured. Three ladies wore the primary colors, then introduced ladies wearing their combinations—purple, green, orange, along with indigo. A rainbow of color! A male trio sang a beautiful rendition of “Over the Rainbow.”

Patterns and designs were next. Our friends Norm and Gene participated in this segment while walking their little dogs. After that a lady brought out the others who wore black and did a makeover by adding colorful accessories. Others showed fashions in all the holiday colors, e.g. Halloween, Veterans Day, Christmas, and so on. Finally, several team colors were shown, e.g. Michigan State, Ohio State, and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Each member of the audience received a colorful bag. Cookies and punch were served after.

Mary Lou and I took a golf cart ride around the complex to look for sites for sale. The sky was so beautiful today—the clouds resembled lamb’s wool and feathers, or ocean waves.

For dinner we went to Steph’s Soul Food Kitchen in Dade City. Oh my gosh!! Southern fried chicken, black-eyed peas, the best mashed potatoes and gravy, cornbread and even heavenly strawberry shortcake (in season).  Mary Lou remarked that I am on a cloud kick. I said my new Dansko shoes were like walking on clouds, the biscuits at the Black Eyed Peas restaurant were like eating a cloud, and now the mashed potatoes were like eating a cloud. I really don’t know where that all is coming from, but I must love clouds!

As we were driving home after dinner, we spotted a sun dog in the clouds (a rainbow that tips a cloud). So pretty!

Finished the night by helping Scorchy with his tablet and Facebook.  And, I am reflecting on Sunday night when we used Facetime to contact Randy and Coleen and B1 and B2. I loved seeing them and they are growing so fast!!! I do miss them! We have decided to leave TRR on Saturday and head for Charleston. Then Sunday we will move on to Williamsburg. That’s the plan so far. I sure hope the weather improves in Erie!!!!!!!!!!

STROKE LECTURE AND FISH FRY

STROKE LECTURE AND FISH FRY

Travelers Rest Resort, Dade City, Florida
Monday, February 17, 2014
Sunny, 70s F

In case anyone wonders what there is to do at a camper community like TRR, here we go! To be fair TRR started out as an upscale resort for people who owned Airstreams. The place has evolved considerably.

Now any large camper can be located here. People who live here seasonally own a share of the land as opposed to renting. Every “land owner” has a say in how the place is run, sort of like a city with votes, a president, and a board. One section of TRR is reserved for temporary campers, those who stay for short periods of time. Some people have cabanas—Scorchy and Mary Lou have a cabana with two rooms and a bath where we stay, in addition to their 34 foot camper. Another section of TRR has beautiful manufactured homes. TRR has a 9-hole golf course, a lake, a very large garden area, several activity centers, a heated (87 F) pool, a fitness center, and so on.

Activities include garden club, photography club, genealogy, model airplanes and boats, carpentry, sewing, quilting, computer workshops, and on and on!

First thing this morning we went for coffee and muffins at the main community center where a heart surgeon assistant from Dade City medical center was giving a presentation on preventing strokes, recognizing the symptoms, and what to do if one has the symptoms.

 After the lecture and while Scorchy was golfing, Tim, Mary Lou, and I took a long walk along the TRR gardens and lake. Mary Lou is a member of the garden club and they plan the layout, compost, plant, prune, and really take good care of the gardens. Tomorrow is a garden club work session to plant replacement bromeliads—they meet once a week. Palms, gardenias, poinsettias, bamboo, hydrangea, snake plants, shrimp flowers, and more populate the area, as well as a variety of birds. We saw an egret and a hawk today.

Our next project was breading fish for a neighborhood fish fry. Scorchy brought walleye from Lake Erie for this purpose. We went next door to Geri and Gene’s “home” (from Elk _____, Michigan—retired firefighter and teacher) and soon Norm and Lois (Milton, PA), and Stan and Sharon (Canada) joined us. The menu was fried walleye, grilled walleye, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, and sweet potato fries, none of which I ever eat. But, I stepped up to the plate and tried all of it. Not bad and I didn’t starve. Sharon made delicious pineapple upside down cake. These neighbors are fun and we have met them before. A fun afternoon and evening.

 

 

 

ESTERO TO DADE CITY, FLORIDA

ESTERO TO DADE CITY, FLORIDA

Saturday, February 15, 2014
Sunny, 70 F

We all met at Tom and Carol’s and decided to go to the 50 % off sale at the Goodwill store. Clothing was separated by color and type (jeans, capris, sweaters, tops, etc. An Ethan Allan chair and ottoman in great condition was priced at $30! I bought 5 books for $.50/each. The store was CROWDED and there was no parking which left Tim in a good mood. J

We finally left Estero about noon (two cars)—I-75 was busy and by the time we were outside Tampa there was a first class jam. We wanted to go to a big mall there and by the time we left the mall the traffic was even worse. Our decision to go to another mall (Shops at Wiregrass in Wesley Chapel) to eat was not a wise one, but we had dinner at Cantina Laredo. It was about 9:30 p.m. by the time we got to Scorchy and Mary Lou’s at Travelers Rest Resort and organized ourselves. We were tired. Everything was set up in the cabana an after a couple words on Words with Friends, we went to bed.

