February 2008 - yet still more Caribbean Cruise!!!

Our next stop was St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands - technically part of the United States, which meant that we had to clear customs again because we had "left" the US during our stay in the Bahamas. Visually far more stunning, these rugged and volcanic islands were more to our liking.

After marvelling over the parallel parking of a 952 foot vessel, we took a short and interesting cab ride (converted Ford F150 pickups with benches and canopies in the back) the main downtown area, and found it to be literally jammed with jewellery and electronics stores catering to the whims of duty free shoppers.

OK, so we did buy a nice digital camera, for less than half of what it would cost at home.....but otherwise found the "culture" a little lacking. Of course, to be fair, we did not venture outside the main area to enjoy any of the optional (i.e. expensive) shore excursions....we just walked around and soaked up the atmosphere.

The next day saw us in St. Maarten in the Dutch Antilles, an island belonging half to the Netherlands, and half to France. We docked in Philipsburg on the Dutch side, as scenic a tropical paradise as we could envision. Clear blue skies, rugged green hills, sandy white beaches....we took a water taxi from the dock area to the downtown and wandered around. After enquiring about cab fares to take us to the French side of the island, we opted for the public transportation and took an old diesel bus up over the mountain and down the other side. Not only was it a fraction of the cost of the cab, but the cultural experience was definitely far more rewarding.

After spending part of the day in Marigot on the French side, we caught another bus and returned to Philipsburg, where we found one of many lovely oceanside establishment serving cold beverages.....at a price far cheaper than those sold on the ship. After soaking up some more local atmosphere, we boarded the ship and continued our assault on the many buffets and formal dinners, where we sampled many dishes ordinarily well beyond our price range.

After a few more days of general merriment at sea, we entered the harbour at Port Canaveral in Florida. Some preparation and quick observations resulted in a remarkably quick disembarkation and US Customs process, and out of a ship of 3000 guests and 1000 crew members, we were literally the first car out of the parking garage!

The drive home was relatively uneventful.....we chose to take Interstate 77, slightly out of the way but taking us through the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and West Virginia. In order not to miss the mountains in the dark, we spent the night in Wytheville, VA, an area worth checking out on its own merit sometime. Heading out the next morning through the tunnel under the mountain that IS the VA/WV state line, we carried on northward and finally hit "winter" again just south of Cleveland, Ohio. We managed to make the remaining trek without difficulty, stopping only at the border duty free shop for $17 cases of Alexander Keith's. Canadian Customs was mercifully brief, and soon we were home again.....

St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

Beachside - Philipsburg, St. Maarten

My kind of economics....

St. Maarten

February 2008 - Caribbean Cruise

Leaving New Orleans the next morning, we headed east across Louisiana, the full extent of the Hurricane Katrina devastation still very much a visual presence. We drove the Gulf Coast shoreline, passing through narrow portions of Mississippi and Alabama before crossing into Florida for the long run over to the east side. We stopped for the night in western Florida, then spent much of the next day traversing the state to arrive in the Port Canaveral/Titusville area the evening before the cruise departure.

After very nearly blundering into the WRONG area of Kennedy Space Centre, we found the Carnival Cruise line terminal the next morning and boarded our ship, the Carnival Glory. Our stateroom on the Riviera Deck easily exceeded expectations....complete with huge window! So began our one week romance with all things culinary - non-stop food, all day every day, of all imaginable varieties. By the next morning we had reached Nassau, the capital of the several islands that make up the Bahamas.

We disembarked the ship and wandered downtown Nassau - an interesting place, but rather flat and warm for we of the fair-haired variety. I was, however, overjoyed to learn that consumption of alcohol in the streets was perfectly legal, providing that your beverage was "hidden" inside a brown paper bag, conveniently provided by the variety store where the beer was purchased....

After finding the ultimate seaside bar patio (Senor Frogs) for a few drinks, we boarded the ship again and headed out for a day at sea, en route to the US Virgin Islands.

Paddlewheel Riverboat in New Orleans

Nassau, Bahamas

January 2008 - Drive to New Orleans!!

So we finally booked our cruise that Jane had won, and chose the eastern Caribbean, departing out of Florida. The original plan had been to drive down, hang out with Jane's parents in Florida for a few days, and then catch the boat. In the end, her parents ended up not going to Florida this year, so we had to scramble for a Plan B.

"Hmmmmm......" says Mike, ".....New Orleans isn't THAT far out of the way.....and it IS Mardi Gras....". Sounded like a fabulous plan. We set out very early (4:30am) on a Monday morning and crossed the border without incident (cranky US Customs guard notwithstanding). We drove south through Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee before stopping for the night. The next day we crossed into Missouri and then Arkansas in the pouring rain, stopping at the boyhood home of Johnny Cash in Dyess, AR. Suffice it to say that we have a whole new appreciation of "dirt poor".

From there we drove on through Arkansas and into Mississippi, stopping periodically to enjoy the scenery along the Mississippi River and surrounding area, ultimately stopping for the night again just past Jackson, MS. By Wednesday morning, we entered Louisiana and stopped at the Visitor Centre, where we were able to secure a hotel room in the French Quarter of New Orleans for about half the posted rate.

We chose the take the optional causeway across Lake Pontchartrain to enter New Orleans, and navigated our way to the French Quarter, arriving by early afternoon. Ridiculously pleased with our "cheap" hotel (Hotel Ste. Marie on Toulouse St.) , we spent the afternoon touring the French Quarter, sampling local culinary delights (gumbo; red beans, rice and sausage) and beverages.

In the evening we wandered the streets, took part in a Haunted tour...then made it over the Canal St. for the Mardi Gras parade of the day....this one involving The Druids. After an impressive haul of beads - NOTE: what happens in New Orleans in order to procure beads, stays in New Orleans - we wandered back to the hotel along Bourbon St. amidst sizeable crowds, even for midweek, and returned to our awesome old hotel room for a short sleep....

Dyess, AR - boyhood home of Johnny Cash

The sign says it all!

Down on Bourbon Street....

Bourbon St. during Mardi Gras

Those crazy cats....

Originally these cute cat pictures were meant as blog filler until we did something interesting enough to post....but now I'm just so euphoric over this whole "access to high speed connection" luxury that I'm just posting anything and everything. A picture being worth a thousand words.....look how very cute they are!

Daddy with all three furry children

Bicky and Miss

Poots in a drawer

House Renovations - November 2007

Yeah, I know....these are old at this point, and I mentioned the renovations several months ago....but I'm gonna show the pictures anyway. Mom and Burt came down to visit our new home, and of course what visit would be complete without some form of home renovation? We opted to replace the previous kitchen carpet with ceramic tile....which quickly extended to including a ceramic backsplash around the counter and some wainscotting for the walls.....but in the end came out quite well. Sure, that was one weekend the four of us will never get back.....but we did at least make time to show Burt the Wheatley harbour and fish plants, resulting in the obligatory fish fry of local favourites pickerel, perch and smelt.......

Tiling the kitchen floor - no more carpet!

Tile backsplash - much easier to clean than funky green wallpaper!

Particle board wainscotting - who knew??? (besides Jane)

Long time, no blog....

Hello all....finally managed to time the sun, moon and stars in proper alignment for blogging....and remembered my USB key full of the pictures I have been meaning/wanting/trying to upload for a few months now. Can't do them all, obviously....but thanks to Keith and Tanya for the use of their computer and high-speed connection, I will at least attempt a few entries to bring everyone up to speed.....

:)
Mike