Here it is almost Thanksgiving! I am amazed how quickly time has gone by! Hooray to the Boston Red Sox for winning the World Series! We love Boston and Fenway is one of our favorite places to go. Our daughter turned us into Red Sox fans and we have enjoyed many games there with her.
We set off on our long awaited cruise adventure on the 26th of October. We originally planned this cruise several years ago with our Troy New York friends, Steve and Jane. My employer, a large southeastern bank, failed and we had to postpone as we didn't know what the future would bring. So glad to be in control of our future instead of worrying what the employment situation would be. We arrived at the airport at 6 am for our 7:30 flight, stopped in Las Vegas for a quick minute, and landed in San Francisco at 10:30. The cruise line representative was waiting for us at baggage claim and we hopped on the big bus and enjoyed the hour long ride to the pier. The check in was easy, fast and very efficient. Steve and Jane were right behind us and it was so nice to see them again. It had been a few years and of course we all looked the same! After a little while visiting, we went to our cabins to unpack and wait for the sail off. We both had booked the aft suites on the same deck so entertaining was easy. At 4 pm off we went heading to the open sea for 4 and half days.
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| Alcatraz from the ship |
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| Going under the Golden Gate Bridge |
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| The fog waited until we had passed under and headed out to sea |
We enjoyed four days of watching the wake from the boat, eating way too much delicious food (and we never hit the buffet!) and reading books. Funny how when we retired, we thought we would be reading all day. We always find something else to do and reading is left for just before sleep. We quickly got into no worries, relaxation and vacation mode!
Thursday morning we woke up to the beautiful waters of Maui. We walked around old town and chatted on the phone with our daughter. Eric bought me a pretty flip flop necklace and we relaxed a little under the Banyan tree. Halloween is a big event in Lahaina with people coming from everywhere for the parade and party. All the shop keepers were dressed in costume. It was very fun. One of the shop keepers told us over 15,000 people converge on the main street and it is a crazy time. Wish we could stay over night to see!
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| Plumeria blossoms, one of my favorite flowers |
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| The Banyan Tree in Old Town Lahaina |
After a quick stop in Maui we hopped back onboard, enjoyed a wonderful dinner and had some drinks on Steve and Jane's deck. We had champagne left over from the sail away and just sat and relaxed watching Maui disappear. A beautiful long shooting star fell across the night sky. Could life get any better?
Friday morning we woke up early to watch the sun rise as we entered into Honolulu Harbor. We had booked an excursion to go the Arizona Memorial and the Mighty Mo on Ford Island. We had an entertaining bus driver 'Cousin D'. He invited us all to his house for Rice and Spam for Dinner. I think I'll enjoy my dinner on the ship. We wandered around the Mighty Missouri and I was amazed at how easily you could get lost on a such a big ship. A young Marine was getting promoted and we watched his promotion ceremony on deck and lost our tour. It was really cool and I could see how proud his family was. I got goosebumps and was really moved to see this. I have a soft spot in my heart for Marines as Eric served in the Marines.
After wandering around and enjoying a shave ice, we headed over to the Arizona Memorial. We had been there almost 20 years ago and not much had changed. We enjoyed the sunshine and watched the oil rise to the surface after all these years. It really is a moving experience and you get your patriotism back, if that's the right way to say it. The Missouri seems to be watching over the Arizona. Very cool.
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| The Mighty Missouri watches over the USS Arizona |
After a long day, we decided to skip dinner out and just enjoy our balcony with dinner there. We watched the sun set over Honolulu and all the rainbows that formed in the mountains and canyons. It was fun to watch the traffic calm down as the night got darker. A late night sail away and we were off to Kauai. We stayed awake until 11 pm to watch the lights disappear. Don't laugh, we haven't seen 11 pm in a very long time!
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| We watched rainbows come and go all afternoon |
Kauai was of course beautiful with lush green all around. We took a little bus to coconut grove and enjoyed the sights along the way. We did just a little shopping and sightseeing. The weather was warm of course and no rain.
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| Entering Kauai Harbor |
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| A tug pushes us into place |
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| Sailboats |
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| The view from our balcony |
Another quick day and we were off to our last Hawaii port, Hilo. The Captain advised us that the ship would be traveling fast in order to make it to Hilo. The seas were calm, but there was lots of movement on the ship. The showroom lights had just turned down when people started falling down the stairs. In our little area 3 went tumbling. No one was hurt, but it made for a crazy start to the evenings show. We arrived in Hilo early in the morning and we waited a awhile to get off. We hopped on the Hoppa On Hoppa Off trolley and visited a beautiful park and Rainbow Falls. After seeing all we could, we caught the Hilo Hattie's shuttle, a staple for cruisers and visitors to Hawaii. Lots of fellow cruisers picked up matching Hawaiian shirts and mumu's. Not for us, but cute all the same.
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| Rainbow Falls |
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| A Banyan tree in the park |
Our Hawaiian adventure completed, we sailed away to a beautiful sunset for a five day sea journey.
For the next five days we slept in, ate a wonderful breakfast each morning, read on our balcony in comfy loungers, went to the movies in the afternoon, had happy hour at 5, wonderful dinners, the evening shows and entertainment and into bed we fell. What a life! On Friday we stopped in Ensenada, Mexico. We enjoyed tea on Steve and Jane's balcony and watched the boats come and go in the harbor.
After setting off from Ensenada, we enjoyed another day on the open sea heading up the California coast. We saw a large pod of Humpback whales frolicking off of Santa Barbara and I looked up once from by book to a big pod of dolphins playing in our wake. It was a nice break from the Beast and all the driving and trying to find a place to stay. We enjoyed ourselves immensely!
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| Early morning |
Sunday morning arrived too soon and I woke up early so I could see the Golden Gate Bridge as we sailed under heading towards the pier. I'll miss my fancy breakfast each morning as it is back to yogurt for me. Must be the hollandaise sauce that adds on the pounds! We'll miss our friends Steve and Jane but will see them when we venture to the East Coast.
It's nice to be back with my pups and spending some time with my daughter. We had another successful animal adoption event where a happy little guy found a home with two young boys and a tender hearted chocolate lab found a loving new mom! Life is Good!
