Category Archives: Travel

Where do I even start

Holly Doyne Posted on by 1

to adequate recount this day of insanity?

Do I start with the train station in Cincinnati?

One of the wall murals

 

with a closer look ( click on it for a better view)

which is why I think it is WPA

(but actually the construction started in 1927 according to Wiki – the history is interesting – you might just want to follow this link...

My misfortune and challenges continued – that train that was due to take me to Chicago, departing at 0127? It didn’t arrive till 0337…. which meant that I was staggering with exhaustion before I finally crawled into my compartment and attempted a bit of sleep.

I had sent my alarm for 0900 just so that I could have some breakfast before exiting the train. Breakfast is included, so why not? That 0900 breakfast was not an hour before arrival. We were now almost three hours late. Considering the run from Cincinnati to Chicago is supposed to be under 10 hours, this doesn’t exactly bode well. And, for those of you in Europe – passenger trains in the US (and Canada) don’t own the tracks, they lease time from the freight rail companies who own, control, and repair the tracks. You see the problem? Not to put too fine a point on it, but if CSX has a choice between delaying their own freight runs or inconveniencing Amtrak – the choice is pretty obvious, now isn’t it?

Any – it was after 1300 when we arrived in Chicago. The track portion of the train station is below street level and one of the most confusing architectural constructions I have ever had the misfortune of navigating. The signage was almost non-existent The concourses were packed with people (many of whom seem to think that a mask over their mouth or down around their chin is both protective and compliant – but that is a different soap box). It took me almost 45 minutes to navigate my way out of that maze to street level. I never did figure out how to find the track for the California Zepher. Train was due to depart at 1400…..

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was still fixed on O’Hare Airport. I had looked up the train route – the CTA Blue line goes there. Clinton Street was the nearest station. Guess what? That station doesn’t have elevators – and me with my suitcase and backpack…..

It was after I was on the Blue line that the little light finally went off in my head. The Blue line goes to O’Hare. O’Hare is not the same as Midway. When I double checked my reservation this morning – the three letter airport designation was MDW … not ORD…. Ok – I need to be on the Orange Line. Change at Clark/Lake coming up. Elevators!! YES!!!

An almost empty car to the end of the Orange Line, I made the hike to the terminal (it is indoors and I was grateful for the air conditioning. Not that hot, but the humidity….) In recent years, most airlines will not allow you to drop off luggage earlier than 4 hours prior to the flight. It is now 1500 and my flight is scheduled at 2150. But there is an earlier flight and the change fee is not that great. I consider it. The USO is on Concourse C which means I can’t get there without going through security (who won’t let me in this many hours early and besides – I have to check a bag because I have scissors…)

Clutching my boarding pass for the earlier flight, I suffer through TSA. It isn’t TSA. It is all the people who can’t seem to understand that they are included in the “Take off shoes, belts, empty your pockets, no drinks, and anything electronic larger than a cell phone needs to be taken out of bags” Today’s Can’t Follow Directions award was won by a young person sent back SEVEN times….

I find the USO and the very nice Mary who staffs it every Monday. It is at this point I look at my boarding pass. States I purchased it at 1500… and the flight boards at 1730. Ok, fine. I check the airport App which tells me that the flight leaves in 20 minutes… WHAT??? I dash back out, down to B1 – the flight isn’t on the B1 board – instead it is stating Denver. Just then I hear the gate announcement “For those of you waiting for the Oakland Flight, the plane hasn’t left Flint Michigan yet. We are expecting a 1730 boarding for your flight. We are sorry for the delay…”

Ok, back to the USO where I charge my phone, have a sandwich, tuck some money in the donation box, and relax for a while. This USO is tiny: one table with three chairs, a couch with matching chair, a bookcase, two recliners tucked in a back corner, coffee maker, microwave, and an double doored industrial fridge. Keeping an eye on my flight – the airport keeps saying that it left at 1530 – the Southwest App lists it at delayed, with a new gate of B19. Why not walk a little further? It is not like I am tired or anything.

After suffering through the delay and the protracted boarding (this is a full flight) I am finally on board. Tucked in a window seat near the back, I slid my backpack in the overhead and my carry bag under the seat in front of me. The lovely woman, about my age, who takes the middle seat is from Hayward. She and her husband were returning from visiting his 95 year old mother who lives near Chicago. We talk Bay Area. I get treated to some incredible garden photos, she “appreciates” our battles with the deer.

