weblog - 2011
Jan 2, Lake Tahoe
A
few last minute thoughts from a great week. Margarte, Mark, Johnny, Katie,
and Andy had a lost of stuff. So much stuff that they needed a pick-up
truck to haul their ski equipment, clothes, etc. If there had been any
rain there could have been some wet bags. The wireless internet was fully
utilized for work and play. Here Mike gives Pat a lesson in
computing. Finally, we returned to the scene of Kelly and Ross' wedding at
the Cal-Neva resort. Unfortunately, the Cal-Neva has fallen on hard times
and the wedding chapel has been abandoned. Too bad.
Dec 31, Lake Tahoe
It
hasn't snowed here since March. This is the first time that happened
since 1870. Andy, Johnny, and Katie were able to ski all week as the folks
at Diamond Peak fooled Mother Nature by making their own snow. The rest of
us made the best of it with a variety of activities including the annual double
elimination cribbage tournament. This was won by Pat who went
undefeated. The mild weather was appreciated by the chef for the
traditional New Year's Eve steak cookout as it was possible to cook the steaks
on the grill without wearing gloves. The sunsets, as always, were fabulous
Nov 22, Akumal, Mexico
Our
fourth visit to Casa Mayanah, the vacation home of Lois and Jesse Stuart, is in
progress. Four couples are fishing, snorkeling, diving, and shopping during
the morning and afternoon, and playing team bridge at night. For a small
village, there are a lot of good restaurants here. One, the Cave of the
Fisherman, takes you out into the Carib to fish, and prepares anything you catch
into dinner. We were lucky enough to catch two nice Mahi-Mahi, a portion
of which was used to make ceviche and the rest was grilled. The planets
and stars were clear and bright at night and we used a new iPad app to identify
them. Another highlight was a visit to the ruins at Coba.
Oct 20, Troy
It's hard to believe that fifty year have
passed since I was prowling the campus of RPI. It seems like only
yesterday, well maybe the day before yesterday. A lot of the old buildings
are still in use, but there are plenty of new venues on on campus, all
interesting and functional. No attempt has been made to reflect the red
brick buildings from the 19th century. I'm glad that we went but seeing
how my classmates (except for my fraternity brothers) have aged was a little depressing.
Oct 19, Sarasota Springs
This picturesque village is home to, inter
alia, Skidmore College and the Horse Racing Hall of Fame. There is also a
very interesting museum dedicated to describing the history of the town.
Back in the day, Saratoga was THE place to go in the Northeast for having a good
time. Those days are gone but the town appears to be doing well. We
found several stately homes decorated for Halloween. Spring water is freely available in the town park, adjacent to the museum.
Oct 18, Cooperstown
This is a beautiful setting for the Baseball
Hall of Fame. The two hour drive from Albany is well worth the
effort. More than merely a tribute to the game's greats, the Hall allows
one to trace the integration of blacks and Hispanics into American society as
reflected in their acceptance into our national pastime. James Fennimore
Cooper was born and raised here and his life and works are celebrated in a fine
museum on the outskirts of town.
Oct 17, Albany
We are in upstate New York for Lew's 50 year
reunion at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Troy, NY, is in decline but
the surrounding area is worth a visit. Empire State Plaza in Albany
features some very interesting buildings and large art works throughout.
Completed in 1976, this park-like development is adjacent to the state
capital. In addition to government buildings there is a very different
concert hall, known for obvious reasons as the "egg".
Oct 8, Honolulu
As
if three cruise in four months was not enough, Part embarked on an inter-island
cruise with three friends aboard Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America.
They visited Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai. Your reporter stayed in
Honolulu. The ladies encountered perfect weather and reported that they
had a great time. Here they are at the Haliimaile General Store, an outstanding
restaurant on Maui.
Sep 27, Honolulu
Speaking
of beautiful flora, we made our first visit to the Hoomalehua Gardens in
Kaneohe. The plants are not as interesting as those at Foster, but the
setting is magnificent. The park backs up to the rugged Koolau mountain
range. It includes a lake well stocked with goldfish.
