Welcome Aboard!
Sunday, 19 August 2007
We can’t believe this day has finally arrived. After traveling since leaving San Diego in January, we’re driving from San Antonio to Houston to board the freighter, Rickmers-Jakarta and begin our cruise around the world.
A quick stop at a drugstore for last minute items and we arrive at the Port of Houston but don’t see anything that looks like our ship. We stop at a building with a sign over the entrance "Seafarer’s Club" and I go in to ask directions. The chaplain and two volunteers approach me, eager to be of help. Turns out we’re at the wrong "port of Houston" (this one is where the cruise ships dock, and we need to be at the downtown city dock). After assuring them that we will visit the Seafarer’s Club at "our" dock, we make our way downtown and over the high I-610 bridge which looks down on the working docks, find the entrance gate, pass through security and find Dock 29 and the huge green hull of the "Rickmer’s Jakarta." There are huge cranes and trucks everywhere and people with hard hats scurrying here and there in the process of loading equipment and containers of all shapes and sizes aboard "our ship." I feel quite out of place and very vulnerable in my capri pants and sandals making my way across this mine field of workers, trying to stay out of their way. As we approach the ship, four deck hands jump to the task of carrying our luggage. We follow them up the gangway, around bulkheads, through large steel doors, up a flight of stairs, down a hallway, up four more flights (no elevator) and finally come out in a hallway and see our cabin door (marked "Owners"). We can forget about our intended exercise program - just going up and down those stairs several times a day, will be quite a workout. Our Philippino steward, Gani, greets us with a huge smile and informs us that lunch is served from 11:30-12:30, so we make our way off the ship to return our rental car and take a cab back in time for our first meal aboard. I feel as though we’ve now cut our ties to land. Our main mode of transportation and our home for the next four months is now the ship.
It’s a small dining room - just two round tables for six, one for the officers and one for the passengers. At this point we think there are eight or ten officers but they don’t all eat at the same time. We learn that there will be six passengers but we are the first two to arrive. Gani is there to serve us and shows us the posted lunch menu - roast turkey with gravy and mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. A lazy susan in the center of the table holds a bowl of tossed salad, dressings, large bowl of fruit, bread basket, water, juice and condiments. We’re also introduced to Chef Johni who along with the rest of the crew is from the Philippines. The Captain is Polish and the other officers or either Polish or Croatian.
After lunch, Gani gives us a tour of the bridge and areas of the ship that will mainly be used by the passengers. Later we may have a tour of the engine room. There is a party room (with Karoke machine), a lounge (with shelves of books and DVDs) and hot water for coffee and tea, plus a tin of cookies), and on the upper deck, a room with a long bar, some game tables and an exercise machine (this will be a good room for our yoga and fitness classes). There’s also a basketball court (really), swimming pool, laundry and open aft deck with lounge chairs for sunbathing. What more could anyone want? I’m already checking out areas suitable to set up my art studio.
We spend the afternoon getting unpacked, stowing everything, setting up the computer and printer. It’s a great feeling to know we won’t be packing or unpacking for four whole months. Our bedroom is quite spacious with lots of drawers and closet space and a vanity as well (larger than any cruise ship we’ve been on) and the bathroom and shower are very nice. The sitting room is even larger with a long desk and counter top which holds a stereo, dvd player and tv; a long couch, coffee table, three chairs and a small refrigerator enclosed in a wood cabinet. There’s a double portlight which looks forward over the bow of the ship. We’ll be quite comfortable in our new little home.
At lunch, the second day aboard, fellow passenger Jack appears. He has made the six-day drive from Alberta, Canada and left his car at a nearby campground for the duration of the trip. We quickly establish an easy, amicable relationship and the conversation flows as we learn bits and pieces about our respective lives. He’s a retired teacher, married with three grown children and is as excited as we are to be embarking on this adventure. We learn that two of the passengers will be joining us when we reach Hamburg - one is German and the other Swiss - and Gani thinks they are a couple but don’t have the same last name.
We didn’t realize just how hot and humid Houston can be until we walked to the "nearby" Seafarer’s Club this afternoon. It was a dusty, dirty walk through the shipping yard and about a mile walk in 90 degree heat to reach this small building that thankful was air conditioned. There’s a small store for supplies, a café and bar, an internet room (but the computer was down), a chapel and chaplain’s office, and a wonderful library full of free books. I came back with six books, all by my favorite authors. After that, it was siesta time and a shower before dinner. We’re really enjoying the meals and especially homemade deserts (this will not be good for my weight-loss program).
We chose a dvd from the lounge but were quite frustrated when it stopped just before the ending and wouldn’t play any further. Most of the dvds are Chinese copies and are not of very good quality.
