Our Wander Years

Winter potpourri

Posted on March 6, 2020 by Sparky

Yellow hibiscus

New red flowering tree

Rusty back home

This has not been a winter season of great events. Jett has rarely gotten out of the RV for any reason other than to get to medical appointments. We haven’t had any visitors, with the exception of my softball buddies (see previous post) and a quick visit from son Josh, to return Rusty.

Yes, Rusty is back with us. If you recall, Josh drove all the way from VA to FL to pick up Rusty in advance of our cruise. I felt that it would be unfair to ask him to also make the trip to return Rusty, so my plan was to drive up to get him. The post-cruise cold killed that plan, however. Rather than delay the return, Josh and Cristina made the trip to get the boy back where he belongs. We are truly grateful. Thank you, Josh and Cristina!

When we returned from the cruise we met our new neighbors, Joshua (yes, another Joshua) and Gary, from Georgia. If you recall, they were in Ft Myers while we were still in MA and saved our bacon by starting the truck when the battery ran low. I was thrilled to meet them and thank them in person for that. I think we will get along great. We are blessed with two wonderful neighbors. While we like many of the residents of the park, we don’t like them all. We could easily have gotten neighbors that we would have a hard time being civil to. Not a problem we have to deal with, thankfully.

We lost both of our small trees at the front of our site – the purple bush that blew over in the wind before we arrived and the beautiful red hibiscus. Apparently the hibiscus was diseased. The purple bush has been replaced by a similar red bush and the red hibiscus has been replaced by a yellow hibiscus. The new hibiscus is small now, but I am assured that it will become fairly large – maybe 5′ tall and 5′ wide.

Mardi Gras parade

The park had a Mardi Gras parade this year. It was larger than I would have expected but consisted mostly of decorated golf carts. No lawn chair brigade, ala Rockport. Unbeknownst to us, it was associated with a pet shelter fundraiser so I felt a little bad when the truck with food donations rolled by at the end of the parade and I had nothing to give.

I tried to start a genealogy group at the park. It has sputtered and has probably died. Only 3 people came in the first 3 weeks, then I had the cruise and the cold, so it has been a month with no meetings (unless those 3 met without me). A nice try, but I will count it as a failure.

Much of my spare time, both before the cruise and post-cold, has been spent taking photographs in the Lee Memorial Park, a large cemetery for over 10,000 souls. I noticed that it had over 1,800 unphotographed graves and I took it as a challenge to cut into that number this winter. Walking this large cemetery is both good – and free – exercise and attaching photographs to the memorials in findagrave.com gives me a feeling of accomplishment. I believe I have photographed over 800 so far. Thankfully, digital photography is basically zero cost. I never could have done this with film.

Softball started in January and, with the exception of the 2 weeks on the cruise, I have roamed the outfield in every game. The team has not done well and my performance has been spotty, at best. But, again, good exercise.

Add in the medical appointments and that covers much of what has kept me busy since we arrived in Nov. Not exciting, but better than shoveling snow, right?

Categories: FL, Friends, Places, RV Living, RV Parks | Leave a comment

Spring training, 2020

Posted on March 2, 2020 by Sparky

Mike, me and Dave at JetBlue Park

My old softball buddies from Massachusetts, Mike and Dave, once more came to Florida for Red Sox spring training. As has become our custom, we each hosted one game. The schedule this year:

Mike – Phillies vs Red Sox, Thu Feb 27
Me – Red Sox vs Twins, Fri Feb 28
Dave – Atlanta vs Red Sox, Sun Mar 1

Two games at JetBlue Park, the Red Sox home field, and one at CenturyLink Park, the Twins home field.

The weather didn’t exactly cooperate. Last year we got to just two games as one was rained out. This year we got to all 3 games, but it was very cold – especially for the first game. The temperature for that game was low 60’s with a strong breeze. It wasn’t just chilly; it was COLD. The stands were empty by the 9th inning, a combination of the cold and the Red Sox playing so poorly. Final score: a 12-5 loss.

