Snure Odyssey

Haiti trip 2/13 - 2/20/09

2009-03-12T22:50:00.000-07:00

The Promise

We saw Haiti and there was change. Did we change Haiti or did Haiti change us?

Every trip has three parts: The planning: Dreaming about the trip and how it will be to discover a new place, meet new people and have experiences you’ve never had before.
The trip: Actually travelling and being in an unfamiliar place.
The reminiscing: Recalling all the good, and sometimes not so good, times; and telling wonderful stories to anyone who will listen. You can plan and reminisce for as long as you want. It’s only the actual trip that is limited by time.

We spent considerable time planning the trip to Haiti, learning about the history and culture, reading books by Haitian authors, and sharing a Haitian dinner with our group of ten. Dick Shakeshaft (our leader), Pastor Bill Hathaway, Anna Johnson, Susan Wright, Larry Fransen, Steven Hult, Gerri & Skip Smith, John McGinnis and Rebecca Snure.

The trip itself is the most difficult to describe because I know it meant different things to different people.

Because of a five-hour delay in our travel time, we arrived at night. Like sunset in that part of the world, which suddenly takes you from daylight to dark, we were thrust into a different world when we stepped off the plane. Mimi, our Haitian contact, whisked us through the pressing crowd and into the van that would take us the two-hour drive to L’Acul, our week-long home-away-from-home. A trumpeter played a welcoming rendition of “Mocking Bird Hill,” and then lapsed into the “Star Spangled Banner,” as we headed out through the dark streets of Port au Prince. Our senses were immediately assaulted with a variety of sights, smells and sounds of a teeming city that looked like a war zone – flickering candles and kerosene lamps dotted the roadside where groups huddled in the otherwise darkness. It was a relief to leave the confines of the city and get to fresher air and the rural landscape of Haiti’s coast.

Our hosts, Rick and Kathy Land, greeted us with a welcoming dinner. The guest house at the CODEP compound was comfortable, with sufficient beds and bathrooms for our group. There was a common area with living room and dining room but we shared all of our meals on a spacious deck which looks out on the sea. L’Acul is located on the Channel du Sud, bordered by the Atlantic and Caribbean. Each evening, we shared a time of observations of the day, devotions, and announcements regarding the next day’s activities.

Our introduction to the community was a visit to the bustling local market to buy fresh produce for the week. Creole, similar to French, is the language of the country and we tried out some words (but mainly relied on smiles) as we made our way amongst the vendors. All were encouraging us to buy from them, but there was no sign of begging, and they were smiling and appreciative as we moved along. That afternoon was spent travelling up into the nearby mountains, with a stop at the Farm Store (a local co-op which Kathy & Rick started) and a bit of hiking to visit a 350-square-foot CODEP house (which is earned through a program similar to Habitat), with no plumbing or electricity, that housed a family of four, and no kitchen as the cooking is all done outdoors.

We walked to Sunday church for a beautiful service in Creole and French with the scripture in English, read by Pastor Bill; and were greeted warmly afterwards by members of the congregation. Sunday afternoon is one of Kathy’s three scheduled beach ministry classes with the children of the village and some of us helped with art classes, games and puzzles with the 10-15 children who eagerly attend. Visiting Gabriel and his family, a wonderful example of how hard-working people can live in Haiti, was particularly heart-warming. They were very appreciative of the table we presented, hand crafted by Terry Morton, from wood salvaged from a First Presbyterian renovation, which means a part of our church is now in Haiti. After Gabriel and Madame greeted us, the four older children introduced themselves and we were touched by the sharing of their dreams: The three daughters want to be: a nurse, a doctor, and a priest; and the son: an engineer. We had earlier been cautioned by Rick and Kathy not to make any promises to the people we would meet in Haiti because so many promises are broken when people return home. We made an exception in this case and promised to pray for Gabriel and his family and especially for the children to be able to realize their goals. They in turn promised to pray for us and we felt a strong bond with our new prayer partners.

The week was spent visiting CODEP project sites to see the start-up of various projects and how they’re working. We visited tilapia fish ponds, seedling nurseries (for eucalyptus trees, coffee plants and fruit trees), learned about the fertilization process, and drove through the mountainous areas to see strong evidence of the reforestation of hillsides. The schools we saw were at best cinderblock walls divided into classrooms and we were told, being privately funded, they were far better than Haiti’s public schools. In spite of the conditions, the children were smiling and well-behaved in their clean and neat uniforms. Kathy and Rick (through CODEP) have implemented a school lunch program and for many children it’s the only meal they have each day. We spent some time with a young American woman, April, who is living in-country, doing research and helping qualify families for the CODEP projects. We all got hands-on experience installing cistern systems on two homes and some opted for the 5 AM departure to hike into a more remote area to install a third system. In addition to the CODEP projects, we loved spending time with Kathy on her beach ministry program: the mother/baby nutrition program, visiting the sick and grieving members of the community, reaching out to others with special needs and concerns, and teaching and playing with the local children.

Rick gave us an in-depth understanding (by word and example) of the CODEP program, which covers 45 square miles of rural, mountainous Haiti. It’s been working smoothly, since it’s conception in 1989, due not only to a well-thought-out plan, and a lot of work by many people in and outside of Haiti, but from the assumed ownership of the 650 Haitian men and women (mainly farmers and market ladies) who participate in this wonderful program. The goal is to “help Haitians help themselves.” For a history and detailed explanation of how CODEP works, please visit their very informational web site at www.haitifundinc,com.

For our trip to Haiti, our goal was: Share God’s love, bring joy, show we care, and take their story home. We did and will do all these things, but all felt that the people of Haiti did more for us than we could ever do for them. We were truly blessed by our experience there, and the reminiscing will last a lifetime.

Submitted by Rebecca Snure

Haiti

The countryside is very poor
The mountains they are high
The rain is nowhere to be seen
The land is hot and dry

I wonder how they do survive
There isn’t much they have
And so I watch them work and play
And none seem to be sad.

I ask our heavenly Father
To watch over them each day
And to give me faith and courage
To last throughout my stay

For when the day has ended
And the stars appear above
I thank God for all he’s given me
And the greatest gift is love

Nancy Mills

Camp Run-a-mok 2008

2008-06-14T13:54:00.000-07:00

We volunteered to be "nannies for a week" for grandsons Taylor and Zach. We enjoyed watching them play hockey and baseball and had fun in the backyard pool. We spent one day starting with a planning session, then sign making and advertising and finally opened our wonderful Lemonade Stand. We actually had customers and though we didn't make our fortunes, we had a good time. We also attended a play "Mrs. Piggle Wiggle's Magic" at the Minnesota Children's Theater.

After the storm - Lake Superior

2008-06-14T13:48:00.001-07:00

The night of June 6th and morning of the 7th brought 5 inches of rain to the boundary waters area of Minnesota, where our cabin is located. The pictures show the flooding that resulted as water flowed down and flooded all the small nearby creeks. A large beaver dam broke loose in the creek next to the cabin and it looked like a small niagra falls gushing through the culvert and down to wear it meets Lake Superior. Many smaller roads were closed and there was flooding and lots of debri on Highway 61.

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Cabin on Lake Superior

2008-06-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

We arrived at the cabin on the 2nd of June and, though a bit cool, it's beautiful. Spring is a little late getting to the North Woods, but the leaves are budding out on the trees, the birds are back (even the hummingbird) and the "lawn" is bull of dandelion flowers. There are some lovely, unidentified, yellow flowers lining the banks of the creek which flows into Superior, and there's lots of driftwood lining the beach. Not many vacationeers have ventured this far north yet (schools in Minnesota are not yet out for the summer) so it's quite peaceful. Also, the mosquitoes havenpt arrived so that adds to the tranquility.

The Mason's visit

2008-06-09T20:49:00.000-07:00

Bill and Marilyn Mason made the trip from Lake of the Woods, Virginia to help me celebrate my (big) birthday. It had been much too long since we had gotten together and a good time was had by all.

Later, we went to watch the Blue Angels perform for the Naval Academy graduation and commissioning.

Schooner on the Bay

2008-06-09T20:38:00.000-07:00

On a beautiful, sunny May afternoon, we set sail on a 70-foot schooner for a two-hour tour of the Chesapeake Bay.

A Day at the Zoo

2008-06-09T16:22:00.000-07:00

One of the perks of being a volunteer at the Annapolis Visitors Bureau, is going on Fam Tours (familiarization tours) to the nearby tourist attractions. Here are some photos of my day at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. We got to see a baby camel and the new baby elephant, along with all the other animals. It's a small but very nice zoo.

May Day in Annapolis

2008-06-09T16:17:00.000-07:00

May 1st is still celebrated in historic Annapolis and the merchants and homeowners enjoy putting out their most beautiful May Baskets. The displays are judged and all enjoy competing for 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes.

William Paca House, Annapolis, MD

2008-06-09T16:11:00.000-07:00

One of the most beautiful homes and gardens in Annapolis is the William Paca house. I toured the house and gardens and, even though it was early spring, it was beautiful. William Paca was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Daniel and Carly and Dawn's visit

2008-06-09T16:00:00.000-07:00

Over Spring Break and Easter, Dawn, Carly and Daniel visited us in Annapolis. We toured the Naval Academy and downtown Annapolis. We also spent time in Washington, DC at the National Cemetary, World War II Memorial and other monuments around D.C.

St. Patrick's Day Celebration

2008-03-15T15:45:00.000-07:00

St. Patrick’s Celebration in Dover

Today we did one of those things that you read about in the paper, maybe a week before the event, and say “We should do that” but then you never do. I often even rip out the article and put it on my desk but somehow as the day arrives, other things have come up or it just doesn’t sound as interesting as when you first read it.

To my surprise, Doug said yes to my idea to drive over to Dover, Delaware on this beautiful, almost-spring Saturday and celebrate St. Patrick’s a couple of days early. According to the Washington Post, the annual parade drew over 2,000 people last year and promised to be a slice of small town America. It was a beautiful hour and a half drive through the back roads of rural Maryland and we entered Delaware at the crossroads village of Marydel (wonder how they came up with that?).

Well, we didn’t have to worry about beating the crowds to find a place to park. Even on a normal Saturday I would have thought we’d see people on the streets but it was very quiet. A few blocks from the parade route we found the Johnson Victrola Museum and figured we’d have time for a quick tour and still be able to get a bar stool at the only Irish Pub in town. Our tour guide was young and enthusiastic and happy to take us on a delightful journey through the history of recorded sound, including a cute story about Nipper the little dog that has become the mascot/logo for Victrola.

It was a short stroll to the pub where we surprisingly had our choice of tables or stools. It was a small but happy crowd enjoying their green beer and Irish whisky and we joined in and sang along to the familiar Irish tunes. The potato soup was pretty good (we opted for the grated cheese and corned beef toppings) and the Rueben was excellent. Tearing ourselves away just before parade time, we found a couple of seats on the edge of a brick planter and settled back to enjoy the festivities.

As the photos above will show, we enjoyed watching the people watching the parade as much if not more than the parade itself, which was just what I thought it would be: high school marching bands, scout troops, military groups, car clubs, beauty pageant winners, politicians and local individuals in a variety of green costumes. What fun! And there were probably over 2,000 spectators though they were spread out over several blocks of the parade route.

We finished our day with a little walk about town, enjoying the beautifully-maintained park and State Capitol Houses, decided to forego the Museum of Small Town Life since we felt we’d seen it, (never found the ice cream cone I thought I’d have), and headed back to Annapolis.

I wonder what the travel section will have for us next time? Stay tuned.

Annapolis

2008-01-31T21:21:00.000-08:00

Settling In
1/10/08

After a year of travel, it’s nice to finally stop.

A five-day cross-country drive (from Phoenix to San Antonio driving one car and from there to Maryland in two), brought us to our current home of Annapolis on the 5th of January. Bill and Genevieve were there to greet us and make us feel welcome with flowers, wine and the essentials for preparing our first meal. We unpacked our bags, leaving the unloading of car trunks for later, showered and changed, and headed out to a nearby Italian restaurant for our first dinner in our new neighborhood. The first couple of days, were also welcomed by unseasonably warm weather (as high as 70°) which made it comfortable to explore our new community by foot. The above photos are of our new neighborhood (how nice of them to keep the Christmas decorations up for us).

I hadn’t realized how tiring our drive had been until I awoke the next day at 10 AM and realized I had slept eleven hours straight. Perhaps it was a combination of being travel weary and the relief of finally being in our own place after so long.

Downtown historic Annapolis is one of the most charming towns I know and we feel fortunate to have found a place here. Being boaters and loving the water, we feel so at home. Also the close proximity to D.C. is wonderful since I spent thirty years living and working in the Northern Virginia/D.C. area and that also feels like home. In fact, our very first week here, using the excuse of dropping off our printer for repair, we found ourselves headed for an exhibit at the Corcoran Art Gallery. After spending a few hours enjoying two extraordinary photographic exhibits - Annie Leibovitz and Ansel Adams - we completed the perfect day by having a late lunch at one of our favorite haunts, - The Old Ebbitt Grille. The following Wednesday found me, accompanied by Genevieve, again in the city attending a Harman Center for the Arts brown-bag lunchtime performance of the Tehreema Mitha Dance Company. Tehreema Mitha started, in 1993, the only dance company that has existed in Pakistan, but later came to the U.S. seeking more choreographic freedom. Her work, in the world of Asian Dance, defuses the line between what was considered classical and what would be considered contemporary. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

The winter weather was soon upon us and we were thankful we had spent time our first week buying some warm clothing and boots. Our second week here, I walked out of the grocery story and was greeted by a beautiful winter wonderland with big fat wet snowflakes coming down, blanketing the parking lot and already making my car a big white blob. With no snow scraper (I put that on the list) I laughed as I scraped the snow from the windows with the first thing if saw - a map of San Diego. Bet it was never used for that purpose before.

Reflections on Cargo Ship Travel

2008-01-12T09:22:00.000-08:00

Reflections on cargo ship travel
Trip ended in Houston 12/24/07

Our only prior experience of this type was an 18-day cruise aboard a container ship from Auckland, New Zealand to Seattle, Washington in 1996, which we thoroughly enjoyed. This time, for a four-month around-the-world cruise, we purposely chose a break–bulk cargo ship because, as the name implies, the cargo is bulk pieces as opposed to containers. The off-loading and on-loading of containers is much faster, which results in shorter times in port. While this is great for the shipping company, it doesn’t give the passengers much time in port. We were told, for this trip, we would have at least 15 stops with from one to three days at each stop.

We were happy with the decision we made and were in each port from one to five days. Actually, a “day” was sometimes only six or eight hours, (our biggest disappointment being our short stay in Genoa, Italy) with very little advance warning, but overall it all worked out o.k.

Our accommodations were quite spacious and very comfortable, plus there were other public areas where we could relax and play games, exercise, paint, swim, and sit on deck chairs to enjoy the sun and sea.

The meals were very good, with lots of variety of menus and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Since we changed crew two thirds of the way through, we experienced two chefs and two different stewards, as well as officers and other crew.

There were parties held periodically, with meats on the grill (and several times a roast pig on a spit) and lots of music and dancing. We were told by our crew that all Filipinos sing and dance (and I would add they are all warm, friendly and fun-loving).

We had three different captains - one from Houston to Hamburg, another from Hamburg to Shanghai, and the third from Shanghai back to Houston. The first two were Polish and the last Hungarian.

Weather-wise, we had a complete mixture and were glad we’d brought clothes for all seasons. It was warm when we left Houston in August and continued through our Atlantic crossing. Hamburg and Antwerp were very cold and we had rain for our short stop in Genoa. It became warm again for our trip through the Suez Canal and Red Sea and stayed warm from Singapore through Malaysia. Our next cold weather started with our first stop in China and we didn’t get warm again until we crossed the Pacific and arrived in San Diego. The remainder of the trip south to the Panama Canal, Costa Rica and Gulf of Mexico to Houston was beautiful, warm and sunny, with calm seas.

When we boarded in Houston, there was one other passenger aboard (Jack from Canada) and with the two of us, plus our sister-in-law Martha, that made four. Unfortunately, Jack took ill and had to be taken off the ship in Camden, New Jersey. In Hamburg we took on two more passengers (a Swedish couple, Sunhilde and Helge) and the Captain’s wife, Barbara. When we changed crew in Shanghai, Barbara left and we were six from then until Martha left the ship in Costa Rica and Doug and I finished the trip in Houston. The Swedes continued on to Hamburg to complete their around-the-world trip. It was good to have others to talk with at meals and exchange books and videos, and we sometimes toured together in the various ports.

Setting up a blog, prior to the trip, made it easy for family and friends to follow our travels and eliminated the need for us to individually keep in touch with everyone. So, I hope you’ve enjoyed traveling with us, not only on our freighter trip but for the past year, and will continue to check our blog from time to time to see what we’re up to next.

Happy sailing and may all your landfalls be intentional.
Rebecca and Doug

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

2008-01-12T08:58:00.000-08:00

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica
12/20/07

After slowly moving through the Panama Canal, we accelerated to our normal cruising speed of 18 knots and headed north up the Caribbean coast to Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. Around 1 AM we dropped anchor until morning when the pilot boarded and we finally began our entrance about 9 AM. It was a beautiful, sunny day and we were welcomed by the sight of sand, surf and palm trees.

I was surprised to see two cruise ships at the dock since we typically arrive at commercial ports, far from the cruise ship terminals. This was a good thing because that meant there would be good public transportation for Martha. She had booked a flight from San Jose, Costa Rica on the following day to ensure that she could get to New York in time to fly to India on the 25th. So, last night was our last dinner together and this morning she said a tearful goodbye to everyone. She will especially be missed by all the crew who we all have had such a good time with. We didn’t get to know them as well as the former crew but they were all great fun. In a few days we will also be saying goodbye, when we reach our final destination of Houston.

A short taxi ride took us to the bus terminal where Martha was able to get a 2 ½ hour express bus to San Jose where she’ll stay until her early morning flight on the 21st. Doug and I continued on with the taxi to a surf-side restaurant where we dined on broiled lobster, beans & rice and fried plantain - a real treat. Our driver stayed with us and took us to do some shopping, for specific items, before returning us to the dock. I stayed ashore to stroll the shops for local treasures and a few postcards and also treated myself to a pedicure (two treats in one day). At one shop, I met a little boy (helping in his father’s business) selling cans of macadamia nuts and post cards. After buying some of each I then asked if he had stamps. First he said yes but when he went to get them, told me he was very sorry but the people from the cruise ships bought all the stamps. Just then, his father appeared and said if I wanted to give him my post card, he would have more stamps the next day and would mail my card. I said “Well, I haven’t written it yet.” and the little boy said “Come around the counter and sit down and you can write it now.” He was so cute. So, I addressed the card to our two young grandsons, Zach (6) and Taylor (9), and suddenly had a thought. I said, “Can you write English? Would you write the message on the card?” He shyly said “I guess so. What should I write?” I said “Write whatever you like”. So he wrote: My name is Alex. I am 8 years old. I live in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. And he wrote his phone number. I thanked him but explained that they might not call him, but if he would give me his address they might write a letter. He said: “Or maybe a postcard!” What a cutie he was. (See photo below of Alex writing the post card)

Nothing was being loaded on the ship here, we were simply off loading lots of new refrigerator containers, which we were told will be used to ship Costa Rican cantaloupe to the U.S., so we departed that night. It was great to be back in the tropics.

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

2008-01-10T18:10:00.000-08:00

Photos from Panama Canal

2008-01-10T18:02:00.001-08:00

Panama Canal

2008-01-10T17:55:00.000-08:00

Panama Canal

We arrived in Panama the evening of 18 December and anchored off Isla Flamenco to await the arrival of our pilots, scheduled for 0300. By 0400, we were underway and entering the Panama Canal, surely one of the great engineering wonders of the world. As early as 1534, King Charles V of Spain had ordered a topographic survey of the Isthmus of Panama for a proposed canal. The looting of gold and other treasures from the New World was complicated by the fact that these goods had to be landed in Panama from their South American ports and land transported across the Isthmus to ships waiting on the Caribbean side for further transport to Spain. However, the concept was far beyond the construction capabilities of the day.

The French, under the command of Count Ferdinand de Lesseps who had created the Suez Canal, began a sea level canal in 1880. However, climatic and disease challenges brought this to a halt and, after a second French attempt in 1894, the project was taken over by the United States in 1904. It was determined that a lock-type canal would be required and it was completed in 1914 at a cost of some $400 million. The water to operate the canal is provided by the Chargres River, in the middle of the Isthmus, which is dammed to create Lake Gatun and then operate the locks down to the Pacific side and to the Caribbean Sea. The locking up to Lake Gatun through the two flight Miraflores Locks and the Pedro Miguel Lock is about 26 meters and consequently the locking down through the three flight Gatun Locks is the same. The total fifty mile transit requires about nine hours.

On December 31, 1999, the Canal was turned over to the Republic of Panama as provided for in the Torrijos-Carter Treaty of 1977. When we transited the Canal aboard S/V Boutonierre in April 1995 there was a lot of bad feeling amongst the Americans about the "Jimmy Carter give-away". However, the Canal continues to operate with great efficiency and has contributed over $2.5 billion to the Republic of Panama since that time.

Before daybreak, we had passed under the Bridge of the Americas, which carried the Pan-American Highway, presumably from Alaska to the tip of Chile, and entered the first flight of the Miraflores Locks. In 2003, a modern impressive suspension bridge was completed over the canal north of Pedro Miguel and the highway has been rerouted over it. It was a bit sad to see the Pedro Miguel Boatyard where we had spent some 10-14 days in 1995 preparing for our sail across the Pacific aboard the 55' Tayana, Boutonierre, with our friend John Button. At that time, it was a thriving yard full of boats making the transit in both directions. We had marveled at the four man crew of an eastern bound vessel, whose average age was 68. John was then 64 and I was 61 and we thought they were a bit advanced in age for such an undertaking. Now, of course, that seems young by comparison. We completed the typical repairs necessitated by our passage from Cartagena, Columbia, had our sails mended once again, provisioned for about six months of cruising and prepared meals for freezing in the huge industrial type galley in the clubhouse. The yard is now going out of business and once gone, no other yard can open there. It's too close to the lock and, of course, the heavy commercial traffic takes precedence over pleasure vessels.

When we transited the Miraflores Locks in 1999, it was in a torrential downpour with the two of us line handlers on the bow being totally soaked through our clothes. Our passage in Rickmers-Jakarta was in a perfect day of sunshine and moderated temperatures. We completed the transit about 1515 at Colon, discharged the pilots and set a course for Puerto Limon, Costa Rica.

San Diego to Panama

2008-01-10T17:53:00.000-08:00

San Diego to Panama

Harry Bridges may no longer be alive but his influence definitely is. We were scheduled to be in San Diego for one day and stayed three. As mentioned before, our schedule in port is strictly in the hands of the cargo loaders, the Super Cargo and the stevedores. There have long been two major stevedore unions in the US, the east coast was controlled by the mob and the west coast and Hawaii by Harry Bridges and the communists. Loading and unloading was slow on Sunday and on Monday, the stevedores quit at the end of the day to attend a union meeting. The Super Cargo, with the help of Beck's beer from the ship's slop chest, was able to convince them to return early Tuesday morning so we could complete by the end of the day. We were then able to depart on our modified schedule which called for tugs along side at 0600 Wednesday.

We discharged the pilot, cleared the sea buoy by 0700 and set a course for Cabo San Lucas at the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico. From that waypoint, we shaped our course toward the mainland of Mexico and have continued to follow a course roughly parallel to the coasts of Mexico, Guatamala, El Salvador, Nicauragua and Costa Rica on our way to the Balboa, Panama pilot station, maintaining a distance off the coast of 30 - 40 miles. We have now (on this trip) gone through 25 time zones, having made sufficient easting to put us back in the eastern time zone of North America but will revert to the central time zone we started in; after transiting the Panama Canal and returning to Houston, with one stop in Costa Rica.

The second day out, we cleared Cabo San Lucas and entered tropical waters, below the Tropic of Cancer. It is always comfortable for us to return to tropical waters where so much of our time at sea has been spent. Actually, being south of 30 degrees latitude makes us more comfortable but the balmy breezes associated with the tropics are something special. With a following wind cancelling the wind created by the ship's speed through the water, we enjoyed an idyllic three days on the pilot deck, reading and sunning in our lounge chairs. By the fifth day, we had entered the area of the northeast trades and now have easterly winds added to the ship's speed creating more than thirty knots over the deck but the temperatures, sea and air, are in the high 20's C (low 80's F) and the pool has been filled again for afternoon recreation.

Photos from San Diego

2007-12-11T11:14:00.001-08:00

More photos of Yokohama

2007-12-11T11:10:00.000-08:00

Yokohama, Japan

2007-12-11T11:05:00.000-08:00

Yokohama, Japan
11/26 - 11/27/07

Just an overnight cruise from Kobe, brought us to Yokohama the morning of the 27th of November. The good news was that we were close enough to the city to avoid the hassle of hiring a taxi and trying to communicate in Japanese (plus we love the exercise). The bad news was that we learned that we were leaving that same day and were required to return to the ship by 4:30 PM to go with the agent to the Immigration Office to clear out of the country. So, we made the most of our day.

The weather was cool and crisp but sunny so we set off for the short walk along the waterfront. Being a weekday, the streets were busy but not terribly crowded and we saw groups of school children who were anxious to talk with us and take our photos. So cute in their very neat and tailored school uniforms (short pants and jackets and ties for the boys and short skirts and jackets and blouses for the girls and all with little hats). We stopped into the City Grand Hotel to purchase a few postcards and stamps and ask directions, while we had access to an English speaking concierge.

Yokohama is the 2nd largest city in Japan (first is Tokyo of course) with a 3.6 million population which swells an additional 2.5 million every weekend when visitors from Tokyo arrive. It's a major port and fashion center for Japan and a popular tourist city for Japanese and people from around the world. Yokohama is home to Cosmo Clock 21, the world's largest ferris wheel, which is absolutely breathtaking when it's lighted at night. We passed a beautiful park that was built on top of the debri that was dumpted in the harbor after the 1923 earthquake. The fashion boutiques that line the city streets go on for blocks and blocks, one more extravagant than the next, interspersed with fashionable restaurants and spas. Definitely a city we could have spent much more time exploring.

