Preparing for Lakeland

Hard to believe I've been back from the cruise a week already.

Tempus fugit.

This week I've been making arrangements for my trip to Lakeland, FL, for the NAWCC mid-winter regional watch/clock show, and visit with my friends, Gene and Pegg Johnson, in St. Pete Beach. My Powerpoint presentation is ready, and I've confirmed with the show chairman that computer and data projector will be there, so all I have to bring is a thumb drive with my program on it. Amazing. For accommodations, I've reserved an airbnb at a home in Lakeland with host "Melissah." 

For the show, I'm just staying one night (Friday) and decided to drive to Lakeland on Friday morning direct to the show rather than staying over Thursday night and incurring another night's lodging expense. It's about a 2.5 hour drive from Ft. Myers to Lakeland, and my presentation is at 10:30 a.m.. So if I leave by 7 a.m., I should  be fine. I'll leave the show about noon Saturday and drive to St. Pete Beach to stay 2 overnights with Gene and Pegg. Look forward to catching up with them, swimming, dining out, and relaxing.

Received the sad news Sunday (1/29) night that (sis-in-law and cruise buddy) Julie's mom -- Mary Weisner -- passed away on Tuesday 1/24. This happened while Julie was on her way back to Wisconsin from our Caribbean cruise. Mary was 91. Among her many accomplishments, she obtained a degree in biology at UW-Platteville, and was an event/convention coordinator for hotels, including the Concourse Hotel and Convention Center in Madison, from which she retired in 1992.

I have many happy memories of holidays spent at Mary's home in Stevens Point. She was witty, funny, and we both had an affinity to cocktails. Condolences to Julie and the family, and rest in peace dear Mary.

Also this past weekend, I bought plane tickets for Julie and I for what will be the first leg of our Australia adventure this coming September. We will spend a week in Hawaii before boarding Royal Caribbean's "Radiance of the Seas" in Honolulu for the 18-day cruise to Sydney. I found a great deal on Alaska Airlines for $391 PP out of O'Hare to Kona, with a 3.5-hour layover in Seattle which will give us a chance to stretch our legs. We'll leave O'Hare at 6 a.m. and arrive in Kona 3:05 p.m. local time. In all, we will be in the air 10 hours and 35 minutes, for a distance of 4,402 miles, and the total journey time will be just a hair over 14 hours including the layover. We "gain" five hours' time as we are flying westward, so even though we arrive 3:05 p.m., our bodies will feel as though it's 8:05 p.m. So needless to say, it will be a "chill day" for the first day on the Big Island!

So departure is still 7.5 months away, but it will be here before we know it. And there are so many plans and reservations to make for both Hawaii and Australia that I may even enlist the help of a travel agent or planner. But at least the flight to Hawaii is booked and paid, and of course the cruise is booked (but not paid for, except for a token deposit!).

Dawn and I tried a new restaurant yesterday (Sunday). Hungry for a Chicago-style Italian beef sandwich, we found the "Chicago Boys Bar and Grill." $32 for two sandwiches with tater tots, a soft drink, and 2 glasses of Rolling Rock for me. Sad to say, it was merely average. The beef was processed, and the tots were over-fried. There were about 2 strips each of green pepper and onion, for which I was charged $1 for EACH. About the best I can say is that the 16-ounce Rolling Rock taps were only $2 each. We won't be going back, and we can add Italian beef sandwiches to the list of things you can't get down here, along with pizza and cheese spread!

Got to the gym once this past week, and today walked a 1.25 lap around Lakes Park. Trying to get back on a regular exercise program following the gastronomic overload on the cruise.

Hope everyone back in Wisconsin is well. Looks like you're all going through another cold spell. As I write this, it's 15 degrees in Madison, and you'll be in single digits for lows this week. We're in the 70s this week, climbing into the low 80s by Saturday, and sunshine aplenty.

Bruce

Cruise update Jan. 23

Friday Jan. 20 Phillipsburg St. Maarten

Our last port of call. Up at 7 a.m. and breakfast in the 'Jammer of bran muffin, fresh fruit, yogurt, and coffee. Set out for Phillipsburg about 10 a.m. We are the only cruise ship in port today, so streets are open, but we are being accosted more frequently by vendors, especially since we are "marked" with wristbands for the water taxi to and from the ship. Julie and I head straight for "That Yoda Guy" museum on Front Street.  It was not open, so Julie and I split and I hung out at a kiosk bar for about an hour drinking three cold Heinekens. Returned to the museum and it was open. The place is run by Nick Maley and his wife, Gloria. Nick has created puppets and figures for approx. 50 movies, but is best known for creating the Yoda figure for Star Wars Episode Five. The place is regularly featured on Tripadvisor among the 10 top things to do in Phillipsburg.