JD hitting a triple

JD in the dugout, right in front of us

The game at CenturyLink was a bit warmer, about 68 degrees, and we sat in the sun. The Red Sox pitching was better, but the hitting wasn’t (except for JD Martinez who hit a triple and a home run), so they lost that one, too, 4-1. The seats were great, though – right behind the Red Sox dugout. And in the sun.

The third game’s weather was just slightly cooler than normal, about 72 degrees. Apparently the Red Sox pitching liked the warmth and they ended up winning this one 4-2. It should have been 4-0 but the excellent pitching melted down in the 9th, giving up 2 walks, 2 hit batters and a single. The game ended with the tying run on second base. Our seats for this game were right down the right field line – an interesting perspective on the game. We were kind of hoping to get a foul ball, but no such luck. Perhaps we should be careful what we wish for because the foul ball that came closest hit a woman on the arm. EMTs escorted her away, probably for X-rays.

Our view from right field at JetBlue

Categories: FL, Friends, Places, Sports | Leave a comment

MSC1 Day 15: Disembarkation

Posted on February 20, 2020 by Sparky

Getting off the ship was a lot easier than getting on. Maybe a bit too easy. We were assigned to the first group after the elite Yacht Club folks to disembark. We were told to be in the theater by 8am. We got there at 7:45 and then I went out, hoping to get a final itemized bill (which they said would be delivered to me by 8pm the previous night, but which never appeared). So I was at the other end of the long shopping mall when our group was called and I had to hustle back to find Jett, fighting against the flow all the way. She was a bit miffed when I got there, feeling abandoned, I guess. But all was well. We were escorted to the front of the line (thanks, wheelchair!) and were through customs and in a taxi by 8:30 and at the truck before 9am.

The hardest part of the trip back was finding fuel. I probably had enough to make it, but running out of fuel in Alligator Alley (50 miles without a gas station) was something to be avoided, so I wanted to fill up. The first place I tried had diesel at a reasonable price, but accepted cash only. The second place was a RaceTrak advertised before an exit on I-75, but I couldn’t find it. The third place turned out to be nearly 3 miles from the exit, so I got back on and kept going. The fourth try was the charm, sort of. But I pulled in behind two utility trucks who proceeded to occupy the only 2 diesel pumps in the place. I was cursing a blue streak by that point and it must have worked because one of the trucks pulled out without refueling. I pulled in and loaded up with 22 gallons. That meant that there were 8 gallons left in the tank, which would have gotten me to Naples, but I would have been gnawing on my fingernails.

The rest of the trip was uneventful.

Jett went in for a nap (she felt a cold coming on) while I went out and bought $82 of groceries. I came back, unloaded and then went to meet our new neighbors, Joshua and Gary, a gay couple who were enjoying their new tiki hut which was constructed while we were away. I enjoyed meeting them. Nice guys.

That evening I started getting the “coming down with a cold” feeling. That led into a stretch of 3 days in which I was as sick as I have been in many years. Running nose, cough and profuse sweating. 3 miserable days. Jett was pretty sick, too, but she got on Tamiflu on Monday and that seems to have helped a bit. But because she was ill her infusion was delayed for a week.

Anyway, it is now Thursday and while I can’t claim to be fully recovered, I have concluded that I am going to survive.

Hell of a way to end a vacation.

Categories: FL, Health, MSC1, Places | 1 Comment

MSC1 Day 14: Ocean Cay, Bahamas

Posted on February 17, 2020 by Sparky

Lighthouse on Ocean Cay

Proving I was there

The beach we actually used

The beach closest to the ship

This was our second bite of MSC’s private Ocean Cay island in the Bahamas. The weather this time was considerably better than the cool, cloudy, damp day we got last week. There were still lots of clouds, but with enough sunny breaks that we could spend a few minutes on the beach (one of the 6 or 7 on the island). I even took a brief swim in the crystal-clean water. Jett dipped her toes.

