So ... Roatan. An Island off the coast of Honduras. Sounds kind of like Galveston. An island off the coast of Texas.
The captain of our ship kind of showed off his skills when we arrived. Parallel parking skills, that is. Yep. He backed the ship into the slip this time. Pretty impressive driving ...
Our tour of the island was directed by Carmen. She said we would be visiting some of the “touristical” parts of the island. That’s when I knew this tour was gonna be good. We drove past the First Baptist Church of Roatan. Carmen told us the Methodists were the largest religious group on the island, but “we have all kinds.” She is Methodist. Quotes scripture and knows her Bible stories. Along those lines I noticed that quite a few taxis had stickers on their windshields indicating things like “Jesus es Amor” (Jesus is love).
We went first to another glass bottom boat ride. The quarters were a lot more cramped this time. Chris managed like a champ, though. Focused on taking pictures. The ride was to look at another reef. Apparently it’s the second largest barrier reef in the world after Australia. It was not nearly as beautiful as the last one, but we did see some colorful fish.
Next we went down the street for a stop for some complimentary drinks and to check out the Chocolate Factory. All the chocolate is made by hand in a little shack, and they just won the contract to provide chocolate for the New York City zoo.
Off to a different part of the island, our stop was at the Roatan Rum Company. This is the spot “where you have to eat enough rum and drink enough cake.” Maybe that’s their motto. Carmen must have said it ten times. There were no tours or anything. Just free samples and an incredible view of the water.
As we drove Carmen pulled out different photos for us to inspect. We saw examples of the nation’s currency, and a mystery photo of some odd-looking fruit. We were supposed to guess what it was. During this exercise, all of a sudden she had the driver stop the bus. She jumped out and ran into the yard of a random house, talked briefly to the resident, and returned. She had seen a tree with one of the things in the picture growing, so she got permission and picked one. As it turned out the object was a cashew. She then passed around a bag of cashews for us to try. Yum.
On the way back to the ship we drove through the town of Coxen’s Hole. Captain Coxen was the last pirate to operate out of Roatan. In Carmen’s words, “They caught him and put him in a hole in the oldest cemetery on the island so he couldn’t leave again.” It was his idea to name the island after himself. See, he fancied himself a fox. He would loot vessels, then return to his fox hole on the island to enjoy the spoils.
Our final stop was at the Stone Castle Cameo Institute. “Stone Castle” because the building is built out of big rocks. “Institute” because it is the only place in the world that teaches people how to carve cameos. We saw a lady actually in the process of carving one. She was amazing. Oh, and outside the building were policemen patrolling on foot ... carrying machine guns. Apparently they contribute to keeping the only jail on the island empty. Good thing, too. That jail only has an eighteen person capacity.
Of course we looked for souvenirs. One place that interested me identified itself as “Tribal Gifts and Art.” Intrigued, we entered. Imagine my surprise when I recognized the first tribe’s totem ... a bull’s head with a star ... Houston Texans. Yep. They had totems implanted on items like bags and t-shirts for all the tribes - Bulls, Dolphins, Buccaneers, etc., etc., etc.
Oh, and we did manage to rescue Tippy Toucan. She flew all the way from Curaçao, so we had to grant her a spot among our menagerie.
2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
Father, would you please be with Janet today. Help her to to get stronger so she can enjoy the last few days of the cruise. Amen.
Friday, January 31, 2020
Thursday, January 30, 2020
January 30 - “Back at Sea”
Back at sea ... again. Back to really not much to do. We did have a little excitement, though. As I was waiting for Chris to get ready for the day, I heard a cry of distress from the bathroom. Of course I raced over to see whatever could be wrong. The bathroom is just not that big, you know. Well, as Chris lathered up for her shower, suddenly there was no water to our stateroom. Not just no hot water ... no water. Luckily she was almost done and didn’t have shampoo in her hair. But while she bemoaned her fate and I pondered yet another call to guest services, the water just as suddenly returned. So ... a few moments of fear and trembling to start the day. Just what we needed to get the old adrenaline flowing.
We walked a half a mile on the track on the top deck, but then decided to take our exercise down a few levels. The wind was wreaking havoc on my hairdo, since I couldn’t keep my hat on. Didn’t want to lose that to the waves. And where do you go to finish a stroll indoors? The shopping level, of course. We had to finish our shopping. Well, that’s not actually true. Who am I kidding? We’ll never finish shopping. We did find one picture of us that we wanted to buy. We will have quite the portfolio of those when we get home.
After a quick stop in our room to drop off our new load of goodies, we went out to resume our walk. But no. Alas, it was just too hot. So instead we went to the dining room for some hot chocolate. I know. Makes no sense to me, either. But it is cold in the dining room, so there’s that ...
After a burrito lunch with a couple from Clear Lake, we went on a tour of the ship’s galley. That was really a highlight. Not so much because of the kitchen itself, though. It was the people. The head chef is from India. He told us things like how many thousands of pounds of ground beef and bananas they go through every cruise. His budget is somewhere north of $300,000 per cruise. But his crew had carved intricate designs into things like watermelons and assorted other fruits. One of them was just finishing up carving an ice sculpture of a dolphin. And the bakers showed off their skills in cake-making as well. There was one chocolate creation that could have easily won one of those shows on the Food Channel. Pretty impressive stuff.
After lunch we found out there had been an earthquake between Cuba and Jamaica the day before. Not far from where we were a few days ago. Huh ... not far from where we are now. We did get a notice though ... “No tsunami expected to affect our cruise.” Thanks for that ...
We spent the afternoon reading and napping, not necessarily in that order. In fact, I think it is possible there may have been some overlapping. I’m pretty sure I read page 127 at least 17 times.
We passed on the super-formal night and on having our picture taken with the captain. It was a wise decision. It looked like at least 2,498 of the ship’s 2,999 passengers were in line. Instead we grabbed a Guy’s burger and watched “Back to the Future” on the giant screen up on deck.
In keeping with the 50’s theme of the day, we went to the 50’s live musical show and then to the sock hop in the atrium. All that 50’s stuff kept us up late. But we are up and at ‘em. Honduras today ...
John 16:33 says, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Father, thank you for protecting us and the people of Cuba and Jamaica from the effects of that earthquake. Amen.
We walked a half a mile on the track on the top deck, but then decided to take our exercise down a few levels. The wind was wreaking havoc on my hairdo, since I couldn’t keep my hat on. Didn’t want to lose that to the waves. And where do you go to finish a stroll indoors? The shopping level, of course. We had to finish our shopping. Well, that’s not actually true. Who am I kidding? We’ll never finish shopping. We did find one picture of us that we wanted to buy. We will have quite the portfolio of those when we get home.
After a quick stop in our room to drop off our new load of goodies, we went out to resume our walk. But no. Alas, it was just too hot. So instead we went to the dining room for some hot chocolate. I know. Makes no sense to me, either. But it is cold in the dining room, so there’s that ...
After a burrito lunch with a couple from Clear Lake, we went on a tour of the ship’s galley. That was really a highlight. Not so much because of the kitchen itself, though. It was the people. The head chef is from India. He told us things like how many thousands of pounds of ground beef and bananas they go through every cruise. His budget is somewhere north of $300,000 per cruise. But his crew had carved intricate designs into things like watermelons and assorted other fruits. One of them was just finishing up carving an ice sculpture of a dolphin. And the bakers showed off their skills in cake-making as well. There was one chocolate creation that could have easily won one of those shows on the Food Channel. Pretty impressive stuff.
After lunch we found out there had been an earthquake between Cuba and Jamaica the day before. Not far from where we were a few days ago. Huh ... not far from where we are now. We did get a notice though ... “No tsunami expected to affect our cruise.” Thanks for that ...
We spent the afternoon reading and napping, not necessarily in that order. In fact, I think it is possible there may have been some overlapping. I’m pretty sure I read page 127 at least 17 times.
We passed on the super-formal night and on having our picture taken with the captain. It was a wise decision. It looked like at least 2,498 of the ship’s 2,999 passengers were in line. Instead we grabbed a Guy’s burger and watched “Back to the Future” on the giant screen up on deck.
In keeping with the 50’s theme of the day, we went to the 50’s live musical show and then to the sock hop in the atrium. All that 50’s stuff kept us up late. But we are up and at ‘em. Honduras today ...
John 16:33 says, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Father, thank you for protecting us and the people of Cuba and Jamaica from the effects of that earthquake. Amen.
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
January 29 - “Costa Rica”
I know the whole Panama Canal experience was supposed to be the highlight of this trip and all. But how can you beat getting to walk through the depths of an actual rain forest? But first ...
We started the day with a tech issue. The Carnival Communications app stopped working. The error indicated something about an internet connection being required. Interesting since we could get on the internet otherwise. So ... another trip to the guest services desk. He couldn’t figure it out either, even through all his back door methods. So we did what we should have led with. Deleted the whole thing and re-download it from the App Store. Worked like a charm.
So Costa Rica. The only port thus far where we have been warned that the only reason we should be leaving the ship is to go on an excursion. Unless you know someone personally, of course. Just not safe. So encouraging ...
We found out the name of the little Gilligan’s Island we passed. Used to be called Island of the Sound of Birds. Now it’s just Secret Island. Love the mystery. I think we might have stumbled on the real Jurassic Park. Just saying ...
We boarded our tour bus and headed off through town. Pretty ragged everywhere. We did see three or four churches. Three of the four were Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Halls. Someone on another tour later told us they drove past the First Baptist Church in all of Costa Rica. Always interesting to see a little Protestant presence in yet another Roman Catholic dominated area. The big businesses here are Dole (as in pineapples) and Chiquita Bananas. We passed a McDonald’s. Our narrator’s daughter likes to “have her Happy Box, eat the cookie and play in the playground.” Kids are kids all over the world. He told us that they had an earthquake just last week. 7.8. Yikes.
As we approached the rain forest he told us to watch for wildlife. First on the list? Cows. Yep. But they were all Brahma’s. Seems that is the only breed that can survive there. They also have 122 different species of bats. Someone asked if he thought it would rain on us. His answer was classic: “If it rains we’ll get wet. Later on we will dry.” Profound stuff ...
The rain forest itself was pretty amazing. Here’s a random list of the critters we saw:
Sloth (Yes, April, they were just hanging around, staring at passers by, hoping to be adopted and taken back to the states in someone’s luggage).
