All Things EARTH... part 2

[awhfy]

Anita, Hancock Fabric is going out of business so I went s bit crazy with Sunbrella fabric. I'm redoing my patio furniture & swing (must be nuts!). But $50 for an entire bolt of 72" wide material (that's usually $500-600) was too good to miss, sigh. I'll be busy

[Sailor_Sally]

Windstar really reminds me of Club med but on a ship . The casual atmosphere and the abundance of water activities . When I was younger I loved Club Med . I still get nostalgic when I hear the theme song . It was the perfect vacation when I was working to relieve stress .

I love the pictures of the desert table they set up on the beach and I love the sports deck but I am also crossing it off my list only because I am now more into sightseeing in areas I have not been then kayaking even though I have a kayak in my back yard & live on the water .

[MJC]

Sally, I totally get it. Living in NYC, the last thing I want to do is visit another skyscraper city. I'd rather experience something more unique to me, whatever the country.

 

Awww, Laurie. So disappointed for you. :(

 

BTW, I meant to finish up, but I had food poisoning. And now I'm away for a teacher conference. I promise I'm almost finished.

 

Pam, thank you for your sweet words. This is the first vacation I've enjoyed without worrying in a long, long time, and I credit the classes I've been taking at the Alzheimer's Association. They've taught me a lot about how to communicate better and insulate myself a bit from all the craziness. DH having a new hip was also a huge boost to our enjoyment factor. It's been a huge blessing to have my fun buddy back. :)

Edited April 6, 2016 by MJC

[awhfy]

Sorry Laurie [emoji22]. At least both teams made the Final 4; a truly significant accomplishment.

 

Margaret, hope you're feeling better! Food poisoning is the worst. So glad your fun buddy is fun again; I know exactly what you mean! Melody

[laurspag]

I really can't complain. Two teams in the Final Four, and one made it to the big dance! My depression is slowly lifting...

 

I ordered two months bathing suit cover ups from Macy's. I really have to learn to order things when I see them. Target had some great ones and because I waited, they were sold out. Anyway, one of the ones I ordered seemed to have the color of my new bathing suit in it. The suit with the built in necklace. MIT seemed iffy. But iymt came in today and it's very earthy! I will try to get a picture of it tomorrow. I really like things to MN Atchison. It isn't my favorite style but it will work.

 

The other one is way off. I had this fire tankini. The color is called persimmon and it is an orange red color. That one will go back.

 

Margaret, it is so good to hear that your husnmbsmmnd is getting back to his old self. When was his surgery - December? My sister gets around great with a cane me but she still swells a lot if she over does it.

 

Those classes sound like they have been a big help to you. There is so much to deal with and it can be very stressful.

[laurspag]

I have to work on the typing when using my phone. Sorry!

 

 

Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk

[awhfy]

Laurie, I understood everything you said (I read "fat" fingering typing, I have same issue.). Melody

[laurspag]

The worst thing is, my phone won't let me go back and edit. And to think, I just got a bigger phone with a bigger keyboard! Lol!

 

I didn't get a picture yet, but I put my new cover up next to the swimsuit I had in mind when I ordered it, and it almost looks like it was a specially chosen set. I love it when things match.

 

I did enjoy that one cover up from Athleta. Melody, you said you had it in an aqua color, I think. I couldn't see me wearing it, but it is super lightweight, and it makes it much easier when you stroll around in the sun because you get such good protection.

 

You're about two weeks away from your vacation. You must be so excited!

 

I think about what I'm going to wear on my next cruise all the time, but because snow came back over the weekend, I've still got all my winter clothes out and the shorts and the like are packed. I now exactly what I have in bottoms because I picked up a few pair of shorts for the last cruise, and since lucked out on some shorts from Eddie Bauer.

 

I may not pick a color theme, but because I stick with earthy colors, I can mix and match most everything readily. I try to adjust my choices to make the shoe selection easier. I had changed my boarding outfit for the last cruise a little because the sandals I picked out would have only been worn the one time.

 

I have some great dress choices. I may try on my possibilities for formal night and narrow it down from there. I originally planned to wear this the first formal night:

 

 

and then this for the second:

 

 

The first dress fits nicer, and the second dress has been taken in. It's not a very good picture, but it's an olive green.

 

I may still stick to that, but I haven't really decided for sure. I have that new gold cocktail dress now too. I know I really want to wear this one too, probably for what I call our date night. We always go to a specialty restaurant once, and the plan is to go to Giovanni's Table.

 

 

Like with my daytime outfits, my choices may come down to what shoes go with what.

[awhfy]

You'll look great Laurie.

