21 Feb 2014 - Another Great Week in Paradise

Hammond Stadium. BTW...the woman in orange was NOT happy she was in the photo. I'm checking Most Wanted List.

In case he wins MVP....Samuel Deduno....and I was there!

The boys of summer....Minnesota summer. Bet the weather is better here!

I turned to Wayne this morning and said, "Is it Friday already? Where the heck did the week go?" I've got to try and understand that retired people don't really go on holiday....we just continue the holiday....but regardless, time flies.
I actually got to the gym for yoga twice this week! I expected to be stiff and sore but was surprisingly agile for an old girl. There were a few young girls there but I think the mean age was about 60 so I didn't feel out of place at all. I did a half-hour stretch class before the yoga class and perhaps that's why I wasn't sore.
One of the girls in the writers group suggested we go to Clam Pass which is a beach area near the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The route to the beach from the hotel is quite a distance but the hotel has built a boardwalk through the mangroves and provides a tram service from the hotel to the beach. The best part is that the public, as well as hotel guests, are welcomed to use the service. We took the tram down and other than the concession stand the hotel runs along with the umbrella/lounge chair thing, we decided that our beach at Lover's Key is much nicer and we haven't missed anything.
While we were there I went up to the concession stand to get a couple of ice cream bars. The girl in front of me ordered 3 bottles of water...small bottles, not litre-sized bottles. The bill came to $13.42. The girl said she only had $10 and needed to get more money. When she returned from asking her parents for more money she told the Waldorf Astoria clerk that she'd like to change the 3-bottle order to just 3 glasses of water. The clerk took 3 large glasses, filled them with ice and then water and handed them over to the girl. "What do I owe you for that?" the young girl asked. "Oh, nothing", said the clerk, "we don't charge for glasses of water". I burst out laughing at the irony of it and the clerk just smiled and shook her head. "I don't try to understand it, I just do it".
It's been mega hot there this week...hotter than usual for this time of year I'm told...but we packed up and went to the beach one day. We got there a little later in the day than when we usually go and it was crowded but there was a nice breeze and we just laid around for a couple of hours. I managed to get out of there with one tiny shell...a new record for me. We are building up quite a collection and I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to explain to the border guard the trailer is just filled with shells...no cigarettes or alcohol.
The Minnesota Twins baseball team do spring training in Ft Myers so we bought tickets to see their game against the Blue Jays next week. They have Seniors Day every couple of weeks and the ticket price is cheaper plus we get a hotdog and drink thrown in with the ticket price. In consideration of Wayne's enthusiasm to support our Canadian team, I will not say more about the price of the 2 Blue Jay hats we had to buy at the Lids store. I wonder, can people carry concealed weapons to a baseball game? The stadium was open and we were able to wander around and watch the team practice in different areas. It was quite neat actually and kind of rekindled the excitement I had a few years ago when I watched (and slept through) every game on television all summer.
Wayne made a best friend this week while she was walking her dog. She lives in the condo complex next door and after talking to her (Vera) about wanting to rent a place here next year, she put us on to 3 different people in her complex who are renting out their condos next year. In the end, she has decided not to come to Naples next year as she likes the east coast better, so we are going to rent the unit she is in. It's a bit older than the one we are in now but looks to be quite a bit bigger and will be a bit cheaper so it all works out. We love this area and are familiar with everything around us so really wanted to stay in North Naples again.
Tomorrow is market day again and then I'm off to the Art of Needlework, An Exhibit of Contemporary Embroidery. There was an article in the newspapers about the exhibit and there are some amazing things being done by people who belong to the embroiderers guild......gone to sleep yet? I will take photos....proof will be in the pudding! Sunday, of course, is Daytona 500 so that means junk food and an afternoon of television. It doesn't get much better than that!
We picked up a pizza from the Truly Organic Pizza by Jason...place. We got the Tree Hugger: organic dough w/vine-ripened tomato sauce and mozzarella, bell pepper, fresh seasonal mushrooms, garlic slices, onion, peas, rosemary potatoes and bruschetta, and we added Jason's own homemade organic sausage meat. IT WAS AWESOME and I mean AWESOME!!! We didn't seek out organic, it was just on the way home and was convenient. However, it will now be our pizza go-to place.
That was our week. Hope everyone is fine and coping with whatever Mother Nature is hurling at the rest of North America. Until next time, love and hugs to all. xx

15 Feb 2014 - Bahamas were Bah-eautiful

Boarding the Norwegian Sky.

