Wordless Wednesday

 

A bit of work, a birthday surprise, and being lazy

Another week done and I'm less than a week away from returning to my home with D and Eli. I'm especially looking forward to seeing them both. Though I'll admit, Eli is the main attraction. :)

We had, what is likely, the last warm day of fall on Monday. We reached a high of 23C/73F and I took advantage of the warm day to continue clearing out the garage. I'd scheduled the carpenter for this weekend and wanted to ensure he didn't need to deal with debris from my efforts. Some of the lumber was good enough to re-use so I separated it and stacked it near the alley, putting a free sign on it. 

The rest went in a debris pile I'd started when I was cleaning up the back yard. Before I get away this week, I'll arrange for it to be hauled to the dump. 

Tuesday, I awoke to a chilly morning, and it didn't warm up to more than 2C/35F.  I had some errands to run, so bundled up and headed out. I stopped at a couple of grocery stores and then went to Value Village. I needed to return the two skirts I bought just before my trip as they didn't fit. There are no refunds at VV, just exchanges. I found a Corning Ware casserole dish and a table lamp. The total after my returns had VV owing me 53 cents, so I had to buy something else. :) I grabbed a hand towel to wrap the casserole dish and walked out having paid $1.67. 

I texted S on Wednesday morning to confirm that she was planning to attend knitting group that afternoon. I spent the morning doing housework, and then ran to Walmart for a couple of things, before heading to the library. As I was making my way down one of the main aisles, I heard someone call my name. It was a fellow, I'd worked with for many years, and his wife. He retired a few years before I did, so I think it has been about 8 years since I'd seen him last. His wife was eager to go shopping, so after an introduction, she left us to chat. I couldn't stay long as I was meeting S, but we managed to catch up on the major topics, kids and grandkids. :)

Thursday afternoon, my son's friend B arrived with her birthday gifts for him. She went all out, because as she says it, he has managed to avoid any type of celebration for the past 7 years. She brought, something to snack on, something to drink, something to wear, and something to use. The latter included a new computer desk and chair! She insisted she bought everything on sale and refused my offer to help with the cost. She also brought a banner and a card. C's response on arriving home was muted - at first he thought I'd done it, but I pointed out the card. He didn't say much to me but then he never does. At least I know he texted B and thanked her.

I had a lazy day on Friday morning, woke with a bit of a headache, and after my call with D, slept a couple more hours. There was curling* to watch, so Saku and curled up on the bed to watch. It was after 3 p.m. when I got up, took a shower and dressed! That's the ultimate lazy. I met friends for dinner at 6 p.m. and enjoyed a nice evening visiting with them. My dinner of fish and chips was delicious too.

As usual, this weekend will see me watching more television, football, and probably baseball too (if the latter doesn't interfere with the curling). Today, the contractor will be here to remove the sill plate and the remaining stud wall. Since Sunday looks like a decent weather day with a high of 17C(63F), I'll likely spend some time cleaning up any sawdust/debris, and give my son a hand with the front lawn. It needs a last of the season mow, and there are leaves to be cleaned up on the edges of the sidewalk and driveway.

*With all the blue rocks in the rings, and only two rocks still to come (one red, one blue), it would be easy to assume that blue would have had a big score. They did not, scoring only one, even though they had four rocks in the rings on their last shot. I didn't see what happened, but it was obvious the skip messed up big time! (This is the only photo I've taken this week..and it's not a good one.)

Friday Funny

 

Jinxed myself

 

First off, this is a photo taken on my balcony one evening - the fog so thick, I couldn't see beyond the railing! 

After telling you all that I never get sick on a cruise ship and despite my preparations to avoid it, my luck ran out. I was tired after the visit to the zoo in San Diego, and turned in early that evening. I woke around midnight feeling absolutely horrid, with an extremely sore throat, chills, and a cough. It had come on quickly, I had been sneezing that evening, but otherwise felt fine. I took some Buckley's cough syrup, a Tylenol cold and flu tablet, and a wet wash cloth. I slept off and on for the rest of the night, waking myself with my coughing, and using the wash cloth to cool off my face and chest. 

