Getting Away

Getting away is great but the logistics can be a challenge.
After enjoying a beautiful Christmas season in San Diego, we focused our attention on the details of packing, moving and preparing for our first cruise. One complication arose when we received our final documents from Cunard Line and learned that we needed a Brazilian visa or we would be denied boarding the Queen Mary 2 in Fort Lauderdale. This typically requires fifteen days lead time and we couldn’t even apply until we received our new passports which were in the process of being renewed. By the time we got our passports, we had run out of time which necessitated an unplanned drive to Washington, DC where we were assured we could get our visas in two days time. So, the packers came the 27th, the movers on the 28th, furniture sale took place the 29th and we left San Diego December 30th.
After a stop in Phoenix to visit Julie & Doug and drop off the convertible they will be babysitting for a year, we headed north to pick up Interstate 40. All went well until a sign alerted us that I-40 was closed, due to drifting snow, from Albuquerque to the Texas border. (We learned later that some people were stranded on that stretch of road for two days.) We took a right and headed down to I-10 (losing about 5 hours time) and a more southerly route. This detour required that we drive fourteen hours each of the next two days, and nine hours the third day, in order to get to Virginia on the 2nd and submit our visa applications to the Embassy on the 3rd. This would allow two days and we could pick up our visas on Friday the 5th and begin our drive to Florida to begin our cruise on the 10th.
One of our 14-hour days was the 31st. (Knowing we would be on the road, we had celebrated New Year’s Eve early with a nice dinner at a favorite restaurant in San Diego, and we were glad we had). That night, we arrived at our destination - Odessa, Texas - at 9:45 pm. The restaurant connected to the hotel was just closing but they allowed us to order and have it delivered to our room. Needless to say, it was not a great meal and it arrived a bit cool since the delivery boy had to go outside in 20 degree windy weather to bring it to us (we didn’t tell him that he forgot the salads). The bottle of wine we brought with us helped a lot to warm and cheer us as we proposed a toast to the new year and our upcoming adventure.
The good news is that we got to Virginia on time, submitted our applications on time and an added bonus was that we obtained our visas the next day. We had a wonderful visit with our friends Sondra and Dan in McLean and another nice stop at Lake of the Woods to reconnect with other good friends Marilyn & Bill.
We’re now visiting with our friend Judy Bacon in Nokomis, Florida where we’ve finished getting organized for our cruise and are visiting with other long-time friends. Tonight we’ll go to one of our favorite spots in Venice, T. J. Carneys, to hear our buddy Bud Leeds and his group play some Dixieland music and get up to date on the last three years of activities. Tomorrow morning we’ll drive across the state to Ft. Lauderdale to board the QM2 for our 26-day cruise, around the Horn, and ending in San Francisco on 4 February. In between, we’ll visit Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Montevideo, Uruguay; Valparaiso, Chile; and Acapulco, Mexico.