Sailing to Samoa!

After leaving Hawaii, we would have five days at sea, including crossing the International Date Line.  The Princess Cruise staff made sure we were fed and entertained every minute of our trip, so for those five days, it was smooth and fun sailing! 

One of the things I noticed during our days at sea, was the lack of sunrises and sunsets...but as we began to get closer to Western Samoa, that all changed!  The early morning sky greeted us with it's full beauty!  

Not long after we were pulling into port and were greeted with our first group of singers and dancers!  What a wonderful sight!  So fun to stand out in our balcony and watch and listen to this welcome!  

It didn't take us long to check out the many lovely items for sale after we exited the ship and we were greeted with many friendly guides anxious to show us the island as well.  Once we decided on a driver, off the four of us went on a tour of the island!  Joe assured us that he would take us to all the spots on my list, including some he had I didn't know about!  

Joe didn't disappoint....I wanted to see churches, and boy did we!  Samoa (and and all of the Pacific Islands) are very religious and have just about every place of worship you could think of.  

Some of the ones we took the time to really visit though were the beautiful Immaculate Conception Cathedral, the Gardens and distinctive Baha'i House of Worship, the Mormon Temple as well as some local parishes.  I saw so many more as we whizzed by that I couldn't take pictures of...all so different!

 Did you know that the novelist Robert Louis Stevenson once resided here in the 1890's?  He was having problems with is health by that time and found the climate and the people met his needs.  He only lived here a few years, but did manage several writings during that time.  His home is now open to the public.  It was quite beautiful with a large, lovely garden.

Apia has two, easily accessible waterfalls that were beautiful to visit.  One was the Sopo'aga Falls that plunge through a deep green gorge.  

 The second is in the O Le Pupu-pue National Park (means from the coast to the mountain top).  This spectacular  park encompasses the summits of Mt. Le Pu'e, Mt Fito, and the magnificently rugged O Le Pupu lava fields besides the 328' majestic Papaitai Falls

 We spent most of the day with Joe, and there is no way I can include it all here...but let me just say, he and his island were most charming.  I spent three years in the 1950's on the island of Guam when I was young and my Dad was stationed there.  This island reminded me very much of that time.  So natural and still undeveloped to what today is considered a fast-paced and "modern" tourist area.  I loved it.  Here are few fun pictures:  Their "Town Clock"; their round Parliament Building; a new Courthouse, the view of our ship from the top of the mountain and a view of the "jungle roads".

...catching up from our cruise,  Marie

If you would like to see the rest of my photos, you can go to my Flickr account and it's under the Pacific Islands Album.

32 Day Pacific Island Cruise to Tahiti - How It All Began...

It all started with a phone call.  Jack called his sister to find out how her latest cruise went and while they were talking, one thing led to another and he began asking her about their next one and just how expensive it was, etc.  They were going to Tahiti, a 32 day cruise out of Los Angeles in April.  He turned to me and said, "so, Marie, do you want to go to Tahiti for your birthday?"  I responded with "you know I've always wanted to go to Tahiti, sure."  A couple of sentences later, and before we knew it we were sitting with our friend who is a cruise travel agent making the arrangements!  Oh my gosh, we were joining his sister and brother-in-law for a 32 Day Pacific Island Cruise to Tahiti! Wow, and Happy Birthday to me!

We had just a little over a month to shop, plan, pack and prepare for the trip, which was probably the best thing - not much time to really let it all sink in.  I had meetings to attend and prepare the staff for while I would be away as well, as we wouldn't have any WiFi.  I could get texts while on land, but nothing else.  I contacted my sister and asked her if she and her daughter would like to house-sit and get away from Washington for a month, she jumped at the idea, so that was taken care of. Next was to review the various tours offered and make reservations on the ones we really wanted.  

We have friends and a cousin in Honolulu (our first stop), so we quickly contacted them to see if we could meet up with them.  Our friends, usually come to the mainland to vacation and we always try to hook up, but the last few years, every time we are traveling on the eastern states they are on the western, and visa versa, our timing has been awful, same when we are traveling to the islands, they are here!  Well, guess what?  Because of the scheduled eclipse, they were going to be in TX when we were going to be there! Dang.  However, we did luck out with his cousin, and made arrangements to meet up with him, yea!