We learned from the Captain that we won’t exactly have internet access aboard the ship. The information we were given before boarding said that we would have access to email while aboard. Well, the way it works is that we can receive email through the ship’s email address, and if we write a message on a slip of paper, it can be sent by the computer on the bridge. So, it looks like we’ll be using internet café computers as we visit each port. I may not be posting blogs very often but will keep writing and post them when I can.
Martha arrived Tuesday evening around 10 pm and was happy that she made all of her connecting flights (Juneau to Seattle to Dallas to Houston) and her luggage didn’t get lost. We had asked Gani to prepare a plate of cheese and bread and a desert which she ate in our cabin, accompanied by champagne to celebrate her arrival.
Wednesday at lunch, the Captain asked us to join him for a drink that evening at 6pm to celebrate our arrival. He put two bottles of champagne on our table and presented Martha and me each with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. He was quite chatty this evening and regaled us with lots of sea stories. Unfortunately, some of them were true stories of his experiences with disasters at sea, which I wasn’t sure I really wanted to hear, but he assured us that the "Jakarta" is a very safe ship and we had nothing to worry about. For desert tonight Chef Johni prepared Baked Alaska in Martha’s honor. After dinner, the four of us played a rousing game of Scrabble.
Thursday: I’ve set up my art studio in the large party room on the upper deck and it’s perfect. It’s a nice height for painting, there’s lots of light, and there’s a sink for cleanup; so I tried it out and completed two scarves.
One of the crew members gave us a safety and abandon-ship drill. We were shown where the fire extinguishers are located, instructed how to use our life vests and emersion suits, the location of the life rafts and also the life boat. The life boat is mounted on a slide and sits at an angle, ready to be deployed. If the ship is sinking we would be instructed to get in the life boat (which is enclosed) and has rows of seats (my seat number is 10). We would strap ourselves in and it would be released into the sea. It does have propulsion but I imagine it would only be used to maneuver away from the sinking ship as it wouldn’t carry enough fuel to get very far. We were assured that a call for help would have been broadcast and we would be rescued in a short while. We didn’t try it out.
We watched a movie (one that Martha brought, so it played the whole way through) in our cabin and at 11:45 heard, and felt, the engine start up. From the upper deck, we watched as the lines were thrown off and we got underway! What a great feeling to be moving out the channel and headed for New Orleans. The tug that was maneuvering us turned away and the tug Captain waved good bye. We’re finally starting the voyage and the ship already feels like home.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
On The Road Again
Wasn’t that a Willie Nelson hit? My favorite line is "Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway. We’re the best of friends and insisting that the world keep turnin’ our way - and our way.......is on the road again." I think that’s us. We’re beginning to feel like gypsies - just moving from place to place. But I’ve always thought of gypsies as happy people, so I guess it’s an o.k. thing to be.
We left the cabin on the North Shore on Thursday the 2nd of August. We’d considered leaving Wednesday, since Dawn and Carly and her Girl Scout troop were arriving Thursday evening, but we were in no hurry to leave this beautiful spot. Well, it was a good thing because Wednesday afternoon a Minneapolis bridge on I-35 that crosses the Mississippi River suddenly collapsed! It was loaded with cars and many went into the river below killing and injuring several people. Three family members called us Wednesday night to tell us of the disaster and to give us alternate routes back to Bloomington. The accident is still being investigated to determine the cause of the bridge just breaking apart.
Back at Scott’s house, we were happy to see Scott, Raelene, Taylor and Zach who continue to enjoy the various sporting events in which they’re involved. On Friday, Taylor and Zach invited us to go to Camp Snoopy, an amusement park within the Mall of America. We rode as many rides as we could and all had a good time. (See photos) Saturday afternoon Craig, Leslie and Kristina came over to say goodbye and later Doug and Scott cooked us a nice dinner for our last evening together. Raelene left early Sunday morning for a business trip to San Francisco and shortly after we loaded our car and headed south. Since our freighter trip was pushed out a week, we decided to spend that time visiting friends in San Antonio and San Diego and to spend time with Julie and Doug in Phoenix.
The two-day drive to San Antonio, with an overnight stop in Wichita, Kansas, was uneventful and we arrived at Carmen & David’s Monday evening, the 6th of August. What a nice neighborhood and home they’ve made in their new townhouse in downtown San Antonio. We enjoyed the nearby River Walk area and tried several nearby restaurants, plus a fun evening at the local German Club where we met many of their friends.