 RENNIGER’S ANTIQUE SHOW ROCKS!!

Sunday, February 16, 2014
Sunny, 70 F

Admittedly it did get cool last night, but we had blankets and a heater and slept very comfortably. We were off early to Renniger’s Extravaganza Antique Show about an hour and a half away in Mt. Dora, after breakfast at the Black Eyed Peas—fresh southern cooking at its finest. This antique show, which we have gone to now for at least 4 years, is the largest I have ever been to. I loved looking at the garden items (wrought iron, wicker, wood, twig), glass, pottery, primitives, vintage clothing, buttons, textiles, lamps, antique eyeglasses, Bakelite, Fiesta, Franciscan, collectibles like Coca Cola, toys,  and even old architectural features like fencing, doors, and stained glass windows.  Most of the show is open air, but there are little shops and a couple buildings that are open year round. This year I did not see all of it due to the time allotted (3 hours) by my companions. J  I did meet Tim at the food vendor who makes gran arepas—my absolute favorite Colombian food, a grilled corn cake “sandwich” with melted mozzarella cheese. She even grinds the corn to make the cake patty.

The drive to and from Mt. Dora is scenic, cows, horses, mansions, gated communities, orange orchards, tree farms, fruit stands, lots of lakes, with small communities along the way-and little shopping plazas.

Tonight we four went to the Sunday night show at the Busch Hall stage at Travelers Rest Resort (TRR). Irish comedian, George Casey, entertained us grandly for no charge (paid for by TRR)—he just finished a gig as comedian on a Holland America cruise ship and has worked Las Vegas and other venues. He lives in Branson, Missouri. A joke I remember: “My wife hates to cook and I hate her cooking.”

p.s. as soon as I stop having so much fun I will try to attach some photos---

Note: Mary Lou and Scorchy have a Verizon “hot spot” they pay $50 a month for. Now there is no problem getting on the Internet!!

 

 

BACK ON LAND!

AT SEA

Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Sunny and 80s, water temperature 76 F. The captain said the water depth was 40,000 feet at one point. THAT IS DEEP WATER, like between 7 to 8 miles deep.
 

We knew that today poolside was going to be very busy, so we went straight to the pool by 8 a.m. The lounge chairs were fully saved by 8:45 a.m. As I mentioned before there are at least 150 “groupies” for the rock n roll band, as well as at least a group of 100 square dancers. I suspect everyone turned into a groupie for the rock band because everyone knew they were playing poolside from 3 to 5 p.m. today.  We have stayed in the shade all cruise—Dr. Mink would be pleased with me! Tim does go in the pool and he is brown.  So, today I spent 9 hours reading by the pool and listening to Calypso Trio and then Spike and the Bulldogs!

Spike and the Bulldogs: Today I spoke to one of the fans. Most of the “groupies” are from Indiana near Fort Wayne, some from Ohio and Kentucky. Spike is retiring and moving to Utah, so this is his farewell tour. The Bulldogs are proceeding forward with the band and will continue to do rock n roll cruises. There are five members of the band: Spike-the vocalist; two electric guitars, a sax player, and a keyboard. Others do sing, but Spike is very good.

Some songs: At the Hop, Palisades Park, Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On, Louie Louie, Let’s Twist Again, Charlie Brown, Run Around Sue, Only the Lonely, Pretty Woman, Mustang Sally, Hang On Sloopy, Peggy Sue, Twist n Shout, Surfin Safari, Shakin All Over, Stand By Me, Light My Fire, etc.

This whole experience makes me want to be a groupie for a band back home. Tim said we already were, back in the day (Tennessee Back Porch). All these Spike fans are about our age and they are STILL singing and dancing.

Tonight we returned to Il Adagio for Italian dinner.  Excellent! 

 

LAST SEA DAY ON THE SUN

Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Sunny, 82 F, water temperature 78 F

By the last day of the cruise everyone is wise. Tim was lucky to find two lounge chairs on the pool deck in the shade at 7 a.m. I am not going to go overboard about this, but a man next to us had towels on FOUR chairs at 7 a.m. and NO ONE but him sat there until 2:30 p.m. Earlier, at noon, he said his wife and daughter were still sleeping! #&*! His wife showed up at 2:30 when I was leaving. Four chairs reserved????

