Q OTS – Day 10

Posted on 2026-10-05 by Holly

We are still in Honolulu. I wandered off the ship at a reasonable time and headed left out the gate and followed along toward Pier 1. Oh – there is another ship here in port – Oceania’s Riviera. Looking her up – she came in from Vancouver (Northern Hemisphere Alaska loop) and is now headed to Polynesia with a few Australian ports tossed in for good measure.

Anyway – Along the water front for a couple of klicks for good measure. The Aloha Tower makes the best landmark although it seems like there are more and more skyscrapers near it every year. I made a stop at the University of Pacific’s Bookstore which is extremely near Pier 1. I found pins for about ½ the price of the souvenir shops. Back to the ship. And, it is a Barnes&Noble boookstore – but discounts don’t work there – just saying..

I went back to the ship early. Also of note – unlike many ports (most in the Caribbean and a few other locations) there are no merchants in the hall. No stalls, stands, attempt to get tourists to trade money for marginal goods. Or expensive ones as is the case in a couple of Mexican ports. Instead – just a huge empty space (luggage rescue) followed my a large inner hall which is graced by this art version of an outrigger ship –

Each side holds a series of smallerish sculptors.

This little cutey was the smallest – Queen Baby’s Tantrum. She is extremely detailed and high fired porcelain.

Questions for you – Ron suggested that I spend a bit more time talking about the ship and passengers –  especially for those who haven’t traveled on some of the larger ships. I will do that over the next several sea days.

And lastly – the WiFi is being a pain, as is gmail so not sure what account you are going to be receiving this from if you are reading this off one of my email lists..

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Honolulu – Day 9 of Cruise

Posted on 2026-10-04 by Holly

At this point I have been traveling long enough that I will start adding the cruise day back in the header. Sorry/Not Sorry.

and no – this is not what we saw on sail in – but thought it a lovely mural just the same…

We docked today at Pier 2 (for anyone who is familiar with the city. Since I have been here a few times before, my plan was to wander to the fabric and needlework shops, consider a museum or two then head back to the ship at a reasonable time.  Plans can be fouled up so very easily.  First – it is Sunday. Most normal small shops are closed (needlework places on Sunday & Monday so knock out that choice. Fabric Mart on King Street opened at 1000 so I had a target location.

I really, really miss maps. I wound up alternating between Apple & Google Maps in my attempt to get to my destination. Next time I will just pretend I am a car rather than use the pedestrian mode. I landed on King Street easily enough, but then the app took me off through a park just past the state capital

This was the only portion of the grounds that was quiet. It was otherwise Children & Youth Day, so just past this area there were tents, a flood of small children with parents, slightly older youngsters attempting to be cool along with a long line of parents and their offspring headed in this direction. Think games, food and probably some educational experiences.

Back to the walk – rather than leave me on King, the app started directing me cross country – and the park was obviously a living area for a number of people after which I was directed through some neighborhoods. Every time I attempted to reload, I was sent off in a new direction. End result? What should have taken me maybe 30 minutes on a slow day involved more than 4 miles and close to an hour. Bleh.

Fabric Mart was worth it –  and highly recommended for anyone wishing such prints and patterns. Almost all their fabrics are rolled on tubes rather than the “foldover” method preferred by US/UK/EU stores. It was almost overwhelming. Excellent supply of notions as well (but essentially no stitching supplies).

Then we have more GPS challenges compound by a small bit of falling droplets Otherwise, sunglasses would have been useful. All the misdirections landed me at Walmart where I purchased ibuprofen and sunblock – travel essentials. There was also a rather extensive craft section by far exceeding that found at any CONUS Walmart. Sitting down on a flight of steps for a while outside the store, I once again used the ESPN website to follow the fourth quarter of the LVA/GSV game. From there, more of the same with the GPS. I finally gave up and headed toward the shore that I could see. Walking along in the direction I thought was right – I was more than a couple of miles along the coast. The Map apps finally pointed me toward Pier 2 – right about the time I could see the top of the ship looming over the terminal.