Wednesday morning we caught a flight to Phoenix and spent three fun days with Julie and Doug. We had been hearing the continuing saga of their patio cat, Christi Brinkley, who they adopted several months ago. After rescuing her from near starvation, they were happy to see her gaining weight until they learned she was pregnant. Well, one day she disappeared and came back two days later skinny (well, she is a model). But they didn’t know where she had the kittens and they feared they didn’t survive. Well, the day we arrived, she showed up with a little black bundle of fur. He/she is soooo adorable! The next day she appeared with the black one plus a cute little tabby. Day three she arrived with the black, the tabby and surprise, surprise, two more tabbies. So, in addition to Maui and Sachi (their two indoor Siamese cats) they now have seven cats and are scratching their heads and saying: How did this happen? That’s a lot of kitties to take care of and and big concern was the heat on the patio - with temperatures over 100 degrees. So, after we left for San Diego, they bought a playpen and put Christi and the kittens in the guest room and seriously started looking for some adoptive families.
It was great to be back in San Diego where it was warm but not nearly as hot as San Antonio and Phoenix. We spent the first night with Wally & Nancy who had also invited China & Cliff for dinner. It was just like old times. After breakfast at their club, we drove downtown in time for services at First Lutheran Church. It was so nice to see our friends there - especially Joe & Beth Slevcove with their new baby, Allena, who was born just three weeks ago. Sunday evening we got together with Carol & Colin Gardyne at Connie Leigh’s condo. After a fun evening of food & wine, we all walked to the newly opened Gelato shop in Little Italy for dessert. We stayed in our old neighborhood at the Little Italy Inn and felt right at home. Monday night, China & Cliff had us over for dinner and also included Wally & Nancy and we continued the party from Saturday night. We checked out some condo prices and availability in our continuing search for our next home. Tuesday morning we flew back to Phoenix and had two more nights with Julie & Doug and the menagerie of cats. It was sad to leave knowing that we wouldn’t have a chance to see each other for four months.
Returning to San Antonio was a real challenge, with a delayed flight, missed connection, renting a car and driving for four hours in the rain, etc. but I won’t bore my readers with the details. Enough to say that instead of arriving in San Antonio at 2:00 PM, we arrived about 10:15, very tired and disappointed we didn’t get to take Carmen & David to dinner at a favorite restaurant but instead had a very marginal meal at a roadside country kitchen. The joys of travel.
The weekend at Lake LBJ, visiting Ted & Marietta Johns, was great. Carmen & David drove their car and we drove ours since the Johns’ very generously offered to have us leave it at their house while we’re off sailing around the world. They moved here to this beautiful spot about two years ago and it’s an amazing place - four bedrooms in the main house and a bunkhouse that sleeps eight (for when the grandchildren come). We had lots of fun catching up on everyone’s lives and travels and enjoyed lots of good food and wine. We swam in the pool and went down the slide into the lake, and Captain Ted gave us a tour of Lake LBJ by boat. We visited Johnson City, the home of former President Lyndon Johnson and the LBJ National Historical Park on the Pedernales River. Lyndon and Lady Bird, who passed away earlier this year, loved this land and are buried here. I can see why the Johnsons, and now Ted & Marietta, love the Hill Country of Texas which is between the eastern softer more humid area and the western high plains, plateaus, and desert areas of Texas. There are beautiful stone houses made from the local limestone, cattle farms, fields and fields of wildflowers in season, and deer that wander freely everywhere.
After a wonderful breakfast and more great conversation, we left this beautiful setting and rode back to San Antonio with Carmen & David. We transferred our luggage to our rental car and headed for Houston and our next adventure.
Wasn’t that a Willie Nelson hit? My favorite line is "Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway. We’re the best of friends and insisting that the world keep turnin’ our way - and our way.......is on the road again." I think that’s us. We’re beginning to feel like gypsies - just moving from place to place. But I’ve always thought of gypsies as happy people, so I guess it’s an o.k. thing to be.
We left the cabin on the North Shore on Thursday the 2nd of August. We’d considered leaving Wednesday, since Dawn and Carly and her Girl Scout troop were arriving Thursday evening, but we were in no hurry to leave this beautiful spot. Well, it was a good thing because Wednesday afternoon a Minneapolis bridge on I-35 that crosses the Mississippi River suddenly collapsed! It was loaded with cars and many went into the river below killing and injuring several people. Three family members called us Wednesday night to tell us of the disaster and to give us alternate routes back to Bloomington. The accident is still being investigated to determine the cause of the bridge just breaking apart.
