Memorial Day

I’m remembering a Memorial Day when I was a youngster. Our family always held a backyard barbecue on Memorial Day. This time we were at my uncle’s new home. We had red, white and blue decorations and plans for grilled steaks, potatoes baked on the coals, and the rest of the fixings. There were plans for a game of croquet in the backyard and lots of ice cream for dessert. It was going to be a great day with all the family.

The only thing we could not plan was the weather. The day dawned cold and gray and then the rain came. The coals were started several times but it rained and somehow they would not stay lit. Finally, my uncle put the grill inside a covered hallway between the backyard and the basement. The potatoes were put in the coals, the steaks were started on time, the decorations were put up and all the time we were hoping the weather would change. Instead it got colder and wetter. The picnic tables that were set up in the backyard were abandoned to the warmth of the house. The croquet game was never played. Even with the bad weather, we had a great family afternoon in the house and for dessert we had ice cream. It was a memorable Memorial Day for all the wrong reasons. 

Alive and Almost Well

The last cruise really took a toll on us. Somewhere during the relaxing voyage we caught colds...and those colds escalated into bronchitis. Bronchitis is not any fun...and really not any fun when you’re over 25 (which we both are). We came home and we’ve been coughing and hacking.

The trip home was eventful. Airports are not friendly places with folks serving you smiles and short lines. The modern international airport is wonderful for all that it does; and it’s a nightmare for all that it does not do. We flew from Amsterdam to Seattle in a beautiful plane with a comfy seat that turned into a bed; it had a bunch of great movies for entertainment; and believe it or not the food quite good. The plane was the best part of international travel. The airports are the nightmare.

Getting to distant gates means navigating a maze of shops with people who are as frazzled and lost as the next person. Tensions are always high. Customs/immigration is a hurdle that has to be crossed. This time we had a young man, Joey, pushing the other DrC in a wheelchair through the busy airport.  He was wonderful since we had a small dilemma at passport control. That got settled, giving us time to walk over a mile to our gate. Joey was there the whole time.

Joey was beyond helpful. I asked him if he had was married, and he said he was and he had a 3 year old daughter. I asked him if she would like a blanket and I showed him a pink teddy bear blanket. His face lit up. We gave him a nice tip too. He did a lot of troubleshooting for us as he wheeled us through Schipol Airport.

Our next stop was Seattle and we had 2 wheelchairs pushers navigating the vagaries of the airport, and there were many. The passport control room was filled and a second line had formed outside of it. Lucky for us, we have Global Entry which by-passed passport control. From there we collected luggage; had it inspected; sent luggage back; then went thru a TSA line which was long and crowded. After the TSA agent broke one of my costume jewelry bags during her “inspection” we were free to find the gate for our next flight. Our two “pushers” wheeled us as fast they could to the train, then to the gate. I kept looking at the time as we were supposed to board our next flight by 1:08 and at 1:08 we were still making our way to the gate. We got there to hear an announcement that the flight had been delayed. We boarded about 20 minutes later only to wait some more as the runways were overcrowded.

By the time we left Seattle both of us were frazzled and thankful we had help navigating that really dirty airport. We finally landed in Sacramento and things became a bit easier. We got our luggage, went to the rental car area and started the drive home. 

Needless to say, there was a traffic jam on the freeway, so we took an alternate/ route. By now, we were exhausted. The 2 hour drive home was extra long and something I got to do.we stopped for fast food for dinner, and got home in one piece. We were beyond tired but we went to bed. That’s when we knew we had two problems: jet lag and a cold. We saw a doctor 2 days later and discovered bronchitis and we’ve been trying to recover since then. We are close to being well. A new adventure will start soon.

Oslofjord

Travel is always full of surprises. You never know what you are going to get. You can make plans, and they work as long as reality does not set it. Reality set in on this trip about 4 days ago when the other DrC came down with an “ugly’ and 3 days ago I got it. While we are coughing and sputtering beautiful Norway is floating past our balcony window. To add to the problem is the weather (another “thing’ that cannot be planned).  Yes,  it’s cold,  drippy and wet too. The skies are foggy and gray giving the phrase  “scenic cruising” a whole new meaning. We have seen beautiful Oslofjord in the sunshine, and it is a sight to behold. Today it has an “impressionist” feel. We are staying onboard our ship, in the comforts of our cabin with room service a call away. Not what we planned. When I teach photography courses, I tell my students to take the weather you get, not wish for something else. We are doing that today.

Hearts

As you know, I like to make Teddy Bear blankets, but sometimes I just have to mix things up. This time I made a Heart blanket. I’ve only made this blanket once before ...but that time I made it in a 4 x 4 pattern...this time I crocheted 5 rows with 3 hearts per row. Silky is giving the blanket his hug of approval. I’m giving this blanket to my acupuncturist on the ship as she has worked some serious magic on back. 

Amsterdam

We’ve been onboard the Nieuw Statendam for 2 weeks. During that time we’ve sailed 4,507 miles in the Atlantic Ocean. The ship has 993 crew members from 39 nationalities. While we do not travel quickly, we have an average speed of 15.6 knots per hour, hour after hour. We made landfall at 2 islands in the Azores, Cherbourg, Zeebrugge, and Amsterdam. For the next leg of the journey, we will have 3 stops in Norway. 

On a personal note, the farther north we go, the colder it gets. Today it was 38 degrees, with rain and wind. Yesterday we had rain, hail and wind. Of course I did not pack for super cold weather as I brought one jacket of the “not cold weather” variety. Life and learn. We did not plan to take many shore excursions as we’ve been to every port of call several times. We planned to enjoy the cruise, and to that end, we’ve had a good time. 

Today we landed in Amsterdam. Since we’ve been here several times before, it was the perfect day to use the sauna, mineral hot tub, horizontal shower, and the heated lounge chairs. I had a great time in the spa. Come to think of it, I’ve been enjoying the spa a lot on this cruise. Since I don’t have a warm coat with me, I might as well enjoy the spa. At the end of the day, I want to bring the spa back home. Sadly, I don’t think I can. 

We have another week on the ship as we the sail the North Atlantic in the spring. So far, it’s been a good cruise. 

One More Blanket

This cruise has a had it’s share of sea days. We had 6 days to get to the Azores, and another 3 to get to France. We are in the last day of that set for France. So aside from acupuncture and the thermal mineral spa, I’ve been crocheting. This time, I made a pink teddy bear blanket and I don’t know who I’m going to give it to.

Until then, Silky, our resident travel bear, has laid claim to it. Since this is a pink blanket, it’s perfect for a little girl.