Hilo

We spent our third day in Hawaii in Hilo. We arrived right after the sun rose and we were greeted with a rainbow.

Then the tug came up to the ship and we were "herded" to the port facility.

In Hilo that facility is out of the way. Therefore, it's quite a distance to Hilo town site

There are several ways to get to HIlo...a taxi, a shore excursion, or the famous free Wal-Mart bus. We decided to take the Wal-Mart shuttle and get on with our day from there. 

In Hilo you can visit Volcanoes National Park, or you can fly over an active volcano, or you can see Akaka Falls State Park, or you can see the views from the cliffs. We've done all of that in the past, so we walked a bit and came back to the ship. The ship without people is a very pleasant place to be. It was sad to hear the "Muggles" when they came back from their excursions. In between we had a quiet time without them. 

I did see one piece of wildlife today--a sea turtle, about 18 inches in diameter was minding his own business when the ship was gliding toward the dock. The turtle was quietly swimming when he looked to the side and saw our behemoth on his left flank (literally) at which point he dived and that was the last I saw of him. It all happened so quickly, I did not have time to take a picture...and if I had taken a picture I don't know if he would have been visible as we as just about the same color as the water. 

Tomorrow we head for Kona, one or our favorite places in Hawaii.

Stuff and Nonsense

We stayed overnight in Honolulu. Last night was absolutely beautiful...the lights in the harbor were fun to look at...not good for pictures though, but that's all right. 

That's our big ship "parked" beside the city. Next to the Aloha Tower the Grand Princess is "parked" 

...the Princess ship has the better parking space as it's a bit closer to town. 

Once in town, you can get all the Spam you can eat. Spam is a favorite for Island folks as it's good "typhoon food"--have you ever seen a can of Spam spoil? I bet you did not know there were that many varieties of Spam either. 

There are lots of container ships and barges in the bay. This barge is interesting as it has it's own crane to lift and carry the containers. Generally speaking, the cranes are on the shore and the barge floats up to the crane...not in this case. 

This morning the crew was doing life boat drills, and they actually loaded a life boat...now I know how folks get into and out of one of these things. The process should be included in the drill...or it should be on a video you can see you your room.

This is a huge tile mural, that I thought was an old Delft piece...only, it was made for the ship in Spain.

As I said, this was all stuff and nonsense. Tomorrow we will be in Hilo.

Honolulu

We are docked in Honolulu. Our first port of call on this tour. Lots of folks have left the ship to explore Honolulu and vicinity, but we have opted to take a short excursion ashore, then stay on board. Staying on board is so much more fun when the ship is just about empty, Folks who have cruised a lot, like these days, when not too many people are onboard. It's like having the ship to ourselves.

We were greeted this morning with a view of Diamondhead. Always distinctive...Diamondhead tells you that you've arrived on the islands. 

While Diamondhead is more or less empty, the rest of the city is alive and bustling. Honolulu is a busy, thriving city. If you are looking for grass shacks along the beach, don't come here, as I don't think there are any. Some of the other islands might have that feature, but the famous beach here, Waikiki, is way too developed.

This picture gives you a pretty good idea how Honolulu has grown both upward and outward. In the old days, the Aloha Tower at the left edge of the picture was the tallest building on the island. That is no longer the case. From my vantage point on the ship, I can see from Tripler Hospital to the left, the Punchbowl in the center, and Diamonhead to the right. It's perfect. We will be here 2 days. 

The best place to be...somewhere on deck, near the pools enjoying the beauty of Hawaii.

Arts and Crafts

The ship is filled with art. In addition to the obligatory art gallery, there's always a collection of objects around the ship. This ship has a strange collection of "stuff." At the elevators there are 

 These fawn benches. Different floors have different colors. Not only are really strange to look at, they are uncomfortable too. 

This six foot urn fills it's own niche, and it's one of a pair. Not too far away is 

A large majolica creation sporting a colorful parrot. 

A lovely nymph dances beside one of the elevators. And the elevators have beautiful doors

Yet not all the art is stuffy. 

