Unseasonably warm

 Going into winter, it's comforting to have plenty of food in the freezer just in case a heavy snow keeps everyone from getting out to get groceries.

But at this time of year it's starting to seem like I have stuff in the freezer that now needs to be "used up".  Well, I'm working on it.

I thawed out a package of leftover ham and made cabbage soup. It's enough for 6 large portions.

 

That's a start, anyway.

It has been unbelievably warm this past week. Nice sunny days too.

The Sasquatch fixed up some grow bags planted with potatoes that had sprouted at his house. He had more than he wanted so he brought me one to take care of...and also a lot of little mini potatoes that have sprouted too.  Might as well stick those in the ground somewhere.

It's too early in the year to do most outside work so I just spent these warm afternoons sitting out back and stitching the binding down on my Tumbling Blocks quilt.

I laid down a patio chair cushion so Puss could join me.

I'm sure we'll have lots more cold weather but it's so nice to feel the warmth of the sun during this warm spell.

Just back from a cruise

 I'm just back home after a fun cruise.  I booked with Carnival again...a ship I've sailed on before  - the Vista.

Here's what it looked like at home the day before I left...

Here's what it looked like in Florida from the shuttle bus heading to the cruise port...

A bit more overcast later in the day and around 70 degrees when we left Port Canaveral.

This was the view from my balcony after we set sail.

Later that evening I went to two comedy shows. Both were good. They keep the early evening comedy shows suitable for everyone. No off-color language.

The next  morning this was my view from my bed...

And the TV is right there too if a lazy morning is on the schedule!

But I went down for coffee and breakfast. A breakfast burrito with pico de gallo. I ate at an outdoor table near the pool.

The weather turned a bit drizzly so I went to an indoor craft class. It was still sprinkling a bit after that so I went to a movie in their Imax theater. It was a new Bob Dylan movie,     " A Complete Unknown".  Really enjoyable with the giant screen.

 After lunch it seemed like a good time for a nap.

Carnival still has one or two formal dress evenings on each cruise and that evening was the first one.  I didn't feel like getting gussied up...and I wasn't dining in the dining room...so I just put on a decent looking pants and blouse outfit.

I found a seat overlooking the bar area in the atrium to do some people watching and see those who dressed in their fancy outfits. Violin players there to the left.

After that it was the main evening show. It was a musical production with singers and dancers. Fun to watch and I had a pretty good seat.

Day three had warm sunny weather so I spent time on my balcony...and of course eating, craft class and evening show. 

When I booked my cabin, I didn't realize that the deck above extended out and made an overhang above my balcony. A perfect set up...creating shade (or a bit of light rain protection). 

 I'll bear this in mind when I take another cruise, but also one needs to think about which side of the ship would be most shady.  That would change also, depending on if you are cruising south or returning heading north.

Day four we pulled into port at Aruba.

I caught an open air shuttle bus to Eagle Beach.

It's a huge wide beach with white sand and beautiful blue ocean.  I could see chair rental areas in the distance but they had the chairs all lined up close together and they were crowded.

I just spread my towel in the sand for some beach time. I went in the ocean too. Nice clear water.  I could live here!

We didn't sail from Aruba until around 10:00 pm. Nice to have plenty of time ashore and not have to worry about boarding time.  Of course, I was back on board and enjoying the view from my balcony well before dark.

Day five we docked at Caracau just after breakfast. I caught a shuttle van to Mambo Beach. A nice beach but very popular and crowded. They charged a small entry fee and I rented a chair in one of those dreaded lined up chair areas.

That worked up a thirst and I ordered a "local" beer. They handed me this one which is made in the Netherlands.  Huh?  Oh, because Caracau is a territory of the Netherlands.

I swam a couple of times. The water was calm and protected by a man made rock breaker.

I had my snorkel mask so snorkeled a bit out near the breaker. There were a few small fish.

Here is Curacau port from my balcony. Watching all the last minute boarding passengers rushing to beat the boarding time cut off.

Day six was another sea day. I spent some time looking at each deck of the ship...except for the decks that were staterooms only.  Here's the rear of the ship...or aft.

And here is the mid ship main pool area. You can see the giant slide and kids play area in the back.

Day seven was the third and last port, Grand Turk. A great port because you can walk off the ship and the beach is right there.

I had arranged to rent a "clam shell" on the beach...for sun protection...and a bit of a change from sitting elbow to elbow in beach chairs.

It was a good decision! Private and relaxing.

Happy face!

Towards the end of the day I imagined watching the ship sail away while I stayed there living in the clam shell. I'd get my meals at Margaritaville there on the beach.

But, I snapped out of it and boarded the ship when it was time.

I took this photo walking up the pier back to the ship.  From the beach it seems like the ships are really close but it's just because they're so huge.

Sailing away...good-by blue Caribbean.

The last day was a day at sea. Carnival had a special gathering for those who have taken lots of past cruises with them. 

There was entertainment, the ship's officers made an appearance, a few cruisers won prizes...and drumroll...free alcoholic beverages during that hour.

I enjoyed some balcony time that afternoon then later got my suitcase packed. 

The room steward places a towel animal on the bed each day and I made a collection of them on the sofa. 

So the next morning it was a quick breakfast then debark the ship. My flight home was scheduled for later in the day so I took a wildlife tour to pass some of the time.

It was fun...on an open boat through a mangrove lagoon.

We saw lots of birds including baby pelicans in a nest. There were several dolphins but they surface and dive so fast it's impossible to get a photo.

Also a couple of manatees were visible just beneath the surface of the water.

Besides the wildlife it was fun to see the homes built around the lagoon.

Travel home went fine with flights on time. Good to be back to the familiar comforts of home and my grumpy kitty.