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Many years ago, my parents sent me to a Summer Camp that focused on our Episcopal Church. The place was called Briarwood.

Briarwood had once been an enormous estate that was donated to the Episcopal Church. The Church put it to good use as a summer camp for teens.

So there I was at the age of 13, feeling a bit lost and very nervous. I met two girls during that time and we became friends. One girl was the type that would be voted most likely to succeed at anything. Worst of all, she knew it.

The other girl, the one that has been with me ever since, was, like me, just trying to find our way.

Gail and I are in the middle of the second row. Back then, Gail was a brunette, and I was a badly bleached blond.

After camp, Gail and I began to write to each other. Long letters full of teen angst and news of our latest boyfriends. Back then phone calls were expensive so it was pretty much out of the question. Occasionally, my grandmother would have extra minutes on her old landline and she would allow me to use the phone for exactly three minutes. Her motto was, “If you can’t say it in three minutes, then write a letter!”

All these years, through thick and thin Gail and I have remained as close as sisters.

You can see that as we grew up, she became the blond and I became the brunette!

Today is Gail’s Birthday! And I wanted to take this moment to wish her the happiest birthday ever!

 

Good Morning from the waters of the United Kingdom. My trip is going splendidly, and I am meeting new people and having a wonderful time.

My Cabin is roomy and comfortable. I have a balcony, but it has been slightly cold, so I have not been out there too much, although going in and out of ports will find me out there watching the entire thing.

The first event was the Swannery in Portland, England. It was the first thing I wrote, so scroll back to read about it and see some amazing pictures.

The next day was a Sea Day, and I should have taken the time to put up my feet and do nothing. However, being a somewhat social butterfly, I was all over the ship.

It felt so large, and there were many places to check out.

I was not paying attention to what I was eating or when. Time zone changes will make your hunger brain signals go a little wacky.

After our shore excursion to Cork, Ireland, I checked my blood sugar thrice daily. This has been good for me as a gentle reminder not to eat all these extraordinary sticky, gooey confections. I stopped with the sweets and even cut down on the bread.

I loved Cork and the people I met there. Our bus driver and tour guide were kind and knowledgeable. Many people wanted to go and kiss the Blarney Stone, and perhaps it would have been a good thing for me to do, but with over a hundred steps, I decided to shop on level ground. After all, with my luck, I would bend over to kiss the Blarney Stone and fall!

Before I left, I asked the grandchildren what they wanted from my trip, especially Savannah, who was celebrating her 12th birthday. Again, go back a few days for a little montage to celebrate my girl!

The special at this shop was if you spent so much money, they would wrap it all up, take care of the VAT tax, and ship it to my home. I bought out the store! Ha!

I met an excellent Future Cruise Agent here, Mandy. She is from South Africa. She has helped me arrange a few things, and I am thrilled. She can get me perks I would otherwise not be able to get.

Then it was onto Dublin. Oh, I so wanted to enjoy Dublin, but quite honestly, our Tour Guide did not like the Brits or the Americans, and he still dwells back in time when Ireland was full of unrest. He also had a busload of people with mobility issues, and we were all begging to stop for a moment, but he refused.

I have never complained about a side trip on my cruises, but seeing these 65-80-year-old people begging for a bathroom break broke me. I made sure this Tour Guide was reported. It just wasn’t right!

Now, that was the only negative thing that’s happened.

Once back on the ship, I noticed my feet swelling even more.

It is like walking on water balloons filled with needles.

I went to the Spa, where I soaked and had my legs and feet rubbed. There was no way I was going to miss Liverpool the next day.

I was up early and the first one on the bus! Our Tour Guide and Driver were native Liverpudlians who loved the Fab Four as much as I do. She was amazing. Imagine going to Penny Lane or Strawberry Field and listening to the music as you arrive.

This gal knew her shopping and where to go to get what we wanted!

It was just as wonderful as I imagined it to be. I will say I felt a natural longing for Janet and Melodie, especially Janet, with whom I used to play Barbie Dolls. They were always the Beatles and whatever girl they were with.

When I returned to the ship several hours later, I realized I had not seen the iconic statue of the Lads from Liverpool. I asked how far it was and was directed a few blocks to the statue. As I hobbled along, I thought about getting home without this picture. Indeed, I would be thrown out of the family.

Me with the Lads from Liverpool!

That is all for today. I could write forever, but I must put my feet up and drink lots of water.

I will be jetting off to England in a few more days! I am so excited. This is my first big trip in a very long time. I know I took a cruise in January, but this is a much bigger cruise.

1. I will start meeting up with my “other” daughter, Jessica. She was Jack’s daughter.
   

   I met Jessica when she was just four years old.
   Amanda, Jessica, and Katie.
   Jess was a playmate to my kids.

2. It’s been so long since we’ve gotten together, and I know we have much to discuss.
3. My doggy sitter arrived today and got the latest information about the girls. They were over the moon happy to see her!
4. A week after that, I will step on a Princess Cruises Ship. This will be my first cruise in Europe.
5. The last piece of furniture for my bedroom came today. I got a lovely rocking chair to sit in and watch the lake, the TV, and the birds.

