All Things EARTH... part 2

[Anita Latte]

Quick beach tip for everyone...

 

Went to Madeira Beach today with SIL and her DH and her DS (10 months) OMG so cute. Gulf coast beach! Nothing spectacular...just a nice local kind of beach near St Pete where this SIL family lives.

 

Anyway...this morning I had a brilliant idea...BRILLIANT I tell you...and it WORKED. And I thought I'd share it.

 

We always appreciate when a beach has one of those shower stations...especially at foot level...for trying to clean off your feet when you leave the beach. But still...the water pools and it's exceedingly difficult to position your flip flops in the most perfect way so that you can keep your feet cleaned off...we always inevitably end up with some sand still stuck to our feet.

 

Today...I brought my BODY BRUSH. Those oval flat brushes with the hand strap across the back? Usually a wooden brush with no handle? (The ones with the handle are to brush your own back...) and this was the PERFECT tool...back at the car...brush off the dried off sand and voila! clean feet!

 

I'm keeping a body brush in my beach kit. I think it would even be handy on any beach day on a cruise. I can imagine standing at the entrance to Nochi...waiting for my taxi...and just give my feet a good brush so that I'm not so gritty for the ride back to the ship and walking in the ship. Etc etc.

[laurspag]

Wow  the beach in October... you can tell I live in New York, and that I live inland.  I only get to the beach on a cruise!  Thst is a great idea, Anita.  I never thought of that.  I'm wondering about a small version for travel?

 

I have this plastic hand held fake loofah.  I'm wondering how that would work?  It would travel easily on vacation because it is small.

 

We got to visit our little grandson again yesterday, and his skin is looking better to me. His bloodwork Thursday was a little better and he goes back tomorrow.  They seem to think he will be all set.  

[awhfy]

Wow!  We’re still in Hawaii ❤️ But finally have some WiFi. Such a lot going on in the board!  Congratulations Laurie!  Anita, wow, fabulous trip, Purduemom, make the best out of changes 

 

fabulous vacation, wonderful cruise. More later when we’re home later in week. Melody

[Anita Latte]

Beautiful setting! Good to hear from you Melody...so glad that you are having a great vacay!!

 

[MJC]

Melody, styin' on the beach as usual. 😉 Glad you're having a good time.

 

Laurie, happy to hear that Krsyn is doing better! yay!  I'm going to ask a stupid question... how do you say his first name? Is it like kar-sin or kur-sin? My ears want to know. 🙂

 

Does anybody else "hear" when they read? I do, so it stumps when I get a new word and don't know how it's pronounced. My latest was "fin de siecle" (from a description of a painting), which I've been familiar with for a long time and knew the meaning, but just lately looked up the pronunciation.

 

It is definitely fall... cool nights, cloudy days. Our lake is being lowered five feet so the mud is showing at the edge. I still have flowers but we had our first frost warning. This weekend our TJMaxx got some winter gloves in, so I bought new ones because my old ones are shot.  I also got this navy and tan Lucky sweater/fleece. I love it, it's like wearing a light blanket only prettier. Looks great with my ankle boots. Perfect for these cool, damp days:

 

 

I'm slowly and thoughtfully adding things to my casual wardrobe now that I'm not teaching.

 

Thursday I fly to Michigan because the family is gathering to bury my dad's ashes with my mom's. I'm relieved that it's supposed to be 70 and sunny and not snowy and cold. Grateful for such small blessings. Soon it will be one year since I last saw him, hard to believe, it seems like yesterday. I will be comforted when he is back with my mom, actually, less sad but rather more at peace to have this milestone behind me. Rather timely that Yom Kippur is Wednesday, when we light candles for our deceased parents.

Edited October 7, 2019 by MJC

[purduemom1]

Melody, what a fantastic experience for your 50th! Beautiful view. Nice memory to remember when the  winter snow comes.

Sharon

[Anita Latte]

The gulf was much cooler than either DH or I expected. I took a look at the ocean temperatures map and there is an odd section of much cooler temps right where we were...so I'm expecting the water at Fort Walton Beach to be warmer, if the map I found is accurate.