We chose the Silk Museum as our sightseeing destination for the morning and were not disappointed. Of course I was particularly interested due to my fascination with silk painting, but Martha and Doug enjoyed it as well. It covers two floors in the Silk Center International Trade and Sightseeing Building, which was built in 1959 to commemorate the anniversary of the opening of the Port of Yokohama. It's on the former site of the British trading firm known as English House No. 1 and it's purpose was to display the science and technology of silk production, beautiful costumes and to promote the demand for silk. We were fascinated with the display of the mysterioous life of the silkworm and the stages of its metamorphosis, the process of reeling silk from cocoons, the kinds of silk yarns and the complicated procedures of weaving and dyeing silk yarns. One of the more amazing facts was that it takes approximately 110 cocoons to make a silk scarf and over 8,000 cocoons to make a silk kimona. Japan was once the largest producer of silk in the world, but China now holds that distinction.

The highlight of our day was a fabulous Japanese lunch at an elegant but simple traditional Japanese restaurant, which was recommended by a gentleman at the Visitors Office. After removing our shoes, we were shown into a beautifully decorated room that was so sparkling clean we felt we could have eaten from the floor. The waitresses, dressed in kimonas, served us tea and suggested some traditional dishes. We were served a variety of dishes of soup, pickled vegetables, a meat dish, rice and miso soup and everything we had was delicious! We were the only non-Japanese diners so attracted some attention, especially from one little boy who kept staring at Doug (probably thought he was Santa Claus) - so cute.

We made it back to the ship by 4:00 and were whisked away by the agent in order to get to the government office which closed at 5:00. Everything went smoothly and we were returned to the ship by 5:30. Not nearly as difficult as clearing in. While waiting at that office, I was fascinated by a stack of small brochures, which had the world "HELP!" in large letters, in English. Inside, the instructions were in seven different languages, that had to do with "Trafficking in Persons", a crime committed by organized crime syndicates orother criminal groups to bring in foreign women, children or others to be forced into prostitution or forced labor. It instructs: "The red page in this booklet reads: I am a trafficking victim, so please call the Japanese police. Show the red page to a Japanese person on the street and the Police or other official Japanese organizations will protect you." It then lists the phone numbers of the Japanese Police, Immigration Bureau and Counseling Center for Women-Anti Trafficking Project (NGO). This seemed like such a good program, to have the brochures available, I wondered if we have something similar in our country.

Later that night, we finished loading cargo and departed Yokohama for our eleven-day trip across the Pacific. Next stop, San Diego! It will be good to back in the good old U.S. of A., even for a brief visit. From there, we'll head for the Panama Canal and Costa Rica (where we'll off-load these huge empty containers that have been blocking the view from our stateroom since a port in China) and then our final stop in Houston.

More photos from Kobe, Japan

2007-12-11T11:00:00.000-08:00

Kobe, Japan

2007-12-11T10:55:00.000-08:00

Kobe, Japan
11/23 - 11/25/07

We finally received a shipment of mail which was sent Fed Ex to Shanghai and returned to the U.S. because we'd been given an incorrect address for the agent in Shanghai. It was great to hear from family and friends, especially Julie who sent magazines, photos and a box of DVDs of the first season of the series "Ugly Betty". That should entertain us across the Pacific.

Before we could enjoy the sights ashore, we were taken to the Immigration Office by the Japanese agent where we were to be photographed and fingerprinted. This new procedure was just implemented two days earlier and, though we had at least six government officials working on it, they couldn't seem to get the machines to work. So, we were then driven to the passenger cruise terminal where, after about 20 minutes, they finally had us all processed into the country. Rather than go back to the ship, the agent very kindly took us into the city and offered to pick us up at 5 pm for the return trip.

What a beautiful city! Very modern and extremely clean. Our first stop was Starbucks for Martha to have her mocha fix and we found one of the young counter workers who spoke some English and could direct us to some shops we were trying to locate. The best way to see the city of Kobe is to take the City Loop Bus which, for a 500 yen day pass (about $5.00) you can see the city and get on and off at a variety of stops. The banks were closed for Workers Appreciation Holiday but we were able to get local money at an ATM machine. We learned that the workers here had recently gone on strike because the government was proposing a six-hour work day (instead of eight) and the workers wanted to go to a ten-hour day. We enjoyed the architecture of the office and condo buildings and the view of Akashi Kaikyo suspension bridge and stopped at the base of Rokko Mountain, where we could hike to a beautiful waterfall. It was quite a hike up the mountain on a path of steps with railings (very nicely maintained). There were actually three waterfalls but we didn't have the time (or the energy) to make it to the two further up the mountain. At one point we'd taken a wrong turn and asked some other hikers but no one spoke any English. One man understood that we were trying to find the waterfall and indicate we should follow his group which was very helpful. On the way back down, we came upon a wild boar and weren't sure if it was dangerous or not but we were able to take some photos and kept walking. Along the trail we saw several small altars that had small treasures and coins placed on them, we assumed to give thanks for the strength to make it that far. While waiting for the agent, we walked through a small park where there is a statue of a woman, holding a clock and riding on the back of a large fish. The statue was knocked down during the earthquake of 1995 and the clock stopped at the time the earthquake struck and has been left at that time as a memorial to that disaster. We were all ready to get back to the ship - especially Sunhilde who had a terrible cold and I felt like I was coming down with one as well.The cook prepared a very nice Thanksgiving dinner, in honor of the Americans, of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and vegetables, plus apple pie for dessert.

The second day in Kobe was Saturday and Martha and I took a cab into the city for some shopping in the afternoon. Still couldn't get any stamps for our postcards so will have to mail them from Yokohama. We again visited our friend at Starbucks who directed us to an internet cafe (Nestle Cafe) where we were required to buy a membership card (only $500 yen) and order a coffee. Next goal was to get haircuts and we found a nice salon where the owner spoke a little English. We chose some cuts from magazines he showed us and were very happy with the results. The neck and head massage was an added bonus and the tea was a treat. We spent the rest of the evening shopping for a few little gifts and enjoyed looking at all the very stylish clothes and shoes.

The agent had written directions, in Japanese, for how to get back to the ship but the taxi driver couldn't quite figure it out and he spoke no English. He called the agent but there was no answer but after driving around a bit I saw a road that looked familiar and it was the right one! By the way, the taxis here are amazing. All black, clean and polished and the seats are covered with white eyelet seat covers. The drivers are dressed in black suits, white shirts and ties and white gloves (like chauffers) and they push a button to open and close the doors for you. We were quite impressed. The people in Kobe were all so fashionably dressed - Paris of the East - and there are many high end shops like Izod, Coach and Louis Vitton and gorgeous lingerie shops. As in the U.S. all the young people were listening to iPods and talking on cell phones.

Tomorrow we depart for a 24 hour cruise to Yokohama.

Masan, South Korea

2007-12-11T10:52:00.000-08:00

Masan, South Korea
11/18 - 11/21/07

After anchoring for the night, due to a very busy port, we came along side the pier in Masan early Sunday morning. What a welcome sight to look out across the harbor at a nearby city of tall white buildings almost sparkling in the sunlight. Quite a change from the grey, dirty, dark ports of China. We're surrounded on three sides by mountains covered in fall colors and the air smells fresh and clean. Everything on the dock is neat and orderly with hundreds of multi-colored cars (Chevrolets) placed precisely in rows next to neat rows of Volvo earth movers. One problem is the language. Even the Captain and crew are having a hard time communicating with the agents and dock workers here as basically no one speaks or understands English, even though it's the language of this industry. The other countries we've visited had at least a few people who were fluent and most spoke at least a little English. We took a taxi into town and couldn't communicate at all with the driver. Luckily we planned ahead and had the local agent here write down where we wanted to go in Korean. He also wrote how to get back to the ship, which we've learned to always carry with us before going ashore in a foreign port. We were able to locate an ATM to get some local currency (Wan) and an internet cafe (where only Korean was spoken and the characters on the computer screen were in Korean). Luckily, the internet symbol is the universal big blue "e" so we could log on and access our email and my blog site. From there we walked through streets lined with small shops until we came to a mail road where we found a six-story, very modern department store (Lotte). It being Sunday, there were lots of family shopping together and young people - all very fashionably (western type clothing) dressed. The coffee shop was as good as any Starbuck's and the cosmetic and jewelry counters were the equivalent of Nordstroms or Neiman Marcus in the U.S. We'd already had lunch but the food court was very enticing with a variety of Korean, American, Chinese and Japanese offerings. Out on the street we hurried (it was very cold and windy) past food and souvenir vendors and located another large store called E-Mart which was like a K-Mart but with groceries as well. We found a book store but no magazines or books in English and a pharmacy section with no ibuprofen (the only things on our list). I had an idea to buy some Christmas cards which I could write on the long trip across the Pacific but couldn't locate anything like that. So much for our big shopping day, but we had a good time as usual.

We took a long walk in the afternoon and enjoyed being out in the fresh brisk air. Not much to see except factories and commercial ship docks but the exercise was good. After trying, unsuccessfully, to have the port agent arrange for a tour of the countryside so see some sights, we opted instead for an evening ashore for a nice dinner.
He called us a taxi and wrote (in Korean) the name and address of a restaurant in the city. That all went well and we enjoyed an authentic Korean barbecue cooked tableside with all the side dishes (including the hottest raw garlic I've ever put in my mouth), followed by a dessert of a fruit we couldn't quite identify. No one in the restaurant spoke even a little English so that was another interesting experience. What fun!

Having nothing else to do on our third day here, Martha and I set out in the direction of the city to see what we could see. It was an hour's walk before we came to any shops or people and we found ourselves in a charming little neighborhood. Like anyplace in the world at three in the afternoon, the children were returning home from school with their backpacks - little girls giggling and chatting, arm-in and little-arm, and little boys (some in Karate outfits) kicking at pidgeons and punching at each other. Some said "Hello" or "Thank you" and others stopped at bowed to us. Two little girls, about eight years old, stopped and one said "Hello, my name is Ying Sue Mung." Martha said "Hello, my name is Martha." They both said "Hello Marta!" I said "Hello, my name is Rebecca." One said "Rebecca is a nice name." As we walked away, they said "Have a nice day." Later, we saw them again and they posed and giggled for a photo. Perhaps in another ten years, shop workers will be speaking more English. By the time we returned to the ship, it was all we could do to walk up the gangway and up the five flights to our cabins. We could barely make it through a movie that night before falling into bed. I guess, from being on the ship for so long, we're not used to that much walking.

We still miss our former crew members but are getting to know the new ones. The Captain is quite chatty and seems to welcome our requests for help with going ashore and sending emails. He often gets into long discussions with us in the dining room after meals. The Chief Engineer is also quite friendly and his English is very good. The cook and stewards are helpful as well and busy getting the galley organized the way they want it, but the meals are not as good as with the other cook. No desserts yet other than jello and pudding or fruit but we're hoping when he's organized he'll do some baking. We miss Jonni's wonderful strudels and cakes.

Photos from Yokohama

2007-12-10T14:06:00.000-08:00

Crossing the Pacific

2007-12-10T13:55:00.001-08:00

Crossing the Pacific

11/27 - 12/8/07
I've asked Doug to write this blog entry, covering our 11-day Pacific crossing, as he visits the bridge daily, talks with the officers and is particularly interested in navigation.

Departing Yokohama on a Tuesday, we set an east-northeast heading as the first leg of a modified great circle route for San Diego, some 5,000 miles distant. It was modified to the extent that we would sail three rhumb lines taking us first up to N40 degrees latitude, then easterly along the 40th parallel and finally a east-southeast heading to Bishop's Rock and finally into San Diego. Three days out, we shifted to a east-southeasterly heading rather than follow the 40th as there was a major low pressure system to the east of us. The system was moving to the north northeast at about 40 knots and, with our altered course and our 19 knots of speed, the hope was it would exit our area before we encountered it. The decision seems to be working as on our sixth day at sea, our heading will take us south of the present position of the system. If necessary, we could duck further south to Hawaii but that would add additional time and distance to our passage. Maintaining our current heading will have us passing Hawaii about 600 miles to the south.

Saturday, 1 December, we had another crew party although the cold weather kept us inside the crew's recreation lounge rather than the after deck where the other parties had been held. While similar in terms of barbecued meats, side dishes, beer, wine and brandy, this party differed from the ones held by the former crew in that we had live music! The former crew sang and danced but it was to to canned karoake music. This crew includes at least three talented musicians of guitar and voice and we sang along to many of the songs but there was no room for dancing so it was a bit more subdued.

On Sunday, we officially crossed the International Date Line but did not change the ship's calendar until Monday. The company has issued a policy that Sundays will not be repeated as they are days off for the crew. The captain informed us that this policy was written after one ship's crossing when Saturday was a Filipino holiday and they repeated a Sunday for a three day weekend. No more of that by dictate of the German management company!

The second day out, the notherly winds, hanging around northeast to northwest, began to build with an accompanying building of the seas. These are not the incredibly sharp seas we encountered twice in the Mediterranean and again in the Taiwan Straits and Yellow Sea, but rather long rolly seas which, while not necessarily uncomfortable certainly require careful foot work and daily walks on the deck are temporarily suspended by us. (Needless to say, Rebecca was unable to paint during this passage. Our days have settled into a routine of meals interspersed with reading, playing Scrabble, chatting with our fellow passengers and watching videos.) The navigation log entries today, 3 December, indicate Force 8 winds (34-40 knots) and a Sea State of 7 which could be anywhere between 5.5 to 10.0 meters of wave height (trough to crest). Our best guess is 7 meters although it's quite a bit different reading wave height from a bridge 70' above the water rather than from the cockpit of a smaller sailing vessel, perhaps 8'-10' above the water.

In 1993, during the morning radio check in of the Caribbean 1500 (a 1500-mile race/rally from Virginia to the Virgin Islands), one of the participants asked how to determine the sea state or wave height which many reported for their local area. The response from another boater was to give it your best estimate and divide by two. It's probably true that the seas often seem higher than they are, particularly as mentioned before from the cockpit of a 35' to 50' sailboat. However, we do remember a passage from Marsh Harbour to Ft. Lauderdale where we had seas breaking half way up our 50' mast. That is probably a reasonable measure of Sea State 7. Also, by looking forward on Rickmars-Jakarta, a reference point of a hatch in the forward crane structure, approximately 2 meters in height, appears to transit through three to four distances in these seas, or approximately 6-8 meters which is consistent with the log entry of Sea State 7.

These conditions seem more extreme than those we encountered when sailing Boutonierre across the Pacific but there are two significant differences. Our 7,000-mile passage from Balboa, Panama to the Kingdom of Tonga kept us within ten degrees of the equator, either north or south. Also, that took place in 1995 and twelve years erases a lot of memories of pain and dampens the adventureous spirit. Nonetheless, we are reasonably comfortable and are able to take fully cooked meals seated properly at the mess table. Extreme weather on an aircraft carrier years ago meant sitting on the deck with an arm wrapped around a stanchion and for the poor lads in the accompanying destroyers, cold cut sandwiches, as cooking wasn't possible.

We did have a one day break on Wednesday, from the extremely rolly conditions, and it couldn't have been timed better. At 0550, the lights in our cabin failed, then after blinking a few times, came on again (I happened to be awake reading). Obviously, some sort of generator failure which was followed by the switching to one of the other three generators. But then, the main engine also stopped and after a period of time, we were "lying to" and rolling in the swells which, as mentioned, were fortunately not as extreme as they had been. When the ship lost electical power, the lubrication and fuel pumps shut down and therefore the main engine. By 0625, main engine power, as well as solid electrical power had been restored and we were back again on course at our usual 18-19 knots.

Our days have settled into a routine of meals interspersed with reading, playing Scrabble, chatting with our fellow passengers and watching videos.

We are slightly behind schedule and while we will enter San Diego on 8 December, it will be at night and too late to go ashore. Therefore, our shopping and meeting with friends will be delayed until Sunday. The captain advises we must depart San Diego on the 10th to make our date with the Panama Canal so just one day in one of our most favorite ports and the first U. S. port since we departed Boston in September.

After transiting the Panama Canal, our next stop will be Puerto Moin, Costa Rica.

Shanghai, China

2007-11-17T22:17:00.000-08:00

Qindao, China
11/14 - 11/16/07

Halfway between Xingang and Qindao, we celebrated Martha's birthday in the Yangtze River. We made the day special with two games of Scrabble in the afternoon and presented her with handmade gifts before dinner: A handpainted silk scarf from me and a marlin-spike woven necklace and bracelet from Doug. Chef Jonni and Steward Gani presented Martha with an amazing cake sculptured in the shape of our ship on the sea. The sea was a yellow sheet cake and the ship was a rich dark chocolate with a small photo of Martha on the bow. Martha bought a couple of cases of beer for the crew to help celebrate and after dinner, we invited Barbara over and watched the musical "The Sound of Music." A memorable birthday I'm sure.

Qindao was a bit of a disappointment as the big attraction in this area apparently are the beautiful beaches but it was so cold and damp, and it was not close, that we didn't go there. We arrived at night but had to wait for our passports and our departure time was so uncertain that we didn't feel comfortable leaving the ship for long. There were several locals aboard the ship selling all sorts of items from clothing to electronics and watches to copy DVDs and one of them gave us a ride into town to his shop (where we bought a few small items) and then to an internet cafe. It was a bit of a bust because Martha couldn't access her email (not sure why) and I was unable to post a blog (the computer I was using didn't recognize the program I'd created the document in). The pharmacy the driver took us to didn't have the medication Doug wanted and the bank couldn't dispense U.S. dollars that Martha wanted. The area of town we drove through was pretty dismal - the way I remember parts of Russia and East Berlin. We thought we might have lunch out but didn't see a restaurant that looked remotely interesting.

That afternoon the ship was in such a flurry of activity as the officers and crew prepared to depart and the new group was coming aboard. It was hard to say goodbye to all of our friends - especially Gani and some of the other crew members who were such fun to party with. The Captain's wife, Barbara, was a bit teary-eyed and gave Doug a gift of a bottle of Johnny Walker Red as a thank you for the English lessons. I gave a few scarves to some of the guys for their wives and one to Barbara who promised to keep in touch by email. She and the Captain are going back to Poland for a week or two before boarding his next assigned ship. Chief Engineer, Marenko, made us promise to visit his area of Croatia which I'd love to do. Everyone finally left the ship around 4 AM, after which the ship left the dock about 6:30 AM to a container loading dock on a nearby island. Since we were leaving at noon and there was nowhere to go, we stayed aboard except for our short trip to the Immigration office to clear out (they needed to see us in person).

We've met the new Captain (Romanian) and Chief Engineer (Polish) and I'm sure we'll get to know and like this crew too. They are from Philippines, Sri Lanka, China, Germany, Poland and Romania. Should be interesting - a real international experience.

Next stop: Masan, South Korea

Xingang and Beijing, China

2007-11-17T22:16:00.000-08:00

Xingang, China
11/7-11/9

Just an overnight cruise from Dalian, we arrived in Xingang late morning. Not wanting to miss anything, and even though our big sightseeing trip to Bejing was scheduled for the next day, Martha and I decided to go ashore. By the time we left the ship (we had to finish a very intense game of Scrabble) all the taxis had left the dock, so we had a nice little hike to the gate (no one asked to see our passports so we just walked out) and found a taxi there. Of course he didn't speak any English (and our Chinese is really rusty) so we got by with showing him the little book listing a Seamen's Club in Xingang, and off we went. Turns out he had no idea what the Seamen's Club was or where it was (it was all in English) so he stopped at a small shop and took Martha in with him. We assumed someone there spoke English but it was very little so off we went again. Leafing through the book, I found a page written in Chinese (actually a page each in several foreigh languages) explaining what the club was all about. After showing him that, he drove on and later pulled up in front of a large hotel where the manager came out and interpreted for us. The manager knew about the club and its location and directed the driver to take us there. Ten minutes later, he pulled up in front of a large building which read "Seamen's Club and Disco" so we parked and entered a very run-down but once-beautiful space. It looked deserted and a man appeared and said in English "It's closed." I asked when it would open. He said "Never. It's finished." So much for our hopes of checking email and posting another blog. We headed back to the ship but enroute spotted a small shop with a sign: "Seamen's Friend's Store". The driver stopped and accompanied us but it was just a sort of convenience/electronics/souvenir shop (no internet cafe) so we continued on back to the ship. Just another adventure in another foreign port.

4:30 AM is early for anyone but particularly for us non-morning people. But, we wouldn't have missed this trip for anything so we departed the ship in the dark fog and eight of us boarded a van headed for Bejing and a day of major sightseeing. The trip was supposed to take three hours each way but we left at 5 and arrived in Bejing at 11 AM, with one potty stop at a highway toll booth.

The Great Wall is amazing! Actually, just the thought of being in this huge country that we've all heard about since we were children ("Eat your vegetables, there are children in China who are starving." or "If you keep digging that hole, you'll end up in China.") and the pull-down map on the school room wall showing this huge area a world away where the people look so different and not even their alphabet was the same as ours. To finally see this place is a dream is a dream come true.

Those of you who have been to The Great Wall, can skip this paragraph.
The Wall starts in the east at the Yalu River in Liaoning Province and stretches westwards for 12,700 kilometers (7,620 miles) to Jiayuguan in the Gobi desert. It climbs up and town, twists and turns along the ridges of two mountain chains through five provinces, binding northern China together. Construction began in 656 B.C. and continued throughout the Warring States Period in fifth century B.C. when this area was being plundered by nomadic people of the north mountain ranges. Through many centuries since then, succeeding dynasties maintained the Wall and most recently during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) it was extensively rennovated to the Wall we see today. It's about 24 feet high and and 17 feet wide (enough for five horses to gallop abreast). There are ramparts and peep-holes for archers on the top and gutters with gargoyles to drain rain-water off the parapet walk. Two-story watch towers are at 1200-foot intervals, the top stories for observing enemy movements and the first for storing grain, fodder, military equipment and gunpowder. The highest watch tower, at Badaling, is reached only after a steep climb (known as "climbing the ladder to heaven"). Smoke signals were used to pass messages the length of the wall from one tower to the next. In 1987, the Wall was listed by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage site - along with such places as Taj Mahal in India, the Hanging Gardens of babylon and Sanscrit.
The portion of the wall we visited was the Badaling section, where we began by taking a cable car to the highest peak. Some of us actually climbed the "ladder to heaven" and didn't even buy the t-shirt claiming that feat.

The Forbidden City, which is a walled city within the city of Beijing, is (historically and artistically) one of the most comprehensive Chinese museums. It's on the grounds of the Imperial Palace and was the center of two dynasties: The Ming and the Qing. It covers over 1,000,000 square meters and we walked all of it - the inner and outer courts where thate are throne halls of: Supreme Harmony, Central Harmony and Preserving Harmony. Also halls of Literary Brillance and Martial Valor. We saw the beautiful Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, and the Imperial Garden. You could easily spend a full day here but we were able to breeze through in a mere three hours.

After a long walk, along Tiennaman Square and several sity blocks, we arrived at a beautiful shopping district which streets are closed to traffic. After a fantastic dinner at a well-known duck restaurant, where we had (of course) Peking Duck (or is it now called Bejing Duck? Anyway, it was so delicious - crisp roasted and served table-side with lots of interesting side dishes. We were all quite exhausted, but had just enough energy for a hour of shopping after dinner before boarding the van for our drive home. Luckily, with no fog and little traffic, we made it back in two and a half hours. Another wonderful day of sightseeing.

Dalian, China

2007-11-17T22:14:00.000-08:00

DALIAN, CHINA
5 November 2007

Our first visit to China was not quite what we expected. That's perhaps an understatement. We arrived at 7 AM on Monday morning and as usual, it took longer than anticipated to clear Customs and Immigration. We were two days late on our arrival schedule, due to rough seas, and everyone was anxious to be there. This delay meant that the crew would be late going home at the end of their tour and for us it basically didn't matter much except we had decided Doug needed to see a doctor, because of an injury to his back during rough seas through the Taiwan Straits. The Captain agreed to have the ship's agent arrange for transportation and an interpreter to the nearest hospital and told us to be ready to go at 3 PM. I wasn't sure Doug would be able to walk down the gangway ladder but, though in considerable pain, he made it down and into the waiting taxi. The agent accompanied us for about two miles where we were met my another younger agent who went the rest of the way with us. When we arrived at the hospital, he asked for an English-speaking nurse and we were soon shown into the doctor's office. After some questions regarding how the injury happened and where the pain was, we were taken to another building for a CT scan. I'll try to describe the hospital: The first thing we noticed was the smell - not a typical anticeptic smell but more of an unclean body odor smell (not good). The building itself was fairly modern but not well built, rather shabby and in need of renovation, and not very clean. In just a few minutes we had the xrays and returned to the doctor's office where he looked at them and described (through the nurse) what he saw. Nothing broken, no need for surgery, just needs to heal. He advised keeping weight off the area - not prolonged sitting or standing - staying vertical as much as possible until it healed. He suggested ibuprofen for the swelling and inflammation and pain pills - all of which we had. Since there was nothing else he could do, the agent escorted us back to the taxi for the ride back to the ship. The parts of town we drove through didn't warrant any photos so if I post any here it will be of Doug with the agent and a couple of quick shots of the interior of the hospital. Some sightseeing, huh? Oh well, we were happy to learn it was nothing serious and that with rest he would heal.