Miami skyline. 

Sunset in the Atlantic

Every night was a different 'animal'.

Atlantis included lots of Jules Verne.

Sea horse through 3/4 " plexiglass.

Scraggly Queen of Atlantas

We didn't go down the slide but did the tube slide in the dark beside it. Awesome!

We arrived back from our cruise yesterday and it was a great holiday! I had never heard of Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) but the service was terrific and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them and return for another cruise. The 'free-style' cruising is a nice change from the more formal kind and we enjoy both.

The drive to Miami was find and except for one small wrong turn, which we were able to quickly fix, we got to the port and parked the car without any difficulty. The process for getting onto the ship was really effortless and they Norwegian staff have good customer service down to a fine science. We were on board by noon and although we didn't have access to our room for a while, we had a beautiful lunch and then wandered around the ship to get our bearings. When we did get in, we were quite happy with the accommodations and may have spoiled future cruises by getting this one with a balcony. We watched the ship pull out from Miami and unpacked. The nightly entertainment on board was great and there were no end of things to do...or to do nothing. We chose to share a table at supper with 2 other couples each night and met some wonderful, interesting people.

Day 2 was a stop at Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas which is a small island owned by NCL and has a beach and snorkeling, jet skis, etc. The one thing it didn't seem to have was any shade and we opted not to go off the ship. I think half, or more of the passengers did get off so we had a wonderful quiet day by the pool, napped and continued to eat non-stop (or so it seemed) the whole day. It was awesome and listening to the sunburned people at supper who did go to the island, we think we made the best choice. The performers who put on the nightly entertainment did an amazing job of performing hits tunes from The Supremes, The Temptations, Gloria Gaynor and more and it was a full-energy show.

Day 3 was AWESOME!! From the time I first heard/saw advertisements for the Atlantis complex in Nassau, I was hooked and our visit there did not disappoint! It was a beautiful, jaw-dropping experience for me and yes....we did a few of the slides and loved it all. We would have done more of the bigger slides but believe it or not, we had about 5 hrs there and with so much to see, there simply wasn't time. As it was, we got lost trying to find our way back to where the bus was picking us up and I think I could do at least 4 days there in order to swim in all the pools, visit all the aquariums, and experience all the slides. The trip down the Lazy River, complete with rapids, was fabulous and we wanted to get right back on our tubes and go again but just not enough time. The entire day was unforgettable and I expect we will do this cruise again, just to get to spend another day here. There are a group of about 25, 15-year-old girls from Mexico celebrating the equivalent of 'Sweet 16' and each one was prettier than the next...and wore tighter, shorter, clothes. It was quite entertaining.

Day 4 was all about shopping in Freeport, Grand Bahamas, and once again, we opted to stay on board. It's duty free in Freeport but, as much as it pains me to say it, I just don't need much of anything and decided to spend some $$$ on a good massage instead as my back has been tight and painful for a couple of weeks. It certainly helped and I had a good sleep that night although I need to do some serious stretching. It was a much cooler day and had rained a bit so we watched some Olympics on television and again, ate and ate and ate and ate and ate.......  That night's entertainment was nothing short of spectacular! The 14 singers and dancers did a Las Vegas show that was top notch and the NCL had spent a lot of money on beautiful costumes--we were impressed. By the time we finished watching the show, it was time to pack and be ready to vacate our room by 9 am the next morning.

Once again, the process for getting off the ship was effortless and we were in the car and on the way home by 9:30 am. We did have another little glitch when Gertie (the GPS) didn't take into account the fact that we are a little stupid and can't follow directions but we got ourselves back on track and on the proper road. We decided to take Hwy 41 aka Alligator Alley back and see if the alligators were still as numerous and big and they were a couple of years ago. Yes and yes. We stopped to pick up a few groceries and when we got into the condo, it felt like we were 'home'. It was a great trip.

