Geezerville at Sea: Shellback Edition

We crossed the equator sometime in the last 24 hours. When a person crosses the equator for the first time, King Neptune magically transforms you from a lowly "polliwog" to a "trusty shellback." Since we've crossed the equator many times, we have been shellbacks for a long time. In fact, I think most of the folks on this ship are shellbacks. Nevertheless, we became Trusted Shellbacks again, and King Neptune is obliged not to give us a bad time. We have the certificate to prove it too.

Yesterday we received another certificate for crossing the international dateline. I have a number of these certificates too, but for some strange reason, it's fun to get another  one. So while today was November 5 on the ship, we did not hear any news about the US election--because it's still November 4 there. The other DrC will be glued to the TV tomorrow finding out the results of the election. We had not planned this cruise to miss the election, but let me tell you...I'm glad we missed all the hype. It's easier to avoid the news on a ship than it is on the mainland. I'm happy we avoided the news. We'll get enough tomorrow

So the next time you plan a cruise, do so during the end of the election cycle. You can avoid the news and hype and get on with living. Here's hoping the right person wins. Remember, we're all in this together.

Geezerville at Sea: Green Flash Edition

Another lovely sea day. We ate. We talked to folks. We looked at the ocean which was flat and smooth. We both listened to our books. All is good.

Sunset came and I was hoping it would be spectacular like last night because we had some picturesque clouds floating above the water...but it was not a colorful sunset. A large yellow ball rested among the clouds and quickly dipped to the edge of the water before slipping away from sight. Since it was a perfect golden orb, I was hoping to see a "green flash" but that did not happen.

I've seen the "green flash" once--when we lived on Guam. For weeks, I went to the shore at sunset and looked for the flash, and nothing happened...then one night, when I was getting ready to give up on my quest, I saw the "green flash!"And, I had witnesses too! I was so excited to see something that some folks think is not real. 

Jules Verne wrote about the green flash in his 1882 novel called "The Green Ray." And the green flash is mentioned in the 2007 movie, "Pirate's of the Caribbean: At World's End." There is also scientific proof that the flash exists...but seeing one in person, well that's another thing. You need to be in the right place, at the right time, and not blink during the 2 or 3 seconds that the green light is visible. Tonight, I did not see the flash. On a similar cruise to this one, on the Sun Princess, I sat with a couple who were looking for the flash during most of the cruise. They were surprised that I had actually seen one, as they had been looking for the flash for years. 

Whether searching for the green flash, or something else, a good place to start is an ocean voyage...one that has a lot of sea days. Sea days are restful and low key and perfect for R and R. Remember, we're all in this together.

(I copied the photo from Wikipedia...it shows the stages of a green flash...but it happens very fast. The top picture shows the green sinking sun--the 4 smaller photos show the progression. I did not see progression, I just saw a flash of green light.)

Geezerville at Sea: Dateline Edition

 

Sometime tonight we will cross the International Dateline. We are going to bed on Saturday night and we will wake up on Monday morning. We've crossed the dateline many times, and it is still an "event" because it is just sooooo strange. But, if time is to be kept in a logical fashion, a time meridian is necessary. One time I crossed the dateline on "the best night" to see Halley's Comet...so I never saw it pass  over during its last appearance. That's just the way the dateline is.

We had a very pleasant sea day. The ocean was very quiet...a few gentle ripples. If we were on an old fashioned sailing ship with a real sails, we would have not made much progress today. Instead, we were cruising at 18 knots. The captain upped our speed by a little bit. As you can see, we had a stunning sunset tonight. Maybe the captain was speeding to this sight? My acupuncture person, Dr. Hu (pronounced Who) said the sky was pink port side, so she went to starboard and saw "a most beautiful" sunset. 

While listening to our other lecturer, I reached the halfway mark of my blanket. This fellow is speaking on Plate Tectonics and Volcanoes. He knows his topic but he is not a great presenter. He does not know his slides as he should; his pacing is off, but he does connect to the audience. One out of 3 is lackluster. I need to start a cruise lecture school to show folks how to do it "right." Oh well...that's not going to happen.

I made a huge discovery a couple of nights ago. The ship is serving 15 ounce steaks at dinner and they are just too big. Quite accidentally I learned you can order 1/2 a steak. I've done it a few times and it works. If you go on a cruise, you can do the same thing. Remember, we're all in this together.

Geezerville at Sea: Kona to Samoa Edition

Today was a sea day--and lucky for us, it was a calm sea day. The placid water was a big change from our last set of sea days. We are cruising along at 17 knots which is about 5 knots slower than the transit between Seattle and Hawaii. Because we left Seattle 6 hours late, the captain felt like he needed to put the hammer down.Twenty-two knots is very fast for a big ship. At 22 knots the water is choppy/rough...seventeen knots is about normal for a cruise ship. We should  make landfall on Thursday, November 7 in Samoa. During the next few days we will cross the equator and the dateline. There's always a little shipboard celebration for both of those events.

In Hawaii we picked up 2 lecturers. One is talking about plate tectonics the other is talking about his life story. As former lecturers, we are confused how one of the presenters gets to talk about his life. We went to his lecture today--but the jury is out if he's good or not. We did not see the other lecturer--we'll see what he has to offer tomorrow. We are very picky about lecturers.