As this turkey appeared on my bed last night. 

Safety

Safety is the number 1 priority on a ship. Everywhere there are signs telling you to mind your head or watch your step. But, the most important safety issue, is the lifeboat/safety drill that everyone has to participate in before the ship sets sail.

Depending on the company (Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Princess, etc.) there are specific standards that HAVE to be met. One of the basic standards is "Everyone has to participate in a safety drill." That's not hard. However, how you participate in that safety drill is different for each line and sometimes for each ship.

As an example, when we were on the Oasis of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean ship, we were instructed to go to the Champagne Bar to see the pre-recorded safety message on the TV that was scheduled to be shown at a specific time. We showed up without our life jackets, listened to the message, watched a live demonstration on how to wear a life jacket, and we were dismissed. That was the full extent of the safety drill.

On most Princess ships, we have been instructed to go to a lounge near our muster station, with our life jacket, and watch a pre-recorded safety message on the TV. Then there's a live demonstration on how to wear a life jacket followed by the passengers actually putting on their life jackets. After getting "inspected" for doing it correctly, everyone is dismissed. 

Then there's "The Westerdam" on Holland America. No cushy lounge or bar for the Westerdam...no... We had to go to the actual muster station which is boldly printed on our room key. At the designated time, we proceeded to our muster station where we were checked in. Then came a waiting game as everyone had to be quiet so the captain could speak. He told us what needed to be done in case of an emergency. The captain of this ship is definitely the leader as he has a huge booming voice that does not let anyone even think about doing anything other than following his directions. After the directions, we saw a live demonstration on how to put on the life jacket. We were not requested nor required to put on the life jacket. It did not take long to get to the muster station, but it took a lot of time for everyone to get quiet and then listen to the announcement. It was a very different feeling from any other ship we have been on over the years. I don't know if it was "better" than other safety drills, but it was certainly different.

Whatever the case, when the drill is over, most folks have a general idea what needs to be done in case of an emergency. What is never ever told to the passengers is HOW to get into the lifeboats.  Somehow that is completely ignored. I guess we are supposed to know how to do that task. 

These are the formal directions for putting on a life jacket. 

And these are the formal directions for putting down the extra life rafts. Again, no directions on how to get into the life rafts. 

20 Knots Per Hour

That might not seem like a lot, but it's 20 knots per hour, day and night. By noon yesterday we had traveled 350 knots and we were 1900 knots from Hawaii, our first stop. 

The ocean is calm and the sky is blue. Yesterday we saw a whale surfing on the water, and after a few minutes, it dove under never to be seen again. That was our "excitement" for day! 

The folks I've met are all experienced travelers. Most of the pax are older, but there are 2 children on board. They are celebrities as kids are rare on a 30 day cruise. We have at least 2 lecturers on board, and there might be more as the cruise director's staff is bringing them out slowly. Trivia has started, and it's a "big" thing. I have a team and I'm sad to say, we lost yesterday. Do you know how many seconds there are in a year? 

Learning the Ship

Each ship is different, even though they do the same thing. It takes a bit of time to learn what a ship does and does not do. Today and tomorrow I will do some exploring to find out more about the ship. 

I did find out this morning that it's very possible to walk two miles outside, on the ship's deck. That's important as I like to walk 2 miles a day. It takes 6 laps around the Promenade Deck (aka deck 3) to accumulate 2 miles. Along the way I experienced sunrise, which is always special on the ocean. As I looked if the back if the ship I could see just a glint of sunshine trying to push up the clouds. Alas, this morning the clouds won

...but that will not always be the case. It might be cloudy, but it's still very pleasant outside. We are steaming along at 20 knots an hour, and at this rate, we will arrive in Honolulu in about 4 days.

I'm off to do more exploring after our breakfast arrives. It's nice to have breakfast delivered, something that does not happen at home.

On The Westerdam

We finally embarked on the HAL Westerdam. It was a slow process that was not well organized. HAL you should be able to do better. 