By my estimation I covered a good dozen kilometers (8 miles for those on Imperial measurements). The ship was a welcome sight. So was a nice, cold glass of water and my newly acquired ibuprofen…)

You know what I didn’t see? Souvenir shops! Tomorrow I am going hunting for some small enamel pins (Hawaii & Oahu, maybe Honolulu) to add to my cruising banner. There is a book store down the road going left from the ship. If that doesn’t work, I will take my sore back and tired feet back to the ship.

 

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Tender into Kona

Posted on 2026-10-03 by Holly

Today was our first “real” port stop. I am not counting Catalina which was also a tender port. I attempted to get a picture of the ship – but it was into the sun. Not worth sharing.  But the shore? I have been thinking about volcano’s and tsunamis ..

I used cruising status to get an early tender off the ship so was on the first tender off. This turned out to be extremely sensible. Even when they were cramming the tenders full, with the size of this ship it was almost three hours before they had everyone off…And this was a noon-2000 stop. The shop I wanted closed at 1600 so there was a reason that I wanted to get off early.

Up the hill (off to the left side of that photo) then hang a right, go down to Henry, into the parking lot and around the side of the building… hot, humid, lots of sun at that point. Yes, it was the same quilt & needlework shop I have been to before (Quilt Passions) . I found the DMC 838 that I needed. Chatted with a New Zealand high school science teacher about school, travel, what was required to teach in New Zealand. Found a preprinted fabric panel which I will finish off and stick souvenir pins into.

Then I attempted to find Starbucks. I wanted an iced coffee. Partly I had been listening to a favorite audiobook and the rest was simply – hot & humid. Instead of being smart and just using GPS I hiked to where I thought it was. No. Not there. With bright sun, reading my phone screen was challenging and the voice wasn’t talking to me.

I saw this guy –

and met this little one –

I finally figured it off after adding a couple of miles to my hike. I got my coffee (free as Starbucks does birthday gifts and scored a Hawaii thermos).

The location? On Henry across the main drag from the quilt shop…..

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Waffle Cake

Posted on 2026-10-02 by Holly

My other alternative for naming was going to be “Mixed Feelings.”

But it seemed like it would be most fun to start on an upnote. Rather than go for cake (or if I was on NCL, this would most definitely be a crepe) I decided that since they had small, fancy waffles with all sorts of things you could use for toppers (syrups, sprinkles, flakes, whipped cream) this could happily serve as my cake. Who wants that many candles, I mean seriously not even counting the fact that I am on a ship and there is not a chance for open flames.

Wait – I take that back – I could probably safely put number candles on my cake if I took it up and sat in the smokers areas. No, not going there, that you very much.

Otherwise, had a quiet day, chatting with a few other people in the lounge, stitching, and probably having more coffee than was good for me. And then there was the Valkyries-Wings game. The ship doesn’t get that ESPN secondary channel so watching wasn’t an option without subscribing. I was following the play-by-play on the WNBA app – then it flaked out. Turned out that the play-by-play was so much better on the ESPN Website.

So…The Valkyries pulled out a win in the last minute of the game. Acutally, probably the less than last 30 seconds. Too many missed baskets early and too many fouls on the other team’s shooters.  Miriam and her partner went to the game since I obviously wasn’t going to be able to make it. In addition, there was no way George would have been able to make it back from SF to spend a scheduled night with the grandsons while their mom works a night shift.

The mixed feelings? I am very glad the Valkyries won – but that puts them in the semi-finals and puts me on the hook for the tickets (part of the season ticket holder contract).  And they are sold out of season tickets (leaving about 20% of the seats open for single ticket sales….which isn’t a lot in this market).  Being another year older? Whatever!

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Treats

Posted on 2026-10-01 by Holly

Travel:

What can I say – I am a complete sucker for chocolate covered strawberries… So I helped myself off the evening offerings while in the lounge. The berries were lovely and ripe, the chocolate was dark. Then I came back to my cabin and found this:

Otherwise I had a quiet day in the lounge. Listened to a couple of lectures over Zoom. Stitched a bit. Followed the play-by-play with the Fever loosing to the Aces (note: if you don’t follow the WNBA, just ignore. If you do, you will know the teams.)