Big Ants (Some of them get to be two inches long. Biggest I saw was maybe an inch. Just a baby).
Howler monkey (He was a tiny black and white fellow. Didn’t howl at us though. Just hung from a branch by his tail and stared at the goons passing by in the big cage).
Bats (One of the Exhibit halls we went to had an entire family flying around in it. Fortunately they stayed near the ceiling or just hung around napping).
Frogs (None of them spit at us, but they were really colorful. I spotted a black and yellow one on a branch. Others were red or just brown).
The Jurassic Butterfly and moth room (Well, not really Jurassic, but some of them were really big. And blue. Actually they were all sorts of colors. We learned that the stuff that comes off on your fingers when your touch a butterfly is not pollen. It’s scales. File that in your memory banks).
Hummingbirds (I’m pretty sure we reunited with a little guy who stopped in our back yard a while back ...).
Toucan (That would be the cereal spokesbird. They weren’t very colorful, though. Kind of disappointing).
Owl (This majestic guy was taking a nap far up in a tree).
Snakes (These critters were encased in an exhibit like at the zoo. Fine by me)
Parrots (We could hear these chatterboxes long before I finally saw a few flying through the tops of the trees. Racket. Racket. Racket).
Termites (well, actually it was just their mounds).
Policeman (These guys have their blood type embroidered on their uniform sleeve. Just in case).
The trees were nothing short of humongous. And at one spot we saw a pineapple, mangoes and bananas all growing wild next to each other. It was a cloudy day, so it wasn’t really all that hot. Humid though. Humidity never gets below 80%. Made us kind of homesick, actually.
Bucket list number seventy-seven ... Rain Forest ... check.
Psalms 8:1 says, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.”
Father, as majestic as that rain forest was, to think you are more so is just mind boggling. And to think you love me? Just wow. Amen.
We started the day with a tech issue. The Carnival Communications app stopped working. The error indicated something about an internet connection being required. Interesting since we could get on the internet otherwise. So ... another trip to the guest services desk. He couldn’t figure it out either, even through all his back door methods. So we did what we should have led with. Deleted the whole thing and re-download it from the App Store. Worked like a charm.
So Costa Rica. The only port thus far where we have been warned that the only reason we should be leaving the ship is to go on an excursion. Unless you know someone personally, of course. Just not safe. So encouraging ...
We found out the name of the little Gilligan’s Island we passed. Used to be called Island of the Sound of Birds. Now it’s just Secret Island. Love the mystery. I think we might have stumbled on the real Jurassic Park. Just saying ...
We boarded our tour bus and headed off through town. Pretty ragged everywhere. We did see three or four churches. Three of the four were Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Halls. Someone on another tour later told us they drove past the First Baptist Church in all of Costa Rica. Always interesting to see a little Protestant presence in yet another Roman Catholic dominated area. The big businesses here are Dole (as in pineapples) and Chiquita Bananas. We passed a McDonald’s. Our narrator’s daughter likes to “have her Happy Box, eat the cookie and play in the playground.” Kids are kids all over the world. He told us that they had an earthquake just last week. 7.8. Yikes.
As we approached the rain forest he told us to watch for wildlife. First on the list? Cows. Yep. But they were all Brahma’s. Seems that is the only breed that can survive there. They also have 122 different species of bats. Someone asked if he thought it would rain on us. His answer was classic: “If it rains we’ll get wet. Later on we will dry.” Profound stuff ...
The rain forest itself was pretty amazing. Here’s a random list of the critters we saw:
Sloth (Yes, April, they were just hanging around, staring at passers by, hoping to be adopted and taken back to the states in someone’s luggage).
Big Ants (Some of them get to be two inches long. Biggest I saw was maybe an inch. Just a baby).
Howler monkey (He was a tiny black and white fellow. Didn’t howl at us though. Just hung from a branch by his tail and stared at the goons passing by in the big cage).
Bats (One of the Exhibit halls we went to had an entire family flying around in it. Fortunately they stayed near the ceiling or just hung around napping).
Frogs (None of them spit at us, but they were really colorful. I spotted a black and yellow one on a branch. Others were red or just brown).
The Jurassic Butterfly and moth room (Well, not really Jurassic, but some of them were really big. And blue. Actually they were all sorts of colors. We learned that the stuff that comes off on your fingers when your touch a butterfly is not pollen. It’s scales. File that in your memory banks).
Hummingbirds (I’m pretty sure we reunited with a little guy who stopped in our back yard a while back ...).
Toucan (That would be the cereal spokesbird. They weren’t very colorful, though. Kind of disappointing).
Owl (This majestic guy was taking a nap far up in a tree).
Snakes (These critters were encased in an exhibit like at the zoo. Fine by me)
Parrots (We could hear these chatterboxes long before I finally saw a few flying through the tops of the trees. Racket. Racket. Racket).
Termites (well, actually it was just their mounds).
Policeman (These guys have their blood type embroidered on their uniform sleeve. Just in case).
The trees were nothing short of humongous. And at one spot we saw a pineapple, mangoes and bananas all growing wild next to each other. It was a cloudy day, so it wasn’t really all that hot. Humid though. Humidity never gets below 80%. Made us kind of homesick, actually.
Bucket list number seventy-seven ... Rain Forest ... check.
Psalms 8:1 says, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.”
Father, as majestic as that rain forest was, to think you are more so is just mind boggling. And to think you love me? Just wow. Amen.
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
January 27 - “Aaaaand ... Panama Canal”
The day was finally here. Panama Canal. The atmosphere on the ship was electric, at least among the first timers like us. I woke up at 4:24 to be present for the approach. Chris even got up at 4:45 when the alarm went off. We got dressed and hurried up on deck to get some views of the approach head on. We managed to find a spot that wasn’t already occupied and staked our claim. And Chris whipped out her trusty camera.
Pablo Pistaccio Pelican led the way through the three locks. He stayed with us to the very end, too. We appreciated his comforting presence. As I said, there were three sets of locks, each taking us progressively higher until we reached Lake Gatun at 85 feet above sea level. Each lock does essentially the same thing - water flows in from holding tanks to the side until the ship’s level is equal to the water level in the next bay. Chris, as is her custom, took a few hundred pictures at each level. If they did anything out of the ordinary, we now have a record of it ...
As we waited in lock number three, a little tropical rain began to fall, but it stopped quickly. We had plenty of time to check out the Panama souvenirs they had set up on deck. Since we couldn’t get off the ship, they brought the goodies to us. How kind of them. We were relatively successful in our quest. No stuffed friends were available, sadly. But we do have another stop or two.
Our on-board Panamanian narrator of the experience gave us all the scoop on the canal as we went through. He boarded at the beginning along with a local pilot. Did you know ... it costs $300,000 toll fee for our ship to do what we did - go through the first three locks into Lake Gatun, turn around, and go out again. Now the cheapest toll ever levied was on the guy who swam from the Atlantic to the Pacific side. They charged him 37 cents.
After the trip back through the locks we were quite anxious to get back on the high seas and head to our next stop. But as it turned out, this was also our next stop for fueling up and other maintenance. We ended up staying put for hours.
After supper we were still anchored, but inside the ship life went on. We went to the hypnotist show in the theater. Interesting up to the point where he said to “clear your mind.” Nope. Not unless I’m refilling it with some Holy Spirit. After that show we went to the atrium to be taught how to cowboy line dance. As has generally been the case when we have attempted to learn any dance moves, we didn’t do so well. I just couldn’t get my feet moving in rhythm with the “appropriate steps.” Never have been one to follow the rules, I guess.
The announcement finally came around 9 p.m. that all maintenance was completed and we would soon be on our way. That happened around 9:20. Yes, we are now running a little behind. An hour in fact. All shore excursions have been adjusted appropriately, however. And we’re off ...
Psalms 89:5 says, “The heavens praise your wonders, O, Lord, your faithfulness, too, in the assembly of the holy ones.”
Father, it’s pretty amazing to consider the feat of human engineering we just witnessed. Even more amazing to compare it to some of your work. You win. Every time. Amen.
Pablo Pistaccio Pelican led the way through the three locks. He stayed with us to the very end, too. We appreciated his comforting presence. As I said, there were three sets of locks, each taking us progressively higher until we reached Lake Gatun at 85 feet above sea level. Each lock does essentially the same thing - water flows in from holding tanks to the side until the ship’s level is equal to the water level in the next bay. Chris, as is her custom, took a few hundred pictures at each level. If they did anything out of the ordinary, we now have a record of it ...
As we waited in lock number three, a little tropical rain began to fall, but it stopped quickly. We had plenty of time to check out the Panama souvenirs they had set up on deck. Since we couldn’t get off the ship, they brought the goodies to us. How kind of them. We were relatively successful in our quest. No stuffed friends were available, sadly. But we do have another stop or two.
Our on-board Panamanian narrator of the experience gave us all the scoop on the canal as we went through. He boarded at the beginning along with a local pilot. Did you know ... it costs $300,000 toll fee for our ship to do what we did - go through the first three locks into Lake Gatun, turn around, and go out again. Now the cheapest toll ever levied was on the guy who swam from the Atlantic to the Pacific side. They charged him 37 cents.
After the trip back through the locks we were quite anxious to get back on the high seas and head to our next stop. But as it turned out, this was also our next stop for fueling up and other maintenance. We ended up staying put for hours.
After supper we were still anchored, but inside the ship life went on. We went to the hypnotist show in the theater. Interesting up to the point where he said to “clear your mind.” Nope. Not unless I’m refilling it with some Holy Spirit. After that show we went to the atrium to be taught how to cowboy line dance. As has generally been the case when we have attempted to learn any dance moves, we didn’t do so well. I just couldn’t get my feet moving in rhythm with the “appropriate steps.” Never have been one to follow the rules, I guess.
The announcement finally came around 9 p.m. that all maintenance was completed and we would soon be on our way. That happened around 9:20. Yes, we are now running a little behind. An hour in fact. All shore excursions have been adjusted appropriately, however. And we’re off ...
Psalms 89:5 says, “The heavens praise your wonders, O, Lord, your faithfulness, too, in the assembly of the holy ones.”
Father, it’s pretty amazing to consider the feat of human engineering we just witnessed. Even more amazing to compare it to some of your work. You win. Every time. Amen.
Monday, January 27, 2020
January 26 - “A Day at Sea ... again”
Well, to start off here, After reading yesterday's blog, Chris reminded me that we also went to a museum on that tour we took in Curaçao. That is true. But it was kind of forgettable, I guess. I do remember some old antique furniture people had donated. Interesting, I suppose. But I also remember one other thing. It was hot. No air conditioning.
