Author Archives: Holly

About Holly

fiber person - knitter, spinner, weaver who spent 33 years being a military officer to fund the above. And home. And family. Sewing and quilting projects are also in the stash. After living again in Heidelberg after retiring (finally) from the U.S. Army May 2011, we moved to the US ~ Dec 2015. Something about being over 65 and access to health care. It also might have had to do with finding a buyer for our house. Allegedly this will provide me a home base in the same country as our four adult children, all of whom I adore, so that I can drive them totally insane. Considerations of time to knit down the stash…(right, and if you believe that…) and spin and .... There is now actually enough time to do a bit of consulting, editing. Even more amazing - we have only one household again. As long as everyone understands that I still, 40 years into our marriage, don't do kitchens or bathrooms. For that matter, not being a golden retriever, I don't do slippers or newspapers either. I don’t miss either the military or full-time clinical practice. Limiting my public health/travel med/consulting and lecturing to “when I feel like it” has let me happily spend my pension cruising, stash enhancing (oops), arguing with the DH about where we are going to travel next and book buying. Life is good!

Looking thing up

Posted on 2024-09-07 by Holly

Yes, I was that obnoxious kid who had an answer for just about everything. In the 1950s and 1960s that meant that I read a lot; there were encyclopedias and dictionaries. There was an amazing amount of information and knowledge … Continue reading →

Posted in Prose, Travel | 1 Comment

Iceland to Boston

Posted on 2024-09-06 by Holly

Now that we have gone around Iceland – this is the rest of the route on the Star Pride. I dropped this draft into WordPress about 10 months ago, just so I wouldn’t have to worry. Well guess what – … Continue reading →

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Skipping another port

Posted on 2024-09-05 by Holly

And the weather went to total trash last night. Lovely rough seas, wind, rain, and the same level of fun as we had in the Pacific. The Captain had come on the tannoy and simply stated that it wasn’t going … Continue reading →

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Vanishing bookshops

Posted on 2024-09-04 by Holly

Docking today, rather than having to deal with tenders, it was an easy walk through the port area toward town. Unlike many areas where there are a lot of fences, stern warnings and hand holding – there were a couple … Continue reading →

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there were three ships

Posted on 2024-09-03 by Holly

and this is not the start of a carol, but rather a statement of being berthed with two other ships today at the harbor in Akureyri. It is a lovely harbor, with a much longer fjord to cruise up on … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | 2 Comments

Seydisfjordur

Posted on 2024-09-02 by Holly

Before I go any futher, just thought I would mention that George has managed to lose yet another pair of readers. At a pair about a week, this is becoming rather annoying. I will be so glad when he is … Continue reading →

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The extra Sea Day

Posted on 2024-09-01 by Holly

According to the original schedule, we would have been somewhere else today. Obviously we are not. Instead, this is a quiet day at sea. There is, from my point of view, minimal amount of swell. Not everyone agrees with me. … Continue reading →

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Rainy day – Reykjavik

Posted on 2024-08-31 by Holly

This was a second day in port on the new schedule. It was cool (cold is when it is below freezing), with a rather strong sea wind  and – you guessed it – rain. I looked out side from my … Continue reading →

Posted in Cruising, Travel | 2 Comments

Around Iceland

Posted on 2024-08-30 by Holly

Our Ship is the Star Pride, the third of the three yacht type vessels owned and operated by Windstar Cruise lines. These seven days are as follows: (note changes due to weather – wind and high seas) Friday, August 30, … Continue reading →

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Zombie O’Clock

Posted on 2024-08-29 by Holly

At this point, my internal clock is only compatible with the walking dead. I can see why they might want to eat brains; I don’t have any. By the time we got to our hotel, I was completely exhausted and … Continue reading →

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Elephants on the stairs

Posted on 2024-08-28 by Holly

I am thinking there is a major cultural difference between the US and Germany as to the presence of open vx shut doors.  I will have to inquire further. In any case, I shut doors when I need to keep … Continue reading →

Posted in family, Prose | 2 Comments

Walking around Miltenberg

Posted on 2024-08-27 by Holly

George’s cousins essentially live in town, so we hiked down the hill Latest renovations resulted in the Post Office on the far side of the Main River from where they live. So it literally was “over the river and past … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & AudioBooks, Travel | 2 Comments

Situational Awareness

Posted on 2024-08-26 by Holly

Not my usual topic but more than appropriate under the circumstances.  Let me explain: being aware of your surroundings and taking the appropriate measures as needed to avoid problems. Situational awareness is second nature to police, fire fighters, and military. … Continue reading →

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glasses and travel challenges

Posted on 2024-08-25 by Holly

Let me discuss the second subject first. We were both up early and I was packed and repacked for the X time by 0900 which was a good thing because Miriam was giving us a ride to BART. She looked … Continue reading →

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The usual long day home

Posted on 2024-08-24 by Holly

It will not surprise anyone who has ever cruised that the day you dock and depart ship is normally a totally and completely lost/wasted day. I was up early to find that the Solo Lounge was empty, clean, and the … Continue reading →

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NCL – not really Victoria BC

Posted on 2024-08-23 by Holly

It was a typical last day of the cruise. A lot of people charging around trying to make sure that they hadn’t missed anything. Mostly my group hung out in the Deck 15 forward observation lounge and stitched. There are … Continue reading →

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The Ketchikan whine

Posted on 2024-08-22 by Holly

Feel free to either ignore this or send me condolences.  The upside of traveling large ship NCL is that they have great staff, extensive services, lounge space, more than average food with a wide variety of options. Plus the solo … Continue reading →

Posted in Cruising | 2 Comments

NCL Bliss – Icy Point Straight

Posted on 2024-08-21 by Holly

Before I move on to today’s port let me describe the rest of yesterday. Part of the reason for the extremely short stay in Juneau – besides the fact that the total number of ships in port = 6 (for … Continue reading →

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NCL Bliss – Juneau

Posted on 2024-08-20 by Holly

I don’t think that there is a cruise to Alaska that doesn’t include Juneau – the state capital. And since there are way too many cruises at this time of year, there are always multiple ships in port. At least … Continue reading →

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NCL Bliss – Sitka

Posted on 2024-08-19 by Holly

And, no surprise, not a lot has changed from last year when I was here. I have been encouraging everyone to go into town, just to see it,  If you want to read about Sitka, hit the blog post from … Continue reading →

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