Pillows

After I finished blanket #9, I decided that it needed a pillow. So I made a round pillow to go with 

the blanket. It's about 9 inches across and I hope a young person will enjoy having his or her own private pillow.

I discovered that making a pillow was fun, so I made another one...this one goes with the 10th blanket I made this year. It's a heart, and only 4 1/2 inches big. It's something that a baby can hold, chew 

on, drool on and playn with. All the fibers in the blanket and pillow are baby-safe and very washable. I might have to branch out and make matching pillows for my Project Linus blankets. 

OLLI Photo Class

My Osher Lifelong Learning Institute class for Spring Semester has ended. The forty or so folks in the class took some fantastic photos. Click here to see some fantastic photos following several basic principles of photo composition.

If all goes to plan, I’ll teach the class next fall.

PS: One of my favorite pictures in the blog is titled "Lily Dancer” by Joyce. This wonderful photo was taken with a Point N Shoot camera...pretty amazing! Tell me what your favorite picture is.

Happy Birthday

My mother would be 97 today! I miss her! 

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Zip Linin'

Last week on the Oasis of the Seas, I went zip lining not once but twice! It was a hoot!

The Zip-line on the Lady O is 82 feet long and the ride lasts about 15 seconds (or less). The line is about 9 or 10 stories above the Boardwalk area of the ship...so there’s a bit of a fall if things don’t go right.

Before you get on the Zip-line you have to sign a waiver saying you are crazy enough to do the task and if anything happens the fault is yours and not the ship. Next you have to put on a pair of socks and their special zip lining shoes. No socks, no zip line! Then they fit you in a heavy-duty set of straps that do not have a glamour look at all. You have a “guide” that stays with you from the beginning. My guide was a lovely young woman from Portugal. We had a nice conversation all during the “suiting up” process and that eased my mind. She walked me over to the launch station and another young fellow double checked the straps and hooked up the hanging hook. He told me where to put my hands, and how to sit in the strapping. He also said as I approached the landing pad, I needed to make “walking movements” to help ease the landing. As you can see in the picture, I’m getting ready to land.

Landing was not that simple. I was moving at a pretty good speed, when all of a sudden the landing pad shows up. I started walking hoping I’d walk my way onto the landing pad, instead I walked my way into a heavy duty cushion. The fellow at this end, caught me, detached the hook, and it was done. 

The feeling was great! It was sort of like down hill skiing without the snow. Very exhilarating. So much so that I did it again the next day!

Blanket 10

The tenth blanket of the year is part of a baby gift. One of my friends is going to have a grand daughter soon, and this is for the shower. The set includes one of my teddy bear blankets, a cap, a pair of booties and a pair of sandals. It's all packaged in a cute pink bin. It's a good start on all the stuff that a baby needs!

Two Islands in Two Days

Yesterday we were in the US Virgin Islands--today we are in St. Maarten. Both are interesting places.

We shared the island of St. Thomas with 5 other cruise ships--which I'm guessing added another 12,000 people to the island. The island is small and the traffic is bad. To add to the confusion is the fact that folks drive on the "wrong" side of the road. It's the only place in the greater US where traffic follows the usual British fashion. The other problem is the cars are all left-hand-drive. It takes awhile to get used to seeing the driver on the other side of the car while the cars drive along on the other side of the road. 

St. Maarten is divided 60/40 between France and The Netherlands. On Sintmaartin (the Dutch side) American currency is used without a problem. On St. Martine (the French side) you need to use Euros.The liceense plate on the Dutch side is a typical "island" plate, while the French side has a European Union license plate. 

Both islands are set in the blue-green Caribbean Sea and that sea has been absolutely beautiful the last few days. As the day progresses from morning to dusk, the sea changes color from light aqua to turquoise to navy blue. The water is clear and the snorkeling is wonderful. St. Thomas looked a bit more lush than St. Maarten but both are pretty little places. 