This morning we decided to check out one of the many farmer's markets in the area and stock up on some fresh fruits and veggies. No more fries, ice cream, and cream pies....my clothes are more than a little tight! We bought as much as we figured two people can eat in a week and then headed downtown for breakfast or brunch. We forgot that today was the Ferrari Festival and discovered the main street was closed off but found a parking space and went to see what the other half drives. Try to imagine a street that is about 15 blocks long and both sides of the street are lined with privately owned (no car dealers here) Ferraris, Porches (new and antique), Corvettes, Lamborghinis, Rolls Royce's, Audis, and other antique cars! It was mind boggling that even with the obvious wealth in Naples, this many cars would be available to show. We wandered and looked for a while and then sat down to have something to eat and met a lovely couple from the Netherlands who are very familiar with Gorichem, where Wayne's ancestors came from originally. By the time we said goodbye to them, the crowd had grown to being uncomfortable and the temperature was rising to 78 degrees....time to get the heck out of there. We stopped at a gym across the road from us to check out the facilities and Lynnie will be doing the yoga thing starting Monday morning!

Tomorrow will probably be a beach day and I'll continue to fight the urge to collect more shells...and lose. The weather has been beautiful here...in the mid-70's...but is supposed to start rising next week which means the early morning will be the time to do anything that requires physical effort. The afternoon is for napping, shopping, etc. Hope everyone at home is well. I see on FB that little Libby has been out of sorts but is still able to mimic her Daddy's vocabulary. I'm just grateful she wasn't mimicking mine! Until next time, love and hugs to all. xx

9 Feb 2014 - A Cruising We Will Go

This was almost full zoom on the P-a-S camera...impressive!

We saw people fishing, and catching decent sized fish. I guess that is why the dolphins were so close to shore today...maybe 20 feet off shore.

The Osprey with it's catch.

I love the little camera but anxious to see if the larger one can match this.

It was mega hot here yesterday but we spent most of the day at home washing/ironing and getting ready for our cruise to the Bahamas tomorrow. We did go to Hobby Lobby though...OMG...it's my next rainy day project and I will have to take photos. Name something...anything...and this store has it. If Joanne's Fabrics is Michael's on crack, Hobby Lobby is designer crack!

However, today was beach day! Even though the morning was dull and overcast, the weatherman promised sun and heat with a bit of a breeze and he was right! We got there about 10 am and decided today we would set up close to the tram area and wander to wherever....rather than haul stuff back when we were tired and hot. Good decision! We were within 2 minutes of the washrooms and tram area it was a blessing when we left at 3 pm not to have to walk far.

It was a glorious day and we went down to the sand bar to find more...smaller...shells. There were some small pools of water created by some sandbars in the water and the water temperature was pretty enticing. I paddled but it will be a couple of weeks before I get in for a full-on swim. Wayne went in...but he's a down homer who still thinks 70 degrees is reasonable. I'm a Princess and I know it!

My thrill today was to be less than 15 feet away from the Osprey that was sitting in a tree eating a nice big fish it had just caught. The washrooms sit in a building that is on 15 ft stilts and there is a veranda around the top. The Osprey was in a tree at the back side of the building where the photos were taken from. I was sure it would fly away when I walked around the back, even though I crept along quite slowly and quietly. I'm sure all the Ospreys in that area are used to seeing us 2-legged creatures as their nests are also built quite close to the beach. It continued eating and didn't pay much attention to me at all, which was nice.

I'm still using my new point-and-shoot camera and I've got to say, I'm still pretty impressed. The small shore birds are moving constantly and a few of these photos are as good as anything I've taken with the big Mother-cameras. I will continue to see what it is capable of but my conundrum about what photo equipment to take to Africa might not be a problem after all. We'll see.

We will get up early in the morning and head to Miami for our cruise. I think it pulls out about 4 pm but our agent said to be there as soon after lunch as possible....in fact, the cruise company is providing lunch and as soon as the ship is ready we will be able to board. Internet access is 75 cents a minute so needless to say, we will be off the grid for a few days. If the ship sinks, you will know.

Hope all is well at home. If the new is reporting an elderly woman arrested for pushing people out of the way to get to the mega-water slides at Atlantis...you will know who it is as well. Until later, love and hugs to all. xx

6 Feb 2014 - There is Life after Tim Horton

Wayne having his siesta in the sun. Huge Osprey nest in tree behind.

This Osprey came down to the beach for a swim.

The Black Skimmers lined up on the beach for their afternoon siesta.

The week is speeding by - they all do, whether we are in Ottawa or Naples. However, the weeks are just nicer in Naples (sorry people, but it is what it is...right?).