Tonight we had a big treat. We went to the Pinnacle Grill for dinner. This is one of the specialty restaurants on the ship and it was very good. All four of us enjoyed our dinner immensely--and we loved the dessert even more--crème brûlée--but it's hard not to love crème brûlée. It was a dressy night, so folks were wearing their fancy clothes. There are fewer tuxedos and ball gowns than in the past, but we clean up "pretty good."

After dinner we saw the show in the World Threater. It was a dance production. We generally like the dance programs a lot. They are good dancers, but for the life of me, I have not been able to stay awake during their performances. They play loud unfamiliar music, use lots of lighting effects, and they can dance--but when I sit down in the dark auditorium I fall asleep. I saw the beginning and ending of every number as I would wake up when folks applauded a performance...then I would see the start of the next routine only to fall  asleep again. Karen said they were good, so I have to take her word for it. I have no idea why they put me to sleep. It's not that I'm doing anything all that earth-shaking during the day, but I can't stay awake when they perform. 

Life on the Westerdam is good. We eat, sleep, drink, see shows, talk, go to the hot tub, relax on the thermal chairs, and repeat. I love that routine. It's going to be hard to go back home but home we will go. Once there, we will pick up our normal routine with fond memories of what we did for 24 days on the Pacific Ocean. Remember, we're all in this together. 

Geezerville a Sea: Kona Edition

Today I played with the 25x  zoom on the new iPhone...that's one of the pix I took. It's pretty clear considering the shore was far from the boat. We made landfall about 730, but getting to shore required a tender and that required a number. We did not go ashore, instead we enjoyed a mostly quiet ship to ourselves. That is a special treat. 

Shore days mean the ship is quiet but it still works. So the Lido is open as are the bars and the pools but there are no wait lines. You can get used to not waiting in about a nanosecond! For us it meant going to the Crow's Nest and looking out the floor to ceiling windows watching all the activity down below. Usually every chair is filled, but not on shore days...we had our pick of primo places. The submarine adventure would surface every so often, the pleasure craft would come and go, and the person surfing being pulled by a huge parasail/parachute would float nearby. My friend Karen wanted to go  ashore, but I was too beat up from yesterday. We just looked at the Target store from afar.

That big zoom lens is too much fun...

Dinner on Halloween was fun. Karen had bought us matching witches hats so we wore them to dinner. I felt like Professor McGonigal! Then we paraded around the ship a little bit showing off our costumes. We had folks in masks, Halloween t-shirts, one woman was a flapper with a beaded dress, another wore an outfit that was decorated with huge spider webs. Good fun. I went to acupuncture at 8 wearing my hat and one of the receptionists loved it so much she asked if she could borrow it for the crew's party tomorrow night...so I gave it to her. She promised to send me a picture of her in the hat. I'll post them tomorrow. 

One  strange factoid: there is a tiny bit of England in Hawaii. Captain Cook died here, and there is a memorial to him on Hawaii. The land by this plinth is not Hawaii.

We are now at sea for another week before we make landfall in Samoa. That will be a new country for us--number 141 but who is counting. We have been to American Samoa, but Samoa is a different country. It's all good fun. Remember, we're all in this together. 

Geezerville at Sea: Honolulu Edition

We made landfall today at Terminal 11 in Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii. I think most of the pax left the ship today. After a week in the boat, it was a good thing to stand on land that was not moving. Honolulu greeted us in traditional aloha style with an orchid lei. Of course we took the lei...we're tourists why not look like one. I hope we were not tourons.

Karen and I had an agenda...we needed to buy a few things that we forgot to pack or decided not to pack because they were too heavy or bulky. To that end we taxied to the Ala Moana mall and found most of what we needed and a few more things too. Our first stop was Ross, then a store that sold quilts, then Long's Drug Store. On the mainland, Long's has become CVS, but it's still Long's here. I've always liked that store. We bought what we needed, walked over 5000 steps...by then I was feeling pretty beat up. My hip and back are not ready for longer walks. We made a quick stop at Walmart too (only the best stores you know), then we taxied home. There are lots of taxis in Honolulu and finding one is easy. We were dropped off at Terminal 11 and we wandered back to the ship. Our first stop was a bar for a soft drink, but none were open...we ended up on Deck 9 at the Lido Buffet where I chugged 3 cans of club soda. Karen only had one. It was thirsty out there.

At bit of rest in the room followed by a soak in the hot tub...all is good. My back hurts but I kinda over overdid it today. Dinner at the main dining room followed by a performance of the ship's dance corps finished the day. A good day too.

BTW Honolulu is a huge city. It is full of traffic, high rise buildings and congestion. It's a far cry from the first time we saw the city over 40 years ago. It's any big city now, not a quiet city as it was. Things change. It's a vital bustling metropolis that everyone needs to visit at least once. Remember, we're all in this together. 

Stores

We are on a "smaller" cruise ship of about 2000 pax and I started to think of all the stuff that is needed to make a cruise work. In addition to the tons of food that 2000 folks consume, think about the ancillary stuff--knives (steak, fish, butter, bread, etc.), forks, spoons (there are about 20 varieties on the ship), plates (dinner, luncheon, bread, cups/saucers, mugs)...and the list goes on. Then there are all the different glasses. Each  food venue has to be stocked with everything as well as table cloths and napkins. Each bar has to have all sorts of glasses, corkscrews, bottle openers and the like. On a cruise many years ago, where we experienced a 21 degree tilt, the dining room lost 22,000 pieces of crockery and over 10,000 glasses. The next day there was not a shortage of anything...cruising as usual.

