ON THE ROAD HOME TO ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA

 Hampton Inn/Mooresville

Mooresville, North Carolina

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

From 78 F to 56 F/some rain, some sun

We sure enjoyed our stay with Mary Lou and Scorchy! After our good-byes this morning, TK skillfully drove from Dade City, Florida to Mooresville, North Carolina in 10 hours today. 

We stopped at a Huddle House near Brunswick, Georgia for lunchtime breakfast. Their omelets are the fluffiest and taste so good.

While TK drove, I finished a book by Michael Connelly (The Burning Room) and even was inspired to write a few pages for my work on World War I and my great uncle.

Fortunately the rain held off and we just had a few sprinkles along the way. There was nothing remarkable along the highways—I-75, FL-301, I-95, and I-77. The temperature started getting lower and TK was regretting wearing shorts today. Traffic was light until we got to Charlotte, NC.  Charlotte! Traffic here is always unbelievable. We thought we had figured out a route around this snarling slow traffic in January, I-485. No such luck today. Anyway, we arrived at our hotel by 6 p.m. TK was tired.

TK’s Takes: Charlotte’s traffic is the worst, worse than Ft. Myers. There were no rest areas on I-95 N in Georgia.


For B2:

This is Shadow, Mary Lou and Scorchy's cat. Does he remind you of Fudgie???

ANOTHER FLEAMARKET AND PACKING UP/AND HEADING NORTH ON TUESDAY

Travelers Rest Resort

Dade City, Florida

Sunday, February 21 and Monday, February 22, 2016

78 F, sunny

Again, as I write, I am sitting outdoors in short sleeves and capris--a wonderful way to spend February!

This morning when I walked to Busch Hall for morning coffee hour, I saw a cloud that looked like a beautiful fern frond. I took it as a message that I should be getting back to my World War I writing project!

After coffee hour, TK, Mary Lou, Scorchy, TRR Neighbor Gene, and I headed to Webster for the Monday Flea Market.  This flea market is not as large as Renningers in Mt. Dora, but the area is 35 acres with any item old or new, antiques, collectibles, plants, vegetables, flowers, birds (parrots, parakeets), jewelry, clothing, tools, and more.  I logged about 3 miles on my Fitbit while I explored every bit of it. I found blue glass sherbets and some other gift items. Mary Lou bought pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, and other fruit, plus two nice watches. Last year I bought a red and silver watch here for $12 and it’s still working!

I don’t know how many people were there, but it seemed like a lot! There is no charge for admittance, but parking is $2 or $3 depending on where one parks. We parked for free because Scorchy always asks if the entity gives a military discount. He is a treasured Korean War veteran/U.S. Army and very deserving of a discount!

There is a “restaurant” on site, as well as other food vendors, but I was too traveling fast to slow down for food. Thankfully everyone else was hungry so we decided to try the restaurant right across the street from the Fleamarket,   A & D Hayseed Café, with southern home style cooking.  Its buffet reminded me of the popular little Amish restaurant in Panama, New York. Choices included fried and baked chicken, roast beef, ham and pineapple, collard greens, green beans, corn, great mashed potatoes and gravy, salads, broccoli cheese soup, homemade applesauce, and many other items. I thought the fried chicken was super.  The desserts were ordinary, cake and peach cobbler. The service was good, the servers friendly.

On the way home, TK filled the truck’s gas tank for $1.57/gallon near Dade City. 

I certainly am not going to complain about the heat today, but it sure is warm! When we got back to TRR, we started packing. I hope there is still room in the truck! We are leaving by 8 a.m. tomorrow morning and hope to reach Mooresville, North Carolina. We are blessed to escape some of Erie's winter, but we don't want to miss Brother Bill's maple syrup season!

Sunday

It was a laid back day, but we did go to two open houses in TRR for Park model homes—that means that the place is about 40 ft. by 12 ft. with one bedroom, bath, kitchen, and living room. Some are sold with washer and dryer and a golf cart. We were especially tempted by one that backs up to a stream with an extra room added on and a screened in porch. Electric stove, new washer and dryer, electric golf cart (everyone rides around in a golf cart—it isn’t just for golfing), queen bed, and that extra room. There was plenty of room for a bit of gardening. Right now many annuals we have to wait until May 31 to plant are blooming here now. Very tempting and in the neighborhood of $58,000. At TRR one owns a share of the property, so everyone can vote on the rules (probably a lot of other benefits I don’t know about). One pays $3000 per year and that includes TV, Internet (which we believe is quite sketchy), water, and garbage. For an extra $300/year a resident can get unlimited golfing on the very nice 9 hole golf course. 