Tomorrow is the last of THIS series of sea days. Kona, Hawaii is our next stop – tenders on Saturday. So I am watching live monitors of Hawaiian volcanoes…

Stitching:

Odessy Coin by PandoraXStitch. 18ct Vintage Smoky white by Zweigart. Stitched with PirateandRobbin color Tekhelet. The pattern has a frame around the coin. I would rather be able to put it directly in a round frame when I get home. Besides, coins are round, not square….

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Amenities

Posted on 2026-09-30 by Holly

I look back to my first “long haul” cruise which was a transAtlantic from Genoa to Bueno Aries on MSC back in 2007. I was sailing with a friend and colleague. For various reasons, we both just wanted out of Heidelberg and away from the Army for a couple of weeks. Also, leave to burn – always…. The ship was the MSC Simphonia (I looked it up), five languages were standard and my best assesment of the food can be found here in the Day 10 post..

Our inside cabin was buried somewhere in the middle of the ship – I don’t eve remember where. I know that I spent almost no time there. Plus my cabin mate was studying for an exam.

(if you are interested – the old blog posts are Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, etc since the link to the next day. Of note – the ship had let us board without Brazil visas – and it was like “Oh you have to get off here if you don’t have them – so Day 5 in Lisbon was devoted to getting our visas. Other than that – I was extremely consistent about detailing Travel, Knitting, Audiobooks. Oh, and exercising.

but be aware when I transferred the blog from my German site to the US in 2015, the photos didn’t get transferred. I still have most of them, but it would be hours and hours to upload them. I am not sure that anyone really cares…..

So anyway – the most important item on the ship –

This is the new fancy coffee machine that has replaced the old WMF machines. It is easy to operate – just pick first your category (Caf – decaf) then pick what kind of coffee you want. It is available 24 hours a day, important if you are an early riser.

Otherwise? I hit two Webinars (followed by an email exchange with UCSD since I have NO phone acccess – internet, yes, but no phone. iMessage works between Apple products but doesn’t go anywhere else) about getting credit. Retry the message- ok, but it doesn’t work. I don’t have phone access….

And the Valkyries lost in overtime… So there will be Game 3 of the first round on Friday night.

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Quantum of the Seas – Cabins #2

Posted on 2026-09-29 by Holly

(re-arranged order …) – Now Ship, Basketball, Cabin.

Today was the “Cheers with an Officer” which used to be Meal with an Officer back before Royal became a victim of its own success. Then there might have been 20-40 people, the Hotel Director & Loyalty Ambassador usually rounded up junio staff (for “their experience” and we sat in groups of 6-8 at a table. It was lovely, the food was great and it afforded an opportunity to find out more about the actual running of the ship.

Then the program became more popular, more and more people made senior status… which still might have worked had the pandemic not happened. that break allowed a lot of changes. It now is a fancy lunch which starts with greetings and introductions from the senior officers and department heads. Then they all leave and we have a nice lunch. Whoopee ..not. I did my usual which was hang out in the back, had a lovely lunch and left while the majority of people (looked to be well over 200) ate and drank.

Basketball – One of the playoff games today was on Prime so I was able to watch the Fever defeat the Aces … and commit themselves to a third game. Then sadness followed. I had to watch the running play list as no access to that particular TV provider..Not sure what is going on with the Lynx (home Minnesota Team) but they never got it together. First time a #8 team (NY Liberty) has ever knocked out the #1 team -in the first round. to follow on with issue/complaint/rant about Royal Caribbean and their cabin assigning games – I would say that I feel fortunate to have enough status to have access to the Suites lounge and not be stuck with 500+ other people trying to use the much smaller space of the Crown Lounge (which is so named because it used to be at the top of the ship on the original ships… and …. never mind.

Cain update. The Concierge here is lovely, competent and it took him less that five minutes to arrange me getting moved to a regular inside cabin. Funny thing – the ship is not sold out, so there really was absolutely no reason for the home office to downgrade my cabin. Yes, I am relocating forward – no sweat. Inside corridor – again no issue, down a couple of decks – again no issue. What I am not is under the stage or directly over an anchor. I am fine.