So yesterday ...
We took an early morning stroll around the ship. Chris’ leg ache is back. I’m just glad we didn’t have an excursion planned. On that walk Chris took some pictures of Colombia. She also took some of the dining room where we eat dinner. Pretty elaborate place. We spent a long time chatting with our new friends Vern and Kat. They seem to be really great folks.
We finally went back to the room to just crash a while. While I napped Chris spied some “sea creatures” and called me to take a look. I never saw anything, but we decided they must hav been dolphins.
The scuttlebut talk around the ship all afternoon was the news that basketball star Kobe Bryant had been killed in a helicopter crash. His 13-year-old daughter was with him. Sad.
Next we hung out on dec just looking at the water. We did break up that excitement with a game of mini-golf. Next we attended the afternoon show. It was a series of movie based games. We decided it felt like we were at youth camp when the Rec Team was doing stunts. Except here it was with adults. Oh, and here there was the occasional inappropriate comment. It was fun, though.
Aaaand ... then back to the room for another nap. These days at sea are exhausting.
It was dress-up night for dinner again. I added the tie this time, just to look snazzy for my wife. Good food, too. Grilled shrimp, a crab patty, and some chowder. That was followed by another show. This one was a musical theater production centered around a guy. Who played the piano and sang. Very well done.
The final event of the night was a 70’s party in the Atrium. Just a lot of disco music and dancing. I enjoyed it. Chris didn’t always join me in my dancing, though. But the one slow dance was worth the tie ...
Today we hit the Panama Canal. Very early morning ... 4:30 a.m. Up and at ‘em.
1 Peter 1:13 says, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
Father, be with our new friends Vern and Kat. Give them a great vacation. Amen.
So yesterday ...
We took an early morning stroll around the ship. Chris’ leg ache is back. I’m just glad we didn’t have an excursion planned. On that walk Chris took some pictures of Colombia. She also took some of the dining room where we eat dinner. Pretty elaborate place. We spent a long time chatting with our new friends Vern and Kat. They seem to be really great folks.
We finally went back to the room to just crash a while. While I napped Chris spied some “sea creatures” and called me to take a look. I never saw anything, but we decided they must hav been dolphins.
The scuttlebut talk around the ship all afternoon was the news that basketball star Kobe Bryant had been killed in a helicopter crash. His 13-year-old daughter was with him. Sad.
Next we hung out on dec just looking at the water. We did break up that excitement with a game of mini-golf. Next we attended the afternoon show. It was a series of movie based games. We decided it felt like we were at youth camp when the Rec Team was doing stunts. Except here it was with adults. Oh, and here there was the occasional inappropriate comment. It was fun, though.
Aaaand ... then back to the room for another nap. These days at sea are exhausting.
It was dress-up night for dinner again. I added the tie this time, just to look snazzy for my wife. Good food, too. Grilled shrimp, a crab patty, and some chowder. That was followed by another show. This one was a musical theater production centered around a guy. Who played the piano and sang. Very well done.
The final event of the night was a 70’s party in the Atrium. Just a lot of disco music and dancing. I enjoyed it. Chris didn’t always join me in my dancing, though. But the one slow dance was worth the tie ...
Today we hit the Panama Canal. Very early morning ... 4:30 a.m. Up and at ‘em.
1 Peter 1:13 says, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
Father, be with our new friends Vern and Kat. Give them a great vacation. Amen.
Sunday, January 26, 2020
January 26 - “Curaçao”
Ah, bright and early rising once again. This time we were leaving the ship again after only a night on the seas. Curaçao is just not that far from Aruba. And once again we opted for the pure tourist package. That meant piling into a bus (air conditioned, thank goodness) for a tour of the island’s hot spots.
Our guide was a tiny little old lady with very short gray hair. She spoke the four languages that most everybody speaks there: English, French, Dutch, and Papiamento. That one the local dialect that is a blend of the other three plus some Spanish thrown in. Fun to listen to. Impossible too understand unless you grew up there.
Our first actual stop was on the side of the road next to a lake. Why? Because the lake was ablaze with the color pink. It was full of pink flamingos having breakfast. Apparently they do breakfast and lunch in. Curaçao and dinner over in Venezuela.
We saw an old Shell Oil plant. They left in 1989 though. Some foreign outfit runs it now. I think somebody out of the Netherlands.
Next stop was called the Hato Cave. It was one of a series of caves on the island. Some of them are still used in Voodoo rituals, especially surrounding death in the family. We were warned that it might be a little chilly inside the cave. Nope. It was just a shot and humid as it was outside. It was beautiful though. Stalactites and stalagmites and rock formations that looked like a donkey head, a mushroom, a sleeping giant, and our guide’s personal favorite, the Virgin Mary with child. Pretty amazing. Oh, and we saw bats. Batman and Robin were apparently out on a call, though ...
Next stop was a tour of the Curaçao Blue liquor factory. Not much of a tour. We saw a brief video and some artifacts before they ushered us into the gift shop. Some of the liquor was available for testing as well. The unique thing about this product was the different colors it comes in ... and they all taste the same. They have started making it in three other flavors, though. Chocolate, coffee, and some kind of citrus. The most interesting part of this one was made from the alcohol’s byproducts. Our tour guide was smitten with this one. She assured us every family on the island had a bottle in their cabinet. It was good for ... well, what ails you. Especially aches and pains. A real medicine oil. She was so excited about it that she sprayed some on anybody who would step up. I couldn’t pass up that opportunity. She sprayed both my knees. Felt like some of that icy spray athletes use. Or maybe like if you spread mentholatum all over. Oh, and she had some advice. Our biggest problem when we have a pain is we tend to rub it. That just rubs the pain in. Instead you need to pat it - “Pat the pain out.” I’ll try to remember that one Miss Sheila.
The bus dropped us off downtown for some shopping. We were going to follow the directions of the information kiosk lady to get some food, but the closer we got, the seedier the area became. It would probably have been some good food (I was personally hoping for some iguana), but we turned back and eventually ate on the ship. Not before doing a little shopping, though. And we managed to rescue Freddy Flamingo. Come on, how could we not? He had the same name as our little Freddy back home ...
Back on the ship we headed for another day at sea. At dinner we were seated with some random people again. One lady in particular was ... well, quite entertaining. She let us know that she had already had a few beers, and the glass of wine was probably going to be her last for the evening. At one point she jokingly asked, “Well, are going have anybody say grace?” To her surprise and perhaps chagrin, I said, “well, that’s something I can do,” and started praying. When she realized what was happening, I heard her whisper, “Oh. We’re really doing this?” A little Christian humor there, I guess.
We finished up dinner and went to the juggler show. He was pretty impressive at juggling. Pretty funny, too. And after that we hung out with Jim and Pat at the Mardi Gras party. Not much of a party, really. Just played some line dance songs, shot off some streamers, and gave away beads (no throwing. Kind of lost its punch). Jim and Pat should have been given some kind of award, though. They went to WalMart in Galveston before the cruise and brought along some beads that lit up. Definitely the only ones with that little accessory.
1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Father, Please touch those families we met at dinner last night. Amen.
Our guide was a tiny little old lady with very short gray hair. She spoke the four languages that most everybody speaks there: English, French, Dutch, and Papiamento. That one the local dialect that is a blend of the other three plus some Spanish thrown in. Fun to listen to. Impossible too understand unless you grew up there.
Our first actual stop was on the side of the road next to a lake. Why? Because the lake was ablaze with the color pink. It was full of pink flamingos having breakfast. Apparently they do breakfast and lunch in. Curaçao and dinner over in Venezuela.
We saw an old Shell Oil plant. They left in 1989 though. Some foreign outfit runs it now. I think somebody out of the Netherlands.
Next stop was called the Hato Cave. It was one of a series of caves on the island. Some of them are still used in Voodoo rituals, especially surrounding death in the family. We were warned that it might be a little chilly inside the cave. Nope. It was just a shot and humid as it was outside. It was beautiful though. Stalactites and stalagmites and rock formations that looked like a donkey head, a mushroom, a sleeping giant, and our guide’s personal favorite, the Virgin Mary with child. Pretty amazing. Oh, and we saw bats. Batman and Robin were apparently out on a call, though ...
Next stop was a tour of the Curaçao Blue liquor factory. Not much of a tour. We saw a brief video and some artifacts before they ushered us into the gift shop. Some of the liquor was available for testing as well. The unique thing about this product was the different colors it comes in ... and they all taste the same. They have started making it in three other flavors, though. Chocolate, coffee, and some kind of citrus. The most interesting part of this one was made from the alcohol’s byproducts. Our tour guide was smitten with this one. She assured us every family on the island had a bottle in their cabinet. It was good for ... well, what ails you. Especially aches and pains. A real medicine oil. She was so excited about it that she sprayed some on anybody who would step up. I couldn’t pass up that opportunity. She sprayed both my knees. Felt like some of that icy spray athletes use. Or maybe like if you spread mentholatum all over. Oh, and she had some advice. Our biggest problem when we have a pain is we tend to rub it. That just rubs the pain in. Instead you need to pat it - “Pat the pain out.” I’ll try to remember that one Miss Sheila.
The bus dropped us off downtown for some shopping. We were going to follow the directions of the information kiosk lady to get some food, but the closer we got, the seedier the area became. It would probably have been some good food (I was personally hoping for some iguana), but we turned back and eventually ate on the ship. Not before doing a little shopping, though. And we managed to rescue Freddy Flamingo. Come on, how could we not? He had the same name as our little Freddy back home ...
Back on the ship we headed for another day at sea. At dinner we were seated with some random people again. One lady in particular was ... well, quite entertaining. She let us know that she had already had a few beers, and the glass of wine was probably going to be her last for the evening. At one point she jokingly asked, “Well, are going have anybody say grace?” To her surprise and perhaps chagrin, I said, “well, that’s something I can do,” and started praying. When she realized what was happening, I heard her whisper, “Oh. We’re really doing this?” A little Christian humor there, I guess.
We finished up dinner and went to the juggler show. He was pretty impressive at juggling. Pretty funny, too. And after that we hung out with Jim and Pat at the Mardi Gras party. Not much of a party, really. Just played some line dance songs, shot off some streamers, and gave away beads (no throwing. Kind of lost its punch). Jim and Pat should have been given some kind of award, though. They went to WalMart in Galveston before the cruise and brought along some beads that lit up. Definitely the only ones with that little accessory.
