Carnival Valor - Day 3 - Fun day at sea...

Pretty impressive ship, right? We'll be at sea all day today, arriving in St. Thomas tomorrow at 10a for the day.



How 'bout this for a nice piece of decoration? No, Dick, we don't have room to take that home with us!
See the pretty floor? Thanks to Bee for sending me these photos ahead of the cruise so I can show them off...there will be more!

Well, we woke up yesterday to overcast skies...another incentive not to get off the boat there in Nassau. I mean, after you’ve been there a dozen or so times, what is different to see???

I picked up a Janet Evanovich book from the ship library and got it read...very light reading...and Dick found a Clive Cussler book, so we enjoyed some time out on our verandah. Which brings me to a beef. The air intake thingy is right overhead, so our verandah is noisy AND windy. And we weren’t even moving. Our room is right by the bank of elevators, which you would think is convenient. Wrong...we hear all the ‘ding dong’ sounds of the elevator indicators opening. We’ll look at room placement a little differently in the future. Don’t get me wrong, this is a nice room with more storage than we probably have ever had AND they have wireless in the room. That is a plus, especially since the local phone service didn’t work while we were docked in Nassau. I couldn’t make a phone call, much less receive data. I was not a happy camper. Yes, I am anal about staying in touch...and yes, I did receive a campground inquiry today, thank you very much. Business goes on, even while we are away. Y’all know we aren’t retired!

The Valor is a very nice ship, and I can see why Bee and Sarge love it. The food has been good, and we are enjoying spending time with the Honeymooners and moho friends Vic and Donna. Today will be spent reading and wandering around...and staying out of trouble.....life is good on the high seas!!!

Carnival Valor - Day 2 - Welcome to Nassau!

We have been here sooo many times...who know if we'll even get off the ship!

We brought all our kids, spouses, and the wee girls here in 8/02. I think that was the last time we got off the boat here, and that was to go over to Paradise Island and see the new aquarium with the kids. It is pretty impressive and worth seeing. Cruising is our primary goal, not the destination.

Tomorrow is a 'fun day at sea.' Terrific! Life is good!!!

Green side up...

The tree guy didn't show up till after dark, so it was a fiasco trying to get this hunk off his trailer and into place. You can see it didn't work...it was too big for this guy to handle. We'll get a bobcat in next week and get it hoisted in place. Al is gonna keep it watered for us while we are gone this week. At least Dick got the smaller trees in place...about midnight!

Dick is sporting some sore muscles from all the digging, lifting, and manhandling...

I think he'll enjoy a cold beer tonight...bon voyage to us!!! We are heading out shortly...life is good!!!

Carnival Valor - Day 1 - Happy honeymooners!

No, not us! Today, Dick and I are joining the honeymooners, Sherman and Pat, and 40 other couples on the Carnival Valor for a week of fun in the Eastern Caribbean. The wedding took place last September, but they had too many moho trips planned to take an official honeymoon then, so this is it.....and what fun that we get to share in their celebration.

Here is an over view of our trip. Come along for the ride with us on the Carnival Valor! I have set up blogs for each day with pictures, either mine or ones I've found on the internet. I will update text as often as possible, having no idea how efficient their internet will be. We have never sailed on this ship before, although it is one of Miss Bee's favorites, and she is the Empress of the High Seas, so she knows her ships and can speak with authority! And...she and Sarge are going on this ship on the 25th. Now why didn't we coordinate our calendars??? We'll leave some melting cake for them.

Life is good!!!

Hillbilly overalls...and other stuff

Brand new edition of..."You know you're a redneck when......