The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) notes that his last movie credit was in 1985, but since that time he has devoted himself to this nonprofit museum, also giving inspirational talks, painting, and running a small "Yoda fantasy" hotel on the island. Both he and Gloria are charming people. And they had time to talk with me because they weren't too busy, owing to only one cruise ship being in port. Gloria made me up a special montage poster, and Nick signed it and put a dedication on it.

This was a special moment for me because I'm a big fan of the original Star Wars trilogy, and to meet someone who was so involved with one of the key characters was a real treat.

 Jan. 21 and 22

The two days at sea to travel the 1,200 miles back to Fort Lauderdale provide some down time for reading and some reflection on the trip. I finished "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown, and in all I read five books on this trip, consisting of three paperbacks and two Kindle electronic books. This was certainly a treat since I rarely have time to devote to such reading. The nightly shows during this time were a second production show by the RC Singers and Dancers called "Broadway to the Big Screen." They did numbers from West Side Story, Hairspray, Chicago, and a couple others which I did not recognize. The other show was a comedian who was very funny and talked about the differences in raising children from our generation versus the current generation and their obsession with keeping their kids "safe" and being involved with absolutely every aspect of their lives. Very funny stuff. Flashbacks of childhood and riding in cars with no safety belts and Dad smoking with all the windows rolled up.

Saturday was lobster night in the dining room, and I ate three tails ... delicious. Lobster was even served in the 'Jammer on Sunday (a first, at least in my experience) so got a fourth tail as well. Yummy.

Back in Ft. Lauderdale Monday morning, and we left the ship about 8 a.m., gathered our luggage, went through customs, boarded the shuttle to the Homewood Suites, and Julie and I were on the road to Ft. Myers by about 9:30 a.m.

Reflections.

1. With a few exceptions, all the ports are looking more and more alike to me. Maybe part of that is because Julie and I are not spending the money on shore excursions, and are thus only running the gauntlet of tourist traps and shops that run the shoreline where the cruise ships dock. Beyond that perimeter of prime real estate lies ghetto. Seriously, the streets and sidewalks in such a state of disrepair that you really have to be careful not to twist an ankles, or downright fall, or in some cases get hit by a car or truck when the sidewalk mysteriously disappears and becomes part of the road for a stretch! There are people begging, and many more who appear to be milling about with no purpose, and they look angry.

Of course, those on RC's shore excursions are quickly whisked past of this poverty and degradation to the islands' pristine places, the beaches, the rainforests and waterfalls, the coral reefs, and the ziplines above the jungle canopy.

And thus lies the great paradox of these islands: The very people who inhabit these islands as to be downright dangerous to traverse. Still I am compelled to at least get off  can't afford to visit these nice places, despite the fact that (supposedly) the islands' number one source of revenue is tourism. Where are all these tourism dollars going? Because from what I can see, it's not going toward basic infrastructure or to better the lives of the people who live there.

I know ... wa, wa, wa. What is a person to do? Should I stop cruising? Should we all stop cruising? I don't think so. This will only put the islands in deeper shit, both literally and figuratively. So I will keep cruising. And I will continue to get off at the ports, if only to step on dry land for a while and admire the beauty, even if somewhat thinly veiled. In the end, I think it's a case of the old adage, "It's a nice place to visit ..."

2. I am more and more becoming aware that RC (and probably every other cruise line) is adopting the economic model of the movie theaters where they break even on the movie, but it's the popcorn that pays the bills. In RC's case, the "movie" is the cruise, and the "popcorn" is the booze (fueled by all the night-time parties and social events) and the shore excursions. I mean, Julie and I each spent $1,300 on the "basic" cruise and I don't think RC made a whole lot of money on either one of us when you consider the "basic" cruise includes your room (made up every day), 24-hour access to food, pool and beautiful public areas, live music throughout the ship, and live entertainment every night. Julie and I could have easily ... EASILY ... spent another $1,000 apiece on upgrades, but we didn't. So I don't think I'll ever be one those customers that RC personally calls two weeks before the cruise to upgrade me to a suite for $100 extra! And that's OK. I still think cruising is one of the best travel bargains around. The secret (or at least one of them) to cruising is to tune out all the noise before and during the cruise to buy the popcorn, and be content with the movie. And, at least for me, it ain't all that hard to do, folks!

