Panama Canal Transit

Monday April 4th, 2011 -- Panama Canal

Hola y buenas dias!  As I write this I am sitting on the balcony hoping the humidity isn’t bad for the lap top.  Guess I’ll go inside for a few minutes.

We were up early this morning to have breakfast and watch our passage through the canal.  We were a little behind everyone else so we watched from the forward windows of the buffet dining room instead of outside, which turned out to have a good view, just not from outside the windows.  I managed to video most of our passage through the first and largest of the 8 locks, the Gatun Locks.  Then all batteries went dead and I retreated to the room to recharge everything.  From there we watched from the balcony as we exited the final of the 3 Gatun Locks.  This is when the drizzle started and we, even though we are outside, were sheltered from the rain.  While traveling through Lake Gutan to the next set of locks, we float close to shore after exiting the canal and can see the rain forests that actually allow the locks to function.

In short a river was dammed to allow formation of Gatun Lake. The lake is continuously filled by the heavy rains from the surrounding forests. The water from the lake is then used to fill the various locks allowing ships to be raised over a total of 75 feet above sea level.  The ships are actually “raised up over” Panama, by water.  

When the French attempted to build the canal in the late 1800‘s they tried to dig down to sea level to create a one level passage.  Because of the heavy tropical rains they weren’t able to keep the land from sliding into the canal from the sides and finally gave up their attempt to build the canal.  The Frenchman who was in charge of the project had also developed the Suez canal and was trying to use the same type of design in an area with completely different geography.  From my understanding he had no special training, he was not an engineer, he was just a man with a vision and enthusiasm.

When Teddy Roosevelt became President he was greatly excited about the project and arranged for a small revolution in Panama so the country could declare it’s independence and allow the Americans to come down and build the canal.  Pres. Roosevelt was thinking military strategy in developing a way for our navy to have access and control of the PC forever (Jimmy Carter gave away our ownership of the PC during his Presidency).  The best railroad and lock engineers of the time were hired to design the locks and passage.  It’s a complete marvel that today still exists the way it did in the early 1900’s, because it works beautifully.  Water is gravity fed and the gates are perfectly balanced in place. The operation of the gates uses hydroelectric power and only needs 40 HP to move the necessary parts.  “Mules” or train engines are positioned around the ship and actually move it from lock to lock.   In order to connect their ropes from the mules to the ship, two men in a row boat row out to the ship and toss a rope with a “monkey knot” in it to our ship crew, who then secure it.  The men who toss the knot practice this toss and have competitions to keep sharp.  They want success on the first toss. There are at least 4 mules, 2 forward and 2 aft, with ropes attached to the ships.  The mules keep the right amount of tension to keep the ship center in the lock chambers.  Once the lock doors are opened the mules run on tracks and pull the ship into the next lock.  

Each lock chamber is 110 feet long by 40 feet (I think) wide.  Our ship is a “Panamax” ship and is the maximum dimensions allowed for transit.  On either side, there’s 2 feet between the ship and the wall.

One of the reasons the U.S. succeeded in the building of the canal was that one of the persons in charge of the construction decided to take care of the place that the workers would be living first. The men loved him for this and followed him eagerly.  He cleaned up the area with brooms, sewers, water systems and insecticide.  He constructed a camp that the workers could be comfortable in and wouldn’t mind staying.   Unlike the French, the Americans knew that Yellow Fever was transmitted by mosquitos and a large effort was made to eradicate them and their habitat.  It was after this that Pres. Roosevelt visited. When Pres. Roosevelt visited Panama to see how the construction project was going, it was the first time a U.S. Pres. had left the country while in office.

After sailing over most of Lake Gatun we came to the narrow part of the passage known as the Gamboa area.  This is where much of the maintenance facilities are located and is an 8 mile stretch of the canal where most of the effort was concentrated because of the taller geography.  Travel through this part of the canal is currently limited to one way traffic.  This area also is where the futuristic Centennial bridge is located, and short ways down stream the only other permanent bridge, the Pan-American bridge.  The bridge is 6 lanes wide, but you wouldn’t guess it by looking at it.