We went to the casino in the afternoon and lost more money. Then we packed and had our final dinner on board. We took photos of the people who had served us so well for 2 weeks: Ghiocel, the restaurant manager, Asook, the head waiting and Theresa, our waiter. Kudos to all for making us feel so welcome.

We found some nice farewell towel art in our cabin after dinner, then took in the full Broadway tunes show. Very well done. The do a great job with “staging” using photographic backdrops. The voices and dancing were quite good, too.

A fine cruise. And no hospital visits.

Jett and Asook

Theresa

Jett and Ghiocel

Jett testing the waters

Farewell towel art

West Side Story scene

Les Miserables scene

Categories: Caribbean, MSC1, Places | Leave a comment

MSC1 Day 13: At sea

Posted on February 15, 2020 by Sparky

Huge indoor gym

Fat lady statue at the small pool

Crowded pool

A day at sea is, almost by definition, a slow day. A relaxing day. A day to sleep, eat, read, gamble and do sudoku puzzles. And that is what we did. The casino, as has been the case all week, was not kind, making us cough up another $100, mostly due to my inability to find a game that paid off in even small amounts. Jett worked the machines three times as much and lost a third of what I did.

While she napped in the afternoon I took a brief tour of the ship, seeing some things that I had not seen before. The pool, of course, was very crowded. And I found a small pool in the bow that was also very crowded but which featured an odd fat bather statue. I also wandered through the kids area and was impressed. The indoor gym was outstanding – the only indoor gym I have ever seen on a ship. The kids area also had a small computer room and a cute little bench made entirely of Lego blocks.

I took a few photos of the casino which was kind to us last week but has been cruel this week. As I mentioned before, it has a smoking section which makes it one of Jett’s two most favored places on the ship (the Smoking Room being the other).

Lego settee

Kids computer room

Casino entrance

Jett at the (anti?) money machine

Dinner was, again, solo. We both had the chicken Kiev and enjoyed it very much. Because it was Valentine’s Day, Jett’s cappuccino arrived adorned with a heart. There were also oodles of sweets in the buffet and kissing swans towel art on our bed.

Valentine’s Day cappuccino

Sweets for the sweet

Kissing swans towel art

Categories: Caribbean, MSC1, Places | Leave a comment

MSC1 Day 12: Cozumel, Mexico

Posted on February 14, 2020 by Sparky

Meraviglia and Nieuw Statendam from Cozumel

Making the bracelet

Approaching the dock

The lines being set

Our first trip to Mexico, over 20 years ago, included a day trip to Cozumel. We had a great day and since then Cozumel has always been one of our favorite places on earth. So yesterday, despite not feeling great, Jett rallied so that we could go ashore. We didn’t do much – had a taco lunch and window-shopped – but it was a beautiful day in a place we love.

Before heading ashore I watched the very delicate process of docking a huge ship. Some of the work of tying it down was done right below our cabin so I got a good view.

One of the little shopping tasks was finding something for Cristina. Just as we got ashore we saw a vendor who was hawking bracelets with custom names. So we asked him to make one for her, which he did while I watched. Took about 10 minutes. The guy has done this before.

In all of our trips to Mexico I had never had tacos, so I thought it would be a good time to taste an authentic Meixan taco. We ordered a sampler with chicken, beef and shrimp tacos. They were fine but very plain – none of the sour cream, lettuce and black olives that Jett puts on hers. I like Jett’s better.

More proof

Jett wanted proof that she made it ashore

Taco sampler

Taking a bike ride back

Before heading back I had a quick beer with an ex-pat. He raved about life in Cozumel. If we were to ever move to Mexico, Cozumel would be our home.

Jett was pretty pooped by the time we headed back to the ship, so we took advantage of one of the “tips only” bicycle jitneys that roam the pier.

On our way back to the room we took the wrong elevator, so had to traverse the ship above the pool. It is embarrassing to admit it, but this was our first view of the pool in daylight. Looks inviting.