For dinner we went to quaint San Antonio to Pancho’s Villa for Mexican food—almost as good as our favorite Torero’s in Erie.

TK’s Takes: Haven’t seen a fly. It only rained once while we have been in Florida and that was at night. Webster’s Fleamarket is the biggest he has been to, but not many places to sit.

MT. DORA: ACRES OF ANTIQUES AND 10,000 PEOPLE!

Travelers Rest Resort

Dade City, Florida

Friday, February 19 and Saturday. February 20, 2016

75 F, sunny

Saturday

After TK, Mary Lou, and Scorchy had a pancake breakfast supporting the TRR Carpenters Club, we all drove off for Mt. Dora and Renningers Antique Extravaganza with over 800 outdoor and indoor booths covering 117 acres, about an hour and a half away. Linens, postcards, baskets, Fiesta, fine glass, fine pottery, primitives, vintage and antique furniture, mirrors, garden items, collectibles, jewelry, military items, buttons, dolls, brass, copper, coins, and on and on. 

Renningers Antique Extravaganza

Renningers Antique Extravaganza

Renningers Antique Extravaganza--food area

I talked with a lady in the Renningers office who told me that they get about 10,000 people a day when they have the Antique Extravaganza. I logged 4 ½ miles on my Fitbit while at the show. I know it isn’t Brimfield in Massachusetts, but TK won’t be taking me there anytime soon.  For years I have been looking for syrup dispensers and finally this year there were 4 different booths that had them! I bought one, as well as a small pressed lead glass dish with a divider for our variety of olives we have at Thanksgiving. Total spent: $15. Mary Lou, on the other hand, bought 4 wrought iron chairs with padded seats—vintage and well made. Scorchy bought a set of classic record albums.

As always, TK and I had a Gran Arepa, the mozzarella filled corn pancake.

On our way home, we stopped at Popeye’s in Zephyrhills for a bucket of chicken to eat when we got home.

When we got home, I found a brown anole (lizard) in one of the chairs in the cabana. I was not happy about that. Scorchy removed it, but I wonder if it was around for a while. It wasn’t large (6 inches long), but I did not like it.

Writing this reminded me about something at Renningers. Believe it or not, many people choose to bring their dogs to the show, either on a leash or in a dog carriage. Many people. Why would you do that? Unless dogs are now interested in antiques. From German Shepherds to the little fluffy dogs. Plus I saw one man with an iguana on a leash. An announcement was made by Renningers for a man to report to his truck about his dog. Apparently he did not show up right away because about a half hour later, they announced the man’s name and said the sheriff was waiting by his truck. Very definitely sounded like he had left his dog in the truck and that might be against the law.

I think most everyone is here tired out, but I am going to walk to the library to post this. It is a nice evening (7:30 p.m.) and I like the fact that I can walk the 10 minutes to the library!

Friday

Yesterday was mostly a TRR day—garage sale in the morning, Genealogy Club at 10—two people spoke about two genealogy software programs, RootsMagic and Family Tree Maker. For lunch we decided to take a drive to Brooksville and Bayport Inn for seafood. I do think we liked Dan’s Clam Stand better, but the food was good.  Nearby we stopped at a waterfront. Without a map, I am not sure if this water is connected to the gulf, but I think so. There was a small boardwalk with fishermen. In the distance we could see crab traps—presumably blue crabs.

I told Tim I should push him in the water and take a photo to add some excitement to the blog.  He replied, “Why don’t I push you in and you can take a photo of me laughing at you.”  So, R and B, sorry but it doesn’t get better than this!

On Friday evening we went to Blue Jay, a nearby community, to visit my UCAHS classmates, Ron and Ginny. They are staying in a 2 bedroom, 1 bath double wide with a spacious kitchen and living room for $1000/month. They are enjoying February, but they said it rained a lot in January.

TK’s Takes:  There were more people than he ever saw at Renningers today. And booths were in every space available—it was packed. He liked the Popeye’s chicken, spicy but good.

It seemed like more people participated in TRR’s garage sale last year. 