By morning, the fever was gone, but my throat was still quite sore and the cough definitely lingered. I had brought Covid tests with me, and while the test was negative, I decided that I'd avoid leaving my cabin as much as possible. Whatever I was suffering from (and I do think it was actually Covid) was something I hoped not to share anymore than I likely already had. 

When my steward, Jerry, arrived mid-morning to clean the cabin, I stepped out onto the balcony. It was a cool morning, about 16C/60F but sunny. I heard Jerry bustling about the room and suddenly he appeared at the balcony door telling me it was too cold outdoors and insisting I come inside. I really didn't mind it and the fresh air was lovely, but I didn't argue.

I spent the rest of the day, mostly dozing off and on, with the balcony door open to allow the fresh sea air to come into the cabin. 

The following morning, I needed something to eat (I hadn't felt like eating the day prior), so masked up, and went to the buffet to grab some breakfast. Had I been thinking the evening prior, I could have had a Continental breakfast delivered to the room in the morning. 

My sore throat had disappeared by then, but I was still coughing and feeling very tired. That day and the next were both sea days so I continued to stay in my cabin, spending time on the balcony, watching television, knitting and napping. I actually watched a movie,  "Table 19", a comedy about a group of misfit guests at a wedding. I quite enjoyed it. For meals, I continued to mask up and attend the buffet shortly before it closed for each meal to avoid crowds. 

Passing the coast of Northern California.

Sunrise photo on a sea day.

Because I had been napping during the day, I found myself awake at night. The second last night, I heard the sounds of birds outside - again, my balcony door was open slightly for the fresh air. I wish I could have gotten a photo or a video (perhaps reader David would have been able to identify them). There was flock of them, flying in a V pattern, that appeared entirely white and ghostlike due to the ship's lights. The sound was a trill that I did not recognize, and it seemed to me they were migrating south. It was eerie to hear and see them in the middle of the night. I'm not certain how far off shore we were at the time, but I have to assume they were quite far out to sea.

By the third day, I was feeling much better. I did venture out, with my mask in place, to stop by the knitting group in the morning to say so long and safe travels to the group. Similarly, that evening, I met a few of the solos outside the dining room to do the same. I stayed just a few minutes with both groups. I had tested again that day, with a negative result for Covid, but didn't want to chance spreading my germs.

By embarkation, I was feeling almost normal, just a bit of a cough remained and I continued to wear a mask in public. I was scheduled to leave the ship at 9:15 a.m. on Friday, with a booked shuttle to the airport. We were off a little early, and I waited outside for a few minutes for the shuttle to arrive. Another of the solos, Edlinda was also taking the shuttle to the airport, and we spent our time chatting. We were all dropped at the same doors at the airport and I made my way down the halls to the WestJet gates. I was in line for the gates to open for about 45 minutes, as they open three hours prior to the our flight. 

Of course, the flight was delayed about 90 minutes before we were up on our way to Calgary. There I went through CBSA quickly. However, instead of being directed to my next gate, I was sent out into the main airport. This meant I had about a 10 minute walk to security for re-screening before I made my way to my gate. The flight was scheduled to leave about 8 p.m., giving me plenty of time for a bite to eat. Then, of course, the flight was delayed about an hour. By the time I picked up my luggage and grabbed a cab it was close to 11 p.m. It was a long day, and I was ready for a good night's sleep.

Despite falling ill, I enjoyed the cruise very much. I met some wonderful people, some of whom I expect to keep in touch with going forward. Who knows, we might even meet again on a future cruise.

Just as a tease, I'll let you in on a secret. I have another trip booked, not a cruise this time, and I'll share more in a few weeks. :)

San Diego Zoo - what an experience!

