rafinmd

Just to be sure, I've circled myself: Great sailaway. I'm guessing Reflection got PP. Roy

Our gangway is gone. Ambo appears to have just left Reflection with a patient. Roy

I hope this is not a sign of things to come. I MUST be at dinner at 5PM or very close and Caribbean Princess has not shown any signs of leaving. Roy

We appear to be ready to leave except for the blocker. Roy

I am on board but have a lot to do before I'm ready to write anything serious. Arrived at port 11, snagged a great parking spot and was on board at 11:30. Elevators are a zoo but most everything else is going well. Roy

Thank you Rich, Vanessa, Debbie, Ann, and Dixie. I don't really relate to today's days but wish a cure for Pneumonia. Strange quote by Brooks. I think I attempted today's port once on the Crystal Symphony but was unable to tender. I wonder if the inventors of the web had any idea what they had created. Not sure about the meal. My alternative is Iced Melon Bisque, Rustic Home Made Lasagna, and Peach Melba Sundae as served on MS Prinsendam November 12, 2017: Roy

Not sure about the timing and if it will happen but I will try to be on the top deck above the "Rotterdam" sign. Roy

Saturday, November 11, 2023, Fort Lauderdale, Florida Well, I did a lot of driving Saturday with not a lot to show for it. I was up early enough to catch the sun coming up just before heading to the breakfast room. The breakfast was ok but not as good as the past few days. I did have a couple of things I wanted to do. There was a church I often visited when in Miami and they are currently redeveloping what had been their building, creating a mixed use complex of retail, residential units, and worship space. I also wanted to replace the battery in my watch which was showing signs of weakness. My internet search of watch repair places near the hotel was not very productive, but I thought I would try Dadeland Mall which I visited frequently when my brother lived in that area. I left the hotel about 9 and traffic was more difficult than I expected but I THINK I identified the church site. I did not see any sign of a place of worship but the stage of construction and the signs advertising residences looked right. The drive to Dadeland was much slower than I expected and to my surprise the parking lot was so packed I gave up trying to get there. I stopped on the way back for Panera, a split order with soup for lunch and mac and cheese which I could microwave for dinner, and was back at the hotel about 2. I did find a mom & pop jewelry repair at a place about 20 minutes from the hotel. They did the job quickly and for a fair price, but counting the gas and the wear and tear on the car it was the most expensive watch battery I will ever buy. At least it’s done. I was back at the hotel about 4 and hope to be in bed fairly early. Roy

Great sailaway. Thanks Leanne, Lou & Dave, and fellow addicts. My turn tomorrow. Roy

Or was that a NA departure toot? Roy

At least we have a toot. Roy

Today's sunrise is from a 2014 Winds Star cruise from Lisbon to Barbados. On November 11 we visited Casablanca: Roy

Today's sunrise is from a 2014 Winds Star cruise from Lisbon to Barbados. On November 11 we visited Casablanca: Roy

Happy Veterans Day. Thank you Rich, Vanessa, Debbie, Ann, and Dixie. I'll pass on the Oragami but salute Angola and celebrate Education. I have not been to Agios. This was certainly a great day in 105 years ago. Interesting quote by Einstein. I like the meal but won't have access to a stove top for several weeks. My alternative is Chilled Cherry Sour Soup, Oven Roasted Chicken, and Apple Pie Sundae as served on MS Prinsendam November 11, 2017: Roy

Friday, November 10, 2023, Lake Wales to Fort Lauderdale It was a tiring but not very interesting day. I was up early and did catch the sunrise from a housing complex connected to the hotel. I checked out about 8 and was soon headed for Fort Lauderdale, pretty much due East to I95 and then south. I made about 4 stops along the way, the final one in Fort Lauderdale for lunch, and was at the Comfort Inn South about 1. I had a couple of things I wanted to take care of on the internet so I hung out in the lobby for a while and by the time I was finished rooms were starting to open up. The room is bigger than the Holiday Inn Express rooms but I don’t think the extra size is really that much of a benefit. The one thing that is not great about it is that while there are a lot of electrical outlets, there are only 2 USB slots. It will all work out anyway. Dinner was at Panera a couple miles southwest of the hotel. On the way back I discovered something to file away for the future. Apparently while being loaded on the auto train my cars headlights had been turned off and I hadn’t noticed it since I hadn’t done any night driving for several days. The first time away from bright street lights it became obvious. Roy

I can't argue with that but this time I found the Orlando area even worse. Roy

Instead of a sunrise today I have a sunset from yesterday, taken from the area near my Lake Wales Hotel: Roy

Instead of a sunrise today I have a sunset from yesterday, taken from the area near my Lake Wales Hotel: Roy

