This month's choice was Lulu's Restaurant. As you can see by the pics the food was lovely and, believe me, it tasted as good as it looked. The picture below is the vegetarian plate. Delish! A really cool thing Lulu does with their water is to flavor it. Tonight the water had a slight hint of orange blossoms.
Travel Adventures
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Canada Travels
Wow, what a weekend! Unfortunately, I did not get to do everything I wanted to do...but then isn't that the way it always is? I was exhausted after an afternoon of walking the Falls and hit the hostel in Niagara Falls. Cute little place, and I only had one roommate in a 4-bed dorm. She was from Japan and had no idea what a legal secretary was, who attorneys were, or even what a law firm was. Needless to say, the conversation ended quickly. She had been working the last couple months in Vancouver and was going to spend the next couple months traveling before going home to Japan.
The next morning I made a plan and wandered around the gorgeous botanical gardens before it got too hot and found the floral clock. The day would eventually get up to 85 degrees and the day before had been hot also. Then, before I could chicken out, decided to take a helicopter ride over Niagara Falls. I got some GREAT pictures from the air and even caught a rainbow in the mist. There was a gentleman from Sydney, Australia, also on our flight and he wasn't too sure about the ride either as he had never been in a helicopter. He said it was a "worry." :0) I loved the ride; the only time my stomach lurched was when the pilot took off and landed when banking the helicopter. Yikes!
I decided I wanted to also cross the whirlpool part of the Falls, so I hopped on an Aero car, a contraption that flows from one hilly bank to another by cable. If you look straight down, you can see the swirling clear water. Awesome. Got some great pictures there also.
My last stop was, of course, the store with the chocolates from around the world. OMG, I had a hard time choosing some fudge, but finally decided on Snickers fudge and Mint/Chocolate fudge. On my way out I saw a sign for Rossi Glass and decided I had to see that. I didn't buy anything, but watched a glass blower and his process of making a vase. It was cranberry colored, and according to the narrative that played while he worked, the only way to get the cranberry color was to add 22k gold to the mix.
Getting back over the border to the U.S. took longer than I expected. I had a hat and sunglasses on and was told to remove them; much to my chagrin as my hair looked like sh*t. I was so embarrassed. I guess he had to make a positive identification though.
This morning I woke up at 3:30 a.m. to take back the rental car. That was fine, except I couldn't find the rental place in the pouring rain and had to call them. Turns out I hadn't gone far enough to the airport to actually see them. Good, I thought, got to the airport on time, and I can be home by 9:00 a.m. No sweat. I tried to do the self-check in, but couldn't as they had postponed the flight until 9:00 a.m. Dang! It turns out the President was in Chicago and we had to wait until he cleared the airspace. The people waiting to check in were irate. There was a large contingency of Chinese people traveling also headed for Chicago and the airline gave them a separate unmarked check in window to handle all their needs. Some other people got in that line, thinking they could also avoid the long line we all had been standing in for 45 minutes, and copped an attitude with the check in clerk when she told them they had to get to the back of the line. "You can't make someone wait in line and then suddenly tell them they're in the wrong line!" Huh? She told them at no time was there a sign that it was a check in station and the line before them had been a group. They walked away complaining the lady at the counter had an attitude! Cracked me up.
So, they continued to repeat that our flight was delayed until 9:00 (okay, we get it!), but they forgot to tell me they put me on an earlier flight at 7:04 a.m. I'm goofing off at the gate with my iPhone and suddenly realize that my ticket says my flight leaves at 7:04, NOT 9:00. Thankfully I was at the right gate. I was in the last row, aisle seat surrounded by mostly Chinese people from the traveling group. Interesting. There must have been a language barrier (ya think?!) as the flight attendants more than once scolded people in the group. We were landing and there was a lady in the restroom and they knocked on the door and told her they were landing and to get back to her seat. Then, a gentleman comes strolling down the aisle from the front of the plane heading towards the bathroom. The flight attendant stood up and yelled for him to take his seat several times. He finally got the message. Like I said, it was an interesting flight with interesting people.
When we finally arrived in Chicago, I tried to get an earlier flight to Madison, but, in order to do so, I would have needed to pay $50.00 as a stand-by fee, even though the board indicated there were 14 seats available. I didn't get it either, and I was in no mood to argue with them. So I found my gate and waited until my 10:30 flight, which left at 11:30 due to mechanical problems, a change in flight attendants and a change of gates. I think I'm tired of flying for awhile. Sheesh!
It is another adventure I will never forget! :0)
The next morning I made a plan and wandered around the gorgeous botanical gardens before it got too hot and found the floral clock. The day would eventually get up to 85 degrees and the day before had been hot also. Then, before I could chicken out, decided to take a helicopter ride over Niagara Falls. I got some GREAT pictures from the air and even caught a rainbow in the mist. There was a gentleman from Sydney, Australia, also on our flight and he wasn't too sure about the ride either as he had never been in a helicopter. He said it was a "worry." :0) I loved the ride; the only time my stomach lurched was when the pilot took off and landed when banking the helicopter. Yikes!
I decided I wanted to also cross the whirlpool part of the Falls, so I hopped on an Aero car, a contraption that flows from one hilly bank to another by cable. If you look straight down, you can see the swirling clear water. Awesome. Got some great pictures there also.