Two days before we left, my sister and niece arrived and we were able to spend a little time together.  Enjoyed showing them around and teaching my niece how to drive our golf cart!  It's always a fun thing when you haven't driven one before.  ;-)  Before we knew it, we were off to the airport!  

Arriving in LAX was a breeze...but then the "fun" began.  Oh my.  When I started in my career, it was working for a company that arranged all the free time that conventioneers had - starting when they arrived at the airport, transferring them to their hotels.  So, I KNOW airport transfers and how they SHOULD be done - and this WASN'T it.  What a disaster.  1. Two Princess Cruises were being transported.  No signs saying which line was for which ship.  Only the guests telling each other (no communication from the transport company).  2.  We all stood in line for over 3 hours (no communication from the transport company).  3.  After 3 hours they finally started checking off names of people who had signed up for the transport, so those who had not (the couple behind us hadn't), and didn't realize it, had to leave at that point and find a cab.  4.  They finally began loading us on busses, but again no communication from the transport company.  5. Upon arrival to the port they unloaded us, but didn't tell us where to go, or what to do with our luggage - some left it for them to handle, some took it, some knew where to go, some of us just wandered around until we found the right tent (again, no communication from the transport company).  We finally figured out that THEY would handle the luggage and get it to the ship - no thanks to their communication.  6. Four hours later, we arrived aboard the ship from LAX that was 30 min. away.  Crazy.  Horrible.  Unnecessary. 

From that moment forward, the trip was smooth sailing...

When we arrived in Honolulu, we had arranged to meet up with Jack's cousin Patrick for an early evening visit with drinks and dinner.  He drove us around to a couple of his favorite sites to view the island first.  We had been here before visiting our friends, but this particular spot can be super windy and when we were here the last time, Jack was nearly blown away and I have a fun picture of that!  This time it was lovely.  It also is the spot where my most favorite tree it.  ;-)  

Nu'uanu Pali with my favorite tree

From there we went to a fun "local" restaurant for wonderful drinks and a great meal.  It was super to be able to catch up with Patrick as it had been over a year or more since we had seen him and a lot has happened since then.  A new job, and new lady, a new life, all going great, life is good!  Yea! 

Harbor outside the restaurant, our cousin Patrick at Restaurant 604, view of downtown Hononlulu as we pulled into port

Our next stop was to Maui.  We've been many times and the ship was offering a super discount on massages, so we opted to stay on board and I got a full-body 90 minute massage instead!  mmmm Great way to start a vacation...

Now, we were out to sea for a week.  So glad we had a balcony room.  Loved that we could sit outside when we wanted - and that it was covered too, so when it did rain, it didn't matter!  It was also on the side where we pulled into port, so we always got to see that action every time.  Very cool.  Best cabin ever. 

Our room, Captain on the Bridge, view of Maui, Kathy found a "hidden duck", and enjoying the view from our balcony

...more to come as we continue with our South Pacific Adventure,  Marie

Having a BLAST at Lake Havasu!

There are two things that really bring out the "little kid" in me, and that is Christmas lights and Fireworks!  I never get tired of seeing either one of them (just ask my family!)  So, when I read a flyer that Lake Havasu was having their annual "Winter Blast Pyro Party" I knew I had to go!  We belong to our resort's RV Club and they like to put rallies together for interesting places and things, so I thought I would give it a try and sign up to be a "Wagon Master" and see who all would be interested in joining me for a few days.  The Winter Blast was for a whole week, but I had commitments so could only go for 4 days.  I thought maybe I would get 5 or 6 rigs interested...it turned out I'm not the only one who loves fireworks!  15 other couples do too!  Actually, we would even have had more, but quite a few said their dogs didn't...so, had to pass it up.

What fun we all had!  We lucked out with great weather (clear, and in the mid 70's) with beautiful sun rises and sun sets every day.  We started out with a welcome pot luck and of course had a ton of wonderful food, and a nice wood fire to sit and chat around before we wandered off to see the fireworks.  

