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!

New Orleans - Day 2

Guess what we did on our second day on New Orleans?  It's pretty obvious...we visited the St. Louis Cemetery #1.  K had booked our tickets in advance through "Save our Cemeteries" and we met the tour guide Tony at a nearby coffee shop about 9:30 in the morning.  This turned out to be a great choice as we had arrived far too early and wandered over to the information centre a couple of blocks away.  They were also offering tours...we observed that the woman doing the tour completed three tours in the time we did ours.  

This photo above it the plaque on the tomb of what is believed to be the last resting place of Marie Laveau.  

"Marie Laveau was a famous and powerful voodoo priestess who lived in New Orleans in the 19th century. Renowned in life and revered in death, some say she continues to work her magic from beyond the grave. Laveau, a hairdresser by trade, was the most famous and purportedly the most powerful of the city’s voodoo practitioners. She sold charms and pouches of gris gris (some combination of herbs, oils, stones, bones, hair, nails, and grave dirt), told fortunes and gave advice to New Orleans residents of every social strata." atlasobscura.com

This is the most famous tomb in the cemetery and Tony ensured we went there first.  He gave us an explanation of voodoo and hoodoo.  Voodoo is actually a religion while hoodoo is a form of folk magic originating in West Africa and mostly practiced today in the Southern United States.

He indicated that there are other tombs that are believed to hold her remains, which he called faux Laveau's.  Later in our tour we visited one of these.

The tombs were in various states of disrepair.  Tony explained that if the family purchased perpetual care, the cemetery caretakers cared for the grave site, if not it was the families responsibility.

This particular one was in decent shape, and was partially fenced in.  Tony indicated this was to keep the spirits in.

We also learned that the graves are built above ground not because of the potential of flooding as most of us thought, but due to the theory that illness would make its way into ground water and thus spread to others.  

Under each of the tombs was a cave (he used a different word), about 12 feet deep.  After a year, the coffin was removed from the tomb and destroyed (again due to potential disease) and the remains dropped into the hole.  As a result many people would be buried in these family tombs over the years.

Here Tony is explaining to us the process of repairing one of the tombs.  As he noted, most are made of brick, and then stuccoed over.  The heat and humidity in New Orleans damages both.  

The Save our Cemeteries group fund raise, partially through tours, in order to repair some of the tombs that have no apparent family to do so.
The group doesn't do the work themselves, but contract it out to specific companies who specialize in this work.  It was cool, with a bit of rain, so no work was being performed that day.


Are you a fan of Nicolas Cage?  If you are, some day in the future you may want to visit the cemetery.

"The empty grave is a stark, nine-foot-tall stone pyramid that stands in obvious contrast to the blockier, above-ground burial sites that have been crumbling away in the cemetery for over two centuries. There is no name on the pyramid yet, but it is emblazoned with the Latin maxim, “Omnia Ab Uno,” which translates to “Everything From One."" - Atlasobscura.com

It was definitely the most unusual tomb we saw in the graveyard!  

I did wonder why a tomb would have a door knocker?

Amidst all the death there were a few wild flowers growing.

The photo below is one of the faux Laveau's.  








Tony explained that the XXX represent a wish made by a follower. The belief is that one must break off a piece of brick from another tomb, spin around three times, scrape three X’s onto the tomb, and do some sort of knocking on the tomb. Then an offering should be left at the tomb and the wish will be granted. X’s that are circled are said to mean that the wish had come true.

The offerings are generally items for hairdressing, including barrettes and elastic bands.  It is, of course, illegal to mark up the grave, and the cemetery now has security cameras in place 24/7.  Those who are caught defacing one of the burial sites is subject to a significant fine.

This was one of the best kept sites in the cemetery.  I have to assume there is still family who tend to it.

We were told this is the oldest site, and has been entirely encapsulated so that one one can get in or out. :)

I don't recall seeing any markings on the grave, but assume like so many others, it was built of brick and contains the remains of several family members.

I don't recall the earliest date on any of the tombs we saw, but the latest date was sometime in 2017.  So obviously these tombs are still available to the families.

While the marker is broken, it has not been replaced, Tony explained, likely due to the significant cost of doing so.

However, it was apparent that someone had visited fairly recently as the small Bible that was left was still in decent shape.

The entire tour was very interesting, we visited more tombs than I've shared photos, and Tony shared the stories that went with them.  In total, we were with him for nearly 90 minutes and he did an excellent job of sharing his knowledge and interest with us.

Once we left the cemetery we wandered back over to the information centre to use the facilities, before heading back towards the river and the French market.  These well maintained homes were a sharp contrast to the tombs in the cemetery!

 Another contrast, buggy pulled by the mule juxtaposed with the modern car.  There were lots of both, most of the carriages were found near Jackson Square, with drivers encouraging the tourists to take a ride while they provided some of the history of the French Quarter.  We chose to walk, but perhaps another time.