At 2:30 I went back to the room to start packing, fearful that our old and new belongings would not fit in our suitcases. With a lot of huffing and puffing and stuffing, I made everything fit. Thank goodness. Four of our suitcases will be ported dockside for customs purposes. (We will leave them outside our room in the hallway tonight. We will be responsible for our carry-ons and my tech gear tomorrow---thank goodness for the bag bungee—I hope to attach the tech gear bag to my carry-on—easier on my back. I asked Tim if he has a strategy after we retrieve our bags. He planned his strategy when we docked in Miami 10 days ago—I will find a porter while he locates our bags. Then we will ask our porter to help us get a taxi to our hotel and the truck.  Last December when we cruised, we did not ask the porter about the taxi part and he just unloaded us among about 200 other people outside the terminal area looking for a taxi to the airport. We hope for the best!

Tonight after dinner we ran into Kevin and Linda (Sim—“Scotnadian”), our Scottish-Canadian friends. We decided to go to dinner with them (we did not eat)—it was the last night and we hadn’t seen them for a while—a lovely couple also on the ship for two cruises.  Linda told us that they met one of the comedians—as a joke in his show he had said, “How do you know if bagpipes are out of tune?” Everyone laughed. When Linda met him she told him she was from Scotland, and SHE knows when bagpipes are out of tune! After that they became friends! I liked that story. 

After good byes, Tim and I finished packing and set four bags outside our room in the hall. I even took a picture of our bags, no repeat incidents for us anymore!

 

MIAMI, FLORIDA—GOOD BYE SUN!

Miami to Estero, Florida
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Rain, then sun, cooler, 68 F
 

Tim’s plan worked perfectly. We were in our taxi headed for the hotel within 15 minutes of getting off the ship, already through customs (I was a little worried about the nutmeg I bought at the market in St. Lucia). We were at our hotel by 9:30 a.m.  One of the smoothest debarkations ever.

We shopped at Miramar and then picked up Tom and Carol for dinner at Miller’s Ale House. Thirty five shrimp, fries, and salad for $10. Then we went to Jeff and Carmel’s----Jeff told us that a lot of national sports figures hang out at Miller’s, e.g. Boston Red Sox. We found out that the Red Sox and one other team train here and tickets for spring training games run $200/per person, if you can get them.  He said Boston fans buy houses and come down just for Spring Training season.

We saw on the news that the east coast was pounded with snow again---we heard that many of our cruise friends did not get home.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
Estero, Florida
Friday, February 14, 2014
Sunny, 70 F (no snow!)

We picked up Tom and Carol and drove to the Fleamasters Flea Market. This market is worth going to!! We spent about 2 ½ hours there then returned to Tom’s. About 3 p.m. Mary Lou and Scorchy arrived from Dade City to play Trivial Pursuit with us—a family tradition. Even though we drew for teams it turned out to be the girls vs. the boys and the boys trounced us twice! Alyssa, Jeff’s daughter, and her boyfriend Kyle watched the Koenig family antics during the game.

I was able to speak to B1 and wish her a Happy Valentine’s Day this afternoon—she sounds so grownup! She told me about Patriot’s Day at her school—every class did some sort of Medal of Honor project and today service veterans visited the school and students had a chance to talk to them. Friend H was there to help. I really hated to miss this event.

 

 

 

 

ST. MAARTEN ENCORE!!!

CASTRIES, ST. LUCIA
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Partly Cloudy, 82 F

Our ship docked at Pointe Seraphine in Castries, St. Lucia, right in the middle of a small shopping area. The last time we were here in 2009, we went on a fabulous tour by Cosol with Angel and Bill and several other NCL friends. Cosol took us to a spice farm and we stopped at his favorite bakery for fresh bread. I asked today’s tour operators about Cosol and they said he is still around and had already taken off with his tour people.

Tim and I walked around, purchased a few things, and went back on board the ship for lunch.  Tim took a photo of a cocoa tree. On the pool deck we placed our lounge chairs so we could look out into the prettiest little cove with palms, seagulls, sailboats sailing, catamarans and charter boats, and even a small airport in the background. We saw a DC-9, small planes, and a helicopter fly in and out. Every day the Sun’s “Calypso Trio” plays poolside. Another afternoon in the warmth of the Caribbean. 

Speaking of which, on this morning’s news we saw that Lake Erie is 93% frozen over, Lake Huron is 65% frozen, and Lake Michigan is 83% frozen. The other day I learned that the Erie School District has already had 4 snow days. I think we are in the right place.

Tim and I agree that the Sun’s buffet on Deck 11 is nothing to write home about, for lunch or dinner. The food is OK, but not extraordinary. The space itself probably needs some spiffing up. I will say that the made to order omelets and waffles are available for breakfast. There is ice cream (hard and soft) available all afternoon, and about 5 p.m. one can get a crepe made to order with a choice of strawberry, lemon, blueberry, Nutella, or chocolate.

I did want to note the Bar Manager’s Specials:

Morning: Bloody Mary, Screwdriver, Mimosa--$4.25
Drink of the Day: Cherry Lime-Aid---$6.95 (I have no idea what that is) (yesterday--Blue Lagoon)
Sail Away Special: Long Island Iced Tea (souvenir glass included) ----$8.95 (yesterday: Sea Breeze with souvenir glass--$7.25)
Martini of the Day: Citrus Gem--$7.50

Tonight’s towel animal: a turkey! But Tim accidentally sat on it. I got a photo first. Should have taken a photo of Tim sitting on the poor creature.