Dad and I managed to have lunch as we approached the second set of locks, the Pedro Miguel Locks.  This was actually only one lock.  I ate quickly and hurried to starboard side, deck 7 to watch us drop down about 30 feet.  I took pictures of the mules as they approached and tossed lines our ship.  Also got a picture just after dynamite was detonated on the expansion project happening just north of the current canal.  It was cool to see us drop from being above ground level to being almost even with the ground after the water had dropped.  The water leaves the lock through 100 man-sized holes and takes approximately 9 minutes.  The terrain in the area is decidedly different, much more rock and less dirt.  The material from this region in taken by rail car to the Atlantic end to be used to stabilize the ground.

The day was sunny and humid so I headed to the Lotus pool for a quick dip and found a chaise lounge facing the glass window to watch our approach to the mira flores locks.  This set of locks is composed of 2 locks, bringing us back down the final distance to sea level in the Pacific ocean.   I fell asleep in the chair and missed most of this transit, but woke up in time to run to the back of the ship and take a picture of the locks as we left them behind.

The area on the Pacific side is full of ships staging to enter the canal.  It looks like a truck stop for ships.  

Headed up for dinner after lounging and napping some more.  If I didn’t have a scheduled dinner time, I wouldn’t have gotten up out of the chair until waaaay later.

Dinner:

Appetizer: Fresh mozzarella, basil and tomato with basalmic dressing.  

Thai chicken something something noodle and lemongrass soup.

Main course: Chateubriand beef with sauce and berny potatoes, vegetables.

Dessert: Chocolate flan with banana compote, Jamaican coffee ice cream

Returned to the room after dinner and will stay in tonight.  We dock in Puerto Amador, Panama tomorrow and have an excursion to an eco-park.  More on that tomorrow.

Good night!

Cartagena, Columbia

Sunday April 3rd -- Cartegena

We gained an hour of sleep last night by crossing a time line, woo hoo!  Another benefit of traveling from east to west that I didn’t think of ahead of time.

I feel refreshed this morning, the back is better due to a foam pad on the bed and NSAID meds 2 x a day.

Today we arrive in port at 9am and our plan is to walk to the old walled city and back.  A friend from work, Dan Wehrman, told me that he and his wife had done it and it was no problem.  I’m not sure what to expect.

The morning is slightly overcast which makes the day tolerable.  The humidity is high, but at least the sun wasn’t beating on us all day and the temperature stayed in the mid 80’s.  More on the humidity later....

Had breakfast and headed off the ship and onto the dock.  Easily found a “Tourista” booth and picked up a map use as we walked into town.  On our walk to port exit we came across another couple that looked like they were headed into town and we joined them.  They are marathon runners and I worried about keeping up with them.  Neither of them spoke spanish.  As we started to exit the port area we were bombarded by taxi drivers who insisted they could drive us into town.  Some were very persistent and walked a long way with us.  Being distracted by them made it difficult to figure out where we were and how we were going to get where we wanted to be.  I’m not sure how it happened, but the couple we were walking with ended up with a nice man who just kept walking with us.  I don’t think they had offered him any money, because they told us later they decided they’d give him some money when he left us.  He turned out to be a good guide.  He walked us all the way to the Old City and then up to the Fort San Felipe and back to the port. One of our marathoners said that we by her GPS watch we walked close to 7.5 miles today.  Our guide, Teofaldo, did the same with us in business type shoes. From port to Old City took just over an hour. Teofaldo was well liked and many other men greeted him as we walked.  At one point in the day we came across his “grand pa pa”.

While we walked Dad and I took advantage of the opportunity to practice our spanish and we conversed with Teofaldo as much as we could.  I’m very surprised at times how much I can remember.  However, I am humbled when someone tries to start a conversation with me, as I have to clue as to what the context is.  A “lightbulb” moment for me.

Cartagena is all about emeralds.  I have some pictures of emeralds in a natural vein.  I didn’t buy any however.