Bruce

Cruise update Jan. 19

Jan. 18 After finishing my walk in Roseau St. Kitts (including buying a hula shirt), I went back to the ship and changed in swim suit and took a refreshing dip in the salt water pool. Lunch of roast beef sandwiches and lemonade in the Jammer. Reading “Reliquary”, then a nice little afternoon nap. Dinner of cilantro crusted cod was not the best …fish was OK, but had to scrape off the breading. Cherries Jubilee for dessert made up for it! Lost $50 in the casino tonight … DAMN! That's 3 losing nights in a row after a stellar 2-night winning streak for $150. Show tonight was a ventriloquist/comedian, and he was very funny! Read some more of my book in the stateroom then fell asleep.

Jan. 19. Up at 7 a.m. and breakfast in the 'Jammer of corn beef hash with three over easy eggs. Left ship 10 a.m. for St. John's Antigua. Did a little walking tour with Julie, stopped at a bakery and had a sweet roll to sample some local pastry. OK, not great, and no coffee. Now sitting in “Cheers” a pier bar, sipping a cold Carib and updating the blog. Little more expensive here, $5 a beer, but I couldn’t find wi-fi elsewhere, and the wifi here ain't so good. Bartender truly indifferent. But nice weather, 80 degrees with a breeze.

Bruce

Cruise post Jan. 17

rest of  Monday, Jan. 16: Found no fresh fish on Tortola yesterday. Weird. Lots of American food, Chinese food, and lots of chicken. Back to ship and had lunch at Windjammer. Found Julie in the Solarium and sat with her a while, then headed to stateroom for a shower (sweat and sunscreen ... yuck). Dinner of broiled pork chop, salad, and warm choc. lava cake for dessert ... my fave dessert so far! Also spent a little more of my $75 ship's credit and had a glass of pinot grigio with dinner.

Lost $15 at the craps table, but still money ahead. Good show in the theater tonight of the two lead singers from the RC Singers doing a roster of their own hand-picked favorites. The female knocked it out of the park with Whitney Houston's "If I Don't Have You."

Jan. 17 Here at Basseterre St. Kitts. Our ship had to port at the commercial dock because the cruise ship dock is already full with two other cruise ships, RC's "Jewel" and a Carnival ship. I'm here at a kiosk bar in the port district having a couple cold Caribs and updating the blog. In a few minutes I'm headed to an outside BBQ place where the guy is doing chicken and LOBSTERS!!! Huge fresh caught lobsters. I found this guy last year in St. Kitts but was too full from breakfast. So today I ate a scant breakfast in the hopes of relocating this guy, and indeed I found him. I'll take a picture and tell you more about this guy later. Julie and I did a little walking this a.m. and found a bakery where I had a pastry. But we found little else, and so came back to the port area. We are now separated, so I fear Julie will not have a chance to partake.

CRAP! No lobsters! Lobster Guy kept telling me "they are coming". Waited two hours, and they weren't ever breathing hard (off color joke there), so bailed. Back to ship and lunch at the 'Jammer of a salad with salami and cheese cut up in it, kind of like a Porta salad back in Madison. Showered and got the sweat and sunscreen off. Read for a while, then down for a nap. Dinner tonight of tempura breaded pollack and two shrimp. Beef roll-ups with cream cheese center for appetizer, and a scrumptious Boston Cream pie for dessert. Rolled the dice in the casino and lost $21. Sill ahead though. Show tonight was Gary Lovini, a violin virtuoso since the age of 12. He as excellent and performed a variety of music along with the ship's orchestra. He wandered through the audience playing songs while the orchestra backed him up. Julie was so impressed she bought a CD after the show. Back in the cabin, I read and finished my second Kindle novel (Split Second). I'm now on "Reliquary," by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston, a sequel to "Relic." Really getting some quality reading in with no distractions.

Wednesday Jan. 18. Rosseau, Dominica. After breakfast in the 'Jammer, Julie and I are in the city. She is shopping while I'm in a local tavern, JR's Bar, enjoying a couple ice cold "Kubuli" beers, the local brew here. $2 for a 250 ml bottle, and I get comp wi-fi. Can't beat it. Sunny and mid 80s with a nice breeze.