1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Father, Please touch those families we met at dinner last night. Amen.
Saturday, January 25, 2020
January 25 - “Aruba”
We docked in Aruba an hour earlier than expected. 7 a.m. Time to get off the boat stayed about the same. 8:15. That meant early breakfast, so even Chris was up and at ‘em. Out on the balcony we could see some strange birds flying around that looked eerily like pterodactyls. Wait a minute. I saw that movie. Wasn’t Jurassic Park built on an island? Even the Dutch military had a presence as we approached. One of their battleships greeted us off the starboard bow. No confrontation though. Just passing by ...
Since we were in port not just an hour early, but an entire morning because of the Grand Cayman issue, our excursion time was changed as well. No problem there. But when we got on the bus we were informed of another change. Seems the wind had shifted and the shipwreck we were supposed to see in the semi-submarine boat was not visible. Instead we would go to a reef on the other side of the island. Everyone had to sign off on it or get off the bus. Ouch. We signed. We were also warned that Aruba is a Dutch Island, which means they follow European ways, which means it costs a dollar to use a bathroom. Wow. Speaking of Dutch ... i learned some words. “Mi dushi, give me a sunchi.” Ponder that one. Here’s a clue: I said it to Chris.
Chris got to see the Aruba lighthouse. So did I since I was with her. On the way we passed through a very rich neighborhood wit - in the words of our colorful narrator - were “5 million dollar ugly homes.” Bitter, anyone?
We stopped at a natural bridge coral formation that was progressively crumbling away. I managed to touch the water, so I can add that one to my checklist: Caribbean Seat. The pool I touched was shared by some little fish and a host of little crabs.
The semi-submarine trip took us to a cool reef just off the island. This was the substitute excursion, and it was bay far the highlight of the trip so far. First because Chris didn’t completely freak out in the tight space. Second because it was beautiful. Lots of fish and the coral was beautiful with shades of blue and yellow.
Next we climbed Aruba’s version of Enchanted Rock. Theirs has stairs. Now, the stairs did lead in between some hefty boulders, so that was cool. Otherwise it was an easy climb. Nice views, too. Lots of water. You’d think this place was an island or something ...
We rounded off our day on land with a visit to Orangetown. That’s just the translation. I can’t pronounce the Dutch version, much less spell it. We just did some souvenir shopping like the rest of the tourists. I did find Ichabod Iguana, though. He has officially been liberated. We were told that if we eat iguana it will have the same effect as Viagra. I covered his ears ...
Last night we went to the magic/mentalist show. I got to go up on stage and be one of his victims. he guessed all twelve cards I randomly selected and herald in my hand. He was pretty good. It was sad to be back on the sea again, but this time it was just for a day. On to Curaçao.
Janes 5:13 says, “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.”
Father, help me remember to connect with you no matter what the circumstance. Amen.
Since we were in port not just an hour early, but an entire morning because of the Grand Cayman issue, our excursion time was changed as well. No problem there. But when we got on the bus we were informed of another change. Seems the wind had shifted and the shipwreck we were supposed to see in the semi-submarine boat was not visible. Instead we would go to a reef on the other side of the island. Everyone had to sign off on it or get off the bus. Ouch. We signed. We were also warned that Aruba is a Dutch Island, which means they follow European ways, which means it costs a dollar to use a bathroom. Wow. Speaking of Dutch ... i learned some words. “Mi dushi, give me a sunchi.” Ponder that one. Here’s a clue: I said it to Chris.
Chris got to see the Aruba lighthouse. So did I since I was with her. On the way we passed through a very rich neighborhood wit - in the words of our colorful narrator - were “5 million dollar ugly homes.” Bitter, anyone?
We stopped at a natural bridge coral formation that was progressively crumbling away. I managed to touch the water, so I can add that one to my checklist: Caribbean Seat. The pool I touched was shared by some little fish and a host of little crabs.
The semi-submarine trip took us to a cool reef just off the island. This was the substitute excursion, and it was bay far the highlight of the trip so far. First because Chris didn’t completely freak out in the tight space. Second because it was beautiful. Lots of fish and the coral was beautiful with shades of blue and yellow.
Next we climbed Aruba’s version of Enchanted Rock. Theirs has stairs. Now, the stairs did lead in between some hefty boulders, so that was cool. Otherwise it was an easy climb. Nice views, too. Lots of water. You’d think this place was an island or something ...
We rounded off our day on land with a visit to Orangetown. That’s just the translation. I can’t pronounce the Dutch version, much less spell it. We just did some souvenir shopping like the rest of the tourists. I did find Ichabod Iguana, though. He has officially been liberated. We were told that if we eat iguana it will have the same effect as Viagra. I covered his ears ...
Last night we went to the magic/mentalist show. I got to go up on stage and be one of his victims. he guessed all twelve cards I randomly selected and herald in my hand. He was pretty good. It was sad to be back on the sea again, but this time it was just for a day. On to Curaçao.
Janes 5:13 says, “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.”
Father, help me remember to connect with you no matter what the circumstance. Amen.
Friday, January 24, 2020
January 24 - “What time IS it?”
So I set the alarm on my phone for 6 a.m. See, we ordered some breakfast, and I wanted to be awake when they got here. Or so we thought ...
I forgot that the phone changed itself to Grand Cayman time. Eastern Standard. It went off at 5 a.m. ship’s time. I was dressed and working on the blog before I ever realized what had happened. Ah, well. Another day at sea. You know, starting from the right port, we could have been halfway across the Atlantic Ocean by now ...
I checked our account again. It still has a double charge on it that hasn’t been resolved. They did take one mistaken charge off, though. And they gave us two random credits of seventeen dollars and some cents. No idea what that’s for. We are waiting a day or two to see if it gets corrected.
On one of our walks through the ship we stopped to play one of the trivia games. Animals and TV theme songs. We came in middle of the pack on both. Some of these people are cutthroat about their trivia ...
We also signed up for a caricature. It took the guy about ten minutes to do both of us. He was a really good cartoonist. Of course he had a really cute couple to work with ...
After lunch we went to the Hasbro game show. It was a live game show like on TV. Think “Let’s Make a Deal with out the wild getups. Well, on second thought, there were some pretty wild getups. Anyway, I got picked to play Trivial Pursuit. Right up my alley. My question was, “What does AAA mean to a stranded motorist?” Easy Peasy. That got me a spot on the stage with the red team against the evil blues. The stage game was a version of skee ball - also a personal favorite. The Red Team won when the lady in front of me hit a 500 to put us over the top. Then we were given a huge monopoly card. That we each fed into a computer-like machine that told us how many points the card was worth. Mine was only good for a consolation prize. The game “A Barrel of Monkeys.” Appropriate? Hey, now ...
Next Chris read some in her book and I took a nap. Woke up to a movie called Marwen, I think. Actually really good. Based on a true story. We also watched a lone sea bird as he dove after the little skimmers on top of the water. Oh, and the sun ... it’s a special kind of hot out here.
We had supper with the Randy group, minus Randy. It was plenty of fun, and i actually got my fix of fried shrimp and fish. Didn’t even taste Chinese-food-y. Yum.
We took a stroll after dinner. Bought a few t-shirts. Watched the end of a Spider-Man movie on the monster screen up on deck. Listened to a few rock-and-roll tunes in the atrium. And then on to bed. Big day coming. Promise of land again.
Psalms 116:7 says, “Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.”
Father, it is good to see some land again. Thanks for that. Amen.
I forgot that the phone changed itself to Grand Cayman time. Eastern Standard. It went off at 5 a.m. ship’s time. I was dressed and working on the blog before I ever realized what had happened. Ah, well. Another day at sea. You know, starting from the right port, we could have been halfway across the Atlantic Ocean by now ...
I checked our account again. It still has a double charge on it that hasn’t been resolved. They did take one mistaken charge off, though. And they gave us two random credits of seventeen dollars and some cents. No idea what that’s for. We are waiting a day or two to see if it gets corrected.
On one of our walks through the ship we stopped to play one of the trivia games. Animals and TV theme songs. We came in middle of the pack on both. Some of these people are cutthroat about their trivia ...
We also signed up for a caricature. It took the guy about ten minutes to do both of us. He was a really good cartoonist. Of course he had a really cute couple to work with ...
After lunch we went to the Hasbro game show. It was a live game show like on TV. Think “Let’s Make a Deal with out the wild getups. Well, on second thought, there were some pretty wild getups. Anyway, I got picked to play Trivial Pursuit. Right up my alley. My question was, “What does AAA mean to a stranded motorist?” Easy Peasy. That got me a spot on the stage with the red team against the evil blues. The stage game was a version of skee ball - also a personal favorite. The Red Team won when the lady in front of me hit a 500 to put us over the top. Then we were given a huge monopoly card. That we each fed into a computer-like machine that told us how many points the card was worth. Mine was only good for a consolation prize. The game “A Barrel of Monkeys.” Appropriate? Hey, now ...
Next Chris read some in her book and I took a nap. Woke up to a movie called Marwen, I think. Actually really good. Based on a true story. We also watched a lone sea bird as he dove after the little skimmers on top of the water. Oh, and the sun ... it’s a special kind of hot out here.
We had supper with the Randy group, minus Randy. It was plenty of fun, and i actually got my fix of fried shrimp and fish. Didn’t even taste Chinese-food-y. Yum.
We took a stroll after dinner. Bought a few t-shirts. Watched the end of a Spider-Man movie on the monster screen up on deck. Listened to a few rock-and-roll tunes in the atrium. And then on to bed. Big day coming. Promise of land again.
Psalms 116:7 says, “Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.”
Father, it is good to see some land again. Thanks for that. Amen.
Thursday, January 23, 2020
January 23 - “No Hell today ...”
So day four and I was the queasy one. Started off when I woke up at 4:30 and couldn’t get back to sleep. The ship was really rocking by this time, and I don’t mean partying. The weather was cloudy and the seas were really rough. But all would be well soon, right? After all we were rapidly approaching Grand Cayman ... our first stop. In fact our first sighting of land in days. Chris and i took pictures of it from our balcony before heading to the departure lounge. We had just settled into our seats when the distinctive gong sounded over the intercom. The captain had an announcement. We anticipated one of his encouraging speeches about enjoying the day on shore. Dry land finally, right? Well ...