Another Caribbean sunset

The pool – little used by us

Magician with floating table

Dinner was “Italian Night.” My lasagna was mediocre but the fried calamari that preceded it was outstanding – tender and tasty.

We made it to the 10pm show which was a rather impressive display of magic tricks, plus some dancing. The Italian magician did some very convincing tricks, including cutting a woman in half and squeezing a woman so that her feet were up to her chin. I was baffled – couldn’t see any way it could have been done.

Lost another $50 at the casino. That $500 win last week is a distant memory.

Categories: Caribbean, Food, Mexico, MSC1, Places | Leave a comment

MSC1 Day 11: Georgetown, Grand Cayman

Posted on February 13, 2020 by Sparky

Sunset west of Grand Cayman

Meraviglia from Georgetown

Chickens crossing the road

We had breakfast in our cabin, as has become our habit, then got ready to go ashore. Georgetown is a tender port, so we had to board a smaller boat for a short trip to shore. This trip was much shorter than Belize – about 5 minutes. And, unlike most people, we didn’t have to wait for our number to be called. We had two more “priority boarding” passes, a perk, apparently, due to our “back-to-back” status.

Georgetown is an upscale port. No poverty here. It is also a great place to snorkel and swim with the stingrays. The fountain in downtown is a tribute to the importance of stingrays to the local economy. However, the chickens roaming the streets belie the upscale nature of the city.

We had a light lunch at the Paradise restaurant, right on the shore with a clear view of the 5 ships in port: Carnival Paradise, Holland America Nieuw Statendam, Celebrity Reflection, Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas and the MSC Meraviglia. That is a combined capacity of well over 15,000 passengers so the port was very busy. With both tenders and people. I think the chickens would have been wise to run and hide.

We did some shopping but didn’t buy much. Souvenirs and trinkets mostly. The most interesting part of the shopping experience was the table at the entrance to the Harley Davidson shop – a glass top on a huge V-12 marine diesel engine.

Upon return to the ship Jett went in for a nap and I went down to get the banana gelato and homemade hot chocolate that I had been jonesing for from Day 2 when I spotted them. I was mildly disappointed with both – the gelato was too sweet and the hot chocolate wasn’t a lot better than Swiss Miss.

Our new dinner companions again were MIA. We may be dining alone the rest of the cruise. But that is fine. We discussed both of our families and may have found ways to fix all of you.

Homemade hot chocolate and banana gelato

V-12 marine engine table

The casino was unkind again. We are getting dangerously close to break even. But, as the gambler said, “I am glad I broke even. I need the money.”

Categories: Caribbean, Food, MSC1, Places | 2 Comments

MSC1 Day 10: Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Sparky

Jett going ashore in Ocho Rios

Ocho Rios is the only port on our 2-week cruise that we have not visited previously. So it is a highlight if for no other reason than we can increment our country count by 1. I am sure it has many wonderful attractions and I would like to see some of them someday. But Jett is still pretty fragile, so we contented ourselves with browsing the shops in the port area, having a drink at the Margaritaville establishment and dipping our toes into the warm and very clear water.

Me with my banana margarita

It was a sunny, warm day so I got some very nice photos on our very short trip ashore. Our first stop was for some strong Jamaican coffee, which I judged to be mediocre. Jett ordered hers with milk and sugar and it was so sweet that she found it undrinkable. I combined half of it with half of my black coffee and it then wasn’t bad.

At Margaritaville I ordered a banana margarita which tasted pretty much like any other margarita I have ever had. Maybe a bit sweeter, but not much of a banana flavor at all. Jett had a virgin margarita. She was feeling a bit unsteady already and didn’t want any tequila to make matters worse.

Proof that I stepped into the ocean

After our drinks we took off our sandals and dipped our toes into the water. Wonderful! If the weather is warm on Saturday we will do some actual swimming.

Jett with Jamaican handbag

Jett purchased a Jamaican handbag for $23. Very colorful.