Let's move to the staterooms/cabins...they have all sorts of stuff too.  Sheets , pillowcases, pillows, mattresses, chairs, patio furniture, tables, televisions...the list goes on. Then come the towels. Our cabin has 2 bath sheets, 3 hand towels, 2 wash cloths, 1 floor mat,  2 bathrobes and 2 extra blankets. And, you can ask for more towels if you need them.

Public areas need stuff too. Tables and chairs come to mind as well as lounge chairs. If there's a pool nearby there are towels...dozens upon dozens of towels. Lastly there are napkins, napkins at the tables and piles of napkins in trays, in case you need one more, More towels are located in the spa. 

That's the easy stuff, but there is more. Countless pictures, sculptures, models, and vases decorate the hallways. Their only purpose is to be beautiful, and that's important too. 

Small things like hand wipes and jellied alcohol hide in plain sight. Every venue has standard stuff that sounds trivial on a small scale...but here we are talking a large scale. From ping-pong and pickleball balls and paddles to giant chess sets and shiny mahjong and domino tiles. The wealth of dry goods needed to outfit a ship is overwhelming. Think then about how much food is needed. We were on a very small Seven Seas cruise with less than 300 pax. On the final night of that cruise, the captain told us how much we had consumed. The only number I remember was 10,000 bottles of wine! I wonder what our wine consumption is on a much bigger ship? Our floating hotel at sea is a complex "machine" that has myriad parts that make it run.

Geezerville at Sea: Finally

Today the water was calm. What a treat! We were walking without running into walls. Heck, we were walking without running into people too--that's even better. The whole outlook of the pax was a lot better too. More smiles today and a lot less grouch. Even tho we have a relatively large ship (and frankly it's not one of the bigger ships at sea) folks get a bit grouchy when they are cooped up and the seas are high. High seas does not begin to explain how rough the ocean can get.

As per my new routine, I started the morning with a dip in the hydrotherapy pool followed by a stretch on a thermal chair and then an acupuncture treatment. A good morning. My back is feeling a bit better but what is even better is my walking. I'm not hurting very much when I walk, so I'm walking faster and longer distances than I was when we boarded the ship a few days ago. I think the acupuncture is helping me out.

Lunch at the Dive In (only one "n", not 2 like I posted yesterday) followed by a walk to the second deck to see what was there. We found a quiet place called the Ocean Bar with nice views, comfy chairs and only 3 other people.Slowly a few more people showed up and then some more and that's when I saw the sign--the knitting group has been given the Ocean Bar from 1:30 to 4 for socializing. Since I brought my crocheting, I fit right in. The other DrC said that was a good time to leave so he went to points unknown.

Dinner at 5 with our friendly group of table-mates. We are lucky to have a family from Canada who have been all over the world too. We have some great conversations over dinner.

As you can tell, I've gotten back to "ship-mode" very quickly. It's been 4 years since we've done an ocean voyage, but the muscle memory is still there telling me what to do. It's nice to know that still works. Remember, we're all in this together.

PS: I mis-posted, the elevator vestibules do have railings, but they are short and concealed. I found them yesterday.

Geezerville at Sea: Smoother Sailing Edition

Finally, we had a relatively quiet ocean today. There are still a few potholes, and it's hard to walk a straight line...but we are not rocking and rolling. It is ever so wonderful not to rock and roll. I think tomorrow will be a more or less calm day too...but after that all bets are off. With any type of cruising, you take the day you get and make the best of it. 

As with any cruise we are trying not to eat all the time. This is easier said than done. As you might know, I like fries...and fresh fries are made at the Dive Inn every few minutes...and they are good. Then there's the ice cream, another of my favorite food groups, along with fresh cookies. There's "real" food too that is pretty tasty too. Today Karen and Joe went to the Pinnacle Grill for lunch instead of the buffet at the Lido, turns out that a served lunch is good too. 

We have a flat panel TV in our room. It has a "channel" that looks at weather, sea conditions, a location map, and other items. We had not seen that particular channel before, so we decided to find our exact location. Turns out that the map shows a large mass of water without any coastline for reference, and our route is a dark yellow line the ends with a star more or less in the middle of the picture. It is one of the most useless maps I've ever seen!

All is good. The hydrotherapy pool is the best, and my back is enjoying acupuncture (if a back can enjoy anything). We get to Hawaii on the 30th. Remember, we're all in this together. 

Geezerville at Sea: Another Bumpy Day

 

This was a day where we had to follow the Antarctica Protocol of "One hand for the ship and one hand for yourself." In other words we are still having rough seas. IF you decided to leave your room today, you definitely needed to hang on to a railing for dear life. That is "one hand for the ship." Thank goodness there are railings almost everywhere but there are none in the elevator vestibules. There are none in big rooms either. It's also not the time to use any swimming or soaking facilities as they will swamp you. The outdoor pools and hot tubs have mesh coverings, telling you in no uncertain words they are not available. Sadly the hydrotherapy pool was not covered this morning so I took to the warm water and hung on very tight. I left after my allotted 15 minutes and sat on a thermal lounger and looked at the ocean. Later I had an acupuncture treatment which relaxed some very tight muscles.