Not so much. Remember that weather I mentioned? Because of high winds and ten foot seas, ,the shuttle crafts that were to take us to Grand Cayman couldn’t make the trip. We wouldn’t be getting off the ship in Grand Cayman after all. And since that was where the tourist Mecca called Hell is located, I guess you could say we were saved from Hell ... again. Oh, well. When I posted our fate on Facebook our friend Lauren replied, “You don’t need to go to Hell anyway ... It’s really hot there.” Well, OK. I took a Dramamine and dozed for a while. Meanwhile ... off to Aruba.
I felt better when I woke from my little catnap so we went on to breakfast. Shared a table with some folks from Rockdale. After that we ran into Jim and Pat again. Sounds like being around them is kind of dangerous, though. They told us that two different incidents have happened right in front of them where someone has fallen. Hmm. Are they going around tripping people? You gotta watch out for those Galveston residents ...
We watched a game of giant Jenga and one of giant trivial pursuit (The crew seemed to be really stretching for things to do since we left Grand Cayman for an extra day at sea). Then we had lunch at the Posh Restaurant with some more strangers. One of them turned out to be the Mom of one of our neighbors. We don’t actually know them, though. They live in the next subdivision over from us. It’s always fun to find some point of connection, though.
Next it was back to the room for a nap before hitting the dinner line with Randy and his crew again. Those folks are lots of fun to hang out with. Last night the Question Lady (She is a constant barrage of questions) asked me how I became a Christian. So I obliged her through the salad course. She wanted some follow-up about how Chris and I met, so I turned the conversation over to her for the most part so I could finish my now-wilting lettuce. Hey, when I get to talking about Jesus and Chris, all else pales ...
After dinner we went to a presentation called “30,000 Years of Art.” Yep. Felt like we were back in a required culture class back in college. I enjoyed it, though. And we got a free print of a leopard to take home.
On the way back to the room we stopped to listen to the older guitarist sing some country music. Several couple were dancing along on the floor in front of him. And who should be among them but the couple we had breakfast with that morning. Gee ... being on a boat since Sunday sure shrinks your world ...
Philippians 2:2 says, “then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”
Father, thanks for the new friends we have made. And thanks for protecting us from foolish attempts to ford the treacherous waters. Amen.
Not so much. Remember that weather I mentioned? Because of high winds and ten foot seas, ,the shuttle crafts that were to take us to Grand Cayman couldn’t make the trip. We wouldn’t be getting off the ship in Grand Cayman after all. And since that was where the tourist Mecca called Hell is located, I guess you could say we were saved from Hell ... again. Oh, well. When I posted our fate on Facebook our friend Lauren replied, “You don’t need to go to Hell anyway ... It’s really hot there.” Well, OK. I took a Dramamine and dozed for a while. Meanwhile ... off to Aruba.
I felt better when I woke from my little catnap so we went on to breakfast. Shared a table with some folks from Rockdale. After that we ran into Jim and Pat again. Sounds like being around them is kind of dangerous, though. They told us that two different incidents have happened right in front of them where someone has fallen. Hmm. Are they going around tripping people? You gotta watch out for those Galveston residents ...
We watched a game of giant Jenga and one of giant trivial pursuit (The crew seemed to be really stretching for things to do since we left Grand Cayman for an extra day at sea). Then we had lunch at the Posh Restaurant with some more strangers. One of them turned out to be the Mom of one of our neighbors. We don’t actually know them, though. They live in the next subdivision over from us. It’s always fun to find some point of connection, though.
Next it was back to the room for a nap before hitting the dinner line with Randy and his crew again. Those folks are lots of fun to hang out with. Last night the Question Lady (She is a constant barrage of questions) asked me how I became a Christian. So I obliged her through the salad course. She wanted some follow-up about how Chris and I met, so I turned the conversation over to her for the most part so I could finish my now-wilting lettuce. Hey, when I get to talking about Jesus and Chris, all else pales ...
After dinner we went to a presentation called “30,000 Years of Art.” Yep. Felt like we were back in a required culture class back in college. I enjoyed it, though. And we got a free print of a leopard to take home.
On the way back to the room we stopped to listen to the older guitarist sing some country music. Several couple were dancing along on the floor in front of him. And who should be among them but the couple we had breakfast with that morning. Gee ... being on a boat since Sunday sure shrinks your world ...
Philippians 2:2 says, “then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”
Father, thanks for the new friends we have made. And thanks for protecting us from foolish attempts to ford the treacherous waters. Amen.
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
January 22 - “Livin’ on the high seas”
So we woke up yesterday morning, not to the glorious sounds of water lapping upon the sides of the ship, or even to the gentle beep of a travel alarm clock. Oh, no. This day we woke to the surprising and somewhat alarming sound of a baby crying in the hall outside of our room. Around 5:30 a.m. back and forth the young passenger went, apparently - and hopefully - being escorted by a distraught mommy. It was made all the more strange since we have only seen one or two people less that 60 years old on this entire cruise.
We went ahead and got out of bed. Our first attempt at room service was due at 6:30 anyway. Coffee and chocolate milk and fruit and toast (for Chris’ queasiness). I served her breakfast in bed. Hey, even I can handle handing her a piece of toast. She did much better throughout the day yesterday, seasickness-wise.
The weather was way better. 69 degrees. They even opened up the swimming pool. So we finally did our roaming around the ship. We located a restaurant and lounge area that we never could find the day before. We though maybe we’d be able to find the comedy show we had heard about this time.
In keeping with our early morning kids’ theme, we joined a Dr. Suess-a-palooza parade. Walking around the ship with 20 or 30 kids and their parents/grandparents ringing cowbells and shouting “Dr. Seuss is on the loose.” Felt like home. We also went to a build-a bear workshop. Cap’n Bert-tholomew Bear is now in the family. So is Cat in the Hat. He belongs to Chris.
Yesterday was also our couples spa massage day. I think it was a Swedish massage done by some girls from Zimbabwe. Felt pretty good, but mine could have pushed harder. They tried to get us to come back for a hot stone massage, but we decided having hot rocks rolled around on our bodies didn’t sound all that appealing.
We had dinner at the ritzy place again. I ordered chicken fried steak. A little piece of home, or so I thought. It was straight from the menu. Know what he read back to me? “Fried chicken steak.” I figured, close enough. Either way, though, there was no way this was a chicken fried steak. No batter at all. Thin, soupy white gravy. At least the mashed potatoes tasted familiar. Oh, but the dessert was amazing some kind of chocolate volcano explosion or something. Very chocolatey.
We finally got to see a show onboard ship. Never happened on our Alaska trip. It was a musical extravaganza with no real story line other than it was happening on an island. Just song after song. The actors must have been exhausted. Most of the songs were from the 50’s and 60’s, so the white hairs were in hog heaven.
We did find that lounge again. That’s where the comedy show was after the musical. Pretty funny comedian. He kept it clean, too. I understand the “explicit” show was happening after we left. Well, the place was packed out. And then when we left the halls were packed with people trying to get in to see the next show. We finally descended to the bowels of the ship and made our way back to our room. Quite the adventure.
Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Father, it has been a whirlwind so far. Looking forward to seeing some of land today. Thanks for putting some islands out here. Amen.
We went ahead and got out of bed. Our first attempt at room service was due at 6:30 anyway. Coffee and chocolate milk and fruit and toast (for Chris’ queasiness). I served her breakfast in bed. Hey, even I can handle handing her a piece of toast. She did much better throughout the day yesterday, seasickness-wise.
The weather was way better. 69 degrees. They even opened up the swimming pool. So we finally did our roaming around the ship. We located a restaurant and lounge area that we never could find the day before. We though maybe we’d be able to find the comedy show we had heard about this time.
In keeping with our early morning kids’ theme, we joined a Dr. Suess-a-palooza parade. Walking around the ship with 20 or 30 kids and their parents/grandparents ringing cowbells and shouting “Dr. Seuss is on the loose.” Felt like home. We also went to a build-a bear workshop. Cap’n Bert-tholomew Bear is now in the family. So is Cat in the Hat. He belongs to Chris.
Yesterday was also our couples spa massage day. I think it was a Swedish massage done by some girls from Zimbabwe. Felt pretty good, but mine could have pushed harder. They tried to get us to come back for a hot stone massage, but we decided having hot rocks rolled around on our bodies didn’t sound all that appealing.
We had dinner at the ritzy place again. I ordered chicken fried steak. A little piece of home, or so I thought. It was straight from the menu. Know what he read back to me? “Fried chicken steak.” I figured, close enough. Either way, though, there was no way this was a chicken fried steak. No batter at all. Thin, soupy white gravy. At least the mashed potatoes tasted familiar. Oh, but the dessert was amazing some kind of chocolate volcano explosion or something. Very chocolatey.
We finally got to see a show onboard ship. Never happened on our Alaska trip. It was a musical extravaganza with no real story line other than it was happening on an island. Just song after song. The actors must have been exhausted. Most of the songs were from the 50’s and 60’s, so the white hairs were in hog heaven.
We did find that lounge again. That’s where the comedy show was after the musical. Pretty funny comedian. He kept it clean, too. I understand the “explicit” show was happening after we left. Well, the place was packed out. And then when we left the halls were packed with people trying to get in to see the next show. We finally descended to the bowels of the ship and made our way back to our room. Quite the adventure.
Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Father, it has been a whirlwind so far. Looking forward to seeing some of land today. Thanks for putting some islands out here. Amen.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
January 21 - “Water, water everywhere”
We woke up after our weird night with “The Joiner” to some pretty rough seas. Chris went down for the count after some breakfast. I admit I joined her and crashed on the couch in our room. We even took some Dramamine. We both slept for a long time. Dramamine does that to me. Apparently to Chris as well. When I woke up I found a movie channel on TV, so I let Chris sleep some more. Yep. We both definitely needed that.
We ventured out to the buffet for some lunch. So did much of the rest of the ship. There weren’t any tables available. All was not bad, though. We met a and shared a table with a couple from Alvin, David and Jeannine. She was 90 years old. He was 93. Spry as a couple of chickens. Been married 70 years. Chris told them that was our goal. It was a lot of fun meeting and getting to know them.
While we were talking to them some old friends of ours from Denver spotted us and ambled over to the table to say hi. After we finished lunch we joined them at their table to munch on our chocolate cake dessert. We ended up spending the next few hours reminiscing with them. Me and the rest of the girls. Nice.
