Halifax - Day 1

Not surprisingly, D and I were awake by 6 a.m., though Eli slept through until 7. When everyone was up and dressed, we headed down to the breakfast room. The menu was the same every day we were there: scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage, ham, cereal, muffins, bagels/bread for toasting, yogurt, and for those willing to wait a little longer, waffles. There was definitely something for everyone. 

When I set up the schedule for our trip (yes, there was a spreadsheet), I had planned a couple of activities/places to see, but of course with lots of free time. Our agenda for Day 1 was the Maritime museum and Pier 21 Museum of Immigration. We only made it to the first and walked part of the boardwalk on the waterfront. There was salt water taffy to buy and a playground for Eli to enjoy. I had warned D there would be a lot of walking, and there was and both she and Eli ended up early in the day with blisters. . D was able to switch out shoes, but Eli's blister was on the bottom of his foot. 

In addition to this area, there was a climbing apparatus with slides, and a large concrete whale tail to climb. It was the latter that caused Eli's blister. He tried to climb it wearing his shoes but wasn't able to make it to the top. Barefoot he basically walked up but when he slid down, he tried slowing himself down, resulting in the blister.

Off we went to find a drugstore, and while D ran in to get what she needed, I searched for a restaurant for lunch. Some distance from downtown, we found Willman's Fish and Chips. The business was originally opened in 1946 at the same location, though has had two other owners since. The latest owners have rebuilt in the same location, a corner lot in what seemed to be a mostly residential area. It was quiet, just one other family was dining while we were there, and I can confirm the food was delicious!

Back at the hotel we spent an hour or so at the pool. I should mention Halifax was under a heat warning for the first couple of days, with temperatures over 30C (86F) and the humidity was high. I didn't get in the pool that day, but D and Eli enjoyed the cool water. When we headed back to the room, I napped for nearly 90 minutes - I guess I was more tired than I realized. After my nap, we headed out to a nearby Dollarama to pick up some inexpensive beach towels - the ones at the hotel were no bigger than hand towels. 

On our way back, we stopped at a local pizzeria, Tomaso's, touted as the oldest pizzeria in Halifax. Originally opened in 1969 in downtown Halifax, the current owner moved to the Bedford Highway location. The restaurant has no air conditioning, so we chose to take our meal back to the hotel. We ordered a combo, including a pizza, garlic fingers, and a 2 litre bottle of pop/soda. There was more than enough food for two nights, plus a snack or two. 

While the day didn't pan out the way I had thought it might, we did have a good day. D would have liked to have spent more time at the Maritime museum, and Eli would have liked more time at the playground area at the waterfront. I was happy with my nap. :)

The weather improved the next day, and with proper footwear and bandages, it was a busy one. 

Back on pace

This week started off with a busy, busy day! Eli and D had doctor's appointments in the city, and we were on the highway by 8 a.m. Their first appointment was with the neurologist to discuss Eli's medications and to address his hand tremor. This neurologist doesn't generally treat children, but all of the ped neurologists are unable to see him at this time. We think Dr I enjoys seeing Eli, at least based on his conversations with D. He's decided to request another EEG to determine if Eli is continuing to have mild momentary seizures that are not evident. D got a call later in the week with an appointment for early October in the city.

This appointment was short - I'd run to Value Village (no deals worth getting) and had arrived back at the office just as they came out.  We headed over to my son's house. He was fast asleep and we didn't wake him, but Saku (the cat) was happy to see me. Eli watched a bit of television, before I went to pick up lunch for all of us. We left about an hour before the next appointment and found a park where Eli could run and play. It was stinking hot and humid at 32C/90F and after 40 minutes I was more than ready to drop them off at the doctor's office. These appointments were with their GP. 

I made a run over to the nearby Home Depot to pick up nail strips so we can hang some peg board in the basement. There was a bit of time to kill, as I knew Dr J often runs late. So, I wandered through Walmart, and as I pulled back into the lot, I received a text from D saying they were ready. Perfect timing. 

Our last stop on the way out of the city was at the Costco. OMG, that place was insane. Eli wore his noise cancelling headphones and I was wishing I had a pair. We managed to get everything on our list...plus there were several impulse buys (my daughter). There is good reason why I don't let her grocery shop with me very often. We were home by about 4:30 p.m. I was exhausted by this point, so it was a quiet evening.

