Wordless Wednesday - March 10, 2010

The Winter Vacation - Post Five - Toga Toga Toga!

I almost left off the anecdotes from the very last sea day and night of our cruise, but decided that the story wouldn't be complete without them both.


On Saturday morning we woke to the boat steaming from the Turks and Caicos Archipelago towards Fort Lauderdale. We had heard about cold icy snowy weather and were not excited. We could feel the movement of the ship and the waters were definitely rougher than they had been.

At this point we still had not made it to the top decks early enough in the morning to take a picture of the sunrise at sea, and Mr. Bryant was determined to catch at least one such, so we woke up early and before coffee we headed to the top of the boat.

We got to deck 9 and decided to go to the front of the ship to see what we could see and catch a glimpse of the day beginning. We walked down the hall of cabin doors and came to the port door to head out to the deck. To go out this door you stepped over a small landing and onto the nice semi-private deck. Mr. Bryant was in front of me, holding his camera in his right hand. He later told me that he could hear the door shaking, but I didn't realize that. He grabbed the door handle with his left hand and slowly opened it. It was about two inches open when a gust of wind about 58 km/hour (we looked this up in ships weather information later) blew the door open with a jerk. Mr. Bryant was pulled across the landing right in front of me, thrown out onto the deck with force, and rolled several times across the floor.


I was shocked. We could feel the ship rolling and I was holding on to the door frame. I was staring at him, staring at the deck, looking at the railing that would absolutely have kept him from falling (my inside voice still wondering), feeling my heart beating, standing in my bare feet. The wind was blowing so hard we couldn't hear each other very well. Mr. Bryant was laying on the deck, not moving. He was looking at me, but not getting up. My mind was absolutely blank. I didn't know what to do. I yelled, "Are you all right?!?!?!?! Do you need help???!!!!?!?!" He said, "Yes, yes, I'm all right. I don't need any help, I'm ok." and started to slowly stand up. I was shaking now. I reached out and grabbed the door handle with both hands, and slowly pulled the door against the never ending buffeting wind until I had it closed.

Now I was on the inside. Tears were coming down my face, and Mr. Bryant was on the outside of the door, standing up holding on now, looking at me through the little tiny window, kind of laughing. He said, "Now what are we going to do???"


Good Grief.

He said he didn't need any help, right?

* * * *

Mr. Bryant's feet were scrapped up from the pull across the threshold and his arms, shoulders, and back were sore. But he was still with us, still here on the boat, still smiling at me. I was pretty shook up for the rest of the day after that, reminded again of how life can change in an instant. God had my attention completely. I have clarity that it is God's own grace that makes our life live-able day after day, and His own grace that brings us peace, and His grace that I found this wonderful man and am blessed to have a life with him.

* * * *

We recovered, got on the same side of the door, and after hugging a bit, went to the back of the ship (on deck 11 this time) and got some great sunrise photos.

We went and had breakfast and then I had to have a nap.

Why? Because I could. :) That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Mr. Bryant attended the debarkation briefing, so he had all the news, and I relaxed and continued to recover. It was rough water most of the day, and sailing into cold, but we made the most of our time, resting, reading and having tropical drinks. And then, as evening approached, we got ready for Toga Night! We practiced wrapping our togas around in about ten different ways, and finally came up with one that we decided worked.

As we walked out of our cabin to head to dinner we met some other guests, not in togas. We said - aren't you dressing for dinner? They said - we are not doing THAT! (LOL!)



Dinner was a blast, the end of evening entertainment was a blast, the final night of the cruise was a blast, and debarking Sunday morning in cold Fort Lauderdale was a surprisingly sudden re-entry back to everyday life.


Getting home was hard, as the whole house was quiet. I miss my kitty, and I love my husband.

Wordless Wednesday - March 3, 2010

The Winter Vacation - Post Four - Grand Turk

We arrived in Grand Turk about 11:30am ships time, after relaxing all morning on the ship decks. We had on bathing suits and I had covered up with 70 sun block. We were ready for our kayaking adventure! We met our guides in the Grand Bar and headed toward a bus that would take us to the point of entry. We passed by small herds of donkeys and horses, learning that they ran wild on the island!

There were about 14 people kayaking with us, two per kayak, and we climbed into our clear bottom kayaks, Mr. Bryant in front and me in back. We immediately had issues with who was steering, what side we should paddle on, general communications challenges. I quickly harumphed and said, "I just won't paddle." Well, I didn't paddle, but as other couples glided past us following the guide I thought I needed to dip my paddle in to help. The minute my paddle hit the water, Mr. Bryant's head would swivel around to look at me - and I would stop paddling again.

We were not doing well.

We glided over to the Red Mangroves and listened to our guide explain how critical the Red Mangrove Tree's were to the island. We also learned about the White Mangroves, and the Black Mangroves - all three species grow well on Grand Turk and are an important part of the ecology. And then I saw some movement in the water, and there, swimming along, was an Upside Down Mangrove Jellyfish! A tiny specimen, for sure, but it certainly made me smile! I tapped Mr. Bryant on the shoulder and pointed, and he capture some pictures for us. Now we were both grinning again.

We followed our guide and other kayaks to a coral beach and got out to walk around. People were finding white conch shells every where they looked, but I spied a real treasure on a little rise. It was so beautiful! I left it there on the beach where I found it, but again, we were smiling.


We took a hike to see the coral and the surf, and Mr. Bryant caught a picture of a flock of pink flamingos. We walked over the beach back to our kayaks, and a few people took a dip in the warm clear waters. Then we all headed back up stream to catch our bus back to the boat.