I must say, too, the vehicular traffic in the French quarter were incredibly patient with pedestrians and the carriages.  I don't recall once hearing a honking horn.  I guess most drivers are used to sharing the road.

Our next stop was Cafe du Monde, the iconic cafe that offers coffee (with or without chicory) and beignets along with other beverages.

The beignets are hot and fresh and heaped with mounds of powdered sugar.  I chose the coffee with chicory, just to try it, and after the first few sips found it was pretty good.  

After this stop, we also found another cafe, Cafe Beignet near to our hotel.  I won't tell how many beignets we ate during the four days we were in New Orleans....suffice to say we had our fair share!

After our lunch of beignets, we wandered down to the river to check out the Natchez Queen paddle wheeler.  It had just arrived back at the dock and we watched as the passengers disembarked.

There was some talk of taking the river cruise but we decided against and headed back to the hotel to warm up.

Along the way, more music!  The photo doesn't show it, but there was a large crowd gathered listening to the group play.  In the box on the little table were CD's available for sale.

Back at the hotel it was J's turn to nap, and for K and I to catch up with e-mail, some blog reading, and for me, Facebook.  We also spent a good amount of time checking out restaurants in the area for dinner. We settled on Channing Tatum's Saints and Sinners restaurant on Bourbon Street, just a few blocks from the hotel.  (To be honest, everything in the French Quarter was very close to our hotel.)  There is some construction underway on Bourbon Street, that I assume they are attempting to complete by Mardi Gras.  The restaurant wasn't very busy because it was only accessible from the sidewalk.  A young man came running out to us with the menu and we laughed said, we were planning to come here!

I chose the fish tacos that evening, and have no photo evidence as I forgot to take a photo until they were finished.  I can assure you, they were very good.
After our dinner was finished we took a short walk on Bourbon Street before heading back to the hotel.  We knew we'd be up early the next day, as K had rented a car for the day.  More on that tomorrow!

Return to New Orleans

Our final sea day was a bit rough, and the weather was definitely cooling off.  I tried one last time to get a sunrise photo...nope not happening!

If you look to the bottom left of the photo, in the distance you might be able to see a freighter off in the distance.  Not that it factors in the story, but I don't have N's photo to share; dummy that I am I deleted it. 

He was flying a Westjet flight from Montego Bay, and spotted two cruise ships below from 30,000 feet.  N zoomed in as best he could and got photos of the ships and their positions off Cuba.  Later we were able to determine that, in fact, it was a Norwegian ship and Carnival ship.  We were in fact following a Carnival ship, and we're pretty certain he captured a photo of the cruise ship I was on.  Makes the saying small world apt!

Since the weather was cool, the day was spent mostly indoors.  I do recall we watched a couple of games of Deal or No Deal (on the ship).  It's played much like the televised game, however there are cards, similar to Bingo cards that the audience can play as well.  Players who match 8 case numbers with the same amount as the board can win a free cruise. Two matches give the winner a pull-tab (basically a lottery ticket), three matches win a photo, and four get $50.  We saw a couple of $50 winners but nothing higher.  In fact, I'm pretty certain no one has ever won the free cruise.  But lots of people like to play and at $5 a card, I'm pretty sure the cruise line makes a bit of money on it too.

The individual selected to play the big board (selecting the cases) is chosen by random electronic draw from the number on the bottom of the card.  Then, just as they do on television, they start calling cases numbers to be opened.  The largest prize we saw was around $400 and the fellow also won $50 in his card (someone else played for him).  The lowest was $0.01!  The audience cheers the participants to deal or no deal, and I suspect some individuals went further than they might normally.


Final packing occurred as well, and my suitcase was packed and ready to be set out for pick-up by 8 p.m. that evening.  Since we were staying in New Orleans, I didn't have to pack everything away as I would have if I'd been flying out.  On the sink is my Aveeno daily moisturizing cream...it's just a little too large to be put in the carry-on for a flight.

We had a last dinner at the buffet, went for a last walk-about the ship, and then turned in early.  I watched some of an NFL game and read for awhile before I fell asleep.  

(By this point in the cruise, I was tired of watching the US news - we got Fox and MSNBC.  At first it was amusing to watch the two networks report divergent views of the same events.  But after awhile that became very tiresome.)  

We arrived in New Orleans just around 7 a.m.  I headed over to K and J's balcony not much later, to take some photos from their balcony.  I'd given up trying to get a sunrise shot. :(

And look who arrived ahead of us...the Carnival Dream!  I've never sailed with Carnival, but the fact they have an outdoor sitting area where one can dine looks good to me...especially in warmer weather.