I slept late on Tuesday morning (until 7!). I was happy to see we'd had rain overnight, nearly 3/8th's of an inch. Poor Stanley wasn't happy because I didn't have my tea outdoors that morning. It was too wet, humid and buggy!

D had another appointment at 11, this one by telephone, so I took Eli out for an hour or so. We dropped by Canadian Tire, Pet Valu (where we visited with Marmalade, a wee orange kitten), McDonald's for lunch, and then a stop at the park where he played with several friends. He climbed the tree, the playground apparatus, and played in the splash pad. He wasn't happy when I said we needed to leave, so we drove around looking for houses numbered 303. Don't ask me, it has something to do with the video games he plays or maybe it is part of the videos he watches. His mom was just finishing up her conversation when we walked into the house.

In the afternoon, we decided to spend some time at the pool. It was closing on Thursday as the student lifeguards are going back to school soon. It was again, a hot afternoon but dipping into the pool to cool off, we spent over two hours there. I managed to read a portion of my book.

The temperature dropped a bit on Wednesday, but it was very humid. I did have my morning tea with Stanley in the catio, but only stayed outdoors for a half hour or so. The rest of the day was pretty quiet, as the clouds would roll in and it would look as if we were in for a thunderstorm, but then the sun would return. We decided to take the day off and got some meal planning and housework done instead while Eli played in the basement. He has the most interesting way of watching television!

BTW, the carrot he was holding in the Wednesday photo was one of the seeds he had planted. I didn't thin the plants as well as I ought to have, so I'm not sure how many more we'll see from his planting.

We had a thunderstorm roll through on Wednesday night and by morning we'd had about a 1/2 inch of rain. It is well appreciated. I did the weekly grocery shop in the morning and took Stanley out for a half hour or so just around lunch time. It was heating up, although the temperature was 23C (73F) with the humidity it felt more like 26C (79F). He didn't sit in the sun long, and found his way to the portion of the catio I'd placed in the shade. Meanwhile, I did some deadheading, pulled a few weeds, and gave the petunias in the front yard a haircut. They were getting very leggy but will come back fuller in a couple of weeks. When I got back to Stan, he was asking to be let out of the catio, so we headed back indoors.

D and Eli ran a couple of errands and then we all got ready to go the pool for the last afternoon. I was expecting a big crowd for the last day, but it wasn't too bad at all. I cooled off in the pool for a bit, then sat in the sun to read. It didn't take long to feel heated in the sun, so back in the pool again for another dip and back out for more reading. We didn't stay too long, just over an hour, but we all felt refreshed. At home, Stanley and I went out again so I could read and he could hang in the catio. The book I'm reading isn't very good, but I'm determined to finish it because I want to know, "who done it".

We haven't made it to the nearby lake and beach yet this summer, so Friday was to be our day. However, we woke to heavy smoke from the forest fires blanketing the area. I had left a window open overnight, and woke coughing about 4 a.m. It was closed in a hurry, but although I dozed a bit, I was up for the day.

It may look like rain, but that is all smoke. It didn't dissipate until mid-afternoon. D and I tackled some more housework including vacuuming and laundry. I also tackled the pantry, sorting and reorganizing. Eli was happy to hang out in his basement - it too could use some clean-up and organizing, but his mom says she'll wait until he's back in school before tackling that area.

This weekend we're planning to go to the rodeo in town. There are horse races both days, but on Sunday the youth rodeo will be held featured with barrel riding, steer riding, and the event I always find hilarious, mutton busting. Imagine a child (usually from 6-12) leaping onto the back of a sheep, that is being sort of held by two other youngsters. The goal is to ride the sheep for as long as one can...think seconds, not minutes. We likely won't stay at the park long enough to watch that event, but we'll see.

We had more rain overnight, just over a quarter inch, with thunderstorms expected throughout the day. Unless the sun comes out, I suspect we won't venture far today either. I've got rhubarb out to make a galette, the kitchen floor needs washing, and D has some things to do for Eli for school and fall activities.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Life is good

I'm glad to be home, though I truly enjoyed my latest (and last, at least for awhile) vacation. It's time to get serious about getting this house ready for re-sale....and I'll get there after a good cleaning, more clear-up and those pesky repairs I need to do.  But in the meantime, there is catching up to do.  I've been watching the women's curling (which I PVR'ed) and the men's worlds event started yesterday.  Priorities right?

While I'm watching television, doing laundry and other housework, I'll share some of my photos from the trip.  Since this cruise took me to three of the islands I visited on the last cruise there aren't nearly as many!  But I did visit two new ports, returned to one I hadn't been to since 2011 (on my very first cruise), and I crossed off a bucket list item.  More on that later.