Martha, Helge and Sunhilde took a tour of Dalian and surrounding area in the afternoon and saw some beautiful areas. Here's what she had to say about their sightseeing:

While Doug and Rebecca went to the hospital for Doug’s back, I went into Dalian with the Swedes. Our driver’s name was Eva. She was very nice but her English was limited. Dalian is a city of 5.3 million inhabitants. It is a very large and busy port city, very modern, architecture reflecting Russian and Japanese occupations, and very clean except for the air. Eva said Dalian was a favored vacation spot due to its location by the sea and temperate weather. President Hu Jintao has a vacation house in Dalian.
As Eva drove us into the city she pointed out a TV tower where she used to work until they replaced her with a younger, prettier girl. Eva drove us through the city, we stopped to walk down Japon Avenue, and drove south along the seaside coast and through some large green areas of flowers, shrubs and trees. Clearly, in Dalian, driving on your side of the road is merely a nice idea. Eva explained that driving right-of-way goes to the most aggressive driver. And what pedestrians have to do to cross the street is downright scary.
Eva is married and has only one child (by law) - a daughter, who is 12. Eva took us by her apartment, which is in the city on the sixth floor of a building of about eight floors. It is a very pleasant apartment complex with a woods on a nearby bluff. I asked Eva if she thought President Hu was doing a good job and she just shrugged, smiled and said something like “no comment.”
Lastly we went to yet another ubiquitous shopping mall. I didn’t buy anything. It all looked like stuff that had been made in China (ha, ha).
From Dalian it was just an overnight trip south in the Yellow Sea to the port of Xingang (just East of Peking (or Beijing).

Malaysia

2007-11-08T19:39:00.000-08:00

MALAYSIA

Labuan - 29 October 2007

Labuan, which is just south of Kula Lampur and north of Brunei, is on the West side of the island of Borneo (which always sounds so exotic to me as I picture cannibals with bones through their noses - must have been an old National Geographic article.

We knew when we went to bed Sunday night that our arrival in Labuan would be early the next morning but didn't expect a 6:45 wake up call to tell us that the Immigration Officer wanted to see us in the ship's office, with our passports. You all know that I'm not a morning person and don't enjoy being awakened mid-dream and expected to leap into clothes and be communicative first thing in the morning. To make matters worse, when we got to the office ten minutes later, there was no one there so we just left our passports on the desk and, since we were up anyway, went to the dining room for breakfast. The Captain came to our stateroom about 8:30 to let us know that since we were at anchor in Labuan Harbor (this port has no dock for large ships) a boat would take us ashore at 10:00 AM and bring us back in the afternoon. Since he was required to stay on the ship, he asked Doug to watch over his wife, Barbara. He gave Doug $300 Ringgits (about 3 to 1 U.S. dollar) to use to rent a car for a tour of the island and lunch. We were unable to get our passports back in time to go ashore, so left without them which always makes me a little uncomfortable, but it was no problem. The "Swedes" only had a problem when they tried to get local currency at the bank and were asked for their passports, but they worked it out.

The boat they sent for transport was smaller than we expected and the seas were a little rough so it was a bit of a challenge. The gangway was lowered over the side at a very steep angle and the boat looked even smaller as it bobbed up and down as well as back and forth below us. The Chief Engineer, Marenko, went down first and then Barbara who he helped into the boat, followed by Martha who I didn't see but she was laughing a lot so it must have been an experience for her. Sunhilde was next and I thought she was quite apprehensive because she's had two knee replacements and is very unsteady even on the ship or just walking on dry land, but our two crew members, Vincent and Jose Mitchell, encouraged her and said they'd help her aboard, so she tried it and nearly went over the side but they held on and pulled her into the little boat. Her husband, Helge, did fine and then it was my turn. For some reason, I stepped from the bottom of the gangway into the boat at just the right time and sat down without incident and Doug followed and also made it safely in. They actually had life jackets for us and we put them on just as the driver opened the throttle and we sped off pounding over the waves with the wind in our hair and the sea spray flying over us. I was able to take a few photos and the one of Martha and Barbara in the back of the boat was priceless - a little shock mixed with excitement and loving the thrill of the ride.

Doug was able to talk to a cab driver and negotiate a price to rent a van with driver to take the nine of us on a three-hour tour of the island of Labuan. It's basically a small town and not like Quala Lampur which is actually a travel destination, so the driver did her best to take us to the scenic spots, which consisted of a beautifully-manicured and maintained national war memorial and cemetary dedicated to soldiers who died on Malaysian soil when the Japanese invaded during World War II. Next stop was a place called "The Chimney" which was just that: A tall (perhaps 60 feet high brick structure located near some coal mine tunnels. There was a very modern museum building depicting the various ways in which coal was mined here but the mining ceased at least 50 years ago and no one really knows what the chimney was used for but they're still doing studies about that. While walking around the grounds, a group approached us (not sure what nationality but perhaps from Malaysia or Philippines) and asked if we would pose for a photo with them. They really seemed to want Doug and I in the photo and one young woman came over and touched my hair. I think they don't see many people with hair that is not dark like theirs. You also rarely see a man with beard and mustache and when Doug said he was Santa Claus, they loved it and wanted their little boy (about 5 years old) in the photo. They spoke some English and we had fun walking and chatting a bit with them. The little one reminded me of our grandson, Zach, when he was proud to show me he had learned to snap his fingers. I asked if he could do the left hand and he beamed and showed me he could. He hadn't yet learned to whistle but was trying and demonstrated a clicking noise he could do with his mouth. So cute! Jose had fun with him making monkey noises and walking like a monkey and he laughed and laughed.

Our driver and tour guide, Miss Eng, was happy to show us one of the nice beaches where we had hoped to get a cold beer, but the stands were all closed because it was not a weekend. So, we enjoyoed walking the beach and picking up some beautiful shells - small but perfectly formed spiral and spidery like conch shells - which some us us brought away as a reminder of this beautiful part of the world. It was not a pristine beach but more rugged with huge drift wood and large rough coral rocks scattered along the shore and so quiet and peaceful that I could have walked for hours.

Next we spent about an hour at an aviary where we saw lots of indigenous birds of every shape, color and size - from a mynah bird who we taught a few English words - to ostrich, owls, peacocks and several types of water birds.

The aquarium was small but very nicely done and we enjoyed seeing the tropical fish and reading the descriptions which we appreciated being in English as well as Malay and Mandarin. While there, a ferocious storm blew in with high winds and sideways rain pelting down. We looked out at the big waves in the harbor and our ship at anchor, realizing there was no way we could go back out there in a small boat.

As usual, our last stop was a big shopping mall where we had a late lunch and walked around looking at shops that were of little interest. There was absolutely nothing there that I was tempted to buy. For those who know me even a little, that really tells you something. We fouond an internet cafe and Martha and I checked email and I posted two blogs (though I was unable to post any photos) but I was happy to do what I did.

By the time we left the "mall" the storm had blown through and the seas were calmer. Our boat arrived a few minutes before scheduled and we all got in and donned our life jackets. The trip back to the ship was long and we pounded into the waves reaching the gangway just as it was fully lowered to the waterline. Having offloaded a lot of cargo, the ship was sitting higher in the water and the gangway ladder was a bit steeper and the bottom step angled toward the sea. One by one, and with the help of our young crew members, we each made our way out of the boat and up the ladder and safely and thankfully back aboard the ship, feeling good about our adventure.

Later that night we raised anchor and headed north through the South China Sea making our way between Viet Nam on our port and the Philippines to starboard. Prevailing winds in this area are out of the Northwest and tend to be strong. The Captain advised us to secure loose items in our cabins and we did experience 40 knot winds, more out of the North pretty much on the nose, that night and the next day but it wasn't as rough as expected. Needless to say, I was not able to paint, and sitting on deck, even with chairs set up aft of the superstructure, required having a good hold on your book. The pool had a bit of a surf rolling across the surface but at least it was warm and sunny.

A little further north we went through the Taiwan Straits with the island of Taiwan to starboard and left Hong Kong and mainland China to port, and into the East China Sea. Passing Japan and Korea to starboard (we'll stop at each of those after China) we entered the Yellow Sea and continued North to our first Chinese port - Dalian.

Thailand

2007-11-08T19:35:00.000-08:00

THAILAND

Laem Chebang and Bangkok

From Jakarta we headed north out of the Java Sea to Laem Chebang in the Gulf of Thailand.
Since Bangkok was two hours away, the first afternoon we went to a small nearby town which had a name but it escapes me at present. (Not a place I’d necessarily recommend to other travellers). The local Ship’s Agent, Ming, arranged for a cab for five crew members to go to a nearby beach & bar town and then offered to take Martha, Doug and I in his own car to do a little shopping and a glimpse of small-town Thailand. We’d hoped to find a computer store to buy a replacement fan for the laptop but no one there had parts for DELL. Another goal was to find a silk jacket similar to one I bought when we were in Thailand on our honeymoon in 1991 (it was lost a few months later when my luggage went missing on a flight from Berlin to London). Well, the world has become very Westernized and there was only one silk shop (the last time they were on every street) in the town. The shop owner offered to make the jacket in two days but we didn’t have two days.

The Captain arranged for two vans the next day and leaving at 7 AM fourteen of us made the two-hour trip to Bangkok for a day of sightseeing. First the Royal Thai Palace, the Temple of Dawn (we thought of you, Dawn), a fascinating trip through the canals on a long tail boat (very low to the water). This city is sometimes referred to as “the Venice of the East.” Walking through streets lined with market stalls selling fruits & vegetables, fans, parasols, Buddhas of all shapes and sizes, masks, carvings, smelly dried squid and fish of every shape and size, and of course t-shirts, we really got a taste of Bangkok. (Except for the t-shirts which are of course in every town and city, large and small, all over the world) Lunch was literally “on the street” where a long table and stools were set up between two large parked trucks with cars and motorcycles moving past us. The cook had his “stove” set up on the sidewalk and he made a show of preparing his two specialities - either a rice dish or a noodle dish - in a wok over an open flame. Very picturesque and a good lunch. Served with a local beer.

We made a very vigorous walk up many steps to another temple on a high hill where we saw locals and monks praying to budda in various representative poses. We also visited the huge gold reclining Buddha whose feet were over fifteen feet tall.

The Marble Temple was perhaps, as Martha commented, “one temple too many” as everyone by then was very hot and tired. The humidity here is oppressive and we look forward to heading to cooler weather after our next stop in Malaysia.

Our last stop for the day was an air conditioned shopping center (quite modern) where we enjoyed an iced mocha frappe at Starbuck’s (yes, they’re everywhere) and saw familiar stores such as Izod, Nautica, Nike, Louis Vitton, Coach, as well as KFC, Annie’s pretzels, Dunkin’ Donut and Baskin Robbins ice cream. We could have been anywhere in this very small world.

Indonesia

2007-10-29T01:13:00.000-07:00

Jakarta and Ciwandan

Photos:

Before we even saw the hazy outline of the city skyline of Jakarta, we could see it was a thriving metropolis and a busy port. The Captain was called to the bridge as we approached to help weave our way through the maze of ships and boats of every size and description. It’s the most traffic we’d seen coming into a port. As usual, we waited for our pilot boat to arrive and were finally secured to the dock by 11:00. The passengers were called to the ship’s office so that the customs officials could clear us in personally. The Captain explained that we would need a visa and it was expensive (turns out it was $20 U.S.) and it would take some time. He discouraged us from going ashore because we would need to be back aboard by 8PM for a 10PM departure. We were disappointed and expressed our desire to see Jakarta. The officials said “It’s a big holiday (end of Ramadan) and banks were closed so we wouldn’t be able to get any money. When I asked, the admitted that of course we could use an ATM. I somewhat jokingly said “Oh well, we really wanted to see your beautiful country and we were going to spend a lot of money, but if it’s not possible . . .” They then said that yes it would be possible but we would not be able to take our passports - they would beheld at the Immigration Office. I was not comfortable with that, but they issued each of us a pass, showing that we were cleared and have visas, so off we went with a driver who would show us the highlights of the area in eight hours or less.

Very hot and humid. Old van that was hot-wired, switched to new van with plastic on seats but air conditioning. Lots of money palmed at every gate and stop. Miniature Village, Old Port (private tour and boarding ship) terrible conditions, gangplank that also serves as life raft, pay is equivalent to $100 U.S. per month. , lunch at fish market, artist market. (Bought painting) Good tour guide and driver Back in plenty of time.

Received packaged from mail forwarding service via Fed Exp. Great to get personal mail, especially from grandsons, Taylor and Zach, friends China & Cliff and even an invitation for an SIA (Society of International Affairs) cocktail party in Washington. Unfortunately, it’s in November and we’ll be in Xingang, China at that time. Martha’s friend Chuck sent magazines, newspapers (from Skagway,Alaska) and some DVDs of one of her favorite TV shows. That’s a real treat since most of the videos aboard are Chinese copies and often stop playing halfway through, which is a real bummer.

Sometime after midnight, we left for Cewandan, Indonesia. By the time we cleared in with Customs and Immigration in Cewandan, it was 5 PM and we were scheduled to leave at midnight. The Captain and Barbara took a taxi to go swimming at the beach but we elected to stay aboard. We learned later that evening that it was a rocky beach so they didn’t go in the water but there was a swimming pool at the beach so they had a swim there.

We were slightly late in departing Jakarta which meant we were late arriving in Cewandan which meant we had to wait five hours for our pilot and also for a place at the small port. We finally were secured at our berth for the night around 3 PM and about 5:00 we were told we could go ashore if we wanted but that we would be departing at midnight. We were really out in the boondocks at this port and though we could have taken a taxi to a nearby beach, having such a full day the day before, we opted out. There were young guys on the dock who waved to us as we stood on the pilot deck looking down at the beehive of activity of on and offloading of cargo. They were selling all sorts of local craft items - carved statues,masks, t-shirts, etc. but we didn’t go down to buy anything. I did hold up some of my handpainted scarves but they didn’t offer to buy any. We learned later that the Captain and Barbara went and it was a rocky beach but had a swimming pool which they went in. Sounds like we didn’t miss anything.

Singapore

2007-10-29T01:05:00.000-07:00

Singapore

Photos: Port of Singapore Lucky Plaza Hindu Temple (outside and inside) Raffles Hotel Long Bar Boats on river Cable Car to Sentosa Island Merlion Cityscape Siloso Beach

After seventeen days at sea, we were pretty excited to see land - Sumatra on our starboard side and finally Singapore to port.

We were thankful to have made it through the Malacca Straits without incident. From a newspaper we picked up at the Seafarer’s Club in Singapore, we learned of some recent incidents with other vessels. A barge carrying steel from Penang to Indonesia was boarded by 10 pirates who destroyed all communication equipment onboard before taking the master (captain) and chief engineer ashore. The pirates then contacted the ship’s owners to demand a ransom and negotiated for their release. Other incidents included ships being robbed in Indonesian waters (a chemical tanker), in the Democratic Republic of Congo pirates robbed a refrigerated cargo ship, in the waters near Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam, five robbers stole ships stores from a container ship and in India robbers boarded a container ship at anchor but were scared off when an alarm was sounded. So, I guess the days of the pirates on the high seas are not in the distant past after all.

Sunday: Arriving at 7 am, we were anxious to spend our first day ashore seeing some of this beautiful city. Unfortunately, by the time the ship cleared Customs and Immigration, and our passports were returned to us, it was 11:00 and almost noon before we were able to get a taxi. So, we made the most of our time and headed for the famous shopping district of Orchard Street. Ngee Ann (pronounced “neon”) high rise shopping mall, where we were able to find all of the essentials on our shopping list. We also visited, Lucky Plaza (the old high rise mall) in hopes of finding an astrology software program to help us enjoy the night sky, but with the hundreds of shops there we had no luck, though Martha was able to find the short-wive, world-band radio she wanted in order to tune into BBC while we’re aboard. We also had fun shopping for Martha’s outfit for a wedding she’ll be attending in December in India. We then found another shopping center where I was able to get my prescription for antibiotics filled (in the unlikely event I have another bout of diverticulitus) and two new print cartridges. Finally, we had earned a lunch break and enjoyed some very interesting, and good, Korean cuisine. Next stop was an internet café which was so small and crowded it was hard to stay long enough to check our email. We enjoyed a walk along Orchard Street taking in the sights and before heading back, stopped into a British Pub (who would have thought?) for a pint and some fish and chips. Actually, people here do seem quite British, at least in one way. They queue for everything. The queue for a taxi is sometimes half a block long but there’s no choice except to just get in line and it moves surprisingly quickly. The cabs arrive one after another but we soon learned that not all cabs will take you - they first ask where you’re going and depending on your answer, they ask the next person. It seems to be a good system but took a little getting used to.

Monday morning we got an earlier start and spent a very full day in Singapore. Though it rained off and on (sometimes a real downpour) all day, we enjoyed a small art gallery, some other nice shops and then ducked into the old Raffles Hotel and had an original Singapore Sling at the famous Long Bar. Raffles is no longer just a hotel - they now have a museum tracing the history of the hotel back to the early 30s, jewelry stores, antique shops, a bakery, several restaurants and bars of course, and a huge ballroom for everything from special art exhibits to ballet and symphony orchestra concerts. We learned that a suite at Raffles is now $6,000 per night. Even in Singapore dollars ($1.50 s.d. to $1.00 USD), that’s a lot of money. The river walk was delightful, even with a slight drizzle and we loved watching the many boats, some acting as ferries and others as tour boats and ended at an outdoor café for lunch. We walked the seven blocks to China Town and entered the Mariamman Hindu Temple during some type of special service - with musicians and lots of bell ringing. The firewalker ceremony was scheduled for the following week and we were sorry to have to miss that. Walking along the little alley ways that make up the old part of China Town was fascinating and we made a few small purchases - my favorite being a stamp with my name in Chinese characters carved while I waited (on top is a small figure for the year of the goat, when I was born).

Tuesday we had one more full day for sightseeing. We took a taxi to Faber Hill and cable car to Sentano Island. There is a huge (about the size of the statue of liberty) sculpture of a Merlion (half Man and half lion) that was created to remember the folklore of one of the early discoverers of Singapore who claimed to see such a creature - hence the name Singapore (port of lions) though there are no lions here. We learned much about the history and culture from the Images of Singapore museum and particularly liked the rooms replicating the many festivals held here. We walked and stopped at several restaurants which, unfortunately, were all closed (it was mid afternoon) but finally had a nice lunch in a resort hotel overlooking Sentosa Beach, where we later had a little walk and dipped our toes in the Indian Ocean. We later took a monorail back from the island to mainland and taxi back to ship. We were back aboard for a light dinner in our own little dining room.

Wednesday: Surprisingly another day here in Singapore since the on and off-loading took longer than expected. We felt we’d seen the highlights of Singapore so enjoyed a quiet day aboard (very calm for painting while the ship is not moving) and visited the Seaferer’s club to post another blog and check email. Unfortunately the club was closed (probably because our ship was not scheduled to be in port) so Martha and I sat on the steps (wish I had a photo of that) of this very rustic warehouse, where we could access WiFi, and communicated with friends far and wide.

We were very pleased to receive a package of mail from our mail forwarding service, which contained news from family and friends: Martha’s big news was from her parents in Philadelphia who told her about the recent announcement of a Nobel Prize winner from Martha’s small community where she grew up in Pennsylvania. Mario Capecchi was born in Italy during World War II. When just four years old, his mother was taken by the Gestapo to Dachau, and before she left she put him in care of friends who lived in the country. Something happened to them and he was on his own on the streets for the next 4 or 5 years. After she was released his mother found him again when we has nine years old and they went to Pennsylvania to live with her brother and his wife who saw that he went to school and studied and later went to University. He’s now seventy years old and it was anticipated that he would eventually get recognition for the work he has done in genetically engineering mice to develop human-type diseases as part of the on-going efforts of medical scientists to find cures. Of course, in addition, we learned of the prize for peace being awarded to Al Gore and of the one shared by three other Americans.

Martha also received some Time magazines and Skagway newspapers from her friend Chuck. We all enjoyed the newspapers and laughed at the big news from Skagway: Headlines in one paper read “A Porcupine Walks Into a Bar,” which is a true story of just what happened about 2 AM and it took three customers and a police officer to get him out. One man received several quills in his leg. Another article was “A woman reported that her 86-year old husband was missing. She was shopping and he didn’t want to shop. She left him sitting on a bench on Broadway while she shopped. When she returned he was gone. He was located on the bench in front of AB Hall where he had been sitting for 2 hours or more. His wife was mistaken about the location of the bench where she had left him.” Sure glad we didn’t miss all this big news from Alaska.

We learned from our friend Richard (via email) of the passing of Doug’s former racing skipper, and good friend, Tom McCune. Doug speaks of him often and of the grand adventures they shared racing offshore out of Florida, during the years Doug lived in Florida and worked in the Honeywell Clearwater office. In fact, Doug had recently written a story about a race he and Tom did together and we sent it with a note to Tom’s widow, Teddi.

Crossing the Equator was an uneventful event aboard the ship. We didn’t observe King Neptune rising out of the sea to board our ship (but maybe that’s why we were on pirate watch alert last night) and there was no celebration marking the occasion. We did “retard our clocks” one hour but advanced an hour the next day. It’s strange to watch the clock in our room slowly advance or retard when the times change and all the clocks, starting at 10 PM slowly speed up until we’re on the new time by midnight.

Photos

2007-10-16T23:45:00.000-07:00

2007-10-16T23:35:00.001-07:00

2007-10-16T23:35:00.000-07:00

Crossing the Indian Ocean

2007-10-15T05:39:00.000-07:00

Crossing the Indian Ocean

1. Barbecue in Gulf of Aden, 2. Rafting in the Red Sea, 3. Cargo on deck, 4 and 5. Emergency drill, UNABLE TO POST PHOTOS. WILL POST LATER.

The following are Doug’s reflections while sailing in the Indian Ocean.

At the completion of the Canal, our pilots departed ship at 2200 and we began our three day sail down the Red Sea, a not totally interesting passage that has given rise to the composition of the Red Sea Blues and a comparison to driving across the Great Plains of North America. During this period, I reflected on the condition of the ship as I walked a daily mile or so on the main deck, fo’c’sle and poop deck and I couldn’t help but compare it to my Navy days. We no sooner had our heads shaved in boot camp when we began to be disciplined for “gear adrift”, i.e. anything not stowed properly and “Irish pennants”, loose lines or something frayed. This was not just petty discipline but meaningful training as items not properly stowed or maintained on a ship at sea can be dangerous. This apparently is not part of the training for merchant seaman as I see many items improperly stowed as well as just casual carelessness with hoisting harnesses, clothing articles, packaging from drinks or food and other items loose on deck as well as unmade lines.

While the deck discipline may not be as tight as a Navy vessel, the engine room and bridge are very professionally manned. The ship’s officers have all completed a four year university education and are very knowledgeable and responsible. I visit the bridge at least once a day to check our position and notice, in addition to conning the ship, training is also being conducted by the officers for the lower ratings. Using sun lines to correct the compass, reducing celestial sights, updating the paper chart every hour with present position and correcting charts with Notice to Mariners are daily activities. The engine spaces are immaculate, as they should be and proper watches and logs are maintained. To the credit of the deck crew, they are working constantly at sea to maintain the ship with chipping and painting and, in port, work long hours in loading and unloading cargo. With the current Master, emergency drills are conducted once each week involving both crew and passengers.

Cruising out of the Gulf of Aden, across the Arabian Sea and then the Indian Ocean past the Maldives Islands and Sri Lanka, I am amazed at the amount of traffic. On the pilot deck for an early morning walk, I count 12 ships in view! We are seldom anywhere without a ship on the radar screen if not in view of the eye. Especially as we passed fairly close to Sri Lanka and for hours were surrounded by hundreds of small fishing boats. Reflecting back on our sailboat cruising days, I recall that one of the major deterrents for me to complete a circumnavigation was the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean, which I expected to be very lonely. Of course, this route is not as expansive as our route across the Pacific Ocean but that was interrupted by many pleasant island stops. I now realize that stops in Sri Lanka, India and Oman between Singapore or Kuala Lumpur and Suez would likewise have broken up the long passage, although my prior experiences in India and Arab countries still make me think they would not have been as enjoyable as Polynesia.

Back to me:

At lunch one day, Gani was grinning from ear to ear and couldn’t wait to tell us that he’d just learned that he, and the rest of the crew members, would be going home on November 17th, when we get to Shanghai. It turns out they never know exactly how long they’ll be aboard when they’re assigned to a particular ship. They sign a nine-month contract to work and are sent out for any where from three months to nine months. This crew had been aboard since July, so mid November would be four months and they were all hoping they would be home for Christmas. After they’re home for a month, they can get reassigned to another ship but if they aren’t assigned after a month, they get paid anyway until they are assigned. Of course we’re happy for them being able to be with their families, but we’ve come to know and love each of them - especially Jonhi our great cook, and Gani who takes such good care of us. The following week, we learned that the Captain (and wife) plus all of the officers are also leaving in mid-November from Shanghai. It seems the company that hires the ship’s crew and officers is changing from Columbia to Global. They have assured us that nothing will change for the passengers but of course it will. We’ll have to get to know another new group (I sure hope they’re as much fun and like to sing and dance). We’ve decided we’ll just take over running the ship after Shanghai.

We’ve also received an updated schedule (subject to change of course) for the rest of the cruise. Two more stops have been added - San Diego and Costa Rica. Doug and I are particularly excited about stopping in San Diego even though it will be just one day, we hope to see some of our friends there.

10/14 Arrive Singapore. 10/16 Depart Singapore
10/17 Arrive Jakarta, Indonesia. 10/19 Depart Jakarta
10/19 Arrive Ciwandan, Indonesia. 10/21 Depart Ciwandan
10/23 Arrive Laem Chabang, Thailand. 10/25 Depart Laem Chabang
10/27 Arrive Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. 10/28 Depart Ho Chi Minh City
10/30 Arrive Labuan, Malaysia. 11/1 Depart Labuan
11/6 Arrive Dalian, China 11/8 Depart Dalian, China
11/8 Arrive Xingang, China 11/12 Depart Xingang
11/14 Arrive Shanghai, China 11/17 Depart Shanghai
11/17 Arrive Qingdao, China 11/ 21Depart Qingdao
11/22 Arrive Masan, Korea 11/24 Depart Masan
11/25 Arrive Kobe, Japan 11/27 Depart Kobe
11/28 Arrive Yokohama, Japan 11/29 Depart Yokohama
12/10 Arrive San Diego, CA 12/11 Depart San Diego
12/19 Arrive Puerto Moin, Costa Rica 12/19 Depart Puerto Moin
12/23 Arrive Houston

We continue to have an emergency drill each Saturday afternoon at 1600. So far we’ve been instructed, and the crew has demonstrated, what to do in case of: a fire aboard the ship, a fire in the engine room, a collision at sea, the need to abandon ship in the life rafts and in the large life boat, an explosion in the cargo section, a fire in the engine room, and a breach of security (unauthorized person aboard or terrorist threat). While going through the Andaman Sea and the Straits of Malacca, the captain ordered a “pirate watch” which means we had crew stationed all around the perimeter of the ship, all during the night. A ship such as ours is not as likely to be boarded by pirates as a tanker would be since the fuel they carry is very valuable. We sleep better at night knowing they are so safety and security conscious.