During our walk into the Old City, I finished my bottle of water off.  We bought another and it was gone well before returning to the ship.  When I changed my clothes back on ship, I was amazed at the amount of sweat that my shorts contained.  Mucho, mucho sweat!!!!  My sunscreen seemed to stay.  Still we lucked out not having a full day of direct sun.

Upon returning to the port we gave Teofaldo $25 for his tour.  That seemed reasonable after one of the last rates a taxi driver was willing to give us was $5 for the four of us.

I’m really too tired now to finish writing much.  I’ll probably add more tomorrow.  

Dinner tonight:

Appetizer: Wild mushroom tartlet with truffle oil, various cheeses and fruit.

Main course: Turkey pot pie.

Dessert: a nut and banana flavored ice cream with toffee caramel sauce.

Show:  Nova movie regarding the building of the Panama Canal.  I saw it alone.  Afterwards I found Dad in the lounge “catnapping” in a chair.  He’s determined to dance tonight.  One of his dancing partners on the ship, Nancy from Long Island, joined us for dinner tonight.  I hope she joins us again.

It’s bed time.  I’m too sleepy.  

Hasta manana!

P.S.....I love, love, love my new camera!!!!  (Merry Christmas to me!)

Saturday April 2nd, 2011 - Day 4 -- Aruba

Arrived in port at 7am.  Up early for breakfast and to meet for our excursion, a sail and snorkel trip.

We walked from the ship to the powered catamaran, then sailed for 30-40 mins to our first snorkel spot.  We sailed along the coast, passing beautiful beaches with grass thatched roofs.  The water went from blue to blue green as the sun peeked through the clouds.  The wind was strong and constant, giving the windsurfers and kite boarders plenty to work with.

The weather was warm but not necessarily sunny....occasionally sunny.  The water was colder than I expected, but fine once you got used to it.

Our first snorkel was near the lighthouse.  There was a fair amount of chop and a good current as well.  The bottom was 10-15 feet down.  Visibility wasn’t that far, probably because of the lack of sun.  At this location I saw a school of squid, some tube coral or sponges, 2 kinds of puffer fish and some “horned” fish I will have to look up later.  There wasn’t a lot of bottom structure which seemed to limit the amount of fish we saw.  It was easiest to pick a rock formation and just hover over it, waiting for things to move from the rocks or come into view.  Saw some very large black vana here.

Our next location was over the wreck of the Antilles, which had been a 400’ long german freighter that was sunk by it’s own captain.  The ship was under attack from the british and inside of being captured and made into a battleship by the British, the Captain chose to sink the ship.  The captain and crew were able to jump from ship and made it to shore, where they were taken captive until after the war, when they were released.  Most resettled in the area, among the ABC islands, some returned to Germany.  

This ship is by far the best I’ve snorkeled over.  It was approx 40-50’ down, but it was massive and still looked like a strong ship.  The fish life around the ship was terrific.  We were occasionally swarmed by schools of minnows, so thick that you couldn’t see below or through them.  The ship had beautiful tube sponges growing on it and many fish swimming around it.  The fish size got bigger and bigger the farther down you could see.  What a cool place to dive!  The current here was very strong.  

I finally tried going under water with my dry tube snorkel and found that it was very doable.  When look forward to refining me technique.

We sailed back and had rum punch while treated to the beautiful scenery of Aruba waters.  This is where my camera started it’s agonal breaths.  Hence no under water photos will show up here.  Very sad.  The only place on the trip that really wanted pictures.  I have a replacement now and it’s waterproof.  I might have to get in the water in Cabo.

Upon returning we had lunch and then split up for the afternoon.  I meant to go swimming and relax by the pool.  However I was so sleepy that sitting in the recliner and  going to sleep sounded like a better idea.  I snoozed off and on in the lounge chair, in the lotus room, with my chair facing a glass wall of windows.  The lady next to me said they had seen dolphins earlier.  I couldn’t keep my eyes open long enough to see any wildlife.  