Then we get the announcement. Due to the outside temperatures and humidity (and the short runway) our flight is 4000# too heavy to be able to safely take off. [queue groans…]. Wait while they try to figure out options…

(the obvious -cargo to be off-loaded? No – there isn’t any on this flight. What they don’t say but I have figured out is that there is only one later flight. That flight is full, so offering to move people to the later flight just isn’t an option. Offering people money/coupons to travel on another day isn’t going to net them the 20 or so that have to be off-loaded before we can safely take off…)

The final option? Different aircraft… So, with much grumbling everyone troops off the plane and heads to B21, our new gate. That airplane arrives and off loads its passengers. And off loads passengers, and …. you get the idea. I think the cabin attendants finally went on board and hauled the last few stragglers off the flight.

We line up again, board again. I wind up in almost the exact place in the plane, this time seated with the woman right behind me in the boarding order. Our middles seat? The husband of the lovely lady with the garden pictures. It is after 2000 before everyone is finally settled  on the plane. (Note, this is still the 1530 flight). The quiet little chant in my head is reminding me that I will still be home sooner than if I had stayed on Amtrak. And it still was cheaper than the $1200/upgrade that it would have cost on Amtrak to get out of the coach seat….

Four hour flight to California, minus two hours of time zone change. I am totally and completely wiped. My headphones are in my backpack, I can’t concentrate on reading. Stitching is so not an option. After much maneuvering post landing, we taxi to the very last gate on the terminal. Of course. (Did I mention the poor unhappy baby two rows behind me? Accompanied by mom and sibling? Two more siblings + dad were in the row behind me. – queue seat kicking…)

George, ignoring my crankiness, just helped me out of the airport and into the car. It was just shy of midnight.

If I had stayed with the later flight, I wouldn’t have landed till just short of 0200…..

Not on time

Holly Doyne Posted on by  

Well, after a lovely day spent stitching and chatting with new friends, I caught a Lyft to the Cincinnati Train station shortly after the stitching room closed at 2200.  Arriving to find that the station now has limited opening hours. Like 0000-0400.

It shares a lovely and interesting building with the City historical archives, a museum, a cinemax, etc. Travel today apparently no longer requires that this purpose built building (I am think WPA construction) be solely dedicated to the two passenger trains that stop here most days.

Oh, and instead of leaving right around 0130 my train is running ~ 2 hrs late..

Unbelievable

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or is that not believeable? Or simply, no freaking way?

I hadn’t realized how much of a SF/Seattle girl I had become. I start most days with a latté from Peet’s. Or Starbuck as a fall back. My neighborhood also has the Caffeinated Cat so you see – choices….

Well, here I am in Sharonville, Ohio which is part of the Cincinnati metro area. There are chain hotels everywhere. There is not a coffee shop in sight. Not one. Not saying there is a lack of fast food or food chains (Dale Evans, Waffle House, Cracker Barrel, Subway) within a block of my particular hotel. And I am not saying that my hotel is missing an urn of decent coffee. Just that, hello? Someone should have fancy coffee.

In the last couple of days, I have ridden the loop both ways (Convention Center, Keepsakes Shop, La Quinta) which is perhaps 6-8 km in total distance.  And there  has NEVER been a coffee shop in sight.

[insert a not so silent screen here]

One of the women arrived at the meeting room this morning with McD’s coffee offering. She had had to detour a bit. She said they had lattes as well as Chai, but that sweet tea seemed to be the favorite. Now, Ohio is solidly mid-West as far as I know. So why the Southern tea thing?

Anyway – early afternoon a woman wandered in with a Starbucks coffee. I wasn’t the only one who made a bee line over to inquire WHERE she had found it. Answer – in the lobby of the hotel across the street. Provided, of course that you walked down the drive, around a corner and followed what she expressed as mini-signs to the lobby.

By this time it is later afternoon. I want to sleep tonight. But a latté is in my morning plans. Along with getting organized, checking out, catching the Stitchy Bus with my gear and hanging out at the convention center till early evening when I will head back to the train station.

 

Just Stitching

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Other than a quick foray into the “local” needlework shop, I mostly spent the day stitching. After all, that is why I came on this weekend anyway.