LINK UNION CONCERT AND GARDEN TOUR

Travelers Rest Resort

Dade City, Florida

Thursday, February 18, 2016

70s, sunny

Last night TK and I went to the TRR Link Union Concert at Busch Hall, thanks to Gene and Jeri’s generosity (they could not use their tickets). We saw this group at TRR before—a professional musical family from the Ozarks who make their home in TRR while they tour Florida in the winter. The mom taught all five children how to play the piano. Once they heard bluegrass, the four brothers and sister all learned how to play at least 18 more musical instruments, including the mandolin, the cello, and the fiddle. They moved on to gospel, folk, old time, Celtic, and rock and roll. Their mother took them to sing in restaurants and nursing homes for practice. I believe the singers range in age from about 17 to 28 years old and have been performing professionally for about 13 years.  Now the wife of one of the brothers sings with the group too. The dad drives their big tour bus. http://linkunion.org/

Link Union Poster

One of their first songs that I loved was an instrumental that reflected their genetic/musical origin— from English, Irish, Scottish, German, Prussian and their ancestors’ journey to America on to the Ozarks of Missouri.  The family seems to have so much fun entertaining as they draw on their musical heritage. The family writes a lot of its own music/songs.

When they did “Dueling Banjos,” they truly dueled it out with a cello, violin, banjo, an electric guitar, a 6 string guitar. “Amazing Grace” was an amazing instrumental with a violin and a penny whistle.  “Losin’ Some Snoozin’ Over You” was a snappy tune about one brother’s baby who keeps him up all night. Sister Rachel wrote “Not the Girl” about emotional abuse she experienced with her former husband. “Little Stream” was a ballad about a stream they played in on the farm in Missouri where they were raised. Their finale was “When the Devil Came Down to Georgia,” which really drew a standing ovation. For the encore they played their version of Elvis Presley’s American Trilogy, with “Dixie,” “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” and “Hush Little Baby.”

Rachel complimented TRR’s garden and mentioned how they used it often for quietude and writing. I certainly agree!

At Bette S. Walker Discovery Garden

A portion of the many gardens

This morning the four of us traveled with the TRR Garden Club to Seffner, Florida, about ½ hour away for a tour of Bette S. Walker Discovery Garden at the Hillsborough County Extension Service. This collection of gardens convey landscape design and maintenance ideas and showcases plants which are outstanding performers in central Florida.

We saw ginger, variegated jasmine used as ground cover,  False Japonica, Cape honeysuckle, the European fan palm, tiger grass (not really a bamboo), Sumatra red cherries (I tasted the edible sweet pumpkin-shaped cherry), and now my little note paper just blew away in the wind and that is end of that.

"Huge" Bromeliad

In the center is a banana tree flower bud

My notes flew away, but this is a beautiful flower anyway!

I think it is a variety of ginger

Sumatra Cherry

Foxtail Fern in foreground

After the great garden tour we all went to nearby Plummer Family Restaurant. Even though there were 21 of us, we had the best service and the best food! Grilled ham and cheese, fries, pork chops, perch, Reuben sandwich, and best lemon meringue pie.

We ended the day with family and new friends at the Cabana Street “Happy Hour.” Probably 40 people contributed vegetables and other foods for a sort of “stone soup,” the traditional fare each Thursday at 4 p.m. when the TRR cabana people get together for about an hour. Of course there were desserts and other accompaniments. 

HAPPY PRESIDENT’S DAY!! TRIVIAL PURSUIT, OUTLET MALLS, AND OHIO COUSINS!

Travelers Rest Resort

Dade City, Florida

Monday, February 15, 2016 to Wednesday, February 17, 2016

70s                  

As I write while sitting outdoors in short sleeves and capris, a sweet chickadee is singing to me!

Monday

Tom (Tim’s brother) and Carol drove up from Estero to visit us for the day. The Koenig family traditional Trivial Pursuit game was on the agenda! It was a cool day, but we were cozy in the cabana with Jersey Mike subs and snacks. Of course TK won the game with Carol and Mary Lou as partners!

Tuesday

The loudest thunderclap TK and I have ever heard woke us up in the middle of the night. It sure sounded like an explosion in the park!  There was a lot of rain and lightning too, but we awoke to the most beautiful warm sunny day imaginable.