Back at Scott’s house, we were happy to see Scott, Raelene, Taylor and Zach who continue to enjoy the various sporting events in which they’re involved. On Friday, Taylor and Zach invited us to go to Camp Snoopy, an amusement park within the Mall of America. We rode as many rides as we could and all had a good time. (See photos) Saturday afternoon Craig, Leslie and Kristina came over to say goodbye and later Doug and Scott cooked us a nice dinner for our last evening together. Raelene left early Sunday morning for a business trip to San Francisco and shortly after we loaded our car and headed south. Since our freighter trip was pushed out a week, we decided to spend that time visiting friends in San Antonio and San Diego and to spend time with Julie and Doug in Phoenix.
The two-day drive to San Antonio, with an overnight stop in Wichita, Kansas, was uneventful and we arrived at Carmen & David’s Monday evening, the 6th of August. What a nice neighborhood and home they’ve made in their new townhouse in downtown San Antonio. We enjoyed the nearby River Walk area and tried several nearby restaurants, plus a fun evening at the local German Club where we met many of their friends.
Wednesday morning we caught a flight to Phoenix and spent three fun days with Julie and Doug. We had been hearing the continuing saga of their patio cat, Christi Brinkley, who they adopted several months ago. After rescuing her from near starvation, they were happy to see her gaining weight until they learned she was pregnant. Well, one day she disappeared and came back two days later skinny (well, she is a model). But they didn’t know where she had the kittens and they feared they didn’t survive. Well, the day we arrived, she showed up with a little black bundle of fur. He/she is soooo adorable! The next day she appeared with the black one plus a cute little tabby. Day three she arrived with the black, the tabby and surprise, surprise, two more tabbies. So, in addition to Maui and Sachi (their two indoor Siamese cats) they now have seven cats and are scratching their heads and saying: How did this happen? That’s a lot of kitties to take care of and and big concern was the heat on the patio - with temperatures over 100 degrees. So, after we left for San Diego, they bought a playpen and put Christi and the kittens in the guest room and seriously started looking for some adoptive families.
It was great to be back in San Diego where it was warm but not nearly as hot as San Antonio and Phoenix. We spent the first night with Wally & Nancy who had also invited China & Cliff for dinner. It was just like old times. After breakfast at their club, we drove downtown in time for services at First Lutheran Church. It was so nice to see our friends there - especially Joe & Beth Slevcove with their new baby, Allena, who was born just three weeks ago. Sunday evening we got together with Carol & Colin Gardyne at Connie Leigh’s condo. After a fun evening of food & wine, we all walked to the newly opened Gelato shop in Little Italy for dessert. We stayed in our old neighborhood at the Little Italy Inn and felt right at home. Monday night, China & Cliff had us over for dinner and also included Wally & Nancy and we continued the party from Saturday night. We checked out some condo prices and availability in our continuing search for our next home. Tuesday morning we flew back to Phoenix and had two more nights with Julie & Doug and the menagerie of cats. It was sad to leave knowing that we wouldn’t have a chance to see each other for four months.
Returning to San Antonio was a real challenge, with a delayed flight, missed connection, renting a car and driving for four hours in the rain, etc. but I won’t bore my readers with the details. Enough to say that instead of arriving in San Antonio at 2:00 PM, we arrived about 10:15, very tired and disappointed we didn’t get to take Carmen & David to dinner at a favorite restaurant but instead had a very marginal meal at a roadside country kitchen. The joys of travel.
The weekend at Lake LBJ, visiting Ted & Marietta Johns, was great. Carmen & David drove their car and we drove ours since the Johns’ very generously offered to have us leave it at their house while we’re off sailing around the world. They moved here to this beautiful spot about two years ago and it’s an amazing place - four bedrooms in the main house and a bunkhouse that sleeps eight (for when the grandchildren come). We had lots of fun catching up on everyone’s lives and travels and enjoyed lots of good food and wine. We swam in the pool and went down the slide into the lake, and Captain Ted gave us a tour of Lake LBJ by boat. We visited Johnson City, the home of former President Lyndon Johnson and the LBJ National Historical Park on the Pedernales River. Lyndon and Lady Bird, who passed away earlier this year, loved this land and are buried here. I can see why the Johnsons, and now Ted & Marietta, love the Hill Country of Texas which is between the eastern softer more humid area and the western high plains, plateaus, and desert areas of Texas. There are beautiful stone houses made from the local limestone, cattle farms, fields and fields of wildflowers in season, and deer that wander freely everywhere.
After a wonderful breakfast and more great conversation, we left this beautiful setting and rode back to San Antonio with Carmen & David. We transferred our luggage to our rental car and headed for Houston and our next adventure.
On the road again . . .
On The Road Again
Wasn’t that a Willie Nelson hit? My favorite line is "Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway. We’re the best of friends and insisting that the world keep turnin’ our way - and our way.......is on the road again." I think that’s us. We’re beginning to feel like gypsies - just moving from place to place. But I’ve always thought of gypsies as happy people, so I guess it’s an o.k. thing to be.