Back up to the room, then, to change for dinner. Well, not right away. We did get another nap in. Well, I got another nap in. Can’t speak for Chris on that one. It was one of those dress up nights for dinner. But this cruise isn’t like the other one we went one. “Dress up” doesn’t necessarily mean suit and tie. It’s more of, “don’t wear shorts and a tank top and sandals” kind of night. I put my suit on anyway, but Chris said I didn’t need a tie. Love that woman.
We were asked when we arrived if we minded being seated with someone else. That’s kind of the point on this cruise, so we jumped at the chance. It was a rather large table, and we joined a Mom and her son from Katy, a couple from Algoa, and a final couple from ... drumroll here ... Jamaica Beach. Kirk and Julie told us they had also had some brunch earlier in the day with someone from Sea Isle. None other than Seasiders, Jim and Pat Eggler. Old home week. The group didn’t mind when I asked if I could pray, so we started out well. All three of the other couples were rabid cruisers, so Chris and I did a lot of just listening. I think everybody on this cruise is pretty into cruising regularly, in fact. Oh well ... listen and learn, I guess.
After supper we roamed around the ship a bit. We were too late for the comedy show. Couldn’t find it, anyway. I think to get to it you had to walk through the casino. Not a fun experience, since the casino is the designated smoking area of the ship. It’s hard for me to to even walk past the door without coughing. No danger in this old dude losing all of our money at the one-armed bandits. Do they still have one-armed bandits? That’s what they call them in all the old movies ...
Isaiah 42:10 says, “Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them. Amen.
Father, thank you for our contact with a brand new Jamaica Beach neighbor and for our other new friends as well. We are sure getting our fill of “down to the sea.” I’m kind of ready to move on to the “you islands” part. Amen.
We ventured out to the buffet for some lunch. So did much of the rest of the ship. There weren’t any tables available. All was not bad, though. We met a and shared a table with a couple from Alvin, David and Jeannine. She was 90 years old. He was 93. Spry as a couple of chickens. Been married 70 years. Chris told them that was our goal. It was a lot of fun meeting and getting to know them.
While we were talking to them some old friends of ours from Denver spotted us and ambled over to the table to say hi. After we finished lunch we joined them at their table to munch on our chocolate cake dessert. We ended up spending the next few hours reminiscing with them. Me and the rest of the girls. Nice.
Back up to the room, then, to change for dinner. Well, not right away. We did get another nap in. Well, I got another nap in. Can’t speak for Chris on that one. It was one of those dress up nights for dinner. But this cruise isn’t like the other one we went one. “Dress up” doesn’t necessarily mean suit and tie. It’s more of, “don’t wear shorts and a tank top and sandals” kind of night. I put my suit on anyway, but Chris said I didn’t need a tie. Love that woman.
We were asked when we arrived if we minded being seated with someone else. That’s kind of the point on this cruise, so we jumped at the chance. It was a rather large table, and we joined a Mom and her son from Katy, a couple from Algoa, and a final couple from ... drumroll here ... Jamaica Beach. Kirk and Julie told us they had also had some brunch earlier in the day with someone from Sea Isle. None other than Seasiders, Jim and Pat Eggler. Old home week. The group didn’t mind when I asked if I could pray, so we started out well. All three of the other couples were rabid cruisers, so Chris and I did a lot of just listening. I think everybody on this cruise is pretty into cruising regularly, in fact. Oh well ... listen and learn, I guess.
After supper we roamed around the ship a bit. We were too late for the comedy show. Couldn’t find it, anyway. I think to get to it you had to walk through the casino. Not a fun experience, since the casino is the designated smoking area of the ship. It’s hard for me to to even walk past the door without coughing. No danger in this old dude losing all of our money at the one-armed bandits. Do they still have one-armed bandits? That’s what they call them in all the old movies ...
Isaiah 42:10 says, “Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them. Amen.
Father, thank you for our contact with a brand new Jamaica Beach neighbor and for our other new friends as well. We are sure getting our fill of “down to the sea.” I’m kind of ready to move on to the “you islands” part. Amen.
Monday, January 20, 2020
January 20 - “And we’re off”
After a great day at church we bolted as quickly as possible. It was tough for Chris to break away, since it was dinner on the grounds and all, but the other Seasiders pretty much insisted that she was not welcome in the kitchen. Thanks for that, guys. Nathan and April and Cailyn arrived at our house shortly after we did, and we were loaded and on the road to the terminal.
Boarding was amazingly easy. Well, after April took care of the parking guard’s attitude. The only incident came when my new knee set off the security alarms. They didn’t seem to care, though. All the guy did was touch it and say, “Feels like the other one to me.” We did see a few of the folks we knew from Denver. Couldn’t find the Eggler’s, though. Jim and Pat ... if you read this, get the chat option on your Carnival app. Or come see us sometime. Room 8233. We grabbed a hamburger while we waited for our room to be ready. It wasn’t a long wait, though.
The room itself was nice enough. Kind of like a small hotel room. Even smaller bathroom. We unpacked and began our search of the premises. We couldn’t help but compare everything to the Alaska cruise. That one seemed more elegant. A little grander.
Dinner was a highlight of the day. We met up with the Richardsons and eight or so of their best friends. I was privileged to be seated at the head of the table. Randy was in the middle. Between us we entertained the group. Randy is a real card. He inspires me to greater heights of knuckleheadedness.
We finally retired to our stateroom. That’s when the “fun” began. By then we were well at sea, and - how shall I say this - it was easy to tell. Let’s just say we had our ups and downs. And ups and downs. And ups and downs. Way rougher than I expected. We still don’t really have our sea legs under us. And it was made much worse because the door to our balcony was not shutting properly. That meant the room was filled with an obnoxious whine that just wouldn’t go away. I tried to get it to seal, but finally gave up and called guest relations. They promised to send someone right up. We waited 15 or 20 minutes. By then it was 10:30. We were both exhausted. Well, I sure was. It was Sunday, after all. I then hiked down to the service desk to ask if there was any kind of ETA. She was very kind, but of course couldn’t promise anything. I went back to the room and waited. 5 or 10 minutes later someone finally showed up. First he said he had to check it from the outside, but he left the room. Just disappeared. He finally returned, went into the bathroom, flushed the toilet, and declared it fixed. Uh ... what? I explained that the toilet was fine. He was there to fix the door. Oooh. Nope. That’s not his job. He made a phone call, told us to call guest relations again, and left. The guest relations girl was very nice again. She promised that the “joiner” would be in shortly. Wonderful. It actually didn’t take him long. He whipped out his power screwdriver and went to town. I think I could have done a fix in less than half the time he took, but finally. We had some quiet. I don’t know what time it was when we finally got to sleep, but we welcomed it. Of course the incessant rocking was still a force to be reckoned with ...
Matthew 6:33 says, “but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Father, we could use some calmer seas out here. Thanks. Amen.
Boarding was amazingly easy. Well, after April took care of the parking guard’s attitude. The only incident came when my new knee set off the security alarms. They didn’t seem to care, though. All the guy did was touch it and say, “Feels like the other one to me.” We did see a few of the folks we knew from Denver. Couldn’t find the Eggler’s, though. Jim and Pat ... if you read this, get the chat option on your Carnival app. Or come see us sometime. Room 8233. We grabbed a hamburger while we waited for our room to be ready. It wasn’t a long wait, though.
The room itself was nice enough. Kind of like a small hotel room. Even smaller bathroom. We unpacked and began our search of the premises. We couldn’t help but compare everything to the Alaska cruise. That one seemed more elegant. A little grander.
Dinner was a highlight of the day. We met up with the Richardsons and eight or so of their best friends. I was privileged to be seated at the head of the table. Randy was in the middle. Between us we entertained the group. Randy is a real card. He inspires me to greater heights of knuckleheadedness.
We finally retired to our stateroom. That’s when the “fun” began. By then we were well at sea, and - how shall I say this - it was easy to tell. Let’s just say we had our ups and downs. And ups and downs. And ups and downs. Way rougher than I expected. We still don’t really have our sea legs under us. And it was made much worse because the door to our balcony was not shutting properly. That meant the room was filled with an obnoxious whine that just wouldn’t go away. I tried to get it to seal, but finally gave up and called guest relations. They promised to send someone right up. We waited 15 or 20 minutes. By then it was 10:30. We were both exhausted. Well, I sure was. It was Sunday, after all. I then hiked down to the service desk to ask if there was any kind of ETA. She was very kind, but of course couldn’t promise anything. I went back to the room and waited. 5 or 10 minutes later someone finally showed up. First he said he had to check it from the outside, but he left the room. Just disappeared. He finally returned, went into the bathroom, flushed the toilet, and declared it fixed. Uh ... what? I explained that the toilet was fine. He was there to fix the door. Oooh. Nope. That’s not his job. He made a phone call, told us to call guest relations again, and left. The guest relations girl was very nice again. She promised that the “joiner” would be in shortly. Wonderful. It actually didn’t take him long. He whipped out his power screwdriver and went to town. I think I could have done a fix in less than half the time he took, but finally. We had some quiet. I don’t know what time it was when we finally got to sleep, but we welcomed it. Of course the incessant rocking was still a force to be reckoned with ...
Matthew 6:33 says, “but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Father, we could use some calmer seas out here. Thanks. Amen.
Sunday, January 19, 2020
January 19 – “Countdown to departure … mere hours”
Yesterday
we went to Cailyn’s birthday party. It
was a new experience for us. Not the
birthday party. We have been to a few of
those. It was the venue that was
unfamiliar. Place called Urban Air
Trampoline and Adventure Park. To give you
an idea of the size, it was basically an old gutted Home Depot. In the place of tools and lights and
appliances were things like trampolines, climbing walls, go carts, and even a
zip line. They even had rooms set aside
for birthday party headquarters. We
picked up the four LaMarque boys. Little
sister Noa was sick with the flu. They
most assuredly had a good time. There were
kids everywhere. That did make it quite
difficult to keep up with a certain three-year-old who, though quite shy at
first, found himself – in spite of himself – climbing and sliding and having a
lot of fun. Pretty amazing to create a
space that can do all that. Way to go,
whoever Mr. Creative was …
Well,
I see by my Alaska-generated Moose Calendar (A gift from a Seasider with a daughter who lives there) that today
is finally departure day for the cruise in the opposite direction to the Panama
Canal. We are supposed to be crawling
onto the ship by 1:30, so that means I still have to go to work this
morning. So right after church we will
be hightailing it straight to the terminal.