Have a great weekend and Happy Mother’s Day!

I arrived home close to 10:00 last night. It was a very long day. I was told to be off the ship by 8:00, so I was up, showered at 4:00, had breakfast, and said my goodbyes to the lovely people caring for me during the trip. My cabin Steward and one woman who helped to ensure I had everything I needed were the ones I said goodbye to, which included hugs.

I also saw the young couple with whom I had taken the full tour of St. Maarten.

The flight home was lumpy and bumpy as there were the tail bits of a weather front that we flew through.

Boston was freezing, but I had a warm coat, hat, and gloves. I boarded the bus, and in no time, I reached Concord, NH, where the Highlander was parked. All I did not have was an ice scraper and a snowbrush.

I dug the car out, and today, one of the first items I bought was a snowbrush and ice scraper. They are now in the Highlander!

I went out and bought some groceries on Monday, came home, and took a long winter’s nap with Heidi. Now, I need to work on getting into a schedule to get all my work caught up.

That’s all for today. I will look back in the coming days and tell you more about my time at sea.

Dear Ones,

In the event you think I have dropped off the face of the world, I can  assure you that no, I am  still here, just in the middle of the ocean.

Life has slowed down dramatically,  and finally I can sleep normally again.

I have met nice people, and strange people and some who you just wonder how the heck they ever got together in the first place.

I watch and study, feeling rather removed from it all. Continue reading “Just Floating Around”

I’d hoped for a less busy week, but somehow it just didn’t happen. Here are the top five things on my mind as this week comes to an end.

1. I went for my dental appointment. No cavities, but I have to go back and get one tooth deep cleaned. Apparently, there is a small infection in the pocket around the tooth.
2. I went back on Thursday to pick up my new bite guard. I’m a bite-clencher in my sleep. I had an odd experience recently when I woke up and noticed my bite guard was missing. Looking down, there it was, in the mouth of Miss Heidi!
3. Heidi went for her first real stripping. The Groomer did a great job. We only worked on her for an hour because we want her to get used to having this done. She also has a lot of her baby fur and if we strip down too far she will be bald.

   Meanwhile, Heidi was out with me a lot as I drove through the beautiful foliage.

4. This weekend I have small jobs to get done. You know, the kind of work where you just putter around getting little things done. One thing is for sure, I will be wearing headphones and listening to music.
5. So a couple of months back I was listening to a TV show and I heard a song from the past. I loved it. When I looked it up I realized it was done by The Guess Who. The talented guys from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. I pulled up a playlist and I realized I knew almost all the songs. But the reason it didn’t register was that no one made a big deal about them down here. I read about the group and listened to their songs and I really enjoyed them. Below is one of my favorites from their live performances. They all look like they’re having fun.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

• I was at the VA earlier this week wearing a new top I’d gotten. A complete stranger told me how much they liked my shirt. I told her she made my entire day.
• I think my Internet Service Provider’s modem is dying. My plan is to call them in the next 24 hours and have them send me a new one.
• My new phone is en route to the house. Yesterday I was told it would arrive today between 9-2. Then Friday morning I was told it would arrive on Sunday. Later in the day, I heard from UPS again and they told me it was out for delivery! I would be happy if it came today as I could slowly work to move my Apps over and get the phone set up.
• We must have had a new hatching of Dragonflies. There were so many and young Heidi was running around like crazy trying to catch them.
• It reminded me of the “Winged Keys” in Harry Potter. There was such joy in Heidi as she ran after them, jumping trying to get them. Likewise, the Dragonflies were watching Heidi. They were just as interested in her as she was with them.
• It is still very hot!
• Heidi continues to enjoy all the little places in the house.

  Here is another picture of her lounging around!

  Isn’t she the cutest thing ever?

• Our Toad is back. Or well, is growing up here. We used to have several big Toads. Then last year we had none. This year we have one little guy who loves to jump around and tease the dogs.
  Heidi could care less, but Lili is like a little kid and I have to remind her not to bite the toad.
• Well the Cell Phone did not arrive on Friday. If the scanned package entries were correct, it should have arrived. I will watch things closely and if it doesn’t arrive tomorrow I will call.

I got an idea about 11 AM yesterday morning. I needed to look for other ways to get to the airport. A no-stress way. So I went online to a company started by a retired Delta Pilot. And after seeing how affordable it was, made my reservation to have them pick me up from Mandy’s house, where I can leave my car, and this service will drive me to my terminal, and after my trip, they will be there to get me and Heidi and bring us to Mandy’s home!

I had two weird charges on my credit card. Simply an error at my doctor’s office. A phone call and it was settled.

Tonight I feel calm and settled and now we simply hope and pray for all Airline personnel to stay healthy.

The packing is going well, and I have just a few more things to go into my bag. It won’t be long now!