Sep 25, Honolulu
Foster
Gardens is located in the heart of downtown Honolulu. It is truly an
oasis. We see something new there every time we visit. Here are
three examples of the plant life and a partially hidden orange breasted bird.
Sep 23, Honolulu
High
on Pat's priority list for visits to Hawaii is a reunion of the Dolman Dollies,
former co-workers in the real estate trade. They're still looking good.
Sep 18, Honolulu
The Honolulu bridge sectional just concluded
with a win for us in the team game. Pat and I were partners in two earlier
pairs events and we managed to win them both. Pat also finished second in the
other pairs event.
Sep 15, Honolulu
When
we arrived in Honolulu Pat was greeted by a fantastic birthday bouquet from Mark
and Margaret.
Sep 12, San Francisco
We woke up at 5:30 AM to go to the top deck
and see the ship pass under the Golden Gate bridge. It was spectacular to
say the least. After disembarking the ship we took a taxi to the airport
for a relatively short flight to Honolulu. Packing for Alaska and
Hawaii on the same trip is a challenge.
Sep 10 Astoria
Astoria is Oregon's answer to Ketchikan as
far as rain is concerned, but the day of our stop must have been the nicest day
in the city's history. Frankly there isn't too much to see or do
here. The maritime museum is very good but we have already done
that. The ship offered an excursion called the Astoria Ale Trail. It
turned out to be a pub crawl with a brewing lesson. One of the breweries
had a fermentation decorated like a piggy. We threw in the
towel before the last stop in an effort to remain vertical. There is
a very long bridge here that connects Astoria with Washington state.
Sep 9, Victoria
We celebrate Pat's birthday in one of her
favorite cities. No visit to Victoria would be complete without a trip to
Butchart Gardens. We have now been here four times and on each trip the
plant life seems to be more spectacular than the last. We returned
to the city in time to have a fresh seafood lunch outdoors overlooking the
harbor. After a week of gloom in Alaska, it was nice to see the sun.
Sep 7, Ketchikan
It rains as often here as it does in Juneau,
but it rains harder. Our visit was during a heavy rainstorm. We
signed up for a crab feast which we knew would be indoors. The tour
included large umbrellas which were put to god use when we boarded a covered
boat for a short ride to the crab traps where our guide showed us how they trap
Dungeness crabs. We then proceed to a restaurant where we had all you
could eat crabs. We left behind a mountain of empty crab shells.
The trip south was marked by dense fog. When we emerged, a Holland-America
vessel appeared and it looked like a ghost ship.
Sep 6, Juneau
The only way to travel to this capital city
of Alaska is by boat or by plane. There are no roads in or out. We
walked up to the seat of state government to see if the capital was really as
ugly as it is purported to be. It is. Definitely not stylish enough
for Sarah P. We signed up for another whale watching excursion and this
time we were rewarded by getting close to about twenty humpbacks. They
came over to observe us. They get about 300 days of rain here. For our
visit, it was overcast and with an occasional light drizzle, but we were told
this would be one of the sixty or so nice days in Juneau.
Sep 5, Skagway
Another town that survives on tourism.
In particular the White Pass and Yukon Railroad. Built to
accommodate the Gold Rush, this is strictly used by tourists nowadays. We
signed up for an extended ride by bus to the Yukon River about twenty miles from
White Horse, where we walked across the river on a newly constructed
suspension bridge. We boarded the train at Fraser, B. C. which has a
population of six, for the ride back to Skagway. The trip was very scenic.
Sep 4, Hoonah
Yesterday was devoted to observing the
Hubbard glacier. This river of ice is very impressive. Today we are
in Hoonah. Never heard of Hoonah? Not surprising. When the
salmon cannery , the town's only industry, shut down, things look pretty
bleak. Then someone got the idea of making Hoonah a tourist
destination. The old cannery was made into a museum with a gift shop, zip
lines were installed, hiking trails were staked out and the town was saved.
We went on a bear quest that came up empty except for some gray matter that our
guide assured us came from a bear. Don't think winter here would be
much fun. There is a general store he whose motto is - If we don't have
it, you don't need it.