 

I've decided on lemon-lime green (dD calls it highlighter yellow/green, turquoise & Royal blue. White & black for bottoms. 3 print tops (2 for evening & 2 day). 3 bathing suits & 4 rash guards. Black jumpsuit & black sequin top (over the jumpsuit) for the 2 elegant chic (Celebrity doesn't call it formal night anymore). DH isn't bringing his tux (bit too big since the surgery). He'll bring black silk blend slacks, his Armani black sport coat ($26 at Marshals, my Best Buy ever!) & 2 long sleeved dress shirts & 14 (yup) Tommy B Aloha shirts & khakis. He's actually leaving 8 Aloha shirts at home (his comment, I think I don't need anymore, yah think?)

 

We leave in 14 days!!! I could go tomorrow. Melody.

[MJC]

Laurie, your dress options are so wonderful. You really picked some lovely things for yourself.

 

Melody, your packing list on the FIRE thread sounds just perfect. Your clothing implies that you will have some fun and relaxing times ahead.

[awhfy]

Margaret, I've left room for purchases too. Probably overkill on the rash guards, but I figure I'll wear them as tops on the cool sea days on the way to Vancouver

 

Just traded some Marriott points for a new Canon camera (pocket size with 30 zoom). It better come before we leave! Melody

[MJC]

I use my waterproof camera a lot because it fits in a pocket and is hardy. I let DH carry the bigger one with the fancy stuff. I have a pretty good camera too but it seems like overkill to take all three.

[MJC]

Our morning was at sea, so after a leisurely breakfast we went to the gym. Between that and the paddleboarding the day before, I had my aches and pains, so I went to the hot tub. I hate to even give away the secret, but one of our favorite spots was this forward location. You can walk around the white thing encircling the hot tub and lean out over the bow and really feel the ocean. It was empty all week and we would go there after excursions to rinse off and enjoy a cold drink (there was a cooler there with ice cold sodas):

 

 

On this day, there were a couple people there because they had announced it would be a good location for the canal transit. I was chatting with one of the guests when out of the corner of my eye I saw some movement. We had a handful of dolphins leading us to Panama, leaping and playing in front of the ship. So fun. I watched them for a while and never did get in the hot tub!

 

This is what I wore for the rest of the day. I love this super lightweight cotton RL shirt, partly because I stalked it until it went from $90 to $20 at a store near my parents. This tan cotton skort ended up being a bit hot so most of the week I chose the blue sport fabric one. In fact I wish I had just brought two of those. I bought a couple more as soon as I got home in olive and tan. Here we are in the outside portion of the Veranda restaurant:

 

 

 

On the way to lunch, we spotted this menagerie in the lobby:

 

 

I wore my gold flip flops until we anchored and I switched to my Merrills for our afternoon excursion, now known as the “stupid monkey boat ride.”

[MJC]

After lunch we took zodiacs to the yacht club, where we boarded a bus to go to the river. It took almost an hour to get there. Our guide talked the whole way but we couldn’t hear him where we were seated. They loaded us into boats like this:

 

 

We drove down the river, which was nice, and into the Panama Canal, which was cool because there were giant tankers and things going right by us. Again the river guide talked the whole way, but we couldn’t hear because we were all the way in the back next to a giant outboard motor. It was so loud we couldn’t even talk to each other. They spotted something and nosed the boat to the shore, so of course we didn’t see a darned thing because we were in the back. Eventually they coaxed this capuchin onboard for about ten seconds:

 

 

We drove around a while but didn’t see any more monkeys. Then we retraced our steps, and because we were in the BACK we had full sun going back to the dock. Then another hour on the bus.

 

So, here is my complaint. I tried and tried to find out where we would be docking or going ashore so we could do something on our own. I tried and tried to find out exactly when we could go ashore and when the last zodiac back was. There just wasn’t any information about it anywhere, and Windstar just provided vague comments about being at the mercy of the Canal Authority for scheduling. I told DH to pick a shore excursion if he wanted to, and we thought this boat ride would be fun. In retrospect we would have been happier just to have a drink at the yacht club and come back, or just stay on board, or hire a driver for an hour to give us a city tour. It turned out the last zodiac was at 5:30 so they weren’t out in the harbor after dark, so we couldn't have had dinner ashore like I originally planned. We joked with our comrades that it should have been called THE Monkey Island, since there was only one. :) 

 

That night was the pool deck party and barbeque. It was delicious and after we ate we had tons of fun dancing under the stars to the “good” combo that had been playing at the Star Bar all week. I wore my sparkly Keds and we hustled the night away. We got sweaty but we didn’t care!

[awhfy]

I use my waterproof camera a lot because it fits in a pocket and is hardy. I let DH carry the bigger one with the fancy stuff. I have a pretty good camera too but it seems like overkill to take all three.