Yesterday it took me two short trips to move everything. Could have asked for help, but this is cleaning time and the staff has enough to do. Besides, I swapped hangers from the new cabin to the studio rather than repack and unpack. Actually, to be honest, it took longer to make sure that I had rounded up my cross word supplies than it clothing and other personal supplies.

Otherwise – I can continue to catch the CME Webinars out of the UC system. UCSF gives you 6 days to check in, so I can do that when we hit Kona on Saturday and I can turn on my phone. I am not bothering to even try the commercial app as no one I know has ever managed to make it work. For the other two UC systems – I will just have to email the help desk – as they have much shorter time frames (one has 30 min after the other 3 hours…)

And if you have made it this far ….. thank you!

 

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Cabins

Posted on 2026-09-28 by Holly

I should not continue to whine – but seriously – the RCCL home office doesn’t do customer service well or happily. OTOT – both my travel agent and the Concierge on this ship are amazing.

Let me review – various cruise lines have different processes for selling cabins on ships. All of them, as far as I know, let you book a specific cabin if someone else hasn’t grabbed it first. There is also the category of what is called Guarantee on most lines. It means that you book s specific “type” of cabin – inside, outside, balcony, etc without a specific cabin assignment. The cruise line then assigns you a specific cabin closer to sail date-  sometimes you don’t know till. you actually gete to the port where you will be located on the ship. Why, you most sensibly ask, would anyone take that kind of chance/pot luck? The answer is money. You know you are going to get one of the less desirable cabins, but you are paying somewhere between 10-25% less that you otherwise would. You obviously are still on the ship. And, depending on your preferences, you may be a person who spends a LOT of time in your cabin or almost none.

Royal has this system. I booked an inside GTY (hoping that I didn’t wind up attempting to sleep in a cabin between the theater like I have experienced before. When I received my room assigment – they had placed me on Deck 10 – not a problem. In a SOLO cabin. Several problems with that 1) I had booked an inside. not a solo – different category. I had paid the single traveler supplemental charge [note – ships are mostly like hotels – you are paying for the ROOM. the rest of it comes along for the ride. They may save money on food but otherwise, they make more money on more people on the ship.] 2) I am looking at the list. Solo’s are NOT the same category as insides. I figure this happenend because I am sailing alone and they might be able to sell an inside cabin to two or other passenger. I might have let it go …

Except that the next day I got an offer to bid on an UPGRADE to an inside cabin. Ok, this means that even Royal doesn’t consider a solo cabin as in the same category as an inside.  pluck on that! My wonderful travel agent spent almost a week, off and on with different home office people – nope – they considered it the bottom of the inside category but an inside (it is not numbered that way on their website) and NO obviously, they wouldn’t have made this assignment to a pair of people booking that inside GTY. Got nowhere. Just saying if they are willing to treat one of their senior loyalty (x12 years) like this what are they otherwise doing? Money must be ruling everything over customer service.

I will leave you with these pictures of the cabin – the positive – the bathroom is a regular cabin bathroom with a lovely walk-in shower on one end that you can actually turn around in, a long counter and a toilet on the other end.

The SOLO? Standing with my back to the bathroom door –

Bed with small cupboard overhead and door righ there to leave the cabin

Standing with my back to that entry door – you can see the end of the bed on the right, the mini desk area on the left.

and the entire storage area at the foot of the bed between it and the bathroom. T

That is it – oh yes, and a footstool type thing which might pass for a chair somewhere to use at the desk. Phone is on the wall as there is essentially only enough deskspace for my 14″ laptop and nothing else.

To say I wasn’t a really happy bunny would be an understatement. These solo’s are a lot smaller than those on Norwegian, have about 1/3 the storage space, and don’t have a dedicated lounge in the same are complete with coffee machine. The last obviously isn’t an issue as I can use the loyalty & suite lounge but that wouldn’t happen for an new/average traveler.

On better news –

This is my long haul cruise piece – Travel Together by Jeanette Douglas. I have been stitching a panel on each longer cruise. I have now have the ship, as far as I can go – as I don’t have enough DMC 838 to stitch the “Cruise” and “Adventure that goe in the square. The three previous ones are from Panama Canal Crossings (NCL Encore, NCL Joy, Celebrity Summit, not sure about the first. This just leaves me one to go plus a bit of finishing.