San Diego was our last port of call on the cruise, and I had booked an excursion to the San Diego Zoo weeks before we boarded the ship. I've been to just one other zoo, in Calgary, and that was many years ago. (my son was a pre-teen then and he turns 37 this upcoming Friday...)

As had been the journey from L.A. to San Diego, the morning was foggy.

My tour group met in the theatre about 8:15 and we were off the ship within 20 minutes or so, for our bus ride to the Zoo. Once there we had "5 hours on our own" to explore and enjoy the park. By then the fog had lifted and we were in for a warm and sunny day.

The park is humongous! I chose to take the bus tour around the perimeter of the park to get a sense of what I'd like to see most, as I knew I'd never see it all.

These first number of photos were taken from the upper deck of the bus. I was limited by where I was seated, often standing and trying to photograph around other passengers, so I apologize that some of the photos are not the best. 

This mallard was in the same cage as the polar bear. I hope it flew out before it became lunch. 

The lions were not disturbed at all by our presence. 

There were five or six giraffes in this habitat area. This particular giraffe was playing with the blue barrel. It would kick it and chase after the barrel to kick it again.

It was kind enough to pose for a photo.

There was a solo zebra at the zoo, so they had provided a donkey for a friend.

The bus stop was to the right of the main entrance, so once we returned, I started my walk to the left.

It was breakfast time for many of the animals. 

I found taking photos wasn't easy, not only were the animals not always cooperative but I was competing with other visitors. It was family day with free entry for children, so the place was a bit of a...zoo. :)

These are tapirs, enjoying their morning nap. 

I could just imagine this gorilla thinking, "Nope, not going to look at you."

It appeared this orangutan was done with being gawked at.

Meanwhile this youngster was having fun playing in a large leaf.

Of course, my favorites of all the animals were the big cats. 

The zoo had recently received two pandas from China, which were a very popular attraction. With the price of admission, one could book a timed ticket for entry to their exhibit. I selected a time in the early afternoon, and grabbed a bite to eat before I headed to the line-up. I was glad to have booked the timed ticket as the stand-by line was very lengthy.

Both of the pandas were mid-nap during my time in the exhibit. The female was sleeping high on the hill (thank goodness for the zoom), while the male was near the lower edge of the exhibit on a wooden platform behind the glass.

We were given about 10 minutes in the area, before the next group started to make their way through. I did see photos on the FB group from someone who were able to see the pandas feeding. I'm guessing they were there earlier in the morning.

By this point, it was about 45 minutes prior to the time to board the bus for our return to the ship. I made my way up to the top of the zoo - this place is very hilly! I stopped in at the children's shop and picked up a t-shirt for Eli. I was ready for a break, my feet were killing me, so I settled in the shade and relaxed. While I didn't see everything there was to see at the zoo, I really enjoyed my time there.

Back onboard the ship, I relaxed on the balcony before getting ready for the evening. I met the solo group for drinks and a number of us went to dinner that evening. As it turned out, it would be the last dinner in the MDR for me.

By the time we ready to start our sail-away, the fog was evident again. 

The large yacht at the pier next to us is apparently owned by Meta (or so I was told). I believe the coloured lights in the far right are part of the USS Midway aircraft carrier, currently a museum open for tours. Another time, perhaps.

Next up: More sea days and isolation

Sea Days and Los Angeles

Cruisers tend to either love or hate sea days. I'm of the latter group, as I enjoy a good day (or days) at sea. The ship's crew offer lots of activities: trivia, competitions (crew vs. passengers), line dancing, Zumba, movies on the giant screens by the pool, pool games, and so on and so forth. Of course, there is time also to read, craft, chat with fellow passengers, use the hot tub or pools, and relax and watch the ocean.