Tuesday is Garden Club workday so I volunteered to work in “Mary’s Garden,” an area closer to one of the club houses. Mary was a dedicated master gardener and TRR dedicated that garden full of bromeliads, papyrus (King Tut is an annual in our garden centers in Erie), coontie palms (Zamia floridana—not a true palm or fern, but of the cycladale order), to her.  I enjoyed working in this garden by myself, removing branches, dead leaves, and Spanish moss by the wheelbarrow full. When I discovered the orange seeds within the coontie plant, I was very excited! They look like large orange corn kernels.  Mary Lou and the rest of the gardeners worked in the main garden, painting the boardwalk and picnic tables, cleaning out debris (Spanish moss and branches, and so on), and identifying certain plants. 

After an hour and a half of hard work, we started to watch a professional tree service remove a dead tree. That was interesting because they could not use get heavy equipment into the dense “jungle,” so a man had to climb the tree and remove branches that way. Oh my! That would not be an occupation I would pursue!

Mary's Garden--Travelers Rest Resort

Seeds in various stages inside the Ccoontie palm in Mary's Garden(Zamia floridana

Close-up of coontie palm seed (about 1 inch by 3/4 inch)

Focus on coontie palm

The dead tree is down in the TRR garden! Note the amount of Spanish moss on the left

The afternoon entertainment was a ride to the new outlet mall in Wesley Chapel and a trip to Walmart for Diet Pepsi. The traffic in Zephyrhills and Wesley Chapel can be bumper to bumper on six lane streets. The area is very congested and growing exponentially. The area ML and Scorchy live in is rural and very quiet, but it seems that could change with so many people heading to Florida, especially in the winter. We still see orange groves and beef cattle as we drive back to TRR.

Sunrise  Eatery for lunch Zephyrhills served a great cheeseburger (JK) and meat loaf for TK. Not your most interesting fact, but I will remember this restaurant for Trip Advisor.

.

Wednesday

Today, my 1^st cousin George D., his wife Phyllis, daughter Diana and son Jeff of Canton, Ohio, drove over from Tampa to meet us for lunch at Mallie Kylas Café in Dade City.  This restaurant is combined with a fine antique shop and the food is all homemade. TK and Diana had the day’s special, shrimp and grits—they loved it! I had a ham and cheese croissant sandwich. I only have two maternal 1^st cousins now and I valued seeing George and family today! He is 86 years old. His daughter Diana is a retired school teacher a little younger than I. They are visiting grandchildren/great niece and nephew who live in the Tampa Bay area.  We brought them to TRR for a bit of time and as always happens, Cousin George knew Scorchy’s father and one of Phyllis’ sisters is family to ML’s new daughter in law in North East.

Tonight we are going to the Link Family concert at Busch Hall here at TRR---a professional group that stays here occasionally and performs nationally.

If the weather breaks in Erie, we will start home next week. I miss our Erie family…

Janie is writing "Exploring the World" at 4:40 p.m. EST on February 17, 2016--

no snow in Florida!!

Note to Friend H: Sorry about WWF! I am going to try now--the wifi connection seems good.

TK' Takes: The thunder clap on Monday night was the loudest I ever heard. And it echoed!  So far the weather has been good--it has  not rained during the day since we have been at TRR. 

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY FROM FLORIDA!!

Travelers Rest Resort

Dade City, Florida

Sunday, February 14, 2016

70s, sunny

Happy Valentine’s Day to all our sweethearts! It was wonderful today to say hello through Facetime to both sons Randy and Brian, daughter in law Coleen, granddaughters B1 and B2, as well as Brother Bill, Marge, and Nephew Bob.  Wow! Family! We hope to catch up with daughter in law Denise soon.

Today’s highlight (after seeing our family on Facetime) was the Sunday show at Busch Hall with performers John Timpanelli and Lisa Stiles—both singers and comedians. More than 450 people from TRR packed the hall for this free show provided by TRR. For $.75 we got a big slice of ice cream ($1 if you did not have a bowl and spoon J). After everyone had ice cream the show began. This was a great show for Valentine’s Day—with songs like “Unchained Melody,” Sedaka’s “Breaking Up is Hard to Do,” Cline’s “Crazy,” and “Stand by Your Man.” 

TK’s Takes: Lots of people stay at TRR and it is really quiet. For as many people as there are here, that seems unusual. (approximately 620 sites means at least 1200 people btw). There are a lot of Spanish speaking channels on TV.