 

I'm wondering how light I can pack for a 2-night stay. DH will have to pack normally because he will have business meetings. Our plane is really small though...so it will be a light pack for him too. We have this dinky little roller bag...not quite as small as an under the seat...like a mini-roller bag. DH used to take it on his Canada trips because that plane was always a small one too and they would end up gate checking most roller bags. I read a blog post about a woman that did quite a long trip visiting family and friends (easy free laundry) and she only packed in what is the equivalent of a bag I have...that purple eBag handbag with PacSafe features. She did the ultimate minimalist packing and had the most freedom and ease with all her traveling because she basically had a huge purse.

 

Ever since reading that article...I've wanted to try that...so I'm going to on this little "weekend trip" that is during the week. 

 

Nice cardigan Margaret. It'll be interesting to hear how your wardrobe changes.

 

I have rearranged the furniture in the apartment. And gotten more photos and pictures on the walls. Kitty approves...she's hanging out in the living room a lot more now and what used to be her favorite chair in Winston has become a regular part of her rotation again. I think it will be a good set up for Christmas when DS and Mom and Dad will all be here.

 

Time flies so fast...DS will be back here in less than 60 days. If you don't already us the WhatsApp with international people in your life...may I recommend it? It's been great for us. Mom and I have been using it as well...they are currently in Italy. I'm hoping she taking pictures...she was in Pompeii two days ago.

[Anita Latte]

Back in London...

 

It's Tuesday...our last full day in London. Our flight leaves Wednesday morning...

 

We still need to help DS set up the monitor. We actually ended up in his room Monday night...it wasn't good. It was late...DS was wanting to get to bed...we brought the monitor over and had issues attaching it to the arm. We had left thinking the two weren't compatible but then back at the hotel, DH figured out how it was supposed to work...so we hoped to meet DS in his room sometime this day.

 

So we were going to stay in the area again...DS should have some time after his official enrollment session for "international undergraduate students" concluded. He would let us know...DH would walk around with that monitor arm desk clamp thing in a backpack so we'd be ready.

 

With no real plans for the day...we had a leisurely morning. After breakfast, we headed over to Lord Albert Hall.

 

It was totally possible to purchase tickets online...but the website was such that if I KNEW what I was looking at...I'd be fine. But since I was completely ignorant of the venue...I really wanted to be talking to someone and making comparisons between the different seats available...which was just too difficult to do online.

 

There is a main road just up the way from our hotel. Easy walking distance. There are any number of bus routes that stop at the two stops near us. I had downloaded the app "Bus London" which I found helpful, but it doesn't work at all offline. And it doesn't explicitly tell you that you could take more than one bus route to get where you are going. It is trying to be more real time...this bus coming at this time, etc....but if you look down the list, you can see that there might be different bus routes listed. Routes often overlap for several stops so if your stop is in the overlapping zone...you can just hop on whichever bus arrives first.

 

I only noticed this because DH was using Maps. With the transit option on Maps, it would list the two different routes as two different options...with buses every X minutes listed for each route.

 

Thus, I'm not sure that Bus London was more helpful than Maps. It was easier to read though...

 

Anyway, we could take the 9 or the 21, IIRC. You can pay for the bus with the same Oyster Card that you use on the Tube. You enter the bus near the driver...and only use the card when you get on the bus. When you exit, you leave through the doors midway on the side of the bus. Buses will generally get you very close to where you want to go. Our bus stop was actually called Lord Albert Hall and we stopped almost directly across the street.

 

Like so many other buildings and landmarks in London, the exterior of Lord Albert Hall is undergoing refurbishment. There were construction related trailers in front. My first glimpse of the hall:

 

 

The box office is around to the other side of the building...away from the street. It faces a large courtyard type square. More construction here. Interesting screen to cover the area...the left side of this photo is a construction screen...the squared off building look-a-like complete with faux hedge and faux stone railing.