I’m not sure about the ship’s WiFi or internet, so posts for the next
few weeks may be spotty at best. Hang in
there, though. I’ll eventually get the
word out about this massively Southern journey.
2
Corinthians 7:10 says, “Godly sorrow
brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly
sorrow brings death.”
Father,
would you go with us on this trek? Hate
to leave home without you. Amen.
Saturday, January 18, 2020
January 18 - The “Oh, yeah” things stage”
We are slowly discovering all the little “oh, yeah” things we may or may not need over the course of our two weeks away from home. It’s the stage of walking around the house, seeing some random thing, and saying, “Oh yeah. I might need that.” Terrible place to be for too long. So glad we leave tomorrow.
Chris cleaned house. I mean, down to sweeping and dusting and mopping. I know because I walked on her freshly mopped floor. Not a good idea on the best of days ...
We went to Academy to check out the big clearance sale they were having. Chris finally found some t-shirts for the cruise. She has been searching for some for a long time. How long? Let’s see ... we signed up for this thing back in 2018 ...
Last night we went over to Cailyn’s house to deliver her birthday present. She turned eleven on Wednesday and is having a party later today, butt the present was kind of fragile. OK. It was a lot fragile. We got her a very cute Precious Moments figurine of a little girl listening to music on her headphones. It reminded us of the countless times we have seen her in the same pose. We also gave her a graphic novel. Now hang on. They make graphic novels of the Bible nowadays. Except this one was the novel Diary of Anne Frank. We weren’t sure if she would like it, but she actually started reading right away. However ... she started at the end of the book. Reminded her of her Daddy ...
Proverbs 21:2 says, “A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart.”
Father, thank you for that youngster. And keep all the kiddos safe at this party today. Amen.
Chris cleaned house. I mean, down to sweeping and dusting and mopping. I know because I walked on her freshly mopped floor. Not a good idea on the best of days ...
We went to Academy to check out the big clearance sale they were having. Chris finally found some t-shirts for the cruise. She has been searching for some for a long time. How long? Let’s see ... we signed up for this thing back in 2018 ...
Last night we went over to Cailyn’s house to deliver her birthday present. She turned eleven on Wednesday and is having a party later today, butt the present was kind of fragile. OK. It was a lot fragile. We got her a very cute Precious Moments figurine of a little girl listening to music on her headphones. It reminded us of the countless times we have seen her in the same pose. We also gave her a graphic novel. Now hang on. They make graphic novels of the Bible nowadays. Except this one was the novel Diary of Anne Frank. We weren’t sure if she would like it, but she actually started reading right away. However ... she started at the end of the book. Reminded her of her Daddy ...
Proverbs 21:2 says, “A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart.”
Father, thank you for that youngster. And keep all the kiddos safe at this party today. Amen.
Friday, January 17, 2020
January 17 – “Flying colors”
Chris
and I both went to the hospital early yesterday to pray with Seaside’s Acrobat
Joe and his wife Cindy. He was scheduled
to have surgery on his back. They were
installing pins and screws to stabilize that vertebra he broke in his Olympic
gymnastics-worthy tumble from the attic.
We ended up sticking around with Cindy during the procedure to keep her
company. She is one fun lady to be around. Get to know her if you haven’t already …
The
surgery went really well, and Joe came through with flying colors. Hmm. “Flying
colors.” I have always wondered where
that saying came from. I’ll have to look
that one up …
OK. Looked it up.
It is nautical in origin. When a
warship returned home from battle it would be flying the colors of the country
to indicate its victory. Kind of like in
the movies when the pirates took over a ship and raised the Jolly Roger skull
and crossbones flag, or “colors.” Of
course. I should have thought of that.
So
… he came through the surgery victoriously.
As soon as he can get up and about and get the anesthesia out of his
system he is free to go home with no restrictions. I asked Cindy if that meant he was going to
head back up into the attic and finish that job he was working on. She responded with a cartoon figure of
herself with hands to the side of its face in true Home Alone fashion, saying, “What?!” Guess that’s a “no” …
Psalms
113:3 says, “From the rising of the sun
to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.”
Thursday, January 16, 2020
January 16 – “One final, crucial necessity …”
Panama
Canal Cruise countdown … three days …
Well
that was an early morning wake-up call. Actually
it wasn’t a wake-up call per se. I just …
woke up. At 4:50 a.m. I did try to go back to sleep. Thought I had been successful, too. Until I rolled over a second time and it was
all of 5:13. That’s enough. I just got out of bed and started my
day. Gave me some quiet time to pray and
go over the sermon for Sunday again.
When
Chris finally joined me, we went into Texas to pray with Seasider Sam before a
surgery she was having. We could tell
she was in good hands, too. Truly the
hospital’s A-Team. Both nurses working
to get her ready had names that started with the letter “A”. Amy and April. True to A-Team expectations, all went well
with the surgery.
Meanwhile
we got a text from Nathan and April asking if we would like to join them for
Cailyn’s eleven-year-old birthday lunch.
Hard to resist for Chris when they mentioned Salsa’s. They had me at “birthday.” Can’t resist a party, you know.
Then
it was back into packing mode. Gotta get
everything ready for departure come Sunday after church. Last night we set up with our neighbor friends
to get our mail and take care of Freddy.
Kel and his crew will be coming in at least once a week when he preaches
at Seaside. Nathan and April will stop
in a time or two as well. We want as
much traffic around here as we can get.
We
also made that inevitable trip to WalMart for some fruit to get us through
Sunday and for whatever other last-minute stuff we needed. Hand lotion.
A water bottle to replace the one I lost in Alaska. And a pair of sunglasses that fit over my
regular glasses. I have one pair, but I have
bene wanting one to keep in the truck. And
of course to take on the trip.
And
then came the final trip. This one to
Target for one last thing. The final
piece to the puzzle. That one item that
stood between us and actual packing day.
What could this elusive, yet crucial necessity be? A package of underwear. For me. I’m all set now …
Psalms
143:10 says, “Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”
Father,
thanks for neighbors we trust. And
please stay with Sam as she walks through coming chemo treatments. Amen.
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
January 15 – “… that coin just dropped”
Panama
Canal Cruise countdown … four days …
I
thought yesterday was going to be a day of relative ease. It was to be a designated errands day. Bank to make the deposit to cover bills that
are to come due while we are gone.
Randall’s to pick up the last prescription to cover all the days that we
are gone. Gas in the car to cover our
jaunt into Texas today to check on Sam before her surgery. Hold one end of the quilt for Chris while she
irons the other. You know, just a fairly
typical, calm, Galveston day …
Right.
That
was just until I checked my fire department app and noticed a call to an
address that seemed vaguely familiar. It
was in Jamaica Beach, so I began thumbing through our directory to see if
anything matched up. And while I was
looking I got a call from one of our volunteer fire department members (OK, it
was Lauren). She put a name to the
address for me.
Seems
Joe, one of our daredevil 71 year-old Seasiders, had attempted a tuck, duck,
and roll dive down his attic stairs. The
ambulance had been called and he was on his way to the emergency room. I changed clothes and headed right over. I actually beat the ambulance by just a minute
or two. I saw one of our fire department
guys who was working his second job there.
He assured me that he would let me know as soon they got Joe
settled. Actually Joe’s wife Cindy came
out to join me not long after that, and we were both ushered back to see him
after ten minutes or so.
Joe
was on one of those hard stretchers and had a cervical collar on, so he looked
pretty banged up. He was in great
spirits, though. Even talked about what
his chances were of still making the cruise this weekend. He figured the coin flip on that one had hit
the ground and was kind of spinning on its side. Initial x-ray reports indicated that he had
broken a few ribs, had some bruising on his lungs (and the rest of his body, for that matter), but seemed pretty
healthy otherwise. They were waiting for
the CT scan results for further developments.
About that time a neurology team resident came in and did an exam. Joe passed with flying colors (Well, if you ignore the obvious pain). But the doc finally got around to mentioning
that Joe had fractured the T6 vertebra in his back. There would be lots more testing to come, but
Joe’s response to me was, “Looks like that coin just dropped on its side about
that cruise, didn’t it?” Gotta love that
attitude, Joe. They finally took him up
to ICU to spend the night and await further instructions from his doctors.
Meanwhile,
back at the old homestead, Chris had received a call from Christina. Seems Ezra was still running a pretty high
fever, so she was taking him to the minor emergency clinic. They have been passing the flu around in
their little household. Not long after I
got home, we were joined by Noa and Josiah while Ezra made his little ER visit. Turns out it was pretty much what Mom
expected. He was given the magic drug
Tami-flu for a few days.
You
know what? I think that’s enough, don’t
you? Let’s stay healthy, everybody. And Joe, please save the acrobatic training
for the youngsters. Or at least wait
until you’re jumping into bed …
Romans
12:1 says, “Therefore, I urge you,
brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living
sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.”
Father,
please heal Ezra and Joe quickly. And be
with each one’s family as they walk through two different, but not so
different, paths. Amen.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
January 14 – “Speaking of …”
Panama
Canal Cruise countdown … five days …
Speaking
of the cruise, I actually did my part in getting something ready
yesterday. I was in charge of seeing
that our electronic devices were charged and ready to go. Well, that would be everything except the
camera, which we plan to use Saturday at Cailyn’s birthday party, and the
devices we use pretty much every day, like our phones and iPads. So that left the selfie stick, the portable
fan, and the iPad keyboard. Oh and that
most important of all of them, the portable charger for all of those other devices. I had wires coming out of every possible
connection in the laptop. Looked like a
patient in an ICU room. But that’s all
done now. That is all set aside on the guest
room bed waiting to be officially packed.
Speaking
of getting cruise-ready, I also finished up getting checks ready for bills that
will come due while we are gone. There
are not really that many, and I’m hoping some of them come in this week before
we leave, but I want to be prepared.
April is all set to fill in the checks and mail them off for us.
Speaking
of April, Chris checked with them about giving us a ride to the terminal on
Sunday. They happily agreed. Know how I could tell it was “happily”? Nathan sent along a meme of a car whipping in
and out of traffic along an early 1900’s street. WooHoo.
Speaking
of Chris, she spent most of her day back at the sewing table. She is spunkily doing her best to get that quilt
finished. She is still a ways off, but
it definitely looks like something that could fit on a bed now. I’m pretty sure the future recipient will be
satisfied with the finished product. Lots
of hours of hard work have gone into that thing.