 Finished reading:

Janet Evanovich: Explosive Eighteen (a silly Stephanie Plum novel I got in the library. SP is a bail bond enforcer with strange friends)
Robert K. Tanenbaum: Escape (a long detailed NY District Attorney Butch Karp novel with Christian, Jewish, and Muslim intrigue, a mother who kills in the name of God, and a jihad in a NYC synagogue and the NYSE)
James Patterson: Gone (Michael Bennett must find a Mexican drug lord who escaped from prison and is looking for Bennett’s family) (loaned by Bill’s mother, I have run out of books and there aren’t many English titles in the library)
James Patterson: Merry Christmas (loaned by Bill’s sister Debbie) (Alex Cross has his hands full with a father threatening to kill his children and ex-wife on Christmas Eve –not finished yet)

 

PHILIPSVILLE, ST. MAARTEN
Monday, February 10, 2014
Sunny, 80s F

We caught the water taxi into town on this beautiful sunny day. We are having lunch at Green House--we found out at the Green House in St. Thomas that there were two more in St. Maarten.  Tim decided to go local and has conch soup and bango shrimp. He really liked it. I had a great grilled cheese sandwich.

We are wondering about B2's loose tooth and B1's games!!!

BARBADOS--HOT!!!

DOMINICA, THE NATURE ISLE OF THE CARIBBEAN

Roseau, Dominica
Friday, February 7, 2014
Sunny, 81 F

We disembarked for a short time and bought a few souvenirs in the market. This port is not commercialized like many of the others. There is a fenced in area for the NCL approved tour vans and taxis, but if you go outside the fence, the vendors are relentless. Some cruise people just can’t handle their perseverance, but we do all right. We toured this island in 2009 and still remember sitting in the backseat of the van and all the twists and turns up steep, narrow windy roads. This is a rainforest type island with high peaks, waterfalls, and lush foliage. Angel and Bill went river tubing and had a blast—next time we may do that! It sounded like so much fun.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool. It was a quiet afternoon. After a great prime rib dinner we went to the show “The Look of Love—the Music of Burt Bacharach.” It was a cute skit with Bacharach’s music with the Sun’s show band, singers, and dancers.  Tim likes this music.

 

TK’s Takes: We saw dolphins and tuna as we were leaving the port and we were in the dining room.

Janie’s Take: We have had a window table for two in the dining room almost every night—delightful! I miss my family, especially B1 and B2.

Tonight’s towel animal: A mama snail and a baby snail. Too cute1

 

Bridgetown, Barbados
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Hot and Sunny

We are in  the terminal--free wi-fi for all without passwords so I don't want to spend too much time. Hope it's safe.
Update:

BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS

Saturday, February 8, 2014
Sunny, Cloudy, some bursts of rain, 82 F

Our daily paper reminded us that smoking is strictly prohibited in all public areas in Barbados. Also, “guests are asked not to wear camouflage, military fashion, or offensive writing on clothing.”  This has been the rule since we started coming to Barbados in 1995.

It was a treat to see two masted ships in port today—the Royal Star ship had FIVE masts and the Windstar ship had FOUR masts! I know that Windstar offers “cruises,” but I will need to look up Royal Star lines. The ships were beautiful, even without sails up.

The Sun docked at the freight shipyard, so we took a free shuttle to an area where we could catch a taxi to town. One could walk, but with jitneys moving all around, cranes, and freight cars (the kind on trains), I think it was safer to shuttle.

Tim and I walked around Bridgetown, along a canal, and over a bridge to a park area. Bridgetown was not bustling like usual, probably because it was Saturday.  We spent about an hour downtown before we took a taxi back to the ship. Barbados is not as hilly as some of the other islands.

Angel and Bill went on a catamaran today and snorkeled. Tim said he does want to snorkel again. Maybe I will practice in our pool at home. I have gone snorkeling several times in the Caribbean, but I’m not good at it. Tim is like a fish.

We spent the afternoon at the pool—in the shade. A Barbados steel band, “Anderson Sealy Orchestra,” played beautiful Caribbean music poolside while we read our books. Aside: I am sure this does not sound like the most exciting life, but I love reading while listening to live music, having the chance to do absolutely nothing. I also enjoy sitting on our balcony as we leave a port, watching the palm trees sway in the breeze---the pilot guiding the ship through the right channel, the tug nearby to make sure there is no emergency.

We get ready for dinner and usually we have had a window seat to continue our view of the island just passing by as we leave. I do love having our “hotel” move on across the sea to another adventure.

Tonight we did not go to see the hypnotist’s show. Not our thing. For a while we sat in the Atrium and listened to tunes by Iurri and Yuliyana, keyboard and vocalist.