 

 

DH has his big fancy camera & all the lenses & his underwater camera. I have my phone & hopefully this new one. I could use the underwater one, but I don't like it (buttons are awkward with my nails). This is a Canon, 30 zoom that is pocket sized, just hope it gets here in time! Anytime you can get a $500 camera for just points...Melody

[MJC]

Melody, I heard several stories during the week about people dropping their cell phones in the water while taking pictures, or having a drink spilled on it, or dropping it in the sand. Between the zodiacs and all the water activities our cruise entailed, I wouldn't recommend a phone as a camera. Our phones stayed in the safe all week. A week without texting and email was a good thing for us IMO, though I understand it's not to everyone's taste.

[laurspag]

Just a quick post for now, but here is the well matched swimsuit and cover up. The color is unique, kind of like mixing in just a little brown in burgundy to warm it up.

[laurspag]

Forgot the picture!

[awhfy]

Margaret, I have a waterproof (Lifeproof) case for my phone & when doing activities have it on a floating lanyard. I do turn it to airplane mode, cause I don't want texts, etc.

 

Laurie, great suit & the coverup is perfect with it. Melody

[laurspag]

Margareth, that is so funny about Monkey Island. I'm always trying to decide if we should do something on our own, or schedule and excursion. I do want I can to find out what people suggest.

 

when we go to San Juan on Allure in June, we plan to explore on our own. I've been told there is a free trolley and it is best to just explore. Plus, we won't be there a very long time.

 

I love that hot tub you pictured...it sounds like a way to have a bit of space and quiet time. We are always looking for something like that when we are on a cruise. We also love using hot tubs, especially my husband. He has arthritis, and it really helps him a lot. On the RCI ships, it's hard to find room in a hot tub, let alone a hot tub that is empty.

 

From what I would imagine, you probably found the weather to always be hot and humid on this trip, right?

 

I do take my cell phone with me on trips, but mostly for a quick and easy way to take pictures. We like to check home a few times to make sure everything is okay.

[MJC]

Laurie, it was hot and humid, and I surprised myself by wanting to sit in the hot tub that day. But it was early in the morning, and I was pretty stiff from all the activity the day before.

 

Love your suit/coverup combo. Isn't it satisfying to find the perfect thing to go with another perfect thing?

 

Melody gets the Action Girl award for the day for having a waterproof case. :)

 

Last weekend when I was packing for Baltimore, I found something in the travel drawer that just didn't belong. Odd, because I am usually so organized!

 

[awhfy]

Kitty wanted to make sure he/she got included on the next trip!

[MJC]

All aboard time was 11:30am, so we decided to take another ship’s tour so we wouldn’t be late. This one included the two things we most wanted to see in PC.

 

First, we went to Casco Viejo, which is the old colonial part of the city. It is an area in transition, so parts are beautifully restored, and parts are very run down. Many people said it was reminiscent of New Orleans:

 

 

 

 

 

This walkway had a beautiful view across the harbor at the modern part of the city. It was lined with booths selling local crafts and souvenirs. The man in the front on the left is selling Panama hats:

 

 

Because it was Good Friday, we saw many women dressed like this on their way to church with their families:

 

 

 

By then it was really hot out. We got on the bus and drove to the Miraflores Locks Visitors Center. It has an excellent exhibit on the canal, but it was very crowded and apparently everyone but Windstar knows that there are no ships passing through the locks between about 10am and 2pm. So, we didn't really get to see what we came for. Another disappointment.

 

By now DH's sea sickness was under control. We enjoyed lunch onboard and the afternoon movie about the building of the canal. We were told that we would be doing the canal in the late afternoon, so we took nap in the expectation that we would be up very late.

[MJC]

This is what I wore for the day. Seeing this picture reminds me of something Laurie posted about wearing shirts that are too big. I love this shirt, the colors are so good for me. But, it makes me look larger than I am and I think I'll have to let it go. I wore my straw hat and my sparkly keds. You can see I'm a bit sunburned from watching the dolphins the day before:

 

 

 

 

For our last dinner onboard, I wore my purple Pleione shirt. My hair is starting its journey to cray cray from the humidity. Notice my new accessory? I slipped and fell getting in the Zodiac and hurt my elbow. I went to the doctor to make sure I hadn't broken it, but thankfully it was just bruised:

 

 

 

We went to dinner, waiting for the announcement that we would start our transit. At 8:30, the expert announced that we were entering the first locks. They didn't announce when we passed the Bridge of the Americas, and I was annoyed that we missed it. I was also annoyed that we were doing our transit at night. Yeesh. Definitely information I would have liked to have when planning.

 

It was actually windy and chilly at the Miraflores Locks, so I put on long pants and shirt:

 

 

Then we passed through the Culebra cut in the dark, so we couldn't see it. We passed under the Centennial Bridge at about midnight. Then we went to bed, thinking that if we woke in the night we would go up again for the Gatun Locks at 3am. We slept through it, though.

[awhfy]

Margaret, missing those things in Panama would have seriously irritated me too. We've been talking about a Panama Canal cruise but have decided we really want to do a full transit.

 

Love the outfits, the top that's large, if you love it (& you should) get it altered. Melody