I finished Garden Dreaming – designed by Barbara Ana. Stitched on 18ct Sunshine Aida by Vintage Needle Arts on Etsy, with the called for DMC. It was a three part SAL (1 May, 15 May, 1 June). I actually didn’t have more than fifty or so stitches, it was a matter of replacing a couple of thread colors lost somewhere on Amtrak. The actual size is something like 10 x 14 cm,

Garden Dreams

 

Since that covered only part of the day – I finished the interesting portion of Part 4, of Owl Forest’s Alice in Wonderland SAL. I still have borders to add when ever I am so inclined.  Stitched on ordinary 16 ct white Aida. You can. see a bit of the White Rabbit above Alice from Part 3. Rather than fancy floss, I am just using the DMC supplied conversion

Owl Forest Alice SAL – Part 4

 

And, since I had picked up those missing threads – I was able to finish Part 1 – of Up in the Air – also by Barbara Ana

Up in the Air – Part 1

and the last project which actually took up most of my time, I will share once completed. I might head for the late night stitching, after all – who needs sleep….

Cicadas

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They are noisy, they are ugly, they fly in your face. They are everywhere. (Wiki Article). It is Anywimpossible to avoid articles in the US news. Cheap reporting as I am told as there are science types, amateurs, and everyone and their dog on the street who are willing to pontificate this particular episode (every 17 years? I was outside the US and spared the last experience).

When I think back, I am sure that there was at least one episode in childhood where they magically appeared, were stomped on and tracked into the house. But, as overall memories of that last period in time – not particularly outstanding. I am sure that the birds enjoyed the feast.

Anyway – when most of us think about a retreat, we think of woods. Quiet peaceful surroundings where you can relax and contemplate whatever. Please, wipe that completely out of your imagination. Instead – substitute a couple hundred cross-stitchers (mostly women) sitting in groups of five around tables; stitching and chatting. Frankly, I think the noise level exceeded the cicadas….

But it most certainly is a nice time. I am having a chance to meet various people with whom I have corresponded over the last year as well as being able to wander around and see every one’s stitching. I will spare you my rant about those who stitch reproduction samplers. (ok, just a small bit of rant – samplers were stitched by young women as their only chance to learn both stitching and a minimum of literacy – thus enabling them to stitch what were effectively laundry markings into clothing and linens…. Why on earth would I want to stitch – an alphabet, an ugly house, a tree, and maybe a flower port? Really. They all look alike because they are) [Off soap box]

I am headed to sleep before 2200 – needing to catch up from the train trip (and time zone change. Three hours isn’t that much, except that it is….)

For those of you who might be interested – this is the current status of COVID in the eastern portion of the US. It is why, inspite of the fact that just about everyone attending is immunized, mask wearing makes sense. (see the red marks in Ohio?)

US current COVID Map

And, since it is “so far” between my hotel and the Convention Center – transportation is being provided. This horrible distance is about a mile. Yep. (not even 2km in real money). But then I am relatively fit compared to a lot of the other people attending. Enough said on that.

Our transportation

 

 

 

No boats involved

Holly Doyne Posted on by

Back in the day (and by this I mean the mid-late 90s) I wrote a rather long description of a trip from the Balkans back to Würzburg entitled “But we didn’t take a boat.” That particular journey involved military vehicles, a helicopter, more military vehicles, a C-12, a bus, a train, and an ambulance if I my memory serves me correctly.

My current journey also skips the boat and “only” involves our POV, a train, a bus, another train + Lyft to get me from our home in Berkeley to La Quinta in Sharonville OH (think Cincinnati).

This tale starts 6 June and I will release the last several days sections later, what you need now is shorten versions plus the ending so that you know that I arrived safe and sound.

Sunday: George dropped me off at the Emeryville AMTRAK station so that I could catch the east bound #6 California Zephyr. Not being foolish, I splurged on my very own little roommate which is adequate for one and insanely cramped if you are two or more jammed into this closet. And that was Sunday.

Monday was a lovely train ride through the Rockies, with a few significant “unscheduled” delays in Colorado due to track maintenance. The upshot was that we were headed into my second night on the train about five hours behind schedule (what is important to note here is that there is less that four hours between my trains in Chicago).

Tuesday morning we woke bright and clear after an extremely bumpy night to find out we were now less than 2 hours behind. This catch up didn’t last as there were delays at the morning and early afternoon turn-over of conducting and engineering staff. The upshot of all of this was that Amtrak acknowledged that we were never going to make our connection in Chicago.