Med and Suez Canal

2007-10-15T05:29:00.000-07:00

Photos: 1. Stromboli, 2. Suez Canal, 3 Great Bitter Lake,
4. Painting the ship while at sea

Mediterranean Sea and Suez Canal

Leaving Genova (9/28/07), we steamed down the Italian coast passing close by the active island volcano of Stromboli, which was spectacular at sunrise, and entered the Straits off Messina between Italy and Sicily. After passing through the Straits, we passed by the active volcano of Mt. Etna on the coast of Sicily. Setting a course of east southeast, we later made our way down the southern shores of Crete and continued toward Port Said, Egypt. Unfortunately, we wouldn’t be stopping at any of these exotic ports in this part of the world. Our next stop, after a 15-day passage, would be Singapore.

Cruising the Mediterranean brought back old memories for Doug of his time operating with the Sixth Fleet, when he was in the Navy in the early 1950s during the Korean and Cold Wars. The best memories were of the many interesting liberty ports but, being in these waters, he also recalled the harassment of Soviet “trawlers” and other foreign ships and the occasional aircraft, while they conducted flight operations. He says there were a lot of “dodgem car” games going on as they also tracked Soviet submarines departing the Black Sea and the Dardanelles.

We arrived at Port Said considerably behind schedule and missed our prior appointment of meeting our pilot at 0700 on 1 October. We finally picked up two pilots at 1800 and moored to buoys at 2200. There was a moment of unrest when the emergency alarm was sounded because of the several local Egyptians who boarded at the same time as the pilots. Doug, Martha and I were in the midst of watching a movie and, since we’d never heard the five-short-blast alarm before, were not quite sure what to do. We went out on the stern deck and looked down at the muster station (where we go for an emergency drill) but there was no one gathered there and all lights were out. Then we quickly went up to the bridge where we found only the Captain and one of the Egyptian pilots. The captain was looking very serious like he didn’t want to be disturbed so we waited and finally the third officer came up and told us what had happened.. Doors to the superstructure were secured and the “pirates” were bought off with a few cases of Marlboros. We went back to our cabin, locked our door and finished watching the movie.

Passage through the Suez Canal (often called the “crossroads of Europe, Africa and Asia”) consists of two southbound convoys and one northbound convoy each day. We departed early in the morning and reached the Great Bitter Lake by mid morning, where we anchored up with many other ships awaiting the passage of the northbound convoy. Anchored up with us was the USS Wasp, an LHA which carries an amphibious force of 1900 US Marines, landing craft, helicopters and Harrier jets. They were scheduled the first to leave for the continuation of our southbound passage and we were thinking they would probably just as soon be last as they are no doubt headed for the Persian Gulf and Iraq.

We finally departed the southern end of the Suez about 2200, dropped off our pilots and cranked up to our usual cruising speed of 18-19 knots to proceed down the Red Sea passing Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia on our starboard hand and the Sinai Peninsula, Saudi Arabia and Yemen to port.

For those interested in a little history of this famous canal, please read on:
The idea of linking the Mediterranean to the Red Sea dates back to ancient times. Unlike the modern Canal, earlier canals linked the Red Sea to the Nile, which forced ships to sail along the River on their journey from Europe to India. The Red Sea Canal consisted of two parts: the first linking the Gulf of Suez to the Great Bitter Lake, and the second connecting the Lake to one of the Nile branches in the Delta. The canal eventually fell into disrepair and was re-dug during the Roman Empire but was later abandoned upon the discovery of the trade route around Africa. In the mid 1800s the Suez Canal was designed by French engineers and built by Egyptian workers. The completion of the Canal was cause for considerable celebration. In Port Said, the extravaganza began with fireworks and a ball attended by six thousand people, including many heads of state, including Princes, Princesses, Emperors and Kings. The parties continued for weeks and also included the grand opening of Ismail’s Opera House in Cairo.

The Canal emerged on the political scene in 1956, during the Suez crisis. Egyptian president Nasser, announced the nationalization of the Canal. His decision was in response to British, French and American refusal for a loan aimed at building the Aswan High Dam. The revenue from the Canal would help finance the High Dam project. The announcement triggered a reaction by Great Britain, France and Israel, who all invaded Egypt less than two months later. Their action was condemned by the International community and Nasser claimed victory. In 1967, the Canal was closed at the wake of the Six Day War, when Israel occupied the Sinai Peninsula, causing the Canal to act as a buffer zone between the fighting forces. Egypt reclaimed the Canal upon the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, and the Canal was re-opened in 1975. Since then, the Canal, which stretches 167 kms (100 miles) across the Egyptian desert (from Port Said and the Mediterranean Sea to Suez and the Red Sea. And has changed the face of maritime world trade., has been widened twice. Today, about 50 ships transit the canal daily and the cities and beaches along the Bitter Lakes and the Canal serve as a summer resort for tourists. At its narrowest point, it is about 197 feet at the bottom, and is wide enough to allow ships with a draft of 53 feet. The Canal can accommodate ships as large as 150,000 tons fully loaded, but not wide enough to allow two way passage of ships. There are several passing bays where ships may pass - in the Bitter Lakes and between Qantara and Ismailia. There’s also a railway that runs the entire distance of the canal. The Suez has no locks because the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Suez are at the same water level. On a typical day, three convoys transit the canal - two southbound and one northbound. That is why we were given a time to arrive at the entrance and, even still, had to wait to enter. We also had to anchor for several hours in Great Bitter Lake for the Northbound ships to exit before we could continue on. If able to transit the Canal non-stop, it would take 11 to 16 hours at a (required) speed of 8 knots (the entire canal is a no-wake zone).

Life aboard has settled into somewhat of a routine though the relationships with the other passengers and the crew continue to develop. We’re a very harmonious group, each with our individual personalities and idiosyncrasies. An example being when I was recently sick for about four or five days. Of course Doug took good care of me, Martha stopped by and continued to send positive messages my way, Sunhilde said the best thing was to massage my stomach (always a circular motion in the same direction) for twenty minutes each morning, of course Helge didn’t say anything, Barbara practiced English enough to say “How are you feeling?”, Gani served me chicken broth, apple juice and tea; but the Captain was the best. He stopped by and said. “I know you’re not feeling well. We have medicines in the infirmary, I don’t know what they are, but you can check with the First Officer.” I said, well, I’m fairly sure it’s diverticulitis.” He didn’t understand, so I put my hand on my stomach and said, “It’s a stomach problem.” He took a step back, put his hands up and said “Oh, I’m a man, I wouldn’t know anything about that.” I assured him it wasn’t a female problem and he said “Well, then you should just eat rice for a few days.” Later, the Chief Engineer, Marenko, stopped by and told me in his Croatian-accented English that we had a syringe in the infirmary but no one on the ship really knows how to use it and he didn’t know what we would administer with it - perhaps it is to be used as an IV. It doesn’t give you a real comfortable feeling but certainly encourages us all to stay healthy on this cruise. So, I accepted all of the suggestions, took a full five-day prescription of antibiotics (that thankfully my doctor in San Diego had given me) and some fairly strong pain medication and was soon back to normal. I’ll continue to be more careful with my diet for the remainder of the cruise (absolutely no seeds and nuts) and lots of water. The good news is that I’m feeling great. Everyone else seems quite healthy - we’re fortunate that no one has gotten sea sick as we had a really rough couple of days in the Mediterranean.

Italy and the Mediterranean

2007-10-15T05:26:00.000-07:00

Photos: 1. Rock of Gibralter 2. Arriving Genova, 3. An Italian dinner, 4 Basketball game SORRY, UNABLE TO POST PHOTOS. WILL DO SO LATER.

ITALY and leaving the Mediterranean

By the time we left Antwerp, on our way to Genova, Italy, we had become better acquainted with our new Captain and his wife. One evening we invited Barbara, the Captain’s wife, to play a game of Farkel (also known as “the dice game”) and, even though she doesn’t speak much English (and we speak no Polish), we were able to explain the game and had a lot of laughs and a good time. The Captain was sleeping so that he could be on watch later. The Chief Engineer, Marenko, said he’d like to play some other evening when he’s not working.

Monday afternoon the alarm was sounded at 4:00 for a safety and fire drill and, as directed, we quickly donned our life vests and helmets and met on the aft deck, A level. The roll was read and all were accounted for. We then were informed of our assigned seats in the life boat and instructed to enter and take a seat. Inside, it’s like a small airplane with an aisle down the center and two seats on each side. There are thirty nine seats (Doug and I are seats 10 and 11) and it’s quite close and claustrophobic. They didn’t actually launch the boat, just wanted us to practice getting in and adjusting and fastening our seatbelts in case of a real emergency. Then the crew sprang into action for a fire drill, including testing the hoses, and putting one supposedly-injured man (the steward, Vincent) on a stretcher and administering CPR and oxygen.

People have asked what we’ll do with all our time on the ship. Well, here’s an example of a perfect day on the ship: Sleeping in, painting, seeing the rock of Gibralter on one side and Morocco on the other, reading a good book, having a nice dinner with stimulating international conversations, watching dolphin leap out of the water keeping up with our ship, a rousing game of basketball (played by some of the crew and Martha), a spectacular sunset, and a movie to entertain us in the evening.

We continued on up the east coast of Spain, passed the French Riviera and arrived in Genova on the 27th. The day before our arrival was quite rough - strong winds and huge waves which threw the ship from side to side - but no one got sick. The Chief Engineer, Marenko, looked a little green and commented several times that he didn’t like this weather, but the rest of us did well.
The morning we were to arrive in Genova, we learned at breakfast that we would be departing the same day - the reason being that we were only offloading and taking on five pieces of cargo. I was really disappointed since I’d hope to spend a day seeing this beautiful city. As it turned out, we didn’t get tied up to the dock until 4:00 PM and were told we would be departing at midnight. To make matters worse, we weren’t given our passports until 6:15, so all we had time to do was call a cab and rush into the city. We went to the old section, which, from what we could see was very charming. We found an internet café where we could enjoy a glass of nice Italian wine, check email and post a blog. We walked to dinner in the pouring rain, just a few blocks away, and enjoyed the hustle and bustle of car horns blaring and people scurrying to catch buses and trains. The restaurant we chose was typical northern Italian and very good. After a little wine and some comfort food of pasta and veal, we were happy that we’d made the effort to see at least a little of Genova.

It turns out we didn’t actually leave until around 6:00 am. I continue to remind myself that on a trip like this, we must be flexible.

This poem about the sea is from the book “Simon’s Family” by the Swedish author, Marianne Fredriksson. The poem is written by Simon, the main character in the book and I thought others might enjoy it.

What does the sea smell of?
Turn your face to the storm
out there, bringing to you all the scents of sea,
filling your nose, your lungs.
Start with sturdy words.
Seaweed. Salt.
There is no answer to the words.
What does the sea smell of?
Try the other words, the harder ones:
Force, freedom, adventure.
They fall to the ground, limit the unlimited.
Ask the question yet again:
What does the sea smell of?
And at last see that the question has no meaning.
When you have stopped asking,
Then perhaps
you can experience the sea.

We’re certainly experiencing the sea - often right in the middle of it on this trip
I’d like to mention some other books we’ve been reading while aboard: Doug has been mainly reading mystery and suspense thrillers (two numerous to mention as he often goes through a book a day) but also enjoyed Chuck Yeager’s autobiography. I’d like to recommend “Plum Wine” by Angela Davis-Garoner (Susan, you would like it), “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult, “The Amateur Marriage” by one of my favorite authors, Anne Tyler, “The Tenth Circle” (very different but great) again by Jodi Picoult (Marietta and Julie, you would enjoy this one), and “The Resistance” by Anita Shreve (Dawn, you would like it), “The Year of Magical Thinking” by Joan Didion (not a novel and very moving), “Simon’S Family” by Marianne Fredriksson (author of “Hanna’s Daughters”), and “Thirteen Moons” by Charles Frazier (his first book since “Cold Mountain” and it”’s excellent!). I have many more waiting to be read and will report periodically on my favorites.

We’re making our way toward the Suez Canal and looking forward to seeing this historic site, as well as traveling through the Red Sea.

2007-09-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

Belgium

2007-09-27T10:06:00.001-07:00

Photos:arriving in Antwerp, touring Antwerp, touring Ghent with Philippe

Belgium
9/19-21/07

Approaching Antwerp, the seas became a bit lumpy, which was compounded by the fact that again our pilot boat was late in arriving and we had to sit outside the entrance to the channel and maneuver in circles until they arrived. As a result, we were at times crosswise to the waves which created a wallowing effect on the boat. I commented that we likely wouldn’t have soup for lunch but we did (cream of mushroom) and it was fine. The lunch today was excellent - chicken roulade (wrapped around spears of white asparagus and peppers in a nice sauce), fresh green beans and browned potatoes. We have a wonderful assortment of fresh fruit again (brought aboard in Hamburg) and a more extensive selection of cheeses. We do eat well.

Just before we arrived at our berthing space in Antwerp, we spent two hours transiting a lock which took us from the channel into the Scheldt River and to this very busy commercial shipping port. We locked through with several barges and one huge (twice our size) tanker that came in behind us and barely left enough room to close the gates. When we exited the lock, which we later learned is the largest sea lock in the world, the tanker was met by two tugs which would help them maneuver to their berth and we were assisted by one. It seemed so eerily quiet and still, after rocking and rolling for nineteen hours, when we finally stopped and were secured at the dock. It’s nice to feel tucked in and joined to land, but we actually sleep better when at sea - it’s like being back in the womb. By the time we were cleared in by Customs and our quarantine flag was taken down, it was too late to go ashore (actually, we hadn’t planned to, so it was o.k.).

The next morning, we left the gate and walked a short way to the bus stop where, for one Euro, we took a but to the center of town. This is a very old city that came into existence around the Scheldt River. According to local legend, to cross this river, ship’s captains had to pay a toll to the giant, Droon Antigoon, who lived in the castle Steen; and if they didn’t pay, their hands were cut off and thrown into the Scheldt. “Ant” meaning hand and “werp” meaning “pier at the water’s edge.” Another bit of history we learned was that a huge statue was erected by the chapel at the entrance to the Steen of a man with spread out legs. This statue also used to have a very large penis and was therefore venerated by numerous women looking for a cure against infertility. The Jesuits found the statue too obscene in the 17th century. . . .and off went the decoration of the statue! (At least it was only made of clay!) The statue can still be seen today minus the large appendage.

As a cosmopolitan center, Antwerp opened the first international commodity exchange in Europe. The city thrived during the Renaissance. Rubens, who lived here, was a highly-valued artist in the 17th centuryHil paintings enriched the churches and chapels of Antwerp and his home is now open to the public. Of course, everything we see in this ancient city is hundreds years older than anything in our country. The town hall (Het Stadhuis), was built in the mid 1500's, a large Renaissance building, a mixture of Italian and Flemish designs, and the huge front portal with a triumphal stairway was built in the 19th centure and decorated with frescos depicting scenes of the history of Antwerp. The gorgeous “Marriage Room” is decorated with paintings by Van Lagye depicting portraits from marriages from different periods of history. In Market Square is the Brado fountain in honor of Silvius Bardo, a nephew of Julius Caesar, who vanquished the giant Antigoon and punished him the way he punished captains, by cutting of his right hand and throwing it into the Scheldt. The sculpture actually depicts Barbo running and holding a huge hand above his head.

De Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal (Cathedral of Our Lady), Belgium’s largest and most important Gothic church took two centuries to complete and it’s beautiful outside as well as in. Here are displayed several of Ruben’s tryp-tychs: “Descent from the Cross” and “Raising of the Cross” and “Resurrection”; as well as gorgeous stained glass windows and carved wooden benches, confessionals, pulpit and organ. As Rubens once said “Behold this city and you will know where I found my inspiration.” I think of the plumpness of the women the painted and looking around found where he could certainly have found inspiration if he were alive today. There is also the church of De Sint-Andrieskerk, built in the late gothic style in 1529 and later extended in the High Baroque style. (It still stands so, as I always say: “If it’s not baroque, don’t fix it.) In 1609, the marriage of P. P. Rubens and Isabella Brant was held here.

The Central Train Station, where we got off the bus, is a magnificent building with it’s dome 75m (I don’t know what that is in feet but some of you will figure it out) and designed in French Renaissance style in the late 1800s. It was lavishly restored in 1993 and when we were there was again undergoing some major renovation. Next to the Station, is the entrance to the Antwerp Zoo, founded in 1843 which covers over 10 hectares (how many acres is that?).

Our favorite museum in Antwerp was the Het Diamantcentrum (Diamond Centre) located in the heart of the Diamond District, which dates back to the 16th century when Antwerp was already a major center for diamond trade and cutting. Those same techniques are still in use today. There is a total annual turnover of over 19 billion euros traded in diamonds, which means that seven out of ten diamonds come from Antwerp. The diamonds themselves are from numerous mines all over the world and are cut and polished, appraised and sold here. As we walked around town, there were so many diamond shops that you could walk one city block without seeing five or six.

De Sint-Jacobskerk (St. Jacob’s Church, constructed in Brabant Gothic style) houses numerous great works of art by Rubens - one depicting him as St. George posed between his two wives, Isabella and Helena. There are many other churches here but one that we especially liked was St. Paul’s Church, built in Late-Gothic style (1530-1571) which houses paintings of the 15 mysteries of the Rosary which were painted in the 17th century by 11 different Antwerp masters, all from the school of Rubens.

Like any great city, there is a wonderful Royal Museum of Fine Arts built in the late 1800s, which holds five centuries worth of Flemish paintings; and The Antwerp Museum of Contemporary Art, with an art-deco facade, it houses donations from all over the world. And of course, we can’t forget the Antwerp brewery, which was beautifully restored from an old warehouse, and now has an in-house brewery where you can enjoy tasting the delicious self-brewed beers for which Belgium is so famous. We’ve sampled a few and so far my favorite was one called Chimay which was very good.

We stopped for lunch at the old and very charming House of Mussels restaurant to have a typical feast of mussels cooked two ways (one large pot full steamed with white wine and garlic and the other with a garlic and cream wine sauce) both excellent and served with some of the best french fries I’ve ever tasted. With another sampling of some good Belgium beer, we all agreed that this was just about as good as it gets. We found an internet café and checked for messages from family and friends and it was, as usual, good to receive news from home.

Friday morning, Martha’s friend Philippe arrived about 9:00. After a quick tour of the ship, we set off in his car to Ghent. (Martha met Philippe last year on a white water rafting trip down the Colorado River. There were eighteen in Martha’s group and Philippe had come from Belgium to do the trip. A few weeks earlier, he made a trip to Juneau to visit the rafting group there but Martha was already on the freighter by then.) Ghent is a charming old town, about an hour’s drive from Antwerp, with cobblestone streets (some allowing only foot traffic) and a canal running the length of the town, that was originally used to transport goods produced there but now there are small boats used mainly for tourists to view the town from water. A lot like the gondolas on the canals of Venice, Italy. We toured one of the many old and beautiful churches, built in the early 1600s and were pleasantly surprised to find, in addition to the many classic artists represented (like Rubens), an exhibition of a modern artist by the name of Kim En Joong. There were huge white canvases that seemed to be floating from the vaulted ceiling and many others lining some of the walls. Father Joong is a brother of the Dominican Order, who has a large attic studio at the convent of the Annunciation in Paris and an outdoor studio provided by the Sisters of Saint-Paul de Vence in Nice, where he paints during the summer months. You may be able to see some examples of his paintings on line, but I wasn’t able to find information on the exact web site. I’m hoping his work will be an inspiration for some of my abstract paintings.

After a wonderful lunch (starting with my new favorite Belgian beer, Guesse, and finishing with a delicious Belgian waffle with ice cream) at an outdoor table looking out on one of the picturesque town squares, we spent about three hours touring the Gravensteen Castle. We walked and climbed over every narrow stairway and winding hallway, including dungeons and torture rooms, and saw weapons and armor of war, and fantastic views from the balustrades of what looked like a miniature village below. We were fortunate to have a warm, sunny day for touring and stopped for coffee at an outdoor café and enjoyed watching the activities of the old marketplace square. After a quick stop for some of Belgium’s finest chocolates to last us the rest of the voyage, we headed back. We really enjoyed Philippe’s company and especially appreciated him taking us to see another beautiful part of Belgium.

We were scheduled to leave Antwerp Saturday morning (the 21st) but it was announced that we should be back aboard by 10 PM for an 11:00 departure. We were back in plenty of time, but we didn’t actually get underway until 2:30 AM (as usual, we had to wait for the pilot to come aboard). It was incredibly calm the entire first day and I was able to paint two scarves (very detailed designs using resist) and it was nice to easily walk around the decks. The Captain’s wife, Barbara, came up to the weather-deck lounge (where I have my art studio) and brought binoculars so that I would see the white cliffs of Dover, England on one side and Calais, France on the other. The weather became increasingly warmer as we moved south past France and we had glorious sunshine in the waters off Spain, though it was very windy and the seas were a bit rough. For those of you who do silk painting (not many, I know), on one of the roughest days, I prepped two silks with “no-flow” and did a water-color style scarf of water lilies and another of fish. It was still a challenge, with the boat rolling from side to side, so decided it’s best to stay with abstracts.

Our visit to Germany

2007-09-27T09:57:00.000-07:00

Photos: Sightseeing in Hamburg (Reeperbahn, churches and boats on the Elbe), shipboard party in Hamburg

Hamburg, Germany
9/15/07 to 9/

Finding our way from the ship yard to “civilization” was difficult enough while in the U.S. but is compounded now with the inability to fluently speak the language of the country we’re visiting. Our biggest help is the Super Cargo (the supervisor of cargo or person who supervises the on-loading and off-loading of cargo) at each port. He is knowledgeable of the area, speaks the local language and best of all has a company cell phone. He’s happy to call the seafarer’s club or a taxi for us and gives us directions or a map to help us find our way around.

Saturday morning we asked the Super Cargo to call the Seafarer’s Club to see if they would provide transportation into the city of Hamburg. Well, they don’t open until 3:00 in the afternoon, so we decided to take a taxi, which ended up costing about twenty Euros, but we arrived at the entrance to a very old walking tunnel that brought us out at the visitors’ bureau where we signed up for a double-decker city bus tour. It was narrated in English and German so we heard a bit of the history and highlights of Hamburg as we drove through the elegant and wealthy Eppendorf region which rims the lake; the wicked (or formerly wicked) Reeperbahn; beautiful old churches, museums, restaurants and theaters, as well as the shopping district of Monckebergstrasse. After a nice German lunch of a specialty of the region, labskaus, at Rauch’s Old Commercial Room, we visited the beautiful St. Michael’s cathedral. It’s possible to climb the 450 steps to the steeple, but the line was very long and we didn’t wait. We took a leisurely stroll through the Reeperbahn area that was once famous for it’s wild nightlife and available women of the night, but has since been cleaned up and now has theaters and restaurants, but there’s still some remnants of it’s past to be seen (see photos).

We spent a couple of hours at an internet café where Martha and I were able to check email and return messages from family and friends. We headed to the waterfront area and famous fish market and had a light seafood dinner before getting a taxi back to the ship. That sounds like an easy thing to do but things are not always what they seem. We showed our piece of paper with the name of the dock to our driver (Indian, wearing a turban) and asked if he knew how to get there. He said yes, so we got in the cab and off we went. Well, after several u-turns and dead end streets and passing lots of docks and big ships, and at one point ending back in the city of Hamburg again (he was following directions from a hand-held GPS), he admitted that he really didn’t know where it was. So he stopped and asked directions (what a guy!) and was sent in the right directions - another six kilometers - and we finally returned to the ship about 9 PM. At least he had turned off the meter when he admitted that he was lost, so we paid him approximately what we had paid in the morning for the trip into Hamburg but we got a much longer, if not more scenic, ride returning.

From the aft deck, we saw our new Captain and his wife arriving and making their way up the gang way. Later, while we were talking with the Super Cargo, the Captain came into the conference room and we were introduced. He appears to be a little younger than our previous captain and much more outgoing and friendly. The Supervisor told me that he’s much easier to be around because he has children and a large family and enjoys life. We learned that his wife will make the complete trip with him (Hamburg to Hamburg) and that she doesn’t speak English, only Polish, but they attended the party that night and she seemed very nice. Their son and their nephew had driven them to the ship, so stayed for dinner and the party and spent the night aboard, leaving the next day to return to university.

Again on Sunday, the Seafarer’s club was not opening until 3:00 PM, so we took a taxi to a nearby internet café. I took my computer this time so that I could post two articles to the blog site. It went very well except that the site came up in German and I had a bit of a difficult time deciphering the words. Did it say “upload photos” or “delete photos”? Is that “post to blog site” or “save as draft”. I ended up either guessing or asking my fellow German computer users to interpret for me. People are so nice when you act stupid (it really wasn’t an act) and smile sweetly. Well, everything finally worked and I was able to do two blog postings and respond to a couple of additional emails, so I was happy. Because it was Sunday, most of the shops in this little mall were closed but we found a nice little Greek restaurant and had a nice lunch of doner kebabs. The nice man at the internet café called us a taxi and this time our driver knew exactly where he was going and we quickly found ourselves back at our ship.

