FromSea2ShiningSea

“Christmas cards have all been sent. The Christmas rush is through. But I still have one wish to make. A Special one for you…Merry Christmas…” Everyone! My huge family celebrated Christmas last night. DS1 & DS2 with their spouses came home, nephew with his wife & 2 daughters came in from New York. All in all, 32 of us. There was so much food. I only have a few pictures to share. We had a 22lb. prime rib that SIL smoked, ham, homemade tamales and lots of other side dishes and desserts. We had Junior’s cheesecake from New York and the famous Collin Street Bakery fruitcake from Texas. I wish I could share some of the fruitcake with @dani negreanu Dani. I know she loves this fruitcake. As for Christmas movies, my favorites are A Charlie Brown Christmas and White Christmas. Both movies get to me every time 🥲.

Greg, thank you for your help in identifying the season of that show. You’re right. The food looked amazing. It was really interesting to see a little bit Croatia. We will be going there in 2025 on Voyager. I do like Hallmark Christmas movies. At Thanksgiving at my MIL’s, you should’ve seen, everyone was glued to the TV watching a Hallmark Christmas movie that was on, even all the guys. We were all guessing what was going to happen next and who was going to do what because there is a formula that the movies follow. I must admit though, those movies always make me cry. We don’t get cable TV at home (too expensive) so we don’t get these cable channels. It’s just as well because I would be watching so much that I wouldn’t get anything done. I hope Linda will get her surgery soon so to alleviate her pain and then your turn for hernia surgery after that. Meanwhile, hang in there and wishing you and Linda a very Merry Christmas. Hugs. I almost forgot…This is for you

We stayed an extra night in Houston before flying home the next day after our cruise this past Sunday. The hotel did not have Hallmark Channel but we found Below Deck Mediterranean on Bravo. Since there’s so much talk on here about Below Deck and me who have never watched it, I was real curious what it’s all about. So, we turned to it. I don’t know what season we were watching. It wasn’t prime time so it must’ve been old episodes from previous seasons. The yacht was named Sirocco. There was Sam, the captain; Hannah, the head steward; Wes; Malia; Bobby; Andy (I think that’s the name), the chef; Lauren, the 3rd steward; Buggy (or Bugsy- I don’t remember); and a few others that I can’t recall the names. I can see how with each episode, you get more and more hooked. I ended up watching all afternoon until it was time for dinner. Does anybody know what season this was from?

@Tree_skier Dave, I am so glad that you are on Harmony for a 2nd week because you and Sharron sure needed it after the stressful week that you had. Looks like you can finally relax and enjoy your cruise now. It is good that your DD will be taken care of now that she’s home and her medical issues will be resolved. What a pleasure it was to meet your family. Everyone was so nice and friendly. I only wish we had more time to spend with you all. I’m glad we saw them outside the terminal as they were waiting for their ride after debarkation. We got to say our goodbyes. I just love them. You are truly blessed, Dave and Sharron.

Greetings from Harmony! Adult Comedy in The Attic Balloon drop at midnight And of course a sunrise The gym this morning. It was actually pretty crowded. Menorah to celebrate Hanukkah We observed the Menorah lighting for the 5th day of Hanukkah by Rabbi Gary Gans Then we attended the Hanukkah Service in the Windjammer. We learned a little bit of the Jewish history and culture. The Windjammer prepared some food for the service- potato latkes and donuts. So we shared this after the service. Rabbi Gary said the latkes are not like his grandma’s. He said the greasier and crispier the better. The first thing I looked out for was whether they were like the ones that Dani @dani negreanu made. These did not look like hers. Tonight’s 90’s Party in the Royal Promenade

I forgot to mention that we are staying at the Hilton Garden Inn near Hobby Airport. Thank you, @George C for reminding me. The hotel shuttle gave us a ride to the restaurant (any restaurant that is within 1-2 miles and will pick us up after we’re done. We decided on this place and it turned out to be a very enjoyable meal. Maybe we were just hungry. @Tree_skier, Dave, I hope you all made it here okay and gone onto Galveston by now. We’ll see you tomorrow! @BonTexasNYBonnie, Merv is behaving not badly for now. Thank goodness. I was looking forward to watching some Hallmark Christmas movies on the hotel TV but they don’t have Hallmark channel. They have them on the Lifetime channel though.

We got in to Houston. I thought this was cute. Snoopy wearing a ducky shirt. It’s been so cold at home, at the airport and on the plane that it was so nice when I stepped off the plane and felt the warm air of Houston. It was in the 80’s. Checked into the hotel. It was all nicely decorated. I nodded off in our room and almost missed this. Another Christmas tree in the lobby Off to dinner now.

Boarded and ready to take off. The flight attendant on the mike making announcements is funny…”for real”.

I’d like to interrupt the Panama Canal cruise photos for this. We’ll be boarding shortly. So I will continue with PC photos later.