From the other day: Dan’s Clam Stand was the best seafood he had in a long time. Wiregrass Mall is not too big and not too small. [he liked this rhyme and commented on it too]

Note to Marge: Happy Birthday!!!!

INVESTIGATING DNA AND ON OUR OWN IN ZEPHYR HILLS

Travelers Rest Resort

Dade City, Florida

Saturday, February 13, 2016

70s, sunny

TK was kind to take me to the Pasco County Genealogical Society meeting this morning to hear a presentation about “Tracing Your DNA: The Amazing Journey of Your Ancestors.” David Boyette, the presenter, is retired from the FBI, a forensic DNA specialist (now works as an investigator for the medical examiner’s office in Tampa), a genetic genealogist, and a professor of genetic genealogy at the University of South Florida. He gave an overview about the different kinds of DNA testing and what the results mean, a fascinating topic!

After the presentation, TK and I went for lunch at a nearby Panera so he could us the Wi-Fi. TRR still does not have easy access to Wi-Fi—right now I am in their library using my laptop, but in our cabana area we don’t get a good signal.

TK indulged me again and we headed to Wiregrass Mall, a large outdoor mall in Zephyr Hills. It was easy to spend an hour and a half there before we returned to TRR. We took a walk in the gardens which are near Mary Lou and Scorchy’s site.

Look at the gorgeous staghorn fern hanging from the tree

Lake Margaret in the background--shrimp plant in the foreground

Newly painted walkway and gazebo

Sculpture entitled "Rhapsody"

Arbor -- red flowers to the right are poinsettias!

It looks like the weather in Erie is quite bad again—lots of snow and very cold. I hope our family and friends are keeping warm. Janesville, Wisconsin is 13 F; Jamestown, New York is 2 F; Erie, Pennsylvania is 10 F, and Ukiah, California is 69 F; and Dade City is 62 F right now at 5:45 p.m. EST. I don’t think we are going home for a while!  

To Brian K: Happy Birthday in Ukiah!!

And where is TK with his takes!?? What is up with that? I need to corral him before I go to the library to share his wisdom.

ANOTHER SUNNY DAY AND DAN’S CLAM STAND!

Travelers Rest Resort

Dade City, Florida

Friday, February 12, 2016

70s, sunny

This morning while Mary Lou was writing her Garden Club article for the TR Times (http://www.travelersrestresort.com/Newspaper.html) [people would be amazed at the detail of this information weekly newspaper, by the way], I went to a meeting of the TRR Genealogy Club. A nice group of people with a common interest. In fact, I found out about a DNA lecture tomorrow that will be given by a DNA forensic specialist who now shares his expertise with genealogists.  I’m hoping TK will be generous and take me.

When I returned to our “home,” Mary Lou had finished her article and we were off to Crystal River where one of their favorite restaurants is, Dan’s Clam Stand. This place deserves its high rating on Trip Advisor. The seafood was the freshest I have had in a very long time, even Dixie Crossroads. Scorchy always asks where the fish/shrimp/etc. comes from at any restaurant we go to. A year ago when they were at Dan’s, Scorchy asked that question. The owner brought a just caught grouper to the table and asked, “Is that fresh enough for you?”  The owner also plopped a fresh lobster down!

I ordered fried shrimp—so beautifully done. TK had fried scallops, oyster, and shrimp—the best. Scorchy had grouper and Mary Lou had the fried scallops. The scallops I tasted were really really good. Dan’s can brag about their hush puppies too!

Dan's Clam Stand in Crystal River, Florida!!!!!!

Note to MJ: On the way back to TRR Scorchy showed us the large area owned by the George Steinbrenner family. They raise beef cattle and race horses right here on Johnston Road, near TRR

COLD AGAIN IN FLORIDA, BUT WARMING UP!