 

 

This is the entrance for the box office, the cafe, the store, and the place to meet if you are taking a tour of the hall. The square is completely surrounded with tall residential buildings...you get a hint of that with the buildings on the right in this photo:

 

 

These stone railings? are really tall..see the woman walking?...this building is really tall...the square feels like it's in a building canyon:

 

 

At the end of the square, opposite the Lord Albert Hall is the Royal College of Music. I didn't take a photo of that one...is that odd? I remember feeling like I didn't want to take a photo of our "rival" but I have no idea if the Academy and the College feel that way...or if the culture of the schools feel that way. I think this is left over from different places I have lived...There was always a big rivalry between University of Kansas and Kansas State University. People would have these signs in their yards...A House Divided...and showing support for both.

 

The box office area is like a hotel reception desk...a U-shaped counter with a couple stations. One was dedicated to Will Call and we waited to talk to the other. She was extremely friendly and helpful.

 

Maybe repeating myself...but on the day of performance, there is a queue that forms for the standing room tickets. We learned that there are many, many "seniors" that will ONLY do the standing room only. Not because of price alone...just something they like to do. The conversation went there because we were talking about how our DS and his Uni friends were going to do the standing room tickets...and we were asking if that was the norm, I guess. Lots of students...oh no, she said...

 

At floor level, but on the angle...what you would expect to be called "Orchestra Seating" are "The Stalls". Then there are different Loge tickets for the different levels above the floor...but the stalls were actually the best price. We wanted a seat...so we purchased two tickets in The Stalls...and bonus...no service fee for the purchase.

 

DH was concerned because I had expressed such interest in going to the Tower of London...but really I was quite happy to explore Kensington Gardens. It was a gorgeous day...a perfect day for being outside and enjoying a beautiful area.

 

We walked around the other side of the building...toward the Gardens. Always so difficult to capture the feeling of an area with photos. This area is so congested with tall brick residences. At my college, Trinity in San Antonio...there was always talk of Trinity Red Brick because just about every building was built with the same red brick...it was brick buildings all over...and that's what this area is like. Tall red brick buildings all over...creating "canyon" streets...like this one:

 

 

 

Kensington Gardens is directly across the street from Lord Albert Hall...which is the round dome in the lower middle of the picture. There's a red circle You Are Here above that. And you can see the Albert Memorial above the red circle:

 

 

It's not easy to see...but Hyde Park is on the other side of The Serpentine River.

 

We didn't have a plan...except the plan to just wander about...first stop on the wander was the memorial across the street. This thing is TALL. Look to the people standing in front of the fence in front of the memorial for perspective...

 

 

So much detail...I stood at the base of one of the groupings of statues...and looked up:

 

 

It's very easy to wander in Kensington Gardens...we wandered around the statue

 

 

Saw someone go through a tiny gate...and so we followed him...down a small path...

 

 

and ended up joining the wide walking path that is the South Flower Walk.

 

A beautiful promenade with flowers and butterflies and pigeons and squirrels...and not too many people...so that taking a photo here would be like taking a photo of specific people...weird...so no photos...

 

Coffee near Palace Gate...we took our flat whites down the Broad Walk and found a bench to sip and people and dog watch. This promenade is very like the bench lined one in Central Park...

 

We saw several people sitting on the benches while their dogs roamed around free. The areas on either side of the Broad Walk are vast lawns with trees. We could totally tell whose dog was whose...who was paying attention to which pooch. I found it fascinating to watch these happy dogs running around the park...entertaining themselves...meeting up with their dog friends...and in every way being good dogs...even though they weren't on leads.

 

Moving on...

 

We continued walking up toward Kensington Palace. We approached from a non-main entrance side where there is a statue of King William III. 

 

 

Walking down the path toward the ticket entrance...and around and up to the sunken gardens...

 

 

The paths bordering the sunken garden are all covered. Poor posture isn't doing me any favors with this full shirt...but I love this combo. My new Anthropologie pants and what I think of as a peasant style blouse in corals and browns with lace appliqués with metallic accents around the collar (very hard to see)...and my go to bun on this trip:

 

 

Continuing around and looking back toward Kensington Palace:

 

 

If you notice the unplanted areas...and the gardening supplies and tools...this is a replanting month for the Sunken Gardens. So we weren't able to walk around in the Sunken Gardens:

 

 

One last look at Kensington Palace from the statue of Queen Victoria...the Sunken Gardens are to the right...the tallest line of greenery is a covered path:

 

 

This is a really photo heavy post so I'll break here...

