Crusing...twice

 

I'm back from a cruise. Actually, I took two cruises, back to back.

I had booked the first 7 day cruise a while back, but I kept wishing it was for a few days longer. Then I got the idea to just schedule the second cruise and extend the fun.

I sailed on the Carnival Mardi Gras. It is a huge ship. It has a different type of layout than other Carnival ships I have been on.

Anyway, I flew down that morning. Everything went smoothly with the flights and boarding the ship. Once onboard, everyone had to wait in the public areas until the cabins were ready.

I spent my time wisely by eating two fish tacos and a cheeseburger!

Here is my cabin. Nice!  Still at port.

The bathroom was good sized too...with an actual shower door rather than a curtain that always tries to cling to your body.

Here is the view from the balcony...leaving port. This is different. I prefer looking out directly over water rather than the lower deck.

Looking the other direction from the balcony. I was surprised to see this Celebrity ship sail out of port...and sort of excited because I have a future cruise booked on it.

I had a short nap in the room then unpacked. Later went to a show. This ship has 2 areas for their main shows. After this show I went to the second one for a later show.  

Slept good! I don't feel any movement or rocking on this ship.

The next day was a day at sea. I had breakfast in the dining room then went to a craft class and made a shell bracelet. 

Skies were cloudy with a couple of rain showers but a big rainbow appeared.

Later the weather cleared up and it was a good day to look around the ship and later watch more shows and comedy acts.

 

Another day at sea on the third day.  I had some quiet reading time on the balcony and tried to get around to different eating areas to try them out.  They have a chicken tenders restaurant and a bagel counter...and more. It's hard to choose!

Later I watched a violin trio - really talented and playing so many types of music. After that a comedy show.

Now THIS is what I'm here for!

This is Tabyana beach in Roatan Honduras. I've been here before and it's one of my favorites. 

I nearly missed my bus trip out here though. My phone time was showing an hour earlier than the ship time. When I realized that, I just had a few minutes to get off the ship and walk to the meeting point. I'm not a fast walker but I did my best and joined the group just as they were leaving.

So beautiful and relaxing.  Shady areas to sit too, which is what I prefer.

This lady was doing massages, or hair braiding. Those green plant leaves may be aloe vera?

Nearby, a gentleman selling coconut milk or coconut drinks.

There was a performer playing a keyboard and singing all day. Not too loud, just pleasant bckground music.

The security person gave me a Honduran dollar which is worth way less than one American dollar. But then I traded him a $5 bill for it. They know what they're doing!

 

But I did ask him to keep an eye on my stuff while I swam a couple of times. 

I didn't bring my snorkel this time at all, trying to use a smaller suitcase for this trip.

 

The day was over too soon.

Back to the ship. Here's a view from the ship while still at port.

I always like to watch the harbor pilot boat.

After sail-away and a shower I went to the deli area and had a reuben sandwich. Meh.

Day 5 was a stop at Cozumel. I took a trip to Kunza Beach. It was lovely and clean but not as peaceful. There was constant loud music playing and also beach games and contests being led by a person with a loud microphone.

What's wrong with just going to a beach and enjoying the ocean and the sun? Why do we need other distracting entertainment and shopping opportunities added?

Except for cold beer...it's okay to have that available. Mustn't get dehydrated!

It was a bit crowded but I had a nice chair in the shade. My face got a bit too much sun yesterday so I slathered on the sunscreen. It was a beautiful day!

The port area in Cozumel has a large modern shopping and restaurant area. I browsed through it a bit before getting back on the ship.

After showering and rinsing out my swimsuit, I picked up a quick meal at the chicken tenders counter and brought it back to my cabin to eat on the balcony.

 I was ready for some quiet time so just stayed in my room the rest of the evening.

Day 6 was a day at sea. After breakfast, I went to a craft class...embroidery on a card. Next, I watched a baby crawling contest - cute! 

I walked up to the adults only area. Nice and quiet up there early. 

See how close they have these lounger seats placed. Not really much personal space. I read there for a while but, when someone lay down in the next lounger, it was just to close, so I went back to my cabin and my own balcony.