We got back to the cruise port in time to take a dip in the ocean ourselves, and sat for a moment or two on the beach chairs before heading on board. We had just enough time to get ready and make it for dinner (it was the second formal night).

Karla and James came zooming in at the last minute - they had been riding on beach jeeps across the island and had a Wonderful Time! Mr. and Mrs. Hanson and Mr. and Mrs. Costabile had spent the day shopping at the cruise port and eating at Margaritaville, and everyone looked pretty content.

The Winter Vacation - Post Three - San Juan

Our fourth day started with an 8:00 AM arrival into San Juan. We left the ship to look for breakfast in old San Juan, and found an excellent shop with simply wonderful breakfast and coffee. Oh, the coffee was amazing.

We met Karla and James and walked down Princess Street to the fountain I remembered from years before.


We walked along the city wall to San Juan gate, the last of four gates standing. The governor's house sits atop this gate, looking out at an incredible view. As we came through the gate we saw the quaint narrow streets of old San Juan, and walked to the top to make our way to San Felipe del Morro. What an amazing place! We had a fabulous time walking through many of the layers of the fort, and I found it very inspiring. I think we need a book with this amazing fort as the setting! Maybe my next NaNoWriMo will use this location for some chapters.


Before we came to the Fort; however, we ran across the headquarters of Save A Gato, and learned of the plight of San Juan's cats. I gave them the cash I had in my pocket, and promised to donate when I got home. What timing. Really. Geez.

After the fort tour we walked through Old San Juan, admiring the architecture and sights. We enjoyed a stop for a drink or two and talked to many interesting local people. We got a recommendation for a great lunch restaurant - St. Germains - and it was worth the two block walk for great soup, salads, sandwiches, and Coffee! And again, to my delight, the coffee was fabulous! We brought a tiny bit home, dreaming all the while of retiring to a sunny island coffee plantation. :)


After our late lunch we wandered through the shopping district and enjoyed looking at the many different local arts and crafts before heading toward the ship. We were able to get great shots of the city, the port, and the forts as we headed out to sea.

The Winter Vacation - Post Two - St. Thomas

We sailed to our southern-most destination first, and came in to St. Thomas early in the morning. Mr. Bryant went to take photos of the ship approaching the island while I stayed snuggled in the cabin. We had breakfast delivered to the room and I had coffee and a chocolate croissant and some strawberries. Nice!

We had a walking tour planned with Karla and James, although it began with a water trolley trip through the harbor. Mr. and Mrs. Hanson and Mr. and Mrs. Costabile joined us on the trolley and we enjoyed the views through Magens Bay as we approached Charlotte Amalie. We started with a bus ride to "Blackbeard's Castle," where our first stop was actually the Rum Factory. We had an informative talk and demonstration of rum making, and then tasted four different kinds of flavored rum. (Banana, Mango, Pineapple, and Coconut! Hmmm!)

We wandered through the grounds and took pictures, climbing the stairs to the top of Blackbeard's Castle for some beautiful pictures of Magens Bay. We then walked down the hill into town, stopping at three historic houses on the way and learning about life in the Caribbean in the early years of Dutch settlement.

Our final tour was through the amber museum, where we learned about the formation and development of amber, about the different kinds of amber, and about the insects trapped in amber long ago. We wandered through the amber jewelry shop and past the amber museum, and the took a walk to the "Petite Pump Room" restaurant for some fabulous conch fritters and sandwiches.


We walked back along the bay, saw a water plane land, and looked through the tent shops to see if there were bargains we simply could not resist. But by this time we were hot and ready to take off our shoes and cool our heels on the ship, and so headed back on our water trolley to the Costa Fortuna.

We made it to the early dinner on time, and called it an early night after all the walking and the sun. Ah, it is good to have fun in the sun, and also good to rest!

Wordless Wednesday - February 24, 2010

The Winter Vacation - Post One - Two days at Sea

The Princess Ship leaves first out of the port at Fort Lauderdale.

The smokestack of the Costa Fortuna.

We went on a cruise with some of the family in early February. It was a bittersweet first few days for me, but being at sea was perfect and exactly what I needed. Nothing to do, no requirements to meet, no connectivity to the world at large - just Mr. Bryant and the ship, food and family, sun and water. Perfect.

Another ship on the ocean, going our way!

The ship was decorated in an Old World style, lots of wood and Art Deco paintings.

Mr. Bryant in the elevator lobby, Deck Five.

We met up with the family at the welcome aboard lunch (Karla found us all), and were super happy to see each other.

Hello dear family all! Mrs. McFadden, Mrs. Costabile, Mr. McFadden, Mr. Costabile, Mr. Bryant, Mr. Hanson, Mrs. Hanson. The gangs all here!

Good morning Mr. and Mrs. McFadden!

We explored the ship those first few days, enjoying the sun, the slight wind, the warming temperatures, and the relaxed days at sea.

Deck three and a blue ocean and sky.

I slept alot, in the room and on the deck, and enjoyed the "drink of the day" each afternoon. We walked and explored the ship at our leisure, and Mr. Bryant made an appointment in the Spa for a haircut with Giovanni, who gave him the "best haircut ever!" I had a good thick book and lots of time to relax in the sun, and I think it was truly what I needed, good for my soul. I started smiling.

I wasn't the only one with a grin!

Dinners were early, but we really enjoyed the time to connect with everyone and catch up on the day - despite the fact that we were all relaxing, we had some fun and interesting stories to share.

Mrs. and Mr. Hanson, looking dapper.

Yummy!

On board the good ship Costa Fortuna the itinerary was really nice, and though we were not a big fan of the dishes and the early dinner time, we definitely had fun! The entertainment was the best I have seen on a cruise line and those first two days we went to the shows both evenings.