The worst of the driving is over. I am at my Fort Lauderdale hotel but my room won't be ready for at least another hour. Roy

The worst of the driving is over. I am at my Fort Lauderdale hotel but my room won't be ready for at least another hour. Roy

Thank you Rich, Vanessa, Debbie, Ann, and Dixie. Happy Friday. Nice days, especially the Forget Me Not Day. I like the Parker quote but have not been to today's port. Certainly a great day to celebrate in Germany. No idea what the meal is. My alternative is hot dog and ice cream, not for the culinary value but for the setting, Bok Tower Gardens where I visited yesterday and enjoyed beautiful settings including the glory of their 60-bell Carillon. Need to get busy and loaded up for the drive to Fort Lauderdale. Roy

Thursday, November 9, 2023, Winter Garden to Lake Wales I was up pretty close to 6 and once again watched the sun come up outside my hotel window. After a light breakfast at the hotel I headed out about 7:30, stopping first at the cemetery outside Lakeland where my parents are buried and my ashes will someday join them. Most of the graves are simple markers flush with the ground but I did notice one prominent stone easy to find and right next to their resting place. The second stop is likely my favorite place in Florida. Edward Bok made a fortune as publisher of Ladies Home Journal and on retirement became a philanthropist. He purchased one of the highest points of land in Florida and established a 70-acre botanical garden designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, and the center piece of the garden is a 205-foot tower with a 60-bell carillon. I have found I no longer have the energy to experience the garden the way I used to but did enjoy 2 of my favorite places. There is a small shed called “Window on the Pond”, just a simple cabin with a front window and a few benches. It looks out on a pond where sometimes wildlife comes around unexpectedly, but it was quiet for the time I was there. Leaving the pond I went back to the visitor center for lunch, a hot dog and ice cream. Not exactly gourmet food but the atmosphere is tops. There are recorded carillon selections played from the tower on the half hour so it is a delight for all the senses. There are concerts daily at 1 and 3 so I headed up to the tower about 12:30 to be ready. There is an observation area near the tower with a TV screen focused on the artist as they play, and I settled in there. Sometimes the concerts are recordings but today we had Chief Carillonneur Geert D’hollander at the console for about a 35-minute performance. After the performance I left and headed to my hotel. My first 3 hotel nights have all turned out to be Holiday Inn Express and I was surprised to see how much alike they all were, from the rooms and furnishings to apparently the breakfast menus. I grabbed takeout at the McDonalds in the same shopping center and ate in my car as the sun was setting across the highway. I was once again settled in for the night a little after 9.

Thank you Rich, Vanessa, Debbie, Ann, and Dixie. If I go to an art museum today it will be of the botanical art variety. Carl Sagan and World Freedom are certainly to be celebrated. I think I like the Ellis quote. I have not been to Polermo. I have no idea what the menu suggestion is. My alternative is Chilled Mango Gazpacho, Chateaubriand, and Carrot Cake A la Mode as served on MS Prinsendam : November 9, 2017: Time for breakfast and then final packing to hit the road. Roy

This view of my roomette at night is for @grapau27. Roy

Wednesday, November 8, 2023, Arrive Florida, Auto Train I’ll start with another view of the Roomette, this one in the sleeping mode. The slanted shelf in the upper right is the upper bunk which swivels down to use. I rose about 6:15 in time to see the sun come up South of Jacksonville and when I returned and Gerald had returned the Roomette to day use mode. The train makes just one stop, I think somewhere in South Carolina, around midnight. No passengers board or disembark there but the train is serviced (especially fuel) and it is the one chance people have to grab a cigarette. While a hot breakfast is now served the choices did not appeal to me and I opted instead for the grab and go option, primarily Raisin Bran and Coffee Cake. We made good time for the stretch run and arrived at the Sanford terminal about a half hour early. Unfortunately, things went a bit down hill for the rest of the day. The first cars, 30 “priority” vehicles arrived by 10 and cars came off rapidly after that, but the display showing car numbers was not working, and there was no real break to the need to concentrate on listening for the right number. Mine came off about 10:30 and I was ready to head off to my Niece’s house after stopping for gas. Somehow, I had checked the saved places on my car GPS and she was there so I headed off only to discover on arrival that what I had was her 2018 address. After I input the correct street it was not too far away and I arrived just before noon, but she was stuck at a long meeting at work so it was just me and the cat for the first hour. Her son is a Junior in college, and I also learned her daughter has been involved in a drama program in High School which has her on campus until very late most days. The hotel is very similar to the one I used in Lorton, and I expect a fairly early start in the morning. Roy