Hacienda Del Mar

We find ourselves in Cabo San Lucas, at the "Hacienda Del Mar" resort.
It is beautiful.
The resort is new. Our quarters are wonderful. The beach is a four minute walk. There are rocks scattered along the strand and the surf pounds like a big bass drum. We can hear it from our balcony. We imagined we'd be able to see the water from our room. We cannot. And that's the first irritation of a few.
Whining follows:

We were told we would need to pass a Covid-19 test prior to boarding the airplane to come here. We were in Nashville, TN at the time we learned this and had to call home to find out who would do the test within 72 hours of our departure and what time we had to be there to get it done. We coordinated all that, tested negative for the virus, and got paperwork in hand.
It was still dark when we arose on the day of our flight. We showered, bundled our luggage to the car, and made our way to parking and the airport. We checked our bag and got our boarding passes. No one asked for our Covid documentation. They DID want to verify we had our passports.

Our stopover was in Dallas/Ft. Worth.
Ever been there?
It's a BIG airport. To get from one part of the place to another you must take a shuttle train. We used the train and got to our departure gate.
No one asked for our Covid documentation.

We land at "Los Cabos International Airport", get our bags and make our way through customs... not a big deal. We wend our way outside the terminal to find the shuttle for the resort.
We're stressed and tired. It's HOT outside. Thirty minutes we stand waiting for our ride.
But the ride is in an air conditioned van. Cold water is offered and accepted.

Arriving at the resort is a flurry of activity.
And here is where my main problem begins.
After check-in, a young lady escorts us to a private area and gives us a spiel-
If we sign up to hear a sales pitch we get 15% off all our meals in the resort, a free breakfast, and $100 credit in the resort's restaurants and bars.
I'm nearly deaf. She's speaking in heavily accented English, through a mask. I might as well be TOTALLY deaf. Thank Goodness Sara Jean can hear. But she's only understanding about half of what she is hearing.

Prices for everything are in Mexican Pesos. Initially it's a shocker to look at prices-
Gasoline at one station we passed was listed at $21.44/per... whatever. So we need to do a mental calculation to determine if we want to buy something.

The coffee pot in the room may as well be a radio. It appears brand new, but its function is a mystery to us.
We call the front desk for help. The maintenance guy shows up and explains how it works... in Spanish.
He leaves. We figure out we can boil water in our kitchenette then pour it through the grounds, cowboy style.
Brand new, worthless-to-us coffee maker.

TV-
We found Fox News on it last night before turning over to sleep. When we woke and tried to watch it this morning the screen said, "Press select to view". I press "select".
Nada. (That means what I did had no damned impact).
We call the front desk again. A different maintenance guy shows up. Remote in hand, he repeatedly presses "select". He gets the same result I got. He punches keys on his cell phone, then hands it to me. On the display it says, "Signal is down. Will be back up at 9 A.M.".

So our first day in this beautiful resort has been... unsettling.
-Stressful planning.
-Hectic travel.
-Language difficulties.
-Currency exchange.

Give me 24 hours of watching this surf while reading my book.
I think I may survive.

Not Smart

I've been self-centered and WRONG my whole life.
Early on I learned of my IQ number and thought it indicated fairly high intelligence.
But I'm not smart enough to figure out how being "oohed and ahhed" over while slamming "The Rich" at a $30,000/plate fundraiser is not the height of hypocrisy.
In my stupidity all I could think of was, "Well, she does have a nice butt".

"Hecho En Viet Nam"

In an earlier post I touched on the fact that a beloved Uncle, who spent almost a year in a German P.O.W. camp, bought an "Anglia Ford" in the early 1960's as a second car rather than a VW because he could not bring himself to put money in the pockets of any German. I could fully understand his reasoning.
My Father fought in the Pacific theater. In 1973 he bought a Datsun Pickup truck. I was proud the had rejoined the world. (He put over 200,000 miles on that ugly little thing.)

My son has purchased a nice home in the bedroom suburbs of Nashville, TN. The home is large enough that if/when Sara Jean and I come to visit, we will not be walking all over one another.
Rather than move a bunch of stuff from Phoenix, he sold much of his home furnishings there prior to his move. So now he has to buy NEW here, and we've been running all over town looking for stuff that pleases both he and SJ to furnish this home.

Loaded into the back of "Grouchy", our 3/4-ton diesel pickup, printed clearly on most of the boxes of furnishings were the words, "Hecho En Viet Nam".
Further inspection revealed the words: "Frabique En Viet Nam" and "Made in Viet Nam."
I went to Viet Nam to protect our country while trying to improve the lives of Vietnamese citizens.
Looks like I may have succeeded after all.
By the way... I have NO qualms whatsoever about buying a quality product, reasonably priced, manufactured by the grandchild of someone who might have been trying to kill me over 50 years ago.
That world is LONG GONE.