I returned to my cabin and figured out what would come next. I went to lunch then went to the Crow's Nest on Deck 10. The ship was alive. It's not common to be sailing in rough seas in this stretch of the ocean, but we've experienced it one time before. At that time, we were sailing out of San Pedro for Hawaii, and all 4 days to Honolulu were ROUGH. It happens. As I was trying to leave the Crow's Nest the ship made a very unexpected lurch, lost my footing and I fell down on another chair 2 chairs from where I was sitting. I sort of splashed down with my back hitting the seat of the chair, missing the floor. It happened quickly and the people I was talking to could not react fast enough to stop my fall. The nice folks decided to give me an escort to the elevator...they were making sure I would not fall again. I waited for the elevator and that's when I discovered there were no railings by them.  Not a good thing on bumpy days.

Back in the room we both decided it would be better to have dinner in the cabin...so we blew off the first "dressy" night of the adventure and stayed home and watched a movie. It is safer here than in the open hallways. The bottom line is BE SAFE. Remember, we're all in this together.

Geezerville at Sea: A Choppy Sea Day

 

 

We finally left Seattle at 11 PM, about 6 hours later than planned. It appears they needed to load a lot of food and drink aboard as supplies were running low. They also needed to bunker--that's cruise talk for getting fuel. These things always take more time than what is allotted. At first, the ocean was calm, but  the Pacific is calm by the shore. The  rocking and rolling starts a few hours later. As I write this, the Pacific Ocean needs to be repaved as there are a lot of potholes evident. If you look at the pool picture, it's a mirror of what the ocean is doing. White caps on the pool are never a good thing. They have closed the cover on the pool end of the Lido Deck as it's too cold and rainy to be "out there" without the cover to protect us. Don't worry, all is good. We just came from welcome party on that end of the Lido Deck, and the liquor was disappearing at an amazing rate!

 Today was my first dip (for this cruise) in the hydrotherapy pool. What a pool! It's warm, jetted, private, and absolutely wonderful. They recommend a 15 minute stay which I thought was bogus, but after 15 minutes I started to feel like well-cooked spaghetti, so I tried some of the other delights at the spa. I think I'm in love. Tomorrow, I'm getting acupuncture...what a treat.

By the time that was done it was time to eat...so the 4 of us had lunch...then Karen and I went to a beginner crochet class. I thought it would be more of a chat session with other crocheters, but it was a real class for beginners. I ended up showing the lady who sat next to me how to make an angel and a cross, as she was not a beginner either. It was interesting but not what I was looking for. 

After class, I went downstairs to collect the other DrC and have cookies and soda..any good Hobbit knows you have to have three-sies. Then a brief run to the room to get ready for dinner. I'm honestly not trying to eat my way across the Pacific, but it might seem like that. After dinner we went to that "private, invitation only" cocktail party. Turns out, there are a lot of other 4-star cruisers like us.

All is good even if the ocean is a bit choppy. That's par for the course. As we get closer to Hawaii, the ocean will calm down. One time we traveled this stretch of ocean where there was not a ripple in the water after the initial day and a half of roughness. It will get better. I hope all of you are enjoying yourselves too...Remember, we're all in this together. 

One of 4 Caryatids holding up the ceiling on Deck 10 forward.

Geezerville at Sea: On The Westerdam

Today we boarded the Westerdam. The process was not too painful...lots of walking and lots of finding stuff. We found the important stuff early--the Lido buffet on Deck 9. That was our first stop while they were getting our rooms ready. BUT--I saw a woman who already had her cruise card so I asked her where she got it, and she said it was in the mailbox at her room, Guess what--our rooms were ready but "they" did not tell us. We found our room and sure enough, there was an envelope in the mailbox with 2 room keys in it. It always helps to talk to other folks.

We still had to wait for our luggage, as that was no where in sight. BUT, we had eaten so it was time to explore. I found the spa, which was number 1 on my list and bought a spa package that includes the indoor hot tub that can be used everyday we are on the ship. YAY. I also made a commitment to acupuncture treatment on my back. I'm a happy camper. I have no idea what the other DrC did, but I think it was sleep.

Dinner on the 3rd floor dining room. We have a table for 8 with some very interesting many-time cruisers so the conversations for the next 3 weeks will be very interesting. In addition, there are 2 engineers at the table, and a couple of teachers. Should be fun. Dinner was great in so many ways--first it tasted good; they were able to accommodate my low-sodium diet without any notice; and I did not have to cook it. From there we went to the Jewelry store as they were giving away some diamond studs, and Karen and I had already put in our tickets. Sadly, we did not win. We left before they tried to sell us anything else.

It's now 10:20 and we are still in port. We were supposed to sail-away at 5 so something happened...I have no idea what and I don't really care. Both of us are already in ship mode--which is a nice place to be. We have a great cabin with a large balcony, 2 reclining lounge chairs on it and right now a fantastic view of Mt. Rainier, the huge volcano that dominates Seattle. 

The last cruise, about 3 weeks was ago on a 164 pax boat. Westerdam is a ship with about 12 times as many pax. From what I can tell, she's well organized. I'll find out more about her, in the days to come. In the meantime, remember, we're all in this together.