From Hampton Inn Ft. Myers/Estero to Naples, Florida to Dade City, Florida

Travelers Rest Resort, Dade City, Florida

February 8, 9,10, 11, 2016

54 F, sunny

Thursday, February 11, 2016:

I am in the TRR library with good Internet access at noon. This morning I worked with Mary Lou with her garden club. The TRR garden is fabulously wealthy with Florida jungle-like flora. We planted poinsettias, chalk marked cedar boards on the boardwalk that needed replacing or tightening, and cleaned Spanish moss off an area of Spanish Bayonet plants (Yucca aloifolia—member of the agave family). The plants’ leaves are razor sharp!!!!! Needless to say I am not dressed for encountering sharp leaves, mud, and bugs, but I survived. There were 18 people helping in the gardens today---they meet every Tuesday and Thursday to work and then have refreshments. I try to help every year when I am here. The temperature seems to be in the 60s and actually quite comfortable in the sun.

Nature at  its best--a sandhill crane near our cabana in TRR

 

TK went off with Scorchy to retrieve their 16 ft. R*pod by Forest River camper that has needed factory work despite being brand new. I am eager to see it! Even though ML and Scorchy are in their 80s, they are still so active, and take short camping trips around Florida.  

R*pod by Forest River

Scorchy with his new R*pod Camper

TK is going to be happy that at the Garden Club work time someone said that there is a Chihuly museum in St. Petersburg as well as a Salvador Dali museum.

 

For lunch we went to Truly Mediterranean Grill in Dade City, an authentic Greek restaurant. The chicken gyro was excellent, the first one I ever had. TK liked his beef and lamb gyro. We wandered around antique shops and other boutiques in the village for a while—I think that was old Dade City.   

Dade City, Florida

 Monday to Wednesday:

The temperature has fluctuated from the 50s to the 60s. Over the past couple days we spent some time with family and one of TK’s old friends, Mike B. We had dinner one night with TK’s brother Tom and Carol at the Cheesecake Factory plus another fantastic lemon meringue cheesecake. Last night we had dinner with TK’s nephew Jeff and Carmel and at a Mexican restaurant.

My eye appointment checkup where Carmel works resulted in minor surgery and an unexpected extra day’s stay. Apparently 90% of people who have cataract surgery get “YAGS Capsul..”, and that requires minor laser surgery. I am so fortunate that Ophthalmologist Dr. Pascucci said he could do the surgery the following day. He has a very busy practice but was so considerate of our schedule.

Wednesday, immediately after the minor eye surgery, we started driving north to Dade City with a detour to a mall and a little lunch. The drive was pleasant with little traffic. This time of year is the height of the snowbird season. I think everyone is staying inside because of the perceived cold weather. It is storming snow in Erie and Jamestown!

We arrived at TRR about 2:30 p.m. where TK’s sister Mary Lou and her husband Scorchy stay in the winter. It’s just like home in the cabana that we have become so familiar with! Hopefully it will warm up on Thursday! And, as it turned out, the Internet is still sparse here. No access!

SUPER BOWL 50 AND A 300 BOWLING GAME!!

Hampton Inn Ft. Myers/Estero

Estero, Florida

February 7, 2016

54 F, sunny

Disembarking the Getaway was confusing this morning, but we were in the truck by 9 a.m. and on our way out of Miami. My advice to others is always get a porter. It is a small price to pay for great help and advice.  After Customs, our porter took our luggage to the parking ramp and even loaded the truck for us.

Before noon Son Brian called from Erie with good news and bad news. I asked for the bad news first and he told us the “soffit” (or whatever the aluminum stuff is called on the “ceiling” of our balcony) came off in a bad windstorm. He did his best to nail some of it back for protection. We told him that was OK, we knew it was compromised before we left and we will have to hire someone to fix it when we return.

The good news?? Brian bowled a 300 game last Wednesday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited about that! For years I have been telling him to bowl a 300 for me when he bowls in his league. He finally did! Brian said he will get a 300 ring too!

TK drove me straight from Miami to Flea Masters Flea Market in North Ft. Myers, my very favorite—about a 2 hour drive. I bought more sunglasses and Fuller brushes, and swept through the rest of this huge market with gusto. However, I used a little too much gusto because while I was looking at purses, I tripped on something and took quite a spill out into the large aisle. I was sure that I could regain my balance. Hah! I landed on my knee and elbow, but boy am I lucky!  A gentleman helped me up and away I went, after apologizing to witnesses for such a show. I was glad TK was not in sight of the show—he would have rolled his eyes. A lady nearby told me I was lucky because she fell like that at home six months ago and she broke her shoulder and is still not recovered.  Must be the hours I spend at the gym.

