Traveling Bells

Chilly Monday...

2010-01-04T10:16:00.002-05:00

Missy finds great joy in playing with the screen on the windshield, in between sunbathing. She is now in Florida and appears to want to work on her tan, and doing it inside a balmy moho is ideal for her during this cold spell. She is one smart girl that Missy.

We are back from a run to the local Sam's Club to see what there is to see and to pick up beer. You do remember that Mayberry is dry, don't you? That means that folks drink wet and vote DRY...and we get the trash and not the sales tax. Plain dumb.

So that is our big outting for the day. I still need to put a few things away and clean up a bit. I'm trying to pace myself.

Temps are supposed to be down in the high 30s tonight, so it will be a crock pot soup night.

Stay warm. Life is good!

Florida in fleece...

2010-01-03T13:37:00.002-05:00

Brrr. Where are those tropical temps? Not here! But it is still better than Mayberry where they have had a dusting or two of snow.

The internet satellite wouldn't cooperate, so Dick had to go up top and manhandle it and much tweaking and cussing later, it is now working. Some transmitter won't cooperate, so we may have to have it fixed, since it is supposed to be automatic and not require any manhandling. He is great at fixing most anything...and has a determined attitude to git'er done.

He is enjoying his personal TV out on the chilly patio, as I am enjoying my own here in the warm coach. Wade and Ginger brought over our patio umbrella out of their storage unit, so Dick is taking care of the patio while I am...........catching up on my blogging friends. Fair trade, right?

Enjoy your Sunday. Ours appears to be a lazy one!

Rolling on...

2010-01-02T08:28:00.000-05:00

Stopped in Tifton @ 11p last night at W/M. Dick is filling up the coach now in the same 30 degree weather we left last night. Quit following us! Prediction of 18 made us hightail it outta Mayberry. More later...yawn............
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Happy New Year!!!

2009-12-31T20:02:00.001-05:00

May 2010 be the bestest year yet!

Now, is that 'twenty, ten' or is it 'two-thousand and ten'? Or just 'ten'? You decide. We'll be hearing it all. I like brevity, so I'll skip that 'thousand' stuff and keep it simple.

And we'll be joining friends for black-eyed peas, collard greens and cornbread, traditional Southern food eaten on New Year's Day, said to bring good luck and prosperity in the new year to those who consume it. We'll take no chance...consume we will!

Life is good! Count your blessings, y'all!!!

Happy, safe New Year's Eve!

2009-12-31T17:55:00.003-05:00

Goodbye, 2009. You are almost finished.

Forget the ball gown; I'll be in a night gown, watching the ball drop in Times Square from the comfort of our own warm, safe home...with my fave big guy by my side, and two sleeping wee boys down the hall (their parents are going out to a party).

Whatever you do, wherever you go...stay safe.

May you each experience a happy and prosperous 2010! Life is good, y'all!!!

My cat...

2009-12-30T04:44:00.005-05:00

My cat sleeps about 20 hours a day. She has her food prepared for her. She can eat whenever she wants, 24/7/365. Her meals are provided at no cost to her. She visits the doctor once a year for her checkup, and again during the year if any medical needs arise. For this she pays nothing, and nothing is required of her. She lives in a nice neighborhood in a house that is much larger than she needs, but she is not required to do any upkeep. If she makes a mess, someone else cleans it up. She has her choice of luxurious places to sleep. She receives these accommodations absolutely free. She is living like a queen, and has absolutely no expenses whatsoever. All of her costs are picked up by others, who go out and earn a living every day. I was just thinking about all this, and suddenly it hit me like a brick in the head...

Holy S#!t, my cat is a democrat! Bless her heart...

Jammie day...

2009-12-29T16:04:00.003-05:00

Yep, that is about what I look like today and how I have felt. After a wee nap, I am feeling better. No fever, just a stuffy head and that means I don't feel like reading. Bummer.