 

 

[Anita Latte]

We were right by the Round Pond...which has so many different birds...but especially SWANS. So pretty.

 

It was grooming time...and these swans...right by the water's edge were just grooming away...and they didn't care that you got close to them. I don't recall if swans are as mean as Canadian geese...which are MEAN hisser birds...but the swans were very busy and didn't care. They were fascinating to watch...and the closest one started flapping it's wings and the SOUND...lovely...I tried to get the wings in motion spread toward the back but couldn't get it. This was my best shot of that...

 

 

Isn't funny how much we all think of each other? The swans on the water were also busy...IDK if they were feeding on something or what in the world they were doing but at one point there were so many of them head down and tail feathers up...I was more busy watching but I did manage to grab two with their tails in the air...totally reminded me of Kim's rear end photos in Africa...this one's for you Kim:

 

 

I enjoy watching the birds...but time to move on...

 

The Albert Memorial is kind of like Cinderella's castle in Magic Kingdom...you can see the top in the distance...

 

 

This wide expanse of lawn...this is what the open areas in Kensington Gardens is like...just wide open space. There is a lot of natural areas as well...looking like a bit of prairie in the middle of the park...tall grasses with the potential for wildflowers...none were blooming when we were there...but I could imagine it.

 

The walking paths through the park are wide and partly shaded depending on the angle of the sun...

 

 

We were wandering along...hoping to run into the Peter Pan statue...but we found the statue "Physical Energy"...it's hard to see but the statue is at the end of the visible path in the picture.

 

The plaque for Physical Energy reads:

 

'Physical Energy' is GF Watts's sculptural masterpiece; a universal embodiment of the dynamic force of ambition. The artist himself described it as, "a symbol of that restless Physical impulse to seek the still unachieved in the domain of material things." Three bronzes were cast of this sculpture, of which this is the second, the other two are in South Africa and Zimbabwe. The full size model for this sculpture in on display at Watts Gallery, Compton Surrey.

 

The sculpture appears to have been created 1882-1904. This bronze cast was place in Kensington Gardens in 1907.

 

Not easy to capture the sculpture with the way the light was shining...I was trying to make shade for my camera...but I thought this photo captured the spirit of the sculpture. The horse raring to go and has an almost crazed expression being reined in and held back while the rider is looking forward...seeming to scout out what is ahead to determine which way to go...

 

 

I liked this very much. The people in the picture give a sense of perspective...you can see how the sculpture is like the center of a wheel with spokes...many different paths converging here. Were we to walk down the middle path toward the horizon in this picture...we would end up back at the Albert Memorial.

 

I think it was here that DH ended up having a work phone call...not entirely sure...but judging from all the photos I have of this sculpture...I believe that he got caught up on the phone and I entertained myself with my camera.

 

Here was also where DS caught up with us...texting that is. Saying he was headed back to his room and now would be a good time to meet.

 

And so we began our walk over to his room...which wasn't so very far away.

 

It was a good meet up with him. We took care of the monitor...and gave him a bag of 20 pence coins.

 

DH and I had gone to a bank to get some 20 pence coins for DS to use in the coffee machine in his cafeteria. It is the same machine that the Residence Inn has 3 of...except that you need the coin to get an espresso drink at the hall. The bank teller asked how much in coins we wanted...and I asked how much a roll would be? She asked me what a roll was? Ok. We picked 10 pounds...and she pulled out a little plastic baggie of coins...and weighed it for us to see that it was 10 pounds. So...if you want a US roll of coins...ask for a bag.

 

We had just a bit of hang out time where he caught us up on how things were going. And things were going well. It was such a happy meet...that we decided to call this the official goodbye. Big hugs. 

 

It is not fun to be the ones to walk away...