My sea days are quite routine. I take my time in the morning, enjoy my breakfast on the aft deck, take a walk on the promenade deck, meet with the knitting group, find a quiet area to read, attend trivia a couple of times during the day, and later meet the solos group for dinner. Oh, there is lunch in there someplace too. I will avoid the buffet, as there are a couple of places near the pool which tend to be less busy. On the Majestic we had the noodle bar and the hamburger/hotdog stand. When the ship is next in dry dock, the noodle bar will change to pizza. That's unfortunate as the noodle bar provided something not available on other ships. The food there was hot, fresh and tasty. 

The next three photos were taken during my morning walk, one sea day, on the Promenade deck. When I first started my walk, there was blue sky, but as time passed the fog came creeping in, until we were socked in. Note this occurred over approximately 30-40 minutes.

Later that evening, the fog closed in even further, and I could barely see water looking down from my balcony. The ship continued to sound the foghorn every 90-120 seconds throughout the night. With the balcony door closed, the sound did not disturb my sleep. 

The fog continued as we made our way into the San Pedro, the port of Los Angeles.

Looking back towards the sea, I wondered what the day would bring. The fog did burn off eventually, and the day was sunny and warm, with high humidity. 

While we were in port, the ship underwent some maintenance. This was on the bridge, where the captain and his crew do their work, ensuring we are safe as we sail. 

I've never done a bridge tour, but have been told it is very interesting. As far as riding the basket of this machine to reach the base of the bridge would never be on my bucket list of things to do.

I did not disembark in Los Angeles, but did spend a good amount of the day on my balcony, at least until the music concert was well underway. 

To the far left of this photo are several tents where the concert was being held. Across the road from the ship was the line-up of people waiting to enter the grounds for a punk rock festival. I'm sure they enjoyed the show, but it wasn't my preference for entertainment. 

I was not alone on the ship that day, as a lot of the passengers chose to stay on-board. Talking to others at dinner that night who did excursions in the city, I heard stories of the length of time spent in traffic both leaving and returning to the ship. No thanks!

Next up - San Diego, the Zoo!

A new project, time with friends.

I'm interrupting the cruise posts for my regular weekly round-up of the week's activities. Things started out quietly and got busier throughout the week. Other than unpacking, doing laundry and a bit of housework, I did very little over the weekend and into Monday.

On Tuesday, I went out to the garage and tackled a project that I've been pondering for awhile. The former renter of the garage had built a partial wall and a work bench that made it difficult to get a second vehicle into the garage. When I was driving the Corolla, I could wiggle my way into the spot (using S turns), but with the Equinox it was going to be more difficult. So I had decided to remove part of the wall. I started by removing the plywood walls and the work bench. I should note the bench was over 4 feet tall, so useless for much more than storage.

The goal is to remove the open section to allow more room to maneuver the vehicle into place. Well, I discovered that this wall was built to last as the sill plate is anchored into the concrete. I've neither the tools nor the knowledge to overcome this problem so I turned to the internet. I've found a journeyman carpenter who has agreed to do the work for me later this month. In the meantime I have a pile of scrap lumber (not shown) to carry out of the garage. I also need to find someone to haul away the old garage door opener. There's always something that needs to be done.

Wednesday was a busy day, as I did a bit of grocery shopping in the morning, attended Stitch and Chat in the afternoon, and went to dinner with the book club ladies. There were three of us at the library, and next week there will just be two as C is heading for California at the end of the month and will be busy packing. Book club was fun, with six of us in attendance. I haven't met with the group in months, so there was lots of catching up to do. We even discussed the book, "The Nanny" by Gilly MacMillan. It was my choice, and it seemed every one who read it enjoyed the book. 

I took the day off on Thursday and caught up on various programs, NCIS, NCIS:Origins, and FBI. As well, curling and the MLB games kept me entertained. Saku was quite content to keep me pinned to the couch. :) I did stir long enough to make meals and do dishes.