Had dinner in the dining room:  

Appetizer: Pineapple marinated in margarita dip.  Delicious! Iceberg quarted salad with hard boiled egg and bacon chips.

Main course: Seared diver scallops with orzo and a yummy sauce.

Dessert: warm fudge brownie topped with vanilla ice cream.

After dinner we split up again and I went to the comedy and magician show, did my laundry and then headed to the country show down to try some of my line dance moves.  Did one dance and gave it up for the night..

I’m going to go fold laundry now then go to bed.  Dad’s out dancing with one of his ladies.  Apparently she’s a non-stop dancer.

Tomorrow we are in Cartegena, reportedly one of the hottest places we’ll be.  I feel we’ve been lucky in that regard and hope it holds true for tomorrow too.  We will take a taxi into old town and walk about the tourist places there.

Hasta luego mis amigos!

Christina

April 1st, Sea Day continued....

Friday April 1st, 2011 -- Continued

Had my deep tissue massage and it was wonderful.  Apparently I have a lot of knots in my calves, they were very sore afterwards.

The acupuncture was short and sweet.  After the treatment I changed in a bathroom and headed to the dining room.  By the end of dinner 1.5 hours later, I had no pain in my back.  I’m very happy to report that and will do what I can to keep it that way!

Dinner:

Appetizer: Chips and Salsa, 3 melon pureed daiquiri.

Main course: Roasted red snapper with couscous in salsa.  Grilled jumbo shirmp on a skewer (delicious!!!!).  Should have just had the shrimp, they were the best.

Dessert: Coffee creme brulee with fresh fruit (very, very good.  Might be my fav dessert so far.  Hard to compete with the bananas foster though), rocky road ice cream.

Tonight:

Dad’s going to either go dancing or to a movie.  I plan to go to the 10pm on deck showing of Burlesque.  Don’t know if I’ll stay more than hour because of our early excursion tomorrow in Aruba.

Good night!  

Friday April 1st, Day at Sea

Hola!  Coming to you today from approx. 350 miles NE of Aruba.  We are traveling at 18 kts.  We have some swells today, as well as a 30 kt wind.  That’s to be expected this close to the tropics.

I’m getting an early start on the blog today, because now is when I have free time.  Perhaps an update later.....

Slept terrible last night.  My run on the treadmill on Wednesday night caused my sciatic to act up.  I could only get comfortable in the fetal position on the left side.  That’s influenced that the rest of my day today, more on that later.

Had another great breakfast in the Horizon Court buffet.  Trying to keep portions small and stop when I’m full.  Still think I’m eating more than normal.  Also, if something isn’t great, I don’t finish it.  I’ll check the scale later today and see what the damage is.

After breakfast I walked the deck from 0800-0825 hrs, and then participated in Zumba again.  We got lucky and the clouds moved in and out, keeping us cooler.  Good workout though.  

After Zumba we both headed to the Lotus pool where I hung out in the pool and met some nice ladies in the hot tub.  Dad took a nap on the lounge chair.  Remember this area is air conditioned.

Lunch again in the buffet, today was Oriental and sushi day.  I tried the pizza instead (yummy, NY style).

Did some video taping of the ship and am now waiting for the line dance lessons then off to the spa.

I checked the spa, hoping they had a chiropractor and of course they didn’t.  But I did sign up for acupuncture, which is suppose to help.  A short time later the lady in the spa said the acupuncturist requested that I have a massage first so that she can access the nerves.  Ok, what am I suppose to do?  It’s the 3rd day on the boat with 11 more to go.  My husband would tell me to do it.  So that’s what I’m in for later today.  I’ve always wanted a deep tissue massage, so I’m going to enjoy it.  I don’t even want to know how much it costs.  Sorry dear.  I know you’d want to be pain less.  I mean pain free.  :*)

From there I’ll head to dinner and then update you on what delicious food I was served.

Weather is mostly sunny now, temp around 80 degrees.  I’m sitting now inside our a/c’d room looking at the water.

