Author Archives: Sparky
Yet another cruise
I cruised, with Marlene, a total of 48 nights in 2023. We will embark Sunday on another 14-night cruise, to Aruba, Curacao, Barbados and 5 other ports. It will be a lovely cruise, I am sure, but it would not have happened if it had been my choice. It comes right in the middle of … Continue reading
Dancing into 2024
Marlene and I continue to dance several times a week. The venues include the Center Bar in Bonita Springs, Nauti Parrot Oasis in Ft Myers, Stan’s in Goodland, The Launch in Labelle and LJ’s in Ft Myers. For New Year’s Eve we went to the Eagle’s Club in Lehigh Acres. It was a low-key night, … Continue reading
2023 in review
Last day of the year. Time to reflect on what was good and bad. Highlights: Marlene. We made it through an entire calendar year, which made this relationship considerably more durable than the preceding one with Ooma. It wasn’t all sweetness and light, but it was a lot of fun and a lot of adventure. … Continue reading
“Stone Cold” by David Baldacci
Copyright 2007 by Columbus Rose Ltd. Published by Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Book Group USA, New York. This is the 3rd of 5 books by Baldacci featuring the “Camel Club”, a ragtag group of men in Washington DC who perform nearly superhuman feats of derring-do, mostly in service of the national security of the USA. … Continue reading
Carnival Vista wrapup
I haven’t, in the past, done wrapups of cruises, except the long ones. This cruise, on the Carnival Vista, was just 6 days. But it was remarkable in some ways, so I will do a quick wrapup. Highlights: Casino winnings. I left the ship up $2,400 and Marlene was about $900 to the good. So … Continue reading
Carnival Vista Day 7: Disembarkation
We got up early, around 6am, to pack. We had breakfast in the buffet and disembarked around 8am. It was difficult as many people were waiting to use the elevators. We had our bags with us and decided to take them down, from Deck 8 to Deck 3, using the stairs. I carried the large … Continue reading
Carnival Vista Day 6: At sea
Despite the late night we were up early, before 8am. We went to the casino on the theory that on the last day the odds were best in the morning. That didn’t work for me as I lost $175 (some in the morning, some at night) but still ended the cruise up $2,400. Can’t complain … Continue reading
Carnival Vista Day 5: Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos
Marlene stayed in the casino until 5am. She lost, but not much. I got up around 8 and went to breakfast by myself, figuring she would be asleep until noon. But she surprised me by joining me in the buffet before 9. This was the last port day for the cruise: Grand Turk. Once again … Continue reading
Carnival Vista Day 4: Amber Cove, Dominican Republic
I am writing this the day after the cruise ended so I have some catching up to do. We had breakfast in the buffet (tolerable lines this time) then went ashore. We wandered about the port area and bought a few souvenirs. Then we wandered down to the pool area in search of a VERY … Continue reading
Topsy-turvy weather
This past summer – “wet season” in Florida – it was very hot and very dry. I heard many people say they had never seen such a hot, dry summer. Ft Myers was officially in a moderate drought. So there was some concern as winter – “dry season” approached. Not to worry. December and, so … Continue reading »