Speaking of reading, Haley told me about Shelfari, an online library where you can register for free all the books you've read, or want to read...and of course purchase books. I have brought home too many books, only to discover that I've already read them; now I can go online and look through my 'shelf' while standing at the library or a store and see if I have already read a book or not. Of course that only applies to books I've read in the last few years that I have been keeping up with my personal list...the list that is always at home when I am at the library! And the list is over there to the R on my reading pane...

It takes awhile to get them registered if you are a readaholic like the two of us are, but it'll be worth it in the long run. I'm still not finished uploading info...and I've listed over 200 books already.

Stay warm...and take your Vitamin C, y'all!

A snuggle and wine...

2009-12-28T11:28:00.002-05:00

A new snuggle, made by friend Judy, enrollment in a wine club, and something to read (The Winter of our Discounted Tent--who cares what's inside--the title is puuurfect!). Life can't get much better than that, other than maybe some SLEEP.

This photo (thanks, Haley!) was made after church on Christmas Eve when we were opening presents with all the kids at Amy's house...and after flying all night, functioning with maybe two hours sleep. We hit the sack about 9p, feeling like old people. And now I have a head cold. Bugger.

It's Monday. I will survive. I'm tough. I'm not whining...

Not much going on...

2009-12-27T14:22:00.003-05:00

I went to church this morning, where I had to fill in as eucharistic minister for the person who was scheduled and couldn't make it. I can wing it...no problem:-) Small crowd today, but that isn't a surprise right after Christmas.

A friend invited us to dinner, so I am taking advantage of not having to think about 'what's for dinner?' and concentrating on cleaning off this desk just a little. Gosh does stuff pile up quickly. Both of my guys are gone, all three kitties are sleeping, so the house is quiet. Too bad I don't have time to join da girlz for a nap, but that isn't gonna happen today. Oh yes, just in case you are interested, Brian's injury is much better, many ice packs later!

So that's about it from Mayberry...nothing exciting going on, and that's OK. A little *dull* is just fine. Enjoy your Sunday!

A shoppin' we did go...

2009-12-26T16:51:00.006-05:00

Janet and I made a trip down to the Macy's of the Mountains, but didn't spend a lot of bucks there. I did leave a few a Wally World, since the larder was bare of fresh veggies and fruit. And I picked up a few half price Christmas items to save for next year.

I'm gaining on the laundry and paperwork, no small task after being gone for so long.

And the temp finally got above 32. Yikes...Florida is sounding really good!

Brian and friends went bike riding and he managed to sail over the handlebars and land on a rock. A good sized hematoma is now perking on his backside. Once a parent, always a parent, no matter how old they get! I keep telling him that he has to take good care of himself, cuz I'm too old to make a new son. Oh the joys!!!

Hope everyone had a joyful and blessed Christmas. We sure did. Life is good!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

2009-12-25T09:07:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas, one and all! May you never forget the REASON for the SEASON. Blessings to all our family and friends, from our hearts to yours. And please say a prayer for all our troops and their families left back home. God bless y'all real good!

Sandy and Dick

Miami nice...

2009-12-24T07:39:00.001-05:00

Here sits the weary travelers, waiting for our 9:30 flight to ATL. Gettin' close.

Merry Christmas, y'all!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Wednesday update...

2009-12-23T15:57:00.001-05:00

The roof dwellers are leaving for the airport. Hip, hip, hooray!!!

Homeward bound at last! It was nice having free wi-fi on the roof top, and the breeze was nice, but the lure of home is calling...loud and clear.

Adios! Til manana, amigos...we're outta here!!!

Sittin' on the rooftop...

2009-12-23T10:24:00.004-05:00

We have our bags in the storage area of the hotel, had lunch at our fave little bar across the street, and are now back on the rooftop, reading, listening to cars whiz by...and waiting for our 6p taxi.

Dick and I had a typical Chilean lunch at the recommendation of our waiter: we were told it is a mixture of rice and beans. We pictured the whole variety, but it was more of a corn chowder, with a few beans in it and some seasoning. Very mild. Could have used some pepper, but we have not seen any pepper put on the tables. Strange. And we opted to have a typical Chilean salad, which consisted of tomato chunks and lots of onion. Tic Tacs, anyone? J&J had the same corn concoction, but opted to have a green salad...which was interesting...and not typical of an American salad. Oil and vinegar are the only dressings available, but that is typical in Europe as well. The local breads are very good, much like baguettes...crusty outside, soft inside. And draft Cristal beer is very mild. All in all, it was a nice lunch.