Hope your water is from the tap/shower/sink, and not the sky.

Hasta Luego!

Christina

Panama Canal Trip >> Travel Day, Florida and Cruise Day 1

Panama Canal cruise catch-up.....

Today, March 31st, is the first day we’ve had internet access on the ship.  The internet was down “fleet wide”, so I’m behind on the trip details.  I’ll do my best to remember what we’ve done and experienced so far.  Because I’m behind in my documentation, there will be more spelling, grammar and omission errors. This post is going to be long and I might break it up into two parts.  Please pardon the mess...

Monday March 28th, 2011

We got up at 0245 hrs to head for the Portland Airport (PDX) at 0330hrs.  Everything was smooth sailing.....found a parking spot quickly, shuttle to airport, check in (suitcase at 50 lbs!), good seats together on the flight.  Short flight to Denver where we got off the plane for breakfast, then back on to Austin.  In Austin we had an hour to get to our next gate.  No problem it was 2 gates over.  Flight started out late as it came into AUS late.  Flight should have been about 25 mins late to Fort Lauderdale (FLL), where our original flight was suppose to land at 6pm.  Unfortunately a thunderstorm sat right over the airport and we circled the area for almost an hour waiting for it to break.  When we got low on fuel, they diverted us to Fort Meyer where we sat on the tarmac for almost 2.5 hours, wondering if they were going to cancel our flight and leaving us 178 miles from Fort Lauderdale.  Everyone handled the delay well, cell phones were out and people were surfing the web.  On a moments notice we were told we had 5 mins to prepare to take off, we were going to hit a small window in the storm.  30-40 mins later we were on the ground in Ft Lauderdale around 9pm.  Unfortunately my poor Aunt Mary and Uncle Dan waited for us for 3 hours in the baggage claim area of the airport.  Airports have very limited facilities in that area of the airport.  You’d think they’d at least have a bar.  

After meeting up with Aunt Mary and Uncle Dan, they drove us north to their place in Melbourne Beach, about 2.5 hours to the north.  It was dark and we were tired, there wasn’t much to see on the way there.  The four of us chatted and got caught up.  The last time we were together was 6 years ago in Las Vegas for my cousins wedding.

Arriving in Melbourne Beach, we dropped our luggage in our rooms, took a tour of the house and had sandwiches and beer for dinner.  We chatted some more around the dining room table before going to bed some time after 1:30 am.  We hoped for good weather upon waking as we only had one day before we were to head back the Ft. Lauderdale to board the ship.

Tuesday March 29th, 2011

Woke up around  8:45 am to sunny skies, yeah!!!!  No clouds in sight.  We ate breakfast and got moving so that we could take advantage of  clear day.

Dan said we were going to go kayaking on the Indian River in Hobie kayaks.  Awesome!  I’ve been wanting to try one to see if I like the “powered by foot pedals” kayaks.  We borrowed kayaks from the neighbors and walked down to the end of the street where we had access to the river.  Dan showed us how to set the kayaks up and launched into the river.

The river is actually part of the intercoastal waterway and is brackish and has a slight tidal influence.  The river is alive with jumping fish and diving pelicans.  We pedaled north and checked out a little canal that goes between a row of expensive houses.  How nice to have your own kayak canal, I could live like that.  All the porches in the area are screened off to protect the humans from bugs.  Apparently the no-see-ums can still make it through the screening.  Luckily, they weren’t in season now.  In the canal area I had a fish jump and almost land in my boat.  Just ahead of me a snake swam in front of Dan and my Dad.  I watch a squirrel climb up a screened porch and gecko’s were frequently seen sunning themselves on the screens as well.

While on the river we kept our eye out for manatee’s and dolphins, neither of which we saw during our time on the water.  We’ll have to try it again some time.  Dan told us about the time he hooked a tarpon while fishing on the ocean side.  He related how the fish pulled him far out to sea and he was towed by it for close to 3 hours before it broke off the hook. 