 

It was time for us to eat again...and we definitely were feeling like some beer...may have had a few trying to not to cry tears that needed those beers...LOL.

 

We hit up the Pride of Paddington near Paddington Station...

 

 

There's a sign by the door advertising accommodation from 19 pound per night. I looked it up...it's hostel accommodation. I've never stayed at a hostel...it's not like a burning desire I have to do so...but wow...cheap overnight.

 

You'd think you'd get tired of pub food...but no. Each pub has a character of their own. The Pride of Paddington had different country flags hanging on the ceiling...no idea how they picked which flags...quite a few South American countries...I wonder if it was associated with football? (soccer)...

 

 

Man vs Food! I watched that show for the first time with my SIL here in Florida...it's painful...

 

 

While it was super tempting to order The Texan burger...I just couldn't bring myself to order it in London...just. couldn't. do. it.

 

DH couldn't not order the Fish and Chips...with mushy peas. Which you may think sounds awful...but is really really good. This fish and chips was pretty good...better than Fountain Abbeys:

 

 

But my dish was better...I had the Shepherds Pie...

 

 

For the tears...

 

 

LOVED the name of DH's...Proper Job. Both brews are England brews.

 

Past the tears and on to cheers...

 

 

Sadly...DH's second round didn't have the identifying glass...and I don't recall what it was.

 

But it was time to head back to the hotel...lose the backpack that had been carrying the monitor clamp stand thing...relax a bit before our evening performance.

 

And then...soon enough it was time for the evening performance...DH put on a button down shirt. I continued wearing what I had on. We took the bus again.

 

This was the one we went to:

 

https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/proms/bbc-proms-2019/prom-69-smetana-shostakovich-and-tchaikovsky/

 

There are numbered doors all around Lord Albert Hall and your ticket will specify which door to enter. I posted this photo on a different thread here on the fashion board...I've zoomed in the photo to highlight the shoes of two of the ladies in this picture. The one lady is wearing a dress and the other a suit (skirt and matching jacket) and both are wearing sneakers. Just wanting to point out how practical the dressing can be in London. It's like everyone makes allowances for the fact that you are walking a lot...especially with the prevalence of taking public transportation. 

 

 

There was a bar at our door and you are allowed to take drinks into the concert hall...so we did.

 

The concert hall is stunning.

 

The quality of my indoor photos isn't so very good...but still. Here you can see the standing room only floor space in front of the stage. Most of the people would sit down once they had scoped out their space. All ages.

 

 

We tried hard to see if we could locate DS...but weren't successful. We found out later that he and his friends got there early enough to get up front and center. And one of his friends had brought along the score for the Shostakovich piece so they could all follow along.

 

More of the hall...the ceiling was covered in these blue orbs...

 

 

The taller arches way up there is the other area for standing room only...so there is really A LOT of space available for standing room only.

 

 

But the seats were nice...

 

 

The performance was powerful. The soprano had a rich voice...so enjoyable to hear. We didn't realize it at the time...but DS names Shostakovich as one of his greatest influences. We could hear that. Live music is just wonderful. You can FEEL it. Love it.

 

If I were to be around for Proms, I think I would definitely give the standing room tickets a try. It was completely acceptable to sit on the floor right up until the performance and during the interval. You'd have to dress appropriately...but for the price. I totally get why some people do it. It's like lawn seats for an amphitheater concert...except it's opposite world because you get closer to the stage with the standing room tickets. These seats were fine...but often...it can be more comfortable to stand for a bit than sit.

 

The applause at the end of the concert was kind of mind blowing...so many extra bows...and so many people stayed for all the applause. I've become quite used to seeing great numbers of people exit as quickly as possible from concerts...so sad. But this did go on for an really long time...

 

There were so many people around...it didn't feel unsafe walking around in the dark.

 

DH and I were the only ones to get off at our stop and walk in our direction to our hotel. It was a bit unnerving to do so because this was one of the few times when we were actually walking without other people in sight while we were in London. But we were fine.

