Sea Days and Ponta Delgada, Azores

Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve been able to post.  The internet aboard ship is horrendous not to mention expensive.  There’s not really much to report.  We were at sea for 6 days straight.  One morning, I did get up early and walked on the treadmill for 50 minutes.  That’s it, that’s all the exercise I’ve done, except for trying to get 10,000 steps on my Fitbit. The NCL Jade is a gorgeous ship with lots of amenities and really delicious food!

Our third port was Ponta Delgada, Azores.  We decided not to take an organized shore excursion, instead we left the ship and walked around the city for a while. We discovered that we could ride the city minibus for .50 Euro each.  There were three different routes, so we rode all three.  Lots of fun!  Ponta Delgada reminded us of San Juan, Puerto Rico.  It was an uphill walk from the port and the architecture was very similar.  As we wandered back to the ship, we stopped for a cappuccino at a little café at the port.  We have several more sea days before we get to Ireland.  Get ready for lots of photos!

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Off and Running

I'm reposting this one since the none of the pictures were visible.

Saturday was bittersweet.  We are leaving behind all that is familiar and entering a new phase of our lives.  That was the day that our Grand Adventure began.  The day began drinking coffee in bed as was our usual routine.  Chuck spent quite a few minutes trying to contact Enterprise Rental Cars at the airport to insure that our minivan would be ready for us at noon.  That location is supposed to be opened 27/7, but the calls went to voicemail.  I wanted to get the last load of laundry done and I did manage to get it washed and in the dryer, but didn’t get it folded.  Rip and Kelsey took us to Hartsfield Jackson to get our rental car.  Instead of a Dodge Caravan or Chrysler Town and Country, we got a Chrysler Pacifica.  It was a really nice automobile.  The ride down was great, no problems.  We checked into our hotel and had a Subway sandwich for dinner.  The car had to be turned into Enterprise at the Tampa airport before noon.  Chuck drove it over and caught a shuttle back to the hotel where we took another shuttle from the hotel to the cruise terminal.  We met some wonderful people while standing in line to check into NCL.  Debbie, a British citizen, was born and raised in West Mersea, the site of one of our housesits.  She has given us some great pointers about what to see and do there.

         We visited Key West Monday and took a bike ride with Key Lime Bike Tours.  Captain Craig was a marvelous tour guide.  We both came back a little sunburned (me more so than Chuck) but we learned quite a bit about the history of Key West and had a great time riding bikes.  Thank goodness, Key West is flat! At the end of the trip, we had key lime pie at the Key Lime Pie Shop.  It was amazing.  We also bought Chuck a pair of swim trunks since he forgot to pack his.  We headed back to the Jade, ate a late lunch and too a very long nap, so long, in fact, we missed dinner in the dining room and ended up eating on Deck 12 at the buffet.

Today, Tuesday, we are in Miami.  We’re not going off the ship.  I am sitting on Deck 12 at a table looking at the Miami skyline.  Chuck is in the hot tub, something he really enjoys.  We met a gentleman named Richard Sullivan.  He’s a veteran as is Chuck.  Chuck met him while we were aboard the MSC Davina last September. It’s a long cruise so we’re sure to catch up with him sometime later.  Maybe we’ll see him at dinner one night.

When we leave Miami this afternoon, we will be at sea 6 days before we reach our stop in Portugal.  I probably won’t post again until that time.

All our bags are packed and we're ready to go. . .

We have packed our bags and and we are almost ready to go.  We probably need to tweak a few things.  I feel like I need to go through my Stampin' Up! supplies. The bag is a little too heavy. I packed my Cuttlebug (the bigshot is a little too large) and all my products that I got with my pre-order and I need to decide what I just can't do without!  😓

Wow! Only 4 bags!

Monday night was our last night at trivia at H. J. Wings & Things in Fayetteville.  Our trivia family is a fun group and we're going to miss them.  They surprised us with a Bon Voyage cake (it was truly delicious!)  Save our seats, we'll be back next January!

Our Trivia Family!

Pictured from left to right:  Cheryl, Ron, Kay, Roger, Chris, Stacey, Jackson, Emory is missing in action, Phyllis, Chuck's arms and hands, Dwayne

Not pictured:  Brad and Denise

We are so going to miss Monday nights at Wings & Things!

Leaving Comments

We have discovered through conversations with several people who have read our blog that they have been unable to leave comments.  Chuck and I really would like to know what people who read and see the blog think.  Since I'm new at blogging, I'm finding that I have to tweak the settings.  I THINK I've got the settings open for comments from anyone who wishes to express their opinions and suggestions.  

If you wish to leave a comment (and we hope you will), just follow these steps:

Click on the Comment Link.

On the next screen, please leave your comment.  Choose the Name/URL and type your name.  Choose the I'm not a robot to prove you're a living, breathing human being.

Chuck and I want to thank you for traveling with us as we embark on our Grand Adventure. We only have a few days left before we leave from Tampa on the Norwegian Jade.  United Kingdom, here we come!

Oops, We Made An Error!

Our new and improved itinerary:

HAPPY EASTER!