My last stop was, of course, the store with the chocolates from around the world. OMG, I had a hard time choosing some fudge, but finally decided on Snickers fudge and Mint/Chocolate fudge. On my way out I saw a sign for Rossi Glass and decided I had to see that. I didn't buy anything, but watched a glass blower and his process of making a vase. It was cranberry colored, and according to the narrative that played while he worked, the only way to get the cranberry color was to add 22k gold to the mix.
Getting back over the border to the U.S. took longer than I expected. I had a hat and sunglasses on and was told to remove them; much to my chagrin as my hair looked like sh*t. I was so embarrassed. I guess he had to make a positive identification though.
This morning I woke up at 3:30 a.m. to take back the rental car. That was fine, except I couldn't find the rental place in the pouring rain and had to call them. Turns out I hadn't gone far enough to the airport to actually see them. Good, I thought, got to the airport on time, and I can be home by 9:00 a.m. No sweat. I tried to do the self-check in, but couldn't as they had postponed the flight until 9:00 a.m. Dang! It turns out the President was in Chicago and we had to wait until he cleared the airspace. The people waiting to check in were irate. There was a large contingency of Chinese people traveling also headed for Chicago and the airline gave them a separate unmarked check in window to handle all their needs. Some other people got in that line, thinking they could also avoid the long line we all had been standing in for 45 minutes, and copped an attitude with the check in clerk when she told them they had to get to the back of the line. "You can't make someone wait in line and then suddenly tell them they're in the wrong line!" Huh? She told them at no time was there a sign that it was a check in station and the line before them had been a group. They walked away complaining the lady at the counter had an attitude! Cracked me up.
So, they continued to repeat that our flight was delayed until 9:00 (okay, we get it!), but they forgot to tell me they put me on an earlier flight at 7:04 a.m. I'm goofing off at the gate with my iPhone and suddenly realize that my ticket says my flight leaves at 7:04, NOT 9:00. Thankfully I was at the right gate. I was in the last row, aisle seat surrounded by mostly Chinese people from the traveling group. Interesting. There must have been a language barrier (ya think?!) as the flight attendants more than once scolded people in the group. We were landing and there was a lady in the restroom and they knocked on the door and told her they were landing and to get back to her seat. Then, a gentleman comes strolling down the aisle from the front of the plane heading towards the bathroom. The flight attendant stood up and yelled for him to take his seat several times. He finally got the message. Like I said, it was an interesting flight with interesting people.
When we finally arrived in Chicago, I tried to get an earlier flight to Madison, but, in order to do so, I would have needed to pay $50.00 as a stand-by fee, even though the board indicated there were 14 seats available. I didn't get it either, and I was in no mood to argue with them. So I found my gate and waited until my 10:30 flight, which left at 11:30 due to mechanical problems, a change in flight attendants and a change of gates. I think I'm tired of flying for awhile. Sheesh!
It is another adventure I will never forget! :0)
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Oh Canada!
Yesterday was a travel day. Interesting people were met along the way; a guy on my flight from Charlotte to Buffalo I thought at first was deaf as he used his hands so much when he spoke. It turns out he was just a jerk. One of the passengers told him to pipe down after he got a little noisy with his seat mate, a man I felt entirely sorry for during the entire 1 1/2 hours to Buffalo. The gentleman was from India and the jerk made such a big friggin' deal about it, it was embarrassing.
That was the only strange thing that happened during travel, as I met some very friendly people from Chicago to Charlotte. The plane was full and I had a hard time finding a place for my backpack in the overhead. The guy in the seat next to me actually got out of his seat and helped me find a place for my pack. When I later dropped my water on the floor, he retrieved it for me. I gotta say, Jackie has told me about southern hospitality and now I really believe it exists.
I arrived in Buffalo, New York at 11:45 p.m., picked up my rental car and found the hostel in Buffalo, but had a few problems with parking as the hostel does not have its own parking. Finally found parking a few blocks away, but found out this morning I needed to check the tag a little better....I paid $5.00 for 5 minutes of parking, instead of 24 hours....don't know how that happened, but it did. I came out in the morning and found I owed another $8.00. Dagnabit! I'm going to complain when I get home, that just isn't right.
Caught a few hours sleep and headed to the Canadian border to Niagara Falls. This is the second time I've been to Canada and all I can say is I want to be a Canadian! This city is beautiful! Very much like Vancouver as there is lots of green space and a very park-like atomosphere. Lots of places to walk, and believe me, I sure did walk, along the Falls. The falls are gorgeous! Imagine beautifully clear water rushing down hundreds of feet and a mist rising out of the whole thing. It is breathtaking and I took tons of pictures. I was on the Canadian side, but got some pictures of the American side also. After I took pics of the Falls, I wandered up and down the boardwalk all afternoon, stopping along the way to sit in the shade and people watch. There was a gentleman there who was walking his three dogs, two smaller and one HUGE dog, Isen. Isen looks like a small horse. I sat under a tree and watched as crowds of people would stop to admire Isen and then have their or their children's picture taken with him. With children standing next to Isen he looks like he could take the kids in one gulp! I, too, have pictures of Isen and will share them when I return home.
I finally found the Niagara Falls, Canada hostel and thank goodness, the room has air conditioning. It is hot, hot, hot here. Tonight I may just stay at the hostel; I've been told they have a bonfire outside tonight and I may join them.