 

Back at the hotel we had a bit of a nosh...we had a stash of food and beverages from grocery shopping. We packed up and went to bed knowing that we would be waking up and heading to the airport after breakfast.

[awhfy]

Well, we’re finally back home (& into a nasty snowstorm). Our flight scheduled for Tuesday night at 7:30pm got pushed to 9:30pm, of course we’d already taxied to the airport. We boarded & sat, then sat some more. We were very grateful to be in first class (nice splurge for our anniversary). Pilot comes on about 10:30pm & says I don’t want to take this bird over the ocean with a fuel gauge that’s wonky (we all agreed). United put us up in a hotel, gave us transport vouchers & meal vouchers (for over 250 folks), only difficulty was we had to drag our bags with us. . they put us on the 9:30 flight again on Wednesday night in first class but not together...

 

we got a $2 all day city bus pass & rode it around to many of the historical sites in downtown Honolulu. Lots of fun.

 

Back to airport & we & we got right thru TSA & to the gate, seriously took under 5 minutes from cab (bags to skycap...he took the bags thru agricultural check...worth the tip!). I asked gate agent if he could adjust the seats, nope FC is full, ok, I’ve got this. We had two window seats, row 4 & row 6. I had row 4. Got into my seat, my seat mate goes to sit down & I ask if he’d switch, he said sure, he’d rather have a window to sleep!  Score!  Flight departs on time, gets to LA, we get our connection & get into Colorado Springs exactly 15 hours (including time changes) that we left Honolulu. We’re both really tired & plan an early night.

 

Heres a couple of pictures. Melody

[Anita Latte]

Welcome back Melody! That dress is stunning! Love the flowers in your hair! Kind of a rough way to end the trip...but sounds like you rolled with it. Would love to hear more details and see more photos! After you rest up of course...

 

Well...DH and I booked a last minute cruise. We've been looking and looking to see if there was anything around Thanksgiving...since that is such a long weekend. There were two sailings we were debating...but ultimately, we booked the little 3-nighter out of PC on Mariner. It leaves the day after Thanksgiving and returns Monday. DH will just go into work a little later than normal on Monday.

 

DS's first term ends the day after Thanksgiving. So no kiddo...Mom and Dad are flying on Thanksgiving Day to board a ship on the day after to begin a series of B2Bs. DH's family isn't having a get together for Thanksgiving...it's the year for the siblings to be spending it with the spouse's families...so we are free for Thanksgiving. We decided that for our first empty nest Thanksgiving...the best thing for us to do is getaway.

 

We booked an inside stateroom for the first time. I'm not worried at all about it. DH lived for a bit with his sister in GA before DS and I joined him. He stayed in her basement in a windowless bedroom. When we joined him, it took us a while to find a rental, so we all were in the basement for about a month I think. Anyway, sleeping there let me know that an inside cabin could be okay.

 

Mariner was the ship we sailed for my 40th bday celebration cruise...but she has been "amped up" since then...so very different now. This will be our first repeat ship! We're going to the Royal private island CocoCay and Nassau. We leave in 7 weeks!

[Sailor_Sally]

Welcome back Melody ! I love the dress . I am glad you had a great time .

 

[pacruise804]

Welcome back Melody!

 

Anita, the Thanksgiving cruise sounds great.  Parents were advised when we took our daughter to school to plan something just for them to help with the transition and I do think our September cruise helped with that some.  Glad timing worked out for you 🙂 

[Joby]

On 10/10/2019 at 10:30 AM, Anita Latte said:

IDK if they were feeding on something or what in the world they were doing but at one point there were so many of them head down and tail feathers up...I was more busy watching but I did manage to grab two with their tails in the air...totally reminded me of Kim's rear end photos in Africa...this one's for you Kim:

 

Love it, Anita! We call that pose  "bottoms up"😂

 

Welcome back, Melody. I agree with Anita, the dress is lovely on you. BTW, can I have 1 each of the drinks 🍹🍹

[awhfy]

On 10/6/2019 at 6:48 PM, Anita Latte said:

Quick beach tip for everyone...