The weather on this whole trip has been fantastic. No rain to speak of, smooth sailing, and only one day of really cold weather. We are winding up with summer temps here in Santiago that will spoil us for Mayberry, but we'll manage.

Soon we'll say ADIOS, Santiago; hello Miami in the wee hours tomorrow. Getting closer to home.
That sounds mighty fine!

Happy Wednesday, everyone. Enjoy your day. We sure are! Life is good!!!

Tuesday night in Santiago...

2009-12-22T18:45:00.003-05:00

But of course this was yesterday when we stopped at a winery for a sample. We tried this one, but it wasn't very good, but the next bottle was excellent.
So after breakfast today, we four purchased our Ho/Ho bus tickets and headed to the subway to take us to the bus stop. We knew it was going to be about a two hour loop, so we got off toward the end in a nice area and had a late lunch, and a subway ride back to the hotel...and a nap.

Santiago is surrounded by mountains. We have a lovely view of a distant snow peaked mountaintop as we sit in nice, high 60s weather. Somehow it doesn't quite feel like Christmas here, but that'll change quickly when we get home! Remember, it is summertime down here, so the days are longer...just the opposite from back home in Mayberry.

We are now back on the rooftop watching the sun go down, enjoying a bit of cheese, chocolate and wine. Not a bad life! But these nomads are all ready to head north.

The plan tomorrow is a late check out, stash our bags in the hotel store room, find lunch, come back and sit on the rooftop and read and wait till 6p when our taxi driver appears to whisk us away to the airport, in plenty of time for our 10:30p flight to Miami. It will be a long night!

Cheers...and buenos noches, y'all!

Greetings from Santiago!

2009-12-21T19:37:00.003-05:00

We are now in Santiago, Chile, sitting on the rooftop of our hotel in order to find an internet signal, drinking a little vino, eating cashews...we stopped at a winery on the way here and purchased three bottles of wine to enjoy during our stay.

Our driver and tour guide picked us up at the dock this morning and took us on a tour of Valparaiso, stopping at various places, and then dropped us off at our hotel. Hmmm, it is not in the best of places, so we discovered, but I think that is true of a lot of Santiago. We were warned not to wear any jewelry out and to be careful with our possessions, even during the day time, and not to venture out at night. Sigh. Welcome to the real world.

Janet has a headache, so it is we three sitting here on the rooftop where we enjoyed a beautiful sunset and are now seeing the city lights surround us.

Tomorrow we will probably hit the Ho/Ho bus and see what the local area has to offer. Santiago is a big city, and that is not our preference, but we'll see what there is to see and determine if it is worth a revisit. At least the folks are friendly, and Spanish is much more user friendly than Portugese. Can you tell Brazil is not our favorite country?

Thanks for all the birthday wishes....another day on this side of the dirt is always a good one!

Love from Chile...buenos noches, y'all!

Sunday night at sea…

2009-12-20T21:15:00.001-05:00

Dick and Janet getting one more photo, while Jim petted a stray dog! This was on our tour around Puerto Montt yesterday. It was overcast…until we got back to the ship, then the sun decided to come out.

Our bags are now outside our door, waiting pick up. I’m going to put on my robe and go upstairs to find a signal to send out a few emails. It is nice being of ‘a certain age’ when one doesn’t care if anyone turns up their nose at my attire. These folks will never see me again, right? Jim and Janet don’t count, plus they’ve seen me in my robe before! They are comfy friends…and we are still speaking after all this time together.

So tomorrow we have a driver picking us up and taking us on a tour for the two-hour drive to Santiago, where he will drop us off at our hotel. This promises to be an interesting city with lots to see and do. We are ready for the next adventure. And also ready to get on home. We miss everyone! It’s been fun, but home is where our heart is…for sure.