Sep 2, Sitka
Our first excursion was a whale watching and
wildlife quest. One humpback whale made a brief appearance, but we did
manage to see some puffins, sea otters, seals and sea lions. Never mind,
the scenery was worth the price of admission.
Aug 2 8, Houston
We are aboard Regent Cruise Line's Navigator
for our third cruise in as many months. This ship leaves from Vancouver
and visits the usual Alaskan tourist sites, but as this is a repositioning
cruise, we will continue to Victoria, Astoria and San Francisco. They
don't get too much sunshine here but today the weather is perfect as we leave
the city and sail under the Lionsgate bridge and head north to the open ocean.
Aug 2 8, Houston
We said goodbye to our little red and white
Mini Cooper after three years of good times. It is being replaced by a new
black and off-white model which kind of looks like a penguin going down the
road. USA Today recently selected the Mini Cooper as the most fun car to
drive. We would agree.
Aug 8, Santander
This
Spanish city near the border with France is in the Basque country. It is
fairly close to Bilbao, so we hired a taxi and headed of to see Frank Gehry's
somewhat bizarre Guggenheim Museum. It was well worth the effort. It
is difficult to decide which is stranger - the building or the art. My
vote for the strangest work of "art" was a Porta-Potty
unmodified except for the addition of a microphone. On the other hand,
Jeffrey Koon's Puppy is very cute. Santander itself is very
beautiful, especially the Magdalena peninsula, once used as a summer home of
Spanish royalty.
Aug 6, Bordeaux
Our
cruise ship docked at Le Verdun, one of the most remote moorings we have ever
encountered. It is a secure container terminal with no privat vehicles
allowed, so there were no taxis. In order to get to the city of Bordeaux,
we had to sign up for and expensive private bus. There was no other way
back to the ship so we had very limited time to explore. We would have
liked to stay longer as France's third largest city was very impressive, modern transportation
and well-preserved old buildings. While on a trek, we encountered a magnificently
preserved Roman amphitheater.
Aug 5, La Rochelle
This
is a popular resort for French city dwellers. It is a medieval city with
three large circular forts and many private boats in the yacht harbor.
Lots of people roaming around in the harbor area having a good time.
Aug 3, St. Malo
The
highlight here is Mt. St. Michelle. We walked up most of the way but chose
not to make it to the top of the abbey. We split up from our tour group
and slipped into a bar which had very cold beer. Upon returning to St.
Malo we saw some impressive countryside including large windmills. The
city itself is walled but very lively.
Aug 2, Guernsey
Ever
since we read The Guernsey Literary and Sweet Potato Peel Society we wanted to
visit this Channel Island. The Germans occupied the islands for most of
World War II, and the influence is still everywhere. The Occupation Museum
is fascinating as are the bunkers and towers which can be found
everywhere. We hired a guide to show us around and take us to the touristy
highlights, including the famous Little Chapel, which is decorated with shards
of Wedgewood.
Aug 1, Honfleur
Rough
seas forced our ship to moor at Le Havre instead of Honfleur as planned.
We took a shuttle into town on the only hot day on our cruise. The shuttle
buses were not air-conditioned and they were sweltering. It was worth the
effort though, as Honfleur was charming. The small boat harbor is a thing
of beauty that has inspired artists for years. The lunchtime mussels and
fries were the best.
July 31, Bruges
A
fter seeing the movie In Bruges we looked
for a cruise that had this Belgian gem on the itinerary. We were not
disappointed. Charming is an overused cliché, but it really applies
here. The streets are beautifully preserved and the tall structures that
loom over the city give one a sense of being back in the Middle Ages. We
visited a Belgian chocolate factory, took a canal tour, and walked, walked,
walked. Unlike Amsterdam, Bruges would be near the top of our
revisit list.
July 30, Amsterdam
We are cruising on Oceania Cruise Line's
newest ship, the Marina. Our first port of call is Amsterdam. We
went for a ride on the canals and got a glimpse of
local life. We strolled through some nice neighborhoods and stopped for
lunch al fresco. We made our way on public transport to the Van Gogh
museum. We had a nice time but Amsterdam would not be high on our list of
places to revisit.