Geezerville at Sea Starts in 2 Days

Tomorrow we fly to Seattle...and the day after we board a Holland America ship and sail to Australia. It's going to a be a great cruise with stops in Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji, New Caledonia. The last time we were in New Caledonia, we took a shore excursion to a wonderful museum and somehow we missed the signal to board the bus to return to the ship. All of a sudden the museum went QUIET and we knew we were in trouble. Folks in New Caledonia speak French, we don't, but the person at the front desk asked in halting English if we were on the ship, we said oui...she called the ship, and soon a full-sized bus came to pick us up. Needless to say, we made it back to the ship on time. Turns out the tour guide forgot to count her pax. We learned, always be there for the head count.

Holland America is the line for senior cruisers. A few years back, we were on an Holland ship and we were among the youngsters onboard. We are older now, so we might fit in with the median age of the pax. Hence the title, "Geezerville at Sea"--I'm guessing there will be a lot of geezers on this voyage.

Watch this space to learn about shipboard life. I plan to spend quite a bit of time at the spa enjoying the peace and quiet. I'll also spend time reading, crocheting, talking, eating (that's a no-brainer), making new friends, and touring. It will all be good. Remember, we're all in this together.

(Picture courtesy of Holland America at https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/cruise-ships

Life in Geezerville: New iPhone Edition

My new iPhone 16 ProMax arrived today, a full twelve days before it was expected. I now get to take my new gadget on our cruise. The camera has been improved in the five years since my last new iPhone...it now has an incredible 48 megapixels and 25x zoom. The few pictures I've taken with it are pretty spectacular.

Since the old phone took a bath, I've been dreading downloading all my apps--but like Apple said, "It was easy!" Yeah, I did not think they were right either. First off, I backed up the old phone and took screenshots of all my apps, then I brought it to my local Verizon store. There, Nick did all the work for me. That was a great deal. You can imagine my surprise, because it was NOT easy to download from iPhone 11 to iPhone 11, which I had done not too many days before. Today the transfer worked like a champ. It took 6 minutes to transfer the data. Then, with a little pang of regret, I erased all the stuff from the old phone and traded it in on this one. 

I want to thank everyone who said "buy the new phone"--they were right. There's a lot of stuff I have to learn, but most of the stuff is not "new knowledge" but "updated knowledge" and that's pretty easy to learn, such as a button that was used for this is now used for that--that type of stuff. I already know the camera is beefier than the last camera. The battery life is supposed to be better too. I'll find out about all of that on the cruise, as my iPhone is calendar, camera, address book, and major communication device while we are away. I'll give it a good workout.

It's nice to know that this geezer can learn a new trick. The brain is not dead after all. I learned that if there is a Verizon store available, they will do a lot of the work. In Geezerville South there are Verizon stores--such is not the case in my northern location and I had to muddle my way thru the process with assistance from two folks, one in the Philippines and one in Vietnam. It's better to have face-to-face assistance. Don't be fearful of upgrading to a newer gadget. At least, at this location, there are folks who can help you. It's a good piece of information to have under your belt. Remember, we're all in this together. 

Life in Geezerville: Voting Edition

In case you did not know, a national election is going to happen very soon. I'm not sure how you canNOT know there is an election as the TV air waves are filled with commercials saying "the other guy/gal is an idiot so vote for me." In addition there are signs along the streets and in front of houses. There are flags touting one candidate or the other. There are billboards displaying the US flag and the name of one candidate or the other. It's really quite heated.

You might think that because we are geezers we are a united front--all for the same person...but that's not the case. Guess what, geezers come in all stripes and denominations too. Some of us are liberal; some of us are conservative; some of us are somewhere in between. All of us are voting Americans. While we might not be the same party, we do have one thing in common--we vote. In fact, geezers are a pretty reliable voting bloc. 

To that end, I received my absentee ballot today and I just filled it out. Funny thing--the other DrC did not receive his ballot. Sure hope it comes soon as we are leaving the USA for a cruise and we will not be "in country" to vote on Election Day. 

If you like what happened in the last four years, vote for that candidate. If you did not like how the last four years have evolved, then vote for the other candidate. Like I've said many times, I'm not political in this blog. The bottomline...YOU NEED TO VOTE. Remember, we're all in this together.

Back in Geezerville

 We are back in Geezerville. I know we are back because of at least two things. The desert is still hot;  and the geezers are driving like --well-- geezers.  Upon arriving into town I pulled behind a geezer who was driving on the right hand side of the street, going 10 miles slower than the posted speed limit with the right turn signal blinking away (no problem yet I think, he's going to make a right turn) BUT, he swerves in front of me and makes a LEFT turn. Yep, I'm back in Geezerville. Welcome back! I love the geezers in Geezerville but their driving is very different from the rest of the world. 

Up north, folks drive at the posted speed limit or maybe a bit more. They tend to use the correct turn signals and they tend to pay attention to their surroundings. You cannot make that assumption in Geezerville. Here, people are “old” and I think that means they feel entitled to do what they want when they want. It will take me a couple of weeks to get into Geezerville-mode and I’ll start doing the same thing. Heck—I’m one of the geezers in Geezerville.

