Author Archives: Sparky
CV2 Day 2: At sea
A quiet day at sea, cruising slowly – between 6 and 11 kts (a ship normally travels 17 to 22 kts) due to the engine problem that prevented us from reaching Aruba. But the weather was nice so at least we didn’t have to experience heavy seas in a crippled ship. We (Marlene and I) … Continue reading
TN_10 Hop 1 and CV2 embarkation
193 miles via FL 864. FL 80, FL 29, FL 78, US 27, FL 70, I-95 and FL 528. Auto miles: 203 (10 extra miles doing errands). Cumulative route miles: 193. Cumulative auto miles: 203. This was an easy hop, terminating at the cruise parking lot. We then took a shuttle to the port and … Continue reading
“The Heat Islands” by Randy Wayne White
Copyright 1992 by Randy Wayne White. Published by St Martin’s Press, New York. This is a “Doc Ford” novel, set on Sanibel and Captiva Islands. Being a resident of nearby Ft Myers, the locales are very familiar. This boosts the enjoyment for me. Part of the problem is that this isn’t really a mystery. It … Continue reading
Yet another truck problem
I don’t think I mentioned that I replaced the truck’s two batteries a couple of months ago. The truck was not starting reliably and both batteries were over 10 years old. They didn’t owe me anything. But the replacement batteries had less power than the old ones – 650 cold cranking amps rather than 850. … Continue reading
CV2, TN_10 and TS_10 previews
A “combo vacation” seems to be a new thing with Marlene and me. On CV1 we did 8 days on a cruise followed by an auto trip to Charleston SC, Acworth GA (near Atlanta), Orlando and Coral Springs FL. Our next combo trip will start August 10 with a 7-night cruise followed by an auto … Continue reading
“Suspicion of Innocence” by Barbara Parker
Copyright 1994 by Barbara Parker. Published by Signet, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc, New York. This is the first of at least 8 books in the “Suspicion” series featuring Gail Connor and Anthony Quintana, two Miami lawyers. I wasn’t aware that this was a series until, at the end of the book, there … Continue reading
CV1 wrapup
The CV1 was very unusual in that it was both a cruise and an auto trip. I will do wrapups for those two portions separately. The Carnival Paradise cruise This was a short, 6-day cruise with ports in Honduras, Belize and Mexico. It left from Tampa and returned there. Highlights: Lowlights: Roatan, Honduras, and Cozumel, … Continue reading
“Back Spin” by Harlan Coben
Copyright 1997 by Harlan Coben. Published by Dell, an imprint of Random House Publishing Group, New York. This is the 4th of the (currently) 12 books by Coben that feature Myron Bolitar, sports agent and detective. This one is set at Merion Golf Club during the US Open tournament. Jack Coldren, a veteran pro playing … Continue reading
CV1 Day 19: Hop 6, Coral Springs FL to Ft Myers FL
150 miles via I-75, US 27, FL 80, FL 78 and US 41. Cumulative route miles: 1775. Cumulative auto miles: 1934. No lunch stop, no refueling stop, no bio break. The fishhook at the end, to stop at Doubloon Drive in North Ft Myers, was to retrieve Becky, Marlene’s pup. The extra auto mile in … Continue reading
The $900 (mis)adventure
Marlene and I have booked a 25-night cruise from Tampa FL to Anchorage AK in Aprill 2025. This will be the most expensive cruise we have ever taken together – over $2,500 each. This is because it is on the Norwegian Jade rather than a Carnival ship where we both get major discounts. But we … Continue reading »