Around 6 PM we went to the aft deck for a party/dinner that was hosted by the company (Rickmers) that hires our Filipino crew. The party was in honor of the crew because in Boston there were no stevedores and the crew had to work extra hard to do all the tie-downs after the cargo was loaded. The company sent several representatives and their families and they brought lots of local foods (marinated meats: turkey, beef, pork and chicken, plus salads: coleslaw and potato salad) plus beer and wine. It was very nice but we heard a comment that the crew members would have preferred money instead of a party because they have to work the next day so could not eat and drink all night. Well, as it turned out, it didn’t seem to slow them down at all. We ate and drank and danced (Martha and I were very popular as dance partners tonight) until quite late and sang to the music with the kareoke. We really got to know a lot of the guys tonight and heard many stories of their home and families. They were particularly happy because they got the news tonight that they will all go home in November. We were sad to hear that because they won’t be with us for our entire trip. We’ll have to break in a new crew and won’t have time to get quite as comfortable with them because we’ll be leaving in December. Of well, we’ll enjoy this group of great guys while we’re together.

We also met our two new passengers - a couple from Sweden. It was very noisy at the party so it was difficult to talk but we learned that they are very happy because they feared they would be the only two passengers aboard. The next day we learned that her name is Sonheid (not sure of the spelling but she said it’s an old viking name and it’s pronounced soon ield.) and his is Helge. We got aquainted a little over breakfast and a little more at lunch. After they left the dining room, Gani told us that they’d gotten off to a bad start with him because when they arrived, Sonhild said her money was missing and told him to call security. One of the officers came to her cabin and suggested she search her other bags and when she did she found her money in a different place. Gani said he’d never been a suspect before and he didn’t like the feeling. She of course apologized profusely for the mix-up. Other than that, they seem to have settled in nicely and are adjusting to life aboard a freighter.

On the 17th, after taking on many cases of provisions for the galley and other items for use aboard, we departed Hamburg precisely at 2 PM as scheduled (good German precision) and cruised back out the Elbe River to the North Sea, passing by The Netherlands, on our way to Antwerp, Belgium.

Atlantic Crossing

2007-09-16T03:36:00.000-07:00

Photos: Engine room tour, and Barbecue

Atlantic Crossing

Leaving Boston on the 7th of September, the weather was clear and calm and I was able to paint two scarves the first morning out. After that, it became obvious that I would not be able to use the resist method of drawing a design on silk with the boat rocking and rolling across the ocean. So, I enjoyed creating some abstract and impressionistic style designs and still averaged two scarves a day.

One morning, after breakfast, the Chief Engineer took us on a below-decks tour of the Engineering Spaces of the ship. We first saw the after steering room where a large hydraulic motor, powered by dual redundant pumps, turns the rudder. On the bridge, this is controlled by a small wheel, manually, or by autopilot. We also saw the three electrical power generators, one of which is sufficient to provide power for the ship. The engine control room is completely automated with computer controls and monitoring. The throttle may be activated either from the bridge or the engine control room. While underway, it is controlled on the bridge.

The single, seven cylinder Man B&W diesel engine is fueled with low grade oil which is heated and filtered before being injected into the cylinders. This engine drives a single screw, 7.8 meters in diameter, which drives the ship 20 knots at 95rpm. The output of the engine is 15,785KW at 105rpm or about 20,000 hp.

Like any engine room, there is extremely high ambient noise which we escaped from time to time such as when we walked all the way forward to the bow from the aft engine room along a passageway containing the piping for maintaining the temperature control of the holds. Also, in these after spaces are the large walk-in freezers and refrigerators for the commissary provisioning. All of this lies below the crew and passenger quarters in the aft superstructure of the ship.

The highlight of our crossing was a festive barbecue, complete with a pig roasted on a spit. Preparations began early in the day as I observed some of the crew dismantling the old barbecue grill and constructing a new one with a large oil drum cut in half and mounted on a steel frame (this was for the pig). Two other grills were set up for grilling sausages and steaks. By the time we arrived at 6 PM, there were tables set up on the aft deck, complete with checkered table cloths, and the Captain and First Officer were pouring wine. In addition to the meats, there was steamed rice, fried rice, baked potatoes, grilled tomatoes, tossed salad and fruit salad. Everything was very good - especially the roast pig. To add to the festivities, the crew had set up a TV and karioke machine and everyone was in a party mood. It was explained that the ones who would be drinking the most and staying up the latest would be those who didn’t have to work the next day. That ended up being about eight crew members (and us, of course). Martha and I assumed that we would be quite popular when the dancing started (being the only two females aboard), but it was soon apparent that they were accustomed to dancing with or without women. It wasn’t exactly our kind of music to dance to, but we did our best and had a great time. Our Captain said they often have a barbecue like this once a month (depending who the Captain is) but never in U.S. waters since there is a law against drinking aboard. It makes you wonder how we got to be this way. Is it puritanical values or litigation?

The second day underway, it was announced that we would advance our clock one hour that night. The next night the same, and the following night another hour, (so by the time we reach Hamburg we won’t have to worry about the typical jet lag symptoms). As a result, we began to sleep later and skip breakfast. Not a problem, since we are eating more than enough at other meals, and we’re always able to go to the dining room for fresh fruit and coffee and tea. It’s nice to be lazy and sleep in and spend the morning reading or going for a walk. We’ve paced it off and determined that five times around the main deck, or twenty times around the pilot deck, is a mile. There are also movies to watch and games to play. It’s amazing how the time goes by and before you know it, it’s time to shower and change for dinner. Ahhh, life at sea.

Seeing land, after seven days at sea, was pretty exciting. First we began seeing some birds and then some sail boats and small fishing boats and finally in the distance we could make out a little strip of land. We left the Atlantic and entered the English channel and made out way to the North Sea. Around four in the afternoon of the 14th, we were at the mouth of the Elbe River and the local pilot boat came along side to deliver our pilot who would remain aboard until we docked in Hamburg. He was actually scheduled to arrive earlier but there was a mis-communication and we were left in a holding pattern, doing donuts out there, until he arrived After dinner, Doug, Martha and I went to the bridge to get a better view of where we were and observe the Captain and officers working with the local pilot to maneuver our way up the Elbe. Later that night, after a rousing game of Scrabble, I stayed up a little later and watched from our stateroom window as we slowly cruised up the river, passing many other ships and lots of bright lights from the land on either side of us. It was so perfectly calm, after being at sea, that it was like gliding over a sheet of ice - and so amazingly quiet.

Because of the time spent waiting for the pilot this afternoon, we arrived Hamburg at 2:00 AM instead of midnight, as scheduled, so I slept right through our arrival.

We’ll be in Hamburg three or four days, so hope to take in all the sights, have some good German food and drink, and enjoy a little of the nightlife. We’ll pick up two more passengers, a Swedish couple, and we’re looking forward to meeting them. We’re also getting a new Captain (who we learned is bringing his wife to cruise with him for a few months). So, our little shipboard family is expanding. Stay tuned and we’ll introduce all the new players.

Norfolk to Baltimore to Camden to Boston

2007-09-16T03:19:00.000-07:00

Baltimore, to Camden, to Boston

Thursday, 30 August 2007 - Baltimore, Maryland

We left Norfolk and had perfect weather for our trip up the Atlantic Coast to Baltimore. The days at sea are great but we’re also looking forward to our next port and a little time ashore.

Our fellow passenger, Jack, has been staying in his cabin around the clock. Each mealtime, we ask Gani if Jack has been to the dining room or if he’s asked for food in his cabin. Gani says that he just sleeps all day. He calls him at breakfast, lunch and dinner times but he either says he’s o.k. or he doesn’t answer his phone. If he doesn’t answer, Gani goes to Jack’s cabin and checks on him. We thought at first he just had the flu but now believe it’s something more serious. He told us that he has diabetes but doesn’t take insulin for it. He also told us that, as a result of the diabetes, he has already lost some sight in his right eye and also has some problems with loss of feeling in his feet. We’re all quite worried about him.

We arrived in Baltimore early in the morning and, after breakfast, called a taxi to take us to the Inner Harbor where we spent three delightful hours at the National Aquarium. We first toured the underwater viewing area to see “wings in the water” which included various types of rays and lots of sharks. The next level had to do with Maryland sea life and from there we moved up to creatures from sea cliffs, the kelp forest, Pacific coral reefs and the Amazon River Forest. The top floor houses an upland Tropical Rain Forest and the hidden life there. The other wing of the aquarium houses an exhibit titled Animal Planet Australia: Wild Extremes, which has a variety of very unusual and seldom seen aquatic species. There were exotic snakes and frogs, rainbow lorikeets, freshwater crocodiles, and frilled lizards. Such fun!

After a tapas lunch at a Spanish restaurant on the harbor, and a little shopping, we headed back to the ship.

We had arranged for Sondra & Dan Bannister (from McLean, VA) to be put on the visitors’ list at the gate and after a three-hour drive in rush-hour traffic, they arrived at the ship about 6:00. We showed them around our little “home”, including a tour of the Bridge, which they really enjoyed, before leaving for dinner at nearby “Jimmy’s Famous Crabs”. What a seafood feast we had - oysters on the half shell, crab cakes, fish, and a few hard-shell crabs; mixed in with a lot of laughter and stories. I would highly recommend “Jimmy’s” (and our waiter, Paul) if you’re in this area sometime.

The next day, Friday, there was no sign of Jack - either at breakfast, lunch or dinner - but Gani said he checked on him and he still says he’s o.k.

We had anticipated leaving for Camden sometime in the afternoon and thought we might be able to wave to Charlie and Ricki Ryan as we passed their cottage on the Delaware-Maryland Canal. Unfortunately, we didn’t get underway until around midnight so we passed their place around 3 AM. Needless to say, I was sleeping and I suppose they were as well.

Saturday, we awoke just as we were coming into Camden, New Jersey. We’re just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, so took a taxi into the city to have lunch at Macy’s. Martha’s parents, Alice and Tom, met us there and we ate in the store’s tea room. This Macy’s store was originally Wanamaker’s and is quite a landmark building, which houses a huge pipe organ in it’s seven-story atrium. In 1909, John Wanamaker bought the organ for his store and it took thirteen freight cars to transport it from St. Louis and installation took two years. It was first played on June 22, 1911, at the exact moment when England’s King George V was crowned at Westminster Abbey. Despite its immense size, the tone was inadequate to fill the huge space so Wanamaker opened a private pipe-organ factory in the Store’s attic, employing 40 full-time employees to enlarge the organ. The largest pipe is made of Oregon sugar-pine three inches thick and more than 32 feet long; and the smallest pipe is only a quarter-inch in length. More than 8,000 pipes were added to the organ between 1911 and 1917; and over the next 12 years an additional 10,000 pipes were installed, bringing the total number today to 28,482. There is a massive console with six ivory keyboards and 729 color-coded stops. There are 168 piston buttons under the keyboards and 42 foot controls. It’s really amazing to see, and the many of the world’s most famous musicians have performed concerts here. You can still hear it being played each day at noon.

Martha went home with her parents for a two-day visit, and Doug and I did a little walking tour of the historic section of Philadelphia. There’s a lot to see in this old city that was the first capital of the United States: Declaration House (where Thomas Jefferson wrote The Declaration of Independence), The Liberty Bell (icon of American freedom), Independence Hall (known as America’s birthplace), Congress Hall (former U. S. Capitol and site of two Presidential inaugurations), Betsy Ross House (where the first Stars and Stripes was sewn) and Franklin Court (home of Ben Franklin). In spite of our cab driver getting lost, we made it back to the ship in time for dinner.

Sunday morning there was still no sign of Jack so Gani called his room but he didn’t answer. He checked on him and he was sleeping. By late afternoon, the Captain decided something needed to be done so he asked Doug and I to go to Jack’s room and see if he wanted to see a doctor. (The Captain is Polish and has a heavy accent and wasn’t sure Jack would understand him.) Gani reported that Jack was lying in bed nude and incoherent so Doug went in to speak with him and asked if he wanted to see a doctor. He got no response other than a few mumbled and slurred words but Jack repeated the word “doctor,” so it was decided that a doctor would be called. Since it was felt that Jack wasn’t able to walk, a 911 call was made and paramedics arrived a little after 7 pm. They put Jack on a stretcher, took him out to the side deck and lowered him in a cage by the aft crane to a waiting ambulance. We felt better knowing that he was in the hospital and would get the care he needed The paramedic said that his blood sugar level was about 20 and it should be 75 or 80. Before transporting him, they administered a sugar solution and he slowly began responding, so it’s likely it was related to his diabetes. Sure hope he’ll be o.k. and able to return to the ship before we leave for Boston.

Monday night at dinner, the Captain regaled us with true tales of pirates in the Asian countries of Indonesia and Singapore, etc. who attempt to come aboard ships and demand the Captain open the safe and give them whatever valuables are inside. Or some who try to highjack the ship. After many stories, he finally admitted that this never happens anymore since in the last few years the ships have an electronic device that allows the ship to be tracked and the shipping line knows where we are at all times. Also, there’s a button on the bridge that alerts the local Coast Guard that we have a problem. There’s also a button in the Captain’s cabin, in case he’s not on the bridge. So, that made us feel better but I’m not sure why he tells us these tales. I suppose it’s what he knows about and it’s his life. We all talk about what we know.

Tuesday afternoon, Martha and I went to Cooper Memorial Hospital in Camden to visit Jack. We were surprised to learn that he was in the ICU and the nurse, Robert, told us that he hadn’t even been able to tell them his name since he was admitted Sunday night. He also said that because of Jack’s extremely low blood sugar level (about 20) he most likely was apoxic (lack of oxygen to the brain) and could have severe brain damage, and that his condition was deteriorating. We could hardly believe that could happen. Jack was sleeping, with an oxygen mask over his face and we each called his name but he didn’t wake up. I rubbed his arm and told him we were there. We said we’d pray for him and hoped he would get better. Robert said that we were the first people who had been to see him and he was anxious to have us tell him all we knew about Jack, i.e. where he came from, what he was doing in Camden, how long he’d been ill, etc. We told him what we knew and that we were surprised that no one from the ship had given them any information. We know that Jack’s luggage was packed up and taken off the ship but it still hadn’t shown up at the hospital. The hospital had no contact information, so his wife still didn’t know that he had left the ship and was in the hospital. The Captain had said he has no contact information for him and it’s up to Rickmers and the port agent to take care of it.

I called Doug from the hospital to see if he could give us a phone number for the Rickmers office, which I gave to the Hospital Administrator, Oliver, when he came by. No one knew where his passport might be (it was with him when he left the ship) or his luggage. Doug checked with the Captain who gave him a phone number of the car service that picked up the luggage. Apparently they tried to call the hospital to see where it should be delivered but no one would talk to them, so they still have the luggage. I gave the name and number of the car company to Oliver and he promised to follow up and locate the luggage. We said goodbye to Jack and sadly left the hospital.

That night at dinner, Martha and I told the Captain that we’d visited the hospital and what we’d learned. I asked if the Captain would send an email to Rickmers office asking them to contact Jack’s wife as soon as possible, and to confirm that it had been done. Hopefully, that will happen tomorrow.

At 8:00 this evening we left the Camden dock and headed down the Delaware River to Cape May where we’ll head up the coast to Boston.

Wednesday morning at breakfast, the Captain said he’d sent my email and also received a copy of an email that the Port Agent had sent to Rickmers, requesting that they contact Jack’s family. I hoped we would some day find out how Jack is doing, but had my doubts that we ever would. We all felt that we’d done everything we could for Jack, but still sad that things turned out the way they did.

The seas are very calm for our trip to Boston, though there’s a lot of wind on deck. I’ve had a bit of a sore throat so have been taking some decongestant and drinking hot tea with lemon. I expect to feel better soon. I’m sure it’s just a little cold.

Thursday morning I received a call from Oliver, at Cooper Hospital, letting me know that they got the information they needed. He spoke with Jack’s wife, Mary Herring, and put her in touch with the nurse in ICU to talk about Jack’s condition. He thanked us for our help in tracking down his family. It made us all breathe a little easier to know that his family was notified and that we’d done all we could do.

Though we’re only in Boston for one day, I contacted Julie’s friend, and former roommate, Maureen to see if she and the boys (Jack and John, ages 2 and 5) wanted to come over for a tour of the ship and I put their names on the visitors list at the gate. Maureen called about 11:00 and said they were at the gate but the guard wouldn’t allow the boys to come on the dock. Apparently they feel it’s too dangerous to have children around all the cranes loading and off-loading. We went out to the gate to meet them and Maureen drove us into Boston where we parked at Boston Common and talked while we walked around the city a bit. She and the boys left to get sandwiches for a picnic in the park and we headed for the Seafarer’s Club to use the computer. I had called a number in the Seafarer’s directory and spoken to a very nice lady at the church (where I assumed the club was located). Unfortunately, we got there to learn that the Seafarer’s no longer existed at the church and they had no information about where they might be. Since it was now lunchtime, we went to Legal Seafood and had some of their local specialties: lobster roll, clam chowder and lobster bisque. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Museum of Fine Arts and could have spent much more time but enjoyed: a special exhibit of “Drama and Desire - Japanese Paintings from the Floating World 1690 - 1850" and many of the permanent exhibits. Some of my favorites were: Ed Rossbach’s fiber art, Chinese sculptures and ceramics, paintings by the European masters, and a fantastic collection of impressionists of the 20th century - Monet, Degas, Renoir, Gauguin, van Gogh, Picasso, Cassat and Rodin.

We stopped at a Starbuck’s specifically to connect to WiFi, which we thought was available at all Starbuck stores, but that one required a T-Mobile card. They sent us to a pizza shop that was known to have internet connection but that didn’t work either so we gave up and caught a taxi back to the ship. It’s not easy traveling and trying to stay in touch.

Tonight, September 6th, we depart for our eight-day trip across the Atlantic to Hamburg, Germany, and we’re looking forward to our European ports.

Houston to New Orleans to Norfolk

2007-09-02T13:31:00.001-07:00

Houston to New Orleans to Norfolk

(After this week, I don’t intend to write as much detail about our days at sea but we’re still settling into our life on the ship and would like to record what’s it’s like adjusting to this new lifestyle.)

Friday, August 24: It’s great to be underway! We went to sleep last night to the gentle motion of the ship and the hum of the engine. It’s the best possible conditions for sleeping and I awoke refreshed. Martha and I had our first Yoga and stretching class this morning and I spent the rest of the morning painting. Later in the afternoon, we learned that the pool had been filled, so I went for a swim. It’s so easy to float in salt water and the water was quite warm as well. It’s a small pool but a nice way to cool off and do some water exercise. After dinner, we played Farkel (more commonly called “the dice game”) and retired early.

Saturday: I awoke to find Doug already up and overseeing our maneuvering to tie up to the Harmony Street Dock in New Orleans. I watched from our stateroom window and after breakfast went to the upper deck to watch the unloading procedures. It’s fascinating watching the workers operate the huge cranes and other machinery. It always seems as though they’re not doing much but little by little everything gets done. It’s a lot like observing highway or building construction workers. We’d let know Doug’s nephew, Todd, know that we were going to be here so he, Susan (pregnant with their third daughter) and their two girls (Helen 6 and Eva 2) came to pick us up for lunch in the French Quarter. It’s been two years since the disaster of Hurricane Katrina and the city is slowly rebuilding but they don’t anticipate that it will ever return to the way it was and, according to Todd, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The “Quarter” still looks the same but for a Saturday it was not very busy. We enjoyed a traditional lunch of such things as jambalaya, red beans & rice, and muffalata at La Maspara restaurant. The girls were very well behaved and I particularly enjoyed a very mature conversation with Helen. We stopped at WalMart to pick up a few items, including a memory stick for the computer and a “floatie” for the pool. Back at the ship, Todd and family were able to come aboard for a tour and Gani served the girls ice cream and grapes which were a big hit.

Sunday: We were scheduled to depart at midnight last night but I stayed up until two and learned this morning that we finally got underway a little after 4 am. It took us half the day to make our way down the Mississippi, back into the Gulf and head across to Florida. The weather is great, no longer as humid, and a delightful breeze - about 30 knots, including the 20 knots that we’re making. Martha and I did our first Pilates session following the dvd that she found at WalMart. She has now made up a tracking sheet for our exercise program, called “Captain’s Challenge.” Each day we put a hash mark for the “units” of exercise we’ve done. One unit equals: ten minutes of walking, stair-stepping, elliptical or pilates; and/or one session of swimming, dancing, basketball or ping-pong. We haven’t yet learned what these units earn you - that will be announced later - but we’re all motivated to accumulate as many units per day as we can. Of course there can be only winners in this program as we all hope to lose weight and become more fit. Tonight we watched two more episodes of the first season of “Boston Legal” which everyone really gets into and enjoys.

Monday: Why do I feel Monday is the day to do laundry? My mother, and probably my grandmother, always washed on Monday and ironed on Tuesday. Anyway, today I spent a couple of hours at the task and also washed and ironed the six scarves I’ve painted thus far. It still left the rest of the day to do three units (Pilates, elliptical and swimming) and finish “Amateur Marriage” by Ann Tyler (very good). I’d hoped to listen to the iPod while exercising (except in the pool of course) but for some unknown reason the headphones are not working. Will need to find an Apple store in Norfolk and see if they can be repaired.

We’ve now made our way around the Florida Keys and are passing Miami and heading up the East coast.

Tuesday: A very pleasant day at sea - the weather is warm and sunny with low humidity and a nice breeze and the seas are fairly calm. Jack hasn’t been feeling well and either doesn’t show up for meals or just has tea and some bread and soup or maybe a piece of fruit. In addition to an apparent upset stomach, he’s been coughing and sneezing so we’ve been keeping a bit of a distance. He’s been very quiet and either stays in his cabin or occasionally is seen in a lounge chair on the pilot deck. When I ask, he says he’s getting gradually better but it’s not obvious. Tonight Doug, Martha and I played several fun games of “Bananagrams” which is a modification on the game of scrabble but faster paced.

Wednesday:
The harbor pilot came aboard about 8 am and we pulled into Pier 1 of the Norfolk International Terminal about 10:00. The three of us had a cab pick us up and take us downtown for some errands and lunch. After calling the Bowes company, it was determined that our headset is defective and we shipped it back in order to get a replacement. We found an Apple store and purchased a small portable speaker system for the iPod which is great. Martha and I were able to check and send email and we stopped at a bank for some money for the trip. U.S. currency is the currency used on the ship and we need to pay cash for anything purchased aboard (like alcoholic beverages, cokes, postcards, snacks, toiletries, etc.) and tips for the steward and cook. We had a nice seafood lunch at Joe’s Crab Shack on the waterfront. After lunch we strolled along The Elizabeth River and enjoyed the various mermaid sculptures that have been uniquely decorated by various artists. (Sailors’ imaginations were best personified by the mermaid, so it’s become the city’s symbol.) Norfolk is home to the world’s largest naval base, Naval Station Norfolk, and is most remembered for its rich nautical history and lore. Water is a central element to life here - from the Chesapeake Bay and the Elizabeth and Lafayette Rivers, to the many inlets and rivulets that wind through the city. We had hoped to visit the recently built Nauticus at the National Maritime Center but we needed to be back aboard by 5:00 for an expected 6:00 departure. We did enjoy seeing the USS Wisconsin, the last and one of the largest battleships built by the U.S. Navy, that is permanently moored here as a museum. We watched the top-sail schooner “American Rover” get underway for a tour of the harbor and did a little shopping at the MacArthur Center, a new 140-store mall. The Chrysler Museum of Art, which houses the world’s greatest collection of glass artwork, is on my list of places to visit when we get back this way one day. We were back aboard the ship by 4:30 but didn’t get underway until 8:00 tonight. We were on the pilot deck as we steamed north and watched the moon rising like a huge orange ball in the early night sky. As it popped above the horizon, it looked like a big beach ball sitting on a string of lights. I don’t know why but we only seem to see the moon rising when we’re at sea.

So, we’re at sea again - this time making our way up the east coast. We thought we’d go on the inside, through the Chesapeake Bay, to Baltimore, but we’re going up the outside are will come in at the Delaware-Maryland Canal and arrive in Baltimore some time tomorrow (Thursday) morning. We’ll be in Baltimore overnight and leave Friday evening. We’re hoping our friends, Dan & Sondra, from Virginia will be able to come by and have dinner with us Thursday night. Other friends, Charlie and Ricki, have a cottage on the canal and want to come out in their whaler and do a “Green Peace” pass of our ship, if we make that passage during daylight hours.

Freighter photos

2007-09-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

WELCOME ABOARD!

2007-08-25T19:19:00.000-07:00

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.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

2007-08-25T19:08:00.000-07:00

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.

On the road again . . .

2007-08-25T16:05:00.000-07:00

Camp Run-A-Mok

2007-08-03T00:37:00.000-07:00

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.

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.

Twin Cities Tourists

2007-07-21T11:50:00.000-07:00

The Twin City Tourists
Returning from France, we’re again spending time in the Minneapolis area, more commonly referred to as "The Twin Cities," or by locals as "The Cities." This time we decided to act as tourists and take in some of the museums and art galleries that are so prevalent here. The current exhibit at the Walker Art Center, in downtown Minneapolis, is Picasso and American Artists. A wonderful collection of Picasso’s paintings and sculptures were exhibited side by side with American Artists of that era and later, to show the influence artists have on each other. I was fascinated to learn that Picasso never set foot in the U.S. but many American artists traveled to Europe to see his paintings and later many of those paintings made their way into American collections. We had a very nice lunch at one of the two Wolfgang Puck restaurants, before continuing on.
All of the art is not inside this gallery. The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, designed by architect Edward Larrabee Barnes, is one of the largest urban sculpture gardens in the U.S. It shares it’s 11 acres with the Cowles conservatory where we particularly liked seeing the Standing Glass Fish created by artist/architect, Frank Gehry. The story goes that when Frank was a child, his grandmother bought live carp on Thursdays to make into gefilte fish on Fridays. She’d let the fish swim in the bathtub overnight, where Gehry would play with them. This memory inspired him to create this 22-foot high construction of glass, wood and steel that rises out of a lily pond among the palms at the conservatory. The most striking sculpture there is the fountain-sculpture, Spoonbridge and Cherry by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. It weighs more than 7,000 pounds and is 52 feet long (the cherry alone is 1200 pounds). The handle of the spoon is a bridge and water sprays out of the cherry stem.
We were also in town for the Third Thursday event at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. It was billed as a Scandinavian Art Smorgasbord and featured "A Mirror of Nature" which was a celebration of Nordic roots - Nordic landscape paintings from 1840-1910. There were so many magnificent masterworks from Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Iceland. We were amazed at the many perspectives of natured that were captured by these great artists of that era. We stopped for a cocktail in the reception hall and enjoyed some Nordic music. We stayed until they closed at 9pm, then went to a favorite German restaurant, The Black Forest, for an authentic German meal. We almost felt we had spent an evening in Europe.
Mixed in with playing tourists, we’ve again enjoyed spending time with the grandchildren. More hockey and baseball games, plus swimming in the pool and going to play miniature golf. Tomorrow we’ll pick up Daniel (13) and Carly (10) and head back up to the cabin for a week.