During the daytime many enjoyed going into town to see the London Bridge and or hike the various area.  We, along with others checked out the local History Museum.  It was fun seeing how Lake Havasu got it's start.  Quite a marketing plan...flying people in from snow-filled states in the middle of winter to show them "sunny & warm" Arizona! 

 Each night we were treated to a different live band, then followed by hours of fun-filled fireworks.  You could see them from anywhere, but the best seats were in the bleachers (we camped at the rodeo grounds).  

Our final night dwindled down to half the group as many had to leave early due to various commitments, but that didn't stop the rest of us from enjoying one last dinner together and a nice campfire that we all decided to stay around and watch the last fireworks from there...all comfy together.  

 

A simple rally, only 3 hours away, but packed with loads of fun and friendship!  What a BLAST!

...sitting back in Arizona,  Marie

Saying goodbye to 2023...

 

Here it is the end of 2023 and all I find myself doing is dreaming of 2024!  It's not that this year hasn't been wonderful, it has.  We've been to some great places and done some wonderful trips...but there are more to come and the planning is half the fun!  

This is the time of the year though, that I do like to sit back and not only reflect, but acknowledge how truly lucky we are.  We have great health when so many don't; we have a sweet little warm home that shelters us in a sunny area of the country, a lovely working motorhome that takes us where we want to go, when we want to go; we have enough money to travel - maybe not to as many nor as far or exotic destinations as we would love to go if we won the lottery, but more than many folks.  We are happy people who love each other and enjoy life with family and friends who care about us.  So very much to be thankful for, we are very blessed.  

Our driving trips this year were "short and sweet" - Arizona and New Mexico.  What we lacked in driving distance, we seemed to have made up in flying - to Washington and then to the Caribbean via Miami!  That seems to be the "norm" these days for us anymore...less driving, more flying, and next year cruising.  I think it just might have something to do with our age and comfort...lol - hey, it's still traveling!  and that's all I've ever asked to do!  ;-)

...ending another wonderful year in the sunshine of Arizona,  Marie

Seeing a Different Side of Sedona...

We've visited Sedona a number of times, enjoying it's beautiful red rocks, great restaurants and unique shops, but we've rarely taken the time to explore the history of Sedona.  We were here for a full week, the weather was lovely, it was the perfect time to explore!

Our first stop was the Sedona Heritage Museum where the Jordan Family began a farm in the 1870s, eventually planting almost 1500 fruit (apple and peach) trees.  By 1931 they had a one room cabin and a tractor shed and by 1937 they were the largest employer in the area.  The Jordan's success brought the construction of the fruit packing shed in 1946, and a new car and another house addition in 1947. 

 The museum also had the first ever "teal" McDonald's Arches (c1993) to go along with Sedona's "natural decor"!

Along with the Jordan's farm buildings, the museum showcased the film history of the area as well.  From the 1920s through the early 1960s Sedona's red rocks made an ideal setting for Western movies.  In 1945, a movie set was constructed for John Wayne's film "Angel and the Badman", which featured a Telegraph Office.  It was relocated to the Museum in 2014 and restored to it's 1945 movie prop condition.  "The Call of the Canyon" statue by James Muir pays homage to the spirit of the settler in Oak Creek Canyon in the early part of the 20th century documented in Zane Grey's novel of the same name. 

Nothing tells the history of a place like it's cemeteries.  This small town has three!  The oldest is the Schuerman Red Rock Cemetery started in 1893.  The first soul buried on this part of the Schuerman property was that of their 5-year old daughter, Clara, who died in 1893 of cholera.  Standing apart from the other graves, under a couple of stately juniper trees, one can see the simple gravestone marks a place that you can imagine might have been a favorite of a young girl, with its magnificent view of Cathedral Rock.   The cemetery is a veritable who's who of original Sedona settlers: the Schuermans, the Thompsons; the Purtymans, a Baldwin and Owenby; you'll find these iconic Sedona names on homesteads, crossings, trails, residential streets, buttes, and irrigation ditches throughout the town. 