1. You take your dog for a walk and you both use the same tree.
2. You can entertain yourself for more than 15 minutes with a fly swatter.
3. Your boat has not left the driveway in 15 years.
4. You burn your yard rather than mow it.
5. You think "The Nutcracker" is a vice on the work bench.
6. The Salvation Army declines your furniture.
7. You offer to give someone the shirt off your back and they don't want it.
8. You have the local taxidermist on speed dial.
9. You come back from the dump with more than you took.
10. You keep a can of Raid on the kitchen table.
11. Your wife can climb a tree faster than your cat.
12. Your grandmother has "ammo" on her Christmas list.
13. You keep flea and tick soap in the shower.
14. You've been involved in a custody fight over a hunting dog.
15. You go to the stock car races and don't need a program.
16. You know how many bales of hay your car will hold.
17. You have a rag for a gas cap.
18. Your house doesn't have curtains, but your truck does.
19. You wonder how service stations keep their rest-rooms so clean.
20. You can spit without opening your mouth.
21. You consider your license plate personalized because your father made it.
22. Your lifetime goal is to own a fireworks stand.
23. You have a complete set of salad bowls and they all say "Cool Whip" on the side.
24. The biggest city you've ever been to is Wal-Mart.
25. Your working TV sits on top of your non-working TV.
26. You've used your ironing board as a buffet table.
27. A tornado hits your neighborhood and does $100,000 worth of improvements.
28. You've used a toilet brush to scratch your back. (gross!!!)


Gotta love those rednecks! OK, so who is guilty out there??? Life is short; make fun of it!

And speaking of fun, the palm trees are SUPPOSED to be delivered today...stay tuned for proof...wait a minute...that involves WORK, not FUN. But........we are packing. Tomorrow we head to the Port of Miami to board the Carnival Valor, heading to the Eastern Caribbean. We have never been on this particular ship before, but Miss Bee sez this one is her fave. I can't wait to find out why. We are meeting Sherman and Pat, along with about 40 couples from a Good Sam camping club. Think we'll have fun? You bet!!! I have set up blogs for each day with at least one picture (almost impossible to upload pics while onboard), and I'll fill in more text as we go along. Come join us for a fun week!

Elvis, Judy and Bonnie...

My friend Judy sent the following to a group of us friends yesterday, it being the birthday of Elvis. Used with permission...enjoy:

It's also my next youngest sister's BD. We were little girls when Elvis went in the Army and we knew before most of the heartbroken girls in America, that would mean a......haircut.....a really baddddd haircut. My father was stationed at the base where Elvis took his basic training.

Because we were in the same place at the same time as Elvis and his birthday was the same as my then 7 year old sister, she took that as absolute proof that one day they would be married. My sister's name is NOT Priscilla Beaulieu Presley and unless Bonnie and Elvis wed so secretly that neither of them knew it, it never happened.

But I am getting ahead of the story. Back to 1957. I decided that since Bonnie was totally wrong, Elvis would be marrying me! I had even less facts than she did to base this forth-coming marriage on....except for one thing. If Elvis came to our house in a marrying state of mind, I would be the only possible choice. Who would marry someone's little sister, who was not even allowed to touch my stuff or play with me and my friends??? Just couldn't happen. It was the laws of the universe.

It seems now, 52 years down the road from all that, perhaps both Bonnie and I were wrong and that neither of us is ever going to marry Elvis. I have to confess the day I heard of his death, along with sorrow at his passing, I felt one smug tug of the heart that Bonnie didn't get him either.

Elvis is a subject that she and I don't bring up on this day because it just starts the fight all over again.

Missy, the phone and the tree...

It was 5:38a when my phone rang. Not a pleasant sound at that hour, as it normally brings unpleasant news. I look at the caller ID...huh? Dick is calling me? He’s sound asleep...or was! Whatzzup with that? Mystery solved...he left his flip phone OPEN on the dashboard, and Missy walked across the keypad and it called the last number dialed...fortunately, moi! Guess that’ll teach him to CLOSE the phone.

Thanks for all the ‘get well’ wishes. I have re-joined the human race today, although a bit slowly. At least I am up and dressed...and not hacking as much as I was.

Dick is outside digging to China, or he at least feels like he is. We had to remove our big Norfolk Island pine tree (it was at the end of the row of bushes), so he is digging a big hole (and sawing out old roots), making ready for a clump of 24' tall areca palm trees that are being delivered tomorrow...plus a couple of shorter ones to help form a bit of a hedge on this side of our lot to give both privacy and shade, since that is the west side and it gets all the afternoon sun. I am keeping him encouraged and hydrated. That’s the least I can do, right? Note the 'loverly' awning hanging down to provide a bit of shade in the meantime.

The kitty sitter came by to meet us today (nice lady); I am going to see JJ tomorrow to get my hair trimmed...then it is time to pack for the cruise! Woohooooo.

So that’s it for Thursday. Hope your day is super! Life is good again!!!