This is at least the third cruise I've done on the Crown Princess.  I love this ship for several reasons, but most of all for the aft pool (Terrace) that is adult only, quiet - no loud music at any time, has the Outrigger Bar, and is close to the buffet.  I always select a cabin close, and this time I wasn't more than 30 feet from the back stairs that lead up to the pool area.  It's my very favorite place to spend time in the sun, eat a meal, or have a drink.  
The photo to the right shows the aft while we were in Barbados.  At the top where the flag is flying is the Terrace pool area.  It's not large which means it never gets crowded, and above the pool is an area with tables and chairs for meals or simply relaxing when the deck chairs are full.

My room was on the next floor down, on the starboard (right) side of the ship.  I had an inside cabin again.  It was a standard room except there were two bunks on either side of the bed that could be brought down for additional guests.  Of course, I didn't need them but found I kept bumping into them as I got into bed.  Eventually I learned to go over the end of the bed but not before I got a couple of bruises!



 This was the view from the aft while prior to sail-away.  I believe that's the Harmony of the Seas (a Royal Caribbean ship) to the left and behind that is the Regal Princess.  It was a cloudy day with periods of sunshine but no rain. 

The bridge in the background is the 17th Street causeway bridge and you'll see it again later from the other direction.

This is the other pool that I spent time at, but not during the day!  The big screen is used to provide entertainment showing concerts and movies.  In the evening it is an outdoor movie theater. Many of the deck chairs have added pads, there are blankets (not really needed) and free popcorn is handed out.  I watched a few movies there, including The Green Book, Old Man and a Gun, and The Wife.  I also saw A Star is Born and Bohemian Rhapsody on my flights, and one evening watch Ocean's Eight on my stateroom television.  Anyone who knows me well knows this is unusual as I normally don't have the patience to sit through a movie.  I enjoyed all of them, but must say that The Green Book was the best and deserved the Oscar win.

Also deserving of a reward was the pilot and crew of this Coast Guard helicopter.  On our second day at sea, a passenger had to be medivaced from the ship to San Juan, Puerto Rico.  The crew on the ship drained both pools in the center of the ship in preparation, to allow a basket and the helicopter medic to be lowered onto the ship. That area was closed to the rest of the passengers but the Terrace was still open.  This photo was taken prior to the medivac and I chose not to stay to watch when they completed the mission. The helicopter circled the ship a number of times to get the speed correct as the ship continued to sail, albeit at a lower speed.  The precision is something to see, and I'm hopeful the passenger has made a complete recovery. 

 Back to sail-away!  Coming out the channel, we pass by some lovely (and I expect very expensive homes).  Often there are residents out waving good-bye to the cruise ships.

Further along this channel are two large apartment blocks.  I was disappointed to see that the giant hands that used to wave good-bye from one of the apartment balconies weren't there.  Perhaps the occupants were away that day or have moved.

 As the ship moves out to the ocean, we pass by the beach.  It has been on my bucket list for sometime to spend a day or so on the beach, and be there to wave good-bye to the cruise ships.  This trip I did it and you'll see the photos in a later post.  

Spoiler alert - the weather wasn't nearly as nice as the day we sailed. :(

One final photo for today, from the 16th deck look out to sea.  I believe that is the Harmony leading the way, but I'm not certain.  We had two days at sea before we reached our first port, St. Kitts.  I spent the time relaxing by the pool, reading, and wandering the ship.  Dinner in the evenings was spent with a lovely group of people, a couple from Coquitlam, B.C., a couple from New Hampshire, and an older couple from Florida.  The latter, Fred and Ruth, are their nineties, have sailed more than 600 days on Princess, but more importantly are Holocaust survivors.  They met in a camp when they were just teenagers.  Ruth escaped while Fred survived and they met again in France where they were married before emigrating to the U.S.  Both lost their entire families to the Nazis.  Despite the tragedies they've suffered, they are a truly loving and compassionate couple, both hilarious in their comments, and such fun.  They tend to win trivia games, a lot, so we were each gifted with a prize at our final dinner together.  I hope sometime to meet up with them again.

Life is good!  I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I hope I never lose the feeling of wonder and excitement of travelling to different places and meeting a diverse group of people.  These experiences remind me that I am fortunate to live in the time and place I do while opening my mind to other experiences and ideas.

Have a great day everyone!