2nd part of our Puntarenas tour Look closely on the left side for the crocodile with its mouth opened ready for a bite. The Great Blue Heron

On Day 8 we’ve reached our first port, Puntarenas, Costa Rica This was their first lighthouse but without the house

A few photos here from October’s Radiance Panama Canal cruise. The sunset as we were leaving San Diego. Found in the Windjammer for @Ocean Boy. The little plaques on the wall: “New England Lighthouse” created by Victor Stuart Graham was born next to the sea in Newhaven, Sussex. He was inspired by the power, changing colors and “moods” of the sea. He also grew up around lightouse structures and admire their individual architecture. His love of both elements is evident in his work.

Maryann, you are so kind. Thank you for checking up on M & me. We are doing fine. I just took a break from CC for a while to focus on some projects at home. Once in a while, I would skim through real quick the many pages on Dani’s thread and that’s about all I could do. There are still so many pictures from our Panama Canal cruise that I wanted to post. I hope to be able to post some before going on our next cruise in a week on Harmony out of Galveston. Mark, this just brought tears to my eyes. Those are the two best words to hear: “No Cancer”. I’m so happy for you, daughter and family. Now you can all go celebrate and enjoy your cruise and the Christmas Holidays. What a blessing!

Good morning as we approach Cozumel

Thank you! We made it to SD but because of all the backlog of flights, there is no open gates. We are waiting for one to open to move the plane to the gate. Also, we got an email from Royal that due to fog, Radiance could not dock so everything was delayed for an hour. They asked us to arrive at the terminal one hour later than our check in time. When approaching landing, we saw out of the window our ship at the dock. The terminal is very close to the airport.

@dani negreanu So sorry for what you are going through again. My heart and prayer go out to you. I’m thankful you have a distraction here to keep your mind off all that is happening there. I hope DH is doing okay. Hugs! @Luckynana Thank you, Maryann. We are still waiting at the gate. Our flight has been delayed twice due to fog in San Diego. Departure time is now 9:42 AM.

Dynjandi in Isafjordur, Iceland Dynjandi means literally thundering noise which describes perfectly the waterfalls Look at the dark cloud that is a little above the left of the church. What do you see? The shape of a church. Church in the Sky. That is spooky to me. Orange lighthouse for @Ocean Boy

Akureyri, Iceland- Cod was most commonly dried. In 1877, the townspeople learned the technique of salting fish which gave a boost to the fishing industry. Laufas Manor Farm- Laufas Church dates back to 1060. The church was rebuilt in 1865. Sod houses- for insulation. They are connected inside to one another for the purpose of sharing heat. In the winter, they bring their cows in as the cows would help keep them warm. Laufas Kirkja (backwards on the gate) means Laufas Church Icelandic horses- They have short legs and they look like ponies but they are not ponies. They are horses. Icelandic horses are bred in Iceland and they can be exported but once they leave, they cannot return. No other breeds are allowed in Iceland. We got to see these up close. From Akureyri Botanical Gardens Trolls- They are part of Iceland’s folklore and myths.

We fly down to San Diego tomorrow morning. Going to meet DS1 & DS2 & their spouses for lunch in Old Town before boarding. Hope to see your at Sailaway. Remember, I’ll have red shades on. 😎 We were sorry to see you switch cruises. We were looking forward to meeting you. But I’m glad you got to enjoy the Greenland cruise except for the rough seas and you getting sick at the end. At least it was at the end and not the beginning of the cruise. I hope you and DW are all better now.

Dover, England- the last of the British Isles ports. Lighthouse in the harbor. White cliffs and Dover Castle in the background. Breakwater lighthouse White cliffs of Dover Dover Castle Walmer Castle Canterbury Cathedral Not my picture. I took it from a picture on a wall in the cathedral. We went to the town of Sandwich. We didn’t go to Ham. So we ended with a plain sandwich.

Cork, Ireland English Market Charles Fort, Kinsale Butter Chicken- My #1 favorite

Waterford (Dunmore E), Ireland. Are you tired of castles? Me, too. So is this guy in the white top. He’s on the “ABC- Another Bloody Castle” tour. The Kilkenny Castle Couple lighthouses for OB @Ocean Boy

I’m sorry to hear about your health issues, Greg @Sea Dog and @DaniDanielle (your Charlie’s). I hope you all get better soon. @maggieq We were on the 12-Night British Isles cruise that started on 8/16/2023.

8/23 Holyhead, Wales Caenarrfon Castle was constructed and commissioned in 1283 not only as a military stronghold but also as a seat of government and royal palace. Gylderau- a picturesque mountain range in Northern Wales Snowdonia National Park Heather Right in the center of Snowdonia National Park is the “capital”, Betws-Y-Coed (prayer-house in the woods), a fairy-tale town with many shops, cafes, pubs and locals. There is also a railroad station behind the shops. St. Michael’s Old Church Conwy Castle UK’s longest place name- one of the longest town names in the world

8/22 Liverpool sunrise This was a pub where Ringo’s mom used to work at. Ringo and his mom moved to the house that’s right across from this house. Paul & John (I think) used to sit at this churchyard gravesite. That’s where they got the inspiration to write the song Eleanor Rigby- from the tombstone. Strawberry Field was a Salvation Army home for children. John Lennon lived nearby and would play here when he was a child. On the left side of the photo, tucked way inside and under the trees is the red gate to Strawberry Field.