Alligator Alley - 1/31/14

Did you ever notice what people do while they are driving 70 mph? As a passenger, I am able to observe drivers and it scares the daylights out of me. Talking on cell phones and driving with one hand is very common. Texting is, unfortunately, very common. Reading a book is not common, but I saw it today. And peeling a banana - holding it with one hand, and peeling it with the other hand, and steering on an as needed basis. Yikes!

Fortunately, Alligator Alley is about as straight a road as they come. The land is perfectly flat and the road goes in a straight line for about 100 miles through cypress swamps and saw grass and everglades. If you weren't going so fast you could probably see lots of alligators. There are a couple of rest stops and a Miccosukee Indian casino, and a whole lot of nothing else. Then all of a sudden, you can see a power line up ahead, you cross under an underpass that appeared out of nowhere, and there you are amongst subdivisions and strip malls.

The rest was easy. We dropped off the car at FLL and took the shuttle bus to Port Everglades. We were dropped off at the Island Princess. We checked our luggage at the curb and after a short, well-organized boarding processs, we found ourselves welcomed aboard. Our luggage arrived in our room shortly after lunch, we unpacked, and we attended the muster drill. The sun was out it was finally warm, and the ship left on time!

Ellenton and Longboat Key - 1/30/14

It's still in the 40's this morning. First on our agenda is a stop at Walmart to stock up on toiletries and a few snacks for the cruise. Next stop: the Ellenton Outlet Mall. Hooray for the Chico's Outlet! Mission accomplished.

Next, we headed to Longboat Key to visit Sydelle and Phillip in their new home. Their new place is gorgeous and they are settling in to the Sarasota arts scene. Sydelle is already giving dance lessons. It was still cold so we couldn't enjoy any of their numerous balconies. We had a delightful lunch of fresh grouper, salad and wine. When you are retired you get to have terrific leisurely lunches with wine. 

Finally, we arrived at our mtel in the Naples area. We were still full from lunch so we just had Oreos for dinner.

I keep forgetting to take pictures. :(

Temperate Tampa - 1/29/14

We left early because it snowed a little last night. The road to BWI was clear and we arrived three hours before our flight was due to depart. We flew Southwest. They let 15 people on at a time, and you race to pick out a seat. Ick. Our departure was delayed by the late arrival of our plane, and our arrival at TPA was delayed by headwinds. It was in the low 40's in Tampa. 

We went straight to our motel, then changed and went to Susie's for dinner. Nancy and Kathy and Dan were there, as well as Susie's "new" boyfriend, Jim. We had a nice dinner and then we went back to our motel because we were very tired (from sitting around so much, I guess).

Forgot to take family photos.

Icy DC - 1/28/14

It was another cold day in the DC area. The wind made it even worse. 

In the morning we met with the staff at Mom's assisted living and found out that the norovirus had hit Mom last night. The facility was still under quarantine. We were asked if we wanted to see Mom, but we didn't want to risk getting this contagious bug right before going on a cruise so we declined.  It's too bad we didn't get to see her, but she doesn't always recognize us. At least we had a good meeting with the staff and got some new clothes for her.

We went to Panera Bread for lunch and people watching. There are no PB franchises in Alaska, so it's always a treat to be able to go there. People watching: three old geezers taking up two (!) tables at the peak of the lunchtime rush not eating lunch, but with cups of coffee they had been nursing for hours, while a woman was standing there holding her tray and looking for a place to sit. Their comment: "It sure is crowded in here."  Clueless.

We had a nice dinner with Bobi and then we watched the State of the Union. By the end of the speech it was snowing hard at the Capitol. It was starting to snow in Bethesda, too, and we decided we would leave a half an hour earlier for BWI tomorrow.

The GI Blues - 1/27/14

We arrived at BWI this morning and drove down to Montgomery County to visit my mom. Only we didn't visit her after all. Her assisted living facility is experiencing a gastrointestinal outbreak and they are on "lock down," which means no visitors. I spoke to the director on the phone and she told me the outbreak had peaked and my mother had not been afflicted, so a visit might be possible tomorrow.

We went to Macy's to buy some clothes for my mom. (We could really use a Macy's in Anchorage. Where else could you find clothes for my mother, my daughter and me, all in the same place and with lots of items on sale? Not that I would ever buy clothes for my daughter. It's really hard to figure out what she likes and what she doesn't like. I like the way she dresses, but I can't create her look myself. Well, maybe I would buy her a scarf.)

No photos today.

Airport Art - 1/26/14

We usually fly on Alaska Airlines, but this time we flew on Delta. We left from a different concourse, so I got to see some different airport art. If there is anything that can be done to make flying more pleasant, I'm all for it, so the more airport art, the better.

As an Alaskan, I am used to leaving Anchorage and finding it much warmer at the end of my journey. Often it is 50 degrees warmer, or even more, at our destination. It was 36 degrees when we left ANC last night. It was minus 14 when we landed at MSP - 50 degrees COLDER. That's a first. 

While the Lower 48 is suffering from the Polar Vortex, Alaska has been experiencing an "equatorial vortex." (OK, so I made that term up.) The point is, we have been having unusually warm weather for this time of year. The results have been disastrous: cross-country skiing is no longer possible, parking lots and driveways are sheets of ice, main roads are down to bare pavement and potholes are forming, trees are starting to bud out (and that will be bad when it gets cold again, and it will) and a major avalanche on the Richardson highway is making headlines.

The typical flight between ANC and SEA is full of oil field workers who "commute" between Washington state and the North Slope. I was surprised to find that the flight between ANC and MSP looked the same. The flight was about 80% men, most of them dressed in jeans and t-shirts and with upgrades to first class, presumably because of all that flying back and forth. 

Politicians in Alaska always talk about how helping the oil companies, through tax breaks and other incentives, will stimulate Alaska's economy and create more jobs for Alaskans. Who are they kidding?

I will try to get some photos posted soon. It's complicated when I am not t home.

The Panama Palindrome

A palindrome is a word or phrase that reads the same backwards and forwards. (It does not have anything to do with Sarah Palin.) For example: 

• Eva, can I stab bats in a cave?
• Able was I ere I saw Elba.
• Mr. Owl ate my metal worm.
• Was it a car or a cat I saw?
• Do geese see God?

My favorite has always been this one:

     A man, a plan, a canal: Panama!

So now you know where we are going next . . .