I'll write more tomorrow before I leave Canada.
That was the only strange thing that happened during travel, as I met some very friendly people from Chicago to Charlotte. The plane was full and I had a hard time finding a place for my backpack in the overhead. The guy in the seat next to me actually got out of his seat and helped me find a place for my pack. When I later dropped my water on the floor, he retrieved it for me. I gotta say, Jackie has told me about southern hospitality and now I really believe it exists.
I arrived in Buffalo, New York at 11:45 p.m., picked up my rental car and found the hostel in Buffalo, but had a few problems with parking as the hostel does not have its own parking. Finally found parking a few blocks away, but found out this morning I needed to check the tag a little better....I paid $5.00 for 5 minutes of parking, instead of 24 hours....don't know how that happened, but it did. I came out in the morning and found I owed another $8.00. Dagnabit! I'm going to complain when I get home, that just isn't right.
Caught a few hours sleep and headed to the Canadian border to Niagara Falls. This is the second time I've been to Canada and all I can say is I want to be a Canadian! This city is beautiful! Very much like Vancouver as there is lots of green space and a very park-like atomosphere. Lots of places to walk, and believe me, I sure did walk, along the Falls. The falls are gorgeous! Imagine beautifully clear water rushing down hundreds of feet and a mist rising out of the whole thing. It is breathtaking and I took tons of pictures. I was on the Canadian side, but got some pictures of the American side also. After I took pics of the Falls, I wandered up and down the boardwalk all afternoon, stopping along the way to sit in the shade and people watch. There was a gentleman there who was walking his three dogs, two smaller and one HUGE dog, Isen. Isen looks like a small horse. I sat under a tree and watched as crowds of people would stop to admire Isen and then have their or their children's picture taken with him. With children standing next to Isen he looks like he could take the kids in one gulp! I, too, have pictures of Isen and will share them when I return home.
I finally found the Niagara Falls, Canada hostel and thank goodness, the room has air conditioning. It is hot, hot, hot here. Tonight I may just stay at the hostel; I've been told they have a bonfire outside tonight and I may join them.
I'll write more tomorrow before I leave Canada.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Farmer's Market
What a beautifully, sunny, windy day in Madison! Hardly a cloud in the sky, just beautiful blue. One of the great perks of working downtown in the summer is the Wednesday farmer's market. It's much smaller in size than the Saturday market, but not in personality. Those in attendance at the market are people who work downtown, stealing a few minutes away from their desks, colorful folk with unusual attire, such as a hat sporting a feather (reminded me of something worn in the Swiss Alps) and, my favorite, the pre-school children. Today there were also the most adorable dogs at the market. Above is one we met, named Kiki. Kiki's owner, Matteo, was visiting from Chicago and was happy to pose for a picture.
What did I purchase at the farmer's market? See the picture below.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Meet Beasley
In and Around Madison
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
New Video
Attached are photos I took on a Sunday bike ride from New Glarus to Monticello on the Sugar River bike trail.Wisconsin Country Roads
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Picnic Point in the Spring
Sunday, March 7, 2010
It's Good to be Home
The last day on the ship was spent on deck in the sunshine admiring the coast off of Kauai, where we saw a rainbow, waterfalls and whales surfacing. They had a barbecue lunch out on deck and Vicki and I were thrilled to eat our hot dogs (one of our favorite foods) out there and snapping photos. That night, the crew put on a farewell show for us and we were able to meet most of the behind the scenes crew like the chefs, waiters, etc. As we walked out of the theatre, they were there to shake our hands and thank us. It amazes me how many friends we made among the crew and other travelers. We met wonderful people from all over the country and some from outside the country and for one week traveled together as a family.
FYI all you trivia buffs, watch out for the Johnson/Will trivia team...we kick butt. Trivia was one of our favorite activities while on board and while we did fairly well, the last night we ROCKED. In the Pink Champagne bar they held a final music trivia contest and our team won with 19 out of 20 points total. Beware! :0)
Our last day in Hawaii was spent at Pearl Harbor visiting the U.S.S. Missouri battleship and the U.S.S. Arizona memorial. The U.S.S. Missouri is the only remaining battleship and was last called into service during the first Gulf War. It sits on the site were the U.S.S. Oklahoma sunk in Pearl Harbor. The U.S.S. Arizona was very sobering. It had the most loss of life, with 23 sets of brothers and a father and a son. It was totally fueled up with over a million gallons of fuel on the day it sank and, to this day, it still leaks oil into the harbor on occasion. We also toured Honolulu a bit and saw the neighborhood where Barak Obama grew up, Diamond Head and the Punch Bowl, where all the war veterans are buried. We were told that on Memorial Day each year they put flags as well as leis on each grave. It was such an aweseome sight. The statue there at the punch bowl, for all you Hawaii Five-O fans, is the one shown at the opening of the show.
We arrived at the airport at 4:00 p.m. expecting to wait until 9:40 p.m. for our flight to leave. When we checked in, we found that we could take an earlier flight at 5:55 p.m. I got on the flight, but when Vicki attempted to get on the same flight, no dice. We were told I could not go back to the later flight as it was overbooked, but they wouldn't let Vicki on the earlier flight with me, even though there were empty seats. Huh?! As I said, it didn't make sense to us, however, we were persistent enough to get Vicki on the earlier flight with me and we hoofed it to the gate. On the upside, we got a free dinner and breakfast and a choice of movies on that earlier flight. Plus, we got home 6 hours earlier, arriving in Madison at 8:30 a.m. Sunday.