We left the cabin on the North Shore on Thursday the 2nd of August. We’d considered leaving Wednesday, since Dawn and Carly and her Girl Scout troop were arriving Thursday evening, but we were in no hurry to leave this beautiful spot. Well, it was a good thing because Wednesday afternoon a Minneapolis bridge on I-35 that crosses the Mississippi River suddenly collapsed! It was loaded with cars and many went into the river below killing and injuring several people. Three family members called us Wednesday night to tell us of the disaster and to give us alternate routes back to Bloomington. The accident is still being investigated to determine the cause of the bridge just breaking apart.
Back at Scott’s house, we were happy to see Scott, Raelene, Taylor and Zach who continue to enjoy the various sporting events in which they’re involved. On Friday, Taylor and Zach invited us to go to Camp Snoopy, an amusement park within the Mall of America. We rode as many rides as we could and all had a good time. (See photos) Saturday afternoon Craig, Leslie and Kristina came over to say goodbye and later Doug and Scott cooked us a nice dinner for our last evening together. Raelene left early Sunday morning for a business trip to San Francisco and shortly after we loaded our car and headed south. Since our freighter trip was pushed out a week, we decided to spend that time visiting friends in San Antonio and San Diego and to spend time with Julie and Doug in Phoenix.
The two-day drive to San Antonio, with an overnight stop in Wichita, Kansas, was uneventful and we arrived at Carmen & David’s Monday evening, the 6th of August. What a nice neighborhood and home they’ve made in their new townhouse in downtown San Antonio. We enjoyed the nearby River Walk area and tried several nearby restaurants, plus a fun evening at the local German Club where we met many of their friends.
Wednesday morning we caught a flight to Phoenix and spent three fun days with Julie and Doug. We had been hearing the continuing saga of their patio cat, Christi Brinkley, who they adopted several months ago. After rescuing her from near starvation, they were happy to see her gaining weight until they learned she was pregnant. Well, one day she disappeared and came back two days later skinny (well, she is a model). But they didn’t know where she had the kittens and they feared they didn’t survive. Well, the day we arrived, she showed up with a little black bundle of fur. He/she is soooo adorable! The next day she appeared with the black one plus a cute little tabby. Day three she arrived with the black, the tabby and surprise, surprise, two more tabbies. So, in addition to Maui and Sachi (their two indoor Siamese cats) they now have seven cats and are scratching their heads and saying: How did this happen? That’s a lot of kitties to take care of and and big concern was the heat on the patio - with temperatures over 100 degrees. So, after we left for San Diego, they bought a playpen and put Christi and the kittens in the guest room and seriously started looking for some adoptive families.
It was great to be back in San Diego where it was warm but not nearly as hot as San Antonio and Phoenix. We spent the first night with Wally & Nancy who had also invited China & Cliff for dinner. It was just like old times. After breakfast at their club, we drove downtown in time for services at First Lutheran Church. It was so nice to see our friends there - especially Joe & Beth Slevcove with their new baby, Allena, who was born just three weeks ago. Sunday evening we got together with Carol & Colin Gardyne at Connie Leigh’s condo. After a fun evening of food & wine, we all walked to the newly opened Gelato shop in Little Italy for dessert. We stayed in our old neighborhood at the Little Italy Inn and felt right at home. Monday night, China & Cliff had us over for dinner and also included Wally & Nancy and we continued the party from Saturday night. We checked out some condo prices and availability in our continuing search for our next home. Tuesday morning we flew back to Phoenix and had two more nights with Julie & Doug and the menagerie of cats. It was sad to leave knowing that we wouldn’t have a chance to see each other for four months.
Returning to San Antonio was a real challenge, with a delayed flight, missed connection, renting a car and driving for four hours in the rain, etc. but I won’t bore my readers with the details. Enough to say that instead of arriving in San Antonio at 2:00 PM, we arrived about 10:15, very tired and disappointed we didn’t get to take Carmen & David to dinner at a favorite restaurant but instead had a very marginal meal at a roadside country kitchen. The joys of travel.
The weekend at Lake LBJ, visiting Ted & Marietta Johns, was great. Carmen & David drove their car and we drove ours since the Johns’ very generously offered to have us leave it at their house while we’re off sailing around the world. They moved here to this beautiful spot about two years ago and it’s an amazing place - four bedrooms in the main house and a bunkhouse that sleeps eight (for when the grandchildren come). We had lots of fun catching up on everyone’s lives and travels and enjoyed lots of good food and wine. We swam in the pool and went down the slide into the lake, and Captain Ted gave us a tour of Lake LBJ by boat. We visited Johnson City, the home of former President Lyndon Johnson and the LBJ National Historical Park on the Pedernales River. Lyndon and Lady Bird, who passed away earlier this year, loved this land and are buried here. I can see why the Johnsons, and now Ted & Marietta, love the Hill Country of Texas which is between the eastern softer more humid area and the western high plains, plateaus, and desert areas of Texas. There are beautiful stone houses made from the local limestone, cattle farms, fields and fields of wildflowers in season, and deer that wander freely everywhere.
