Tuesday, December 17, 2013

The Christmas Season, 2013

I have to say I am really enjoying the Christmas season this year. As I sit here right now, at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 17th, I feel very blessed. I am home today because the substitute teaching job I was supposed to have today got cancelled due to no school because of a snow storm. I am sitting here, across from Chuck at the dining room table which is covered with a seasonably red tablecloth. Both of us are working on our computers. Behind us, the Christmas tree is lit, and the living room is brightly decorated with red and green and gold decorations. The television is on the seasonal music station and we are enjoying Christmas music while we do our work. The dog is nestled all snug in her bed in her bed, just like in the famous poem by Clement Moore. I sip hot chocolate, and every once in awhile, I glance outside to see the snow lightly falling, and inside, I feel warm and fuzzy and happy...happy to be here in this home with the love of my life, enjoying a warm and cozy atmosphere, and celebrating the season of joy because our God chose to send us the ultimate Christmas gift...the gift of His very own son. I have all I could ever want or need at this time in my life. I wish you all the same, and as much happiness as your hearts can hold this Christmas season. Here are some pictures of our home this Christmas:

Monday, August 26, 2013

I am Blessed by My Second Marriage

Chuck and I are in Florida in a hotel in Cocoa Beach which is near Cape Canaveral. Chuck is teaching today and the next two days. I want to share how blessed I feel. I am the happiest I have ever been in my whole life. As I stepped onto the beach after taking the sandy path from the hotel, I breathed in the fresh salt air that had not yet been tinged by the Florida humidity. As I was walking and looking at the ocean at 7:45 a.m. which, if you know me well, is totally unheard of for me to even be up at that time if I don't have to be, never mind walking the beach...I nodded at a few people who were also out early, walking. There I was with the gulls, pelicans and sand pipers, enjoying the morning. I am not a morning person, but today, looking at the beauty before me, I couldn't help but be. I gazed around me in awe, at the clouds in the sky, the sun peeking through with its rays shining on the water, and birds around me, and tears sprang to my eyes. At that moment, I felt SO grateful and blessed. A thought occurred to me and I realized that at that moment, and at this time in my life, I am truly the happiest I have ever been. My goals in life for as long as I can remember were to be happily in love with the man I was married to, and to be a mom. I am a mom of three grown children, so I have had and am still having that "mom" experience which has been very fulfilling to me. And now that I have met Chuck I am finally happily married! I wish Chuck had not been on his way to teach at that moment, but instead had been with me because it was the perfect time to share this new discovery with him. He is a very big part of the reason I am so happy. I took pictures of the clouds hovering over the water in different shades of white and gray. I listened to the sound of the waves as they rolled in over the beach. I slowly breathed in the salty air. I realized that being with Chuck and having made the choices I have made over the course of my lifetime, has brought me to a point where I am the happiest I have ever been. Chuck treats me like a queen. For all of my life, I have wanted to be loved by a man the way Chuck loves me. And I have wanted to be able to love a man with my whole heart. And that is the way that Chuck allows me to love him. It is very freeing not to have to change who I am in order to be with him. I am very grateful to both God and Chuck, and feel extremely blessed to be this loved by both of them, and living this life! I just had to share these feelings of joy because my "cup overfloweth". I am having an amazing life! Here are some pictures from our stay in Cocoa Beach, including the view from our hotel room window, the beach where I walked every morning with a free cup of coffee from the hotel, and the beach at sunrise one morning:

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Second Marriage: Bringing Others Hope!

A long time ago, when Chuck and I first fell in love, I wanted to shout about it from the rooftops! And with this blog, I am able to do that. I recently ran into someone who found this blog online and told me it's nice to see someone so in love in their second marriage. And that it gives them hope for an upcoming second marriage in their own life. That made me feel so good. I have always told Chuck that I wanted our marriage to make a difference in the lives of others. I didn't know how that would come to be. But I have heard from a few different people who told me that this blog is encouraging to them in their own lives and that they enjoy reading it. So, maybe our marriage won't be one for the history books, or we won't have a "made for TV movie" about our love. But, if we can inspire people in our day to day lives, or if people can be inspired about love and marriage the second time around through this blog, then that's just as good, and I will have made the dream o0f our inspiring people to come true. Well, I need to run now. Chuck is coming home from a business trip and I wanted to clean the house as a surprise for him. oops...if he reads this at the airport before he actually gets here, I guess it won't be a surprise for him...LOL! Oh well. The important thing is that it gets done. Happy Sunday afternoon everyone!

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Motel 6 and "We''ll Leave the Light on For You"

Back in the day, actually, about 20 years ago, when Tom Bodett of Motel 6 fame promised to leave the light on for all of us, I remember what a homey feeling his voice had and the thought of someone leaving the light on for me made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. The Motel 6 adman did a wonderful job of making me, and I am sure plenty of others, feel as though Tom Bodett and the people at Motel 6 really cared about me. I haven't thought of that campaign or Tom Bodett for many years, until the other night Chuck was due home after dark, and I decided to leave the light on for him. At one end of our circular driveway there is a lamp post. During winter months when I would arrive home from substitute teaching and running errands, I could almost count on the light being left on for me. It made me feel the same way those ads for Motel 6 did...warm and fuzzy inside, and as though someone cared about me. Only this time, it's Chuck that cares about me, not Motel 6. Wanting to share those same feelings of caring, I left the light on for him. And I started to think about my life before Chuck. In my first marriage, I don't think I was as conscious about doing those little things. I may have been before kids, but not to the extent I do those little things now. That's one of the things a second marriage does for me. It gives me a second chance to think about the things that really matter in a marriage, and to make sure I do them right THIS time. I try not to spend too much time dwelling on what went wrong in my first marriage. I have been there, and done that and I think I have it figured out enough to learn from my mistakes, but not dwell on it. But I do realize that life is short and I do not have eons to get this marriage thing right. I only have whatever time God gives me with Chuck so I need to make each day count. That means doing those little things that add up to a loving and caring marriage. It means making sure when I replace the toilet paper roll that I put it on the way Chuck likes it. ( It doesn't matter to ME mind you, but since it does matter to Chuck, I try to pay attention...if you have read this far, please leave a comment below just for fun about whether or not you like your toilet paper to come down from over the top of the roll, or from underneath)! Here's what I mean: Do you like your TP to dispense from over the roll (left) or under the roll (right)? Or does it matter?
And there are other things too that matter, and I try to remember. Like after I get water out of the refrigerator door, I try to remember to put the lever back on ice so when Chuck goes to get ice, he won't end up with a glass full of water. And to make sure I keep the door to the guest bathroom closed when not in use. Now in case you think it's all one sided, Chuck does the same for me. I don't like it when cupboard doors are left open so he tries to close them now where once he didn't pay attention and would shut them only when he noticed. And I don't like kissing him after he eats onions so he tries not to eat them when we will be spending an evening together. I think in marriage, whether first, second, or sixth...keeping track of those little things and trying to keep an eye on them to please a mate is a very considerate thing. And consideration means caring. I am doing much better at making a point of being considerate in my second marriage and not take my husband for granted. My second marriage is giving me a second chance to get it right! And for that I am grateful.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

A Romantic Trip to Tanglewood in the Berkshires

This past weekend, Chuck and I went to Tanglewood. For those of you not familiar with it, Tanglewood is in the Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts. It's the summer home of the Boston Pops. Each year, throngs of picnickers and classical music enthusiasts flock to Tanglewood to enjoy both the ambiance of an outside picnic in the summer, and the beautiful strains of classical music outside, under the stars. Chuck enjoys Tanglewood for the classical music. I enjoy Tangelwood for the whole experience...the cool green grass under my bare feet as I sit in a lawn chair and wiggle my toes in it...the taste of picnic food out in the fresh mountain air...the tangy taste of wine as I gaze at the mountains around me...the excitement of other Tanglewood fans as they share their own picnic dinners with family and friends, gazing up through the trees as I lay on my back on a blanket and gaze at blue sky and fluffy...white clouds as I listen to the strains of classical music wafting through the fresh summer air...and the enjoyment I have of being here, together with my husband, both of us full of joy and excitement and love for the event, and for each other. Yep, that sounds pretty mushy, but it's the truth. Here's the set up of our portable table, before dinner...
At one point in the evening, after dinner and before the concert, I was laying on the blanket and looked to my left to see Chuck leaning back in his chair and enjoying the view, and then I looked to my right and saw the beautiful view of the Berkshire mountains surrounding a lake, and I honestly couldn't decide which view I liked better, so kept turning my head periodically from side to side to enjoy the man I love enjoying himself, and also the amazing mountains that are the Berkshires.
People who attend the concerts have a choice of either getting lawn tickets, or purchasing seats inside the shed. The shed is actually a pie shaped building where the musicians sit to perform, and three of the sides are open to the lawn. I enjoy the lawn, but Chuck loves to get seats so we can see the musicians and hear the music better. We usually compromise and go up one weekend a year, and watch the concert on a Saturday night from the seats inside, and enjoy a concert from the lawn on Sunday afternoon. Here's the shed at Tanglewood...and looking up through the trees from our picnic blanket (below)
We were fortunate to be able to enjoy a concert Friday night inside the shed, and Saturday night out on the lawn. I am a very blessed woman to be so in love, and to have the love of a man who is so wonderful, kind, honest, intelligent and considerate. And every morning, I do thank God for that.

Friday, July 5, 2013

Second Marriage Means Getting a Second Family

The thing about getting married a second time is not only do you marry your spouse, but you often get a lot of instant family members in the deal. I am fortunate that Chuck’s family has seemed to welcome me with open arms. That is a nice feeling. I think his family did a better job of welcoming me than my family did of welcoming him. Well, I’m talking about two of my three teen aged kids, and I guess we know how testy they can be. I think everyone else is happy Chuck’s in the family, and hopefully my kids will come around.
On June 1st, we went to Chuck’s grand daughter’s graduation from high school. Hannah is a beautiful girl, both inside and out and she shone on graduation day. I have included some pictures of her and Chuck and I. The ceremony was very nice, and I was really happy to be able to share in her special day. We added on our trip to Big Canoe to Hannah’s graduation so we could make sure we were able to both explore Big Canoe and make it to the graduation. The trip was definitely worthwhile on both counts. We are still working on making it to Big Canoe. The house needs a few things done before it can go on the market, and hopefully we can get those done soon so we don’t miss the “summer market” which I think means getting families into a new home before the start of the next school year. There will be more updates on this coming…

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Good-Bye Big Canoe...For Now

On Friday of our Big Canoe week we had a wonderful time renting a boat and taking an extremely quiet boat ride on Lake Petit. Actually, we didn't even have to rent the boat. Our real estate agent from Big Canoe, Ryan Moledar, arranged for us to have a boat for free for a few hours through the Big Canoe real estate office. Thanks Ryan! The boat was so quiet that I asked Chuck how we could be moving even though he hadn't started the motor yet! Big Canoe doesn't allow any gas powered boats so our boat, which is a pontoon boat, has an electric motor. I was shocked at how quiet it was. It was actually on and powering us around the lake when I said that. The peacefulness of Big Canoe was once again showcased as we wound our way slowly around the lake, admiring the houses that could just barely be seen peeking through the trees. We were able to go into small little coves and it was probably the most peaceful few hours we have had together in a very long time. The boat was so easy to drive that I even took a shot at it. There's an island in the middle of Lake Petit where people can moor a boat and go for a picnic. It was nice to dream about someday doing that in our future. We even saw a family of ducks swim by which was a real treat for a nature lover like me! Here are some scenes from our boat trip:
Captain Chuck back in action driving the boat:
Here are a few of the houses tucked in the trees along the lake...
A beautiful view amid the peace and quiet of Lake Petit
A family of ducks swam by us...
The Lake Petit Marina from the parking lot
We ate dinner that night at the Black Bear Pub again. Although we were hoping to get a seat outside, there was a band playing dance music outside and they were pretty loud from every table. We ended up inside where we could still enjoy the view and have a dinner where we could hear ourselves speaking. I think it's great that they do have entertainment at the Black Bear Pub. It would have been better to enjoy a nice glass of wine in the rocking chairs on the porch because it's off to the side a bit and not too near the speakers. I will remember that as an option if we do move here and I see musical entertainment on the schedule. Here's the view seen from the rocking chairs on the side patio of the Black Bear Pub
On Saturday, we went to Hannah's graduation (Chuck's granddaughter) and we were down in Dallas, Georgia all day and into the evening with that. This day was to be our last day totally inside the gates of Big Canoe. I found myself growing sad that we would need to leave the peacefulness and the wildlife that is such an integral part of this wonderful community. And I will miss the indoor pool so much. This year on our cruise and here at Big canoe, I have really begun to enjoy swimming as a form of aerobic exercise, while Chuck still prefers the exercise equipment. As I swam almost every day during our stay, I was imagining how wonderful it will be to have access to an indoor pool to exercise in every day. They say swimming is one of the best exercises people can do, and I am ready to start that on a daily basis. And it would be great to be able to go together and work out because the gym and indoor pool are housed in the same building.

Monday, June 24, 2013

More Adventures in the Mountains of North Georgia

I have been remiss in keeping up with this blog and for that I am sorry. The day after I wrote this we met with the real estate agent that we had toured with last year. Unfortunately, because we are a bit picky, he only had three homes to show us that were in the price range we wanted, and had all the amenities we also require ( at least a 2 car garage for Chuck and a mountain view for me, among other things.) The prices of homes in Big Canoe runs from about $200,000 for an older home, all the way up to the millions. The homes are all varied, and one can get anything from a simple log cabin to a beautiful mansion. We enjoyed our tours of the homes very much, and I found 2 I could live in quite easily. But our current house is not even on the market yet, so I guess I can't put the cart before the horse. We will be getting the house ready to get on the market soon, and hopefully, when it sells, we will have more than a few choices of houses at Big Canoe.
The day after this exciting day, we headed down south to Atlanta to visits with Chuck's children and their families. We met his daughter and her two teen aged girls and had a wonderful stroll down the quaint streets of Dallas, Georgia.
Above is a picture of Chuck, his daughter and her girls...and below is a picture of Chuck's son and 3 of his 4 children, all of whom visited us at Big Canoe on Memorial Day weekend...
My favorite shop was "Somewhere in Time", a small but stuffed to the rafters little place filled with antiques and candles. It was a great place to browse because there was an interesting find at every turn. We had lunch in a cute little restaurant run by Charlie, a jovial man who greeted us at the door! It was a very down to basics place that served breakfast or lunch which meant doubling our options of good home made food. Later we met Chuck's son at his office, received a tour, and went to lunch with him and some of his office mates who had been waiting to meet Chuck...being the NDT Icon that he is!...Someone once called him that and so I love to tease him and remind him of his unofficial title! After a late lunch it was off to see his 2 grandchildren participate in a swim meet. By the time we left it was getting dark and we came back top the condo to relax a bit before heading off to bed to prepare for another exciting day at Big Canoe!...Tomorrow is our day on the lake here at Big Canoe. We are really looking forward to getting on a boat and being out in nature.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Big Canoe, Georgia

Driving through the gate of Big Canoe on Sunday afternoon, May 26th, 2013, I felt myself falling in love. We are spending the week here to see if this is a place we would like to move to from Connecticut. Chuck has family within 90 minutes of this beautiful gated community. As we drove through the pine trees that bordered each side of the road, I felt myself relax and breathe the stress of the life I had left behind out of my lungs. We wound around wood lined roads, curving around corners with glimpses of golf greens peeking at us through the woods. When we got out of the car, from the parking lot we could hear a waterfall which we later discovered was the rock slide area where people can actually slide down part of a river on a man made rock slide. We entered the condo to an afternoon of discovering the nooks and crannies of our home for the next week. We roamed around the one bedroom condo finding new corners including an outside porch outside the living room and an inside porch outside of the bedroom. The living room holds and amazing brick wood fireplace with a hearth that can provide extra seating. And besides the bathroom attached to the bedroom with a queen sized bed. We immediately went to the fitness center sow e could work out before they closed at 6. We got a 1 week membership. Chuck used the work out equipment but I was too excited to be here and to see the place so I headed outside to find some hiking trails that I had been given a map for by the woman behind the desk at the fitness center. I started out on the lake trail which ran .6 miles behind the center. On the way, I watched some young people going down the rock slide which looked like a lot of fun. I headed out onto the path and was immediately surprised at the quietness of the trail. I missed my dog Reeses and imagined how much she would have enjoyed walking on the trail with me. The trail wound up and down along the edge of the lake through the trees. It was shady for most of the trail and although the temperature was about 80 degrees it was cooler under the trees. I came to an area where I crossed a floating bridge which had been built by volunteers and reached across the lake. I saw a turtle sunning on a rock, and must have surprised either a few turtles or fish or frogs as I could hear them jumping into the water before I got there, and saw the ripples in the water that were evidence of where they had been. The trail intersected with a wildflower trail which I followed for a bit but then when I realized that the trail did not go around the lake, but just continued on to another trail, I followed that wildflower trail for a bit, then turned back. After our workout, we went out to eat at a place called, ‘Forno” which was in the Foothills Shopping Center which also includes an IGA. The pizza we had was delicious and was made from home made dough. I was glad I had read the review online about Fornos before we needed to find dinner somewhere. After dinner, we went to the IGA around the corner but in the same shopping center. It was small, probably the same size as a dress barn store. It had what we needed for the Memorial Day picnic tomorrow with Chuck's family..... Monday, 5/27/2013 Today we woke up and had a cup of coffee on the back porch area of the condo. We sat and watched the groundskeepers mowing the greens and watched ducks swim in a nearby pond. I can’t believe how peaceful and quiet it is here. We hardly hear any voices, and since there are no lawn mowers and lawns allowed, it adds to the peace. The rock slide is behind where our condos are so we can hear the water that sounds like a waterfall. After breakfast we went exploring and tried to find some of the homes we were interested in by following streets. It was really fun exploring the roads at Big Canoe. After 45 minutes of that, we went to the fitness center. I did laps in the indoor pool while Chuck worked out. I started a conversation with a very nice lady who has lived here with her husband for 6 or 7 years. They really love it here. They moved here from Atlanta. After working out we went back to the condo and Chuck's daughter and her family arrived. Shortly afterward his son and his family also arrived. We headed down to the Swim Club which is where we decided to have our family picnic. At the entrance, guests pay a fee to use the swim club amenities which included the rock slide, picnic area, pool, lake and canoes and paddle boats. None of the adults swam but the kids had a ball. After the picnic, about 5 p.m., most everyone left except a few family members and we sat on the back deck and drank wine and watched the golfers. We also saw two deer wind their way across the golf course, and chipmunks and squirrels, and geese. It was so amazing. I love the wildlife here. After everyone left Chuck watched TV and I just felt the need to get out there in nature. So I left the condo and walked along the golf course path. It was so beautiful I just needed to be out in the wild. I saw a deer on the edge of the golf course, but I scared her so she ran across and back to the wooded area. I noticed she watched me from the woods. I followed the path up and around a hill and found a sheltered area with rest rooms and Styrofoam cups with ice cold water. I was hot from my walk so the water tasted good. On the way back to the condo, I saw Chuck coming toward me so he met me halfway and we walked back together. It was so peaceful and beautiful. I am falling in love with Big Canoe!Here are some pictures of what we see from our back deck: Tuesday, 5/28/2013 We woke up and enjoyed a cup of coffee together on the back deck again watching the squirrels play. We planned on exploring Dahlonega and Jasper today. Jasper is the town closest to Big Canoe that has most of the grocery stores, pharmacies and a Walmart. We took off around 11 a.m. to head to Dahlonega. It took us 45 minutes to drive there, and it was a beautiful drive with mountainous twists and turns the whole way. Dahlonega is the town in which the first gold rush in the u,S, was started. If you would like to read more about Dahlonega, I have written an article all about it for HubPages and you can find it here: http://karenhellier.hubpages.com/hub/The-Delights-of-Historic-Dahlonega-Georgia On our way back to Big Canoe, we decided to head into Jasper to check it out. We had heard that is the closest town where we can grocery shop and where the drug stores like CVS, and Rite Aid are, with a Piggly Wiggly grocery store nearby. We were really happy to see that there is a CVS, Walgreen’s and Rite Aid all on the same corner, and one mile away there is a Walmart, Kroger and IGA to grocery shop at. I timed it on the way back and from the Rite Aid to the main gate at Big Canoe, it took us 16 minutes. Now of course if we buy a house here, it will take longer to get to our home, but 16 - 30 minutes is not bad at all, when there's an IGA for emergencies not too far from the gate. We would just have to plan our trips into “town” in advance. I sounded like Laura Ingalls Wilder right then! We returned to the condo and took a nap, and then went to work out at the Fitness Center. Chuck did his usual routine of biking and using the weight equipment while I swam for 35 minutes continuously and then sat in the hot tub for 10. I loved being able to just swim as a workout and was imagining how great it would be to be able to have a heated pool available to me every day to swim in. I started to feel healthier already! I spoke to a recently divorced man who was also in the hot tub. He has been leasing a home at Big Canoe for a year and his lease is up in June. He enjoys it here so much he is looking for a house to buy. He told me he loves it here at I asked about the cost of the extra and he didn’t seem to mind it too much. On the way out of the Fitness Center, I stopped to ask how much it would be for a membership for Chuck and I for the fitness center and the indoor pool, For the 2 of us as a couple it costs $55 a month which I thought was great. Cheaper than in CT. at Chuck’s fitness center. We came back to the condo, had a glass of wine on the outdoor deck as the sun went down and I watched a deer meander across the golf course looking for food. We had leftover pizza for dinner, then watched TV, used our computers and I read all the brochures I had picked up in Dahlonega earlier in the day. What a life huh? In case you can't tell, we are really enjoying it here in the North Georgia woods of Big Canoe! Here's a picture of Dahlonega...

Saturday, May 25, 2013

We Leave for Big Canoe Tomorrow!!!

Tomorrow Chuck and I leave for a one week trip to Big Canoe, Georgia. Two of his three adult children and their families live nearby. This 8,000 acre gated community is 80 miles north of Atlanta. We are staying in a condo inside the gates of Big Canoe for a week to try out the community and to see if we can picture ourselves living here on a full time basis. We went last year for a day and met with a real estate agent. We fell in love with the area, and the peacefulness of this mountain community. I am not sure that I want to live in the South, being a born and bred New England Yankee from a long line of New England stock. I am a Yankee through and through, but do want to get out of Connecticut and have wanted to for a very long time. So, we have an appointment set up with the same real estate agent as last year and I have been researching homes that are within our budget and that we can imagine us actually living in. I originally came up with a list of 22 homes, trying to leave no stone (or home...LOL) uncovered since this may be the only chance we have to see some homes before buying if we do decide this is the right place for us. After sitting down with Chuck the other night, the list has now been whittled down to JUST 11!!! But since right now we only have one day scheduled with the real estate agent, I sent the list to him to whittle down further. He has our list of requirements and there are some things about these homes that only he has access to, such as do these homes all have mountain views, the square footage, etc. Based on those details, we have faith that he will develop a list of what will work for us, and we look forward to touring some homes. On Monday, Memorial Day, Chuck's son and daughter and their families will be coming up to spend the day. We are going to have a cookout and enjoy some of the facilities. The kids are especially looking forward to enjoying the natural rock slide on the property. One day, Chuck and I are going to explore a nearby town called, "Dahlonega" which is supposed to be cute and quaint and a nice relaxing place to spend a day. There are also some wineries in that general area which may be fun to check out. About seven miles outside the gates of Big Canoe is a state park with a beautiful waterfall so we are looking forward to seeing that too. At the end of the week,on Saturday, June 1st, Chuck's granddaughter Hannah will be graduating from high school. We will be attending her graduation and the party afterward, and coming home the next day. Once we get home we will be processing all we heard and saw about Big Canoe to decide if it's the place for us. I will definitely keep you all up to date! Here's the link to an article I wrote about Big Canoe when we went to visit in 2012: http://karenhellier.hubpages.com/hub/Resort-Living-A-Review-of-Big-Canoe-Georgia

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Chuck Hellier, my Mr. Wonderful on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdNfy4H6XTU&feature=youtu.be I am so proud of my husband. Although we have been together for eight years and married for three, I still find him very handsome, sexy, intelligent and full of charisma. He recently was on a business trip to Pennsylvania and was interviewed. Here is the link to the interview. Watching it may give you an idea as to why I love this man so much!!! He's my Mr. Wonderful!

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Add Some Romance to Your Marriage

I have been thinking about an article I wrote on HubPages awhile back. It's called, "12 Reasons Why I Love My Husband" and even though I published it over a year ago, people are still finding it and writing comments about it. To date 7,488 people have read it. That in itself is amazing to me. Some people seem grateful to me for writing it. Others I fear, feel sad after reading it and seeing what they are missing in their marriage or in their lives if they don't have a love in their life right now. A comment from today mentioned that they liked the way I make married life so romantic! I asked Chuck if he thinks I make married life romantic and he says that I score pretty high marks in that area. It's not that hard, and to me life is too short not to have romance in it. Life is sometimes very monotonous in the same thing, new day routine that a lot of people find themselves in. It's much more fun to break up the monotony by throwing a bit of sugar and spice into the mix. And that's easy to do. How hard is it to write a few love notes every month and hide them around the house where your spouse is sure to find them? And when they do, the surprise and the message is sure to bring a smile to their face. Hmm, that reminds me of a new topic to write an article about for HubPages. I can write a whole series about what to say in love notes that people can hide in their homes! But I digress...there are other ways to add romance to your life besides love notes. How about greeting your husband/wife when they come through the door with a huge hug and kiss and telling them how much you missed them? Or before you go to bed, face your spouse and tell them one or two things that you appreciate about them. That's it...don't go into anything negative, just tell them that before they go to sleep. How about drawing your wife a bubble bath with lit candles some night as a surprise? Or making him his favorite meal and dine by candlelight for no specific reason? Or maybe you could do something around the house that your spouse has been nagging you to do but you didn't want to? Complete the task and leave a little note on it saying you did it just for them with a smiley face so they know you weren't trying to be sarcastic. There are things that take more time that are romantic that one can do, such as plan a picnic, or a trip somewhere. But it's so easy to be romantic and helps your spouse feel appreciated. Here's the link to the article I wrote on Hubpages if you are interested in reading it, and may you have romance every day in your married life: http://karenhellier.hubpages.com/hub/10-Reasons-I-Love-My-Husband

Monday, May 13, 2013

The Reunion: Chuck came back!

Well it was a very busy week for both of us last week while Chuck was away. I met a friend for lunch on Sunday, and another friend for a nice long walk with the dog on Tuesday after work. The rest of the week, I was either working (substitute teaching), writing, or cleaning the house. Chuck is more particular about the house than I am so I decided to surprise him when he came home by having the house all cleaned and a nice dinner made for us to share when he returned home. On Thursday night when he came back, the three of us, and I'm including the dog in that number, were like one big happy family again. In fact, the dog was so happy to see him that she began repeatedly leaping two feet up into the air and barking! We were amazed at her sheer joy, and I am sure it must have sent the message to Chuck that he was sorely missed. After greeting each other, we went in and had dinner together. Upon noticing the house, Chuck remarked that maybe he should go away more often. Oops, that plan backfired on my part! I put the brakes on that plan by telling him if he did go away more often I would stop cleaning the house so that would not be a good choice! We are together now for about 2 weeks, and then he has a short trip before we go away together during the last week of May to Georgia for a week. I wrote an article about Big Canoe, GA. which is a gated community we are thinking of moving to. If you are interested, you can read about it here: http://karenhellier.hubpages.com/hub/Resort-Living-A-Review-of-Big-Canoe-Georgia ...I will be using my new camera to take some much better pictures of the area so will be replacing the current ones. I am just not sure I am ready to move to the South. I am a born and raised New Englander through and through and don't like the heat. But it can't hurt to take a look and get to know the area a bit. We have rented a condo for 1 week so we can really have time to explore and meet people that may be our future neighbors. The community is in the North Georgia Mountains so it's a bit cooler than the lower lying towns. More to come after this after our trip south. Here's a picture of a view from inside the community:

Sunday, May 5, 2013

On Missing Chuck

It has been exactly 34 minutes since Chuck left to go on a business trip to Las Vegas, and I already miss him like crazy.Since I was finally able to move in with him in September, this is the first time we have been away from each other for this long. He has had some overnight business trips that he has taken, but this is the longest one. I left my job at the local high school and became a substitute teacher last June so I could travel with him on his trips. But since we just returned from an almost 3 week cruise, and are planning to leave again for another week at the end of the month (to check out a gated community we may move to in Georgia), we have decided not to ask my parents to take care of the dog for these 5 days, and instead, I will stay home with her while Chuck goes off on his own. I thought this time away from him would be no problem. But when you are in love with someone, and are fortunate enough to be with that someone day in and day out for months at a time, it's a huge emptiness when they leave. Oh yes, I do have things planned to keep myself busy while he is gone. I have some days already booked to work this week. And I plan to write as much as possible. And I still have things that are coming down from my old house that I promised Chuck would be put away before he comes home (where I will put them is still a mystery at this point, but I will find a place). I have plans to get together with a few friends. And I plan to do some cleaning and maybe some scrap booking as well. But all of that doesn't replace the quietness of the house. After all the dog is here with me, but she can't talk. And it doesn't replace the empty space in the bed next to me at night. And it doesn't replace the empty chair at the table during meal time. But I guess we will somehow muddle through, and when he comes home, we will be that much happier to be back together again. Although, in my heart I would rather be in Las Vegas with Chuck (sorry Reeses!)

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Disney's California Adventure

After the cruise through the Panama Canal, we had a couple days in California visiting relatives. We had one day to be tourists in the Anaheim area, and Chuck wanted to take me to California Adventure. When it first opened about 10 years ago, I heard terrible reviews, so it was not something I was really looking forward to. I do so love Disneyland and was hoping we could go there, but he and I had been to the Magic Kingdom in Orlando at Disney World a few years ago, so after much discussion, and my doing some research on the internet, we decided to go to California Adventure. I don't know how I missed this, but it's actually a Disney Park. I hadn't ever heard that it had any connection to Disney. That made me much more interested in going as I love most things Disney. The day was absolutely perfect at 68 degrees and sunny. We couldn't have asked for a better day temperature wise. The admission price to go is fairly expensive and that seemed ridiculous to me, but then again I am "The Coupon Lady" and there were no coupons or bargains that I could see. Oh, yes, I forgot, Chuck did get a senior discount of 2 whole dollars!!! I was thinking that Walt Disney would probably not be very happy about the small a discount for seniors seeing as he was a senior citizen when realizing his dream of opening Disney Land. But I guess some savings is better than none!!! So we were off to explore the state of California at this park. When doing my research, I found a list of rides that were must experiences and also the ones which were best to use a Fastpass for. We headed right to those rides when we got in, but one of them, even when using a Fastpass, meant that we wouldn't get to ride it till between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. which was ridiculous since we were planning to leave the park before then. Some of the rides we did go on were Soarin' Over California (one of the best rides I have ever experienced) Radiator Springs in Cars Land, and The Aladdin Show...which was extremely entertaining even for adults. I did catch a glimpse of Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck and Pluto which was really fun. We got a tour of a sourdough bread bakery, complete with a free sample, which you know Chuck loved since he's a huge fan of sourdough bread, and went to the Ghiradelli Chocolate Shop for ice cream in the afternoon. I had a chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream there that was one of the best I have ever had! We went on a few other rides and ended the day with a Pixar parade that was a lot of fun. There were characters in it from A Bug's Life and Toy Story, but I did miss Mickey and Minnie and the original Disney gang in that parade. If I can figure out how to get pictures on this blog, I will post one of Chuck and I posing with a statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse...one of my favorite pictures from our trip.( Okay...I figured it out as you can all see below!!!) All in all, I really enjoyed the day and am glad Chuck suggested we go to California Adventure.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Panama Canal Cruise: Final Blog Entry

Imagine this: You and the love of your life are sitting on a cruise ship balcony. You are sharing a bottle of wine as darkness descends around you. As you look off in the distance, you can see the lights of the port of Puntarenas, Costa Rica fading away. Warm breezes caress your faces and add to your ability to relax and sink back into your lounge chair. You and your love have just spent a day exploring Costa Rica with a guide and had seen monkeys, crocodiles, beautiful beaches and a variety of hand made crafts created by the Costa Rican natives. As you look at each other in the dusk, you toast to five more days at sea which will enable you to relax and share each other’s company while eating delicious foods that you did not need to prepare, enjoying entertaining shows, taking naps and laying in the sun whenever the mood strikes. Not to mention you will be waited on hand and foot. This is how the last part of our cruise started out on Sunday night. And that is what the rest of our week will be like. Today is Monday and started out slowly as we woke up early, went to the buffet for breakfast, and then needing to find something to do while we gave the steward time to make up our room, we laid in thick cushioned lounge chairs in the Lotus pool and spa area. Here's the area we relaxed in. This area is air conditioned, but has cushioned lounge chairs lining the windows. It is quite a nice place to get away from the heat while still being able to enjoy the views of the sea. I didn’t see anymore dolphins, but watched some large silver fish repeatedly jumping out of the water and splashing back down. Shortly thereafter, we did see another family of dolphins again jumping over the waves left by the ship as it passed by them. It is such a thrill for me to see them in their natural habitat, rather than just being able to see them at the Mystic Aquarium. Chuck did some work this morning while I read. We also went to a talk about the electronic and technical workings of our cruise ship which was much more exciting to Chuck than to me. We did our third load of laundry today as well. I love I that Princess ships have Laundromats on them so for $2 to wash a load and $2 to dry we can have clean clothes for $4. There are also free ironing boards to use and that comes in handy too…. Out our windows today we can see no land, only the sea all around us. Yesterday it was a bit cooler and we can tell that we are getting out of the Central America area. I have heard a few passengers around the ship comment on how much nicer the air temperature is now. It’s easier to breathe and isn’t as balmy. I totally agree with them. We saw 3 dolphin sightings yesterday. One was around noon, one at about 4:00 p.m., and one at 5:00 p.m. The last one was when I was once again working out and I ran outside to see them better. There were about 20 dolphins in this group. They were having so much fun jumping over the waves from the ship that I actually laughed out loud. One jumped up and spun around in the air. I am quite surprised at how high they jump. Here's the treadmill area in the gym where I had a great view and could see the dolphins when they jumped out of the water. We spent another day of relaxation which included some time in the sun, reading in lounge chairs on the Promenade deck, and working out. After dinner in the Horizon Court Buffet, we listened to some music by a piano player. We were not interested in the shows which included a hypnotist and a female singer, so instead, headed back to the room for some more reading. We have a lot going on tomorrow night so we decided to just take it easy tonight. I watched the movie, “This Means War” starring Reese Witherspoon, on the stateroom TV. They have some really good movies on the TV in the stateroom, and I love to watch the art channel as it has biographies of famous artists as well as some of the artists whose work is displayed on the ship and auctioned off at the art auctions on board…… Today after breakfast we found a nice quiet place to read. Chuck took a book out of the library on board. You may have heard of the book that Bill O’Reilly helped to write called, ‘Killing Lincoln?” It’s really interesting and Chuck has been reading interesting tidbits to me as he finds them. At 10:00 a.m. Chuck went to a lecture about the discovery of electricity, while I walked around the ship and took pictures. After lunch I am going to the movie, ‘The Silver Linings Playbook” and tonight we have the Captain’s Circle Party…a party for all the returning Platinum and Elite cruisers on Princess. They give free drinks and snacks and there’s a chance to win prizes. After dinner we have plans to see a comic at 8:45 p.m. and a dance production at 9:45 p.m. Never a dull moment on Princess!............ Today’s the last day on the ship. The movie, “The Silver Linings Playbook” was really wonderful. Especially for those of us who have known people that struggle with mental illness. The comic from the other night was hilarious. And the show was very good as well. Yesterday was another relaxing day. It is getting quite cool now as we are further away from Central America, passing Mexico. Chuck didn’t even want to lie out in the sun. I gave it a shot with shorts and short sleeves for only about 20 minutes. The wind was quite strong. We aren’t seeing anymore dolphins as the air temperature and water temperature gets colder. In the afternoon there was a Breast Cancer Walk on board on the Promenade deck that passengers could participate in. Over 80 people took part, which is actually not very many since there are 1800 passengers on board. It was a $15 minimum fee to participate. Chuck didn’t walk but he did sponsor me. Afterward we worked out, went to dinner and he had lobster tails and prawns which was the specialty in the dining room. It was the last formal night so we had to dress up. After dinner we saw a really fantastic show dedicated to the Louisiana Bayou with lots of songs by the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt. It was the best show we have seen over the whole cruise. Today is even colder than yesterday. Hardly anyone is sunning themselves or in the pool. I am sad because the cruise is ending. We still have some fun planned for tonight, including dinner and a variety show and Chuck has promised to take me dancing. I have been walking around taking pictures of the ship so we have them to remember it by. I will be writing an article complete with pictures and publishing it on Hub Pages so you will be able to see it when it’s complete. Although it’s a bit of a sad day, we still have each other and I am so happy about that. Oh yes, and we already have another cruise planned in October…a 12 day Transatlantic cruise from Copenhagen to Florida on Norwegian Cruise Lines. Life is good! I hope you all have enjoyed these cruise updates. See you or talk to you soon! Karen & Chuck

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Costa Rica

Yesterday was a sea day and we spent it relaxing. We actually got some sun for about an hour but the sun was so hot, it made us almost feel as if we were melting. We did hop into the pool at one point and we didn’t feel the strength of the sun when in the water. On the Movies Under the Stars screen, which is right in front of the pool, they had TV trivia all afternoon. People were shouting out answers to questions about sound clips of themes from TV shows, trivia questions asked about TV starts and sitcoms, etc. I knew a lot of the answers which surprised me and made me think I must have watched a lot of TV as a child! A lot of the questions were about TV shows from the sixties through the nineties. After lunch, and a nap, I dragged myself to the ship’s gym, although I didn’t want to go. Chuck has been much better than I have about working out on this cruise. But then, he always has been anyway. Chuck had gone back to the room and I was still on the treadmill, hoping to convince myself to walk at least 30 minutes. After 20 minutes I happened to be looking out the window in front of me, and saw something jumping out of the water. I immediately hit the stop button on the treadmill and was off running out the door before the belt even stopped. Right outside of the gym is a nice walking area and from there I saw an amazing sight…at least 10 dolphins were jumping out of the water next to the ship. They were playfully jumping over the waves. One even had her baby with her and it was a beautiful sight the see a baby dolphin jumping as well. They followed near the ship for about 5 full minutes. I was hoping that Chuck was also seeing this because he had already gone down to the room. I debated about whether or not to run down and tell him about the dolphins and grab my camera, but it was one of those instances where you don’t dare move, afraid that you might miss such a miraculous sight. I stayed where I was, reveling in the glory that is dolphins playing in their natural habitat. I was so excited that I went back on the treadmill and finished my workout with much more energy! When I got back to the room later, the first thing Chuck asked me was if I had seen the dolphins. He had seen them too and I was so glad. We had a wonderful dinner last night in the more formal dining room. Chuck had beef ribs, and I had roast beef with Yorkshire pudding followed by New York Style cheesecake afterward. It was the meal I have had on the ship so far. After dinner we went to a show performed by the Coral Princess singers and dancers. It was a tribute show to the Rat Pack and was quite good. Sunday was our last cruise port. I am writing this Sunday night but it takes so many minutes to log on and post these updates that I probably won’t get to put this on the blog for a couple days. We pulled into Costa Rica this morning bright and early. Fortunately we set the clocks back an hour last night so getting up at 6:15 a.m. to get ready for our tour felt more like getting up at 7:15 a.m. After a very quick breakfast at the buffet, we headed to the designated meeting place for our tour. I was surprised to note on our way to the bus that although it was only 7:15 a.m., the beach near the cruise dock was already full of people. I have never seen crowds of people at the beach that early. Today’s tour was a train ride and an eco-boat ride through Costa Rica. I was really surprised by the train ride. First of all, it was a very old train with wooden paneling inside and padded seats that reminded me of the seats on school buses. The train had no air conditioning and the windows were open. It moved fairly slowly so I was able to take a lot of pictures that were not blurry due to movement. The train ride made me feel quite sad because it took us away from the tourist areas and we saw how many of the people in Costa Rica really live. And they are poor. We saw so many shacks with tin roofs and hardly any furniture inside. Some of the buildings that they live in had rubber automobile tires as foundations for the home. They had kitchen chairs from the fifties and sixties outside on their porches to sit on. Old kitchen tables from that same time period are in their kitchens, and some people had those types of tables in covered areas outside their homes and that’s where the family eats. Many families have one lone dog tied up by a heavy metal chain to a bush or tree in the shade in their yards. Their yards are littered with old oil cans, plastic containers, broken chairs, etc. Although we did see some nicer houses, they are not of the caliber that we live in. They are cement buildings, with cinder blocks for carports. The crazy thing is, they all seemed so happy. Lots of people, from babies, to children to adults stood in their yards and waved at us with big smiles on their faces. That made me even more sad because they seem so happy when they have so little, and we in the U.S. seem to always want more than what we have. And we have so much more than they do. Gasoline here in Costa Rica is $7.00 per gallon, and many people make only about $25 per day at their jobs. The average take home salary for a worker though is $700 - $800 per month! Yikes. The biggest employer in the country is the tourism trade. At the beach today we saw people making sand carvings and charging $1 to take a picture of it. The carvings were of men and women lying in the sand in bathing suits, and of horses in the sand as well. They were quite good actually. There was a sign next to the carvings that said, ‘This is my job. I have no other source of income and need this money to survive.” While on the train, we also stopped in a grove of trees to take pictures of a family of monkeys. They were really cute and paid no attention to us. I was able to stick my head out the window of the train and aim the camera straight up to take pictures. We also saw a lot of mango trees throughout the countryside as well as a cantaloupe melon plantation. The second part of the tour today was an eco-tour on a boat. We stopped at the visitor area and were treated to fresh watermelon and pineapple, iced tea, cold water or beer. There was also a nice gift shop there as well. We boarded the boats and headed down a river surrounded by mangrove trees. I was amazed at how large and how many roots these trees have. We saw two small crocodiles, more monkeys in trees, bats sleeping on the underside of a log, land crabs, termite nests, bee’s nests, and a variety of birds. It was a one hour boat ride but didn’t disappoint us at all. The day was hot and we were so glad to be able to get back on the air conditioned bus. The drive back was about 45 minutes along the coats and it was very beautiful. When we were done with the tour, we took a tram ride to the end of the pier where we shopped at various vendors who had tents set up for about ¼ mile down the sidewalk bordering the beach. The guide on the ship that spoke about the Panama Canal also gave port talks about each of the ports were going to, and highly recommended this area for Costa Rican crafts. There were a lot of leather products, jewelry, and Costa Rican wood products available, as well as the more touristy type goods of souvenir shirts, hats, magnets, etc. We spent about 40 minutes there, then returned to the ship for a late lunch. After a nap (the heat really does us both in) and another workout, we headed upstairs to the buffet for dinner. It was Bierfest night and almost everything at the buffet was German food. German food is not my favorite but I found a really good vegetable stew, some roasted chicken, a salad, and Black Forest Cake so I was satisfied. Chuck does like German food so he enjoyed the pretzel rolls, sauerkraut, red cabbage, split pea soup with ham, and a few other German dishes. After dinner we went to a show with a very good comedian. He has been on a lot of cruise ships as an entertainer and had some pretty funny stories about people he has met while cruising. Well, I am signing out for the night. The next 5 days we are at sea so nothing to do but relax and enjoy the ship’s amenities and entertainment and rest up to face the real world when we get back to Connecticut.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Panama Canal Cruise: Panama

Well, my entry about going through the Panama Canal was so long that I did not want to keep writing about what we did at night. But to celebrate going through the Panama Canal, we went out to eat at one of the 2 restaurants onboard that charge an extra charge of $25 per person. We usually don’t do this but it was a special night. Our choices were the Bayou Café, which is a steakhouse serving Cajun style steaks, and Sabatini’s, and Italian restaurant. Since I don’t like Cajun food, we went to the Italian restaurant and ended up having steaks there! We were given a window seat and although it was dark, it was still nice. By the time we had an appetizer, soup, salad, and the side dish of mushroom pasta, we were stuffed and I could have done without the steak. First they served us bread with vinegar and oil for dipping. Chuck had fried calamari as an appetizer and I had a mushroom torte which was delicious. I had a salad and they brought Chuck and amazing seafood tomato soup which he really enjoyed. I wouldn’t have liked it because it was very fishy, and you could taste the fish even in just the tomato broth, but I am sure that soup is a favorite in parts of Italy. They then brought us each a small plate of pasta in mushroom sauce which was so delicious I could have had it as the main course. There was an option to do that, and I should have stuck with that option. Chuck loved his steak, mine was just okay. For dessert, I had a white chocolate mousse torte which was very good. Unfortunately, Chuck can’t remember what he had for dessert. We only know that when we left, we were stuffed! The whole meal for the most part was delicious and the experience was wonderful. We shared a bottle of wine from Italy as well, but I don’t remember the name of it at the moment. The next day, we were in the port of Fuerte Amador, which is just outside of Panama City. We took a bus through Panama, starting in Panama City to get back to the first locks we had gone through. We had booked a tour of the Gatun Locks and a boat ride on Gatun Lake, which was basically a boat ride to find wildlife. We backtracked back to the start of where the Panama Canal begins via bus, and then were able to climb up onto a viewing building next to the Panama Canal’s Gatun Locks and we were able to watch a huge ship traversing the lock and it was really a different experience watching the ship from the land. Out near the entrance to the tourist viewing area, there was an example of a “mule” from the opening time of the Panama Canal (1914), and one from present day. The one from the 1914 time period has a GE symbol on it, so I made sure I took a picture of Chuck with that since he does some work with General Electric and I thought that would be fun to have. After we viewed that ship, we got back on the bus and headed to a small, family owned Botanical Garden and Nature Center where we were given life jackets and loaded onto a small boat that fit 20 people to motor around on the lake and look for wildlife. It was a bit scary doing this because if you remember I told you in an earlier blog entry that the islands that now stand in Gatun Lake used to be hilltops and mountaintops? Well, a lot of trees from that original time of the flooding of the lake are now just stumps sticking out of the water by anywhere from a few inches to a foot. The guy steering the boat had to be very careful not to crash into any of those. It was a nice ride around the lake and I was happy to get Chuck back on a boat since he still misses his boat. Some of you may be wondering what I could possibly be talking about since Chuck and I are ON A BOAT for 2 weeks during this cruise. But this is a different type of boat than motoring around close to the water on a lake. During our one hour boat ride, we saw 1 lone howler money sitting in a tree, 2 sloths, a few butterflies, and once again, many, many birds. The guide we had today was named, “Roberto” and he was very interesting. During the bus rides, we learned all about the history of Panama and the country’s economy, exports, etc. After returning to the bus, it was a 45 minute bus ride back to the boat. It was sad to see the way many people in Panama live. There is a lot of poverty, both here in Panama and also in Columbia. The one thing I like about taking a tour that involves bus ride is the chance to see the homes and yards of the people who actually live there. We got back to the ship, had a late lunch ( at 4 p.m.), worked out, relaxed a bit and then went to dinner in the Horizon Court buffet in time to catch a Movie Under the Stars. The movie they played was, “Parental Guidance,” starring Billy Crystal and Bette Midler, and it was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. I haven’t heard much about this movie and don’t even know when it came out, but it made me laugh and it made me cry and I came away from this movie feeling fortunate to have seen it! Tomorrow is a day at sea so it will give us a chance to relax and stay out of the heat.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

The Panama Canal Transit

We made it to the Panama Canal finally on Thursday, 4/11. We had been prepped for the Panama Canal transit over the first few days of the cruise as the ship had not only a session about the Canal’s history through a Scholarship at Sea program, but there had also been a few documentaries shown that any passenger could access a number of times either in a theater on board or on a Princess cruises TV channel on our stateroom TVs. By the time this day came, I was surprised at the information I had learned about the history of the Panama Canal. It was an extremely hot day, even at 6:30 a.m. when I woke up and headed up to the forward part of the ship (front for those of you who are not up on your boating terminology!) If you know me well, you will know that I am definitely not an early riser and prefer to stay up late and sleep in. So I surprised myself when I woke up even earlier than planned, after a restless night of trying to sleep but trying not to miss anything good about our first and probably only crossing of the Panama Canal. Chuck had set the alarm for 6:45 a.m. but I was up and out of the cabin by 6:30 a.m., kissing him good bye and telling him I would be on the 14th or 15th floor forward, outside. When I arrived there were only about 20 other people up there with me. We were a few miles away from the actual entrance but I got a really neat picture of the sun rising just above the city of Colon, Panama. The guide who would be speaking throughout the day had suggested getting up in a good viewing area by 7:30 a.m. as that was the time we should be entering the canal. I didn’t want to miss anything since I am taking most of the pictures on this cruise. I found a spot right in front, and decided to stay there until Chuck could find me and be front and center of all the action. I was a bit disappointed because right in front of all of us at the railing were tinted blue plastic panels to break the wind. On either side of the panels in each section was a space of about 2 inches where if I finagled my camera at just the right angle, I was able to get a clear picture of what was in front of the ship. Someone nearby was complaining about the panels and said when he went online and watched videos of Panama Canal cruises on this ship last year at this time, those panels weren’t there, and people in the front had an open view. I started snapping pictures very far in advance because it was just so exciting to be entering the Panama Canal. Thank goodness I have a digital camera and can get rid of the pictures I took too early, or that were pretty much duplicates because I didn’t want to miss a chance at a good shot! I repeatedly turned around for the next 90 minutes looking for chuck. It didn’t feel right entering the Canal without him beside me to share it. Before the trip I really wasn’t all that excited about the actual Canal but I wanted to see the wildlife in the area. Shortly before we entered the actual canal, the guide doing the announcing said there was a crocodile sighting off to the port side ( left again for the non-boaters) and there happened to be 3 crocs sunning themselves at the edge of the water. I debated leaving my spot only for 1 second, and decided to stay put to save the place I was at for Chuck because I had such a good view. I had high hopes of seeing other crocs and wildlife during the rest of the day at the sides of the canal. I am writing this after the crossing, and am sad to report I haven’t seen a crocodile yet!!! But I was not about to give up my front row seat, so to speak and expected Chuck to arrive at any moment. As we got closer to the canal entrance, we saw 2 shutes in front of us. The one on the right already had a huge ship in it, as well as a small tugboat. During the whole day, we had a detailed description of what was happening and what we were experiencing. The speaker’s name is Bill Keane, and I had seen on the Cruise Critic website that he does these canal cruises all the time, and is an expert at it. His voice is broadcast on the two top decks of the ship as well as in the Horizon Food Court, and on the stateroom channel TVs, so it was hard not to be able to hear him. He told us that both the large ship and the tugboat were going through the Canal at the same time because if more than one ship can fit in 1 lock at the same time, then they will take more than one because it saves water. We entered the first lock and it was quite exciting. This was the lock called, ‘Gatun Locks” and we were entering from the Caribbean Sea side ( after going through the Atlantic from Fort Lauderdale, Florida). It takes 12 minutes once a ship enters a lock for it to fill up with water to reach the height of the next lock, at which point the gates open, and the ship moves into the next lock. There were 3 locks that we had to go through at these locks. The whole process seems to take a long time. But when you think about how this system works, it’s really amazing and doesn’t take that long a period of time. The locks run by a series of gears, and gravity, and no electricity is used to transit ships through the canal. On the sides of the canal, are little small almost like train cars called, mules” that attach to the ship by cable and help pull each ship through without smashing into the sides of the canal. On each side of our ship there was approximately 18 inches between the ship and the edge of the canal. There are 4 mules on either side of the ship, so 8 all together. I took lots of pictures of the mules, and tried to get a shot of how little space there is between us and the edge of the canal. I kept repeatedly looking around me trying to find Chuck, but he was nowhere to be found. When I had left him, he was still in bed, saying he would be up on deck soon. My mind started racing with everything that might have happened to him, so finally, when we had reached the third lock, and were transiting into Gatun Lake (one of the largest man-made lakes in the world). Then, at 8:00 a.m. I gave up my coveted spot on the front railing and went in search of Chuck. Scanning both front railings on the top 2 decks, I headed to the stateroom. He was not there so I went to the Horizon Court Buffet thinking maybe he was watching from inside the cool air conditioned dining room. I couldn’t find him there, so sat outside on the front deck in the now very warm sun, and decided to stay put and maybe he would find me. It was 8:15 at that point and I sat for 45 minutes feeling all alone and missing Chuck during this very important experience. At 9, I was too hot and needed a glass of water so decided to try the dining room and then the stateroom pone more time. No luck in the dining room, but I was happily surprised and thrilled to be reunited with him in our stateroom where he had gone to check for me. We sort of fell into each other’s arms with a big hug, both of us expressing the same feelings about wanting to be with the other person during this momentous occasion. Turns out he had gone by where I was 3 or 4 times and couldn’t see me because at the railing, people were standing 3 and 4 deep trying to get a good view of entering the canal. After that we apparently had just kept missing each other while trying to find each other. We had a good laugh about losing each other on a cruise ship, and then went to breakfast fortifying ourselves for the rest of the day which would consist of approximately 9 hours to make it through the whole Panama Canal. It had been recommended that passengers find various viewing spots throughout the day to get a variety of views. For me that meant different areas to shoot pictures from so we spent the day in between the balcony of our room, the 2 top decks, the back deck of the floor we are on which is the very back of the boat ( the stern!) and the dining room. It was quite hot and humid which meant a steamy type of heat. Sometimes after being on the balcony for 20 to 30 minutes, we would need to go inside the cabin to cool off. Although I looked all day for signs of wildlife, I only saw birds, nothing else. I wish I had studied the type of birds that are down here in the canal region because there are so many different varieties, and I have NO idea what type they are. We spent a long time traversing Gatun Lake, going by many islands which, before Gatun lake was flooded, were actually mountaintops and hilltops. Over the course of the day, we went through 2 more locks, Pedro Miguel, and Miraflores Locks. All throughout the day, the ship’s photographers were on the actual walls of the canal shooting pictures and video of everyone on the ship, who were encouraged to wave and smile, and also hang posters off their balconies that they had made so they would be sure to get on the video. There was even a Panama Canal poster contest. Unfortunately, neither Chuck nor I could think of anything creative to put on a poster, so we didn’t make one. But the ship’s photographers still got a few pictures of us on our balcony waving at them! At the end of the third set of locks, we crossed under the Bridge of the Americas, which allows traffic to go across the canal, and came out on the other side to a gorgeous view of Panama City, Panama. The buildings of this city were glinting white in the setting sun. Neither Chuck nor I had any idea how large Panama City is and it was an absolutely beautiful sight…as cities go. We will head over there tomorrow and will anchor in the sea outside of the port for the night. And that was my account of transiting the Panama Canal on the Coral :Princess cruise ship!