Sedona's second oldest graveyard, the Cook Cedar Glade Cemetery, which is the final resting place of Sedona Schnebly and many other original founding families. This pioneer cemetery was established in 1918 with the death from the Spanish Flu.  Henry Cook homesteaded 160 acres that included this site.  

The last Cemetery was the Sedona Community Cemetery.  This is the newest cemetery, dedicated in 2019 providing the same stunning views after death that they enjoyed living here.  These are definitely graves with a view!

 Of course we did our requisite shopping at Tlaquepaque and eating at our favorite spot (Thanksgiving at The Hudson) along with some new ones (a great lunch at the Hideaway House) and even enjoyed listening to an evening of jazz while we had dinner at Sound Bites Grill on our first night, which was new for us!  All this just goes to shows that one can go to the same place again and again, and still find new adventures to discover! 

As we ended our delightful week's stay, we topped it off with a wonderful visit with a dear friend we hadn't seen in many years!  I had posted a quick snap about enjoying the jazz player in Sedona, and she caught it and shared that she was not far away, in Prescott!  It is so delightful to be able to catch up with lovely people, to reconnect and share again, it's what makes life so special.

This will be a trip long remembered as we hunker down to our "winter routine" here at the resort.  Christmas is just around the corner, and the annual Theater Production's rehearsals take up all of January and February, along with my Board of Director's duties...so this little respite needs to last me awhile!

Until the next one...Marie

If you would like to see all the photos from this trip, just go to my flickr account at:  https://flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

Celebrating in Saint Martin!

Jack turned 80 this year, so we decided that this Birthday needed some "extra fun".  It had been a rough year with him being in the hospital in March and an extra hot summer, we both really needed a break!  After our planned trip to Spain got cancelled, it was time to look for something a little closer and someplace a little different.  We have a time-share, so I let my fingers do the walking and I was able to find us a really nice stay in Saint Martin!

American Airlines was nice enough to give us credit for our cancelled flight, so we decided to use it and add a small amount more and upgrade it to first class.  There is no direct flights to Saint Martin, so we decided to break it up and fly into Miami and spend the night and fly out the next day to the island.  It sure beats trying to catch that second flight "on time" dashing from one plane to the next (especially at our age!)

It had been a long time since we had flown first class, and what a luxury that is!  Being waited on every minute, good food, good leg room and comfy seats...one could really get used to this!  The flight was great, and the shuttle to the hotel was right on time.  Arriving in the evening in Miami, a bit tired, left us no time or energy to explore Miami, unfortunately.  Our room was nice, but cold...our first introduction to the tropical solution to dealing with the humidity!  Welcome to Miami! 

Like good travelers, we checked the airline's schedule before leaving the hotel, and everything was still scheduled "on time", so we left to be there the required two hours before boarding.  When we got there, I checked again, printed our boarding passes, and proceeded to the proper gate.  Fifteen minutes later the gate attendant announces that due to high winds yesterday, Saint Thomas closed their airport, and all their flights were cancelled and those flights were delayed until today....so, all OUR flights were now delayed!  Our 10am flight would now be 7pm.  What?  That said, "we could leave, however, there is always a chance that the flight could get moved up, so be watchful..."  

We were not happy.  All this could have been told to us either last night, or earlier this morning, since the flights were cancelled the day before.  At that moment, there were only three of us sitting there, and we went up to the attendant and asked her if she could let us into the AA Lounge?  "No, because it's not AA's fault!"  and she walked away.  Wow.  Great customer service.  The other gentleman went to the lounge and offered to pay the day rate and was told they didn't have one, "that it was only for Business Class and above." So, we all sat there all day long...;-(

 

We had prearranged for a taxi pick up to the hotel, but had little hope that it would still be there for us nine hours later!  But there was Ritchie, holding a sign with my name on it, standing in the rain, with a big smile on his face!  I was never so glad to see anyone before!  Thus began our island vacation!