As I write this, we are getting ready to go on an ocean cruise. If the internet works on the ship, I’ll post what we are doing. I’m just giving you a heads-up that there might not be reliable service on the ocean blue. Until we leave, I’ll try to post about life in Geezerville. Remember, we’re all in this together.

Long Ago and Far Away

The other day I saw an old 4 seater wooden buggy that had been pulled by one or 2 horses. It was supported by 4 spindly wooden wheels; the seat was a plank; there was not a trunk per se, but an open cargo area where things could be hauled. It was tiny and cute and a far cry from a modern vehicle. 

As I looked at the cute little contraption that was popular before Henry built his Model T, I remembered a story my mother-in-law told me of an adventure she had when she was a little girl.

She told me of a long journey on a "trap"  when she was 8 or 9. The journey was from Enid, Oklahoma to Dallas, Texas with her dad. He was going to pick up a surprise for his wife, while on a business trip to Dallas, so he took his little girl on a road trip in their horse and buggy. She did not recall how long the trip lasted, but she said it was really exciting as she was NOT with her brothers, just she and her dad. When they got to Dallas, he did his business then he went to an "emporium" and they bought some very special "China" he had ordered for her mom. The China was packed in crates and straw and was put in the back of trap. They carefully made their way back to Enid with their treasure. She recalled they went slower as they could not break the very special and fragile China (not to mention expensive). When they got home, her mother was beyond surprised with her brand new fancy dishes.

Those dishes have been in the family for over a century. I don't know where they all are, as there were 7 children, but I have 3 large serving platters. They are precious to me. 

When I see the platters or use one of them, I think of the story. An 8 year old girl and her daddy out for a one or two month adventure on unpaved roads in a horse and buggy. Where did they stay? How did they take care of each other and the horse? Did they sleep under a tarp in the back of the trap? What exactly did it entail to go on such a long journey? Would mama be anxious to let her only little girl go on such a journey? I have no idea how to answer those questions. They must have taken the drive in the summer, as she did not recall a cover on the "trap." How long did it take? On modern roads, it's about 350 miles from Enid to Dallas. It's a long day trip down the interstate. 

Pre-World War One, there were gasoline and electric cars, but folks in the country used their horse and buggy. It was reliable, did not need gasoline or electricity for power--fodder for a horse was available. On a good day with the right conditions, a horse and buggy could travel up to 30 miles. And, it was exciting. Imagine, an 8 year old on a very long journey with her daddy? She did not tell me if she drove the trap, but she might have--she was a very competent woman, so maybe the little girl was too. 

Going to Dallas was a BIG deal. They might have been away for 2 months. They were driving in the heat, humidity, wind and dust. She recalled the dust and the wind, which she hated to the day she died.  While dad was doing "business" in Dallas he also had to get the surprise for his wife, you have to wonder what does a little girl do?

Can you imagine that trip? I saw the wonder in my mother-in-law's eyes when she told the story. It was definitely THE adventure of her young lifetime. I don't know when her father bought a gasoline powered vehicle, but I know he bought one eventually...and she also talked about an adventure she and girlfriend took in a car to the east coast, where they camped in schoolyards along the way as there were no  hotels.  

That was then, this is now.  We travel with impunity and think nothing of long distance travel. We drive or fly and that's that. No big deal. 115 years ago it was a big deal. Times have changed, but the adventure is still there. It's fun to think about that trip way back when and wonder what it was like?

Life in Geezerville: iPhone Edition

Right after we came home from our wonderful river cruise--disaster happened! I accidentally dropped my 5-year-old iPhone into a bucket of water. I don't know how it happened, but it did. iPhones are allergic to water, even if Apple says that they are "safe up to 50 feet." This bucket was nowhere near fifty feet deep. The poor iPhone was wet thru and thru! I blowed it dry and hoped for the best. The best was not good. I knew something was amiss when Face ID was not working. It went downhill from there. The battery didn't keep a charge; the camera went cloudy; and it hung up in the middle of calls. HELP.

I called Verizon because I have an "insurance policy" with them, and they said they would replace the iPhone with the same model. I asked if I could pay for an upgrade to the latest model, but alas that was not to happen. SO...on Monday the new-to-me iPhone 11 Pro Max was delivered to my door and all I needed to do was get it working.

Geezers, hear this. Nothing, absolutely NOTHING, about getting iPhone information transferred is easy, contrary to what Apple says. My friend Karen warned me...and she was right. The nice folks at Verizon and Asurion (the insurance company that Verizon uses) sent me a new-to-me iPhone, and all I have to do is transfer data. I open the package and read a flyer printed in friendly purple ink. There are 3 "easy" directions. I'm pretty good at following directions, but I always worry when the word "easy" is included. Nothing is ever that "easy." I called the magic number and talked to Tony at Asurion. Tony is from the Philippines and he's very patient. I like Tony. He tells me how to install the new SIM-card. I turn on the phone, and input the basics. BTW, basics are passwords and PIN numbers. All the input is done on the teeny-tiny keyboard that does not fit geezer fingers. This is where trouble comes into the equation. Gone are the days of simple passwords. All of my passwords are "strong" which translates to LONG. Of course I have geezer-finger and that adds to the problem. Tony is patient and says "don't get flubbered..I have all day." I really like Tony. He says words like "flubbered" and he says he has time. I relaxed and stopped flubbering and got the required passwords keyed in and working. The iPhones then started talking to each other and were actually downloading info to one other. I'm a happy camper (I think)? Tony asked if I had any other questions so I asked how do I transfer my million or so apps over to the new mobile. Tony, with a smile in his voice says they have to be done manually....but it's really easy to do. I'm more worried than I was?