Accordingly, all of us headed for three different connections in Chicago were off-loaded in Galesburg (IL). After two more trains arrived all of us were loaded on a charter bus which dropped off six in Bloomington (IN) and another dozen in Champaign-Urban (IL) to grab their connections. As we rolled back on the interstate, I am thinking – gee – we will make our connection in Indianapolis (also IN) in plenty of time, not withstanding a five hour bus trip.

I had forgotten that the IL-IN border also involves a switch from Central->Eastern time zones. Instead of having over an hour to be organized, we arrived at 2338 for a 2349 connection. That should have been plenty of time. However, there were a few on the bus who hadn’t figured out that there was a time zone change and were taking their sweet time about getting off.

I managed, along with the other three in the back of the bus to impress on the turtles that they could move, speed up or get out of the way. Smart people grabbed their gear and headed Ito the station. Which, as it turns out is a level below the tracks…. Following my new best friends who knew where to locate the elevator, we managed sardines in the contraption and held our breaths till we piled out one level up.

By dint of looking up and down the platform, I found a car with conductor standing outside it. Turns out it was even my car. Climbed in, ricocheted down the hall and collapsed into my small roomette, thinking all the while that my original alternative of staying on the train to Chicago, transferring to O’Hare and flying to Cincinnati would have me landed prior to midnight.

I was one of five getting off in Cincinnati and found this time it was stairs and elevator up (to the main station). where there was absolutely no one And I mean no one of whom to ask directions. Neither did any of the cab companies answer the phone. Ok – Lyft it is which is how I met a lovely young 30s guy named Kevin who entertained me with circaidas and local information on the drive to the hotel.

I crashed right after 0400 and just woke up. Food sounds good and coffee great along with early to bed….

But I am not there

Holly Doyne Posted on by 2

In an ordinary year, with ordinary things going on – I would be at CISTM 17 in Kuala Lumpur for the bi-annual meeting. I haven’t missed one since 2005. I even made CISTM 15 in Barcelona in the middle of chemo and two years ago in Washington DC. There was a program that I was running (passed off to a colleague who had a bit more time – or at least is a lot more organized).

I had thought, after the five day meeting, to go on to Australia; perhaps first cruising the Mekong Delta.

But noooooo. We have a pandemic and are making due with conferences on line. While being on line lets those from around the world in the Travel Med community participate without having to spend large amounts of money on travel and hotels, it has the definite disadvantage of time zones. No matter what time zone the organizers chose for the base, someone is going to lose sleep. In this case,  it is both those of us on the US West and those in Australia/New Zealand.

This morning’s start was 0800 EDT (GMT-5) which put it at 0500 here and 2200 Melbourne.

Tomorrow my start is 0345. So not fun.

on other fronts –

I managed to finish another section on Aster’s Amazing Adventure

 

 

and the next section of LittleDove’s Wizard of Oz (I am leaving the backstitching and the glitter to the end – wand/crown & faces…)

Follow the Yellow Brick Road – Part 2

Volcano Watch

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In case you are not aware, there is a volcano (with more than one vent) that has been erupting in Geldingadalur, Iceland now for over a month.

Perhaps the best live cams are

BOB

RAG

 

and FLO

There are also short clips – such as this – where at the start you think it is just a big pile of grey till you see the molten lava just below the cooled surface.

 

And, if that isn’t enough – you can also follow Hawaii

And Mt Etna (Italy) and St Vincent (Caribbean) earlier in April. What is next?

Portland

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After staying in Ashland this past night, I drove the rest of the way to Portland. Discovering that the people for whom I was hauling toys from my garage lived in the SW area which turned out to be the easiest to reach. Lovely, I avoided downtown Portland completely.

I don’t think that Keith was expecting the number of boxes and toys which I off loaded. He was thinking small, circular sock knitting machine. I have one of those but it is still buried somewhere in the garage. Instead, I happily gifted the two larger knitting machines complete with stand, a spool rack, a warping mill, several rigid heddle looks, and a bag of weaving toys.

Unfortunately, looking at my garage, the absence of these items hardly makes a dent….

Otherwise, I had a lovely afternoon. There is a lovely coffee shop with in walking distance followed by stitching, listening to an audiobook and and sipping my latte.

