Murphy's law....or bed

I felt great enough to join Hal in San Francisco for the delivery and installation of our custom wallbed at 11 AM.

First we cleared the place and put the 2 roll away beds into the storage room downstairs and laundry ready to take home.... Try that with one arm and a broken hip.

Wedding bands

Saturday, before my hip surgery was the first time I took my wedding band off. Other births and surgeries they taped over it. Since I had my band off for a day, Hal had to compete.

I insisted that he talk to the cast room because his hand was so swollen. He went in this afternoon and they cut back some of the cast and loosened his wrap. They tried everything they could to reshape his squashed ring with pliers and soap it off. No luck, so they used a really neat little tool to cut his ring off. Now he is an unmarked man.

At least this keeps this home confinement interesting!

Texas then Thanksgiving

We finished our 7000 mile sea voyage across the Atlantic this morning. Vince and Leslie Smith showed us Galveston , Texas nature today including a donut burger with bacon and cheddar.

We get to Danville late Tuesday night so we can start working on the turkey. It will be great to see everybody again... Especially Alexander! Potluck whatever you want. See you in the late afternoon . Please invite Sandy... I do not have her new email here.

Eating and costs of cruise

There is a cafe with hot cookies and pizza available all the time. We get coffee or water and cookies often...or cheese pizza Slice with salt many days. I have been craving salt....they must cook for people with high blood pressure..salt free food.

Erik is our waiter from the Philipines..and Swen from Germany. We are told to tip $3.75 a day each for waiter, $2.15 day for assistant waiter, and $5.00 a day for stateroom attendant who folds towels into animals for us. The drinks add 15% automatically ... A lot of people will be surprised at their expensive bar bill. Hal and I have been drinking smuggled on board sangria , brandy and almond liquor. We refuse to pay $8 for a glass of wine or $37 for a bottle in a package deal.


This cruise cost us less than $1900 total including 2 tours.... $44 each and $29 each covered by our $150 shipboard credit provided by agency crucon. This was a good deal minus the work we will need to do to get rid of the weight we gained. It would be more fun if we traveled with a group of people we knew. Maybe you can join us next time?
This is our last of 9 sea days. We have been away from home too long. Looking forward to Thanksgiving!
Picture blog at http://travelingyoungs.blogspot.com

Ship shows...ice skating and parade down mall

We saw ice show twice...up front and pretty professional while sailing in the Carribean . The sis entertainment is the best we have experienced....pretty professional and best thing we take advantage of while sailing. We have gone to ALL shows each night.

Glass bottom boat in Nassau

Our $150 ship board credit paid for this tour..$29 each. We went out past the Atlantis big resort, Oprah's house, and fancy homes on Paradise island. Drank 3 rum punches, and saw fish in the coral without getting into the water and needing to deal with snorkel mask, etc.

Spiritual sea days

I really liked the attitude of the acupuncture lady....mild, not pushy, talking about life style changes combined with western medicine that treats symptoms rather than causes.

Hal and I like the private , non noisy part of deck 4 close to the waves. We read, played spider, talked and walked from front of ship to back of ship. I meditated a few times in the chapel...on the top deck.

Sports at sea

Hal and I worked out at the gym or used the steam room everyday we did not go to shore. Judy beat the par at the miniature golf...helped by the rocking of the ship. We chose NOT to climb the rock wall or go ice skating.... Not wanting to get hurt.

Nov 16, Another sea day between Florida keys and Cuba

Twenty four hours after my fall in Nassau, I can walk...instead of hobble very, very slowly. I think that is good news. I took an anti inflammatory prescription.... Indocin , that helps the twisted calf and hip tendons feel not so angry. I had feared a hip fracture, but am pretty sure that did not happen. Again, I use this incident as a lesson on how quickly an accident can change your life. So so glad my back is not involved.

I was on a rough uneven street with traffic on the reverse side like in England. We had taken a glass bottom boat tour in the morning with 3 rum punches each... Might have contributed to my fall? As I tripped up a curb in slow motion action I twisted around and felt my calf muscle stretch real bad and fell on my left hip and palm. In shock I payed on my left side with many people rushing up and asking "Are you okay?" . A man bend down next to me and said , "I am a doctor, how are you?". Heavy jet black women reached down to pull me up, Hal too, but I needed to regroup. I think it is muscle and tendon trauma and did not want the ship's doctor to put my ass in a sling. It was rough getting back to the ship.....now we take elevators instead of 4 flights of stairs to each activity....sit down meals instead of buffet....and Hal going to fetch me afternoon ice cream and morning coffee.

We have 2 sea days now....today's program
Eat.( eggs Benedict )..sit on deck to write this and watch ocean....eat.... Ice show performance o n the Caribbean.... Spa for steam room and sauna to treat hip.... Dress for formal dinner tonight.... "Royalpallooza" parade to entertain guests on promenade deck.... Headliner show in theater with Las Vegas entertainer ... Eat ( Italian focus..always 4 courses) at 8:30 late seating... Karaoke superstar finals. This is not a normal life and yes we are gaining weight, but not too bad.

There are many,Many other tacky activities to choose from... Trivia competition, bridge lessons, miniature golf competition, gambling tournament , arts and crafts..(embossed reindeer card today), movie in theater, cooking demonstration, acupuncture lectures, poolside dance lessons, art auctions, library open with sodoku competition, daily drink packages , 4 different kind of music venues, world's sexiest man competition at pool, church services in chapel for Jews and Catholics, nightclub dancing..etc. If you like these things, then sea days are for you.

We get into Galveston in 2 days... Between 9:30 and 10 am... If my hip continues to improve, I should be able to handle my luggage. We did not buy much.

Nov 12 rough sea day

First picture was day before, then it rained and the ship started rolling.....but we are not getting sick! No need for seasick patch. Swells and whitecaps. We went from class to class...shopping, acupuncture....found out the high blood pressure medicine with beta blocker causes bone spurs in fingers and painful joints. Change meds. Had afternoon entertainment with piano man, then Hal had me go to dumb movie... PIrates of the Carribean , dead man's chest that lasted 2.5 hours so no time for gym. That's okay, but time for me to focus on inner work..... Tomorrow.

Artwork

Handyman Hal wanted these pictures of elephants with faucets. There is a lot of unusual art around each staircase. We climb 78 stairs to meals and rarely take the elevators...our exercise.
Nov 13 at a diamond quality shopping talk for Nasseau, there was a raffle. When Judy got #055, she knew she would win.... 3 prizes out of 200 people. I got Thomas Kincade picture ....oh well.

Eating

We like the formal dining room best. Slow eating with reasonable portions....even for breakfast and lunch. The buffet Windjammer cafe on the top deck we have nicknamed "The Trough".... How do you spell the thing that pigs eat out of? We overeat when we fill our plates. My stomach is definitely controlling my portions....I always quit before Cliff, Kristen and Hal. We have 4 courses ...warm appetizer, soup or salad, main course and dessert.

I am craving salty chips..... We will insist on Mexican food with Smiths in Texas. There on tons of chefs on ship, but they botch up the items. The descriptions on the menu were written 20 times better than the products and build false hope.... Or perhaps it is because we can never get hungry?

We are sure we have gained weight, but the many, many obese people on ship help make us feel like we are thin.

The high point of sea days is meals.....and we have 9 sea days on this cruise of 16 days!