UP TO DATE IN ST. THOMAS

AT SEA
Wednesday, January 28, 2014
Sunny, 83 F, windy with 6-10 ft. swells

Today was a lazy routine, reading by the pool, a digital photography class, shopping presentation for St. Maarten, Tortola, and St. Thomas.  If I keep taking photography classes, I may learn more about my camera! I think I have “white balance” mastered!  Tim tell me I could give the shopping lecture—no doubt! Today’s shopping “talk” lasted for 1 ½ hours. That is way too long. Everyone stays because the presenter raffles off nice gifts.

Tonight, Cruise Critic members, Peggy and Steve from Virginia, organized a “Celebration” dinner in the Seven Seas Dining Room. Tim and I are celebrating our 30^th anniversary all year long, so we definitely counted ourselves in. Over 70 Cruise Critic people attended this enjoyable dinner. We sat with Kevin and Linda (screen name--Scotnadian) and Peggy and Steve (screen name--Plank). We discovered that Linda, Peggy, and I are all educators, so we had a lot in common. We shared cruising tales too. For one thing, Peggy and Steve were on the Royal Caribbean _________ of the Seas when it caught fire last year. 

We saw on MSNBC news last night that another Royal Caribbean ship (Explorer of the Seas) had to return to Miami with 700 passengers who had norovirus.  Cruise lines really try to prevent norovirus—there are hand sanitizer stations throughout this ship, especially at all the restaurants. Crew also stand by the restaurants’ entrance and spray your hands with hand sanitizer. All the ships we have been on do this.  We notice other precautions, too. Passengers who have norovirus are quarantined in their staterooms for over 24 hours (NCL, Carnival, Princess, Holland America).

We are quite sure it is still snowing and cold in Erie. We are grateful that we are enjoying sunshine daily. 

Tonight’s towel animal was a darling elephant. Alit Setiawan of India, our cabin steward, says it takes him about one minute to make one towel animal.

TK’s Takes:  The biggest pool today was closed because of the wind—too much water splashes over the side.

ST. MAARTEN AND THE YODA GUY!

Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Philipsburg, Dutch St. Maarten
Sunny with a couple drops of rain, 81 F

About 8:30 a.m. Caribbean time, we took a water taxi from the area where seven huge cruise ships are docked to the main area of town. Seven cruise ships—that means at least 15,000-18,000 extra people on the island! To tell the truth, we were not jostled nor did we feel crowded. We hadn't been in St. Maarten for a while, so everything looks different. The main shopping street is narrow and quaint. One block off Philipsburg’s main street there are more shops, restaurants, and hotels right on a white sandy beach. We are returning to Philipsburg on February 10^th, so we decided to have lunch on the island then.

We discovered a shop owned by “Yoda Guy.” Nick Maley opened a Star Wars museum right on the main street. He was the designer and creator of Yoda and got an Emmy nomination for his creation of Anthony Hopkins' Hunchback of Notre Dame in the movie of that name. He is a personable guy who told us he sold his Ferrari three years ago and moved to the Caribbean. Smart!  He signed some items for usJ. 

TORTOLA AND SUNNY CARIBBEE!

Thursday, January 30, 2014
Sunny with a few drops of rain, 82 F

We get up about 7 a.m. each morning so we are ready to go off the ship quite early. The shops on the islands so far open about 9-10 a.m., so we usually take a walk while waiting. We have visited Tortola several times. If we visit again we are definitely going to go to Virgin Gorda. We have heard so much about that area, but have never gone—it is only accessible by boat.

Road Town, Tortola does not have too many shops, but the one we always go to is Sunny Caribbee, a shop that sells the spices we love. Today, we made a few gift purchases here J. I have ordered their “Salt ’N Spice” online, we like it so much—tomatoes, mozzarella, oil, and this seasoning, sumptuous. A small market area has been developed with small, sturdy wooden buildings for the vendors who were formerly in canopies the last time we were here.  I love the bright colors---oranges, yellows, greens, blues that we see in the Caribbean on clothing, buildings, even the flowers.

Tonight I went to the show with acrobats, “Soul Duo.” They are extraordinary performers from the Ukraine. As the NCL Freestyle Daily said, their show is a fusion of acrobatic feats, circus art, aerial ballet, and beautiful choreography. They did things I did not know the human body was capable of.

We stopped in and out of other shops, like Diamonds International, Boolchand’s, Aruba Aloe, Tommy Bahamas, Tissot, and Del Sol. We do love looking at watches and I don’t mind looking at diamondsJ.  I don’t think I will be buying the $11,000 Crown of Light diamond that I looked atJ.

A candy shop offered free Wi-fi, not as convenient as Starbucks.  I loaded the blog (updated as of now) and saw that Erie is 3 F.  I sure do hope my dear family is doing OK in that cold weather.