The Cruise Diet?

Prior to departing for our cruise I jumped on the scale. I wanted to see how many lubs I would put on because I knew we'd have all we could eat of anything we wanted for the nine days we'd be on the boat.
I was a bit surprised to find I had broken the 200-lb barrier for the first time in several years. That made getting on the ship a little sad, 'cause I knew I'd have to struggle once again to get below that mark.

On the ship I DID try to eat mostly protein and veggies. But MAN!, that dessert section had some fabulous selections to choose from. "Tres leche dulce"? "Raspberry Red Velvet"?
Pastries are always my failing. When the "Hot Donuts" light is on at Krispy Kreme, my car always goes into automatic pilot and finds a vacant parking spot.

This morning Sara Jean asked, "Have you gotten on the scale?"
"No." (I really didn't wanta know.)
"You're beginning to look like a scarecrow. Come up. Let's see how much weight you've lost."
Lost? is she kidding? We just returned from the land of endless peanut butter cookies!

Up the stairs and onto the scale.
The digital numbers spun like a wheel of fortune, then settled on...
192 pounds.
What?
How is that possible?

I can't explain it. Maybe I picked up a worm somewhere along the line?
Or maybe cake and ice cream are now a part of the South Beach diet?

Whatever... I'll take it.
Now, keeping it off is always the difficult part.

Magic Carpet Ride, 5Sep21

I go back to this theme frequently-
I'm reading James McDonough's "William Tecumseh Sherman, In the Service of My Country". In the mid-1800's, when Sherman needed to communicate with his superiors from San Francisco, it could take THREE MONTHS to get a message to them, and another three to get a response.

We departed Ft. Lauderdale, Florida last night at 2000 hours Eastern. We landed in Nashville, Tennessee at 2200 hours, picked up our son's car, then drove home, arriving at 0400 hours, (again Eastern time zone.)
I haven't calculated the exact distance FTL> our home, but I "swag" it at about 1400 miles total...
Sherman would be boggled by the thought of such speed and convenience.
We are spoiled rotten, and need to say thanks for our blessings continuously.

Big Bubba is buying a house in the Nashville area and we will be helping him to make it a home, starting tomorrow, so a trip back to Music City is necessary. I don't know much about Nashville, but I really like what I am seeing so far.

We are still getting our "land legs" beneath us, unwinding from the whirlwind we've been caught up in.
I'm sure Sherman frequently had situations he had to unwind from, even at a horse/donkey's walking pace.

Have a great day today everyone. I fear we are about to have major changes in our lives.
(Buy a BUNCH of your favorite brand of coffee. Ours has been "out of stock for two weeks now.)

5Sep21-Back In The USSA

We're off the boat in Ft. Lauderdale. We'll be back in our beds at home late this evening.
After 9 nights on the boat it begins to feel like home, and we always hate to leave. Neat stuff is everywhere within a short walk on the boat... food, entertainment, (both fun and educational), and an endless supply of cookies and ice cream.
Last night we sailed for a few hours just off Cuba's East and Northern shores. I trekked to the highest point on the boat hoping to get a glimpse...
No luck, Castro's land was just over the horizon.

This cruise has been enjoyable. They seem expensive, until you consider you're getting a nice room; plenty of good food; a pool, view of the ocean from your private balcony; Las Vegas or Broadway-quality entertainment; a Casino; and servants EVERYWHERE catering to your every wish.
Sumptuous breakfast in bed, sir? Coming right up!

This ship had been idle 16 months. I think this trip was a "trial balloon" to get the ship and crew back running on all 8 cylinders. We saw VERY FEW indications of any problems.

We're glad to be back on terra firma.
I'm sure our grass needs mowing.

ABC, Easy As 123-

We are docked in port at Bonaire. I had heard the term "ABC Islands", but naive as I am, never was curious enough to ask what "ABC" meant.
Now I know it means "Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao". We've now visited them all, but in the order of "ACB".
All are beautiful. Curacao is apparently the hilliest of the three. All deserve more than a 12-hour visit, which is the one thing I dislike about "Cruising".
Maybe we can come back and spend some time exploring without a deadline some day.

I was worried how Sara Jean's L.B.D. would react to be in a strange bedroom, in completely odd surroundings. The bathroom in our Stateroom has a very nice nightlight. It basks our entire room in a comfortable blue light if we leave the shower/toilet door open when we go to bed. She has had NO hallucinations at night, thank GOD. (We were worried if she screamed at night our shipmates would call security. We've escaped that so far.)