Our room at the Flamingo Beach Hilton was spectacular!  I actually think it was as big as our home is, only with a better view!  The balcony faced the beautiful sandy beach and wonderful ocean.  I loved listening to the sound of the waves and sat outside on the balcony every time we were at the room.  The only downside to the room was how cold it was!  Being from Arizona, our blood has thinned out so much, that any temperature lower than 80-85 is cold to us.  It was set around 70, so I turned it off!  The next day everything was wet...the floors, the walls, counter tops, our bedding was damp, it was awful.  Jack went down to the front desk and told them.  Minutes later the maintenance man came knocking.  He quickly realized it was the thermostat and explained that it HAD to be set at least at 74 to keep it dry!  After that, we kept the sliding door to the balcony open and also wrapped a blanket around us when we were inside sitting!  Wimps, lol

 

Our days were a mixture of sun, clouds, and rain and always humidity.  The ocean was lovely, always warm and mild with smooth sand to walk on.  The pool area had a much cooler breeze though, so it made lounging around more comfortable and the pool itself was cooler than the ocean.  Music was played there and the bar was there too!  ;-)  It was to hot to lay in the sun itself, but we both still got quite tan, just hanging around, amazing!

 The next day was Jack's Birthday and he wanted to go to the nearby restaurant, which was a sports bar!  It just so happened to be the final playoffs between Philadelphia and the Arizona D-Backs!  Well, since the  Caribbean Islands are closer to the east coast, it was no surprise that the bar was full of "Philly fans"!  Of course I made it known that the D-Backs were a sure winner and for them not to put their hopes up!  We left before the game ended (to be on the safe side), but it was probably a good thing anyway, as we would probably gotten napkins thrown at us! lol  

On our third day, we booked an all day sailing trip on a catamaran called Quality Time.  It was a beautiful day, great for sailing and snorkeling.  They stopped at four or five different locations for us to swim and snorkel.  The water was so delicious, nice and warm and smooth...but nothing to see, unfortunately.  A couple of the guys swam about 1/4 of a mile away and said they saw a couple of small fish and some small coral, but that's pretty far against the currant for a couple of fish (at my age!).  Each stop was about the same.  Nice swim, but nothing to see.  No matter, the crew were great and the food was fantastic!  We were the oldest aboard, but the young people were delightful to be around, not drunk, rowdies at all.  It rained a couple of times, and Jack sat outside and enjoyed the rainfall while the rest of us dashed inside (like we weren't already wet!)  We stopped at Maho Beach where the planes fly just over your head and watched a couple take off, which was fun too.  All in all, a great day.  

 There was a free shuttle into Philipsburg sponsored by a jewelry store that we took.  Jack bought me a couple of earrings (of course!) and almost a new diamond and sapphire ring!  But I talked him (and myself) out of it, as I would rather use that money for travel!  ;-)  We then enjoyed walking around the town, and all to soon it was time to go back to the resort.  

 

Later, we called our favorite taxi driver, Ritchie and had him take us to Marigot, which is on the French side of the island.  It was quite different than Philipsburg.  Philipsburg is Dutch, very busy, bumper-to-bumper cars and the stores are mostly jewelry, with restaurant and others mixed in.  In Marigot, it's less traffic, with an Open Market along the harbor, while the rest of the stores are more up-scale clothing and shoes with cafes and bakeries mixed in with some restaurants.  While we wished we had more time to walk around in Philipsburg, we were done with Marigot in two hours and that included breakfast.  I did find some fun things there though!  A cool license plate (I collect them) and a very pretty beach cover-up.  While we were there, we discovered their cemetery, so I got to take some different pictures too!  

 

 We were on a Caribbean cruise years ago and it stopped in Marigot, but at a completely different location, so it was really neat to see not only a different part of the Capitol, but of the island itself and to get to know some of the local people.  One of them was Enoh.  She was a waitress at Juliette's Bistro, which was across the street from our hotel.  Jack and Enoh really hit it off, joking with each other and having such fun teasing together.  She had such a wonderful laugh and sweetness about her, we all felt like we had made a new friend by the time we left.   