I spent the afternoon reading and stitching on my balcony....until it was time to go to the Diamond and Platinum party.  This is Carnival's party for those passengers who have taken a lot of cruises.  I have 94 cruise days with Carnival before this cruise!

The party used to be free drinks for an hour but now it's just one drink per person...limited to a few choices.  Still it was a fun gathering with music, ships officers introduced, and awards given to oldest and youngest cruisers and to those with the most cruise days.

Later I had dinner at an Italian specialty restaurant. Normally an extra charge but first meal is complimentary. Then went to a musical performance in the big central show room.  Enjoyable!

Well, this is getting long. I'll write another post for part two.

Lazy January

 

January is a good time to take things a little slower.

Just stretch out on the rug and let some sunshine warm your belly!

This deer was taking it slow one frosty morning too. There were actually 2 laying down out there in the back yard but one was behind a tree.

Sort of unusual to see them laying out in the open like that.

I guess January is also a good time for cleaning and sorting household items.

I've done some of that.  I bought a new toilet seat and put it on to start the new year right!

I've also been getting clothes gathered to take on a cruise.

I'll be heading for warmer weather and sunny skies!

This year comes to a close

My quilting group, Crazy Quilters, got together for our holiday party. We joined with another group, Sew Busy, to have a pot luck meal and play games.

Lots of goodies on the buffet table!

Chips and desserts too!  That big cake is a cheesecake. I absolutely had to have a small slice of that.

One member even brought her fancy punch bowl and put together a holiday punch recipe.

We all played a dice game to bet with fabric fat quarters. The winners take all.

Some members bring in their unneeded sewing items, some wrapped, for door prizes. This time there were even a couple of potted plants in packages.

I won this jar of M&Ms by guessing closest as to how many were in the jar.

Yes, it was full at the time but I've eaten a few.

It's a battle dealing with diabetes at Christmas time. The little bag of Hershey Kisses was a holiday treat from the leader of my non-fiction book club.

Then any sense of control over eating sweets went out the window when I received this box of Sharps saddle candies (like Turtles) from the pizza company.

So hard to resist and it's a good quality candy. At least I was able to send a large portion of these home with the Sasquatch.

I got another fun package in the mail that didn't raise my blood sugar...a fabric order from Connecting Threads.  They had a huge sale in November and all these fabrics were $3 per yard. It took them over a month to get caught up shipping orders.

They always package the fabric folded inside-out. Here it is refolded and ready to put away. I certainly didn't need more fabric but who could pass up such a good deal?

I finally got concerned enough about an issue with my heart beating too fast (I have a-fib) and I was also feeling a new fluttering sensation occasionally.

I went to my cardiologist and he had the nurse fit me with a Holter monitor to wear for 3 days.

These monitors are so different than just a few years ago. They used to be a black box sort of thing that you wore from a strap hanging around your neck.

Now it's a stick-on device that you remove at home after 3 days, then just mail it in the included box. So easy. Okay to shower with it on too.

Last year I cleared out and donated a lot of Christmas decorations.

I now just have a few of my favorite and simple things left. 

Just right for a quiet peaceful holiday.

The Sasquatch made some festive holiday drinks to celebrate.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Lots of snow days!

 Snowfall on December 2nd let us know winter season is here. 

Pretty to look out and see every branch and little twig on the trees frosted with a layer of snow.

The sky was gray and gloomy. All color erased - almost.  

And the snow stayed around, with a long cold spell.

Then, on December 8th...more snow! Big fluffy flakes fell quickly!

So cozy to sit in the recliner, covered with my Christmas quilt, watching the snow come down.

On December 12th...more snow!

Quite a bit! You can see how much accumulated here on the chair and flower pot on the back porch.

I'm so glad I don't need to go out in it for any reason...or worry about having the driveway cleared.

The highway department has done a great job keeping the road  here cleared.

One more light snow fell on December 14th. Not so bad because the forecast was for warmer weather so it would all be melting.