This ship is run by "Celebrity Cruise Lines". We've now sailed on lines operated by Princess, Azamara, and Celebrity. Sara Jean and Big Bubba have also sailed on Royal Caribbean. We all agree the food on this line has been better than the others. But Azamara still ranks #1 because of their unlimited alcohol policy, and their excellent WiFi package. (It has been frustratingly difficult to keep a signal on this voyage.)

We leave Bonaire this evening, headed back to Ft. Lauderdale. That'll be two days "at sea", so we'll be carousing the boat to find ways to pass the time.
Hope all is well with the readers who stop by.

More later...

Aruba-

It's amazing to watch them maneuver these huge vessels against the dock. Ship's speed is reduced from 16 knots to zero over about a 20 minute period. Most of these gigantic pieces of machinery have thrusters to do much of the job, but generally there are a couple big Tugboats to assist, even if they are just a sort of insurance policy for possible failure of some system.

Aruba is beautiful. We've been here previously on our way back to Ft. Lauderdale after we had passed through the Panama Canal. There's a wonderful cafe/bar on Main Street here that has GREAT WiFi. I thought I might disembark here and have a couple beers there while getting away from the absolutely lousy signal we have here on the ship. BUT... the announcement was made after the ship came to a stop that in order to disembark we'd have to wear masks, indoors and out here.
Aruba will get none of my greenbacks.

The "Celebrity Equinox" has plaques with interesting quotes posted above all the urinals to educate all us standing pee-ers. I read one I liked last night:
"Farm land grows crops. City land grows taxes."

I promised myself I would not gain weight on this cruise.
Right now I'm irritated with myself.

Tomorrow? We'll be either in Bonaire or Curacao, I cannot remember which.
I'd like to be able to get off the ship and get my "land legs".
Let's see if they punish us with masks.

Cruise Ships-

This ship is HUGE. It is by far the largest cruise ship I have sailed on.
It's 15 stories tall. I was surprised to hear that it drafts 27 feet. How in the world does it not capsize, even in a gentle turn?

Keep My Head In The Sand?

We're docked in Nassau. Our journey will last ten days. When news broke of what is going on in Afghanistan I was conflicted-
I'm heartsick about our humiliation. How can we be SO STUPID?
But there's not a damned thing I can do about it. I voted my heart last November, fearful of exactly this scenario unfolding. Would things be different with the "Evil Tweeter" in office? I cannot help but think our enemies would fear him.
Now? EVERYONE around the world is laughing at us.

But here I am in the Bahamas. For a while I thought I simply wouldn't turn to the news. But I'm a news/political junkie, and I couldn't resist flicking over to see how CNN and MSPMS were trying to cover SloJoe's ass.
I was surprised. This screwup is so flagrant even they are criticizing his handling of it. And it will get worse when the magnitude of how many hostages the Taliban and ISIS have under their control.
Disaster is impossible to camouflage.

I went to the Boat's library to grab something to read and keep me , as much as possible, from watching the Boobtube. Amazingly, the VERY FIRST book I focused on was "William Tecumseh Sherman, In the service of my country. A life".
The book is dedicated "To my former students at Lipscomb University, Pepperdine University, and Auburn University, who understood and appreciated the significance of history".
If young people "understood and appreciated the significance of history", we WOULD NOT be in the disastrous situation we now find ourselves experiencing.

We'll be visiting Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire.
I just wish I could fully be enjoying this experience.
That's impossible while my brethren and fellow citizens are at risk.

The Wisdom of A Navy Corpsman

When I got drafted my closest friend in High School joined the Navy and asked to be trained as a Medic.
... Ballsy, considering the conflict in Viet Nam was growing, and Walter Cronkite was showing videos of that conflict every night on his broadcast. He came home from the war a dramatically changed man.

I've kept the relationship with that friend alive and reasonably well all these years since.
For some time now he's been saying "the country is lost", and I've argued that he is wrong. But everywhere I turn and look now I see things that make me either sick to my stomach or at least uncomfortable. (If you don't know who Megan Rapinoe is, do the research.)

We face trying times.
The difficulties we face will change our country, for better or worse.
And I'm not sure I want to live in the country that emerges.

Damn, I'm glad I'm old!

Only Yesterday.

 

The "Karen Carpenter Story" has haunted me for years.
Thinking she was FAT, she apparently "pinched an inch" at her waist until her body was so diminished her heart stopped. Nothing anyone said to her could change her behavior.

Today I heard this song on our "Classic Rock" station and really listened to the words.
Heartbreaking.

We must always remember-
Although they look normal, others around us may be living lives of quiet desperation.

20 August Request for Help:

A friend from Chicago will be visiting Sara Jean today.  The visitor will be here most of the afternoon.
My request?
Do you know any tool I can use to insure she NEVER votes again?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

GB

Ashamed

I was ashamed of my country when we abandoned our allies in Viet Nam.
I'm ashamed today because we learned absolutely nothing from that experience.
What happened to "Duty. Honor. Country."?