St. Maarten is famous for the yachts that frequent it. Today I saw a huge yacht that was guarded by a private security felldow. He was dressed in black (and in this island heat, black is not a good color to wear). I asked him if I could take a picture of the yacht as it looked like it was moving 300 miles an hour standing still. He said I could take one, but I was not allowed to go in. I said I did not need to see the inside of the boat. Then we talked about fancy yachts and he was very nonchalant...I see them every day, he said, they are not a big deal. I'm happy they come here that way I have work. A short stroll to the yacht basin proved his point as several "big" boats were moored there, and there was an even bigger one getting "bunkered" next to the Celebrity ship in the cruise ship basin. If you want to see big fancy yachts, go to St. Maarten!

We have two sea days then we reach Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday. These little cruises go very fast. 

Day 3

The cruise is flying  by...it's halfway over, yet it seems like it just got started. We had our first full sea day today with 6200 of our closest friends. The ship is filled! Included in that number are over 2000 children. We cruise a lot, but we rarely cruise with a  ship full of children. As this cruise is short, and it  coinicdes with Easter, a lot of folks have the time off. It's a natural time to take a vacation, so that's what is happening. We've discovered, the longer the cruise, the older the cruiser. A 30 day cruise will have few children and lots of retired folks. A 7 day cruise will have lots of children and fewer retired folks. That's something to keep in mind when you figure out how long of a cruise you want to take. 

So after a day of hot-tubbing, talking, laughing, napping, enjoying the sunshine, and did I mention eating, we trundled over to our nighttime entertainment in The Opal Theater (aka The Big Room). Tonight we saw Jeff Tracta, a singer/impersonator. I had never heard of him before (he was on the Bold and the Beautiful, fyi) so we sat in the back row in case we needed to make an early exit (remember last night was not all that wonderful). Well, he did a wonderful job. He has a good set of pipes, and can do a large variety of celebrity voices very well. Unlike last night, the audience did not sneak away. They really enjoyed the performance giving him a standing ovation. I've had a few of those in my life, and they are special! 

Tomorrow we make landfall about 10 AM in the American Virgin Islands of St. Thomas. Another day in paradise...but someone has to it.

Nassau

Today we docked in Nassau, in the Bahamas. As some song said, Another Day in Paradise. What a beautiful day. The water is a pallette of color from turquoise to navy, light aqua to deep green.

Small boats are skimming along the surface making foamy patterns in the sea. In the distance there are hang gliders and parachute surfers playing on the almost non-existent wind.

There are 3 normal sized ships here, as well as our giant, and a smaller Regent 7 Seas ship. Probably 10,000 people disembarked today to experience the little island. The Lady O (as the Oasis of the Seas has been nicknamed) dominates the row of cruise ships. 

I just discovered that I forgot to bring an essential piece of equipment--my Apple SD Card reader. I hope there's one for sale on the ship.

Cats

The Lady O has a full fledged Broadway production of Cats onboard. It was the first time that I have seen Cats all the way through, as many years ago, PBS showed a production of Cats on TV. I did not like it and I walked away. Today I was determined to see the production, no matter what. 

The show has 2 acts, with a 15 minute intermission between. During that intermission about 1/2 of the audience left the theater.  I don't know why foks left, but generally speaking when an audience walks out, there's a problem. I stayed for the second act out of pure stubborness. I have to say that act 2 was better than act 1, but neither were worth a repeat performance. Given the fact that Cats is among one of the longest running Broadway shows out there, it's clear that I am not marching to the same drummer as the rest of the world. The show does not "work" for me. I find the cat costumes grotesque, the majority of music non-melodic, the set is dark and dingy, and the lack of a story line confusing. while there is a lot athletism in the dance, that does not tip the show in the positive direction. If you have a chance to see Cats, be warned, it might not be what you are expecting. It wasn't for me.

PS...the other DrC likes the show a lot!

PSS. I talked to a group of Cruise Critic people this morning. None of them liked Cats...and none of them stayed for the second act. They reported they liked the dance and the costumes, but could not find a story line. Since Cats does not have a story line, that makes sense. One person told me she did some of her best sleeping during the show! 

The Lady O

We are on the 2nd largest cruise ship in the world. The Allure of the Seas is 6 inches larger (and we were on her in November). The two ships are just about identical. There are a few minor differences. The Lady O has an old Auburn on the Promenade while the Allure has an old Mercedes. Both cars are fancy and exotic and real attention getters.