La Jolla

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We survived the drive from San Luis Obispo to La Jolla. I am smart enough to know that I didn’t want to be on the road prior to 0830 or so – my intention being to miss as much traffic as possible (neither morning nor evening rush hours – thank you very much,).

Good ‘Ol Maps gave me two choices – stay with HWY 101 South, or head east and pick up I5. The difference? About 2 hours and 100 miles. Not seeing any reason to take a route any longer than needed, I picked the HWY 101 route. Admittedly, it is not freeway most of the time. The road did have construction, there were uncontrolled exits on part of it. All of those = not very much fun. But the lovely part? For some reason maps took a jog on HWY 154 which travels through incredible scenery to include Las Padres National Forest

Once we returned to HWY101 the traffic started to pretty much suck for the rest of the way. All of it was made marginally tolerable in some sections. Southern California considers 2+ as HOV. So I was able to avoid a fair amount of idiocy by being able to bypass the worst of a few sections. 

Even with a fuel stop, we rolled into La Jolla about 1330 which I considered not bad at all. 

Had a lovely afternoon invading Noah’s place and sent the guys out to pick up supper. 

I survived listening to the As game – I think it may hold the record for number of pitchers used (The White Sox were even more excessive than the As, for the number of times the bases were loaded, and general frustration on the part of the fans. For a 9 inning game – it lasted well over 4 hours with a final score of only 6-4.  This is the first time in over a decade that the As have won anything in the playoffs. They just might even survive the Astros…

Finally – today starts Halloween Month. Embroidery.com is once again running their Stitchy Witchy Challenge. This year the requirement is 30 minutes a day – but a minimum of 27 days have to be completed with the 31st required. I can manage 30 minutes easy – and will be using two projects 

The Halloween Calendar by Tiny Modernist –

so, square a day. Each square is 32×32 internally… so more than 30 minutes….

and Halloween 2020 from Stitchonomy.

I have other projects underway, but I can count on wanting to stitch on these every day….

San Luis Obispo

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I think is how it is spelled. More than 200 miles south of San Francisco for sure. 

It is early, but not too early to get some sleep. My day started with a drive to the SFVA which wouldn’t have been all that much of a hassle (we had been making the run from home to UCSF about 45 minutes including the coffee stop) except for one little bitty problem.

Well, it was more than a little problem. Someone or another hand managed to have an accident on the Freemont Exit Ramp right after the Bay Bridge. It closed down the two right lanes for several hours. And yes, that means west bound. So, instead of traffic flowing smoothly, the backup prior to the toll booth was horrible and the merge wasn’t any better. The ramp was declared clear about five minutes before we drove through that section. How long? About an hour and 45 minutes…..

Then I was entertained from 0900-1400 at the VA. George had come along since we were planning on heading south from there. It hadn’t made any sense for me to spend an hour driving home, then turn around and head south.

So there we went, down the Crosstown Highway followed by ?85? which merged into 101 upon which we drove for a long, long time. And yes, at 1430 in the afternoon – there was rush-hour traffic lasting all the way to Morgan Hill (which I think of as most of the way down Silicone Valley).

By the time I did the “continue on for 143 miles” I was pretty sick of driving. So we stopped here at one of those motor inns that seem to have sprung up like mushrooms across the west. Drive your car up to the outside. Climb the stairs on the inside. 

After that – it was divide and conquer – I am stitching on a cross-stitch piece while George is watching the Cleveland Indians struggle against the NY Yankees… it was sooo close for a while.

Tomorrow we head to San Diego!

Nor boarding the Radiance

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Even if we had somehow managed to finagle our way into Canada without serious, bank account disrupting damage – the Radiance of the Seas simply wouldn’t be at dock. She never made it back from her Down Under Summer. Obvious if you think about it – her season was cut short prior to end April which is her normal trans-Pacific travel time. Her usual route has stops in Tahiti and Hawaii.  This year was different.

But, like so much else, it isn’t happening.

Leaving for Vancouver?

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Or, actually not.

Much earlier – in fact before the whole pandemic started, we had planned a cruise this fall. The “we” being George and I. It was going to be a reward to the two of us for having survived this past year. 

This was a replacement for the one we missed last fall. That lovely Windstar Cruise was to leave NYC on 26 Oct 2019 and sail over 16 (?) days and end in Barbados. It was a one off and repositioned the ship for their winter season. Obviously, with George not even a full month post transplant, it was off the books.