While taking the kayaks back we learned about fire ants.  What I thought previously was that they build mounds and you’ll be able to avoid them because you can see the mounds.  Well, they don’t always have mounds.  What I say now is if you are in the south and see small red ants, believe that they are fire ants.  We did not get “involved” enough with the ants for us to have any real problems with them.  Another good rule here is that all plants are poisonous.  Again, no trouble there, just a warning.  

Dan and Mary have pictures of a mother bobcat and her two cubs cleaning themselves in their back yard.  They are bigger than you would expect too. 

After lunch the weather was still good so we walked down the street in the other direction, east (Dan and Mary live on the barrier islands, off of HWY A1A) to the walk on the beach.  The beach was beautifully littered with seashells.  I’ve never seen so many whole and different shells on any beach.  A few are coming home with me, one is quiet big.  The water was in the lower 70 degrees, which was “cool” for the locals.  The beach wasn’t crowded but we saw a few fisherman and kids playing the surf.  Mary pointed out Doug Fluties beach side home.  Mr Flutie apparently grew up in the area and a local ball field was named after him.  We met a few local friends of Dan and Mary and sat for a chat.  We walked back to the house for pool side beers/margaritas and snacks, along with family history chat.  Aunt Mary is my dad’s younger sister.  Being that she is 10 years younger than my dad, there’s a lot she doesn’t remember about her father and grandfather.  I enjoyed learning about the Prenner/Haskins/Toth side of the family.

For dinner Dan and Mary took us to Coconut Cove, a german restaurant on the Indian River.  The locals rave about the food here and we weren’t disappointed.  I had a pork loin in bernaise sauce that was divine.  

After dinner, I needed to go to bed, still worn out from the long travel day.  We were so lucky to have this perfect weather on our one day with Dan and Mary.  They have a beautiful home and were fantastic hostesses,  I can’t thank them enough for their hospitality.

Wednesday March 30th, 2011  

Cruise Day!

We got up early and headed to the Melbourne Airport where we picked up a rental car and Dad and I returned to Ft Lauderdale.  During the 2.5 hour drive we took in the Florida scenery and made our way south the Port of the Everglades.  Not much to comment on.  The drivers on Interstate N95 remind me of my experience in San Diego, where they either drive too slow or too fast.  Aunt Mary states it’s the sunbirds that slow everything down.

We were taken to the ship by our rental car agency and even though we boarded an hour earlier than we wanted, we had no lines to wait in.  Very impressed with the check in process.  Kudo’s to Princess, Carnival: Take note.

Our room is a balcony room on the Cribe deck (deck 10), on the starboard side of the ship.  The room is nicely arranged, with a bigger closet area, but smaller living space than my previous cruises on Carnival.  The deck however is much bigger, fitting 4 chairs and table vs a tight fit for 2 chairs on Carnival.  The shower is VERY small, much more so than the Carnival ships.  

After checking out our room we headed to the Horizon Court Buffet and had lunch.  The food seems much better than that available on Carnival, yum!

After lunch we unpacked and participated in the mandatory muster drill.  Again, Princess has a nicer way of doing the drill -- there was no standing on the deck in rows, sweating in the humidity....yeaahh Princess!

After muster we prepared for our dinner seating in the Bordeaux dining room.  We mis-read the Princess Patter newspaper and went a half an hour late.  We heard it from the Hostess and the waitress, about the importance of being on time.  The next day we received “mail”, also requesting that we be on time.  Sheesh, the newsletter was confusing!!!!!  We will be on time.

My dinner:

Appetizer: fruit, nuts and cheese plate, pina colada soup.  Main course: to honor my husband I ordered the prime rib with roasted vegetables.  Very good, especially the accompanying sauce.  Dessert: Mango-Passion fruit souffle with some kind of white sauce and hazelnut ice cream.

The food was very good.  I think Princess out does Carnival for dinner as well.

After dinner we went to the “Welcome Aboard” show in the Princess theater.  The dancers sang and dance a couple of numbers, the staff was introduced, and a comedian performed -- he was good and funny.