Morvan and le Tour de France

2007-07-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

Morvan and le Tour de France
The skies were clearing as we left the Jura and headed west to the Morvan region of Burgundy. It’s a beautiful drive, leaving the dairy farming regions and making our way through charming little villages and passing gorgeous hillsides covered with vineyards. We had picked up a tarte de frommage at the local boulangerie in Oye et Pallet to have for lunch at our next stop, along with some dried meats. Our friends, the Gardynes, have bought a home in Chaumard, with the anticipation of retiring in a few years. It’s on a gorgeous lot in the country, with wonderful views, overlooking a lake. There is the main house plus two apartments, with private entrances, on the upper level and a former garage that Carol has converted to her art studio. Last September, I traveled to this area and stayed at a chateau where Carol conducts ten-day classes in the art of silk painting for three groups each fall. She’s now started advanced classes in the spring which are held here at her home. Carol is here this time on a vacation and plans to work in the garden and paint.
We arrive in the little village of Chaurmard about 12:30 and make our way to Carol’s home, to find a note saying they are having lunch in the village. Somehow we didn’t properly communicate about the tarte, but it allowed us to stay in for dinner and enjoy an additional bottle of wine. Her friends, Sally and Jim are also visiting from the U.S. (They recently became engaged and are planning a November wedding) so it was fun to meet and spend time with them. The afternoon was spent in the garden, followed by a walk to the village to pick up fresh bread and fruit. Our evening meal was spent laughing and chatting and sharing tales of travel and some great French wine.
Another walk into town the next morning, provided us with picnic food in preparation for watching the Tour de France as it passed by in the nearby village of Blisme. What a crowd there was lining the road leading to and through this little village. We met people from England, Belgium and the Netherlands who’d gathered to cheer on their team. The caravan arrived about 1:30, which consisted of specially-decorated sponsors cars and trucks, throwing candy and insignia souvenirs to the crowds. We had fun observing the local people, which Carol calls "payroll", (another story). After waiting another two hours, the racers zipped through, with four cyclists in the lead, and the rest of the pack following a few minutes later. I’m so glad we were here for this as we may never have another opportunity to see the Tour de France live. What fun! That afternoon Carol and I went to the next village to shop and see the Nicky de St. Phalle sculptures in the square. Dinner was at a local auberge overlooking the lake. What could be more perfect.
It was a short but wonderful visit and so good to see Carol. We left early the next morning to catch our flight out of Paris, back to Minneapolis.

France continued .. . . . .

2007-07-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

More from the Jura:
Nicole’s other thirteen-year-old granddaughter, Valentine, arrived at Geneva airport (from her home in Spain) to spend a week. She’ll go to Paris with Nicole and then take a train to the south of France to visit with her other grandmother. Then she and her brother will take a train to the coast of France where her family has a summer home. It’s amazing to us how these young people can comfortably move about Europe on their own.

We continue to "enjoy" rainy, overcast days but try to get out for short walks and to visit area sites. The distillery in Pontarlier, where they make Pont Sec and other local liquors, is very interesting. We had a nice tour and learned how they continue to produce as they have for over a hundred years. We learned that during WWI there was a fire very close to the distillery and in order to avoid an explosion of the vats of alcohol, the owners opened all the taps and let it run into the streets. People were scooping it up as it ran down the gutters and the soldiers were collecting it in their helmets and drinking so much that some died. The river was white from the Pont Sec and later a smaller river was white as well, which is how they learned that the rivers were connected by an underground stream.
We stopped for a lunch of pizza and ice cream which Marie and Valentine particularly enjoyed.

Le Chateau de Joux is a famous landmark here. (see photos above)
This chateau, near the chalet of Nicole, has a ten century history of commanding a view of the gorge cut between sharp rock formations. This opening through the rocks provided a passage for military and commercial traffic beginning with the Romans when they traveled from northern Italy to Flanders and Champagne. It served as a military conduit as recently as 1940 when the Germans invaded France.
The castle has also served as a prison, most notable when Bonaparte sent troops to Haiti to quell the Black uprising in 1802. The leader of the uprising, Toussaint L’overture, was brought to the chateau and imprisoned. He was found dead in his cell one morning, the victim of the weather, tuberculosis and his exiled status.
The last moderniztion of the castle was completed between 1879-1881 by Joffre who subsequently became a Marshall.

On our last day with Nicole, we took a beautiful drive through the mountains and stopped at a favorite smokehouse and bought some of their special meats: beef and pork, very thinly sliced, to bring back and have with raclette. It’s always nice to bring a little bit of France home with you.
We reluctantly bid farewell to our friend, Nicole, after she promised to try very hard to visit us in the U.S. next year. Other options are to meet for a week or two in Montreal,Canada or San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Wherever we meet, it's always great to be together.

Next stop - The Morvan region of France. . . . . .

The French Countryside

2007-07-20T00:53:00.000-07:00

The French Countryside
Flying to Europe, or anywhere, seems to be more difficult each time because of the security regulations - no liquids or sharp instruments, remove your shoes, jacket, empty your pockets, etc. etc. and then dress again, hopefully with no additional hassle. The good news is that because we love to travel, any inconvenience is worth it to be off on another adventure. I love Ian Littlewood's quote: "Travel is the basic desire to get to someplace or to escape from somewhere. There are those in pursuit and those in flight." We are definity in the category of "those in pursuit."

Our flight from Minneapolis had a seven-hour layover in Chicago. Since we hadn’t slept much the night before, and got up at 5:30 for a 7:00 AM departure, we were very tired, so went to the airport Hilton and asked for a "day room." The desk clerk, after satisfying himself that I wasn’t of the "oldest profession," said the best he could do was their standard rate of $179.00. We convinced him that we were only using the room for four hours, and that he could rent it again that night, so he said: "O.K. how about $75.00. So we had our naps and a nice dinner at the hotel and left refreshed for Paris.
We took a cab to the home of our friend, Nicole Barthelet. Her husband, and our long-time friend, Pierre, passed away in April and we were unable to attend the funeral service so wanted to spend some time with Nicole. Doug and I met Pierre through our jobs with Honeywell and Pierre is the one who introduced us. We have visited them many times in France and they have visited us in the U.S., including sailing with us in the Bahamas and the Caribbean. We’ve also traveled to other countries together and with Richard and Pauline Nault.
After enjoying a cup of tea, and hearing about the beautiful funeral services for Pierre, both in Paris and in the village of Oye et Pallet, we left on our five-hour drive to the chalet. It was a very cool day and it rained off and on the whole trip but we enjoyed catching up while sharing the driving. We stopped on one of the motorway restaurants that is the U.S. equivalent of fast food but always seems better when the sandwich is on a fresh baguette. The chalet was a welcome sight as we’ve visited here so many times, we always feel at home. Nicole is an excellent cook and I’m always taking notes so I can try these wonderful dishes myself. Over the years I’ve learned to make such things as pate’, onion tarte, maigret de canard, Moroccan chicken, pork with prunes, crepes, and this time a wonderful way to prepare salmon.
The next morning we walked down the hill to visit Pierre’s grave, which is at the small village church. He’s buried near his parents and next to his brother who died in 1983. When her time comes, Nicole tells us she will be buried next to Pierre. It’s cold and Nicole gives me one of Pierre’s hooded ski jackets to wear. I feel his presence as the jacket warms me. In the afternoon, Nicole’s granddaughter, Marie, arrives by train from Paris for a week-long visit. She’s a delightful, and very beautiful, thirteen-year-old. She’s also quite mature and personable, speaking three languages (French, German and English). She has just returned from three months in Germany so is quite fluent, and her English is very good - much better than my French. While here she’s making up her school work she missed, even though she attended school in Germany. We all love to play cards (well, Doug tolerates it) so she taught a new game and I taught everyone to play nine-card golf. Since it’s cold and rainy, we play during the day as well as in the evenings and we’re all pretty well matched.
Thursday is market day in the nearby town of Pontarlier so we bought fresh vegetables and some very nice potted plants to place on Pierre’s grave. It’s very difficult to be here without Pierre as our host. We miss him dearly. He had so many wonderful stories and loved to entertain us with his jokes. Over the years, Doug and I have learned so much about how to do business in France and the French way of dining, culture and a lot of history of France and Europe. Nicole misses him very much and often dissolves into tears when talking about him, but she wants to talk and reminisce about all the good times we’ve had, so we do. We purchased a tree (from the Naults and from us) to plant in Pierre’s memory and planted it where it can be seen from the dining room window.
This is a beautiful part of France in the Jura (mountains) known as Franche Comte - very near the Swiss border. In fact, we have hiked from here, crossing the border and returning by train. In this region, there are many cows and wonderful cheese is made here - our favorite which is made in September is Mont D’or. Others we like are Comte and Morbier. There is a new cheese this time which is soft like Brie and delicious.
While here, we helped Nicole trim the vines that grow up the sides of the chalet and would cover all the doors and windows if not cut back once a year. Since we usually come here in September or October, I incorrectly assumed we would have warmer weather in July. No so. We built a fire each evening and one day we kept it going all day and played cards huddled in front of the fireplace. I’ve been wearing a sweater of Pierre’s - Nicole says all the children have worn this sweater when they come here unprepared for cool weather. It’s a grey cashmere v-neck and I’d love to keep it but must leave it for others when it’s needed. It feels like Pierre is just perhaps traveling and will return at any time and we’ll see his warm smile and again hear his stories and laughter.
We try to do things for Nicole to somehow ease her grief but it’s there, always just under the surface - the tears ready to start and the sadness on her face. I remember the kindness of friends when Eric died and there was nothing they could do to ease the pain I was feeling but their caring was a comfort. I believe our being here is a comfort to Nicole and she says it’s good to her to have us here and to cook for us and the grandchildren. I know it helps to be busy.
We continue to play cards by the fire as the rain (with thunder and lightening) continues every day. We even had hail one afternoon! We’ve stopped even talking about the possibility of nice weather so that we could go for a hike and picnic.

To be continued. . . .

Around the world on a Freighter

2007-07-20T00:15:00.000-07:00

Preparing for our Freighter Trip
As most of you know, we’ll complete our year of travel with an around-the-world freighter cruise. You might be interested in the preparation involved for such a voyage.

Last fall, we made the decision to embark on this wonderful adventure, and were able to take advantage of the 5% discount for booking at least six months in advance. At that time we knew only that the trip would be approximately four months and that we would begin and end in Houston, Texas; and we had a list of twenty-one scheduled, or "base", stops and sixteen possible additional ports.

Doug and I previously took a freighter (a German container ship) from Auckland, New Zealand to Seattle in 1996. It was an eighteen-day trip, with just one stop - in Honolulu - and we thoroughly enjoyed it. That particular ship had the capacity for ten passengers and we were the only two aboard. In spite of that, the Captain and officers had three parties, just for us: A "Getting Underway" cocktail party, a "Crossing the Equator" party," and a "Last Night Aboard" dinner party.

We’ll start this cruise with several ports in the U.S., (New Orleans, Virginia and New Jersey) then on to Germany, Belgium and Italy. From there we’ll sail across the Mediterranean Sea, then transit the Suez Canal to Asia where we’ll visit - among others - Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, China (four ports), South Korea, Japan and Singapore. We’ll then continue across the Pacific Ocean towards the West Coast of North America, where the ship may call at Long Beach, CA, then transit the Panama Canal and proceed, via the Gulf of Mexico, before disembarking in Houston. We’ve been advised that our itinerary may vary according to cargo requirements.
We chose Rickmers-Linie shipping line which has multi-purpose vessels that carry general (breakbulk and project) cargo, in addition to containers, so that port times - about 1-3 days - should provide plenty of occasions for extensive and interesting shore excursions. For example, in China we will have the opportunity to book organized tours with local agents and enjoy the exotic flair of Southeast Asia.

This ship, sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands, has Polish/Croatian Captain and Officers, and the crew are Filipino. The actual vessel that we’ll be aboard is the "Rickmers Jakarta", which was built in 2003, is 192 meters long, with a speed of 19.5 knots. It has a capacity for seven passengers and to date we know that there will be at least three since our sister-in-law, Martha, from Alaska, will be joining us.

To give you a little feel for our accommodations: There is a passenger lounge equipped with coffee, TV, VCR and DVD player, and a library of movies and books. Meals are served in the dining room, which is shared with the ship’s officers. There is an outdoor saltwater pool and open deck space with deck chairs for lounging. There is a large recreation area/room with bar and full-length windows on two sides, facing forward and aft, for viewing in wet weather. There are laundry facilities (towels and bedding are provided) and the steward cleans the cabins once weekly. All passenger cabins are carpeted and have private bathrooms. The cabins are also furnished with TV, VCR and DVD players and audio systems with CD and tape player and AM/FM radios. It should be quite comfortable; and we have booked the owner’s suite, which includes a sitting room where we can set up our computer and I can paint. We’ve also been told we can use the internet in the Captain’s office, so should be able to stay in touch by email, and I can continue to post articles on my blog site.

The requirements for freighter cruising:
Your passport must be valid for at least 10 months from commencement of the voyage, if you are cruising around the world. We renewed our passports in December, so are good to go for ten years.
Tourist visas, for U.S. citizens, are required and mandatory for China (multiple-entry for this cruise). Tourist visas for Vietnam and Indonesia are usually required prior to arrival, but the port agent can arrange for visas to be issued upon arrival. We just received our China visas and thought we would need visas for India but recently learned we won’t be stopping there.
Vaccinations against Yellow Fever are compulsory. I got my vaccination in San Diego and Doug was prepared to get his in Duluth, MN but was told the risk of dying from the innoculation was greater than dying from Yellow Fever (at his age) so he won’t be getting one. We also have Malaria pills, to be used if needed, antibiotics (for any type of infection) and strong pain pills.
The ship does not have a doctor aboard. Therefore, all passengers, regardless of age, must present a clean medical certificate from their physician prior to boarding, which confirms that they are in good health and able to travel on a freighter without regular medical care. There is also a maximum age requirement of 75. Last week we sent the forms off to our doctors in San Diego and received the forms this week. Doug will be 73 this year, so it’s good we’re taking this trip now.

What do you take on a four-month voyage? We know there will be varied temperatures and weather conditions as we travel around the world, so we’ll have warm and cold-weather clothing. The good news is that, unlike a cruise ship, we won’t need formal wear. We plan to take just one small roll-on bag, a carry-on bag and a garment bag each; for our clothes. We’ll also take our laptop and printer, i-Pod and speakers, books (including language texts) and my art supplies. Of course, we’ve already anticipated having any necessary prescription medications and toiletries and cosmetics. That should be all we need. We plan to use only our debit card (no credit card bills to pay) and all other statements have been taken care of for the year. We have our mail forwarding service in place and will arrange to receive mail at various ports about twice a month. Our friends, Ted and Marietta Johns, have graciously agreed to allow us to leave our car at their home at Lake LBJ, near Austin, TX, for the time we’ll be gone.

So, what have we forgotten? As long as we have all of the items "required for boarding," I think we’re o.k. We’ll have a few stops in the U.S. and can pick up any incidentals we may have forgotten.
We’ll arrive in Houston on the 11th of August and pick up Martha at the airport on the 12th. We’ll rent a car and drop off our car at Lake LBJ. The ship is scheduled to arrive in Houston on the 13th and we haven’t been advised of the departure date but hope that we can board on the 13th. If not, we’ll stay at a hotel in Houston until our boarding date.

Stay tuned for further logistical info.

MORE FROM THE NORTH WOODS

2007-07-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

More from the North Woods
There’s a beautiful full moon tonight and it’s creating a silvery reflection across the lake that looks like you could walk across to the other side. I froze my butt off trying to get some photos at the right time and exposure. They don’t quite do it justice but I will post them here anyway. I watched for the bear but guess he’s as much afraid of me as I am of him.
Today we took a drive up the Arrowhead Trail to see what was reported as "a lot of development" but only saw one house from the time we left the Hovland Post Office until we got close to Grand Marais. Apparently we were in the wrong area, but we did see some wildlife: a red fox, four deer (including a really young one) and a black bear just ambling across the road. Lunch at Chez Jude, one of the new restaurants in Grand Marais, was a real treat. It was too cool to dine on the porch but the dining room was quite charming with some very nice local art and white linen tablecloths and napkins. Quite a step up for this area. After lunch, we visited some of the many art galleries and book stores in the downtown area.
Since we’re leaving tomorrow, we decided to also have dinner out and drove up to Grand Portage Casino and Restaurant. The ribs were excellent and the meal, since it’s at a casino and on an Indian Reservation, was quite reasonable. It happened to be 50s and 60s weekend and they had a huge tent set up down by the beach with two rock and roll groups from Thunder Bay, Ontario ( just ten miles north of Grand Portage). The music was good and we shared a table with two ladies from Thunder Bay and enjoyed an hour of dancing to the music I remembered from my teens and twenties. Lots of fun.
Next week we’ll be in France - from the 2nd till the 13th of July - then we’ll spend a week in Minneapolis before returning to the North Shore.

IS THIS LAKE WOEBEGONE?

2007-07-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

Is this Lake Woebegone?
One of the things they say about this area is "If you don’t like the weather, just wait a day and it will change." Well, we’ve seen temperatures ranging from the low 50s to the high 80s - sometimes all in the same day. And this is June. We’ve had high winds that put white caps far out into the lake and surf-like waves that crash onto the beach, while other days it’s so flat calm it looks like a plate of glass. Some days, the fog moves in and we can barely see past the edge of the porch and at night there’s a hazy glow around the moon but the sky is clear enough to see several bright stars.
The weekend of June 22-24 was "guys weekend" which began early Friday (son,Craig and Eric Lehman arrived quietly at 3 am and crashed on the two couches). Friday afternoon brought Doug’s younger son, Scott, and his two long-time friends John Larson and John Fore (towing Larson’s boat behind Scott’s truck). I chose to escape to Two Harbors (about 1 ½ hours away) and leave the guys to their fun. Besides, I had some major shopping to do and wanted a pedicure.
The guys always need a project, so they proceeded to build a small bedroom (and a bed) in the back corner of the main part of the cabin. Buy the time I returned Sunday afternoon, it was finished and ready for me to decorate with new bedding and curtains. While I was gone, they also had time to split firewood, replace faucets on the bathroom sink, go to the spring to restock our drinking water, have a horseshoe tournament, do some weed wacking, visit the donut shop in Grand Marais, replace the element in the hot water heater, drink some beer, smoke some cigars, and cook some great meals over an open fire.
Sunday night, after a wonderful dinner of a seven-pound trout cooked over an open fire, Scott and his buddies built a bonfire on the beach and we sat out there for hours (it kept the mosquitoes away) and made s’mores, which surprisingly go great with red wine and other "beverages of choice". They also put on an amazing fireworks display with huge rockets and fountains they purchased in a neighboring state (where they’re legal).
The guys left Monday morning after breakfast and I changed the beds and got ready for our next house guests, while Doug went buy some fresh water herring from the local fishermen in Grand Marais. Jane and Dan Johns live about three hours away in Tower, MN on Lake Vermillion. Jane and I met several years ago (introduced by her sister-in-law, and my friend, Marietta Johns) and we later attended an "Umbrella Ministries" weekend retreat together, in Palm Springs, for mothers who have lost children. Two years ago we had a delightful visit to their home - made especially memorable by the time spent in their wood-fired sauna followed by a dive into the lake (which was a heart-stopping 20 degrees). These are hearty people who do cross-country and down-hill skiing, snowshoeing and crazy things like cutting a hole in a frozen lake and jumping in for a swim. They’ve even gone dog sledding, which sounds faxcinating.
We immediately picked up where we had left off, talking non-stop, while Doug prepared fresh herring sandwiches for our lunch. We did a little driving tour of some of the scenic spots nearby, ending at a nearby state park where we parked and hiked back to a favorite spot of ours, Devil’s Kettle. I didn’t realize how out of shape I am - guess that’s what comes of living in the flat lands of San Diego. But I wasn’t the only one - we all appreciated occasional stops (to enjoy the view of course) on the climb back out of the canyon.
Monday night, with the help of Jane, I made one of my signature comfort meals: chicken and biscuits, with a side of stewed Granny Smith apples. Lots of great conversation about the travel we’ve both done and the travel we plan to do in the next few years.
Tuesday morning, Dan and Jane suggested we go out for breakfast so we headed for the World’s Best Donut Shop. They’d read about it in "Minnesota" magazine where it was chosen as one of Minnesota’s fifty best restaurants. Well, I can heartily recommend the banana cream filled Bismark. For those not from around here (like me), a Bismark is a filled donut. This one was a raised donut, filled with banana cream and covered in chocolate frosting. Wow! Just as we were finishing our donuts, one of the third-generation owners, Stacie, came out with a mobile phone and announced that it was time for the radio call-in trivia quiz. The question of the day was: "Which state is number one (Minnesota is number two) for environmentally safe solid waste disposal? The first guess was "California," which Stacie called in a was laughed at. The next guess was "Wisconsin" which she called in and was told it was incorrect. Doug said "It’s Oregon - the only state that has more tree-huggers than Minnesota." She called it in, and it was right and they announced his name on the radio and he was told he won the prize of the day - a CD which he could pick up at the radio station in Grand Marais. Well, I guess everyone deserves their moment of fame. We were concerned that the press and locals might be in a mob outside the donut shop to interview him, but we escaped with no incident. Of course, Dan and Jane were very impressed by our local hero. After we said good bye to our friends, we found the radio station and Doug claimed his prize - from a box of used CDs of which he didn’t recognize any of the artists. What fun!
Tuesday night I walked down to the beach around sundown and, in addition to the deer foot prints, saw some bear tracks. Wednesday morning, Doug noticed a muddy paw print on the toilet seat lid in the outhouse. Then I noticed a muddy paw print on the side door leading to the kitchen. We didn’t hear anything that night, but Thursday morning we we awoke to see that a bear had torn open the door to the shed, pulled out the garbage, eaten what he liked and the rest was strewn about the yard. I guess there are some hungry bears around here. Tonight I stacked some outdoor chairs in front of the door so that we’ll hear him if he comes back and Doug scattered moth balls around the perimeter of the cabin (we used to do that around our vegetable garden in North Carolina to keep the critters away). It’s such a novelty to me to be amidst wildlife like this. Driving into town and back, I’ve seen a deer run across the road in front of my car on four occasions. They’re so beautiful and I would be devastated if I hit one.
We talked to one of the local people (actually she’d recently moved here) who was telling us about signing on to Boreal (the local WiFi service) where you can list things to buy or sell. She saw a listing for "A bag of kitty litter - slightly used". We assumed that meant that only a little had been taken out of the bag. Let’s hope! There was also an announcement: "This morning I saw a hummingbird just above my husband’s head as he was standing out on Main Street." It tells you that there’s not a lot happening here.
As Garrison Keilor says, at the end of his broadcast: "That’s all the news from Lake Woebegone - where the women are strong, the men are good lookin’ and the children are above average." (Or something like that).

