Rejects

In January, 2012, I wrote an entry called "Doors Unopened" and I find it still applies today. I reject posting a great many ideas that come to mind for various reasons.  So here is a list of the current rejects:

I won't write about the following subjects unless I get some great inspirations or queries to hear more about--

--My December cruise was outstanding. I'm a big fan of cruises and I could write endlessly about the things I enjoy about them. We meet legions of interesting people and see great places. We always take several Gigs of photos. People who love to cruise have those too. People who don't love to cruise don't care, or hate the whole concept. I could live on a ship and never get bored.




--My holiday with my family and grandchildren was superb. I never tire of talking to my grandchildren who are extra special to me. They light our lives in a million ways and I will always enjoy time spent with them. I think it is a great unspoken compliment to their parents that they can share their greatest contribution to the world with us. I think they can feel successful and accomplished as adults when they can leave the grandchildren to visit with us while they take some time off.

--The holiday display presented annually by Longwood Gardens always tops their previous efforts and makes the holidays extra special to set the stage for our celebrations. It too, produces tons of photos.

--The Terabyte hard drive that I needed to add to my desktop to store travel photos can be summed up in this sentence and one word--necessary.

--My new gym makes me feel good and gives my days structure. It centers me like nothing else.

--Religion and politics are still on my reject list. I just don't go there. People think what they think without my input. My opinions are in stone and I don't need to argue with anyone.

--My frustration with my constant quest to find "mature" slacks and workout pants will be restrained. See previous angst-- Venting on Vetting Jeans

--The number of books I read is numerous and anyone who wants to read book reviews can check Amazon. I try to keep up to date with a number of my favorite fiction authors and their current offerings such as John Grisham, Stuart Woods, Vince Flynn, Lee Child, Tess Gerritson and others. I'm too busy reading to write yet another review. Kudos to the public library, without whom I would go broke feeding my reading addiction.

The subject that I do find noteworthy is that of a gift that I received this year. I have a new Nook  which is most interesting. Never having felt the need of an e-reader, I find that it has been a revelation. I thoroughly enjoy reading books with it and find that I can use the wireless connection to my local public library and check out epub books to my Nook without leaving my easy chair. When I finish reading it, I can return it wirelessly to the public library and delete it from my Nook. It automatically expires in 14 days so there are no overdue fees. It can store books, magazines, newspapers, music, photos, movies, and games like Sudoku and crossword puzzles. So I will have to load it with entertainment before I travel again. 

I can purchase any number of things from Barnes and Noble online with their web connection as well as surf the web and check my e-mail. It is such a handy little toy that I never knew I needed. New paradigm.

I'd Rather Be .........

Sunrise Over the Atlantic Ocean

We've seen the slogans here, there and everywhere and everyone would fill in the blank differently, depending on her/his  favorite hobby. I would fill in the blank with my favorite activity: I'd Rather Be Cruising. Someone recently asked me why I like cruises and I tried to explain the charm it holds for me. I can't think of anything I don't like about cruising. I could easily take up residence on a cruise ship if money were no object, but it is, so I have to content myself with the occasional trip.

 

The thing I notice most about the interesting people I meet on cruise ships is that the ones I talk to at least, really like cruising. I assume people who really don't like cruises don't show up on cruises. Either you love it, or you hate it. I enjoy talking to lots of new people and getting to know them. I think the people are the most interesting part of a cruise. I am an observer of people and try to imagine who they are, what they do, what they like, etc. It always surprises me to find out how wrong I am in my guesses. It is a great lesson to me personally, not to make assumptions about people and never judge a book by its cover. I like to be open to talking to new people and learning what they're all about. People are so friendly and eager to talk to each other.

The National Museum of Bermuda

My latest cruise stopped at Bermuda and several islands in the Caribbean. We like to explore and look for interesting historical spots and take self-guided photographic excursions. We have visited Bermuda before so we tried to see something different on this trip. We explored the National Museum of Bermuda. We learned more about histories of the island slave trade; yacht racing; and the role of Bermuda in WWII because a German submarine was captured and secretly towed to Bermuda for hiding and further study. Bermuda housed POW's from the Boer, First, and Second World Wars.

Prisoners in Paradise

Having recently cruised into Puerto Rico twice, I have a new appreciation of San Juan. We docked within easy walking distance of two beautiful old forts, Castillo San Cristobal and Castillo San Felipe del Morro.

Between the two fortresses is the Old San Juan with charmingly colorful building fronts down long, narrow, cobblestone streets. We walked for hours and explored shops and parks.

Even if the cruise ship never docked during the trip, for me, it would be great to be on the ship for days and days. I didn't even mind the night we passed through a tropical storm in the Atlantic. I like to explore the ship, take part in the events, or sit on the balcony and look for flying fish and dolphins. We were able to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the bridge and the galley, both of which are enlightening. There is always something interesting to do on a cruise ship. Some people like to be part of a car enthusiasts crowd, or maybe a motorcycle crowd, or fans of Burning Man, or rock concerts or professional sports events, and I like to be part of the cruise crowd. After taking hundreds of photos, I will restrain myself and post only a few. I post a slide show at another site and it is available if anyone wants to request it by e-mail.