After a wonderful breakfast and more great conversation, we left this beautiful setting and rode back to San Antonio with Carmen & David. We transferred our luggage to our rental car and headed for Houston and our next adventure.
Wasn’t that a Willie Nelson hit? My favorite line is "Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway. We’re the best of friends and insisting that the world keep turnin’ our way - and our way.......is on the road again." I think that’s us. We’re beginning to feel like gypsies - just moving from place to place. But I’ve always thought of gypsies as happy people, so I guess it’s an o.k. thing to be.
We left the cabin on the North Shore on Thursday the 2nd of August. We’d considered leaving Wednesday, since Dawn and Carly and her Girl Scout troop were arriving Thursday evening, but we were in no hurry to leave this beautiful spot. Well, it was a good thing because Wednesday afternoon a Minneapolis bridge on I-35 that crosses the Mississippi River suddenly collapsed! It was loaded with cars and many went into the river below killing and injuring several people. Three family members called us Wednesday night to tell us of the disaster and to give us alternate routes back to Bloomington. The accident is still being investigated to determine the cause of the bridge just breaking apart.
Back at Scott’s house, we were happy to see Scott, Raelene, Taylor and Zach who continue to enjoy the various sporting events in which they’re involved. On Friday, Taylor and Zach invited us to go to Camp Snoopy, an amusement park within the Mall of America. We rode as many rides as we could and all had a good time. (See photos) Saturday afternoon Craig, Leslie and Kristina came over to say goodbye and later Doug and Scott cooked us a nice dinner for our last evening together. Raelene left early Sunday morning for a business trip to San Francisco and shortly after we loaded our car and headed south. Since our freighter trip was pushed out a week, we decided to spend that time visiting friends in San Antonio and San Diego and to spend time with Julie and Doug in Phoenix.
The two-day drive to San Antonio, with an overnight stop in Wichita, Kansas, was uneventful and we arrived at Carmen & David’s Monday evening, the 6th of August. What a nice neighborhood and home they’ve made in their new townhouse in downtown San Antonio. We enjoyed the nearby River Walk area and tried several nearby restaurants, plus a fun evening at the local German Club where we met many of their friends.
Wednesday morning we caught a flight to Phoenix and spent three fun days with Julie and Doug. We had been hearing the continuing saga of their patio cat, Christi Brinkley, who they adopted several months ago. After rescuing her from near starvation, they were happy to see her gaining weight until they learned she was pregnant. Well, one day she disappeared and came back two days later skinny (well, she is a model). But they didn’t know where she had the kittens and they feared they didn’t survive. Well, the day we arrived, she showed up with a little black bundle of fur. He/she is soooo adorable! The next day she appeared with the black one plus a cute little tabby. Day three she arrived with the black, the tabby and surprise, surprise, two more tabbies. So, in addition to Maui and Sachi (their two indoor Siamese cats) they now have seven cats and are scratching their heads and saying: How did this happen? That’s a lot of kitties to take care of and and big concern was the heat on the patio - with temperatures over 100 degrees. So, after we left for San Diego, they bought a playpen and put Christi and the kittens in the guest room and seriously started looking for some adoptive families.
It was great to be back in San Diego where it was warm but not nearly as hot as San Antonio and Phoenix. We spent the first night with Wally & Nancy who had also invited China & Cliff for dinner. It was just like old times. After breakfast at their club, we drove downtown in time for services at First Lutheran Church. It was so nice to see our friends there - especially Joe & Beth Slevcove with their new baby, Allena, who was born just three weeks ago. Sunday evening we got together with Carol & Colin Gardyne at Connie Leigh’s condo. After a fun evening of food & wine, we all walked to the newly opened Gelato shop in Little Italy for dessert. We stayed in our old neighborhood at the Little Italy Inn and felt right at home. Monday night, China & Cliff had us over for dinner and also included Wally & Nancy and we continued the party from Saturday night. We checked out some condo prices and availability in our continuing search for our next home. Tuesday morning we flew back to Phoenix and had two more nights with Julie & Doug and the menagerie of cats. It was sad to leave knowing that we wouldn’t have a chance to see each other for four months.