2007-07-01T19:56:00.000-07:00

2007-07-01T19:55:00.000-07:00

Photos from the North Woods

2007-07-01T19:47:00.000-07:00

2007-06-22T21:44:00.000-07:00

The Cabin

2007-06-20T12:26:00.000-07:00

"The Cabin on the North Shore"
When first hearing this term, "the north shore of Lake Superior," I wondered why people felt compelled to make that distinction. I assumed it was like "Northern Virginia", where I lived at the time (being part of the Washington metropolitan area sets it apart from the rest of the state). But, Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes and borders on three U.S. states (Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota), plus Ontario, Canada; and if you follow a path around the lake, Michigan and Wisconsin border the south side and then the road turns to the east and you follow the north side of the lake through Minnesota and Canada, before it turns south to join Michigan again. So, in this part of the country, when someone says "the north shore" you know they’re talking about Minnesota.
To reach the Snure Cabin from Minneapolis, it’s a two and a half hour drive to Duluth and another two hours to Grand Marais. There we stop to provision before continuing the twenty minute drive to the cabin in Hovland. Mid-June is a good time to be here - it’s starting to warm up (55º when we arrived) and the mosquitoes have not yet arrived (I guess they fly south for the winter?). Son, Scott, and family officially opened the cabin this year during spring break in April (they’re a hearty bunch).
Doug has been coming to this area since 1938 to stay in a 1929 vintage cabin which was later sold by the Snure family but still stands where the nearby Brule River joins Lake Superior. Doug especially remembers one glorious summer, in 1945, when he, older brother Frank, baby brother Rand and his mother, spent the entire summer at the cabin known as "Shingobe." Frank once told us of that summer: "During the days of World War II, not much was going on in Cook County so far as tourism was concerned. We had no means of transportation during those two and a half months. We walked down to a neighbor’s, Dr. Carl Fay, to use the telephone to order groceries. We then walked to Highway 61 with a wheelbarrow for the trip home to the cabin. We also walked to the other side of Naniboujou (a lodge that is still in operation today) to get our milk and cream from a farmer. Those were fun days."
Doug and his brother, Frank, began building the current log cabin, at the mouth of Carlson Creek, in 1978. It has been enjoyed over the years by many families of Snure children, grandchildren and friends.
In the summer of 1999, Doug and I came here on our own boat. The 41-foot DeFever trawler was the perfect boat for doing the "Big Loop," which is basically a circumnavigation of the eastern part of the U.S. We started on the west coast of Florida (Venice) in April, made our way across the Okeechobee Canal to the east coast and up the intra-coastal waterway to New York. We continued up the Hudson, Champlain and Richelieu Rivers into Canada. Following the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers, we transited the Rideau Canal system into Lake Ontario and the Trent Severn Waterway into the Georgian Bay of Lake Huron. The locks at Sault Ste Marie took us into Lake Superior where we made our way along the Michigan Coast and then over to Grand Marais, MN. Several family members were there to greet us and we ended up spending a couple of weeks at the cabin before heading back to Florida, via Lake Michigan and the rivers back to the Gulf of Mexico and to our slip at Casey Key, FL. After so many years of coming here by car, it was a real thrill for Doug to arrive by boat. It was such a momentous occasion that it was written up in the local newspaper, The Cook County News Herald
Today, we had lunch at Naniboujou Lodge, which was first opened in the 1920s as an ultra-exclusive private club. Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey and Ring Lardner were among its charter members. A membership of 1,000 was envisioned, but when the stock market crashed, beginning the 1929 depression, the club began to fail. The club eventually was foreclosed and sold in the mid-30s. Today you find a revitalized Naniboujou but still reflecting the aura of the 1920s. It’s now on the National Register of Historic Places and boasts Minnesota’s largest native rock fireplace which stands in the 30 x 80-foot Great Hall, which is brilliantly decorated in designs of the Cree Indians. The Arrowhead Room, a cozy sunroom with an outdoor feel, is used by guests for afternoon tea, board games and reading. There are no televisions or phones in the lodge’s rooms (and no cell phone coverage here) which generates a feel for a bygone era.
Back at the cabin, we built a fire and enjoyed curling up with our books and watching the fog creep in from the lake. Having no internet connection or cell phone coverage forces us to relax and enjoy playing cards, board games, hiking and reading. As someone once said, "How are you going to get away from it all if you take it all with you?" We have a fully equipped kitchen here. Sometimes a little too "fully" - when family members get something new, the first thought is "take the old one to the cabin." But it all gets sorted out on a rotating basis. Being here always makes us want to cook "comfort foods" like beef stew with dumplings (which Doug made last night), chicken and biscuits, chili and cornbread and hearty soups. And then there are the pies and cobblers - particularly using blueberries which grow here (unfortunately not this time of year).
This is a vertical log cabin with two porches, one off the kitchen and another facing Lake Superior and it’s rocky beach. It’s a simple, open floor plan of kitchen, dining area (with a view), living room (same view), bathroom and a ladder to the sleeping loft. The loft has a king-size bed at one end and at the other, one single and two double beds. As some family members get older there has been a desire to have a downstairs bedroom, which we hope to build during our stay here this time. Our other hope is to screen one of the porches for more comfortable outdoor seating during mosquito season. That may have to wait for a future visit. There’s an outhouse as well which looks out on the Lake and purposely has no door. That takes a little getting used to but you soon realize how private this spot is. There are cabins on each side of us but the woods between create a lot of privacy. We’re also on a cove, so boats going by (which there are few) are very far out on the Lake.
Up here, in addition to Lake Superior, you’re virtually surrounded by lakes and streams for fishing and canoeing. You can also hike through acres of unspoiled forest and enjoy one of our favorite hikes: along the Brule River to Devil’s Kettle. East of here is Old Fort William in Thunder Bay, Canada (we’re only about 20 miles from the border), where you can tour the fort and museum and enjoy one of their many summer festivals. Grand Marais now has several restaurants, (including Sven & Ole’s Pizza and Birch Wood Terrace Supper Club), art galleries, many quaint stores and boutiques and even a golf course. One of our favorite spots is the "World’s Best Donut" shop where they encourage you to get a logo coffee mug to take on your travels and send back photos of you with your mug, which they have displayed all over the shop. Their donuts are superior (no pun intended) to Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ Donut and may actually be the world’s best.

2007-06-20T12:23:00.000-07:00

On to Minneapolis
After leaving the Berkshires, we had a beautiful, leisurely drive through the Adirondack Mountains - a place that is famous for it’s beautiful mountain lodges and resorts. We took the scenic route and passed through many lovely little mountain villages separated by long stretches of nothing but evergreen trees, scenic lakes and valleys.

It was nearing lunchtime when we reached Lake Placid, home of the Winter Olympics several years ago and still trading on that claim to fame. Everything looked so commercialized that we breezed right through, knowing we’d find a charming lodge nestled by a lake to have our lunch. Well, two hours later and quite hungry, we vowed to stop at the next place we came to and it didn’t look like much from the outside but in we went. It was actually very good and we had their specialty - a perfectly cooked sirloin burger on a home-made onion bun. The young owner and chef came out to chat and we learned that he caters to students from the local college nearby and has darts, pool tables, live music on weekends, and an internet juke box with thousands of songs (each time a song is chosen, it’s downloaded through the internet - a first for us). He was doing quite a business in what appeared to be “the middle of nowhere.” We continued on into Canada, crossing the border, barely showing our passports, and that night we stayed in a small town in Ontario, Canada.

Continuing on the next day, we entered the U.S. at Sault Ste. Marie, crossed Wisconsin into Minnesota and arrived in Minneapolis just before rush hour.
We’re staying with younger son Scott, his wife Raelene, and their two boys - Taylor (9) and Zach (6) at their home in Bloomington. We tend to forget what a busy time of life it is at their ages - working, taking care of a home and raising a family - especially with two very active kids who are involved in several sports. Saturday morning we attended Taylor’s hockey game and then all met up with older son, Craig and family for lunch. We spent the afternoon at Craig’s, in St. Louis Park, with wife Leslie, Michele (21), Kristina (19) and Scott (16). Sunday, we met daughter, Dawn, and her two kids - Daniel (13) and Carly (11) - for lunch; then met up with Scott and family to see Shreck III and again back to Scott’s for dinner. (Scott likes to cook, is very good at it and thinks nothing of having 20 or 30 people over for a cookout or holiday dinner.)
Monday morning I attended Zach’s hockey workshop before Doug and I set out for downtown Minneapolis to apply for our multiple-entry visas for China and for Doug to get a yellow fever vaccine (I got mine in San Diego), for our freighter trip in August. We weren’t successful with either one, but had a delightful lunch in town. That evening we attended Taylor’s baseball game - they didn’t win but it was a very close game and he did well as pitcher.

Tuesday morning Doug went to Zach’s hockey workshop. We are always amazed at how well these six and seven year olds handle themselves on the ice.

At 10:30 we left to take Daniel and Carly to the Science Museum in St. Paul. We had a great time seeing all the exhibits and viewing an I-Max type movie on the Australian outback.

We returned them in time for Carly to attend a birthday party (she’d already had golf camp that morning). Daniel is also a golfer. That evening we enjoyed Zach play baseball and were pleased that he got to play his favorite position - catcher.

Wednesday morning we left for the cabin feeling a bit exhausted - not from anything we’d done but just from watching how busy everyone is with all their activities.

2007-06-20T12:20:00.000-07:00

The Berkshires
Richard and Pauline Nault are long-time Honeywell friends and a couple we have enjoyed traveling and visiting with for many years. It’s always fun to be with them, either at one of our homes or theirs (they currently have a winter home in Dunnellon, Florida and on Lake Buehl in eastern Massachusetts (the Berkshires). After living in several homes in the area, they decided to renovate the old family cottage on the lake and this was our first visit. Actually, we had booked a room at a local B&B since they had just moved in three days earlier and were still getting settled but they insisted we stay with them and it worked out well.

Their cottage is so charming which is a result of their decision to retain as much as possible of the original structure: the living room, kitchen, and screened porch; and converting the two tiny bedrooms to a bathroom and walk-in closet for the master bedroom they added. Off the kitchen, there’s a covered walkway that leads to a guest bedroom and bath, which is where we stayed, and beyond that a garage. The cottage is just steps away from the lake on a nice wooded lot and we enjoyed watching the wildlife including water birds and an occasional rabbit.
The first evening, we drove into Stockbridge, and had a delightful dinner at a historical landmark, The Red Lion Inn. This is such a beautiful part of the country with its charming colonial towns and villages - I felt that I’d taken a step back in time and could picture our country’s forebears planning the formation of the colonies, rebelling against the king and signing the declaration of independence. The next day, we did a bit of a walking tour of Great Barrington and enjoyed lunch at one of their favorite cafes.
Pauline’s dinner was of course wonderful (she’s such a good cook), but the most memorable event took place after dinner. It was a beautiful, clear night and, as we sat and talked after dinner, Richard asked if anyone wanted to go for a swim in the lake. Assuming the water would be icy cold, I hesitated but said I might. The next thing we knew, Richard was stripping off his clothes and jumping in the lake. He said it wasn’t cold at all, so I decided to go for it. Well, it was surprisingly a very moderate temperature and I felt I could have stayed in for hours. The next morning Richard thanked me for joining him in the lake and said he’d been coming to that lake for 75 years and it was the first time he’d gone skinny dipping. We’ll have to make that a tradition each time we return to Lake Buehl.
We got an early start, on June 5th, for our two-day drive to Minneapolis to spend time with kids and grandkids.

Finger Lakes, New York

2007-06-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

The Finger Lakes

Seneca Lake
It was a beautiful drive through the spring-time mountains of Pennsylvania. The Amish farms are so neat and we passed through several small towns where we had to slow down for horse and buggy to share the road. It’s amazing that so many people in this part of the country stay with the old fashioned ways of life - still wearing the traditional suits and plain dresses that they have for over a hundred years, with no make up or adornment - very plain, and homes with no electricity and farms still tended with a horse and plow. It makes one wonder if we aren’t missing something by having so much.
We entered New York State and made our way past Watkins Glen up the west side of Seneca Lake to Dundee until we saw the sign for “Scottish Glen” which is the B&B owned by our friends Fiona and Bob Taylor. Fiona was born and raised in Scotland but has lived in England before marrying Bob and moving to the U.S. in the late 80's. I met Bob in Washington where we both worked in international marketing and were involved in the export of aerospace and defense products overseas. We last saw Bob & Fiona on the Queen Mary cruise earlier this year.

Again, we arrived in time for happy hour (this is becoming a pattern) and made our way down the steep wooden stairs to their original cottage which sits right on the edge of Seneca Lake. This is where we first visited them in 1992, before they built the B&B which sits on a high cliff overlooking the cottage and the lake. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny afternoon and we sat on Adirondack chairs at the end of their dock and watched the water birds and fish all around us. Fiona prepared a lovely dinner which she served by candlelight on the deck, under a starry sky and we enjoyed catching up and learning of future plans. They live here year round but typically spend January through April traveling to warmer climes. After the cruise in January, they spent several months this year in the Florida Keys and the Bahamas. Next winter, they’re talking about spending a month or two in the Canary Islands. They have a Christmas tree farm and also make and sell Christmas wreaths so are very busy in November and December and then again May through October with the B&B.
In the morning we enjoyed the Pennsylvania sticky buns, which were just like I remembered them). Later we visited a very interesting farmers market with lots of hand-crafted items, fresh produce, baked goods, plants and wine. This is wonderful wine country and there were several booths set up for tasting. We made another stop at Glennora Winery (one of my favorites) where we bought a few bottles to take to our hosts at the next stop. In the afternoon we took the boat out on the lake and visited Miles Winery, the only winery accessible by boat (but not very good wine so we didn’t buy any there). We had planned to continue on to Watkins Glen for dinner but we could see a storm moving in so headed back to the dock and got the boat out of the water before the rain started. Again, we had a nice dinner at home and continued to “swap lies” and drink wine until we ran out of both (not really).

Owasco Lake
Sunday morning, Doug and I fixed breakfast - I made creamed chipped beef and he made biscuits, before leaving to visit my nephew, Randy, and family in Scipio Center on Owasco Lake (between Cayuga and Skaneateles Lakes).
Randy grew up in this area but when we was fifteen, he spent a summer with us in Virginia. He was a big help around the house and yard and my kids adored him. Eric was two and Julie was newborn that year. He returned the following summer and worked at the restaurant supply company where my husband, Glenn, worked at the time. When Randy graduated, he came back to Virginia and worked their full-time and lived with us until he got his own place. He and his wife, Michelle, moved to New York about twenty years ago (that’s hard to believe) and now have three children: Michael, Megan and Jenna, all teenagers now. They built their home on the property of Randy’s grandparents farm which Randy bought several years ago. He rents out the old farmhouse and barn and another farmer now works the land.
We enjoyed chatting about old times and getting to know the kids, before we enjoyed a wonderful Sunday dinner. Randy cooked beef shish-ka-bobs and marinated pork tenderloin on the grill and Michelle prepared salt potatoes (a favorite of mine), deviled eggs and a fresh fruit salad. Like so many people we’re visiting this year, I regret that we let so much time go by without getting together.
In addition to wanting to reconnect with Randy and family, I also wanted to visit the site where a memorial stone was erected in memory of my son, Eric, who died in July of 2000. The memorial is at the end of a long lane leading from the farm house to what was always called “the gully.” There’s also a stone for Carolyn Chamberlain (my mother-in-law), Ernest Chamberlain (my father-in-law), and Barbara Heath (my sister-in-law), whose ashes were scattered here. Glenn and other family members had visited recently and planted flowers. I brought a small holly bush and Randy and I planted it next to Eric’s memorial. We could see there was a storm moving in and the rain started as we headed back the lane. It hadn’t rained in this area for over 40 days so they were thankful it started and it also gave the little holly bush a good start.

We returned to Seneca Lake and met Bob & Fiona at a little restaurant on the water at Watkins Glen where we enjoyed some tasty appetizers and chatted with some boaters at the marina. We met a couple who give sailboat tours of the lake on their 38-foot Cabo Rico, and they invited us aboard. They eventually plan to be live-aboard cruisers and they were interested to hear about our experiences.
Monday morning, we had Bob’s famous blueberry pancakes, before saying our goodbyes, promising to keep in touch, and heading for our next stop: The Berkshires.

Visiting brother Ed

2007-06-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

Shippensburg, PA

From Indianapolis to Shippensburg is about a nine-hour drive, so we got an early start from Indianapolis, ,and arrived, as usual, in time for happy hour. My brother, Ed; wife, Mary; and son, Scott moved here about two years ago from Springfield, VA to be closer to Mary’s family and to return to the area where they both grew up. They have a nice house in a quiet neighborhood and have enjoyed converting a large sunroom into a home theater, with multi-level seating, a huge screen and even a popcorn machine.
Ed is my younger brother, by eight years, (he’s the youngest of five) and we grew up in Greencastle, PA (about 20 miles south of Shippensburg. Mary grew up in Chambersburg (just 10 miles north of Greencastle) and they lived for several years in Los Angeles before moving to Virginia. Scott just finished his first year of college and is interested in theater, particularly backstage sound and lighting. Scott cooked a nice shrimp stir-fry dinner for us and we spent the rest of the evening talking about family and catching up on each of our lives.
This area hasn’t changed much since I moved away in the early sixties and I particularly like the unique foods that are available in this part of the country. On our way out of town we stopped at an Amish market and I purchased several of my favorite foods: sticky buns, shoo-fly pie, farmer cheese, Gibble’s chips, and dried chipped beef for making creamed chipped beef (better known as s.o.s.). Since we’re continuing to travel, I took these things to share with our friends, Bob and Fiona, at our next stop in upstate New York.

Indianapolis

2007-06-18T13:34:00.000-07:00

Indianapolis, Indiana
It was a short drive from Columbus and we arrived in time for happy hour and a nice dinner with my cousin Pat, her husband John, and my aunt, Ginny. It’s been four years since I saw them when we drove cross country for our move to San Diego. Pat is my only cousin and the daughter of my father’s brother, George.
Ginny, George and Pat lived in Hagerstown, MD when I was growing up about ten miles away in Greencastle, PA. We didn’t spend a lot of time together but in the last few years we’ve gotten to know each other better through email messages. We spent a lot of time this visit reminiscing about what we remember (or have forgotten) about family members, and trying to piece together bits and pieces about our ancestry. Aunt Ginny turned 90 this past February and contributed some information about what she remembers about those years. Pat & John’s daughter Margaret, lives next door with her husband, Andy, and son and younger daughter. Their older daughter, Katie, and husband have a two-month-old daughter, Megan, who they brought over for me to hold and ooh and aah over. What a little cutie she is. So now there are five generations of women in that family - Ginny, Pat, Margaret, Katie and Megan. Pat & John’s son, Darren, (who owns Polaris Grill) lives with his family in Columbus.
The next day, we went on a nice tour of downtown Indianapolis and spent the afternoon touring the Indiana State (19th state in the Union) Museum, including a delicious lunch at the tea room which is an elegant recreation of the old L. S. Ayres department store tea room that operated from 1905 to 1990. I had to try their specialty, the Chicken Velvet Soup which was fantastic. The museum has exhibits depicting the Ice Age to the 21st century - from the days of the mastodon to the days of the Indianapolis Colts. The exterior is made of rough cut native Indiana limestone. Next to the canal, eight brass whistles on a steam clock mark each quarter hour with a selection from "Back Home Again in Indiana." We enjoyed learning about the history of Indiana, it’s part in the space race and some very interesting art exhibits.

Pat is a very good cook and had planned our meals in advance so that we could spend time visiting and a minimum amount of time in the kitchen. Pat and I expressed regret that we hadn’t been in touch enough over the past years and hope that we’ll now continue to spend time together when our travels and schedules allow. In the meantime, email will be a great way to communicate.

Columbus, Ohio

2007-06-11T15:01:00.000-07:00

Columbus, Ohio
We left Annapolis and headed west to visit family in Columbus. Since we last visited, several years ago, two more families have located here. Our sister-in-law, who we stayed with, moved a year and a half ago when she lost her home in New Orleans to Hurricane Katrina. She got out the day before the hurricane hit and made the decision not to return to a city that will be under construction for the next ten years or more. She’s now happily settled in a very nice townhouse on a pretty street, convenient to shopping, church, restaurants, etc. Her friend, Phil, has also relocated here (he from Colorado) where he could no longer live due to the altitude and is enjoying it as well.
Other family in Columbus include our niece Vicki, husband Steve, son Chris and wife Chelsea, and son Tim (who is home after two tours of duty in Iraq). Also here is niece Karen, husband Jose and their two children Jacob and Mara. The day before we arrived, another niece, Linda, husband Rick and son Eric arrived from New Orleans and moved into their home in Columbus. They were also displaced by Hurricane Katrina and tried to remain in New Orleans but realized it’s no place to raise a teenager. They still have no parks or organized sports for the kids and not even a bowling alley or movie theater. The schools have suffered and have a shortage of teachers and it’s difficult to have a consistent medical doctor. Barbara’s son Todd and his family are still living in the New Orleans area but their home was not in the area that was flooded.
Our first night in Columbus, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Polaris Grill which is owned by Darren Greene who is my cousin’s son (I believe that’s my first cousin once removed?) He found time to come by our table for a chat and also sent over a fabulous desert "sampler" which we thoroughly enjoyed.
The next day Barbara and Phil gave us a great tour of the city. We particularly enjoyed an area called German Village where Tim just bought a house. That afternoon we went to Vicky and Steve’s for a Memorial Day picnic in their yard, (with all the traditional picnic foods: burgers, brats, potato salad, corn, fruit and three desserts!) and we loved catching up with what everyone has been doing. We don’t see each other often but when we do, we never run out of things to talk about.
Next stop - Indianapolis.

Charming Chesapeake Bay

2007-05-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

Chesapeake Bay

Our stay in Annapolis has been one celebration after another. What a fun capital city this is.
Our arrival on Mother’s Day, began our two weeks of celebrating. A gift had arrived from Julie, and Doug took me out for a nice dinner at Maria’s, one of our favorite restaurants here.

Well, we’ve lucked out again with our accommodations. We’re staying in a wonderful old colonial home right in the heart of downtown Annapolis which means we can walk to restaurants, church, theater, art galleries and shops. This charming old home was gutted and completely renovated and decorated just the way I would have done it. It’s going to be tough leaving here, we’ve become so comfortable. The owners, Genevieve and Bill, live on the top floor and we’ve become fast friends. We have so much in common - they’ve been live-aboard boaters, love traveling to Europe, are artists (they own Annapolis Pottery) and enjoy fine food and wine. When we get together, we never run out of things to talk about. They’re coming for dinner this evening for "our last night ashore."

It didn’t take us long to settle in here and we’ve enjoyed visiting our many favorite restaurants and watering holes: McGarvey’s Pub, Maria’s Italian, Harry Browne’s, Carols Creek Café, Chick & Ruth’s Deli,and some new ones - Ying Yankee and Severn River Inn. There’s also a wonderful book store/coffee shop at Harbor Circle and a nice little breakfast spot near the Academy grounds.

On Wednesday, the 16th, I celebrated my birthday and was shocked and surprised when Julie showed up! She flew in from Phoenix so that we could celebrate our birthdays together (hers is the 17th) and stayed until Saturday. We have a habit of staying up until about 3:00 a.m.the first night we’re together and this time we said "We’re not staying up until 3:00 tonight." Well, we didn’t. We stayed up until 4:00. We did sleep in a bit the next morning and had a relaxing day of shopping. On Friday, Julie’s friend (bridesmaid), Karen, drove over from D.C. and we went out for a feast of hard-shelled crabs at Buddy’s Crabs & Ribs. It was the best birthday surprise I’ve ever had.

We attended a nice service at St. Mary's Episcopal Church and enjoyed a wonderful champagne brunch at Harry Browne's restaurant on Church Circle. Later that afternoon we stopped by Aurora Gallery for a wine reception and show featuring the work of seriographer Jeanne Norton Hammett who very graciously talked us through the process of silkscreen, screenprint and serigraph. We would like to have purchased a piece of hers but at this time we don't have a wall to hang anything on. It's a challenge being nomadic.

Seeing all the boats here in the harbor and out on the Bay brings back many wonderful memories of our boating years. We talked to a boat broker but never quite went so far as to look at any boats to buy. It is sometimes tempting.

We spent one day last week being tourists in D.C. The morning was devoted to the West Wing of the National Gallery of Art and we concentrated on works by European artists Rembrandt, Bellini, Raphael, Jan van Eyck, Rubens and my favorite, Vermeer. I particularly love the painting of the Girl with the Flute. Karen met us at lunch time and gave us a wonderful tour of the area with an eye towards the best places to live based on safety, access to metro line, shops, etc. The International Spy Museum more than took care of the rest of the day. It’s a new museum and very well done. It’s a hands-on tour of the "invisible profession" that has shaped history and continues to impact world events every day. It houses the world’s largest collection of espionage artifacts, weapons, disguises and surveillance and portrays spying from biblical times to the present. It was absolutely fascinating! We stayed three hours and could have easily stayed another hour, but wanted to have an early dinner and get our car out of the lot before it closed at 7:00.

Our stay here happened to coincide with Commissioning Week at the Naval Academy so there are lots of people in town and lots of celebrations going on. Thursday, the Blue Angels put on a fabulous air show, which we watched from the Academy grounds. It’s certainly convenient that we chose to stay downtown because driving and parking this week is all but impossible. Our "landlords" Genevieve & Bill, asked if we’d like to get together for dinner Thursday and said they’d arrange for us to eat somewhere we hadn’t yet been. We met at their house for a drink at 6:00 and learned that dinner would be at their place. The next thing we knew it was after midnight and we were still talking. What fun.

Last evening we enjoyed Doug’s birthday gift to me - two tickets to a production of "Godspell" at the outdoor Annapolis Little Theater. What a great cast - young, talented and very enthusiastic. After the show, we walked to O’Brien’s for a nightcap but were met with a very smoky, loud atmosphere and walked back out. The manager caught up with us on the street and suggested we might like "The Treaty of Paris," a small bar at the Maryland Inn so we made our way there and it was perfect. The bartender, Peanut, took great care of us and it wasn’t long until we’d met everyone at the bar. Allison, from Vero Beach, FL and her brother Peter involved us in their discussion relative to his recent (within minutes) announcement that he was getting married on Tuesday. Allison is strictly opposed to the marriage for a variety of reasons and everyone at the bar, including Peanut had an opportunity to provide advice. The next thing we knew it was 1:00 a.m. (I don’t know what happens with time here). We all exchanged cards and promised to be friends forever and keep in touch. We certainly are meeting interesting people on our travels.
The weather, approaching Memorial Day, is absolutely gorgeous. Warm and sunny - not yet hot and humid. Tomorrow we’re off to Columbus, Ohio (to visit family), then Indianapolis (more family), then Pennsylvania (yet more family) and finally Upstate New York (friends and family), before heading over to the Berkshires where we’ll stay at a B&B and visit with friends, Richard & Pauline.

Stay tuned and we’ll take you along.