Well I will close out this entry and check in with everyone later. Two more stops, and then Internet darkness for a couple days as we sail back to home port. It's been a lovely cruise thus far.

Bruce

Cruise post Jan. 16

Friday Jan. 13^th

 

Off to a good start. We were processed in less than half hour at the cruiseport, and seated in a holding pen for another 30 minutes until RC had the ship ready for boarding. No access to our room for another hour, so we headed up to the Windjammer (Jammer) on Deck 11 for the welcome aboard buffet.

A faulty sea-door on Deck 2 briefly delayed our arrival to cabin #2015. Julie explored while I took a brief nap. Spent the rest of afternoon reading and playing Wizard of Oz slot machine on my Kindle.

Dinner at 6 p.m. in the Reflections dining room on Deck 5 was delicious. I had the sirloin steak while Julie had Atlantic salmon. We then headed to the theater for the comic musings of John Knight with a brief intro number by the RC Singers and Dancers. Never heard of Knight, but he was very funny with a deadpan style of delivery. The usual fare … farts, colonoscopies, and an airplane joke involving a blonde woman. He also had fun with some people in the audience and where they were from. After that, a turn on promenade deck … quite windy, and we were not even allowed on front end of the ship. Then to the casino for me where I lost $9 on the craps table. No blackjack because there were no $5 tables. Probably will be $5 BJ later in the cruise when gamblers start toting up their loses and looking for lighter stakes!

 Good night’s sleep. Our room steward, Derek, separated our beds, got Julie a couple extra blankets, and left a bucket of ice for me for bedside ice water.

Saturday Jan. 14. First full day at sea. Gave Derek a fin for the good service.  Breakfast the Windjammer, starting with bran muffin and fruit, and moving to eggs and bacon. Tried a crepe, and wasn’t very good – the strawberry filling was not fresh strawberries. Spent of most of day in the Solarium, the adults only pool deck, reading Clive Cussler’s “Havana Straits.” Lunch at the Solarium deli of two roast beef sandwiches on hard rolls. Yummy. Vacated my deck lounge chair at 2 p.m. which was instantly snapped up by another cruiser. This is prime real estate today because the outside pool deck is very windy.

Showered and shaved in the cabin, then went in search of coffee and a snack. Stopped by guest services to see if they knew anything about this onboard ship credit I was supposed to receive by booking through Expedia. Sure enough, Julie and I each have a $75 onboard credit to spend any way we want. So Expedia did come through in spite of piss-poor communication with me.

Now updating the trip log in the cabin because battery power is low on the Surface tablet, and I can’t find any frickin’ power outlets in the public area. Waiting for Julie, who I presume is still on the pool deck. Can't wait to give her the good news about her $75 credit. I’m sure she will spend that in the gift shop, while I spend mine on booze!

Prime rib for dinner at Reflections. Won $80 in the casino tonight. Hurrah! Show tonight by the RC Singers and Dancers in a tribute to music from the '50s to the '90s. Very entertaining, but surprising how many fairly recent entertainers are no longer with us, including George Michael, Michael Jackson, and three of the four Gibb brothers from the BGs. Finished a Kindle novel, "Einstein's Prophecy," in bed before nodding off.

 

Sun. Jan. 15. second full day at sea. Good night's sleep. The rocking boat seems to put me to sleep. Breakfast at the Jammer of bran muffin, fruit, and Denver omelet. Spent almost all day at the Solarium, including a refreshing dip in the salt water pool and a cool rinse off in the fresh water shower. Finished Havana Straits by Clive Cussler ... thanks (friend) Mario for loaning that one to me and started a second Kindle novel ... Split Second. Roast beef sandwiches again for lunch. Atlantic salmon for dinner, OK, but mine (homecooked) is better! Won $70 at the craps table ... I'm on a roll, hope I can keep it up. Show tonight was comedian Etta May, a sort of southern corn pone version of Rosesanne. Lots of redneck humor, hilarious in places, kind of flat in others. Her best joke was about how her hubby got her some edible panties from Fredericks of Hollywood. You have to understand Etta is large woman, especially in the hips. Anyway, her joke was that there were still leftovers from the edible panties, and we were all invited over to her house for sandwiches.. Guess you had to be there.