After the show, Dad and I went our separate ways.  He took off for dancing and I hit the gym.  Yes I did.  I felt bad about eating the souffle and the ice cream, and wanted to erase some of those calories.  I had the gym to myself and ran on the treadmill for 25 mins.  After the workout, I was headed back to the room to shower, but got stopped by the movie on the deck on the big screen.  I pulled up a lounge chair and watched most of “All About You”.  11:30pm, I headed back to the room before the movie was over so that I could get a shower and wash my hair before Dad came back.  I wasn’t fast enough, Dad was back and getting ready to study his spanish.  I did my thing and read before falling asleep.

Wednesday March 31st, 2011 

Today!  Had breakfast in the dining room early so that we could go to the Zumba class on the deck at 9:15am.  The breakfast in the dining room wasn’t very good.  Not many choices and the quality was poor.  Carnival beats Princess in that regard.

Zumba on the deck was fun but hot!!  I’m terrible at coordination, but when all else fails, I just keep moving.  We’ll be back for more Zumba.  

We split up again, and will meet for lunch at noon.

I was hot and sticky after Zumba, so took a shower and got ready to go swimming in the Lotus pool.  On the way, I started a load of laundry.  $1 each to wash and dry clothes.  Seemed to work fine, not crowded yet.  About 5 sets of machines.

Swimming was refreshing.  I like the Lotus pool room because it’s a pretty setting with soothing music playing.  It’s also covered and most importantly, air conditioned, although it’s not cool by any means.  It’s just not hot and humid.  The pool was nice and has a current to swim against.  It’s not hard, but enough that you have to noticeable work harder to get to the other side.  The pool is at least 5’ 3” deep and no kids.  It’s a nice oasis.  The ice cream bar is in the same area.  :*)

We split up again, and I headed to beginning country western line dancing.    Yeah, I can pick it up after a while, but by the time we add the fourth dance, I’ve forgotten the second one.  I’ll continue with it tomorrow and see if I can get some of it to stick in my head.  Dances were the Elvira, the Cupid Shuffle, and something that is really hot in clubs right now....can’t remember the name.  Lastly, the Macaraina (sp!!!).

After dancing I popped in to see Dad playing bridge and then checked out the internet.  It was finally working!  Hence, here we are.  I took the lap top back to the Lotus spa area and worked on this update until it was time to get ready for our first formal dinner.

Dressed in a nice, short, black cocktail dress with a bolero jacket.  Dad in a sport coat and slacks.  We headed for dinner and were there before the doors opened.  Ha Princess.

Our waitress is Natalya and she is from Ukraine.  This is her first cruise so she is nervous about what she is doing.  

Tonight we dined with our Canadian couple from the first night, Dave and Lorraine, and were joined by a Las Vegas couple, Bill and Jean.  Jean talked Dad’s ear off.  I enjoyed conversations with Lorraine and Dave.

My dinner tonight: 

Appetizer: crabmeat quiche, chicken wonton soup.  Main course: cornish game hens with vegetables.  Again, very yummy sauce on the bottom of the plate.  I laughed when I saw the birds because they were the smallest game hens I’ve ever seen.  If we buy 22 oz hens in the store, then these were probably 11 oz birds.  I don’t mind the small sizes of the courses, it just allows you to try everything without filing up on one item.  For dessert: Bananas foster flambe....yummy delicious rum sauce.  Dad had nutella ice cream.  It was bland to me, but made the nutella sweeter.

After dinner I returned to the cabin to work on this blog and change into more comfortable clothes. Dad’s off to check out the dance scene and then watch a movie on the deck.  During the movie popcorn is available and at some point they come around with cookies and milk.  Even though the wind is blowing, it’s still warm and muggy.

That’s all for now.  Gonna go to bed early tonight, maybe finally get caught up on sleep.   Tomorrow another day at sea.  Tonight the boat is slipping SW between Cuba and Haiti.  During the day, Cuba was easily visible from the port side.  Seas have been great, with only slight up down motion noticeable.  While I said it was “hot” today, the report said 75 degrees.  It must be the humidity that makes it feel worse than that.  Tomorrow is suppose to be 81 degrees, and it’s only going to get hotter the further south we go.