If you have gotten this far – the ship people are great and I will give you the cabin resolution tomorrow…

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Catalina Island

Posted on 2026-09-27 by Holly

Once again (the last time was in 2023) this not-small ship needed to anchor in the harbor and rely on tenders to ferry passengers to shore. Last time I was here, we walked rather extensively around a goodly portion of the harbor as well as up and down hills into the residential areas. I didn’t fee a huge need to get off ship today.
So instead, I tried out Chops as the location for the “special Pinnacle Breakfast.” Ok, similar to my experience this spring on the Celebrity Summit, it was a nice environment, great staff, severely limited menu and no reason to return. I can get my lattes as easily in the lounge. Said lounge having the serious advantage of being almost people free for the entire day.

I finished this small piece –

which turned up while I was digging through various project bags and boxes. Island Ponies by Ardith designs – it actually came as a kit. Top portion of the pony’s head, a batch of smaller motifs and all the backstitching… done.

Then moved on to #5/6 in the Travel Together series. No picture today. So you only have to deal with one Xstitch pix.

There is the fitness center, also lacking in people (return from shore was 1530 latest).

As none of the bars/pubs/available TV channels covered the first round of WNBA play off games, I headed back to my tiny cabin.   I can only catch one (on Prime) but it hasn’t been a great day for the favorite in the first two games (both the Lynx and Fever lost). Unfortunately the same can’t be said for the Atlanta Dream – which I can watch. The Valkyries play at 1800 PDT. After a lot of flailing around, I think we managed to get my tickets forwarded so that they can be used (home game, part of the season ticket contract but cost a lot extra).

Tomorrow is a sea day – even with the age of the population on the ship I have a feeling that things are going to feel more crowded…

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Bound for Queensland

Posted on 2026-09-26 by Holly

This is the same ship I made the transit on back in 2022, that time sailing from Vancouver.  So here is the route –

(actually, neither VTG or Royal have a map on their site…._

and the schedule –

Saturday, September 26 Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA 4:30pm
Sunday, September 27 Catalina Island, CA 7:00am 4:00pm
Monday, September 28 At Sea
Tuesday, September 29 At Sea
Wednesday, September 30 At Sea
Thursday, October 1 At Sea
Friday, October 2 At Sea
Saturday, October 3 Kona, Hawaii, HI Noon 9:00pm
Sunday, October 4 Honolulu, Oahu, HI 7:00am
Monday, October 5 Honolulu, Oahu, HI 7:00pm
Tuesday, October 6 At Sea
Wednesday, October 7 At Sea
Thursday, October 8 At Sea
Friday, October 9 At Sea
Saturday, October 10 At Sea
Sunday, October 11 Raiatea, Society Islands 7:00am 8:00pm
Monday, October 12 Papeete, Tahiti 7:00am 11:59pm
Tuesday, October 13 Moorea, Society Islands 7:00am 8:00pm
Wednesday, October 14 At Sea
Thursday, October 15 At Sea
Friday, October 16 Crossing International Dateline (Cruising)
Saturday, October 17 At Sea
Sunday, October 18 At Sea
Monday, October 19 At Sea
Tuesday, October 20 At Sea
Wednesday, October 21 At Sea
Thursday, October 22 Brisbane, Australia 7:00am

From the port, I am headed to the airport and flying to Port Macquarie to visit friends for about a week before heading home in time to vote….

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and it happened again

Posted on 2026-09-25 by Holly

I am not sure why I haven’t learned the following
1) don’t schedule medical appointments on the day you are leaving
2) don’t pre-pay for a checked bag.

The second is the important one – I could take my 19″ suitcase on the plan as a carryon. It fits in the overhead compartment but I hate struggling to lift anything over my head. So I prepay and plan on checking the bag. AND for the second time, I get to the end and am told the flight is full and I can check my carryon for free….. Next time I am not. doing this till the airport

The first? Well, I made the appointment last year so how was I to know that this would be the day I would want to leave?