That evening I start the process of winnowing thru all my million or so apps to see if I really need all of them, when I discover that the calendar is not "populated" with all of my future and past appointments. My pictures have been transferred (YAY) but not all my contacts. Of course, I discovered this at 10 PM and Asurion closes at 10--as does Apple--and Verizon. Yes, I called all 3. There's no more app-transferring to do, so I go to bed frustrated and angry. I warned the other DrC not to talk to me as I was NOT IN THE MOOD to be civil to anyone, even him. He gave me a hug and said he loved me. You gotta love my guy.

The next morning I call Asurion and talk to Tren, who is in Viet Nam. She's patient with me. With her assistance, I download a new app that finishes downloading the rest of my contacts and calendar. I ask if there is an easy way to transfer apps from one iPhone to the next and she very seriously says NO then she says that Apple has made the transfer process so much easier than in the past. I say thank you and good bye. This is one of the times I wanted to slam down the phone but you can't slam down a mobile phone. It just does not work.

I have at least one more dilemma. Prior to this catastrophe, my plan was to replace my 5 year old phone with the newest iPhone model in the next few months. I now have a new-to-me 5-year-old iPhone. How long is Apple going to support a 5-year-old iPhone? Is it worth it to transfer my million (just a slight exaggeration) or so apps into an old model iPhone, or should I trade in the new-to-me iPhone on the latest-greatest iPhone 16, and transfer the apps only one time. It's the same amount of work in either case. I don't know what to do? I wish there was a way I could connect the two iPhones and tell them to talk to each other, but I don't know how to do that either? Please, my friends in Geezerville, gimme some suggestions? What to do? Get the new-to-me-old-iPhone up and running and forget that it's five years old and won't be supported by Apple much longer OR trade it in? Keep in mind that we are going on a cruise in late October and I have to have the iPhone up and running before I leave our fair shores. Please, I'm asking what to do? Would you replace the old phone with a new one or say the heck with it and keep the old-new iPhone? Remember, we're all in this together.

Brigadoon

 

The leaves are changing colors and that means it's time to snowbird away. We always think of the movie "Brigadoon" at this time of year. Instead of vanishing for 100 years, we vanish for a couple of seasons. The outdoor stuff comes inside, the indoor stuff gets stowed away, the water system gets winterized with antifreeze, and ever so slowly the house and yard take a nap from reality. They hibernate, for lack of a better word. 

The year round residents stay. The smaller deer was a spotted fawn 3 weeks ago. We took a river cruise and during that time, the baby spots disappeared. He grew up overnight, as it were, yet we were seeing him grow all summer long. He's now sitting with his mom in perfect harmony. All summer she taught her twins how to survive in the wild. The twins will stick with her until she welcomes a new set of fawns in the spring, then they are on their own. They will probably stay in the general area, as this is their home.

The RV park down the road is just about a ghost town. Most of the summer-time residents have left, and the rest are closing up their campers, getting them ready for the cold weather that is just around the corner.  Many of the RVs have been wrapped to protect them from the elements. Others have their slides pulled in and are ready for whatever Mother Nature has in store. 

It's Brigadoon. What was alive a few days ago is now going to sleep. The snowbirds are flying away as fast as they can, heading for warmer weather. As we get ready to fly away, we are remembering the lovely summer days that brought us to this little paradise.

Life in Geezerville: Travel Musing Edition

As you know we just returned from a river cruise. A fantastic river cruise, BTW. It could have been called a geezer-cruise, as all of us were on Social Security. We were white geezers, brown geezers, black geezers, blonde geezers, gray geezers--and that was just our hair color.  All of us were definitely geezers. 

What did we talk about? Everything and nothing. I would have to say that travel was high on the list of topics--where we had been and where we want to go next. We might be geezers, but the wanderlust is still alive and well. We were a well traveled group, so those conversations were always fun. When you are in a small space with 165 folks, you talk to everyone at least once.

We all walked and talked. Some of us talked better than we walked. Some, the other way around. We all did a mental comparison test of playing the game of "I'm doing ok."  We went on shore excursions (or not) and enjoyed each other's company.  We learned about the Mother River along the way--and a fascinating river she is.

All of us were expecting to learn about Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens and we did. He has a huge presence on the River. One of our lecturers said that Mark Twain was the most famous man of the time. I had never thought of that before, yet he was known worldwide for his books and his humor. The shaggy haired man in the white suit told "truth" with a distinctive American flair.

We all had a good time eating too. Geezers can pack away a lot of food. I never went to "formal" breakfast in the dining room as the Sky Lounge which served a "small" breakfast was right next to my room. I would crawl out of bed, get dressed and see what the gang at the lounge had to offer. Platters of fruit, danish, lox, cream cheese, bagels, fancy yogurt with fruit and granola (yummy), along with fresh cooked eggs, bacon, or sausage....along with coffees and other juices. The trays were loaded and emptied by the geezers-turned-locusts who ate like they had never had breakfast before. By 1030  the platters were reduced to crumbs. But don't forget, the 10 o'clock warm cookies had arrived by then. We would finish our breakfast in time to enjoy a warm cookie. That's a habit this geezer got into very quickly.