Returning to San Antonio was a real challenge, with a delayed flight, missed connection, renting a car and driving for four hours in the rain, etc. but I won’t bore my readers with the details. Enough to say that instead of arriving in San Antonio at 2:00 PM, we arrived about 10:15, very tired and disappointed we didn’t get to take Carmen & David to dinner at a favorite restaurant but instead had a very marginal meal at a roadside country kitchen. The joys of travel.
The weekend at Lake LBJ, visiting Ted & Marietta Johns, was great. Carmen & David drove their car and we drove ours since the Johns’ very generously offered to have us leave it at their house while we’re off sailing around the world. They moved here to this beautiful spot about two years ago and it’s an amazing place - four bedrooms in the main house and a bunkhouse that sleeps eight (for when the grandchildren come). We had lots of fun catching up on everyone’s lives and travels and enjoyed lots of good food and wine. We swam in the pool and went down the slide into the lake, and Captain Ted gave us a tour of Lake LBJ by boat. We visited Johnson City, the home of former President Lyndon Johnson and the LBJ National Historical Park on the Pedernales River. Lyndon and Lady Bird, who passed away earlier this year, loved this land and are buried here. I can see why the Johnsons, and now Ted & Marietta, love the Hill Country of Texas which is between the eastern softer more humid area and the western high plains, plateaus, and desert areas of Texas. There are beautiful stone houses made from the local limestone, cattle farms, fields and fields of wildflowers in season, and deer that wander freely everywhere.
After a wonderful breakfast and more great conversation, we left this beautiful setting and rode back to San Antonio with Carmen & David. We transferred our luggage to our rental car and headed for Houston and our next adventure.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Camp Run-A-Mok
Doug and I began "Camp Run-A-Mok" about fourteen years ago when the first three grandchildren were old enough to spend a week with us at the cabin, without their parents. The first group, Michele (8), Kristina (6) and Scott (2) were such good "campers" that we returned at various times over the years, with different combinations of grandchildren. Our typical activities are hiking, shared cooking and cleanup, skipping rocks in the lake, arts and crafts, playing cards and board games, campfires on the beach, and usually some kind of project to improve the cabin property. For example, one year we brought large rocks up from the beach and made flower beds around the cabin and planted wild flowers. Sometimes the weather dictates the type of activities, but there’s always something to do., Two years ago, we brought Taylor (7) and Zach (4); plus junior counselor, Scott, (14) and this time, we’re here with Daniel (15) and Carly (12).
The six-hour drive was a good time to get re-acquainted with the kids. We played lots of car games and told stories and jokes, discovering their unique personalities and sense of humor. We were all amazed at how quickly the time went - they couldn’t believe they didn’t even open the bag containing their books, i-pods and video player!
These kids are good eaters. They eat most everything and, being teenagers, tend to eat large quantities. They are also good sleepers - quite a change from the little ones who wake you up at 6 am, ready for breakfast. Doug and I are not typically early risers, so it’s great that we are actually up before them and have our coffee before Carly comes down about 8:30 and Daniel has to be blasted out of his bed whenever it’s time to do something. We’ve found that a good wake-up call for him is to start frying bacon; or just talk in loud voices about jumping on his bed, or going to town for donuts.
The weather has been great for spending time at the beach, skipping rocks, collecting driftwood for our campfire, and even building a sand castle. There hasn’t always been sand on the beach - sometimes it’s all rocks - so this is a treat for me. We wade in the water up to our knees - the water temperature surprisingly warm. Doug and Daniel are honing their skills with horseshoes and I have begun a class in scarf painting with Carly. Her first attempt was quite successful and she created a long scarf in an abstract pattern of purple, blue and green swirls. To our surprise, the next day Daniel wanted to try his hand at silk painting and created a very interesting abstract in red, black and grey. The next day Carly advanced to drawing with resist and made a very pretty polka dot design and another with flowers and vines.
The weather is too nice to stay indoors much so we took on the project of rebuilding the swing. It was put up about fourteen years ago, suspended between two trees and was the perfect height for little and big kids. Unfortunately, the trees have grown over the years and the swing, not adjustable, has become so high that even the biggest "kid" could not use it. We bought new rope, carried the big ladder out from the basement, and I climbed up and secured the line with a bowline knot to each tree. We all tried it out and pronounced it a great swing. Our other project, was to create a signal sign for the outhouse. (We also have an indoor "incinolet" but prefer the outhouse.) It’s hard to relax, with no door on the outhouse, wondering if someone is going to show up unannounced while you’re sitting there contemplating the lake. No one wants to install a door, for a lot of reasons, so we found a piece of driftwood on the beach and Carly and I painted it - red on one side and green on the other - and made a wire hanger for it. On the green side, we wrote "Welcome" and on the red side, "Go Away!" Now, anyone heading that way can see if it’s occupied or unoccupied. We love it!