This trip was a great way to see the Hawaiian islands. I was surprised by the number of activities on the ship, as well as the shore excursions. A cruise is for anyone who wants to see and do things on the islands, or for the people who want to hang out on ship and participate in the activities they have scheduled, or just chill by the pool and read a book. If you're bored on this trip, it's your own fault.
Speaking for myself, it was the perfect vacation with the perfect traveling buddy. Come join me in my next adventure down Route 66 in September!
Aloha!
FYI all you trivia buffs, watch out for the Johnson/Will trivia team...we kick butt. Trivia was one of our favorite activities while on board and while we did fairly well, the last night we ROCKED. In the Pink Champagne bar they held a final music trivia contest and our team won with 19 out of 20 points total. Beware! :0)
Our last day in Hawaii was spent at Pearl Harbor visiting the U.S.S. Missouri battleship and the U.S.S. Arizona memorial. The U.S.S. Missouri is the only remaining battleship and was last called into service during the first Gulf War. It sits on the site were the U.S.S. Oklahoma sunk in Pearl Harbor. The U.S.S. Arizona was very sobering. It had the most loss of life, with 23 sets of brothers and a father and a son. It was totally fueled up with over a million gallons of fuel on the day it sank and, to this day, it still leaks oil into the harbor on occasion. We also toured Honolulu a bit and saw the neighborhood where Barak Obama grew up, Diamond Head and the Punch Bowl, where all the war veterans are buried. We were told that on Memorial Day each year they put flags as well as leis on each grave. It was such an aweseome sight. The statue there at the punch bowl, for all you Hawaii Five-O fans, is the one shown at the opening of the show.
We arrived at the airport at 4:00 p.m. expecting to wait until 9:40 p.m. for our flight to leave. When we checked in, we found that we could take an earlier flight at 5:55 p.m. I got on the flight, but when Vicki attempted to get on the same flight, no dice. We were told I could not go back to the later flight as it was overbooked, but they wouldn't let Vicki on the earlier flight with me, even though there were empty seats. Huh?! As I said, it didn't make sense to us, however, we were persistent enough to get Vicki on the earlier flight with me and we hoofed it to the gate. On the upside, we got a free dinner and breakfast and a choice of movies on that earlier flight. Plus, we got home 6 hours earlier, arriving in Madison at 8:30 a.m. Sunday.
This trip was a great way to see the Hawaiian islands. I was surprised by the number of activities on the ship, as well as the shore excursions. A cruise is for anyone who wants to see and do things on the islands, or for the people who want to hang out on ship and participate in the activities they have scheduled, or just chill by the pool and read a book. If you're bored on this trip, it's your own fault.
Speaking for myself, it was the perfect vacation with the perfect traveling buddy. Come join me in my next adventure down Route 66 in September!
Aloha!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Kauai Day 2
Today is our last full day on the ship. :0(
Kauai is known as the garden island and is the oldest of the Hawaiian islands. And, boy, they really know how to put on one heck of a luau. Imagine 600 people in one place and you have to operate an open bar, buffet table AND entertain them. They pulled it off without a hitch. All you RCers would have appreciated the fare we had last night at the buffet. The only thing we didn't venture to try was the poi. And the entertainment: Wow! The main show told the story of the trials and tribulations of how the Hawaiians come to Kauai (I believe we were told they arrive approximately 100-200 A.D.) to live. There were fire dancers, men and women dressed in very beautiful sarongs, shirts and leis. (There were also men in tiny Tarzan type outfits that were very skimpy. Loved those outfits!) When you think of a Hawaiian lei you think flowers; however, we're finding on this trip that there are many types of leis, including shells leis, ku kui nut leis and braided cloth leis.
We arrived back at the ship around 9:15 last night and attended the variety show put on by the crew. They have some very talented people on this ship and we were able to see people that we normally don't see behind the scenes perform on stage. It was a good mixture of serious singing, comedy and general silliness.
Tonight we've got a full schedule, probably because we set sail at 2:00 p.m. today and everyone has to be on the ship. So, knowing that, we'll probably be running from one end of the ship to another tonight to catch all the shows. :0) We decided to do our packing this afternoon as we need to get our bags out in front of our stateroom door by midnight. Packing just before midnight didn't sound like fun to us.
Tomorrow we leave the ship. (sigh) But we do have one more excursion planned to Pearl Harbor and the U.S.S. Missouri. After that they'll take us and our luggage to the airport where we'll sit around and wait until our flight takes off at 9:40 p.m. I can't tell you how much we're looking forward to being cramped in an airplane for 5 hours unable to sleep. It's just much more fun than we can handle. You know I'm right! :0)
Since this is our last full day on the ship, I won't be blogging again until I arrive home to share with you THAT adventure. Hopefully it will go smoothly, barring any tsunamis, snowstorms or other weather-related activity. :0)
Until we meet again....aloha, mahalo, pua, ohana, wahini (those are all the Hawaiian words I can remember!)