Wild and wonderful Outer Banks

2007-05-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

The Outer Banks
After Florida visits to family (niece Cathy, husband Tony and two-year-old Emily in Tampa), our long-time friend, Beverly in New Smyrna Beach, and boating friends Sue & Dick Stark in Merritt Island, we made an overnight stop in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and reached Duck, North Carolina on the 29th of April.
Early May is an ideal time to visit the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Another favorite is September - both being slightly "off season" when the weather is beautiful but there are few tourists. The natural beauty of this 130-mile stretch of islands and landscape of natural sand dunes is what draws most people here. You can visit the site where, more than 100 years ago, the Wright Brothers flew their plane over the sand at a place called Kill Devil Hills, and even take a flight of your own across the dunes at the only hang gliding school in the country at Jockey’s Ridge. We climbed the large dune and the view from the top of the ridge is spectacular - to the east, the waves of the Atlantic break upon the beaches and to the west, the dune line slopes gradually to the open waters of Roanoke Sound. Orville and Wilbur discovered that "The image from the top is like from some other world - nothing but sand and wind and sun - no trees, no grass - just a hilly desert". The only change is that now the dune is covered in grass and a type of cactus groundcover to stop erosion. This is a great place for kite flying and you see all shapes and sizes, as there’s a constant breeze. .
Each part of the Outer Banks has its own beauty, wildlife and history. Artists have always been drawn to the Outer Banks and inspired by the natural beauty and there work can be found in the many galleries located here. The northernmost beaches, north of Kitty Hawk and Southern Shores (including where we’re staying in Duck) were the final frontier of the northern islands to be tamed and much of it remains unspoiled. There are beautiful secluded (this time of year) beaches and protected soundside land. There are also now country clubs, huge mansions, restaurants and shops; where it was not long ago very sparsely populated. The big growth began when the road was paved from Kittly Hawk north to Corolla. Prior to that you had to drive on the beach to get to these areas. We drove through Corolla, as far north as the road goes, and you can only continue on by driving on the beach with a four-wheel drive vehicle. The land actually connects with Virginia but it’s not legal to drive across the border as it is a Virginia State Park. One of the most famous attractions, at the most northern end of the islands, are the wild horses that have run free on the beaches for more than 400 years. They are decendents of Spanish mustangs and are protected in a refuge north of Corolla where you can take an off-road excursion to see them.
Along the soundside of the Outer Banks shoreline, a wide variety of marsh grasses and vegetation protect various types of waterfowl. I’ve heard you can also see deer, raccoon, fox and possum or their tracks in the early-morning sand but, not being a morning person, I’ll probably miss that experience.
I try to imagine how this area must have looked when my parents spent their honeymoon here in 1930. There were just two hotels and a sprinkling of beach cottages. My first visit was in 1965 when I brought my parents here to revisit the area for the first time in thirty five years and they were amazed at the growth. They wouldn’t recognize it at all if they saw it today - especially during the height of the summer season.
Not every visitor to the Outer Banks was lured by sun, surf and beaches. Some were victims of pirates, wreckers and privateers; others were washed ashore when nor’easters and hurricanes broke their vessels on the shoals. For over four hundred years, the waters off the Outer Banks have been among the most dangerous in the world - so many ships and lives have been lost, these waters are known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic." Except for the lighthouses, all has been wiped out by hurricanes, tides, salvaging and looting. There’s a great museum that covers the history of the Outer Banks’s - exploration, transportation and commerce.
We’re enjoying our beach-front cottage here overlooking the Atlantic and falling asleep to the sound of the surf. The weather has been mixed - starting with temperatures in the 80's during the day and 70's at night and a few days later plunging to the 60's with high winds and seas, and ending with temperatures again in the 80's which allowed for a few more beach days before we leave. We love it all! We particularly enjoy the local seafood markets and preparing soft-shell crabs (as long as they clean them and "cut their faces off"), fresh shrimp and wonderful lump crab meat for homemade crab cakes.
During the first week of our visit here, we drove over to Hertford, a small town near Edenton (not a big city either) to visit our long-time friends Margi & Phil Wynn who live in a community called Albermarle Plantation. Margi and I have been friends since the early 60s when we were members of Beta Sigma Phi sorority. She’s a wonderful artist and I took my first art classes from her when we both lived in Northern Virginia. They took us on a tour of the area and their daughter, Jennifer, joined us for lunch in historic Edenton which was once the capital of colonial North Carolina. It was great being with them again.
Edenton was a major shipping port until the early 1800s when the Dismal Swamp Canal diverted commerce north to Norfolk, Virginia. Now it’s a quaint, beautifully restored small town with beautiful old homes on tree-lined streets. We had planned to take the trolley tour around town but unfortunately the trolley driver was not working, due to a death in the family, and they had no backup driver. Back at their place, we took a pontoon boat ride around the waterway where they live. The next day, they came back with us and we stopped in Manteo to visit the Elizabethan Gardens on Roanoke Island, where we saw gorgeous azaleas, rhododendron, tulips, roses, impatiens and many more too numerous and unknown to mention.
The first Europeans to arrive at Roanoke Island were members of Sir Walter Raleigh’s expeditions of the late1500s when it was inhabited by Algonquian Indians. This is where Virginia Dare was born (the first white person born in the colonies) just a few months after her parents (members of "the lost colony") arrived here from London. I just finished reading a fascinating book entitled "Roanoke - Solving the mystery of the Lost Colony" by Lee Miller, who resurrects the events leading up to the disappearance of a group of colonists who came here in 1587.
I have been inspired by the sea, sand and flowers of this area and it’s reflected in the scarves I’ve been painting. We’ve had a couple of cool, cloudy days that are not suited for being on the beach, so we spend our time painting and reading and just enjoying the quiet beauty of this spot.
One of our last evenings here is spent with our friend, Sara Tyler, who moved here full-time and built a charming house in Southern Shores, seven years ago. We met at her house for cocktails and, in addition to meeting her two dogs Lady and Harry, we met her neighbors Carolyn and Chuck who live in northern Virginia but also own the house across the street from Sara. Chuck is retired Army and is now retiring from a DOD job at the Pentagon. Carolyn has a degree in Fine Arts from Cororan and shows her work at several galleries in Virginia and Maryland. We had a lot in common to talk about and I hope to see some of her paintings while we’re up that way. We went on to a nice dinner at the Black Pelican and by the end of the evening had exchanged phone numbers and email address and promised to keep in touch. It’s amazing how many wonderful people we’re meeting along the way this year.

A Week In The Bahamas

2007-04-23T19:50:00.000-07:00

We arrived at Marsh Harbor at 10 AM (just a one-hour flight from Ft.Lauderdale) and were not surprised to find the tiny little airport terminal had not changed at all from our visit five years ago. That visit, in 2002, was the first time we had flown into Marsh Harbor - having always arrived on our own boat. We spent a week on that visit scouting it out as a destination for my 60th birthday party celebration to be held the following year. For those of you not in attendance, I'll just say that it was the best birthday celebration ever! We had 45 friends and family staying in cottages and on boats and we partied all week.
But, back to our arrival this time. After quickly clearing Customs, claiming our luggage, and going thru immigration, we immediately caught a cab at 10:20 and made our way (there's no speeding in the islands) to catch the 10:30 Hope Town Ferry with a very relaxed two minutes to spare - for our 20 minute ride to Hope Town. There are no cars on Hope Town (and no airport) so the only way to arrive is by ferry and they're so accommodating to locals and tourists alike - more so than we could have immagined which we learned a few days later.
The feery captain called the Turtle Hill office that manages the cottages we had reserved so they would know to meet us at the dock and take us to our cottage.

This trip was initiated by Doug's daughter, Dawn, and originally was intended to be a "girls week" but there was additional space so Doug was invited to join us. (He was nicknamed "Daddy-O" by all the girls) There are nine of us, in two villas, with a pool between us and a bar/restaurant at the beach end. We're steps from the beach and can hear the roar of the surf and enjoy a wonderful sea breeze. There's an incredibly beautiful powdery, white sand beach with gentle waves and crystal clear turquoise water which is a perfect 75 degrees this time of year. We've been very fortunate to have warm sunny days with just a few showers at night.

We were the first to arrive, followed two hours later by our niece, Vicki, from Columbus, Ohio and her friend, Lynn. They informed us that their two friends, Cynthia and Heather, were still at the airport waiting for their luggage. We also learned that Dawn and her two friends Nancy and Tanya were also waiting for luggage and had gone off grocery shopping until the next flight came in. They finally gave up on the luggage and caught the ferry to Hope Town to start relaxing in this tropical paradise. Without going into all the grueling details, the luggage arrived in Marsh Harbor and was sent over to Hope Town Monday afternoon (I'm not sure why they didn't need to go back to the airport to clear their luggage thru customs, but we just accepted the way of the islands). Now the girls could start wearing their array of swimsuits and cute outfits, shoes and jewelry they had spent so much time choosing to bring. We were all relieved and happy to now fully relax and enjoy the week together.

It's a short walk into town but our villas also came with two golf carts which are fun to drive aroound the island.
No cars, or even golf carts, are allowed downtown so we park at the edge of town and walk to shops and restaurants. There are two grocery stores - "the Blue Store" and "Vernon's Grocery," which has daily fresh-baked bread and the best pies - we've tried the coconut custard and the key lime. There are four gift/boutiques, an ice cream shop, two restaurants (downtown), a post office, tiny fire department, small museum, two churches, two fish markets, and a liquor store. That's about it. For anything else, you take the ferry to Marsh Harbor. There's a hotel, Hope Town Harbor Lodge, near the "downtown" area and a few more restaurants a short golf cart ride south.
We tend to go out to eat half the time and eat in half. The first night, Doug and I served a Bahamian dinner of cracked conch, boiled red potatoes and salad, with coconut pie for dessert. In the island tradition,we've been consuming a variety of rum drinks at the bars and creatively prepared at home.

One of the highlights of the week was an all-day boat trip of snorkeling at Sandy Key, (a wonderful coral reef with lots of very colorful tropical fish) and a visit to Little Harbor. We visited a foundry where Pete Johnson and his trained artsists create beautiful bronze sculptures using the lost art of wax molds and sand casting. We lunched at Pete's Pub - a very rustic and colorful outdoor "restaurant" literally on the beach, and had time to explore the beautiful beach areas. On the boat trip back, we anchored in a shallow area with a white sand bottom where we could dive down and pick up sand dollars and sea biscuits from the bottom. There were also star fish (whicih are alive and cannot be taken) and we saw a nurse shark swimming nearby. It was a great day!

For a little bit of history: Hope Town is a quaint New England style 18th century village with pastel colored cottages dotting the eastern shore, reminiscent of colonial times. On the opposite side of the boat-filled harbor is the famous 120-foot tall candy-striped lighthouse which is a favorite subject of artists and photographers. The 101 step climb is worth the effort to enjoy a breathtaking view of Elbow Cay's sheltered harbor and the nearby Parrot Cays. The lighthouse was built in 1862 and is still operated by a kerosene light that slashes every 15 seconds. You can only get to the lighthouse by boat but the ferry captain will drop you off and pick you up an hour later.
There are just two streets in Hope Town,Front Street and Back Street, and no traffic lights. The speed limit is just 30 mph and no one seems to be in a hurry.
The museum is named for Wyannie Malone, a loyalist who arrived from Charleston, S.C. in 1785 with her four children. At that time sponging was one of the major exports from the Bahamas. Now the major crop here is tourism. A recent line of products, containing veem, is becoming quite popular. The seeds were brought here from India and the trees grow well in this climate. I bought some of the shampoo and body wash and it's quite nice.

Two of the women in our group - code names "Cyn" and "Boob" went snorkeling off the beach adjacent to the Hope Town Harbor Lodge where we were told there was a nice reef with lots of fish. They swam out to the reef and saw three or four baracuda. They weren't too startled because they were told there was a school of them out there. Well, Cyn was in the lead with Boob right behind, feeling a little nervous, when they saw a wall of hundreds of baracuda. Now they were all around them and much larger than they had expected - plus a very large mamma cuda was lurking just above them keep ing a watch on "the kids." Boob became scared and turned and started swimming as fast as she could to shore. But, halfway there she realixed she'd left Cyn behind. She looked back to see that Cyn had turned into a little motor boat of churning arms and legs swimming as fast as she could to get out of there. they arrived safely at shore and went back the next day and had a different experience but their original story was much better.

All in all, it was a very good trip. We all ended up with nicknames which originated from various stories and revelations. I'll list them here but won't attribute them to any one in particular: Flo, Ho, Pot, Quack, Wicky, Ticky, Cyn (or Sin), O and Boob. There was talk of having a reunion somewhere next year. We'll see.

It was good to spend a week, as Jimmy Buttet says, "wastin' away again in Margaritaville".

Arriving in warm, sunny florida

2007-04-12T01:05:00.000-07:00

We're finishing up a delightful 10 day stay in downtown Sarasota, Florida. We were fortunate fo find a small boutique hotel whith lots of urban charm. Hotel Ranola is the only hotel in the heart of downtown Sarasota. Originally built in 1926 as an apartment/hotel, it offered snowbirds an escape from harsh Northern winters. Ranola has now been revived (by a delightful young couple - Kim and Robert) and it's just what we were looking for. We booked it for ten days which would allow us time to check out the area as a possible place for our next move - after our year of travel. The outside of the building has an old look to it until you notice that the window treatments are each a different color. Inside, it's been lovingly restored to its original look and decorated in a true retro style, but with all the modern conveniences (flat screen TV, cable, wi-fi connections, i-pod receiver with adaptors and hookup, etc) The accommodations are non-smoking and feature luxury linens and pluish pillow top mattresses. It's the perfect plece for nightly or extended stays. All rooms include a sitting area, private bath and walk-in closet. There's also a full kitchen with stove, microwave, refrigerator, coffee maker, cookware and utilities; and, there's a roof-top garden for reading or watching the sunset. We've enjoyed walking to many of the fine restaurants, art galleries and theater (we attended a Nana Maskouri concert at the Van Wezel theater); plus small cafes that are in convenient walking distance. Typical of Florida this time of year, we've had warm sunny days, cool sunny days, rainy days (when a front passed thru) and low and high humidity. Just the way we remember Florida when we lived here .

Easter was spent attending the Venice Presbyterian Church, followed by dinner with fourteen friends, and the rest of the afternoon, spent playing Trivial Pursuit.

We've checked out the real estate market here and discovered some very nice bay view condos in the city that are within our established price range, and have all the ammenities we've come to expect. Sarasota is still on our list of possible places to live when we finish our year of travel. We'll see. We still have lots of places to visit and lots of time to decide.

So, now we're off to the Bahamas (Hope Town in the Abacos) for a week of laid-back sun in the fun. This will be our first time to return since celebrating my big birthday there in 2003 and we're looking forward to a real beach and snorkeling fix. We're allso looking forward to the conch salad and cracked conch served with Bahamian peas & Rice, cole slaw and macaroni & cheese. The best! especially with a Bahama Mamma drink on the side.

There will be ten of us sharing two villas and we're looking forward to meet Dawn's friends that she's invited.

We'll see if I still have what it takes to stay in the water snorkeling for hours and possibly spear a fish for dinner. Perhaps we'll at least find some conch to clean and cook for dinner. As Jimmy Buffet would say, we'll be "wastin away again in Margaritaville."

No worries, mon.

More from San Miguel de Allende

2007-03-21T13:42:00.000-07:00

The above photos are a sampling of some scarves I painted while in Mexico. The next two photos are are of the Paroquia which is the focal point of the jardin, or town square, (other photo)where everyone gathers any time to day to visit.

Como esta?
For those who would like to know a little more of the history and flavor of this place we find ourselves, please read on. Otherwise you may skip the next couple of paragraphs and just read the info about what we've been doing.
The tale of the origin of San Miguel de Allende begins with the Chichemeca and Otomi Indians living close to the earth until a kindly Franciscan father arrived to enlighten them. The colonial story unfords literally inside San Miguel homes, where a heroic priest and a colonel conspire to overthrow the Spanish Crown. It climaxes when modern travellers discover that this little mountain town, four hours north of Mexico City is a paradise. San Miguel de Allende is a site of fiestas and miracles (in fact, a common greeting between friends who haven't seen each other in a while is "Que Milagro" or "Ït's a miracle.") It's a place of esstatic religion and fiery revolts, unearthly beauty and curative air - a place for dreamers and artists (probably why we are drawn here.)
Set in an agrarian region with wealth derived from the nearby silver mines (which we'll visit next week) in Guanajuato, San Miguel served as a traders stopover. In past centuries there were slaughtrhouses here for the many local ranches nearby and there were various tanners in town. In the late 1700s, residences were built and later, after the Revolution of 1910, and the violent Catholic counter revolt that followed, the town fell into a slumber, the old colonial homes sinking into decay, the fiestas ceasing and the churches and monasteries languishing. A train running between Mexico City to the Texas border stopped at the foot of San Miguel to take on water, collect mail and discharge or admit occasional passengers.
An educated Peruvian vagabond named Felipe Cossio del Pomar debarked from the train in the 1930s, became enchanted by the place and founded an art institute on the grounds of a large hacienda. A gentle resourceful, eccentric American, Sterling Dickenson, arrived about the same time as did Jose Mojica, a Mexican opera star who built a rambling home bordering Juarez Park. A massive deserted nunnery in the town center became another art school. Soon after World War II, some young Americans came to study art on the G.I. Bill. Life magazine wrote an article "How to Live in Paradise for $100 per month"(You could now probably live her on $100 per month. San Miguel gradually gained popularity among artists, backpackers and some foreign retirees. Years passed and journalists began writing up this "hidden gem"in the travel magazines. When a new closer airport shortened the trip here by half, tour agencies started providing travel packages.
Before long, burros gave way to autos (though I saw two working burros today). The old ruined facades became sleek hotels and bars, and the square thronged with t-shirted tourists. Many old timers and locals are fleeing - seeing it as a "tarnished Eden." For us who didn't see it before these changes, it's still a uniue and very real place. I'd like to think that San Miguel, steeped in 450 years of custom and tradition, it's population still over nine tenths Mexican, would - like an Italian hill town - remain safely inured from the worst effects of this.
San Miguel still offers winding narrow lanes, cobblestone streets (which I recently learned improve balance and lowers blood pressure. I hope my doctor is reading this.); patios and rooftop gardens and church bells to "refugees from the techno future."provide blessings less easily measured - magic, silence, clean air, a slower pace - a place that feels not fabricated but very real.
Some of the history I just quoted was gleaned from a fascinating book Ön Mexican Time"by Tony Cohen. I've just begun Tony's second book "Mexican Days,"which is set in the changing world that he encounters as he travels Mexico - both old and new, the msty mountains and coastal Caribbean towns of Veracruz, the ruins and resorts of the Yucatan, the indigenous world of Chiapas, markets and galleries of Oaxaco, teeming Mexico City, remote Sierra Gorda mountains, Guanajuato (where we're going next week), and Myan ruins of Palenque (all places we'd like to visit).

Doug is continuing his Spanish classes and practically speaks like a native. I'm painting each day and visiting the many art galleries. We've met some locals, visited friends and are learning each day to enjoy the hidden mysteries and beauty of this little village and understand what draws people here.

On Mexico Time

2007-03-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

For the first time visitor, the charm of San Miguel de Allende is not always evident. This is our second visit and we see and appreciate so much more about this special place.
There are no neon signs, fast food chains, billboards or traffic lights. Baroque 17th centure buildings line the ancient cobblestone streets of the town centerñ behind their massive and ornate hand carved doors are beautiful patios and palatial residences from a life style long gone. It´s like a step back in time and the pace is more what we remember from the 50s. In the light of early evening you almost expect to see an old lamplighter strolling along the streets adding a soft glow of gaslight to the already picturesque cityscape. Listen and you often hear the sound of a horse drawn carriage scurrying over the cobblestones. This town has gotten lost in time and it´s beautiful! That is the romance of San Miguel de Allende, but not all of it´s charm. The best way to get beneath the surface of this city is to go to the jardin (central plaza or square) and watch the morning unfold. The benches facing La Parroquia (parish church) are mostly claimed by those from the U.S. who are always willing to share their insight on San Miguel (many have been here for 10 or 20 years). Or you can discover everything on your own. As the vendors set up shop, and the morning light shines on the pink stone of the beauty of La Parroquia, the charm of San Miguel begins to reveal itself. You just have to take some time to drink it in. There is a great deal of English spoken here. About 6,000 Americans, Canadians and Europeans call San Miguel home. It´s much appreciated by the locals of you at least attempt to learn and use some words and phrases in Spanish. A little effort takes you far in understanding the sweet nature and polite culture of the local Mexican people. There are a variety of sosphiticated restaurants, numerous galleries filled with the works of international and local artists and craftsmen, lots of unique shops and comfortable accommodations ranging from a true colonial experience to modern resorts. So, you just need to put on a good pair of walking shoes and set our to explore and enjoy this beautiful place.

So, what are we doing here?
We love our little one bedroom casita which sits high above the city (we´re feeling like mountain goats tripping over the cobblestones into town) where we look out over the valley and hillsides covered with cactus and houses. The first photo above is of our casita and the second is the view from the rooftop) In the morning we´re awakened by the crow of nearby roosters and the distant clanging of church bells. If we´re not in town having dinner, we can enjoy a beautiful sunset and the awesome quiet of our little neighborhood - disturbed occasionally by the howling of a stray cat.
Without the distraction of radio or tv, we read, do crosswords and soduko and enjoy a game of cards )we´ve rediscovered casino and Rook=.
We attend Spanish classes for two hours each morning, have lunch in town, and meet at the school later for an extra curricular activity. This week we visited an orphanage which houses about forty boys - ages 6 months to 13 years. It´s a very nice facility on the outskirts of town, housed in a very old building and operated by Catholic nuns. The boys were playful and friendly with us and let us practice our Spanish with simple words. We felt sad leaving them and I wanted to adopt one but Doug kept me thinking in a more practical way and we made a donation instead. We´ve also taken Spanish cooking classes and salsa dance classes.
The rest of our afternoons are taken up with shopping for kitchen provisions (at least enough to have breakfast and happy hour at home)- then it´s time to do our homework. I´ve also found time to paint most days and have completed several silk scarves (I can see the Mexican influence in my art and find I use brighter colors). I also sold three scarves this week!
We´ve gotten together for lunch with friends Sharon and Mike Draper who live here in San Miguel. In fact, they just bought a house and moved in over the weekend. I met Sharon while taking art classes in Burgundy last year. It was great to get re-aquainted and to get to know Mike.
So, our days are full but quite relaxed and we find ourselves quite taken in my this charming and quaint place.
More later.
Rebecca

A Month in Florida

2007-03-06T06:18:00.000-08:00

South Florida Paradise

Well, we thought it would be a let-down, leaving the luxury of the Queen Mary 2 and returning to the “real world,” but this past month has also been quite luxurious.

Our friends, Sondra & Dan Bannister, very generously offered the use of their penthouse on the 20th floor of a beautiful condo building on Estero Bay in Bonita Springs, Florida. (Close to Naples). From the spacious balcony we had panoramic views of the Gulf of Mexico and the Colony Golf Course to the west, providing us some magnificent sunsets each evening during happy hour.

But, as we keep saying, “It’s not just about the place, it’s more about the people you meet along the way.” It’s been so much fun reconnecting with Sondra and Dan and some of our other long-time friends in south Florida. We had an opportunity to drive up to Venice (for Rebecca to have her hair cut) and have lunch with Judy Bacon and another time to get together with Kathleen & Bud Leeds. We also made new friends with Dan’s daughter Linda and husband Maury and had several dinners out and at their home. Sondra’s in-laws, Karen and Vince Kelty, visited for a few days from Virginia and we partied the whole time, getting together for breakfast, lunch, happy hours and dinners, plus a memorable night of dancing at the club.

There were also some not so happy occasions. Two weeks ago Sondra & Dan called on a Sunday morning, as we were getting ready for church, to tell us that their beloved golden retriever, Molson, (named for Molson Golden beer) had passed away. He was a special dog that we had come to know and love over the ten years of his life and we were all sadden by his passing.

The next week, Linda called to say she was at the hospital with her husband Maury who was suffering chest pains. Maury had a heart attack about ten years ago so they were concerned and spent the day at the hospital only to return again the next day when they admitted him and put shunts in two of his arteries which were 80% blocked. He’s home now and recovering nicely but he had us all worried. Linda’s taking good care of him and he’s anxious to get back to work.

A high point of our stay was a visit by more long-time friends Susan & Sam Campbell,l who live in The Villages (near Ocala, FL). They were returning from a motor home trip to Key West and stayed two nights. It was fun having dinners and lunch together and catching up on what everyone’s been doing

We also had our friends Charlie & Ricki Ryan (now living in Fort Meyers in the winter and Chesapeake Bay in the summer) over for dinner. They loved this condo and would seriously consider buying it if they can sell their home in Ft. Meyers and find a place to keep their boat. Last week they invited us to go out on their boat, with two other fun couples, to Marco Island for lunch. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day and we had a great time. Hope to see them again when we’re in the Chesapeake Bay area in May.

The following day, Sondra, Dan, Doug and I got up at at the crack of dawn and drove to Ft.Meyers to take the "fast boat" to Key West for the day. We were all excited about the trip - especially Sondra who walked aboard and immediately grabbed a bar stool and ordered a Bloody Mary. Sondra's not a "water person" so was being very brave to make this trip with us. Well, we couldn't let her drink alone so we all had a good time while we waited to get underway. We started out slowly and then when we were a little further away from the harbor, increased speed and really zipped along. That is, until we stopped. The captain announced that we had a problem and would have to replace the fuel filters because of dirty fuel. The next announcement was that we would be further delayed and another boat came out to pass us some cans of new fuel and more filters. We continued to party, though Sondra escaped her anxiety by taking a nap. The next announcement was that we were going back to Ft. Meyers and would not make the trip to Key West that day. Also, they were refunding our money and giving us each a free ticket for another trip. So, we were all disappointed (well, maybe not Sondra)but made the best of it by finding an island-type restaurant where we got island drinks with fruit in them and ordered conch chowder, conch fritters and grouper - and pretended we were in Key West. We're planning out next trip and hope it goes better!

Last evening we had a call from one of the other couples, Louise & Bob Nagel, inviting us to join them for drinks. We found we had a lot in common and spent several hours discovering like interests and even found that we have mutual friends. Small world. Hope to see them again when we’re traveling up north this summer.

Between all this socializing, going to the fitness center, long walks and hanging out at the pool, I’ve found time to do some silk painting and try out some new techniques. I’ll be taking my art supplies with me to Mexico and am looking forward to some Mexican inspiration and influence in my art.

Today we received our weekly delivery of mail and were happy to have some personal correspondence from new and old friends: Our former dance instructor, Helen, from North Carolina; our new-found friends from the Queen Mary 2, Christa & Bernd of Germany; and my dear friend, Carol Gardyne, from San Diego. From many others, we keep in touch by phone and email and look forward to your messages and news.

While in Mexico (from March 7th until April 3rd), email or snail mail will be the best way to keep in touch. I plan to check email at the cyber café about twice a week, and look forward to hearing from all of our friends.