Friday was a chilly morning, just -2C/28F when I took garbage out to the bin. Good thing I had no plans to work outside that morning. Instead, I did some housework and watching curling. That evening, I met my friends K and J for dinner before attending a comedy event at the Center of the Arts. Our tickets were free, provided by financial advisors we use. We took along a few items for the food bank donations as well. Our meals were good, but the service was incredibly slow and we had to go to the counter, as no one came to the table to take our payments. I'm not sure I'd return to that particular restaurant again. The comedians were funny, without straying into very many controversial subjects. The funniest moment (for me at least) was when Erica Sigurdson told the story of getting her husband to hang a medicine cabinet in their bathroom. After he'd delayed the project, she took matters into her own hands, texting him at work about how to do certain things (though she wasn't actually doing those things). He returned from work and got the job done. 

It was late when I arrived home and by the time I had settled down, it was nearly midnight. Saku woke me just after 6, but I managed to ignore him until my daughter called shortly after 7. Although I meant to get up after our call, I dozed off and slept until 10:30! So my day is a little off-kilter. I've just finished breakfast while watching curling. There is football and baseball later today as well. I guess you all know what I'll be doing today. :) Time to pull out the knitting needles and keep working on the mittens.

Have a great weekend everyone!

A Day in San Francisco

The Captain had announced, the evening prior, we would be entering the Golden Gate Strait and passing under the bridge at about 5:30 a.m. I set my alarm for 5:15 a.m., and was up and out on my balcony soon thereafter. I really could have used a tripod to keep my camera still, as the photos I took were almost universally bad. I'm sharing one, it's fuzzy as I couldn't avoid the shake, but you get the picture!

After the excitement of seeing the bridge in the dark, I went back to be for an hour or so. The sun was starting to show itself and I took several shots before it appeared over the horizon.

This is the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, or more commonly called the Bay Bridge. 

On this morning, I took my time enjoying my breakfast on Aft 16, before heading down to the gangway. We were docked at Pier 27, right on The Embarcadero. 

Across from the Pier and up the hill is Coit Tower. From Wikipedia, "Coit Tower is a 210-foot tower in the Telegraph Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California, overlooking the city and San Francisco Bay. The tower, in the city's Pioneer Park, was built between 1932 and 1933 using Lillie Hitchcock Coit's bequest to beautify the city of San Francisco." At the top of the tower is an observation deck of the 360 degree views of the city, the bay, and the bridges. There is no elevator and one must be able to walk up 13 flights of stairs to the top. Definitely not on my list of things to do, though it would be neat to see.

My plan was to purchase a ticked on the local HOHO bus (hop-on, hop-off). There was a ticket kiosk just off the ship, which was a bit of a surprise, however to catch the bus, I had to walk up The Embarcadero to a place described as "CVS will be on your left". There was an older lady just behind me in line who was concerned about walking alone*, so I offered to walk with her. Her name was Maria and she lives in Las Vegas. She and her husband cruised frequently, but he recently passed away and he made her promise to continue to cruise. 

After a bit of back and forth and couple of wrong turns - we ought to have stayed on The Embarcadero the entire way, we eventually found Bus Stop #1. Since Maria is sensitive to the sun, we found seats on the lower deck of the bus and headed off on a two hour jaunt around the city. We passed by several areas of the city, including Chinatown, Embarcadero Center (a huge shopping area), Union Square, City Hall, Alamo Square/Painted Ladies, Haight-Ashbury, Golden Gate Park, Golden Gate Bridge, Palace of the Arts, Cow Hollow, and a view of Lombard Street, before heading back to the pier. For the first ride around, I chose to stay with Maria. I listened to the narration on the ear buds provided, while she having visited the city frequently, simply answered my questions and enjoyed the ride.

I took a single photo from the bus on this trip, of a Tesla truck. I'm not sure what the appeal is, they are pretty darn ugly.

The bus did stop at Pier 27 on our return, so I stayed on the bus, moving up to upper deck for the second go-round. This time I got a number of photos, though my efforts were hampered by being on a moving bus!

The Spires of St. Paul's Catholic church soared above the buildings in the area. 