Kauai is known as the garden island and is the oldest of the Hawaiian islands. And, boy, they really know how to put on one heck of a luau. Imagine 600 people in one place and you have to operate an open bar, buffet table AND entertain them. They pulled it off without a hitch. All you RCers would have appreciated the fare we had last night at the buffet. The only thing we didn't venture to try was the poi. And the entertainment: Wow! The main show told the story of the trials and tribulations of how the Hawaiians come to Kauai (I believe we were told they arrive approximately 100-200 A.D.) to live. There were fire dancers, men and women dressed in very beautiful sarongs, shirts and leis. (There were also men in tiny Tarzan type outfits that were very skimpy. Loved those outfits!) When you think of a Hawaiian lei you think flowers; however, we're finding on this trip that there are many types of leis, including shells leis, ku kui nut leis and braided cloth leis.
We arrived back at the ship around 9:15 last night and attended the variety show put on by the crew. They have some very talented people on this ship and we were able to see people that we normally don't see behind the scenes perform on stage. It was a good mixture of serious singing, comedy and general silliness.
Tonight we've got a full schedule, probably because we set sail at 2:00 p.m. today and everyone has to be on the ship. So, knowing that, we'll probably be running from one end of the ship to another tonight to catch all the shows. :0) We decided to do our packing this afternoon as we need to get our bags out in front of our stateroom door by midnight. Packing just before midnight didn't sound like fun to us.
Tomorrow we leave the ship. (sigh) But we do have one more excursion planned to Pearl Harbor and the U.S.S. Missouri. After that they'll take us and our luggage to the airport where we'll sit around and wait until our flight takes off at 9:40 p.m. I can't tell you how much we're looking forward to being cramped in an airplane for 5 hours unable to sleep. It's just much more fun than we can handle. You know I'm right! :0)
Since this is our last full day on the ship, I won't be blogging again until I arrive home to share with you THAT adventure. Hopefully it will go smoothly, barring any tsunamis, snowstorms or other weather-related activity. :0)
Until we meet again....aloha, mahalo, pua, ohana, wahini (those are all the Hawaiian words I can remember!)
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Kauai Day 1
We traveled last night to arrive at Kauai this morning and will be here until tomorrow. We're still getting accustomed to the movement of the ship when it's moving about, and sometimes when on land you'd swear the earth was moving. :0)
Kauai is beautiful with mountains, beaches and chickens. Yep, they have chickens running free throughout the island due to a hurricane that hit about 15 years ago and demolished their homes. So now they just let them roam free. Our driver told us the residents do not catch and eat the chickens.
Yesterday afternoon we took hula dance lessons. We were so good that we're going to be certified hula dancers at the end of the cruise. (If you believe we're that good, I have some swamp land to sell you!) But seriously, we will get a certificate. It was very interesting learning the meanings of the movements with your hands and all that hip shaking!
Last night's entertainment was awesome also. It was karaoke night in the Mardi Gras Club and they had a competition similar to American Idol. Three passengers voted and critiqued the contestants to come up with a winner. (One guy was dubbed "Simon.") The lady who won sang Second Hand Rose and was awesome and won the competition. Following the karaoke, they had the Dancing with the Stars competition where they paired up 8 staff and 8 passengers. OMG, did it get crazy! There was no criteria for participating in the dancing, and that made for some very interesting dancing. What a blast that was!
Tonight we attend the luau on the island of Kauai. We heard that 600 passengers from the ship are attending this luau (out of 2200) so it's going to be quite the experience. After the luau the crew is putting on a show in the Hollywood Theatre aboard the ship for the passengers. If it's half as good as the other entertainment we've seen all week, this should be awesome.
The one down side to a cruise is that they like to take pictures of the passengers. Pictures, pictures, everywhere pictures: with the captain, when you take an excursion, when you're eating dinner (no kidding, every night we've been approached by a photographer while we were eating), and again tonight they'll do it for the luau. With 600 passengers attending the luau, it will be crazy. The worst part is they put all the photos on the wall of shame that I told you about earlier for everyone to see. Ugh.
Aloha from Kauai!
Kauai is beautiful with mountains, beaches and chickens. Yep, they have chickens running free throughout the island due to a hurricane that hit about 15 years ago and demolished their homes. So now they just let them roam free. Our driver told us the residents do not catch and eat the chickens.
Yesterday afternoon we took hula dance lessons. We were so good that we're going to be certified hula dancers at the end of the cruise. (If you believe we're that good, I have some swamp land to sell you!) But seriously, we will get a certificate. It was very interesting learning the meanings of the movements with your hands and all that hip shaking!
Last night's entertainment was awesome also. It was karaoke night in the Mardi Gras Club and they had a competition similar to American Idol. Three passengers voted and critiqued the contestants to come up with a winner. (One guy was dubbed "Simon.") The lady who won sang Second Hand Rose and was awesome and won the competition. Following the karaoke, they had the Dancing with the Stars competition where they paired up 8 staff and 8 passengers. OMG, did it get crazy! There was no criteria for participating in the dancing, and that made for some very interesting dancing. What a blast that was!
Tonight we attend the luau on the island of Kauai. We heard that 600 passengers from the ship are attending this luau (out of 2200) so it's going to be quite the experience. After the luau the crew is putting on a show in the Hollywood Theatre aboard the ship for the passengers. If it's half as good as the other entertainment we've seen all week, this should be awesome.