After the hotel check in, we went to TK’s nephew Jeff’s to watch the Super Bowl. As I write, the score is Carolina 7 and Denver 16. I would love to talk with B1 about the game, but I will wait till tomorrow.

I have to comment that our hotel room seems like a palace compared to our Getaway stateroom, but we made that work on the ship and reflected on how fortunate we are to be able to vacation like we do to get out of Erie’s cold!

It was also nice to hear from Friend MJ, B2’s surrogate grandparents with husband Joe, as they go to some of B2’s basketball games. B2’s team is in the local playoffs, so we wish her the best this week!

We were thinking of our Regal cruise friends too—sure do wish we had cruised 3 weeks together!

TK’s Takes: Bigger room and we actually have drawers. It is cold in Ft. Myers.

GREAT STIRRUP CAY: ANOTHER RELAXING DAY!

At Sea / NCL Getaway

Saturday, February 6, 2016

70s F, sunny

I cannot imagine going skiing in the snow today, but I sure hope our Erie and Jamestown families have a fun afternoon doing just that! We also hope B1 has had some good basketball games with her famous three-pointers!! Our Bs. We really really miss them!

When TK returned from getting us our morning coffee, he said he decided not to go ashore—it is cool and windy with choppy waves. Announcements for the tender boats began at 8 a.m. awakening everyone! Now, 2 ½ hours later they have suspended running the tender boats because of the waves. I can observe a long line of very disgruntled passengers waiting on the stairways to proceed off the ship. By noon the tender boats were running and it looked like many passengers enjoyed the private island experience.

Uploading photos was faster than ever this morning. The Internet manager is from Serbia and I really wanted to interview her about World War I, but she was too busy. On the Regal I met a young lady from Turkey who told me she did study WWI in school and was willing to talk to me about it, but we never could get together for that.  Words from my writing group echo in my head as I write this: “You’ve done enough research, it’s time to write!”

I finished Kellerman’s Compulsion (a young woman and a retired school teacher are murdered and a black Bentley is involved). Now I am reading Robin Cook’s Chromosome 6 (lots of scientific “jargon” and transplanting chromosomes from bonobonos [chimpanzee-like animals] to humans). We sat on Deck 8 again, enjoying the warmer weather, the quietude, and the sounds of the waves.

Deck 8---overlooking the Caribbean

After lots of quiet time we went to our stateroom to pack. Anyone who knows us can only imagine what words were expressed as we tried to juggle all of our luggage and “stuff” in the postage stamp area. As I have said many times before, we are not tiny people. I won’t say we had an argument, but it wasn’t pretty.

Packing made us hungry so we headed to O’Sheehan’s for prime rib.  Right now as I finish this blog tonight, the Atrium is not crowded as others are probably packing or dining.

TK has not accepted this ship and I feel bad about that. My cold still lingers but I am sure glad his is gone. We are both looking forward to Ft. Myers and seeing his brother and family. Super Bowl tomorrow will be exciting if we go to TK’s nephew Jeff’s house.  Go Broncos!

Note to my writing group friends: I have made some decisions! Plus, please know how much I appreciate you!!

Note to Brother Bill and Marge: TK remembered you were on NCL on your Hawaiian cruise. I don’t think you had a similar experience.

TK’s Takes: Understaffed and Overworked. Two words. 

Activity at the Pool on Deck 15

Children's area on Deck 15

The beautiful Norwegian Cruise Line Getaway in Cozumel

DECK 8: THE DECK FOR PAX WHO LIKE SMALLER SHIPS!

At Sea / NCL Getaway

Friday, February 5, 2016

68 F, sunny

I forgot how much the wind would affect the ship on the 14^th deck! From our vantage point, we were rockin’ and rollin’ by 3 a.m. But, that only makes me sleep better!

By morning waves were 11 ft. according to the ship’s weather station, but that isn’t enough to make us worry. 

After breakfast at O’Sheehan’s, we watched the Cupcake Decorating Demonstration in the Atrium from 2 decks up. The dynamics were interesting from that perspective. The Chief Pastry Chef demonstrated two different ways to decorate, a “beehive” on one cupcake and a rose on another. The Getaway has a Carlos’ Bake Shop, and that is Carlos from Cake Boss. Blank cupcakes and tubes of icing were available so passengers, especially children, could practice their icing skills. It reminded us a little of B2’s birthday party last May! But this group was different. Instead of decorating one or two and then allowing others to participate, children and adults were taking 4 to 6 blank cupcakes, icing them, and then taking selfies or regular photos, taking their time.. One redheaded boy about ten years old waited his turn very patiently (wearing a “Blood and Whiskey” t-shirt by the way). Finally after a long wait it was his turn. He spent quite a while carefully decorating his cupcakes. His father appeared with another boy, about the same age but disabled. The redheaded boy patiently helped his brother decorate those cupcakes. That sight made up for the previous rude behavior by others.