July 28, London
We are in London trying to adjust to the
time change before heading off to Dover for the start of a European
cruise. Pat's brother Dick, and his wife Jann are joining us on this
adventure. We always take a guided London Walk whenever we are in
town, and this time we chose to visit Mayfair. This prime real estate has
been home to the rich and famous and their are blue historical markers showing
you where everyone lived. There is even a marker for Jimi Hendrix.
We went to the theater to see Les Miserables and Yes, Prime Minister. Both
were excellent.
July 4, Newport
Mark
seems to be getting younger. After his strong performance in the World
Bellyflop Championship, started playing competitive tennis and with a partner
won a tournament at the Pennfield School. He also entered a mini-triathlon
and finished high in his age bracket. Congratulations!
June 18, at sea
More fun on the Allure. Click
Here to see other pictures from this trip.
June 17, at sea
After
lunch at Johnny Rocket's (the best onion rings ever), we attended the World Belly
Flop Championship. We were represented by none other than LTCOL Mark Solomons.
The contestants fell into two categories - normal in shape, and Sumo
wrestlers. Mark tried to make up for his size disadvantage by performing a
360 degree horizontal twist, but in the end a 400-pounder who nearly drained the
pool when he landed won by acclamation.
June 16, St. Martin
We
hired a driver to take us around the island. She was pretty bossy and took
us where she wanted to go. We saw both the French and Dutch sides and
concluded that this place might merit a longer stay. The restaurants and shops
looked very interesting. Our driver took us to Orient Beach which has some of
the finest scenery on the isle.
June 15, St. Thomas
This
was our second visit to the U.S. Virgin Islands, and probably our last.
Not a lot to recommend it. We did a quick tour of the island with Mike and
Monica, and got back on the ship in time for lunch. I'm not a big fan of
cruise boat shows, but the outdoor show on the Allure is a don't miss.
June 14, at sea
There
are activities for every age an taste aboard the Allure. As usual, Pat
tried to do all of them. I think the only activity she missed was napkin
folding lessons, for which she had a time conflict. The six adults n our
party entered a five day progressive trivia contest. Our diverse areas of
interest carried us through to victory over the dozen or so teams
competing. We won a big sack of prizes which was pretty cool.
June 13, Nassau
The
first port of call is Nassau in the Bahamas. We had recently visited the
island and had taken a round the isle tour which we had no desire to
repeat. The others made their way to the over-the-top Atlantis Hotel on
Paradise Island. In their advertising the hotel appears to rise from the
middle of the ocean, but in reality it is just a short walk from the port via a
pedestrian bridge. Meanwhile back on the ship it was formal night so the
boys got to show off their fancy duds.
June 12, Fort Lauderdale
Off
on a maritime adventure with the family on the largest cruise ship on the world,
Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas. This is the largest cruise
ship ever built, carrying 6,200 passengers and over 2,000 crew members. We
anticipated huge lines, but the check-in process showed that RCCL has given a
lot of thought to passenger logistics. This ship has everything from ice
skating to simulated surf. Margaret signed the kids up for bodysurfing
lessons on Day 1, so as soon as we left the port, the week's activities got
started.
May 8, Houston
Its
Mother's Day in Houston, but Pat is off on a trip with her sister Dolly to
Richmond for an art and history tour. All of her sons will have to track
her down by cell phone to wish her a Happy M Day. Her grandchildren
pitched in and sent her a beautiful bouquet of flowers which fortunately arrived
while Pat was still in Houston. John and Katie are either getting large
allowances or borrowed some money from their parents.
May 4, Houston
We
were privileged to be invited to a reception for Eric Maddox, a former military
interrogator in Iraq. He is now retired from active duty but continues to
work for the Defense Department doing the same type of work. Without
using harsh methods, he was able to obtain the information that led directly to
the capture of Saddam Hussein in his Tikrit spider hole. Eric has written
a book about his experiences called "Blacklist #1". The book is
available through Amazon.