The one down side to a cruise is that they like to take pictures of the passengers. Pictures, pictures, everywhere pictures: with the captain, when you take an excursion, when you're eating dinner (no kidding, every night we've been approached by a photographer while we were eating), and again tonight they'll do it for the luau. With 600 passengers attending the luau, it will be crazy. The worst part is they put all the photos on the wall of shame that I told you about earlier for everyone to see. Ugh.
Aloha from Kauai!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Kona
Another beautiful day in paradise. Today we're on the Big Island again (Hawaii), but on the opposite shore at Kona. The water is so shallow that we were not able to pull up to port, so we had to take tenders (small boats) to the island.
At Kona we took a submarine down to see the fishes and the coral. It was awesome. One group of fish came right up the windows on the sub and swam by. Saw lots of schools of fish and possibly shipwreck remains. I believe we got down to 102 feet below the surface. The water was so blue!
We also did some shopping in Kona and stuck our feet in the water on the beach (including Hermie!). I didn't expect that the water would be cold. Brrr!
Tonight we hope to see another comedian and watch as they pair up passengers and crew to perform in Dancing with the Pride of America Stars. After that, a karaoke contest. Speaking of which, whenever they have anything going on like the line dancing or the Not So Newlywed Game, they tape it. This morning we laughed when we saw on our TV in our room film of us attempting to line dance. It was a hoot!
Gotta run as we're taking hula dance lessons in a few minutes and then something with bandanas. If forget what that's about. Sound like fun?!
Aloha! Shaka Shaka Ohana!
At Kona we took a submarine down to see the fishes and the coral. It was awesome. One group of fish came right up the windows on the sub and swam by. Saw lots of schools of fish and possibly shipwreck remains. I believe we got down to 102 feet below the surface. The water was so blue!
We also did some shopping in Kona and stuck our feet in the water on the beach (including Hermie!). I didn't expect that the water would be cold. Brrr!
Tonight we hope to see another comedian and watch as they pair up passengers and crew to perform in Dancing with the Pride of America Stars. After that, a karaoke contest. Speaking of which, whenever they have anything going on like the line dancing or the Not So Newlywed Game, they tape it. This morning we laughed when we saw on our TV in our room film of us attempting to line dance. It was a hoot!
Gotta run as we're taking hula dance lessons in a few minutes and then something with bandanas. If forget what that's about. Sound like fun?!
Aloha! Shaka Shaka Ohana!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Hilo
Today we spent the day in Hilo and got some awesome pictures. Our tour guide was Dennis, a local Hawaiian; he was very funny and informative, but had a quirk and would end his sentences with "der," (there) just like the UPers of Michigan. We couldn't help giggling. On our tour we saw the Waimea and Mauna Loa mountains, the lava tube and the botanical gardens. Waimea was the most interesting as we saw plumes of hot gasses left over from the 1984 eruption. The botanical gardens were the prettiest, but didn't get to see the whole garden as we were restricted to 30 minutes. We'dbeen running around Hilo since 9:00 this morning and were tuckered out!
The crew is fantastic here and the events going on throughout the day are awesome! Last night we saw a hilarious game called "The Not So Newlywed Game" a take on the TV show from the 60's; they used passenger couples for the game. After that it was to the Hollywood Theatre for a Second City performance. The most interesting part of our evening yesterday was when we pulled out of port from Maui and headed to Hilo. At the time we were at the Little Italy restaurant and it was a bit unnerving seeing the land go bye-bye when we're sitting there eating dinner as the winds were huge and the boat rocked back and forth. We couldn't help but giggle as we attempted to walk on the ship with it going to and fro. The hallways to the rooms are long and it was very funny to see the people walking ahead of us weaving with the waves as they walked. The best way to describe the feeling is the feeling you have when you're not drunk, but buzzed. Very strange. And no, we did not have any alcohol last night. :0)
Tonight we're eating at the Skyline restaurant. We hope to listen to Lex play the piano in the Pink Champagne bar and then a comedy/magic show at the Mardi Gras Club. Should be a fun evening.
Aloha wahinis!
The crew is fantastic here and the events going on throughout the day are awesome! Last night we saw a hilarious game called "The Not So Newlywed Game" a take on the TV show from the 60's; they used passenger couples for the game. After that it was to the Hollywood Theatre for a Second City performance. The most interesting part of our evening yesterday was when we pulled out of port from Maui and headed to Hilo. At the time we were at the Little Italy restaurant and it was a bit unnerving seeing the land go bye-bye when we're sitting there eating dinner as the winds were huge and the boat rocked back and forth. We couldn't help but giggle as we attempted to walk on the ship with it going to and fro. The hallways to the rooms are long and it was very funny to see the people walking ahead of us weaving with the waves as they walked. The best way to describe the feeling is the feeling you have when you're not drunk, but buzzed. Very strange. And no, we did not have any alcohol last night. :0)
Tonight we're eating at the Skyline restaurant. We hope to listen to Lex play the piano in the Pink Champagne bar and then a comedy/magic show at the Mardi Gras Club. Should be a fun evening.
Aloha wahinis!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Maui
Today is our second day in Maui! We went whale watching (didn't get seasick, even though the waves were pretty rough there for awhile) and saw a mama whale with a baby. Didn't get pictures as they disappeared as fast as they appeared. We also had wonderful sunny weather with lots of wind, which didn't help the pitching of the boat. At least we didn't get sick. :0)
Tonight we cruise on to Hilo (Hawaii, Big Island). Vicki and I made reservations at the Little Italy restaurant on board, and we'll be able to see where we're cruising to next while eating dinner.