I've since learned that scenes for the movie, Sister Act were filmed in the church.

This interesting building is the Transamerica Pyramid, a 48 story office building.

According to the narrative, I listened to on the bus, there are four cameras installed on each of the four corners of the top of the building. Visitors can view monitors on the main floor to virtually see the views from the top of the building. Unlike the Coit tower, I could see myself checking the view from the ground floor.

I believe this was a bank of some sort. I was taken by the beauty of the stonework on the facade.

I took this photo because it was a spot of colour in the concrete jungle of the financial area.

This crooked photo is of the City Hall of San Francisco. It's a lovely building with an interesting history. It was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1906, re-opening in 1915. As well, in November 1978, it was the scene of a double murder/assassination of the mayor and a senior official. The perpetrator, former official was disgruntled when his position was given to someone else.

These are a few of the painted ladies that we passed on our way up a steep hill. There were many more, but the bus was just moving too quickly until it reached this part of the hill, and the driver geared down.

If you guessed this storefront was part of the Haight-Ashbury area of the city, you would be correct.

The bus turned at the Haight-Ashbury corner, but I wasn't quick enough to capture a photo.

The first photo is the first view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the highIring our ride across the bridge.

I learned that the city originally planned to paint the bridge yellow and black, but the steel but it arrived from the manufacturer as shown. It was then decided this colour would be very visible (as if the Bridge itself would not have been) and it suited the setting, so the original colour stayed. It has been repainted in the years since. That would not be a job I'd want!

I did get off the bus at the North Vista point, but was disappointed as there was a lot of glare, so photos of the bridge weren't what I was hoping for.

This is a zoomed in shot of Alcatraz Island, was used as a penitentiary for 30 years. A few famous inmates included Al Capone, "Machine Gun" Kelly, and Robert Stroud (the Birdman of Alcatraz). Some of our solo group did tours - it is now a museum. Lee had booked a private tour, and said it was terrific as she got to see areas of the former prison not generally accessible. 

A view of the city from the North Vista. The Transamerica Pyramid is evident in the photo!

Another view from the vista. The city and surrounding area are certainly hilly!

I took a photo of the plant, because I was fascinated by the bloooms. It was clear they were nearing the end, but the puffs almost looked like pink dandelions. A Google lens search indicates it is likely Melaleuca nesophilia (showy Honey Myrtle). 

The next HoHo bus arrived about 15 minutes after I had stepped off the first, so I boarded and returned to the city. After a stop at Pier 39 for a walk-about, I returned the ship and was back on-board about 4 p.m. I made a stop at the International cafe for one of their tuna croissant sandwiches - they are so delicious and I hadn't had lunch. 

Then it was time to clean up and head up for pre-dinner drinks and later dinner with the solo group. 

I really enjoyed my visit to San Francisco and will definitely consider a return to visit more of the sites. In particular, I'd love to spend some time at the Golden Gate park in the Japanese gardens. A visit to the Ghiradelli store would be fun too.

*I normally would not discuss politics of any sort, but I heard Maria and other passengers mention how dangerous San Francisco is due to the sheer number of homeless people. Their fears are based on comments made by a certain Presidential candidate who has suggested the problem is due to the other Presidential candidate's stint as a the first woman Attorney General of California. I have no doubt there are many homeless people living there; the climate is warm and like so many other cities, large and small, there are people who find themselves in dire straits. In any event, we saw one potentially homeless person on our walk - he was shouting something as he made his way down the sidewalk. In other words, I felt completely safe during my day in San Francisco.

Next up - Sea days and Los Angeles

P.S. It's become a thing for passengers to hide ducks on the cruise ships. Once found, they can be re-hid or taken home. In my case, I brought this duck home for Eli. It's a bit of fun, and there are rules including no hiding ducks in retail stores or near the pools. I also found another duck, a wee tiny one at the top of stairwell, that I re-hid. It disappeared too, so someone else found it.