 

Went to Madeira Beach today with SIL and her DH and her DS (10 months) OMG so cute. Gulf coast beach! Nothing spectacular...just a nice local kind of beach near St Pete where this SIL family lives.

 

Anyway...this morning I had a brilliant idea...BRILLIANT I tell you...and it WORKED. And I thought I'd share it.

 

We always appreciate when a beach has one of those shower stations...especially at foot level...for trying to clean off your feet when you leave the beach. But still...the water pools and it's exceedingly difficult to position your flip flops in the most perfect way so that you can keep your feet cleaned off...we always inevitably end up with some sand still stuck to our feet.

 

Today...I brought my BODY BRUSH. Those oval flat brushes with the hand strap across the back? Usually a wooden brush with no handle? (The ones with the handle are to brush your own back...) and this was the PERFECT tool...back at the car...brush off the dried off sand and voila! clean feet!

 

I'm keeping a body brush in my beach kit. I think it would even be handy on any beach day on a cruise. I can imagine standing at the entrance to Nochi...waiting for my taxi...and just give my feet a good brush so that I'm not so gritty for the ride back to the ship and walking in the ship. Etc etc.

Keep baby powder in your beach bag. I get rid of sand on the feet with a couple of shakes of baby powder. Been doing that since we lived in Okinawa 80-83. Melody

[awhfy]

That blue dress is what I picked up at Soft Surroundings for under $25 the week we left for the cruise, it wasn’t in my planned wardrobe & I love it, easy to pack (rolled up without a wrinkle) & I feel good in it. The dress id planned on for the luau I wore onboard at the second elegant chic night (I like the blue better). We’ll work on photos this weekend, but now it’s time for a nap!  Melody

[laurspag]

First things first...welcome back, Melody!  It sounds like you had a great trip.  Hawaii is on my bucket list, so please post lots and lots of pictures!

 

That floral dress is so you, and was perfect for your trip.  

 

Margaret, Krysyn is pronounced just like Kristin without an "s" sound instead of "st".  Chris in.  I thought the name was different, but really nice.  He is such a good little boy.  I know I have told you all about my ups and downs with different things, but this little guy brings sunshine to my day like no other.  While I don't get to see him every day, I do get texts with pictures!  

[awhfy]

Here’s some photos from Hilo. Volcano National Park & fabulous lunch at a local house. Melody

[awhfy]

Here’s the second day in Hilo  first 2 pictures from first day  Melody

[awhfy]

Here’s some of the Elegant Chic night (Celebrity doesn’t do formal anymore) shots. Melody

[purduemom1]

Great pictures, Melody! Both of you look so happy. What a wonderful way to celebrate a milestone anniversary.

Sharon

[pacruise804]

Great pictures!  I know you favor blue, but that burgundy/wine color is stunning on you.  Les looks great in the black and white combos.

[awhfy]

3 hours ago, pacruise804 said:

Great pictures!  I know you favor blue, but that burgundy/wine color is stunning on you.  Les looks great in the black and white combos.

It’s actually called eggplant. Dressbarn

[Anita Latte]

Love the eggplant on you Melody! Looking like you had a wonderful time in Hawaii. Really enjoying the photos.

 

I'm back from my non-weekend two-night getaway in Fort Walton Beach. I enjoyed being the tagalong wife! Currently looking through all my photos...I took so many of the water, which was the most gorgeous green color. I finally understand the color "Sea Green" or "Sea Foam". Wow...they don't call it the Emerald Coast for nothing! Simply stunning.

 

Also learned quite a bit about a short stay wardrobe. Thinking I'll be even more prepared for our post-Thanksgiving weekend cruise.

[Anita Latte]

Melody...I hope you keep posting...and Laurie too, if she has time. I don't want to hog the thread...BUT...it's fun to share so...here goes.