Until tomorrow! Hasta luego mis amigos!

Speed Blogging

Still testing to see how to best to post to the blog without being connected to the internet for a long period of time.  This is using Apple's "Pages".  Doesn't copy the photo over though.  Will have to work on that.

Charlie thinks Lucy won’t mind if he sits in her bed.

Hopefully, third times a charm.  Looks like I can cut and paste, but need to add the photo's individually.  That will be ok, it's the writing part that can take some time.

Today is March 22nd, 6 Days to Florida!

Happy New Year!!!

Ha ha.  Yeah it's March and I'm just now blogging.  You get slower as you get older.  But I'm about to begin my great adventure with my Dad, so I'm warming up the blog.

At the end of the month we are headed to Fort Lauderdale and then will drive north to my Dad's sister Mary's house in Melbourne Beach where we will stay with them for a day.  After that short visit we return to Fort Lauderdale where we board the Island Princess and set sail for Los Angeles by way of the Panama Canal. 

My plan is to take the laptop and update the blog with our daily activities.  I've never been good about journaling on a trip and I'm hoping that the computer helps with that.  Fingers crossed.  If you have messages or questions, please post your comments here on the blog.

If all goes well you'll get updates of our visits to Aruba; Cartegena, Columbia; Fuerte Amador, Panama and the Panama Canal; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Acapulco and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

When we return on April 14th, I'm hopefully that Oregon's weather will be nicer than it is now.  Please have some sun and a little warmth for us on our return.

Stay tuned!

114th Civil War -- OSU Beavers vs. The Team of Many Uniforms

Today's the big game.  I'm posting now, because in reality, there won't be anything to talk about after the game.  So let's just do our thing now, while we're still happy.

Cool:  The weather is chilly.  The Beavers "Combat Pro - Giant Killers" uniforms.  ESPN Game Day in town, all the HYPE!  Corvallis is in fine style.

Not cool:  Anything green or yellow, Donald Duck. The probable outcome.

After work this morning, I rode my bike over to the MU Quad to see ESPN's Game Day show live. Go Beavs!!!

Game Day Bus, the day before the telecast.

Behind the stage at the MU Quad and Game Day set.

From the steps of the MU Quad, looking towards the TV set.

Fans on the balcony of the MU

OSU Marching Band on the steps of the MU



To the left of the TV set, broadcast in progress.



Goodbye Mom

Yesterday I traveled with my Dad and brother to the Columbia River Gorge to spread my Mom's ashes.  We drove to Larch Mount, and hiked a short distance to the top, where on a sunny day you can see five cascade mountains.    This is the spot that my Dad asked to be placed, so it was fitting that Mom should be here too.

Unfortunately the weather didn't allow us to have our view from the summit.  But these markers show you what to expect on a clear day.  I missed one,  Mt Jefferson. 

 

Besides leaving some of her ashes here, Dad also said goodbye by leaving photos of her.  I left a heart shaped rock that I collected, a little piece of me to hang out with her until we meet again.

On the way home we stopped at The View Point Inn for late brunch.  This place was an unexpected surprise. 

The place had a special serenity about it that matched the mood of the trip,  it felt comforting and beautiful.  From our table we had a view of the Columbia river and watched as a squall approached and swept through, leaving us with blue skies as we walked the garden and took in the views from outside.  Besides the view, the food was excellent.

Inside dining room, couch and fireplace.

Jason and Dad sitting by the warm crackling fire.



My view from our table.



Gift shop, articles of Twilight cast stay.

Upstairs bedroom.  Made for a bride to check herself out in the mirror.

Room tucked away in the dormer.

Wild Painters Workshop

I'm taking a 4 week class, "Wild Painters Workshop", from local artist Donna Beverly.  Here's one of my first creations, is it wild enough for you?



"Hands Here and There"