There's a bit of a heat wave going on here (again...sorry) and Wayne came home from the gym the other day looking a bit heat distressed so going earlier in the mornings. I think Fort Myers set a new record as it is not normally this hot for another couple of weeks. We went to the beach one day and hauled chairs, lunch, our nice big shelter, etc. about a mile down the beach...when it was relatively cool. I seem to recall saying that we might be making a mistake being this far from the tram when it came time to go home, and it was. The water is still a bit cool for my liking but I did get in up to the tatas to cool off more than once. On the way back to the tram, I had this vision in my head of chairs (one by one), a cooler, a beautiful shelter and a shit-load of shells discarded and trailing behind us along the beach! The day was memorable as the Osprey's have squawkee, squeelee, babies in their nest and the 3 big nests visible from the beach are very busy. One of the birds decided to come down to the water's edge for a quick dip and it was only about 20 feet from me.

Wayne brought 2 large cans of Tim Horton coffee with us and we clearly underestimated the amount we drink. The first can is nearly gone and we still have 2 months to go before we are anywhere near a Tim Horton regenerating station. While I was picking up groceries the other day, I decided to try the U.S. version of Timmies.......Duncan Donut Coffee. I admit, I bought the smallest bag just in case it turned out to taste like Folgers but surprise....it's good, I mean really, really good! Again, another vision of me no longer bringing kid's clothes home from Syracuse but case after case of DD coffee. Someone save me please.

We have decided that we are staying in the most convenient part of Naples...everything is either close or easy to get to. I put that to the test this week by looking for a place to get a pedicure and a hair trim. I found both less than a block from us and was very happy with the results. I actually woke up the morning after the cut and all my hair wasn't standing up on three sides! Success. Not only that, I managed to find Swim Mart ("We have a bathing suit for every BODY") and after trying on 87 different suits, managed to find 2 that didn't show all the things I don't want shown. Overall, a great day.

I went to my Writer's Group again today and still enjoying it so much. The two hours go by fast and I love that there are always 6 different ways to express the same idea. I'm so glad that I decided to get off my duff and commit to something.

We are looking forward to our cruise next week. We went to the library today and printed off all the forms and tags we need and will head out from here early Monday morning to be there before noon. I know one day we will be in Nassau and I'm hoping that a side trip to Atlantis is one option for the day as I've always wanted to play...I mean see it. We are going to try...TRY...and pack light as this is a Free and Easy Cruise (no formal stuff) and only 4 days. We'll see how that goes.

When Scott was here, Brenda had a pair of those sunglasses that fit over existing glasses (not clip-ons but full sunglasses). She had bought a few pairs at Giant Tiger and after I tried a pair on, I was hooked! I wear progressive lens and find my prescription sunglasses are so heavy that I tend not to wear them. I was very clear about the fact I was going to steal, buy, hide those 'fit-overs' of Brenda's and she would not be going home with them. Bless her heart, she willingly gave them up and I figured my life in the sun was going to get a whole lot better. Unfortunately, one of the arms broke in half on Day 2 and I was upset. In a visit to Bass Pro Shop yesterday for a pair of clip-ons, I commented to the sales person that fit-overs would be my preference but "where would a girl get those except on television or GT". Voila!! BPS had a large selection and I now have the Cadillac version. A small thing to some, I know, but it's one less thing to think about for the trip to 'you-know-where' this fall.

I have mentioned how beautiful Naples is and now that we've been here for a few weeks, here's a few more things we've noticed:
- I 'guestimate' 5 of every 10 cars here is a Lexus. The others would be BMW, Lincoln, and Cadillac.
- This is a WASP city. While the Korean community have the medi/pedi business locked up here as well, there are very few African Americans, and no Muslims (wearing traditional dress).
- Art galleries are bigger, more beautiful, more numerous, and contain more expensive items that Scottsdale, Arizona.
- The Naples Winter Wine Festival raised $13.5 Million this year for underprivileged children at this (yes, only Collier County) year's event. According to yesterday's paper and the website, here's some of the things people bid on and what the final bid was: $900,000 for a 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Lamborghini Aventador, No. 45 of only 100 made; $750,000 for a 2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith; $340,000 for a private jet voyage to China, Singapore, Mauritius, Ethiopia, Qatar, Crete and Seville; $260,000 for two couples to the annual Bulgari high jewelry event in Rome, including four nights and two $25,000 gift cards for Bulgari jewels; and on and on it goes......... Over 14 years, the festival has raised $123.5 Million. Clearly, this is the city in which to be 'underprivileged' I guess.
- every weekend it filled with events. As much as I'd like to be going to the Redneck Yacht Club's Mud Races, I expect we'll probably head over to the Greek Festival.
- This is my city.