After drinks we returned to the ship and napped, as usual. Then, after we left port, we gambled. Lost $50 which is also our usual.

Our new dinner companions did not appear for dinner, so we dined alone. But we had many visits from not one but two different head waiters, plus the restaurant manager. He gave Jett a complimentary glass of prosecco and obtained two plates of a seafood pasta dish that was not on the menu. Jett didn’t like it much but I thought it was terrific. To each his (or her) own.

The towering Meraviglia

Jett testing the waters

Leaving Jamaica

Categories: Caribbean, MSC1, Places | Leave a comment

“The Reversal” by Michael Connelly

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Sparky

This is number 3 in the series of “Lincoln Lawyer” books by Connelly, all featuring Mickey Haller as the lawyerly protagonist. In both of the books in the series that I have read he teams up with LAPD homicide detective Hieronymous Bosch, the protagonist in many of Connelly’s other mysteries.

This book is about Haller’s involvement in the retrial of a convicted child killer who has spent 24 years in prison for a crime he swears he did not commit. His conviction was overturned because the semen stain on the girl’s dress, when finally tested for DNA, turned out to be not his, as was alleged in the first trial, but her stepfather’s. So he gets a new trial, this time with one less crucial piece of incriminating evidence and one new path for giving the jury reasonable doubt.

For reasons that are not totally convincing, the LA DA asks Mickey Haller, a lifelong defense attorney, to act as special prosecutor. It gives Connelly an opportunity to have Haller and his ex-wife, Maggie McPherson (or “Maggie McFierce”), a very capable prosecutor herself, to be on the same side for a change. This is a once-in-a-lifetime reversal of roles for him: prosecutor instead of defense. So does the eponymous “reversal” refer to his unusual courtroom role or the overturning of the conviction? Take your pick. Maybe both. A twofer.

Haller jumps to the prosecution with gusto, convinced of the man’s guilt. But one of the first things he does, when they finally get to the courtroom, is to give the man his freedom by declining to oppose his release on personal recognizance. A convicted killer released without even a bail bond? Unheard of. And probably unwise. But necessary to move the story along. Haller’s reasoning: he wants to give the killer a chance to do something stupid. Uh, yeah. Put the public at risk.

The released convict gets round-the-clock surveillance, something which I am sure the LAPD did not have in their budget and would not endear Haller to them. But follow him they did and while he didn’t commit any further crimes while under surveillance, he did take some odd trips at night to secluded locations which gave rise to the suspicion that he was revisiting crime scenes and might be a serial killer. But was bail revoked then? Nope, not then and not when they observed him probably buying a gun. This seems like either prosecutorial malpractice or police acquiescence, neither being something to admire.

I won’t reveal the outcome of the trial, but, as with the other Haller book that I have read, it doesn’t turn out in the best possible way for him.

The book started slowly and, at least in the paperback edition, the print was exceptionally small which made reading a chore. But it picked up steam about a third of the way in and, with the help of better reading glasses, I read the last half of the book in a single day. It wasn’t the best book – or even the best Connelly – that I have ever read, but it did keep my interest.

6 out of 10.

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MSC1 Day 9: At sea

Posted on February 11, 2020 by Sparky

This was a lazy day. It can be described easily: sleep, eat, read, gamble, sleep some more, eat some more, gamble again, eat again. The casino was not kind; we lost $100. But we got new dinner companions. Harvey and Shirley, a newly retired lawyer couple, new residents of south Florida. We all love dogs and dislike Aruba. We will have some nice dinner conversations, I think.

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Winter potpourri

Spring training, 2020

MSC1 Day 15: Disembarkation

MSC1 Day 14: Ocean Cay, Bahamas

MSC1 Day 13: At sea

MSC1 Day 12: Cozumel, Mexico

MSC1 Day 11: Georgetown, Grand Cayman

MSC1 Day 10: Ocho Rios, Jamaica

“The Reversal” by Michael Connelly

MSC1 Day 9: At sea

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