Late flight, overnight in LA, then cruise line transpo to San Pedro. I know the port, worse, I know how bad the traffic will be even on a Saturday. So I can sit back with my headphones, relax and not worry.

——–>-8———

and I wrote the above at the start of the day….. and my appointment went off without a hitch, So did a bit more organizing and packing. As did getting to BART, the airport, and actually getting on the plane.

And then the fun began. You know when things start to slip? First there is a delay in push back which we were told was due to air traffic at LAX. Turned out that storm predicted for the US East Coast? It hit and and started to throw everyone off schedule.  Ok, no problem for me,,, LAX is my end point.  I am in the cheap seats in the back. After this is about a one hour flight. Turns out I can deal with just about anything including the poor gentleman next to me who didn’t really fit into the seat, Take off- fly, land. Then get stuck on the ground till our gate was clear. (shall I just skip all the people who delayed getting off the plane – the family in the row ahead of us were down to 10 minutes to get to their gate by the time they charged up the gangway. Claim – it was announced and the sign said our luggage would be on carousel 3 (this is Terminal 7, United). After waiting 20 minutes, a text shows up – luggage is on carousel 4. Ok, my suitcase shows up.

There are no up escalators – so three rounds to take the elevator to Level 2 for shuttle pick up. And I wait, and wait and wait. I attempt to call the hotel, auto answer – press,,,, which I do and get disconnected, Huh? I am extremely careful in doing it again – nope, not me, THEY dropped me.  It is now after 2200, the shuttle runs till then. Back down to find that the taxi & ride share locations require a bus ride. Add in another 20 before a pack of three of the shuttle buses show up together.

Taxi stand, taxi, ride. Drop off at hotel. At this point I am completely wiped. Check in- and need to crash

 

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It was like this when we moved in

Posted on 2026-09-24 by Holly

It was early when he came knocking, pretty not happy from being woken on his day off by the tree crew. After not knowing for weeks when they were coming, it was good to finally have the work done. The reason for the wake up? The driveway would be blocked – maybe I would like to move my car out?

You can see the tree – it has been dead for years. Besides the fire risk – there is this

See those wires?  So it isn’t just a whack and drop – the tree has to be taken down without us losing electricity or our cable/wifi connection…

And this is what I saw when returning from errands.

So, I am packed. Tomorrow morning is fully jammed, then I will take BART to SFO later in the afternoon. My flight isn’t till 19xx, but getting there BEFORE it becomes packed on BART is always a smart idea….

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The last coffee

Posted on 2026-09-23 by Holly

I have been in the habit of picking up lattes at our local Peet’s a couple of times a week. Those times normally correspond to the 2-3 days that Noah has to be at work early. He hikes down the hill during a goodly portion of the year while it is still dark. Since Peet’s opens at 0530 week days, if the cat gets me up at 0500 due to HUNGER (and probably boredom since it will have been 7 hours (gasp) since he last had food….I am likely to decide that a coffee run is in order.

Note – it isn’t that I can’t make a really strong coffee with the French Press and use the frother to whip up the milk, but…. hey, it just doesn’t taste the same.

So anyway, I picked up coffees this morning. Taking our own thermoses as I am unwilling to support the city tax on disposable cups.  I would rather take that $0.25 and contribute to the tip jar. Dropping one off to Noah at work, I mentioned that this is the last time for a while. I fly on Friday and won’t be back till Nov….So this is the last coffee,,,,

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what was I doing?

Posted on 2026-09-22 by Holly

Actually, I am not sure what I managed today. It is kind of a blur involving making packing lists, trying to decide what I want to take along for projects on my next trip.
Oh yes, and not watching the Valkyries not have it together and lose to Portland in overtime…

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The sun has set

Posted on 2026-09-21 by Holly

and supper has been eaten. The cat is snoring on the bed.  I now need to go deal with my phone, my bank account and plan everything that I need to accomplish in the next few days before I head to LA on Friday to board the Quantum OTS on Saturday.