So I looked ahead and found one of my favorite ships – Radiance of the Seas. She was sailing from Vancouver at the end of the Alaska Season via Japan to Singapore. What an opportunity. Again, this was a one-off route with it appearing that she was headed to dry dock at the end of the second leg,. 

Australian/New Zealand friends of ours were going to join us I was considering taking George for a spin around Australia before flying back home (he hasn’t ever been). 

And then SARS-COV2 hit and we aren’t going anyway.

So – tip of the coffee cup to our heading to Vancouver today. Even if I really, really wanted to visit that lovely city – the Canadians wouldn’t let us in….

Blocking my Sunshine

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there are large cruise ships, there are big cruise ships, then there are the “too damn huge” cruise ships. The Harmony of the Seas (also Royal Caribbean) falls into the later category. It is docked across the pier from us today in Cozumel. Holding more than 6k worth of passengers – it is totally and completely blocking my sunshine.

neither pretty or exciting

 

My cabin is a lovely and surprisingly quiet outside tucked into the forward portion of Deck 3. I have few neighbors. The corridor deadness which totally eliminates through traffic. Much to my amazement, neither the noise from the ice rink or the theater noise are audible from my cabin.

Spending much of the morning in a 14th Deck lounge making a valiant effort to write more on “that paper” as well as stay out of the way of my poor cabin attendant. I then head back to hole up in the cabin for the rest of the day. Today is Cozumel – oh, I said that already – and tomorrow we head back toward Galveston.

I figure if I can force myself into 1-2 hours every morning, the icky thing will be finished by the end of Feb. Complete with all references, citations, tables and other assorted “wow” bullshit. I can’t help still being irritated by the general attitude that a needle can fix every disease while it does nothing to over come the conditions which lead to the mess in the first place.

Day 4 – CWVLC

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Nothing like trying to log in to a video conference from a ship floating somewhere in the Caribbean.

It worked. Sort of. Maybe.

Otherwise worked on my paper and did a bit of cross stitch.

Day 3 – Liberty

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in which I attempt to draft a couple more pages, discover that I have left some important information at home and find that my computer doesn’t want to do audio. Since neither the speakers or headphones seem to respond to anything on a reliable basis, I am down to using my phone for both FaceTime and YouTube.

Oh, wah. Not. There are much worse fates than not having computer based connections.

Day 2 – Liberty

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As like many cruising itineraries, the first full day after leaving dock is a day spent at sea. With three ports and three sea days, at least the Cruise Director doesn’t have to jam all of the sea day activities onto one day. Tonight has been designated Formal Night (not bothering), a reception around lunch time (might go – tasty snacks), and various scheduled entertainments (now why would I be interested in karaoke or a belly flop contest).

I left my cabin early and headed up to one of the lounges. Last night I scouted out both key card lounges and picked a nice location to work. Out of traffic and right next to both 110 & 220 outlets. Did I mention the presence of the coffee machine? Essential for keeping sanity while working my way through I don’t know how many pages of notes.

This particular ship carries way too many passengers for my comfort. One of the larger ships, but not the largest, she carries over 4k worth of passengers including way too many children and a lot of adults in flip-flops and beer in hand. I am sure that noise cancelling headphones are going to be a serious help.

For those who care about such things, there are 22 Pineapples (Pinnacles) on this cruise, most of whom seem to be local to the area and have earned their status by cruising around and around and around the same routes out of Galveston, Boring,….

And back to my paper, interspersed with detours into cross-stitch and pattern design on MacStitch.

Western Caribbean

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on Liberty of the Seas

and the reason for this ship? Leaving this weekend, not a mega-ship (altho large) and the most affordable when I booked it last weekend. My other options only had more expensive cabins available, weren’t back for George’s next appointment, or didn’t have a lounge with latte machine. Royal? I have enough status that they give me free wifi. Always useful when you find that there is still another item to look up or check reference details.