Sunset viewed from the Atlantic Ocean

Shrinking the Bucket List

It would be an accurate statement to say that my passion for the beauty of bridges knows no limits. Since the late 1960's, when we used to go to New York City by way of the Staten Island Ferry, it has been a dream of mine to sail under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which was completed in 1964. We just did that twice this month on the Explorer of the Seas which sails from Cape Liberty Port in Bayonne, New Jersey, to ports in the Caribbean. This particular trip stopped in St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Puerto Rico and Labadee. The ports of call could have been anywhere because my interest was in the bridge.

 

It is a slow approach, and the sail under the bridge is only about an hour of the most interesting part, but it was beautiful to see the bridge at dusk upon departure and at dawn on the return leg of the trip. On departure, people crowded on the top deck in the very cold wind to take pictures of the Statue of Liberty with the Manhattan skyline in the background. The sun was just setting and the half moon was near the bridge, which was brilliantly lit. Jupiter was off to the side and we could see airplanes were taking off and landing at JFK in the distance. To the northeast was the Brooklyn Bridge which was also outlined in lights.

 

Everyone eagerly awaited the actual passing under the bridge to see the very top of the ship appearing to barely clear the bridge. At the point that the tip of the ship cleared the bridge deck, everyone erupted into cheers and applause. It is a very unusual bon voyage sail-away and the chills were not only due to the low temperatures in the New York Harbor. The people on the top decks to enjoy the cruise out of the New York Harbor were people with a common interest in bridges, ships and fun experiences.

 

Even though I took care of that item on my bucket list, I would enjoy doing it again in the summer months. I would also like to get a more powerful camera to fully document the experience. My compact camera gives a lot in convenience, but compromises a bit in the quality department. On the day we departed St. Thomas, I was able to catch the moon with a double rainbow.

 

We were able to see two different ice shows on board which were outstanding considering the smaller size of the rink. The skaters were really good to be able to perform on a rink of that size on a moving ship.

 



It was a wonderful cruise with so many great people to meet and enjoy. Cruising is an excuse to make new friends and enjoy conversations to compare lives and activities. Sorting through the pictures will take days and the memories will last a lifetime.

A New Generation

I observe the comportment (what an archaic term) of the younger generation under 20 due to my many years in education, no matter whether I see them in stores, at sports events, in airports, and this week on a cruise that sailed from Port Canaveral in Florida on the massive Freedom of the Seas.

It is very encouraging to see a little one coaxed through an hour at a dinner table without disturbing the other diners. The five to one ratio could have been a key. When a two-year-old is cuddled and encouraged by a set of parents, a set of grandparents, and a favorite uncle, it produces remarkable results. When she was happy and doing well, she sat at the table in a booster seat. If she got upset, someone quickly and quietly removed her from the room until she settled down before they returned to the table.

It is impressive when a sixteen year-old-arrives at a breakfast dining table sans parents,  politely introduces himself,  engages the adults at the table in mature conversation, and displays table manners to make a mom proud. Even when leaving the table, he shook the hands of the adults present at the table. Wow!

I probably shouldn't venture a guess for the reasons why the kids on board were so calm, engaging, mannerly and pleasant as we shared a vacation space. Ordinarily we would try to avoid excessive contact with youngsters on vacations but this experience was very positive.

On one occasion we were on an elevator with two teenagers who opened a conversation with us. I was impressed with their composure and ability to joke and converse with strangers. They were very friendly, poised and confident. 

The generation under 20 has grown up with "social networking" and technology so it wasn't surprising to see how at ease a five-year-old was with the large board interactive touch screens on each deck where they could search the screens for locations of the pool, theater, shops, dining, or the wave rider.

Certainly credit is due for the extensive youth activity program provided by Royal Caribbean (which also has a curfew for the youth) but I suspect the quality of parenting is to be commended. I would like to think that the input of dedicated educators played a role also in the behavior of youth that I observed during the week.

The minors on board seemed to have had many travel opportunities and were sophisticated by a great variety of cultural experiences in their young lives; some could switch languages with ease. The parents seemed to be from the upper socioeconomic and educational ranks and to have brought along their progeny with an enviable richness of experiences.

We were a bit concerned when we learned that we were booked next to a family of two adults and four "minors". Turns out they were late teens/early twenties young adults who occasionally were on their balcony and we could hear their relaxed, mature conversations. There was no loud, raucous noise, no drunken parties--just young people on vacation with parents.

It is a warm, fuzzy moment to observe that the younger generation has stepped up to the plate and many are more than capable of managing the world of today. At least some parents and educators have done a commendable job. It was a very enjoyable vacation.