After some gelato (me: lime and coconut; TK: coconut and mango), we boarded the water taxi to the area where the cruise ships docked. One cannot imagine what 7 gigantic cruise ships look like, back to front, four in a row, 3 behind. The towering behemoths make me feel like very very tiny!

We went to the comedian Chris Alpine’s show tonight. Definitely funny. E.g. he narrowed in on people from south Florida. He asked, “Why do you go on cruises to the Caribbean? Just walk outdoors.” Another: The comedian said his sister had a baby. “She named him after his father, ‘Who.’” One more:  “My sister told me not to get her son any toy guns. So I didn’t. I bought him a real one.”  Finally: Alpine said the first time he boarded a cruise ship he made the mistake of calling it a boat in front of the captain. The captain said to him, “Tomorrow morning how about I put you on a boat out in the Atlantic? I bet then you will know the difference between a ship and a boat.” That joke really tickled me—it’s so silly when people call a ship a boat. Really.  I’m surprised that I remembered that many of his jokes.

St. Maarten:  144 miles east of Puerto Rico. Population, 69,000. French, Dutch, English.

 

SHOP SHOP SHOP IN ST. THOMAS!

Friday, January 31, 2014
Sunny, breezy, 80s F

We are sitting in the Green House, our favorite St. Thomas restaurant where we sit by an open window, cool breeze, and right on the bay, to have our cheeseburgers in paradise. I practically begged the waitress to let us move to a lesser section after we ate while I did my blog, but she insisted we stay right at this lovely open window.  Free Wi-Fi here.

We had a bit of a misstep this morning when we left the ship. The locals “herded” us to what we thought was an open air bus headed for downtown. After 10 minutes we figured out we were on the bus to the beach. So we had a little detour, saw Magen’s Bay for the swimmers and the golf course one man was headed to. Finally we got to the shops. Heaven forbid we weren’t there when the stores opened! 

We spent about 3 ½ hours meandering through the shops, perfume, watches, jewelry, liquor, electronics, souvenirs, and so on. St. Thomas is a shopping haven with so much variety---we love to look. This activity probably would not appeal to everyone, but we have learned a lot about diamonds, watches, and other jewelry over the years. There are so many Americans of all ages who live on the islands and work in the shops—a lifestyle one could easily adapt to.

I was thinking about all of our Caribbean trips and why we enjoy the islands so much. All of the islands were first populated by Native Americans, generally Arawaks or Caribes.  Then individual islands were “captured” by the Spanish, English, Portuguese, French, or the Dutch.  Many of the islands were defeated by another country or more after the first settlement. Then the African slaves were brought in. Each diverse people brought in another layer of culture---art, food, language, music, religion, and so on.  It is a fascinating history and we get to be a part of the culture! I know this sounds silly, but I remember studying the West Indies in grade school. I loved the idea of the spices, gold, and silver, the resources of the Caribbean. Now we have experienced almost every inhabited island in the Caribbean! All except Cuba!

When we were finished shopping (no big purchases), we boarded an open air bus for the pier. Turned out it was the bus for Blue Beard’s Castle Time Share Resort. Oh well! The driver took us to the pier after dropping the other people off, and we had another “tour” in St. Thomas. J

Tonight we are reading our books after dinner.

Tonight’s towel animal is a penguin—we have never seen one before.

TK’s Take:  The nice cool breeze is really fine!

Janie’s Take: In case you did not get our email, we do want the Seawolves tix!

AT SEA

Saturday. February 1, 2014
Sunny, some rain sprits, 80s F

We had breakfast in the dining room, assorted pastries, scrambled eggs, hash browns, Tim had eggs Benedict. We have not been eating breakfast but today was the exception. Then we headed for the pool—we chose lounge chairs under the awning to avoid the sun and any rain. The noon barbecue was prepared right next to us, a vat of rice, shrimp, chicken, and vegetables, along with a large grill for pork and chicken. Watermelon slices and corn on the cob complemented the barbecue.

Where is Barb C when we need her? Years ago she was the one who pointed out that cruise ships put one color carpeting on the port side of the decks with staterooms, and another color on the starboard side. That made it so easy to know which side our stateroom was on when we got off the elevator or climbed the stairs. It is easy to get turned around on a ship. Anyway, on the Sun, the carpet is the same color on both sides. By now we are fairly good at figuring this all out, but it is so much easier with a color system.

Another thing—Tim and I disagree about the food. I like the cuisine on this ship so much better than on Princess. I like simpler fare, without elaborate spices and herbs. NCL’s offerings certainly are interesting cuisine, but not so far from our everyday dining. I think the pastries are fresher and I already commented on the desserts, although I am not eating that much. Last night there was a chocolate dessert buffet—I don’t eat chocolate anymore.

Our dinner tonight was at Il Adagio, the Italian restaurant. I loved the atmosphere—galley style with windows on the sea---very intimate. The wait staff was very attentive. The first thing we noticed was the warm Italian bread, right out of the oven. Five different dipping oils. Caprese salad, chicken parmesan, for me---steak, Caprese salad, minestrone for Tim. Excellent. We liked this restaurant better than the French restaurant. We had a voucher, but if not this would have cost us $15 per person. Le Bistro is $20 per person without the voucher. We get two vouchers for two because we are at “Platinum” level, over 60 days or so with NCL.