 

Mon. Jan. 16. MLK day back home. We pulled into Tortolla BVI about 8:30. We left the ship about 10 a.m., handy being on Deck 2 for debarkation. Small shopping area right off the dock, but from there things get kind of sparse. We wandered the more "local" area for a while ... wanted to check out grocery prices at the local "supermarket." Prices not bad, but most folks here probably don't  make a whole lot of money. I guess the big draw here is pristine beaches and snorkeling. Funny this island isn't more developed, as it has quite a colorful history being a big pirate hideout and supposedly Robert Louis Stevenson's inspiration for "Treasure Island." Likely many of the locals (at least the wealthy ones) would just as soon keep thinks low key. Looks like the dock can only accommodate two cruise ships. This BBQ joint is certainly low key. I'm the only one here save for the proprietor. But that is fine. The Carib is cold (just ordered by second one), and all the noisy cruise rats are down by the pier.

Hoping for some fresh caught fish or shellfish for lunch. The only thing I see up the street is a sushi place, but they might have some other fish as well. Julie already went back to the ship; nothing of interest to her here. BTW, she watched a good part of the Packer game yesterday; it was broadcast several places on the ship and lots of folks on board are happy that the Pack won against Dallas, although I guess it came down to field goals at the end. I'll likely head back to the ship after lunch. Check in with you all later.

 

Bruce

Under the Weather

Feeling kind of crappy as I write this latest blog entry. I've been in good health since arriving here Nov. 3, and wouldn't you know I'd get the crud just before my cruise which departs in four days. I think it's bronchitis, and it started Saturday 1/7. I think I'm over the hump, with Sunday being the worst. Been drinking lots of fluids, resting, and taking Mucinex in pill form to help loosen the cough. This a.m., I went out for breakfast after taking a nice long hot shower, got a couple shipments ready for the post office, and will plan/execute something for dinner for (sister) Dawn and I. That will be about it!

The crud notwithstanding, it's been a good and productive past week. I re-opened my website on Jan. 2 for a limited time to showcase some consignments I received from one of my best customers. I was going to abstain from doing any business while down here, but this poor fellow is in desperate need of funds for medical expenses, so I agreed to help. I was very pleased with the results. The website performed flawlessly after being in "sleep mode" for two months. So a shout-out to (niece) Kris for making me such an awesome website!

I have also sold all 11 copies of my book (Hamilton Wristwatches: A Reference Guide) that I brought down here with me, so just ordered another 13 copies from lulu.com to have on hand, especially for the upcoming watch show in Lakeland (Fla.) where I hope to sell a few copies.

Also, I finished my PowerPoint presentation on "Elgin Wristwatches from the Roaring '20s" for the talk I'm giving at Lakeland. I should be able to get multiple use out of this for other talks and maybe even an article.

On New Years Day, Dawn and I took a lovely drive to Capitva Island and had early dinner at the Bubble Room. Soup (She-Crab), house salad, bread, and Orange Crunch Cake for dessert. All very yummy, and a nice way to kick off the New Year.

On Tuesday Jan. 3, I attended a lecture at the Edison/Ford Winter Estate Museum on Edison phonographs. It was presented by John Kurdyla, who owns the world's largest private collection of Edison phonographs and memorabilia. John divides his time between Florida, and San Martin, Italy, in the Padua Province near Venice. So he must be doing fairly well! I got to speak with him before and after his lecture, and was so intrigued that I bought a used copy of his book (When Music Was Magic) on Abebooks.com.

On Friday, Dawn and met up with Karen and Craig, friends of Dawn, at the Big Blue Brewing Company in Cape Coral. This is the brewery/gastro-pub by my friends who operate the Wicked Dolphin Rum Distillery, Dawn had a burger, while I had a beef brisket sandwich on Texas toast. All very good, and it was nice catching up with Karen and Craig.

Weather finally cooled off a bit here after weeks of excess heat. And of course, it REALLY cooled off this past weekend with the big winter storm that wreaked havoc on the Eastern Coast. After a big thunderstorm on Saturday a.m., the mercury started to drop. We got as low as the mid 40s on Sunday, which I know is nothing to you folks back in Wisconsin, but everybody down here was freaking out.

Well, (sister-in-law) Julie arrives tomorrow (1/10) at about 5 p.m. to spend Wednesday here, then we leave on Thursday to spend the night in Ft. Lauderdale, and our cruise departs Friday the 13th. I'll maintain a journal "offline" while on the ship, and upload it to the blog as opportunity permits.

Bye for now,

Bruce