I doubt we will get any internet time next week so until we're back on the grid, take care and love and hugs to you all. Be prepared people, I am installing Facetime on my iPod Touch. No-one will be safe!

1 Feb 2014 - Seminole Indians Kick Butt

The gas station we stopped at was near a fenced-off pond that had a wild alligator in it. This photo just epitomizes what I believe we are doing to this planet. His front foot is resting on a plastic bag. 

The ribs were awesome...as was the rest of the meal!

The Seminole Chief

One of the US soldiers. I'm always impressed with how committed these guys are to participating in the re-enactments. It was over 80 degrees today!

A Seminole Indian. They all hand tomahawks so not sure if scalping was common practice.

Friday (yesterday) was Scott and Brenda's last full day in Florida so we drove to Marco Island to spend the afternoon on the beach and have dinner with them before they headed home today.
They are staying at the Hilton and it really is a gorgeous hotel. Scott said they were staying far above their station but I disagreed...we've all worked hard for a lot of years and the rare times when we indulge ourselves is deserved. Besides, anybody that rents a BMW for their vacation probably looks weird staying at a Super 8!
It was overcast at the beach but not a problem for those of us who really don't like to lay out and bake in the sun. We had strawberry daiquiris, poked around for shells, and then headed up to the pool for a while before changing for dinner.
The hotel had a seafood buffet and one look convinced us that it was the logical choice. I'm not sure I could find any type of shell fish or otherwise, including Sushi, that wasn't on that buffet...hot and cold. Wayne and Scott ate crabs legs while I pigged out on Scampi and then we tried a bit of everything else. It was delicious! We even managed to scarf down a piece of chocolate cake and a couple of chocolate covered strawberries! We bid them farewell and hoped they weren't going home to another big storm. They left in a storm and lost one day of their holiday having to spend it in an airport. The weather wasn't spectacular while they were here...a few rainy days but again, no wind chill or frost warnings so not all bad.
Wayne and I headed to the Everglades today to the Seminole Reservation to watch an re-enactment of the Second Seminole Battle. I bought a book that gives the 'short' history of how the Seminole Indians fared at the hands of the US Government but you don't need a book to understand they were treated like all other natives in North America. The re-enactment was good...not quite as impressive as the Civil War ones we saw in Virginia but interesting non-the-less. It was a stinker of a day...80 degrees and we didn't stay quite as long as we'd planned as it was just too hot for me. However we sampled some killer ribs and all the fixings (potato salad, beans, and Native fry bread) and visited a few of the vendors before heading home.
The canals on either side of the I-75 through the Glades were loaded with alligators and I would have loved to stop but once again, there are no shoulders and no stopping permitted. We did stop at the Big Cypress State Park but all the rain we've had over the past couple of days flooded the trail and we had to go back. We weren't prepared to do any hiking anyway but would probably have walked a little way along the trail...it was very tropical. However, it doesn't take much imagination to know that you would really have to know where you were going and what to look for as alligators, snakes, and 'other' wildlife wouldn't be too far away. The panther reserve is also right near there so......
Tomorrow is going to be another hot day and we are planning to hit the beach at Lover`s Key very early in the morning. Low tide is 8:30 am and it`s the best time to find shells that have come in overnight. The plan is to get there by 8:30, get our shelter set up before it gets hot and wander a bit. I suspect if the sun is as hot tomorrow as it was today, we`ll be staying close to the beach shelter except for those times when we are testing the water!
This week I`ll be looking for a hairdresser to get a cut. The heat and humidity are not friends of my hair! Heaven knows there are a kazillion places to get a manicure and pedicure so I won't be embarrassed to wear sandals when we go on the cruise next week!
All is well and it was a great day. We have decided Naples is the place for us and we are going to stop looking for a place to spend the winter...I think we`ve found it!
Until next time, love and hugs to all...especially my baby HoneyBees. xx