 

Like all vacations, in a blink of an eye, they come to an end.  Our flight out of Saint Martin was delayed by a flat tire.  Then our flight out of Miami was delayed by a medical emergency.  I had to laugh.  They were all fairly short in comparison to the first one, but all of them?  Wow.   

I love to travel, I really do, but sometimes it just feels good to be home again...

...back in Arizona,  Marie

If you would like to see the rest of my photos, you can on flickr: https://flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

Cooling off in Flagstaff!

As the summer heat in the Arizona valley continues to be relentless, Jack and I decided it was time to give ourselves a break, if only for a week, and escape to the local mountains and our favorite campground in Flagstaff.  Months of triple digit heat, no matter how many times you go to the pool, or "play inside", it gets old, and you (or I should say I) need a break...or more accurately, need cool mountain air!  

I love it up in Flagstaff.  It's still unpretentious, yet big enough to have (more than) everything one needs and at 7000 feet have pine trees, cool clean air...and space!  The campground that we have been coming to for a number of years is "basic" - nothing fancy, just full hook-ups - and trees!  We don't need pools, or BBQs, or cabanas, or cable, or any of the other stuff that the other places offer (and charge for), just a nice quiet, clean spot to relax and enjoy the outdoors in.   I like that when we make our reservation and arrive, they remember us and welcome us back, always treating us like we are regulars, even though we probably only get up here once a year.  They must keep good records because they "remembered" where we were camped before and that we liked it and put us in that spot again and commented on that when we arrived.  Nice. 

 The weather has been so nice (one never really knows up here and needs to expect rain at any given time) that we decided to take a short drive and visit Winslow.  We hadn't been there in many years and I was wondering how it looked now, so off we went!  

You can't be a fan of the Eagles band and not heard of Winslow.  They made it popular with their song "Take It Easy" with the lyrics "Standin on the Corner in Winslow Arizona"... and the town has certainly taken advantage of it!  The song was actually written by Jackson Browne who was a good friend of Glenn Frey in the band.  Browne was in Winslow and did stand on a corner and saw a girl in a flat bed Ford look at him - so those lyrics are true to form.  

In 1999, a group of locals got together and formed the Standing On The Corner group (SOTC) to raise funds to create a Park (corner).  They sold "bricks" and raised enough money to hire a renowned sculptor (Ron Adamson) to create a bronze balladeer who now permanently stands on a corner in Winslow Arizona!  Additionally, they also hired artist John Pugh to create an amazing trompe l'oeill style mural that graces the brick wall of the Park.  It makes a fantastic "picture spot" to say the least!  In the middle of the road is a HUGE painted Route 66 as well.  That 4-Corner area is the heart of Winslow.  Across the street a musician was singing and playing his guitar and the two most prominent stores and an ice cream parlor are on those  corners as well.  After that, there wasn't to much else to see, unfortunately.  We spoke to one of the store owners and she said while they had been having a very good summer this year, COVID had really hurt the town and many of the other small businesses just couldn't make it through it.  It was really sad to see.  It used to be a thriving little tourist town before, now we could just about count the number of places on one hand.  We bought a couple of things, stopped in to the ice cream shop (had to help the town out!) and then headed on back.  

Bookstores and antique shops are the other thing we can't pass up here...so we made sure we visited our favorite ones...and sure enough we found some bargains we just needed to bring home!  Don't you just love it when that happens?  ;-)  

Won't my plants look great on these?

Well, the sun has been good to us during our stay.  I was worried that it would rain the whole time, but other than a couple of short, light showers, and one evening with a very loud thunder storm, it's been delightful.  The weather report kept "predicting thunderstorms" but then would revise it the next day to "partly cloudy with a high of 76-77".  Worked for me!  That was "sitting outside" (and reading) weather, and loving every minute!  It's going to be tough to go back down the mountain...but the high temp's can't last forever (can they?) and it IS almost September for goodness sake!  Pretty soon it will be cool enough for me to try and replant all the potted plants and areas that died because of that miserable heat (who says I'm not an optimist?)!  

...kicking back in Arizona,  Marie