Our first day in New Orleans brought cool weather, a high of 46F (7-8C) with a few raindrops.  We disembarked just after 9 a.m. and though we had warned the terminal would be chaotic, it really wasn't.  We'd gathered our bags and were in a cab in just minutes to our hotel in the French Quarter, Le Marais.  The cost was a mere $8 per person, which I thought was very reasonable.

Even better, we were able to check in early, as they had a "deluxe double" available.  It wasn't particularly deluxe but had two double beds and a large bathroom with a massive shower.  I didn't think to take any photos of the room, but it was clean, the hotel provided a free breakfast, and it was just a half block off Bourbon Street.  

There wasn't much of a view, but below us was the courtyard with a small plunge pool, some outdoor furniture, including a few tables and chairs.  It was never quite warm enough to have our breakfast outdoors, but I can see it would be a pleasant spot.


After a bit of unpacking, we walked around for awhile and made our to Preservation Hall for Creole Christmas.  K had purchased tickets for us on line before we left for the trip...good thing, as the show was sold out.  From the website "Join the Preservation Hall Jazz Band in celebrating “the most wonderful time of the year”—New Orleans-style! Enjoy a swingin’ evening as the band takes on holiday favorites and beloved standards in its inimitable style, with the joyful sounds of wailing trumpets and toe-tapping rhythms."  It was as advertised, only we saw the first of the afternoon shows at 1 p.m.  The band included drums, piano, trombone (with a warning to those in the front row), trumpet, tenor saxophone, bass, and a keyboard played by the gentleman who provided the vocals.  There was a cold wind blowing in the open doors, poor J just about froze, but still a very enjoyable show.  I was able to grab a cup of coffee and that helped me stay warm.  

After the show it was back to the hotel to warm up.  J and I left K to have a nap, as she wasn't feeling well.  We headed back to a nearby corner store, to pick up soft drinks and snacks.  As we were on our way back, we heard the sound of music. This was something we'd soon realize is the norm.  Where there are people in the French Quarter, there is music.  

In this case, the band was led by a policeman on a motorcycle and followed by a small crown and another motorcycle. What fun!


Later we went for dinner to Arnaud's Remoulade restaurant.  Arnaud's offers fine dining....think $$$, while Remoulade next door, is more along the lines of $$.  

I enjoyed a chicken po-boy and fries along with a beer.  J had a combination platter with file gumbo, crawfish pie, and jambalaya.  I can't recall what K ate, but we all had a taste of J's gumbo and oh my, was it tasty!  

After a short walk down Bourbon Street, we took a detour through the Royal Sonesta to view their Christmas decorations.  There were two hallways, both decorated to the max!  There were trees every few feet, and decorated beautifully.

It was difficult to find a view where people weren't in the photo, as we weren't the only ones enjoying the decor.

After a few more photos we headed back to the hotel.  It was chilly out and dark, and we were ready to relax in preparation for the busy day ahead.  (more to come tomorrow!)

Many pleasant surprises

What a week!  I knew it was going to busy and it certainly turned out that way.  There were the last minute things to take care of at work, which I managed mostly to handle by the end of day Wednesday.  That gave me an opportunity to wander about with my coffee cup (my trademark) and reminisce and say goodbye to my co-workers.  What surprised me were the number of individuals who came to see me.  It was surprising because, at least with a few of these I hadn't spoken to them in two years or more.  They work on different floors so our paths rarely cross. It was fun, and there only a few tears. 

Retirement cards from my co-workers

I should note that I expressly asked for no gifts or a card to be circulated throughout the office.  Some individuals decided to ignore my request. I'm okay with that because I know they were sincere in their best wishes.  One of my current staff gave me a pair of cozy slippers, another a photo album (for my upcoming trip), and two others gave me gift cards that I'll be able to use on my travels.  It was very thoughtful of them and very unexpected.

At about 1 p.m. my boss and I met, gathered up the items I needed to return (including my building pass), and made our way downstairs.  She didn't kick me out of the building but she did come to the door to see me out.  I thought I might feel tearful then but no, it was simply a sense of relief.  I have no regrets about my decision to leave, it was time.  

Later that evening, my younger brother R popped by for a short visit. He brought with him, these lovely flowers. I think he's as excited for my retirement as I am.  Now if I could just convince him to put in his paperwork.  He's been eligible for retirement for a couple of years now, but has chosen to stay on.  I know he wants to continue working - my thought is take the pension and find another job.  

I also heard from several friends including an e-mail from J in England and a phone call from my travel agent L. One of my readers also sent an e-mail the day prior which was so sweet.  I told L, my nail lady on Friday that I think of myself as a bit of loner and to experience that others would be so considerate and thoughtful is a bit overwhelming.  It certainly makes me think I need to be more caring of others as well.. 