Once onboard, things are a little better. We have a Suite, with a huge bathroom

There are double sinks

...a Jacuzzi

...and a shower. We will stay clean!

Of course there's a huge bed, that I hope is comfy

...then there's a sofa

A desk with TV and a hidden fridge 

...and another desk.

We have a verandah, with two "lounge" chairs (they don't look too soft to me)

And a little table for breakfast in the waves. That's always fun!

We are still in San Diego, but sail-a-way is at 5 and then we will head for Hawaii. Watch this space....more to come. 

Turkey Time

It's springtime, and that means it's time for turkeys to "strut their stuff." Yesterday we saw some wild turkeys doing their dance. The pictures are not great, but if you look carefully, you'll see the Tom displaying his beautiful tail. 

Wild turkey are never easy to find, and here they were just walking around on a back road. 

What a treat!

On The Road Again

Watch this space as we're on vacation again. Today we drove south to San Francisco and we were treated to a green state. 

The hillsides are covered in green and yellow. The meadow foam is lush.

We've not seen this much green in CA for a long long time. It's a treat. Keep watching this space as the scenery will be changing yet again. We are beginning a new adventure.

It's Easter

May you have a happy one!

Blankets To Be

Yesterday I turned in 9 blankets to Project Linus headquarters in Sacramento. It was my first visit to HQ but I think I'll go again. The reason is simple...the HQ is like a candy store for blanketeers. There are boxes and boxes and boxes of brand new yarn that is there for the asking. All you have to do is be a Project Linus volunteer and promise to make at least one blanket a year. Since I have made about 400 blankets, I have "permission" to sample the store. 

So I brought home a lot of yarn for a lot of blankets. I think this should keep me busy for a few months, don't you? A lot of kids are going to get some hand made blankets. That is a good thing!

9:30 PM Arrival

That's when the vernal equinox happens...at 9:30 PM PDS...that means it's at 4:30 AM Greenwich Mean Time. 

Here's a flower for spring!

Baby Blanket

I just finished my ninth blanket of the year. It's for a neighbor's baby. The parents are playing the old fashioned game of NOT learning the sex of their baby, so I made a "neutral" blanket of white and a

 variegated yarn of white, yellow, green, blue and pink. I think the blanket came out well and I know the parents to be will like it too.

In addition, it has the Teddy Bear Seal of Approval.

Green Spring

In addition to rising water levels, the hillsides are greening up too. Spring is in the air!

Rainbows and flowers...

All is good.

8 Feet

We have had several days of rain. Wonderful, wonderful rain. The ponds are filled. The rivers are running high, and the big lake, Lake Oroville, came up 8 feet in just one day!

This picture was taken on October 3, 2015.

I took this picture yesterday. As you can see, the great tall barren banks of the lake are definitely less. 

Another view of the lake and again, the water is high. I've not seen Lake Oroville this high for several years. The rain is good!

 

Daylight Savings Time

Today was the first day of Daylight Savings Time for 2016. What a messed up day! 

I woke up before the sun and my timing was "off" all day.  At 6:30 in the morning, it was too early to eat breakfast yet my body told me I was hungry. I ignored the feeling and plowed ahead thinking I'd eat a bit later. I started my day and forgot that I had not eaten anything, when all of a sudden it was 2:45 in the afternoon. Now it was too late for breakfast and too late for lunch. What to do? The answer was simple...I set the timer for an hour and when it rang, I started to cook dinner. Dinner was on the table at 5:30, which was a bit early for us,  but since I forgot about breakfast and lunch, I was ready for dinner.

Tomorrow has got to be better.  Given the above, I hope you remembered to "spring" ahead and set your clocks an hour forward last night. 

Peru Part 2

I just finished my 8th blanket for the year. It's made of leftover from the blanket I called Joseph's Coat. I have more yarn in these colors, so there will be a third blanket coming soon. However, the next blanket to be made is for an upcoming baby. We do not know if the baby is a boy or a girl, so I'm going to make a white teddy bear blanket. It will be cute.