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Kol Nidre 2026

Posted on 2026-09-20 by Holly

or 5787 if you prefer, I can manage both calendars but it does prove to be an ongoing challenge.  I have other wise made this a quiet day. Extra sleep, cat in the lap, on the shoulder, hanging out under the covers near my feet,

Go figure, no clue why he has been so clinging for the last several days but go figure.

But anyway. I have pretty much stopped attending services in person since we moved here, and absolutely since the pandemic hit. One of the positives from that is that several synagogues started streaming their services.  Central Synagogue out of NYC has maintained that tradition which, as the Rabbi mentioned this evening, increases their attendance by thousands.

So, for those for whom it may apply, think over the past year, make plans for the new, and have a tolerable fast.

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and the last home

Posted on 2026-09-19 by Holly

game of the season.

For whatever reason, George decided that he would much rather walk down the hill and watch the CAL football team than deal with going into the city for the Valkyries game. It is the last home game of the season.  After a bit of finagling, Noah went to spend a few hours with his nephews (park, dinner, bed) so that his sister, our oldest, could come to the game with me.  Rather than our usual parking at North Berkeley, we parked at Ashby which is much closer to her house.  [the usual BART-> Muni -> Chase Center] in plenty of time to get the give-a-way and not have to hassle huge crowds while getting to our seats.

The Valkyries won handily even without three of their top players (two French, one Italian) just returned from the FIBA tournament.  Of note, there was a bit of a break before but not much on return for many of the players, Our nine time zones off from Berlin take a few days of recovery.

Reversed the process on the way back except for walking down to Oracle Stadium and catching the N-Judah back to Embarcadero just in time to get on a Red Line back.

It still is relatively early, but I am wiped out…

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At the game

Posted on 2026-09-18 by Holly

After spending the morning sorting out all the projects for my upcoming trip and trying to sort through whether or not I now needed a visa for French Polynesia (free money for them as I am not planning on leaving the ship in those ports, we left for SF and tonights Valkyries Game.

We received our hats (I have avoided wearing a hat since I retired unless there is absolutely no choice, but hey, it is easier to wear it than hang on to it…. Anyway, the first quarter was close, the second not so much and it was steady after that. Trading txts with a friend – the Lynx lost their third straight game (no clue what is up with them) and I would have preferred a different outcome.

there is one more home game – tomorrow, then I am done for the season. Even tho there are playoffs -I sail on Saturday.

and returning home, there was the velcro cat just waiting for me. Do you think he can sense that I am abandoning him – oops, leaving for travel – and will be gone at the end of the week?

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Can’t even

Posted on 2026-09-17 by Holly

It was a weird day. The best I can say is that I managed to play a few computer games and watch a couple of the remaining WNBA matches.  But mostly slept… I am not sure that the “added benefit” from getting an IGG infusion is going to be worth it. I am actually careful whenever I am out of the house and I haven’t gotten ill while traveling in 4 years.

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Long day’s journey

Posted on 2026-09-16 by Holly

which will be ending as soon as I send this note. Thanks to the “friendly” cat I was up at 0400. Getting my act together, I was sitting in the car outside my favorite coffee shop shortly after 0500. One of the baristas spotted me and called out that he would be able to make expresso as soon as they opened. Which happened promptly at 0530.

The drive into San Francisco frankly sucked once I made the approach to the Bay Bridge. It took over 20 minutes from there to make the toll booth and just as slow afterwards. Turned out to be a combination of metering lights and looky-loos at the police (three cars & two motorcycles) on the right side. After that, it was relatively easy to the 101 North exit, the cut across part of the city before getting to the 42nd street crossing of Golden Gate Park. Early in the morning, I can always find parking in the closer ramp.

I didn’t get finished till 1430, at which point I was disappointed to find that the Wednesday Farmer’s Market on the grass verge was shut down. Since it looked equally sucky, I went north over the Golden Gate when I hit even worse traffic than the section of 101 through SF. Go figure. Made it to the Richmond bridge and home.

It was after 1600 when I staggered, tired up the steps to the house. The boys were back – the young man I showed you yesterday plus a much larger, more muscular ?8pt? dude.

The cat is back in my lap which isn’t going to last for long. I am going to feed him supper and head for bed….

 

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