You have to wonder why all of us were geezers? Geezers have time. Geezers have the $$$ to take a river cruise.  Are geezers  the target demographic for cruising (river or otherwise)? I do know young folks who have been on cruises (heck, I've even taken them along). Geezers do have the time and the desire to travel. We have the need to keep moving. All of us said we need to do this while we still can do it. So to that end I'll keep on doing it.

Geezers are a hardy bunch of folks. We've seen a lot, done most of it, and we want to continue to do it as long as we can. SO, my geezers friends...what is your next expedition or adventure? Do you have travel on the books in the near future. We have 3 more cruises "on the books" between now and May. Remember, we're all in this together.

Home, For Now

 

We are home. Yesterday was a long day--and almost included a disaster. We were waiting for our plane at one gate only to find out at boarding time, that our gate had been moved to the other end of the terminal. It worked out, but my Delta app did not tell me of the change. We got to our flight about 10 minutes before they closed the gate--they were boarding zone 7 and we were in zone 1. 

The flight was good. We got to our home airport on time. We drove home without seeing any elk. We took our suitcases out of the car and went to bed. We were tired and now the other DrC has my cold. This morning we trudged around the house trying to get stuff done but the progress is slow. The washing is on; the suitcases are unpacked, and we were smart enough leave something easy for dinner tonight. Tomorrow, we'll have to act like grown-ups and get the rest of the stuff done.

While we were gone, we had a handicapped ramp built in the back of the house. It's not quite finished as we are waiting for a few more parts--but it's going to be a big help for us and our friends who have a hard time going up and down stairs. The cruise was fantastic. The down side is getting home and getting "up and running" again. Both of us got into "cruise mode" in about a nano-second, now it's time to return to reality as we head south in a week. Lots to do between now and then.

Old Man River

We left Baton Rouge right as the sun was setting...and it was a magnificent sunset. Then we started our last night on the American Seranade cruising down "Old Man River." Strange I never heard that song as we were on the boat--but I kept humming it as it was definitely appropriate.

The river cruise was THE BEST. American Cruise Lines really means it when they say everything is included because everything is included. I needed AAA batteries, and I was given a set of Duracells. I wanted a sparkling water, and a bottle of Perrier shows up. One night we had champagne with dinner, no problem. Other folks were enjoying mixed drinks; fancy coffees; and the like--all included. Then there was the service. There's nothing like "southern hospitality" but this was even better. Not only were the staff friendly, they were kind too. The food was wonderful. We had a choice of 3 main dishes every night and oftentimes it was hard to decide which one to choose as all were great. The last night was the best with choices of tenderloin, crab stuffed lobster or surf and turf. I mean, how do you choose? For dessert we had to make the hard choice between pecan pie and crème brûlée? OR, we could have had both. I said earlier that any Hobbit would love this cruise as we had snacks throughout the day, including warm cookies at 10 and 3 AND don't forget a before bedtime snack of something sweet and scrumptious. I wonder what clothes I will be able to wear when I get home? 

As an aside, ACL owns a fleet of dedicated busses that either follow us down the river or are stationed at the river stops. Everything is planned by ACL and it's planned right. We were never left waiting for a "local" bus as we always had our own. That is pretty impressive.

Sadly we left our little home away from home this morning. We said goodbye to new friends, hugged a lot, exchanged numbers and climbed into our bus and headed for the airport in NOLA. Right now, we have landed in Atlanta, and we're heading back home--but we have a looooong lay-over. If all goes to plan we should be home by 10 PM.

G

As we left the port in New Orleans, we were greeted with the sculpture of the Mother River. Old Man River, Mother River, Big Muddy, Big Sip--some of the many names for the Mighty Mississippi River. Our cruise was definitely the best way to become acquainted with this magnificent waterway.

Red Stick LA

You have to wonder why a town gets named "Red Stick" or more commonly Baton Rouge. Two local Native American tribes divided their territories with a 30 foot red pole that was decorated with fish bones. As long the tribes respected their own territory all was good. The French, who came here in the late 1600s were told about the red stick and of course named the area Baton Rouge.

Today the town has a quarter of a million people. To give you some perspective, WY has half a million people in a LOT more land. Baton Rouge has something that's more important--its location. Baton Rouge sets atop a high bluff and therefore does not flood. It was the perfect place to put a city on the mighty river with good views of the surrounding territory. 

We were told that the water would get muddier as we sailed south, and they told the truth. Today Baton Rouge is a thriving city and the water is muddier than we've seen in other places. It might not be the beauty spot it was in the late 1600s. It's still a thriving city that gets lots of river traffic. To set this in perspective, up river in St. Louis, the population is about the same...other towns along the river range between 20-50,000 people. Baton Rouge is a big city by comparison to the other towns we've stopped at. 

Baton Rouge is the capital of Louisiana; home of Louisiana State University and CATS. CATS is Capital City Area Transit System---I'm guessing they did not want to be called BRATS which might not have a positive image. Another fun fact, Baton Rouge is home to the tallest State Capital Building in the US. We are here on a sunny warm day, docked in what looks like mud. Mark Twain said the Mississippi was too thick to drink and too thin to plow. That about sums up the water in Baton Rouge.