O'Sheehan's / NCL Getaway

We set up our day on Deck 8 where it was a little cool. The wicker settees are comfortable with thick cushions and large pillows. We started meeting like-minded people enjoying the shade but feeling the warmth of the sun—away from the craziness. One lady from northern Ontario said she has the Ultimate Beverage Package (UBP) but she wanted ginger ale. The only way she could get just ginger ale was to ask for a shot of rye with ginger ale on the side. Does that make sense to anyone?? A nearby lady from Belgium agreed. She also was commented to the Canadian lady who was ordering a beer that Belgians consider Stella d’Artois dish water and they even live about 5 blocks from the brewery. The Canadian replied that’s the way they think of Molson’s. What one learns on a cruise ship.

A view of the Atrium/NCL Getaway

Pros for the Getaway:

Our stateroom is about 12 steps from the aft elevators.

There are more bread choices and the breads taste better on this ship
Less formal (but maybe that is carried too far. I am quite sure that shorts are not allowed in the dining 

Diet Pepsi

Pretzel rolls

Crepes are available in the Garden Café

The ship’s areas are sleek

The public toilets flush automatically

The shows are varied and special (Illusionarium, Burn the Floor, Legally Blonde)

More performers

Cons

Not enough seating in public areas (a definite problem when the weather is not good)

Anytime dining really is anytime dining

room for dinner though)

Saltwater in the pools

Food in the dining rooms for breakfast and lunch do not change at all

Food in the buffet does not change (the Regal had special dinners for special nights, e.g. German night, Scottish night)

No drawers in our tiny room

The public toilets flush automatically (that’s what TK says)

 TK just said he wants more time to add to both lists.

COZUMEL: HOT AND HUMID!

Cozumel, Mexico / NCL Getaway

Thursday, February 4, 2016

High 80s, sunny

Today was a calm, hot, humid day as we disembarked at the north pier in downtown Cozumel. Not a whisper of wind. TK and I walked to Los Cincos Soles, a shop we always go to in Cozumel where we buy the best vanilla. We wished the weather was this calm two weeks ago when our tour with our friends was cancelled because of high winds and rough seas.  We have been at this port often and as I mentioned before, walking the main street is difficult because the shop vendors are tenacious. We are polite, but the walk is difficult. Some call TK my body guard as I say “No thank you” over and over.

There were four cruise ships in port today, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Carnival and our Getaway.

Looking at the Getaway from Cozumel

One highlight today was dinner at Le Bistro, the French restaurant. I absolutely love the way it is set up. If I have enough Internet time left on Saturday I will try to download photos of this trip—when I tried on Monday the process was just too slow.  First we had smoked salmon pate which was excellent. Then I had cream of mushroom soup which in no way resembled Campbell’s. TK has escargot. We each had filet of beef as our entrée—quite like filet mignon. Delicious. For dessert we had crème brulee, every bit as good as Bertrand’s in Erie.

Le Bistro--photo taken from inside the restaurant

Le Bistro--photo taken from one deck above the restaurant

Another highlight was tonight’s show, Legally Blonde. We have never experienced a show that lasted 1 ½ hours on a cruise ship—usually a musical is abbreviated in some way. Not this one. And I also thought the performers would be the same as the ones in Burning the Floor. Eighteen different performers! The story line follows a blonde Malibu girl (Elle) who is rejected by her boyfriend Warren. He is going off to Harvard and does not think she is good enough for him. Because of the rejection Elle decides to pursue her love for him and go to Harvard too. During the course of the musical Elle discovers she is capable of becoming a lawyer and being her own person without depending on him. In the end she rejects him.

We have seen three great shows on this cruise! The comedy was only so so.

The captain has told passengers we are going to experience windy days and maybe rough seas ahead. This ship is so big I doubt it will be affected much.

TK’s Takes: