Embarcation In Miami

So Carole and Jim drove us from Coral Springs to the Port of Miami, and with little ado, we boarded the Norwegian Epic and checked in...then had lunch, moved into our cabin on the 10th floor, explored a bit of the ship, found our travel companions and guides, Norm and Marie (Vicki's sister and her husband...on their 8th cruise in the past year), watched the ship's departure, and settled into our 11-day routine at sea. All excitement, since this is our first cruise of any significance, and despite being somewhat atypical--a re-positioning cruise, getting the boat back to its summer waters, the Mediterranean, with only one port of call--we are regarding it as a foray into yet another style of travel. The cruise is a little atypical too in that the Norwegian Line's "freestyle cruising" is a departure from customary notions of cruising (formality, propriety, dinner-seatings, dress code, etc.) The Norwegian Epic is the third largest cruise ship in the world, nearly 1100 feet long, displacing 155,000 tons, with the usual amenities, and all that added to the excitement.

View from the jet-way (boat-way?); perhaps all cruise ships
are on the colossal side, but parked along Miami's nearly mile-
long quay, with two Carnivals and a Disney for comparison,
the Epic seemed quite as immense as the billing suggested

Us, boarding

The Epic is apparently 4th for take-off; the two Carnivals
are off...

Followed by the Disney Wonder...

Panoramic view of downtown Miami, from the port; Vicki
and I both were born in Miami, and I was raised there; she
returned to South Florida for high school; and me

And a bit of south Miami Beach, and some of the 1920s
islands dredged up from Biscayne Bay

The Julia Tuttle Causeway, connecting Brickell Avenue and
environs with Key Biscayne (think: Richard M. Nixon, Bebe
Rebozo, et al. (if you're old enough); well, maybe best not to
think of any of this, regardless of age)

We have embarked and are heading for Government Cut...
more of south Miami Beach and the islands

A bit of South Beach...some serious Art Deco in there

South Beach itself..."well I been thinkin' 'bout/ all the places
we surfed and danced and/ all the faces we miss so let's get/
back together and do it again"...well, actually I didn't surf
all that much (like, none) nor dance...but it's nice to regard a
place like South Beach somewhere in one's life portfolio

Our jet-ski escort has departed, we are past the jetties and
out into the Atlantic

As we turn northwards, views of North Miami Beach,
Aventura (right, Carole?), and

Sunset over south Florida

Interim Update

After our voyage and stay in Barcelona and a fast ride on the Train of Great Velocity--all to be recounted soon--we are now in Paris. We moved into our apartment in the 11th Arrondissement Municipaux and are having an early dinner at a bistro up the street. More, hopefully, tomorrow.

Train of Great Velocity...300 kph! Not a lot of
sight-seeing at that speed, though we did enjoy
seeing Sete, bits of the central massif, miles of
early spring green everywhere

An Epic Adventure Begins...

Sunday, Miami to Barcelona, and beyond...

No blog posts until May 10 or so

I Think I'm Quite Ready For Another Adventure

Our sentiments precisely

Fun With Carole And Jim And Lexi And Maisee And Cookie and Sophie

So we had a very fun and productive time with sister Carole and her family in Coral Springs. Photos will follow as soon as I can get them all to pose...

11th-grader Lexi broke her foot the day before we arrived;
not a happy camper; but she was back into action before long

Family portrait; the little Havanese never stopped moving

Maisee humping Sophie; it's a dominance thing, we were told

Return To South Florida, 2014

So on Tuesday, April 22nd, United whisked us from SFO to FLL for a few days' visit with my sister Carole and her husband Jim and daughter Lexi. Alas, poor teenage Lexi had just broken a bone in her foot and is hobbling around, but bearing up well, considering. We're planning on just visiting together, catching up, and taking it easy in their new house in Coral Springs. More as this developing story unfolds...

Airplane selfie

Holy/Birthday Week

So our last week in Middle California was pretty good for Penelope...the usual grand-parental indiscretions and indulgences, Easter egg hunts, and then, the beginning of her multi-day 3rd birthday celebrations...pretty excited little girl!

With Grandpa at the park

"Avast!"

Easter morning, P munches on the symbolic chocolate bunny

Later in the day, at neighbor Maggie's annual Easter egg hunt; P has already been
to a couple hunts in the neighborhood and at school, and she looks with concern 
at the older kids and adults at Maggie's hunt

But Maggie's hunt is age-specific (CA wines for the adults!), and P is the only
little person there...

Quite a haul!

Next day, after dinner at The Counter, opening presents at the
pre-birthday celebration with Grandma and Grandpa and Mama
and Daddy

Already changed into her Fiji dress, playing with new culinary presents (soup
tureen, spoon and spatula; crepes set)

Not so sure about the pirate side of the reversible pirate/princess dress 

Pretty sure about the princess side...

And then, the 3rd birthday piece de resistance, a doll house!

Thus

Happy 3rd Birthday, Sweet P!

Return To San Francisco, Again, 2014

Friday we made our usual trip to The City, mostly for Penelope to ride the CalTrain but also so I could return a rain jacket that had worn poorly to the Marmot store on Post Street. The estimable folks at Marmot exchanged the jacket cheerfully, as promised, and Penelope loved every minute of the train rides. And we had lunch at the Westfield Mall food court, as on previous occasions. It was a beautiful day in San Francisco.

Sweet P enjoying the ride

Always interesting SF

Thus

And thus

Sic transit, Gloria: once the Savings Union Bank of San
Francisco...

Dog walking on Market St.

P napping before the return ride home

Bye-bye, CalTrain

Menlo Scenes

Most of our two weeks in Menlo Park was spent with our grand-daughter Penelope while her mama and daddy took a couple trips. Time with Penelope is even better than traveling.

One day we took her to Mama's school for an exhibition of
edible literary art; here, Mama's entry, A Farewell to Arms

Much of the time was an on-going fashion show: here,
putting on a faerie dress Grandma bought her in Napier,
New Zealand

"The cold never bothered me anyway"; on
stage with the new faerie dress; not pictured:
the new red-and-black polka-dot Flamenco
dress  from Seville

Good new for Tyson's: Penelope likes dark meat; here posing
with a finished standard child's portion

Here, the piece de resistance, the wand, shoes and Snow
White dress...

Thus; very happy little girl

Smelling the roses

By a corner house on Bryant, near Embarcadero, in Palo
Alto; this is by no means our first spring here, and we have
never seen the roses more lush and plentiful

Thus

Return To Middle California, Again

Fiji Airways got us to LAX Sunday afternoon in fine order, all accounted for, even permitting a bit of sleep on the way. From Nadi, it's essentially a 10-hour red-eye. We had planned a six hour lay-over in LA--some loose coupling on longer-haul connections is generally a good idea--and an uncharacteristically three-hour late Southwest Airlines flight finally got us to SFO by midnight, where Jeremy picked us up and got us on to Menlo Park and Maggie's studio next to Rebecca's house. Grand-daughter Penelope was knocking on our door at 7:30 the next morning, beginning a two-week stay here with her and her mom and dad. So nice to be back.

Farewell, Nanuya

Sunday afternoon it was our turn to hear the farewell serenade, along with our Swedish friends, and to say good-bye and thank you...it was a very pleasant and relaxing little vacation...

We've never stayed anywhere like this where you get to know
the staff and everyone knows you by first same...I guess it's
just the Fiji way...

After lunch and the serenade, we continued the program of
relaxation, awaiting the arrival of the Yasawa Flyer

Thus

Waving good-bye to John and Jennifer, from Australia

And finally pulling away from beautiful Nanuya

For the incredibly scenic five-hour return cruise to Denarau;
picking up our big luggage at the Mercure, and then boarding
our Fiji Airways return to California...