Ivana, sorry that I didn’t explain better. GI is a condition that causes one to have to stay in the bathroom quite often, with *stuff* moving up and/or down—not pleasant. Crud is another name for that condition. A Kindle is an electronic book, called an e-reader, because you can download many books into it over the internet from anywhere in the world.

Thanks, everyone, for tagging along with us. I’ve loved getting your comments….and look forward to catching up with all your blogs when we get home.

Sweet dreams, y’all! We are heading to bed…after I find an internet connection…

Veendam Day 16 - Final Sea day

2009-12-20T08:13:00.002-05:00

Top of the morning to ya! Here we are at sea all day, and this is our final evening on the ship. Tomorrow we dock in Santiago where we will spend two nights and do a little exploring there.

Have you gotten all your Christmas shopping done yet? If you haven't, you are seriously running out of time!

Friday night at sea…now Saturday!

2009-12-19T12:41:00.001-05:00

Update:

Red alert—what is that?, someone asked. The whole ship was under somewhat of a quarantine after a few outbreaks of some GI problems amongst some guests/crew members. Not many, but it was enough that the whole ship had to be constantly sanitized, and there was no sharing of anything, from serving spoon handles to passing the butter dish. Everything had to be handled by a gloved crew member, causing long lines everywhere, even to get a cup of coffee on the Lido deck.

All library books had to stay in quarantine for 72 hours after being turned back in, and the four of us had pretty much read all the books we had brought on board with us, or swapped from the lending library. That section got closed pronto!

I was forced to read a (free) Harlequin novel (a mystery, not a sappy love story, OK?!) I had downloaded it and several others on my computer as a trial to see if I want to read books that way and as a last resort if I couldn’t get my hands on a real book. It was a bit weird, but desperate times called for desperate measures, so read it I did, having to click to ‘turn’ the pages. Hmm, would I want a Kindle??? No rush to think about that, although the size would be more appealing to tote about, rather than toting the puter. I’m an admitted bookaholic and still love having a book in my hands…and no, I am NOT going on a 12 step program to cure my book addiction!

So now the alert has been lifted and life onboard is back to normal. This is formal night, the Black and White Officer’s Ball (referring to their formal outfits), complete with dancing, which we are missing by choice. The four of us had dinner at the Italian restaurant tonight, which was fine. They brought over two plates of cotton candy to the table after dinner! I have never seen that done before. It didn’t tempt me at all, however the Tiramasu was a different story…

We shall all be getting off the ship tomorrow while in port, our final port before reaching Santiago on Monday morning…….which puts us closer to getting home. That sounds like a great plan!

Love and good night from the sea…

And now good afternoon from Pont Montt where we had a lovely tour of the area. Wish we could have spent more time here. Our driver took us up to the German area, then drove us around the huge lake where we saw salmon farming and lots of other normal farming and beautiful country. Back on board the ship, lunch is over, and the afternoon is free to enjoy the views. Life is good!!!

Veendam Day 15 - Puerto Montt, Chile

2009-12-19T07:08:00.002-05:00

Very pretty...maybe we'll get to actually see this--Petrohue Falls in the Lake District.

Puerto Montt is the capital of what is known as Region X in Chile. It is located on the northern tip of Relocanvi Inlet, in a bay protected on the west by Tenglo Island. It is a main port and gateway into the Chilean lake and volcano district. This small provincial city has undergone significant growth fueled by salmon farms, forestry, the fishing industry and service related companies. The original German settlers left their mark, as the city and surrounding areas still have a very distinctive European flavor. Just outside of the city of Puerto Montt, lies the Lake District, home to the Puerto Montt wealthy and privileged. City streets are lined with beautiful rose arbors and dotted with small cafes and trendy restaurants.

This sounds like our kind of place...as I sit writing this on December 1.

Happy birthday today to Jason. We send you lots of love and best wishes...we'll lift a toast in your honor tonight! Life is good!!!

Veendam Day 14 - Darwin Channel, Chilean Fjords

2009-12-18T07:03:00.001-05:00

Another day of sailing through beautiful scenery...