Speaking of food....OMG! If you go away hungry, there's something wrong with you. We've tried a couple of the restaurants already and last night was the fanciest at the Liberty restaurant. We had a great waiter who we found out has a sister who lives in Stoughton, Wisconsin. Unfortunately, the ship photographer was also in the restaurant taking pictures. This morning we went to the hall of shame (that's what we call it; it's otherwise known as the photo gallery) and found the pictures taken last night. We also found a picture of a couple that sat at the table next to us and I happened to be in the background, eating. We had a good laugh about that. :0)
There is sooooo much to do on this cruise! Every night they post in the mailbox by your room a schedule of the next day's events. Last night we line danced (or attempted to; Vicki said she was vining when everyone else was graping :0) and stayed for the performance of two brothers who sing Brooks & Dunn songs and Elvis. Quite entertaining. Today, we made ku kui nut leis which are totally awesome and tonight after dinner we're going to check out the Second City comedy show in the Mardi Gras club.
For all you inquiring minds, I can safely tell you that Hermie is having a wonderful time. He has a new perch atop our ShaveIce glass, and we have officially lei'd him. Still looking for that hula skirt for him. For now though, he is content. Sorry I can't post any photos of us and Hermie, but do look for them when we return next week.
Until tomorrow....aloha!
Tonight we cruise on to Hilo (Hawaii, Big Island). Vicki and I made reservations at the Little Italy restaurant on board, and we'll be able to see where we're cruising to next while eating dinner.
Speaking of food....OMG! If you go away hungry, there's something wrong with you. We've tried a couple of the restaurants already and last night was the fanciest at the Liberty restaurant. We had a great waiter who we found out has a sister who lives in Stoughton, Wisconsin. Unfortunately, the ship photographer was also in the restaurant taking pictures. This morning we went to the hall of shame (that's what we call it; it's otherwise known as the photo gallery) and found the pictures taken last night. We also found a picture of a couple that sat at the table next to us and I happened to be in the background, eating. We had a good laugh about that. :0)
There is sooooo much to do on this cruise! Every night they post in the mailbox by your room a schedule of the next day's events. Last night we line danced (or attempted to; Vicki said she was vining when everyone else was graping :0) and stayed for the performance of two brothers who sing Brooks & Dunn songs and Elvis. Quite entertaining. Today, we made ku kui nut leis which are totally awesome and tonight after dinner we're going to check out the Second City comedy show in the Mardi Gras club.
For all you inquiring minds, I can safely tell you that Hermie is having a wonderful time. He has a new perch atop our ShaveIce glass, and we have officially lei'd him. Still looking for that hula skirt for him. For now though, he is content. Sorry I can't post any photos of us and Hermie, but do look for them when we return next week.
Until tomorrow....aloha!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Aloha!
To say the least, if you've been watching the news, you know we've had very interesting days here in Hawaii. After arriving at the Honolulu airport at 10:00 p.m. (Hawaii time), we finally made it to our room by midnight, only to be awakened by the police blaring the announcement: " Emergency! Emergency! Tsunami warning." Holy crap. Nothing else wakes you up faster. After freaking out, we went to the front desk of our hotel where we were told to stock up on water and food. We set out to find both, only to discovery everyone else was also. We never did find anything, so Plan B became find a vending machine, fill the ice bucket and eat the food I brought with me in my carry on.
Panicking being over, we decided to enjoy this new adventure and waited in our room for the tsunami. Nothing. After the all clear was given, we left the hotel about 2:00 p.m. and stood in line for 3 hours just to wait while the people on the ship disembarked (they were part of the armada out on the horizon we could see) so we could embark. After settling in to our cabin and eating dinner on the deck of the ship (awesome) we checked out the Mardi Gras room where played bingo and won....we received a cool pic frame and free tickets to the luau! Woohoo!
Today its raining in Maui, but we made it to the Maui mall and found some groovy shops where we picked up a few items and ate ShaveIce. OMG...it was awesome. We were supposed to go on the whale watching trip today, however, the cruise line decided to put us at the 9:45 a.m. tour instead of the 1:00 that we requested. We're whale watching tomorrow at noon, and hopefully it won't rain.
Vicki and I are having a blast, meeting new people, and checking out the ship. We played trivia with a couple of women and came in second place. We had such a blast that we made a date to play trivia every day for the duration of the cruise. We've dubbed our group the "Golden Girls." We found ou they're from Alaska and are traveling buddies.
Tonight we're heading for the Mardi Gras Club where we'll line dance and party down. As I write, Vicki is hanging out in the library and I'm sure having a tough time deciding which book(s) to check out! :0)
Well, that's all our excitement for the past couple days.
I'll write more tomorrow. Aloha and Mahalo!
Panicking being over, we decided to enjoy this new adventure and waited in our room for the tsunami. Nothing. After the all clear was given, we left the hotel about 2:00 p.m. and stood in line for 3 hours just to wait while the people on the ship disembarked (they were part of the armada out on the horizon we could see) so we could embark. After settling in to our cabin and eating dinner on the deck of the ship (awesome) we checked out the Mardi Gras room where played bingo and won....we received a cool pic frame and free tickets to the luau! Woohoo!