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Aruba and Cartegena

After 2 days at sea, during which we relaxed, ate, and explored the ship, we arrived in Aruba on Tuesday. It was hot and humid. The ship’s announcement told us it was 81 degrees but it was so humid it felt like 100 degrees. We hadn’t planned an excursion in Aruba because we were only in port from 7:00 a.m. till noon. We had read on cruisecritic.com that the shops in the port town were close enough to walk to, and that is what we had decided to do. We got off the ship, and on the way to town, just happened to walk by a huge ship docked next to us. It was a Royal Caribbean ship but we can’t remember what its name was. A very hot walk into town brought us directly across from some flea market vendors who were selling Caribbean clothing ( dresses, shirts, etc.), jewelry and cheap souvenirs. It was fun to walk around, but still so hot. We walked further into town and I took some pictures of some pretty buildings and the ship from the dock. After 90 minutes, we were so hot we returned to the ship. We didn’t see the Aruba that many people think of…sand and beaches, but we saw some beautiful buildings and had we been in the market for souvenirs, would have had a hay day! Shortly after noon, we headed out of port and saw some beautiful beaches and resorts. We found out that a few doors down from our room is a very nice back deck where we can survey where we have come. I took a nice picture of Aruba from that deck and it will be nice to view the canal from there. On to Cartegena, Columbia on Wednesday. I was not looking forward to going to Columbia but we were on our way. It has such a bad reputation for drugs and crime. We originally hadn’t planned a tour for this port either, preferring to try to get a taxi into the Old City that is surrounded by stone walls. But it had been so hot in Aruba, and Cartegena was also supposed to be hot. Chuck decided we should book something that would get us around in a cooler fashion than walking. We booked a bus tour which included a picture stop at the great fort that protected the city, the Naval Museum, inside the city walls, and shopping at the old dungeons whose previous cells had been converted into 23 shops. It was again hot on this day. We were very happy to see that our tour bus was air conditioned. Our tour guide, Paulina, was originally from Bogeta and told us that the heat is the same every day in Cartegena. Chuck and I decided we could never live here since neither of us likes the heat. On the way to the amazing fort Paulina told us that most people in Columbia make the minimum wage of $250 per week. Gas costs $5.00 per gallon, and most families have to live together because they can’t afford rent for their own family alone. She warned us to ignore the vendors because they are everywhere and don’t take no for an answer. She said it is better to ignore them. She was correct about that. She also said that if you see women selling fruit on their heads, that if you want some fruit, tell them you want to buy some. And if you want to just pose for a picture with them, they will expect some money afterward, usually $1.00. The vendors, even at the fort, are quite bothersome. They were selling cheap costume jewelry, hats, sunglasses and small leather purses. Even if you tell them no, or you aren’t interested, they will follow you, holding out jewelry, and dropping the price as you walk. We just said no and ignored them and that worked pretty well. And there were some ladies dressed in native costume and selling fruit from their heads. We watched 2 women from our bus pose with a fruit woman, and then act surprised when she held her hand out for money. I guess some people don’t pay attention. The stop at the fort was literally 10 minutes so it was just to take pictures. The fort was amazing and the walkways up to it were winding. It would have been quite a feat to walk up to the top in this heat so I was just as glad that we didn’t have time. Next, we were on our way to the Naval Museum. This was our only stop inside the Old City so I was able to get some pictures of a few houses, and the front on the museum with it’s canons. I thought that Chuck would like this stop because he had been in the Naval reserves. Unfortunately, the sound didn’t carry well there so it was hard to hear our tour guide, and this was the first museum we have been to in all of our travels that had nothing written in English! On top of that, the museum was not air conditioned. I entertained myself by taking pictures of some pirate mannequins they had that were hanging from ropes on the ceilings and walls, and another one of Sir Francis Drake, whose name I did recognize at least! At the end of the Naval Museum, we were treated to a series of native dances performed by men and women in costume. The hall that they performed in was a bit cooler because it had fans at the top of a high ceiling. We also were given bottles of cold water which at this point came in quite handy. On the way back to the tour bus, we were again met with vendors, this time trying to sell T-shirts, and yet more jewelry. Once on the bus, we were extremely grateful for the cool air. Our last stop was to an old set of dungeons that the tour guide had said were authentic souvenirs and real silver, etc. These shops were approved by the cruise industry so we felt better searching for souvenirs there. The shops were quite similar and I again took pictures of them. There were vendors all down the courtyard area in front of the shops, and it was again annoying. Inside the shops there were lots of cheap souvenirs if you were interested in key chains, post cards, pot holders, etc., but some had nice jewelry and clothing. We had been instructed to bargain with the shop keepers, but I forgot to do that when I fell in love with a turquoise stone necklace for $12 U.S. Chuck asked me when I came out if I had bargained, and I was embarrassed to admit that no I had not, in spite of loving a bargain and bargain shopping. Oh well, I just have to let that be a lesson for next time, although because Chuck bargained and bought me a beautiful white blouse, I don’t think there will be a next time on this trip. I have my souvenirs, which include also matching t-shirts that Chuck bought for the 2 of us (yeah I know, some of you are saying, ‘How cute” and some of you are gagging at that one!!! Ah, we are love birds, what can I say?!!!) We headed back to the ship after that stop, and went right in to eat lunch because we were so thirsty and hot. One of the nice things that Princess Cruise lines does is provide cold cups of water and cool facecloths as you come back to check into the ship. It’s a wonderful treat, and has probably helped some passengers avoid heat stroke. After lunch, we took a nap, worked out and went to dinner. We saw an illusionist who was not that great, and came back to the room and went to bed early because we are entering the Panama Canal zone at 6:00 a.m. and the canal itself at 7:30 tomorrow morning.