 

I really wanted to pack light for this 2-nighter. I was able to pack my clothes, non-liquid toiletries, and things like chargers and charger bricks into my purple eBags Pac-Safe featured handbag. I had thought that I would be able to put this in an overhead bin. I was able to grab this bag for $31.36 on sale and after $7 in reward points:

 

https://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/anti-theft-hobo/358329?productid=10651269

 

I packed my MacBook, iPad, phone, wallet, 311 bag, camera, eyeglasses, sunglasses, ear buds, cords, pens, mini-Nalgene, etc,...basically everything that required accessing at security and everything that I might want to access in flight in my Baggallini Messenger Sling Backpack. I had purchased this before our campus visits...I really like that my MacBook fits in it as well as standard sized magazines. I had picked this up on a major clearance for $21.99:

 

https://www.ebags.com/product/baggallini/messenger-sling-backpack-retired-colors/318119?productid=10396182

 

We flew Silver Airways...a dinky Saab aircraft with a 36-passenger capacity. It's been a long time since I've walked the tarmac to a set of stairs to get into an aircraft. All passengers were only allowed to bring on their personal item. So even though I basically had two personal items...I was only allowed to bring one on board. Everyone had a "valet check" where we placed our carry on baggage into a luggage cart which we would retrieve on the tarmac at our destination...in this case, Pensacola...the closest more major airport to Fort Walton Beach.

 

I wore my favorite tee shirt...a perfectly Earthy tiedye I picked up at a street fare in Winston...paired with my black technical fabric capris (knit with drawstring waistband)...and my purple quick dry trail runners (I've pictured them many times...I wore them in Alaska). I wore my hair loose in the morning but with my head band...the braids came later:

 

 

 

 

Direct flights between MCO and Pensacola are only on Silver Airways...under 2 hours flight time OR we could travel for almost 4 hours...making connections in ATL or MIA. Yeah, no. On our flight were the two other team members traveling for the subcontractor meetings. Our 7:10 AM flight crossed into CDT so we arrived around 8 AM. All 3 employees are well traveled...status with Avis...everyone ended up with convertible Mustangs for rentals! Vroooooom! Sweet throaty engine...OMG...DH let me drive the 45-minute drive to our hotel in Fort Walton Beach...the Four Points Sheraton...directly on the beach. 

 

Dealing with per diem for a hotel room...we couldn't reserve the Beach Tower in advance, but again, loyalty status gave us an upgrade to the Beach Tower...and our room was directly on the beach. My balcony view:

 

 

DH had the option to take the 500 extra loyalty points or get free continental breakfast for two for our stay. I knew from reviews that the hotel charged $13 for the breakfast, but it would be handy so he did opt for the free breakfast option. The buffet went until 11 AM so it was actually still being served. DH hit his laptop to do a bit of business before his meetings beginning at noon and I went down for some food.

 

The fruit selection was amazing...so I was thrilled.

 

I spent my time taking photos of our room for a review while DH worked. After he left, I got ready to hit the beach.

 

I changed into my swimming shorts...a tankini top...and my short-sleeved rash guard. I would have preferred my long sleeved one but I had forgotten about it...and it was still a mess from our previous trip to the beach. I seriously debated what bag to bring to the beach...and ended up deciding that the eBags bag was more secure...and more easily cleaned in the event of sand. I grabbed MORE sunscreen, wallet, camera, pool towels...wore my packable visor and my sweet polarized sunglasses I've shared before...taken later in a bathroom:

 

 

I was on Okaloosa Island...the Emerald Coast.

 

The beaches are powder white sand and the water is a gorgeous green. Looking down the way toward all the other beach front hotels and condos:

 

 

Looking toward the Okaloosa Island Boardwalk and Fishing Pier:

 

 

The forecast for our entire stay included rain. So I enjoyed the sunshine while I could...knowing that the weather would be changing. I played in the water. Played in the sand. I sat at the shoreline and let the waves crash up to me. I took photos.

 

I walked toward the pier and the Boardwalk where I planned to eat lunch. Playing with my camera...I really enjoy having a rugged camera. A fun shot...doctored up:

 

 

When I hit the boardwalk area...I was hoping that there would be cheap tourist shops with fun coverups. No such luck. And the stores were not beach friendly...they really wanted you to be dried off and cleaned up before going into them. But there were several restaurants...I checked them all out before opting for the one that I thought had the best atmosphere...