Friday was an incredibly busy day.  I met with former co-workers for breakfast (all retired) and had a wonderful visit.  I did ask if there were any surprises to retirement.  They all agreed that the to do list was never finished.  Someone explained because there isn't the same urgency to get things done when one has to fit work in as well. Seems reasonable to me though with everything that I have coming up I'm not sure I'll experience those feelings just yet.

I had a couple more gifts to pick up this weekend.  I headed to the south end of the city to Chapters to pick up a gift card for my niece, and of course, a couple of books for myself.  I spent far too much time wandering the aisles looking at all the Christmas items and checking out books for Eli - goodness children's books are very expensive!  Then it was off to the liquor store to pick up a bottle of wine for my friends C and N.  I know nothing about wine - so after wandering the aisles aimlessly one of the employees helped a Canadian white wine, medium dry.  I hope they like it!

By this point it was time to head for my nail appointment.  I headed over towards Ring Road (it circles most of the city and is the fastest way to get from one end to the other).  Well, not Friday!  We had heavy, dense fog in the area and apparently the sensors that change the lights weren't acknowledging all of the traffic.  We sat through four series of lights before someone on our side got out of her vehicle and pushed the walk light.  I called the city and was informed they were aware and had a crew on its way.  (Yes, I called from my vehicle...I figured I'd risk getting a ticket since I was virtually parked anyway.)  

When I arrived a the nail salon, L surprised me with a small bouquet of tulips - purple of course.  I didn't know that tulips were available at this time of the year.  We had a great visit while she worked on my nails.  At point she asked about my plans to move to the island and I mentioned that when my son C moves out I'm going to convince him to get a two bedroom place so I have somewhere to stay.  She told me, I was always welcome to stay with her, especially in the summer because her husband is at the lake house since he works at the golf course there.  Wow!  This is when our conversation about my tendency to be a loner arose.  I am blessed to have so many caring people in my life.

Then it off to the gas station to fill my tank and pick up a gift card for my nephew.  Guess what I forgot?  Yes, the gift card which means another trip.    I realized it after I arrived home and was putting finishing touches on my wrapping.  Sigh...are memory lapses a sign of old age or was I trying to do too much?  I took the opportunity to sit and relax for a bit.  Later I met the Friday night crew for dinner where the conversations ranged from the earthquake in Alaska (so scary though thankfully it seems no one was seriously injured) and other current affairs, to plans for travel, and the happenings in everyone's lives.  

I left early, as I had plans to attend a performance of the Regina Lyric Music Theatre.  My former co-worker D who retired at the end of October had travelled from Saskatoon as her daughter M is one of the soloist.  It was an incredible performance of various musical themes from movies and Broadway shows.  M did an impressive job with her solo "Touch the Sky" from the movie Brave.  All the more so because according to her mom no one their family is the least bit musically talented except M.  D and I did manage a quick visit before the show and during the intermission and it was lovely to see her.   

While I was reading the list of performers I recognized the name of a girl I knew 40 years ago and when they came on stage...there she was!  After the show was over I was able to catch up with her and have a short conversation.  Her two children as young adults now, both very talented violists, one is studying musical theatre in New York, and the other was part of the band that evening.  AND she hasn't aged at all since she was a teenager, I swear.  (She told I haven't either and recognized me immediately but the mirror and my scale tell me different.)  There was one more surprise as one of my former co-workers I had breakfast with was also in attendance as a spectator.  

This post is getting incredibly long and since it's is only mid-Saturday and I know the weekend holds more, I'll post it and do another likely on Tuesday before I get away.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Happy Father's Day to Dad

I don't have many photos of my Dad.  I'm not even certain where I found this one, as I know I didn't take it, nor do I know where it was taken.  It's not a particularly good photo, a little blurred, but still is one of my favorites.  There is a sense of other-worldliness with the light shining onto him with a sense of his hands in motion on the keys.

Dad loved to play the piano though didn't get a lot of opportunity to do so.  Mom always yelled at him when he sat down to play so he had to wait until she was out of the house (usually on Sundays when she went to church).

I assume he could read music, as he had a couple of hymnals that he used.  I don't know when or where he took any lessons or if he was simply self-taught.  It wouldn't have surprised me if it were the latter.  He undertook the task of learning to read in French when he was sixty by using a dictionary and laboriously searching out every word.

Some of my earliest memories are standing beside Dad as he played, singing along to some of his favorite hymns.  There were several but my memory only recalls they included Flow Swiftly Sweet Afton and The Old Rugged Cross.  I can no longer recall the words of the first and only the first verse of the second. 

Dad passed away on September 15, 2008 at the age of 98. I'm sure there will be a celebration in heaven, though I suspect mom still won't allow him to play the piano.  Happy Father's Day Dad!  Thanks for the memories.

******
I've invited my daughter, J and baby Eli over for dinner this evening.  We'll celebrate J's first Father's Day.   He too, plays the piano, so I'm sure he and Eli will create some wonderful memories together.