Today its raining in Maui, but we made it to the Maui mall and found some groovy shops where we picked up a few items and ate ShaveIce. OMG...it was awesome. We were supposed to go on the whale watching trip today, however, the cruise line decided to put us at the 9:45 a.m. tour instead of the 1:00 that we requested. We're whale watching tomorrow at noon, and hopefully it won't rain.
Vicki and I are having a blast, meeting new people, and checking out the ship. We played trivia with a couple of women and came in second place. We had such a blast that we made a date to play trivia every day for the duration of the cruise. We've dubbed our group the "Golden Girls." We found ou they're from Alaska and are traveling buddies.
Tonight we're heading for the Mardi Gras Club where we'll line dance and party down. As I write, Vicki is hanging out in the library and I'm sure having a tough time deciding which book(s) to check out! :0)
Well, that's all our excitement for the past couple days.
I'll write more tomorrow. Aloha and Mahalo!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Welcome to Hawaii!
We made it to Hawaii! The flights were endless and we didn't arrive until 10:00 p.m. Hawaii time (2:00 a.m.) your time! We finally hit the hay at midnight, but were awakened by the local police at about 6:30 a.m. with a warning about a Tsunami. Needless to say, most of our morning was spent looking for water and food and watching this event unfold. There wasn't a tsunami (not as we could see) although they did say they could tell the difference in the water level. So, here we are finally aboard the ship--Pride of America--after waiting approximately 3 hours to board while they disembarked the passengers stuck on the ship during the tsunami. We got a hot meal, water and now are heading out to explore the ship. Hermie is having a great time also!
What an adventure we're having! :0)
What an adventure we're having! :0)
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Meet Hermie!
Watch the blog for updates on Hermie's whereabouts and activities, as well as pictures of him in his "hip" Hawaiian outfits. :0)
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
My Adventures in Bayfield
This weekend I figured out why most people living in the Northwoods drive a truck or SUV....little cars get stuck. Yep, I got stuck. I consider myself a resourceful and independent person, able to get myself out of the many jams I seem to get myself into. This time the weather conspired against me. I thought I could get some fantastic photos at Sand Bay Beach park on my way to Meyers Beach and the ice caves. Like I said, I'm independent, think of myself as invincible (I am woman!) and having grown up in the snow and cold, can drive in the white stuff with the best of them. Reality comes back to bite you in the butt in the Northwoods. Not only did I get myself stuck in the snow, I had to ask a DNR Ranger to assist me in getting unstuck. Nature 1, Judi 0.
The second attempt at adventure was the hike to the ice caves lookout. The sign said 1.8 miles. No problem, I've hiked in the woods before. I even convinced a couple to hike to the overlook after they saw I was doing it by myself. Hah! Little did I realize how hazardous the terrain to the ice caves could be! Needless to say, after sliding down a couple steep parts of the trail, crossing a running creek on well placed rocks and attempting not once, or twice, but three times to hike up a snowy, slippery incline, I gave up. The trail kicked my butt. I hiked back to the trail head and headed to my room for a nice hot shower and a chair in front of the fireplace to watch the Olympics. Nature 2, Judi 0.
Not until today when I left did the sun decide to come out. And man was it glorious! It looked like a picture postcard outside my window. If you click on the link below, you can view the best pictures from my trip. Maybe I should add them to my Wisconsin calendar...what do you think? Let me know your favorite. :-)
The second attempt at adventure was the hike to the ice caves lookout. The sign said 1.8 miles. No problem, I've hiked in the woods before. I even convinced a couple to hike to the overlook after they saw I was doing it by myself. Hah! Little did I realize how hazardous the terrain to the ice caves could be! Needless to say, after sliding down a couple steep parts of the trail, crossing a running creek on well placed rocks and attempting not once, or twice, but three times to hike up a snowy, slippery incline, I gave up. The trail kicked my butt. I hiked back to the trail head and headed to my room for a nice hot shower and a chair in front of the fireplace to watch the Olympics. Nature 2, Judi 0.
Not until today when I left did the sun decide to come out. And man was it glorious! It looked like a picture postcard outside my window. If you click on the link below, you can view the best pictures from my trip. Maybe I should add them to my Wisconsin calendar...what do you think? Let me know your favorite. :-)
Monday, February 8, 2010
18 Days and Counting.....
Only 18 days before Vicki and I leave on a once in a lifetime cruise of the Hawaiian Islands. I can't wait! Unfortunately, up until that time, we will be busy with our daily lives, which are filled with many activities besides our daily routine, that the cruise may be here before we know it! :0)
Traveling to Bayfield, Wisconsin, for a long weekend, hoping to capture photos of the ice caves along Lake Superior. The Bayfield website states that there is no access via the lake yet, but I am betting that the beautiful winter scenery will be awesome. I'll post my pics when I return early next week. Until then, keep warm and think happy thoughts!
Traveling to Bayfield, Wisconsin, for a long weekend, hoping to capture photos of the ice caves along Lake Superior. The Bayfield website states that there is no access via the lake yet, but I am betting that the beautiful winter scenery will be awesome. I'll post my pics when I return early next week. Until then, keep warm and think happy thoughts!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Aloha!
Only 40 some days before Vicki and I travel to Hawaii! Look for my blogs of our daily adventures in the 50th state!
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Door County, Wisconsin
Peninsula State Park, Door County, Wisconsin