Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Anchors aweigh

We are about to embark on a bucket list undertaking. We're going to transit the Panama Canal.
On 22 November, Jamie and I will board Coral Princess in San Pedro. 
We will be at sea for three days and arrive in Cabo San Lucas for liberty call.
Three more days at sea and San Juan Del Sur Nicaragua will be our next port of call.
The next day, we'll call at Puntaarenas Costa Rico. Another day at sea and then we get to the canal.
We're scheduled to go through from 0600 to 1630, 4:30 PM.
The next day we call on Cartagena Columbia. I'll buy everyone who responds a pound of cocaine.  Note to NSA, just kidding.
Next day is Aruba and then three more days at sea.
On Pearl Harbor Day, 7 December, we end up in Ft. Lauderdale at 0700.
How we get home to Long Beach, we don't have a clue. We are kicking around Amtrak, renting a car or hitch hiking. I'm not fond of flying in this day and age.

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Travels with Lady. We're back.

I have learned that there is a correlation between how busy I am and how much I write and based on my recent production,  I have been a very busy boy.
In April, I had to put my sweet Golden Retriever down. She developed cancer on her scull that was inoperable. She lived about five months between the time I discovered the lump and the end. This thoroughly spoiled dog experienced a new, higher  level of spoiling. 
To ease my pain and help to pull me out of my funk, Jamie booked us an ocean voyage, what else, on a cruise ship. So on 30 April we were off.
It was a short, three day jaunt to  Ensenada and back. Jamie had asked me if I had ever been on a cruise and I replied that after eight years in the Navy that I had been on many. Did I enjoy them, she asked. Yes, I replied, even the ones where they were shooting at us. She suggested that we try a fun cruise to see if I liked it. Fun? Would I like to have some fun? I'm glad you asked.
Of course I enjoyed it and want to cruise some more.
In May we rented a car and drove to Denver to inspect and load a three station rotary vacuumformer.
In August, we, me Muncie Mouse and Lady the dog, were on a  five week roadtrip from 30 August to 12 October. It was a multipurpose trip. We ended up renting the very same Nisson that we drove to Denver. The trip was part vacation, fiftieth high school reunion and work.
We drove from Long Beach to Muncie Indiana and did a small job. Off to Michigan and up to the UP, upper peninsula of Mich. 
From the UP to Ohio and my high school reunion. 
Ohio to Biddiford Maine for another job and then back to Muncie for another job.
I am now just getting over my blank page fright, I'll quit when i'm ahead and give details soon.