Poor Puss found it very irritating...you can tell by how she has her ears turned back. She doesn't like to walk through snow with her dainty little paws.

The Sasquatch and I made a big batch of fried fish. He has been trying out some Weisenberger products so we used their batter mix and hushpuppy mix.

Both were good! The batter clung to the fish and stayed on while frying.

The hushpuppy mix was tasty.

The fish was a big package from Costco so we each had leftovers to eat the next day. 

I forgot to take a picture after it was all cooked.

We had originally planned to do the frying outside on an electric burner but it was too cold to get good results like that...so yes, it left a fried fish smell in the house for a few days.

After we finished a jigsaw puzzle, the Sasquatch bought another that will be a real challenge. It's Van Gogh, Starry Night, and it's double the pieces...2000!

We turned the dining table sideways to make it easier to work on.

Puss keeps us company near by in her bed by the heat vent.

She looks pretty cozy!

Late November

 There has been a bit of activity in the field next door.  They made an attempt to mow down the brushy growth next to the property line.

It was too thick and dense to handle with that equipment.

Looking out the window...you can see how close that property is to my driveway. 

Another day I looked out and saw a truck pulled in there with a garden shed on a trailer. 

I thought at first that it was good news, and that they only wanted a hunting shack over there.

But nope...it was only a shed delivery company parking there...to deliver a shed to the house across the street.

That shed looks like it's missing a wall, but now the homeowner has hung plastic sheeting on that side. I guess for a greenhouse?

Not very attractive.

I need to mind my own business, I guess and focus on happy things.

We did have a lovely rainbow on November 18th. Sort of unusual to see them at this time of the year. I can't remember ever seeing one in that position in the sky. In the summer I see them more over to the right.

Looking out this same window one morning, two small deer munching around on some of the remaining brush line.

The ladies in my quilting group have been busy and productive sewing squares that we will use to make a couple of quilts for donation in 2026.

The mix of everyone's bright fabrics will make a cheerful happy quilt.

The blocks are just laid out here...not joined together yet.

For the first time ever, I got a Buckeye off of my tree. Only one and it's a small one.

The tree has bloomed several times but as far as I know, never developed the buckeyes.

The Sasquatch and I have started working on a jigsaw puzzle. It's something different for us and a good thing to do on these evenings when it gets dark so early.

This one is 1000 pieces.

It's fun and maybe better than sitting like a slug in front of the TV. 

The Sasquatch has already picked up the next one to put together. It's 2000 pieces!

Early fall

 Plumbing!  Seems like I never go too long without some sort of plumbing problem.

I just recently finished paying the water bills for the leak in the line into my house right before I left on vacation. Two months worth. Usually my bill is only their minimum charge per month of $38.

I had heard that the water company would give you a break on your bill when you had a major leak...but no, they don't.

Then another plumbing leak. This time - a shower faucet.

I wanted to switch to using an independent plumber, rather than one of the bigger companies, with their inflexible price lists.

I used Hornback Plumbing, but I learned they have also been bought out by a large service company.

Good service though...on time, polite uniformed plumber. The repair was finished quickly after he had to leave to pick up parts.

I would use this company again.

I haven't made soup in a while so I made a batch of beef, cabbage, and bean soup.

The weather is still nice for sitting and stitching on the back porch.  I finished the Swedish Weaving dish towel.

Some inside sewing too...quilting this throw size quilt.  It's not a patchwork quilt...just some fabric I like with a border sewn around it.

I layered it with batting and this IKEA fabric for the back.  The IKEA fabric is more of a heavier weight decorating type fabric. Easy enough to quilt through though.

I've been seeing some pretty fall color...

The sun was really lighting up this dogwood tree with firey red color.  I can't quite capture the effect with the camera.

One sunny afternoon after a cool spell, the lady beetles were swarming and looking for a place to overwinter. They were all over the back of the house and screen porch. Hundreds or thousands of them. 

So far only a few have made it into the house.

No big problems yet with stink bugs getting inside the house yet this year either.

 I really hate those things. Puss hates them too! She always has to sniff everything she sees...but she knows to give stink bugs a wide berth!