Amalia Glacier

2009-12-17T15:28:00.001-05:00

The sun has been peeking in/out all day as we’ve sailed through the Strait of Magellan. Unfortunately, it didn’t lift the clouds enough to see the glacier properly, and the photo doesn’t do it justice from this distance, but this is as good as it gets. Timing is everything! The sun is now coming out and staying…and speaking of, it doesn’t get dark down here till very late at night! Who knew?!

The fjords are beautiful, reminding us just a bit of Alaska. We are at sea today and tomorrow, when we pass through the Chilean Fjords. Seas have been very calm, with little wind. We heard that some folks complained about that! At least the ‘red alert’ has been lifted and we are now well stocked with library books to enjoy. Our new port of call is Puerto Montt on Saturday, and we are definitely looking forward to exploring there.

Are we glad we made this trip? Yes. Would we come back? No, especially not to Rio. There is still the Amazon River that Dick wants to see, so that might draw us back to Brazil, but I am in no hurry to do that. There are other destinations on my bucket list ahead of that one.

Hugs from the other deep south!

Veendam Day 13 - Strait of Magellan, Amalia Glacier

2009-12-17T07:41:00.001-05:00

Look at all those channels! We have left Ushuaia, sailed through Cockburn and Beagle Channels, visited Punta Arenas, Chile, and are today in the Strait of Magellan, named for Ferdinand Magellan, a Portugese sailor. It is the most important natural passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, but it is considered difficult because of the unpredictable winds and currents and the narrowness of the passage.

We will be seeing Alamia Glacier today. Any bets on how cold it will be outside? Brr....

Actually, it isn't too cold, but we'll still manage to stay inside. J&J are doing better with their colds...and we are avoiding all germs! Ship is still on red alert. Still have intermittent internet...

Having fun! Life is good!!!

Veendam Day 12 - Punta Arenas, Chile

2009-12-16T07:24:00.002-05:00

Patagonia’s largest and most commercially important city, Punta Arenas, Chile is the capital of the Magallenes Province. Located on the western side of the Strait of Magellan, between the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean, at the foot of the Andes, Punta Arenas was once the stomping ground for European explorers, entrepreneurs, and adventurers. Now, Punta Arenas’ economy is based on farming, oil exploration and tourism. The port provides a base for South Atlantic fishing boats and Antarctic research vessels. The weatherworn streets of this bustling, active city of 100,000 are a mixture of old mansions (built during the wool boom of the late 19th century), cathedrals, homes with colorful corrugated rooftops, high rise office buildings and modern hotels. From English sheepherders to Portugese sailors, this area is a melting pot of various cultures.

We are here for the day...but are staying onboard. Jim caught Janet's cold, and this is just not a very interesting port, in our humble opinion.

The internet goes down frequently being this far south. Having fun...life is Good!

Veendam Day 11 - Ushuaia, Argentina

2009-12-15T08:52:00.001-05:00

So this is what the end of the world looks like...Ushuaia, Argentina...the bottom of South America. Wow, are we a long way from Mayberry!

On the shores of Beagle Channel and surrounded by mountains, Ushuaia is the world’s southernmost city, and is known as the “Port at the End of the World”. It is the capital of Tierra Del Fuego, a large triangular island beyond the Magellan Straits, and the Southern Atlantic Province. Ushuaia was originally colonized as an Argentinean penal colony in 1902. It remained a prison outpost until 1947. In fact, some of the 42,000 present inhabitants are descendants of those prisoners. It is now a major South America tourist destination and is rivaled only by Buenos Aires for ship traffic. Ushuaia is one of few cities on earth that offer the sea, mountains, and forests all in one place. Ushuaia can best be described as a hearty frontier town in a truly dramatic setting.

This is where Route 3 (the Pan-American Highway) ends. Wowza. The highway began in Alaska. That's a long way from here.

And this lovely spot is the area's major attraction - Tierra Del Fuego National Park. Since we are only here for a few hours, we'll probably just walk around and take in all the local smells and views...and say howdy to the locals. Life is good!