Both have a pool deck that is filled with color and sound and people. The kids are having a grand

time. Of course, I'm looking for the unusual...so the reflections are catching my eye. Instead of looking at the pool deck, I was "caught" by the reflection of it--it gives a very good idea how big and complex

the Lady O really is. 

As I sit on our interior balcony, I can see Central Park below, with a few strollers enjoying the birdsong. I'm guessing the birds just stay--why go away when they have everything they need right on the ship!

Sandals

Remember the cute sandals I made? 

Here's the baby who received them. 

And they fit her well!

I just love those little shoes! The shoes are almost as cute as she is!

Number 9

I just finished my 9th blanket for the year. It's my favorite pattern--a ripple. The colors are BRIGHT, with hot pink, cinnamon, orange and gold. It's a happy blanket.

I have a bit of extra yarn, so I think I'll  make a matching pillow--that's the next project.

String of Pearls

I just finished teaching a 5 week photography class. The "focus" of the class was composition. I introduced my students to 9 mental maps that make photo composition easy to remember. To see all the principles that we learned this semester go to http://pointshootedit15s.blogspot.com. 

Last week we studied how to take pictures of a series of things, which I called "a string of pearls." Here are some of my examples.

A grouping of lavender makes a perfect string of pearls. 

A collection of rock roses makes another "string of pearls." 

The more "classic" string of pearls is this line of lights. 

Or these fish flags. It's fun to look for strings of pearls. 

Spanish Colonial Tiles

As I walked the streets and the Riverwalk area of San Antonio I saw lots of tile. 

I took some pictures...then I needed to take more. As I find them on my iPhone I'll post

them at this site. 

 

The Texas Theatre

In 1926 the Texas Theater was built on Houston Street in San Antonio. The 2 million dollar movie house was touted to be the finest theater in SA. Located a stone's throw from the San Antonio River (long before the Riverwalk was imagined) it showed first run movies until 1973. 

Then it fell into disrepair. In the 80s it was purchased for high rise office space, but there was a catch...the old  façade had to be grafted to the new structure. 

Today you see the remnants of the Spanish Colonial Rococo façade married to the big building. The old theater is still alive...at least it's memory is alive. 

This is a beautiful way to blend the past with the present. 

Today folks stroll past the old theater and probably do not know why the little building is nestled so closely to the tall (rather boring) office tower. 

Friends

Do pigeons have friends? 

They might?

Riverwalk, Mark 2

It was a good day to play along the Riverwalk. We took the Red Trolley to the Hemisphere then entered the walkway...had lunch then took a ride on the river. A delightful day. 

Along the way we saw the Alamo, one of 5 missions In San Antonio. We learned that the city was named San Antonio because it was founded by the Friars on the Saint's Day of St. Anthony. It was common for the Spaniards to name towns after Saints as many CA coastal cities are named for the saint's day they were discovered. 

Texans love their flag and their star. You see both everywhere. Here you see the flag and the Hemsiphere. 

The Riverwalk in San Antonio

I'm in San Antonio for a few days meeting some very old friends. Tonight we walked along the Riverwalk -- it was a beautiful night with a crescent moon and the reflections on the San Antonio River were wonderful. 

Say Hello to the Rockies

Q

I bet you thought I was writing about the mountains...surprise...I was talking about the flowers in the foreground. They are "Rock Roses" and I call them "Rockies." They bloom for only 2 weeks a year, and when they bloom they are glorious. They tell us it's spring...and the calendar tells us it's spring...only thing is, spring arrived in this part of the world sometime in February. Even though it looks green now, we need rain. The draught is real! To that end, I wonder what the real Rockies look like?

Cinderella

Yesterday I saw Cinderella and found it delightful. We all know the story, so the movie was all about how the story was presented. Disney created a feast for the eyes with lovely ball gowns, fantastic glass slippers, charming homes, cute critters, and a wickedly evil step mother and step sisters. Cate Blanchett was the beautiful but haughty step mother. Helena Bonham Carter played a slightly dottie fairy godmother. Lily James was the innocent and pure Cinderella. They all played their parts well. 

