Category: The DayBook

Charleston is my kinda town. I walked about 6.5 miles and discovered that I was still two miles from the ship.

As I was considering Uber or a bus, a studly young man piloting a pedicab pulls up to the stop sign. And that’s how I got Back to the ship. He is a student. Studying black smithing. 

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Day 3

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We had an excellent Japanese dinner. That was the highlight of the day. I rested more than anything else. 

This cabin has way too many mirrors. You can’t get away from your self.

Port Canaveral tomorrow. But after today. I might need another rest day. 

Oh tonight there will be a Thomas Kinkade seminar. Pretty sure I will be busy then washing my granny panties. 

Like this passenger, The Vision of the Sea is showing her years.  The ship is 25+ years old and is about 10 years since it’s last dry docking. But it’s restful enough. At least while it’s tied to the dock.

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Time to get ready for this cruise.

 

And I am pretty sure that these clothes are totally inappropriate for “cruising”. I don’t want to embarrass my friend. I don’t mind embarrassing myself. 

Leaving Baltimore on the 8th. Returning on the 16th. Feb 10th in Charleston. The 11th outside Orlando. 12 and 13 in the Bahamas. I will have cell service in Charleston and Orlando. There might be service in the Bahamas. Will just have to see. 

I am considering this trip a “digital detox”. 

Wonder – should I take my computer? Maybe I could get caught up on photo editing. No. Not happening. I plan on reading. 

While I was away this wonderful invite to a lunch hosted by our local crematorium at a pit barbeque joint arrived in deadtree mail. Talk about synergy! There’s no free lunch. 

I did shit stuff today. Like completely empty my inbox. Also did an inventory of all of my digital subscriptions and canceled some. They get to be like blood sucking leeches. 99 cents a month here, 124 dollars a year there. After a while it adds up to real money. Oh and I tweaked my investments a little. (I gave some financial advice and decided that I should follow it myself.)

And tomorrow. I really have to get ready for the cruise I am going on come Thursday. 

Too many of my favorite images.

I know. Too many photos. But 10,095 miles and 54 hours. A few too many photos is OK. 

And I feel pretty good today. 

Made it back to the Old Bat’s Cave at 5:30 pm today 54 hours after I left on Friday.  In time for dinner with my friends. Absolutely everything that had to go right did. 

My body held up. The only plane that was late was the one from SFO to Kona. It was an hour late due to headwinds. And that one didn’t matter. I didn’t get rained on.  All good.

0630 Saturday morning. I’m in pretty good shape. It’s windy here this morning but I don’t think it’s going to rain. Which is good because the event is outside and provisions for rain are never made. 

I am all checked in for my midnight flight back to SFO. Time to get set for food, music, and laughter. And another travel day.

Last night, after our wonderful Family Tea, I decided that I had to go to Kona for Fanny’s memorial service this Saturday. I found out about it earlier in the week. This photo was used on the Order of Service. I took that as a sign. Fanny, Sam and the AuHoy ohana are a part of my life that need to be honored.

Leaving tomorrow, Friday,  morning. Arrive Kona after 9PM. The service is from 4 to 7 on Saturday. Plane leaves Kona at 11:55PM Saturday. And I should be back home in time for dinner on Sunday evening. Or not. Kona is stunningly expensive at this time of year. So, Fly in. Fly out. 

Sam made my wonderful Lauhala papale. So, it will go to Kona. (That’s a straw hat to the non-Hawaiian part of the world.) Sam died about the same time Carlton did.

So. Don’t expect much from me for a while. 

Gratitude

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Grateful that I can even attempt 9,635 miles in less than 3 days. We’ll see if I make it and live to blog about it.

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We had been planning this surprise tea party for a member of our Asylum Family for several months. It finally happened today. And it was a surprise. 

We demolished the food. And had a lovely time. Without any coffee or booze. Who knew you could do that? You have to have one or the other and preferably both.

The Old Bat’s Cave has taken on a rather “lived-in” look over the last few months (years?).  I forced myself to move things from the OBC to the trash room. These things were not even worth “donating”. They were just trash. Or at best recycling or composting.  I can not even dignify the operation by calling it decluttering or death cleaning. I was simply doing a serious trash out. 

I did finish up the 2021 photos. Now onward to 2022.  My fantasy is to get 2022 and 2023 done before 2025. It has never happened before. I am always 3 or 4 or more years behind. But. Maybe. This is the year?

I am processing photos from 2021 this week. (Better later than never). This one deserves another view – since it will soon be Lunar New Year (and the year of the dragon). This is a photo that my phone would not be able to deliver. I may miss my “real” cameras. But, done is done.

Just a normal old lady day. Made it outside for 2.5-mile walk. That’s about it. Sounds boring. But, boring ain’t the worst thing that can happen. 

This is another photo that I could not take with my phone. And, I seriously hope that I’ll never get another chance to take a photo of #45. Or his helicopter. 

Today’s Old Lady Activities.

1. 1. 1. 1. Long leisurely breakfast with friends and the children of a dear friend who died last year.
         2. Watered the orchids.
         3. Did laundry.
         4. Disposed of some “stuff”.
         5. Messed around with photos from 2021.
         6. Thought about what I might take on this upcoming cruise. 
         7. Had a nap and read some.
         8. Worked at not feeling like I “should” be doing more.

1. 1. 1. Black cardigan – how little old lady can you get?
      2. All-purpose dress. I could take the black all-purpose dress. It would be more “formal”. 
      3. Sandals – they look fantastic with compression sox. Yeah, right.
      4. Camp shirt. For pockets and to ward off sunburn.
      5. Pants
      6. Brooks Running Shoes. I’ll not be running.
      7. Rain jacket
      8. Assorted shirts
      9. Handful of undies
      10. Snorkel mask and pipe ????
      11. The damn compression sox.
      12. Sun visor
      13. All-purpose skirt. I would like a jeans skirt more. But, this one washes and dries nicely if a slice of pizza gets dropped on in. Denim, not so much.
      14. Swimsuit
      15. Shorts to cover my sorry butt.
      16. Pareau to cover even more of me.

I will revisit this next Sunday.