We went to the show, “Rock You Tonight,” with songs by Queen, Journey, and Who.

Jonathan Kellerman: The Conspiracy Club (girlfriend killed—psychologist finds killer); Flesh and Blood (girl/patient murdered—Delaware connects to magazine magnate)

Tami Hoag: Dust to Dust (young cop dies, then his father—detective figures out a 20 year old secret)
John Sandford: Rules of Prey (“maddog,” a serial killer turns out to be a lawyer who works in real estate)
James Patterson: Sail (the Family Dunne, alive after weeks missing at sea)
(just noting books I have read on the cruise)

 

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY AT SEA

SEAHAWKS??
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Sunny, 80s F

We weren’t sure what the weather would be based on our departure from Miami 12 days ago, but it is very warm. 

Fortunately I was able to snag 4 more books from the library that passengers have left, because I finished all the ones I brought—can’t read the iPad outside by the pool, so I must rely on the real thing.

I am glad we aren’t saying goodbye to the crew—they have been very sweet, the friendliest ever. Absolutely no problems with the Pepsi card—no waiting, no questions. Some bars have fountain guns, other pour out of a can.

We watched the Super Bowl on deck for the first quarter. It was gruesome and we were really worried about Brian and B1. I was rooting for Denver, I can assure you. TK was dumbfounded because he really thought that Denver would win. After the first quarter, we returned to the room and watched the game on TV there while reading. The ship provided wings, chips, salsa, hotdogs, etc. as well as the usual buffet or dinner. This ship does not have a big screen like the Carnival and Princess ships we have been on for the Super Bowl.  Neither of us won the pool.

MIAMI AGAIN! BACK TO BACK

Monday, February 3, 2014
Sunny, 80s F

What a terrific day in Miami. I was able to talk to Randy, Brian, Denise, Coleen (left message), Marge and Bill, and Friends H and M! So good to hear their voices. B1 and B2 were in school, so no luck talking to those dear ones.  Found out that B2 has not lost her tooth yet. That will happen! B1 has a basketball game tonight, so we will think of her playing her favorite sport. Skiing is happening, although it rained on Saturday.  Our house still stands. Doesn’t sound like the weather is any warmer in Erie/Jamestown than when we left in mid-January.  I sure wish we could ship some warmth up north! 

 About 10:30 a.m., after all passengers had disembarked, we had to go through U.S. customs and then return to the ship—there are 43 people who are doing the Back to Back, 22 days.  We had the ship to ourselves for a little while. First thing we ran into Angel and Bill (formerly of Maine, now North Carolina), our friends from past NCL cruises. Right away we were engaged with new friends at the Sail Away party and ended up at Brendan and Judy’s Penthouse Suite (Toronto) (9^th deck, forward), for pre-dinner drinks with Kevin and Linda (Scotland, now Toronto). The Penthouse Suite is twice as big as our stateroom, with a balcony facing the front of the ship, a huge bathroom with tub and shower.  The PS comes with a private butler to attend to their needs. It’s nice to get a chance to see it.

Tonight’s dinner was lobster and steak.  Everyone loves the spring rolls. The key lime pie for dessert was great too. We talked about the upcoming stage shows and our insight into this ship and others at dinner. When I asked if Kevin and Linda had seen the acrobats last cruise, Kevin said, “Oh, do you mean the girl who can clean her ears with a Q-tip in her toes?”  In the blog I said they could do things with the human body I didn’t know one could do. I like his way of saying it better.

Tonight’s towel animal was the little bitty birdie.

At Sea

Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Sunny, 80s F

After breakfast, we watched the Zumba class for a little while. I emphasize the word, watched. The “leaders” were two of the ship’s dancers and they sure could do some moves. Everyone had worked up quite a “glow.” The male dancer was doing kicks above his head. I noted that none of the passenger participants could do that. We also noted that the average age of participants was probably 35-40.  45 minutes!

Our Cruise Critic Meet and Greet was organized for 11 p.m.  This time there were only 30, a much better number so we could actually meet a lot of the people we were chatting with on the CC board. The group ranged from Canadians (even Northwest Territory), to people from NJ, CT, MA, MO, IL, NC, OH, WI, and NV. Tom from Columbus, Ohio is super organized and even printed a beautiful color flyer with super photos of everyone, maps of the ship, directions for the “cabin hop,” (visiting different staterooms, poker run), and the slot pull. Our stateroom will be the example of a balcony. Tomorrow we will see an aft mini suite, our mid-ship balcony, an ocean view, and two forward suites.  For the gift exchange, we ended up with maple leaf golf balls, a card holder, chocolate loonies, and maple leaf pens. Our gift was a tin of mints with Presque Isle on the front, Romolo’s sponge candy, an Erie coozie, Niagara postcards, and an Erie magnet.