Yesterday most of my family gathered at my sister's and brother-in-law's home to celebrate Easter with a cookout and egg hunts (one for the little one and one for the older grandchildren).  My sister, Janet, her husband David and their sons, Alex, Garrett, and Logan; Susan's and Preston's daughter, Mary Beth, her husband, Phil and their two children Sawyer and Delilah; my dad, Bobby Jones; and Chuck, Rip, and I enjoyed good food and lots of fun.  Kip was unable to attend because he is still working 12/7 (12 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Susan's boys and their families couldn't be there either.  Julia is in Virginia at Fort Belvoir with her 4 children while Joshua is completing a course with the Air Force in Nevada.  We did get to Facetime with Julia and the kiddos, though.  Brooks and Courtney and their 2 daughters weren't able to come from Chickamauga either. While we missed those could not be there, we had a wonderful time. You just can't beat hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill with all the fixings.  Susan prepared the cutest and most delicious Peeps Easter Bunny Dessert complete with edible grass!

While the hospitality, the good food and the fellowship made the day fun, Delilah Ruth stole the show.  She will be 1 month old April 21st. She kindly allowed us to cuddle her as much as we wanted.

  Sawyer, Delilah's older brother was a veteran at hunting eggs.

The grandchildren also got to hunt eggs and win prizes. There was definitely some fierce competition to find the most eggs.  Phil won with 8.  He won the gold prize, Logan won the silver and the rest all received bronze.  The prizes were gift cards from Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, and Subway.  Thanks, Aunt Susan and Uncle Preston.

Most of the cousins

Logan graduates from the Advanced Academy at the University of West Georgia next weekend.  That's just one more opportunity for family time before we begin our Grand Adventure!

Weekend in Savannah

SAVANNAH

Only 20 days before we board the Norwegian Jade bound for the UK.  We need to start packing.  However, we chose to take a weekend trip to Savannah, GA primarily for a the Stampin' Up! Onstage Local event at the Savannah International Visitors and Trade Center.

Terry, Kay, and Kathy met Cindy, Danetta, and Leanne at the convention center and had a fantastic day seeing the new products, making cards and winning prize patrols.

Friday night, our friends, Jeff and Kathy Bishop, Chuck and I met Ron and Kay Barker in Darien for the Blessing of the Fleet 2017 weekend celebration.

 Kay's niece, Teresa Lathem had a hand crafted jewelry booth at the festival.  I got a beautiful dragonfly necklace that she made from an old spoon.
 Teresa is truly an artist!  We also ate coconut shrimp and alligator tail on a stick.  

Chuck bought carpenter bee traps from Tony Gonzalez (tonygonz88@att.net). Tony, UH1 helicopter pilot, Vietnam. Thanks, Tony.

The evening ended listening and moving to the beat of the Swinging Medallions.

 We would have stayed longer, but Onstage Savannah began early Saturday morning.

After Onstage, Kathy, Jeff, Chuck and I stopped for a lovely dinner at Love's Seafood Restaurant.

 The restaurant sits on the banks of the Ogeechee River and features freshly caught fish.  We weren't sure that we would be able to eat there because a wedding was taking place, but we we were able to eat outside on the deck and enjoy the gorgeous weather and good food.  I had the shrimp and grits and Chuck had the all-you-can-eat catfish with all the fixings.  He stopped at five pieces of catfish.  All this delicious food for $36 plus tip.  While were were eating, we noticed a wedding taking place along the Ogeechee behind the restaurant. While the wedding party was having photographs taken, 3 vultures landed in the dead moss-covered tree above the loving couple. We didn't manage to get a photo of those ominous onlookers.  We hope that those vultures were not a sign of things to come.

Sunday morning, Jeff and Kathy headed home while Chuck and I decided to go into Savannah.  I neglected to mention that while the ladies were attending Onstage, the guys took in the sights in Savannah.  The took the Old Savannah Tour and enjoyed their day immensely.  Chuck and I took the same tour.  It was so interesting and informative.  The weather was perfect.  There is so much to see and do in Savannah and the city is beautiful with many tree covered parks and squares.  SCAD, Savannah College or Art and Design, is located in Savannah and has a student population of 12,000.  Savannah is also home to the second largest port on the east coast and employs 36,000 people.

 Juliet Gordon Low founded the Girl Scouts in Savannah.

 Also, a fact that we found very interesting was that John and Charles Wesley were invited to come to Savannah by James Oglethorpe. John Wesley was the minister in the Anglican Church established by Oglethorpe for the new colony, but wasn't very successful and returned to England after 2 years.  He and his brother, Charles, later founded the Methodist Church.

We also learned that General Nathaniel Greene, second in command to George Washington, was awarded a plantation along the Savannah River for his loyalty.  His wife, however, did not want their children to be educated in Savannah.  She wanted the children to have a "northern" education.  After General Greene's death, she and the children returned to Savannah and brought along a tutor for the children.  This tutor observed how the process for harvesting cotton was tedious and nonproductive.  He designed and built the cotton gin.  That tutor's name was Eli Whitney.

Old Savannah Tours is definitely valuable fodder for trivia.

 I just hope that Jim has some questions about Savannah this week.  We just might know the answers. One of the other great things that Old Savannah Tours has are the historical characters that board the bus at various locations and give a personal history of the city. This was a great tour, with knowledgeable guides and lots of fun. We give it 2 thumbs up.

We finished our day in Savannah with lunch at Paula Deen's restaurant The Lady and Sons.

Lots and lots of delicious butter in and on everything.  I had the crab cake with asparagus, fried collard greens, and couscous.

 Chuck had the buffet with fried chicken, BBQ pork and chicken, black-eyed peas, sweet potatoes, and mac and cheese.

 We shared a piece of key lime pie for dessert. Now it's time to head home.