Late September

 Summer is winding down and I'm certainly glad for the lower temperatures.

I did some pet-sitting for the Sasquatch's cat, "Kitty" while he was out of town.

She is a sweet and friendly cat and eats like a lumberjack! 

I went to an event held by Kentucky Wild to pick up a tee shirt for the Sasquatch.

Kentucky Wild is a membership conservation program sponsored by Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife.

There were lots of booths to visit...including one that sold nice looking native plants. I managed to walk away without buying any.

I picked out a nice blue tee shirt for the Sasquatch. 

I arranged for the pool company, Dale's Pools, to winterize and cover the pool.

Thay are fast and reliable. Things always look a bit sad and dreary when the cover goes on. I miss that sparkling water, but it's nice to get a break from pool care.

See those 3 tall zinnias right in the middle of the photo above?  I certainly didn't plant those there. They came up on their own so I just left them. I've been walking around  them all summer.

Below is a pretty plant I'd like to have more of next year. It's a Mole Bean. The Sasquatch started them from seeds. Attractive leaves and blooms, then the brightly colored seed pods develop.

The plant with the red bloom below, is a Cardinal Climber that my friend, Izzy, gave me.

She was worried that it might not grow large enough to develop blooms this year...but it took off quickly, climbing and mounding and covered with pretty red blooms.

I though I had a photo of it but I only have this one that I took with a Morning Glory blooming close by.  I just love the bright  colors together!

It's been good weather for sitting on the back porch in the evening and doing some sewing.

This is a "Swedish Weaving" project - a dish towel - that I'm learning in a class at the extension office.

It's kind of an old fashioned craft, but fun to learn something different.

I've also sewn the binding on a little quilt.

 

Of course my little companion, Puss, is napping nearby...such curled up cuteness!

Then I made a problem for myself with some un-sewing!  I wanted to remove the back pocket flaps from these new capri pants I'd bought for the cruise.  They seemed to just stick out bumpy and lumpy.

The flaps were really tacked down good and I see threads are broken in the fabric.

Sheesh! Now I need to figure out how to fix this.

My Father

  My brother and sister and I, bid a sad last goodbye to our father.

Fred Len Deckmann

March 21, 1937 to September 13, 2025

At age 88, he was the last living family member of that generation including all the aunts and uncles on both sides of our family.

He put forth his best effort in everything he did. He was a good provider and a good family man. He was always ready to help with a problem.

We learned a lot of basic and valuable life lessons from my Dad...

Be responsible and reliable, treat people fairly.

Be a dependable worker and earn money when you can.

Don't waste things, not money, not food, not items that could be useful.

Don't mope around feeling sorry for yourself.

Do your best.

He didn't necessarily say these things in words, but more by example.

My Dad had an ability to fix and repair things...especially cars. He had a real interest in cars...not sports cars or race cars...more like an interest in motors and how cars work.

Family vacations would generally include a visit to a car museum.

My Dad was a good family man...making sure we had everything we needed...a nice home, food, clothes, toys, plus a yearly summer beach vacation in Florida.

Besides helping with the later life needs of grandparents on both sides of the family, my Dad took on the role of care giver for my Mother after her stroke.

During those years, he also provided care for his brother after he was diagnosed with a terminal illness.  

Later, even after my Dad was dealing with his own health problems, he checked on my brother in the nursing home and took care of his house and dogs.

My Dad had such drive and self discipline...it was hard to imagine that he wouldn't be able to just keep going.

There is so much more that I could share but I'll sum it up by saying...the world has lost one of the truly good men.

You will always be remembered.

A cruise - part 3

 Next, on my  cruise, was another day at sea. Late morning, crew members were coming  around the decks telling everyone we had to go inside.

A helicopter medical evacuation was going take place, so no passengers would be allowed outside until it was over.  I couldn't see anything but heard the helicopter and saw it flying away.

I read later that a passenger had fallen into a diabetic coma. The ship was 5 hours from any port so that's why they needed the helicopter. The person did recover.

No helicopter landing pad on this ship so the helicopter had to hover while the rescue was taking place.

It was good to see how quickly and efficiently the emergency was handled by he crew and staff.  Even before that event was cleared, there was another announcement "alpha alpha alpha"...another  passenger with a medical problem.

I happened to be in the area of this one. Crew arrived, held up a sheet for privacy and loaded the passenger on a gurney. No helicopter ride for this one.

Aside from that it was a relaxing day. I ate watermelon 3 times (and other stuff too).

There were a series of talks most afternoons about WWII. Interesting, but made audience members a bit sleepy...me included, so there was a nap afterward.

That evening was a musical show in the theater. Afterward, lots of us were drawn outside to enjoy a particularly beautiful sunset. The color was so much more intense than my photo shows.

The  next port stop was Sydney Nova Scotia. I had to meet at 7:30 am for my bus tour, so I'd ordered a room service breakfast the night before.

The tour was a trip along part of the Cabot Trail. A well known scenic drive.

Again, the photos are nothing like seeing it in person.

 

It was an all day tour so lunch was included. Seafood chowder again, sandwiches, and mussels. Dessert too.  I did not eat mussels. I've never tried them and they don't look appealing to me.

Again, the guide was top notch, with a wealth of information, pictures and articles to pass around...music from the area...really giving us a good visit.

It is a beautiful area. I'd like to go back sometime and drive the entire Cabot Trail.

Later listened to a girl band in the Centrum. They were so talented. Enjoyable.