Apr 18, Houston
Hard to believe but we have been home for a
whole month. We said goodbye to our Cadillac CTS and welcomed a light blue
Lexus ES 350 to the family fleet. It's very comfortable but we are
struggling to figure out how to use all of the new gadgets. The manual for
the Nav system alone is more than 400 pages long. We may have to sign up
with the dealer for a lesson.
Mar 18, Louisville
We are in Kentucky to compete in the
American Contract Bridge League's annual Spring Championships. Pat played
in the grueling National Mixed Pairs event with Godfrey Chang from
Honolulu. They played two sessions and qualified for the final rounds
where they had a respectable finish against the world's best players. Lew
set his sights lower and played in the Regional Pairs with Houston expert Gary
King, and managed to limp into first in the two session event. We took
time one morning to visit the Falls on the Ohio interpretive center which houses
the world's largest exposed fossil bed. As luck would have it the fossil
bed was submerged due to flooding on the Ohio River. In any event the
museum is well worth a visit.
Feb 11, Honolulu
Our
sore leg muscles have recovered enough to hit the trail again this time at
the Lyon Arboretum. This park owned by the University of Hawaii is
adjacent to the Manoa Falls Trail. It is nothing less than spectacular,
offering lush plant life, views of Manoa Valley, and abundant bird life.
Listening to the birds is worth the price of admission. This area gets a
lot of rain which is good for the plants but bad for walking. We plan to
return soon with proper foot wear. Flip-flops and sandals won't do
here unless you stay pretty close to the visitor center. Shell ginger is
one of the beautiful plants found in the arboretum.
Feb 8, Honolulu
In
order to counter the effect of the many lunches and dinners we have been
enjoying we have embarked on a mini walking program. One of the local
walks we had always heard about but never done was the Manoa Falls Trail.
This turned out to be more than we had bargained for in terms of difficulty. It
is almost a mile in each direction, plenty steep, and requires scaling some wet
and slippery boulders. In the end we felt it was worth the effort when we
saw the 150 foot waterfall. The vegetation on the trail was
interesting including many banana plants.
Jan 29, Honolulu
We
are enjoying a visit from Pat's sister Dolly. Like Pat, Dolly wants to see
everything and do everything and possesses endless energy. She arrived
with an extensive "to do" list and accomplished almost everything on
the list. Topping the list was a Hole-in-the-Wall tour of Honolulu's
hidden food treasures. Although designed for tourists, we also enjoyed the
tour as the majority of the stops were unknown to us long time residents.
Dolly and Pat had multiple ladies lunches, and they visited Moanalua
Gardens. Your reporter took advantage of these opportunities to rest up.
Jan 23, Honolulu
It
may be getting a little tired, but the Kahala (formerly Hilton) Hotel is still
the class place to stay on Oahu. We went the today for their beachside
breakfast. The food was superb as was the atmosphere. Out in the
water were a number of surfers who were being pulled along by what appeared to
be small parachutes. Parasurfing? Surfsailing? Who knows!
Jan 19, Honolulu
On
a perfectly clear day we hiked up the trail to Makapuu lighthouse to the the
humpback whales. There has been a lot of rain recently so the hills are
all bright green. There is a spectacular view of Koko Crater and there are
viewing channels to see Diamond Head and the islands off the coast on the
windward side of the island. There were about a dozen whales off shore but
you really need binoculars to see anything more than the spouting.
Jan 18, Honolulu
A
few years ago, a group of Hawaii's endangered sea turtles started to congregate
on a North Shore beach named Laniakea. Scientists tagged and
numbered all the turtles and now there are 22 who regularly visit the
beach. When we visited turtle #1 Brutus was found sunning himself and
making his way up the sand. Very interesting.
A
few last minute thoughts from a great week. Margarte, Mark, Johnny, Katie,
and Andy had a lost of stuff. So much stuff that they needed a pick-up
truck to haul their ski equipment, clothes, etc. If there had been any
rain there could have been some wet bags. The wireless internet was fully
utilized for work and play. Here Mike gives Pat a lesson in
computing. Finally, we returned to the scene of Kelly and Ross' wedding at
the Cal-Neva resort. Unfortunately, the Cal-Neva has fallen on hard times
and the wedding chapel has been abandoned. Too bad.