Speaking
of … nah. That’s enough. See you tomorrow for day four.
James
1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word,
and so deceive yourselves. Do what it
says. Anyone who listens to the word but
does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and,
after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”
Father,
help us get through all these details. I
know the end result will be a good one.
Amen.
Monday, January 13, 2020
January 13 – “We are on our way …”
OK. Now it’s officially less than a week from our
cruise sail date. Chris admitted last
night that she is finally getting excited about it. I’m just focused on getting everything done
that has to be done before we leave.
Yesterday
was a great day at church. I should have
known it was going to be a good one when I walked up to read the opening
scripture from my iPad. There was a text
message from one of the Seasiders. It read,
“We are on our way. Don’t start church
without us!” Made my day before we even
started. Where else would that happen?
The
worship service involved an interactive communion experience. Lots of sharing of God stories and not a few
tears. The day started out really
fun. We changed the entire configuration
of the chairs into a semicircle. People’s
reactions as they entered the room were absolutely priceless. One guy said he didn’t know where to sit because
he always keyed where he sat by who usually sat in front of him. Just about every regular at least did a
noticeable doubletake. One lady sat
down, looked up, and started waving to the people on the other side of the
room. She wondered where all those
people over there came from. I had lots
of comments about leaving it that way. We’ll
see …
One
of the actions involved pouring the juice into small cups and serving each
other in clusters of four or five. I
enjoyed watching the groups maneuver around each other and smile and say their “thank
you’s” and “excuse me’s.” The whole
morning was a great picture of a family loving on each other. Thanks, Holy Spirit …
Psalms
119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp for my
feet, a light on my path.”
Father,
thank you for the openness and “real-ness” we saw yesterday. Felt a lot like … well … church. Amen.
Sunday, January 12, 2020
January 12 – “Revenge of the Creature”
So
exactly one week away from our cruise to the Panama Canal. Chris is rapidly approaching full-on vacation
preparation mode …
Meanwhile,
yesterday I visited three of the fire stations.
My main purpose at one station was to deliver a baby Bible to one of the
new Dads. Always a fun task. I also got to meet two of the new hires. One is a young man originally from
France. Still has a pretty distinct
accent. He said he was trying to lose
it, but I encouraged him to own it instead.
Hey, it’s part of who he is. Our
guy from Italy has done that and it has served him well. The other rookie is a legacy hire. Don’t get me wrong. He passed the agility/skills test. But his Dad is a Galveston fire fighter as
well. He said he felt like he would be
fine as a legacy as long as he didn’t grow up to look like his Dad. Ouch.
Chris
has been playing with our new Christmas toy, Alexa. Last night Freddy walked out of the room to
check out the action in the front yard.
Chris asked, “Alexa. Where is
Freddy?” Alexa replied, “Freddy is from
Angola.” Well, well. I always wondered where she came from before
she found our car to run into …
We
watched an excitingly tragic movie last night.
Black and white. Totally
entranced by it, in fact. Well, I
was. It was called Revenge of the Creature. It told the story of the capture of the
incredible, horrible Gill Man. He looks
strangely similar to his cousin from further north, the Creature the Black
Lagoon. In this story he is held in a
tank at a Sea World type place chained to the bottom. He falls in love with a female scientist assistant
who is also in love with the scientist she works for who is studying the
monster. Ah, love triangles. They never work. The Creature manages to escape his tank,
though. He tracks the girl down and
kidnaps her, killing her beloved dog, Chris, in the process. Told you it was a tragedy. He also killed a couple of kids talking about
not going to college. And how did this
thriller end? Well, I guess I’ll tell
you since it is probably impossible to find on DVD or Blue Ray. The entire police force of the Florida town
and a few dozen volunteers track it to one particular lagoon (I told you it was a cousin thing). They separate the creature from the girl by
shining spotlights on them. Of course
the creature can’t stand the light. Once
the girl is safe in the arms of her beloved, the posse starts shooting. The final scene is of the creature slowly
sinking to the bottom. Is he dead? Not completely sure. See the movie began with some guys doing some
TNT fishing where they set an explosion and gather up all the stunned fish that
float to the surface. Gill Man was among
the floaters, and he was in the same position then. Could he just be stunned? Could there be a sequel yet to come? Hey, maybe that cousin of his could get
involved …
James
1:19 says, “My dear brothers and sisters,
take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow
to become angry.”
Father,
help the rookies as they acclimate to the fire department culture. Keep them safe. Amen
Saturday, January 11, 2020
January 11 – “Creative communion”
We
made a high-level reconnaissance venture into Texas yesterday. Well, not so much doing reconnaissance as carrying
out specific missions. The clock is
running down on our trip to Panama, so some things have to get done this
week. This week …
First
stop was Dick’s Sporting Goods. My
brother and sister-in-law gave us a gift card for Christmas, and it came at the
perfect time to get a new pair of Nikes for the journey. The ones I wear to walk in are wearing
noticeably thin. And as it turned out,
the store had the style I can wear in my size.
That hasn’t happened in a while.
But task number one … check.
Next
we went to Mardel’s Christian Store.
There we had to pick up some communion bread for church. Oh, and some birthday and anniversary cards
for that ministry as well. With Lifeway
closing we are trying to get established there.
They reminded me that if I bring them a filled out copy of the “form
available at the Texas Comptroller’s website,” then we wouldn’t have to fill
out a tax exempt form every time we come in.
When we got home I downloaded one of those forms. It is essentially the exact same one we
filled out in the store. I’m not sure
what makes me bringing the same form in with me so different, but I’m willing
to try it. Of course I have no idea when
will be the next time we will be on the Mainland at that store. Hope I remember the all-important form …
By
that time it was near noon, and there was a Luby’s just across the parking lot.
So we HAD to go there for some lunch. Kind
of a law, isn’t it? Chris had her
perpetual order of liver and onions. I
went for the chicken spaghetti. Good
stuff all around.
Next
we went to the Rehab hospital to visit with Mrs. Betty. She was not doing too well at her
granddaughter’s house. She has had a few
falls. So she is back in to get her some
physical and occupational therapy. Her
daughter and son are trying to get her house fixed up enough for her to go back
home – with someone living with her, of course.
Very sweet lady …
Our
final stop was back on the Island.
WalMart. Where else? We needed some grape juice for church. And some of that specialty bread. Stocking up for communion again. Creative communion. No other clues. Just … see you tomorrow.
John
5:24 says, “Very truly I tell you,
whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will
not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”
Father,
be with Mrs. Betty. Reach down into her
confusion and pain and bring her peace.
Amen.
Friday, January 10, 2020
January 10 – “Neighborhood excitement … the sequel”
Well,
it’s official. We are now in single
digits. Less than ten days to our cruise
to the Panama Canal. The clock is
ticking …
I
performed a wedding ceremony at local venue Garten Verein yesterday. It’s a beautiful historic structure next to a
city park. The groom Dustin is a young
fire fighter from the Fort Worth area. It
was a pretty small affair. Maybe fifty
or sixty people. Really good food,
though. A salad, some kind of pasta, and
some huge meatballs. Very tasty.
And
now to the excitement. Again. Yep. Our
neighborhood was once again the scene of some action last night. This time the fire department wasn’t involved,
but we did have no less than four police cruiser pull up with lights flashing and
park in the street right in front of our house.
Blocking our driveway, in fact. Here
we go again.
Actually
this time they were here to pay a visit to the HUD house next door. A lady staying in the house (who was not, as we understand it, supposed
to be living there according to the rules of that game), was arrested for
stealing a package off of a porch just down the street. The people had her on video as brazen as
anything, during broad daylight, just walking up to their porch, picking up the
package and hiding it under her coat.
The officers placed her in one of the squad cars, and while they were
talking amongst themselves, the car suddenly started bouncing and bobbing back
and forth. One of the officers raced
over and yelled at her to cut it out, but not before she had cut open her head
banging it against the window. That
meant a call for an ambulance to join them to check her out. No fire truck came, though. At least those guys got to sit this one
out. We’re not sure what will happen
next door as a result of the police action.
As much as we enjoy the spectacle, we are certainly ready to have our
nice, quiet neighborhood back …
Psalms
73:26 says, “My flesh and my heart may
fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Father,
be with Dustin and Brittany as they begin their life together. And be with that woman who was arrested as
well. Draw her to yourself. Amen.
Thursday, January 9, 2020
January 9 – “Neighborhood excitement”
We
started off our day with a walk again. Gotta
get these old legs in shape again for the Panama excursion coming up in just
about ten days now.
Speaking
of the cruise, I’m trying to double up and get done now on work stuff that has
to happen while we are on the cruise.
Lots of work now for a real shot at relaxing later.
Chris
has spent a lot of time lately working on a quilt. It’ll take her lots longer than ten days to
finish, but it sure is looking good.
I
had a wedding rehearsal yesterday afternoon.
One of our fire fighters is getting married at Garten Verein. Really nice venue. Well, except for the fact that they
apparently told the bride and groom that a sound system was available to
them. Then yesterday they were informed
that no such system exists. Well, no
such system that works, anyway.
Oops. But one of the groom’s
buddies headed right out to Best Buy to get something to make it work. He also connected with another fire fighter who
has a system of his own. Now he has a
back-up system as well. That’s one of
those unexpected little wedding glitches that he can check off the list.
Last
night Chris went up to the church to watch a movie with some of the ladies in
the Ladies Bible study. She missed out
on some neighborhood excitement. Just as
I heard some sirens outside – and really close – I saw on my phone app that a
fire call was just sent out to the house just three doors down from us. We don’t know that family, but, hey, neighbors
are neighbors, right? I slipped on my
fire department jacket and headed out to check in with the guys on engine
four. Turns out the baby in the house
wasn’t breathing right and seemed to be turning blue. Certainly cause for a bit of parental
panic. But all was well once the fire
department and paramedics arrived. The
baby was breathing fine and I even heard him screaming from my perch across the
street. The fire fighters all just
wanted to know how Nathan was doing at his new job. He is missed, for sure. I’m not sure why this call took no less than
three police cars responding hot as well, though …
John
15:12 says, “My command is this: Love
each other as I have loved you.”
Father,
watch over that little baby and his parents in the days to come. Ease his breathing so he can grow to know
you. Amen.
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