The theater show that night was a magician. He was talented too, but I'm not really a fan of magic acts.  Didn't want to pass it up though.

Our final port stop was Halifax Nova Scotia. This town is known for it's part in the recovery of the bodies of those who died in the Titanic disaster. Many of the victims are buried here.

 

They have a museum with a Titanic exhibit but I chose another bus tour to see more of the countryside.

This time it was a double decker bus, but fully enclosed. I rode up top for the best view.

We had a tour around the city then up along the coast.

The main stop was Peggy's Cove...a small scenic fishing village.

It was overrated and ridiculously crowded because there were seven tour buses visiting here at the same time.

We had 45 minutes to stroll around...but a big chunk of that time was spent in crazy long lines for the bathrooms. 

Would not recommend this area.

Lots of lobster traps stacked along the way on these bus tours. 

Here is examples of the old wooden kind used for years.

On the bottom is the new metal style used more nowadays.

More lovely scenery on our drive looping around back to the ship. 

Here is the harbor pilot guiding us out at sail away time.

The cruise wound down with the two final days at sea.

It hard to make out in my photo, but we had dolphins and some whales swimming alongside the ship for a pretty good while. 

The dolphins were easy to spot but the whales only gave away their location by spouting water. By watching closely after the spout one could see a quick flash of the whale's back.

Late afternoon, a heavy fog developed.

I had just walked out on deck when the ship fog horn went off for the first time.

I nearly jumped out of my skin!

It blew several times periodically until the fog cleared.

A really good show in the theater that night. A music group playing older popular rock songs...just like the original performers played them.

A very talented and energetic group!

Awww, it's the last day. I enjoyed some early morning quiet time with coffee on the pool deck.

Later went to a question/answer session with the captain (he's a cutie!) and the hotel director and a couple of other crew members.

Then to my cabin to get started on packing a few things.  Then back out on deck. This time to the upper deck for awhile. Sunny and warm but extremely windy up there.

I had one last fruity drink and then dinner at the buffet.

Back out on deck a beautiful full moon rising over the ocean.

A lovely end to the cruise.

Usually I get a bit homesick when I'm away. This time I could have continued this vacation a while longer.

A cruise - part 2

 The first port stop on my cruise was Boston. It's an industrial port as well.

I had a bus tour lined up to see the city, including the historic areas and to go to the Prudential Building, where they have an observation floor.

When you go in, there is a dedicated elevator that takes you straight up to the 52nd floor!

There are glass walls on all sides for remarkable views of the city.

Then you can take a different elevator up one more floor where there is another level with glass walls...this time open at the top! It circled the building too.

Sort of a scary feeling for me! 

Fun though. It was the best part of the tour.  The tour guide had to deal with a non-working microphone on the bus and had to shout all her information...competing with the roar of the air conditioner fans.

But still a good tour and I saw lots of changes since I visited Boston about 28 years ago.

Back on the ship is was a "dress your best" night. It seems that many people are getting away from packing formal wear, including me...so it was fine just to wear black pants and a nice top.

Entertainment was a former Olympic gymnast. He not only did a pretty amazing routine...

He also had some hilarious comedy skits...like this one where he flipped up into a handstand, revealing a pharaoh head under his robe...then waved his legs back and forth to the song "Walk Like an Egyptian".

Later in the cruise he also gave a talk on improving your memory. I guess I needed it because I forgot and left my hearing aids in the cabin...so I couldn't hear much of what was said.

This was a nice area of the ship called the Solarium. Covered but with slide open windows. A quieter area so a good place to read or take a little snooze in the lounge chairs.

There is a pool in there and hot tubs (I never get in either) and in the back is a small restaurant counter where you can get sandwiches, snacks, fruit, desserts and coffee.

That's where I went for breakfast most mornings.  Better just to order one thing than to go up to the buffet and try to eat a bit of everything!

Our next port was Saint John.  It was a bit chilly this morning. Pulling into port...scenic on this side...

Industrial on this side. There's a container ship being loaded (or unloaded).

Before the cruise I thought the port was St John's in Newfoundland...but I was mistaken. It is Saint John in New Brunswick.

I only realized it when the tour guide was saying that many people make this same mistake.

Oh well, I haven't been to either place before.

I chose a bus tour for the day. The guide was great with lots of info and facts to share about the area. 

The first stop was at the Bay of Fundy, which is known for having the world's highest rising tides. This spot is where the St John River flows into the bay in the morning.

We came back to this area late in the day and the high tides cause the water in the bay to reverse and flow back into the river.  It's called the Reversing Falls.

Unfortunately not so scenic because of the paper mill built here.

Lots of other stops during this day long tour. An Irish Pub where we had a Canadian beer, Moosehead, and were entertained by a singer.

Also this market with handcrafted items, groceries and snacks.

Another area with shops and a little lighthouse.

I saw lots of these shrubs but the guide wasn't sure what they are called.

Covered bridges.

A lunch was included with the tour...seafood chowder (it was good, and filling) with a biscuit and a cookie.

We stopped at a rocky beach with some caves in the cliff. Anyone who wanted to walk over to them had to hurry because the tide was rising. I just looked for a couple of souvenir rocks (which we are not supposed to take on the ship, shhh!).

Then a long drive back to the ship. A good tour, a good day.

Dinner at the buffet then an audience participation show sort of like the Newlywed Game, funny.  Then afterwards a comedian, not very funny.

Well, this is getting long too, so I'll have to add Part Three.

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