As I watched the movie I was transported back to simpler times where the kiss of the Prince would make my life end with "happily ever after." I forgot about terrorists and violence, and strife in general. For a few glorious minutes I was rooting for Cinderella to find her prince while I was hoping the step mother would get what she deserved; the message of "have courage and be hopeful" was always present.

If you want to get transported back to the land of Fairy Tales with castles and charming princes, where good is sweet and pure and bad is nasty and black, see Cinderella. Know you will be Disneyed to death (the other DrC would not go) and enjoy. I certainly enjoyed! 

Birthdays

I have fifteen friends who have birthdays between February 21 to March 12. This past week I went to two birthday parties. I enjoyed a lot of cake, which is one of my favorite deserts. 

              

On Wednesday I helped host a surprise party. To get the Birthday Girl to the party Itself, I blindfolded her, drove out of the way for a few miles before circling back to the restaurant where about 30 friends were waiting to yell surprise! It's was great fun!

PS: she was surprised!

Number 8

I just completed my eighth blanket of the year. The pattern is called Catherine Wheel. While it's pretty, I don't think I'll make it again...way too tedious and far too many "ends" to weave in. 

Every two rows there's a color change, and I used 4 different colors as you can see. The blanket is bright with orange and pink and two calmer colors of green and a variegated yarn combining the colors. Kids like LOUD and this is LOUD.

This strange shot shows my "collection" of blankets for this year. I'm turning them into my Project Linus Chapter today. I think of the blankets as smiles, so that's 8 more smiles for some children who might not smile a lot.

Number 7

I finished my 7th blanket for the year. I've called it Red Hot Chili.

It's my favorite zigzag pattern in red, cinnamon, orange and gold -- the color will keep you warm if the blanket won't. 

I have 2 blankets started, so I guess I'll finish one of them next.

Baby Sandals

A friend sent me a pattern for the cutest "booties" I'd seen in a long time. After reading the directions then looking at the online video instructions, I took yarn to hook and crocheted for about an hour.

At 4 inches long, they are supposed to be big enough for a 6 month old. 

I will be giving them to the grand-daughter of a friend of mine soon. If you would like a pair, let me know. They are really fun to make and cute to look at.

 

Are You Chipper?

Yesterday we rented a chipper to mow down an old mound of yard trimmings. 

This mechanical monster had a voracious appetite for dried wood that was amazing. Put in a limb from a tree and get chips. Sometimes the wood was so dry, the result was dust, but mostly we got chips. 

In the end, our mound was reduced to a pile which will be redistributed back to the land as mulch. 

We went from this pile of "stuff" to 

this pile of mulch. A pretty good trade!

Sunset Times Two

The first sunset during daylight savings time this year. 

And -- surprise it got better a few minutes later!

Poppies

I wish I had taken this picture...my friend Ed did. I've been looking for this field all spring, and it has eluded me. 

Is this pretty? or is this pretty!

Happy 18th Birthday

My crochet pal turns 18 today! She's a collector of elephants, so I bought her the tiniest, little, itsy-bitsy elephant for her birthday.

It's on a "string necklace" which is a "new" thing that teenage girls seem to like. The idea is to make a wish when you put the necklace on...then keep the necklace on day and night until the string breaks, at which time your wish will come true! Who knows if it works, but it is a cute idea. BTW, the charm is about 3/8 of an inch small. I think you might need to make a wish to recover the charm when the string breaks, but then I'm not 18 and far too practical.

Senior Learners

We started our OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) classes this morning. Both of our classes are filled...which is kind of fun. 

Our studrents are seniors...we are seniors...and all of us are learning. In fact, when I teach I never know who learns more...me or my students. These are the best students I've ever taught. They are alert, attentive, with-it, and just plain fun! 

As you can see, we are not in a fancy classroom. We do have wifi and a PC computer. Since I'm a Mac person, the computer is just about useless. This week I had my lesson prepared on an iPad and quickly discovered the equipment was not compatible. Thank goodness I had a backup plan that did work! Next week, I'll be ready...I'll bring my Mac! The bottomline--Always prepare for contigencies that are beyond your control!