We enjoyed dinner tonight at Il Adagio. I had the Caprese salad and baked lasagna. Fabulous. Tim had lobster linguine and Caesar salad, both very good. The lemon cheesecake was our dessert.

Janie’s Take:  For the first cruise 12 days I slept so well and heard absolutely NO sounds at night, just the lulling rocking of the ship. Now, 2 nights in a row, I have awakened to loud talking and laughing, presumably next door. Not good.

AT SEA

Sailing past Haiti and Dominican Republic
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Sunny, 79 F

Today was a pool day—the crowd this week is a little younger and cruise savvy, so we had to get to the pool deck early to secure our chaise lounges in the shade. 

In the afternoon we had our Cruise Critic Cabin Hop and poker run. About 30 people visited the 5 cabins on the “Hop,” ours included. Believe it or not, our room is especially tidy because….we have a great room steward, there is a lot of space for our things, and we make an effort to keep the room neat!  The mini suite was aft—in the back of the ship---entry foyer, the large bath with tub and shower, large balcony with 2 lounge chairs, 3 cushion couch, walk-in closet, and queen bed.  The ocean view stateroom was bright with a large window, queen bed, smaller closet, and shower. Our balcony with queen bed, shower, ample closet, desk with 3 drawers, small counter with 3 drawers, plus wall cabinets, and a two cushion couch, 2 deck chairs, table on the balcony. The two forward penthouse suites were similar, entry foyers, large balcony with 2 lounge chairs, 2 deck chairs, and a table, queen bed, table and chairs, large bath with tub and shower, large walk-in closets. Queen beds can also become large twin beds. As I mentioned before, suites have butlers!

Almost everyone paid $5 to draw a playing card in each room. Each “host” kept track of the draw in their room and at the end we met in the Observation Deck lounge to determine the winner—in this case it was Angel’s sister in law with 4 threes--$60!

There is a rock n roll band from Gary, Indiana on board with their fans so “Spike and the Bulldogs” played at 3 p.m. at the pool. They were very very good and I am glad they are going to play by the pool again next week. We think at least 100 people came on this cruise to support their favorite band. Beatles, The Animals, Jimi Hendrix, Motown, 50s and 60s music was enjoyed by all.

Tim and I agreed that tonight’s show in the Stardust was the best show we have ever seen on a ship, “The Graffiti Classics.” Advertised as “16 strings, 8 dancing feet, and 4 voices with one aim: to make classical music wickedly funny and fantastically exhilarating. Graffiti Classics burst elitist boundaries of the traditional string quartet with its hilarious all-singing, all-dancing musical comedy cabaret show.”  These four young people, two girls, two guys from England were fantastic. B1 and I loved “Nuttin But Stringz,” two young men who made their violins sing on the America’s Got Talent show.  She would definitely have enjoyed this group!  Their four instruments were two violins, a viola, and a cello. Such talented musicians—can you imagine singing and playing “Hava Nagila” while dancing?  At one point, the lead musician said, “Imagine you are on a ship.” Everyone laughed, but the musicians swayed as if on rough seas while making their instruments sound like the creaking and moaning of masts and sails on a tall ship. Then they sang, “Early in the Morning—what do you do with a drunken sailor.”  The lead musician also sang “Danny Boy” a cappello. Beautiful.  For the finale they played the can-can music from the opera, Carmen, while doing the can-can! Yes, I bought their CDs!

TK’s Takes: Ocean temperature was 79 F.

Tonight’s towel animal: Scorpion

 

ST. THOMAS ENCORE!

Thursday, February 6, 2014
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
Sunny with a few drops of rain, 83 F

We knew what we were doing in St. Thomas today. This is the 16^th time we have been in St. Thomas so we should know what we are doing—except last week’s misstep. J  We did things a little differently and found some jewelry souvenirs for??? J

We had lunch at the Green House so I was able to work on the blog.  We have done a lot of walking on the cruises, hopefully to offset some of the food. I love the shopping here---so much jewelry, so little time, so little money.  Only 3 ships were in port, so the crowd was light. However, even with 6 cruise ships there are so many shops that one never feels neglected while shopping.  We returned to Havensight and our ship laden with jewelryJ.

As the ship left the dock and we sailed away, Tim and I sat on the balcony. It was a heavenly view with the mountains and clouds in the backdrop, the gently rolling sea, and palm trees, villas, resorts, and yachts all fading into the distance.

Tonight’s show was Comedian Rick Starr. His jokes made us laugh, but I can’t write them out so they would be as funny as they were in the moment

Christopher Columbus discovered the island of St. Thomas during his 2^nd voyage to the New World in 1493. Carib and Arawak Indians were already there, so no one really knows who the first humans on St. Thomas were. The area is 31.24 sq. miles. Population is 105, 275.