Doug and Daniel also completed another important project of cleaning the exterior logs of the cabin. This has to be done every three or four years, as the snow that piles up around the cabin in the winter, causes dampness which turns to mildew. They started with a special product that required spraying the logs, scrubbing with a long-handled brush and hosing with water. It wasn’t working so well, so they switched to bleach and completed the job much more quickly.
The weather is too nice to stay indoors much so we took on the project of rebuilding the swing. It was put up about fourteen years ago, suspended between two trees and was the perfect height for little and big kids. Unfortunately, the trees have grown over the years and the swing, not adjustable, has become so high that even the biggest "kid" could not use it. We bought new rope, carried the big ladder out from the basement, and I climbed up and secured the line with a bowline knot to each tree. We all tried it out and pronounced it a great swing. Our other project, was to create a signal sign for the outhouse. (We also have an indoor "incinolet" but prefer the outhouse.) It’s hard to relax, with no door on the outhouse, wondering if someone is going to show up unannounced while you’re sitting there contemplating the lake. No one wants to install a door, for a lot of reasons, so we found a piece of driftwood on the beach and Carly and I painted it - red on one side and green on the other - and made a wire hanger for it. On the green side, we wrote "Welcome" and on the red side, "Go Away!" Now, anyone heading that way can see if it’s occupied or unoccupied. We love it!
Doug and Daniel also completed another important project of cleaning the exterior logs of the cabin. This has to be done every three or four years, as the snow that piles up around the cabin in the winter, causes dampness which turns to mildew. They started with a special product that required spraying the logs, scrubbing with a long-handled brush and hosing with water. It wasn’t working so well, so they switched to bleach and completed the job much more quickly.
We all share the cooking and have made some wonderful meals. One of the most memorable was Daniel's special pasta sauce which he made from scratch and simmered it for hours and served served it with garlic bread and caesar salad. He's quite the chef. Carly and I had fun making chicken and biscuits which we served with stewed apples.
Day four: We packed a lunch and set out for Judge C. R. Magney State Park for the three mile hike to Devil’s Kettle. It was a beautiful day, warm enough for shorts and t-shirts but not too hot for the hike. The trail takes you over the Brule River and steep up and down grades to the spectacular view of "the kettle." It’s rather steep terrain and one part is a challenge for Doug and I but Daniel with his long legs was sprinting the whole way back and waiting for us at the end of the trail. Carly stayed closer to us but clearly was having no problem with the climb. Well, at least we did it. We could see some dark clouds moving in as we got back to the car, but there was a nearby picnic table and we decided to go ahead with our lunch. Then it started to drizzle but I insisted we finish our lunch - once I decide to go on a picnic, I certainly don’t want to take my lunch back home and eat in doors. Those around us quickly packed up and drove away, looking at us rather strangely as we sat there as if it were a perfectly clear day. I’m sure Carly and Daniel will tell their parents we made them eat outside in the rain.
Carly and I went into town one day for her to choose a birthday gift and we celebrated her birthday with a candle in a big piece of fudge from the Grand Marais fudge store. Delicious!
We’ve learned to play some new board games and also enjoyed some old ones, like "Clue" and "Rummy-Cube". Some favorites this week were Scattegories, Farkel, and "Apples to Apples".
Friday evening Carly and Dan’s mom arrived for the weekend. Their Uncle Craig came along as well to share the driving and it was good to see both of them. Doug made a big pot of his famous chili which we served with cornbread and homemade blueberry pie (which Carly and I made) for dessert. Later, we had a campfire on the beach and made s’mores and told stories. It was a beautiful evening, not too many mosquitoes, and not cold at all. Of course it is July.
Everyone left early Sunday morning and the cabin seems so quiet but we hear the echos of their voices and we have the memories of a fun week at Camp Run-A-Mok.
We’ve learned to play some new board games and also enjoyed some old ones, like "Clue" and "Rummy-Cube". Some favorites this week were Scattegories, Farkel, and "Apples to Apples".
Friday evening Carly and Dan’s mom arrived for the weekend. Their Uncle Craig came along as well to share the driving and it was good to see both of them. Doug made a big pot of his famous chili which we served with cornbread and homemade blueberry pie (which Carly and I made) for dessert. Later, we had a campfire on the beach and made s’mores and told stories. It was a beautiful evening, not too many mosquitoes, and not cold at all. Of course it is July.
Everyone left early Sunday morning and the cabin seems so quiet but we hear the echos of their voices and we have the memories of a fun week at Camp Run-A-Mok.
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