The Plan –

Sun, Jan 19 Galveston, TX 4:00pm
 Mon, Jan 20 At Sea
 Tue, Jan 21 At Sea
 Wed, Jan 22 Roatan, Honduras 8:00am 5:00pm
 Thu, Jan 23 Belize City, Belize 8:00am 5:00pm
 Fri, Jan 24 Cozumel, Mexico 7:00am 5:00pm
 Sat, Jan 25 At Sea
 Sun, Jan 26 Galveston, TX 6:30am

Current plans? Not leaving the ship. Not doing any of the entertainment, happy hours, or sit down meals. Other than the mandatory safety drill at 1530, I will have no excuse not to write…

On approach to Houston

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I will admit that I turn my phone off airplane mode on approach. I leave the WiFi off, but let my phone seek out and connect with my communications carrier prior to landing. Which means that I am also doing that well before the cabin attendant has announced that “use of small, personal electronic devices to include cell phones is now allowed.”

I started this practice a number of years ago, right after SFO adopted the use of Mobile Passport. Since I was flying into the US regularly from overseas locations, and being too cheap to fund a system that the government should be providing, Mobile Passport proved ideal. But, you can’t load your data to include entry information if you are not connected. WiFi works, or phone carrier network works. Initially, the App always went for Wifi, and if it was turned on and not connected, then you were stuck. So I developed the habit of turning on my phone without the WiFi on approach, loading the data and then being at baggage claim eight minutes after exiting the plane. That is right, eight minutes. Easy, Peasy, no lines. faster at SFO that Global Entry. Faster than the kiosks which were a huge improvement over static lines which took forever (which anyone who entered through US Immigration in Houston or Toronto up until the last couple of years can attest). I can’t say how things are now, since I haven’t been out of the US for almost a year. For that matter, the last time I went any where was last June to DC for the ISTM meeting. I can’t claim attempt to decrease my carbon footprint – family and baseball just have disrupted my schedule along with grad school which wiped out any opportunity at the Spring TA season.

But anyway, turning on my phone  is just habit. Besides, I needed something to read while waiting my opportunity to escape the plane, being seated in row 34/36. (and, just so you know, rows 33 and 35 don’t exist on this particular plane). It was packed to the gills complete with a number of families (small crying and screaming children), a number of travelers who didn’t see to comprehend that ONE carryon doesn’t mean a roller, a duffle bag, a computer bag, a backpack and some shopping bags.

I could partly understand those members of the Chinese tour group, which numbered about 40, having more than a small back pack. But the rest of the passengers? Especially those who were sitting up front and could check luggage? Not so much. My backpack, with a week’s worth of computer, clothing and cross stitch, fit under the seat in front of me, which turned out to be a really good thing. The pilot was cheerful, one cabin attendant (obviously the one on the tannoy) spoke with the speed of light, and the other two trudged up and down the plane attempting to hand out pretzels and beverages.

I am now ensconced in my Houston hotel with a 0700 scheduled return trip to the airport in the morning. From there I am off to Galveston and a week on the Liberty of the Seas with the plan of completing the rest of my last outstanding paper somewhere with a latte machine, meals prepared, and no other demands on my time. Since George is now on an every two week schedule for UCSF, this seemed like an ideal window of opportunity. The Liberty was the RCCL ship with a reasonably priced cabin available. RCCL because I see no reason to pay for wifi and am sure that I will need it.

They are Owls

Holly Doyne Posted on by  

What are those? I was asked at the Cal Women’s Basketball Game this evening.

It was a much more intelligent question that the previous – What are you knitting? Are those Warrior Colors?

the start of a scarf

Hello? This is a Cal Basketball Game. I am sitting the CAL Bleachers. I am wearing the exact same colors (blue, gold, and a bit of white). I have no idea where the Warriors got their colors, but, since Cal has had Women’s Basketball since the late 1800s – I have a feeling that Cal had these particular colors first.

Anyway – back to the Owls –

two small Owl Earrings

There is actually a nice history behind the owls. I purchased them in 2010 while on a P&O Cruise with Noah. We were headed up along the Norwegian Coast with with a great crew and a passenger collective that averaged age 74. Which doesn’t seem anywhere as old to me now as it was then. It certainly was a bit much for Noah who had age and interests in common with some of the crew. In Aleslund, after hiking to the top of the overlook to see all the islands which made up the town, I stopped at a Husfliden on the way down. Besides all the standard amount of Rauma yarns, fabrics, trims, and patterns for traditional garb as well as a number of lovely wooden handmade items, there was a case of jewelry off to one side. Sitting by themselves on the top shelf were these owls.

No question, these were my souvenir of the trip, even if they were in a color that I rarely wore. So now, when I am stuck on land, they bring back a bit of my travel memories.