Courage!

 Look at all these able, military-age males running around the airport at Kabul, Afghanistan, looking for an AK-47 or AR-15 to use in defense of their country against the evil Taliban!

It's From France

 

Volkswagen's invasion of the U.S. started in the late 50's. At that time the average price of regular gasoline was about 25-cents a gallon. It was difficult for me to understand why anyone would want one of the noisy, uncomfortable little cars. Now I understand a little better-
As a second car they were somewhat like a motorcycle, only you could use one in the rain or snow and not be wet and miserable.

The car in the photo is a Renault "Dauphine", France's answer to the Beetle.
A friend's Father bought one for her because he had fought in the European Theater during WWII and could not bring himself to buy anything made by Hitler's minions. Dauphines were TERRIBLE little cars. They broke down
A LOT, and Renault had little to no logistics chain set up to support the car.
My friend's car sat for weeks waiting on some part. While the Beetle just got more and more popular, Renault got run out of town on a rail until they reappeared in the U.S. with the AMC/Renault "Alliance", (another raving success of an automobile).

Renault. Citroen. Peugeot.
What is it about French cars in the U.S.?

August, 2021- A Great Idea!

Now that Afghanistan is once again falling into Taliban hands-
Why don't we just release all the Guantanamo prisoners?
That would resolve ALL our present-day issues, wouldn't it?

What was it that wise man said about history?

Getting Jabbed

Since my Sara Jean is apparently in the early stage of going down the Lewy Body Dementia path, we've accelerated our list of things we'd like to do before we assume ambient temperature.
She loves to cruise. So we scheduled a 7-day Caribbean cruise which leaves in a few days. Our son will accompany us on this voyage.
We've already been "jabbed", but our son has not. When we scheduled the cruise he specifically asked, "Will you require proof of vaccination in order for me to board?" And the answer was "Negative".
So everything was in order. Until two days ago.
Change One to Plan B...
"You must have proof that you have been vaccinated."
Scramble time.

I know just enough about the vaccines to be dangerous. I've seen the frantic posts about mice that have received the MRNA vaccines. So to be safe, Sara Jean and I got the Johnson & Johnson/Jansen vaccination. (We're all gonna die soon anyway, so what the heck?)
We recommended the J&J vaccine to Big Bubba and did some research to find out where he could obtain one.
Everyone is "Out of Stock".
Panic time.

We call around... "Do you have ANY idea where the J&J vaccine can be found?
"No. You might try Googling it."
Duh.

Yesterday we called and asked that question to our local Health Department-
"Yes we have it. Come tomorrow between 8 A.M. and 4:30 P.M.".
Our son now has his proof and can board the ship.
Time to relax.
Now, ask me how soon we'll be getting on a Cruise Ship again!
(Snerk.)


Our accelerated timeline-
Cruise.
Then a week in Cabo San Lucas.
Then a trip back to Indiana for a couple days in Madison, overlooking the Mighty Ohio River, followed by my High School reunion.
Then I think we'll run up to Shipshewana, Indiana so Sara Jean can shop 'til she drops while I run over to visit the Auburn/Cord/Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, Indiana.
Then we'll come home and prepare for our six weeks in Destin, Florida.
Interspersed in all this runnin' around we hope to spend some time in our new RV trailer.

Time flies when you're havin' fun.
I hope we can savor every moment of what we have left.

The "Single Point Failure" Of The U.S. Constitution:

Are you as sick of this as I am?
Watch this video. And if you want change, and you're not already a member of Billwhittle.com, get your butt over there and throw some money their way.
We MUST start fighting back!

Backing Up

 

Trying to make the most of the years we have left, (hopefully MANY), we decided to buy an RV.
I wrote about loving truck campers because they are compact, you only have to license one vehicle, and you can pull a trailer behind them.
Well, best laid plans...

We went shopping and I made the mistake of taking a look at this thing.
It has a "garage" in the front with a ramp. You can drive a motorcycle up that ramp with room to spare for other stuff. The slide at the rear accommodates a full King-size bed. At the campsite you can pull the bike out of the garage and there are two bunk beds up there in front.

I've been terrified of maneuvering this thing behind our 3/4 ton truck. So today I took it out to a BIG empty parking lot in our neighborhood and practiced.
Surprisingly, after two or three shots at trying to hit my target I got to the point I was no longer terrified.
(Ain't sayin' I was great at it, but if/when I need to put it into a campsite, with a little ziggin' and zaggin', I'll get the sucker where it needs to rest.)

Now? We're outfitting the thing.
LOTS of nickels and dimes.
Stay tuned. More to come.