Treasure

Earlier today Mr. Gadget accused me of being a dumpster diver. All I did was take a bag of garbage out to the dumpster, wherein I noticed this pretty butterfly seemingly perched atop another bag of same. Very soon I realized it was part of a Valentine bouquet someone had discarded. The flowers were wilted and brown, but this pinkish-purplish butterfly was in fine shape and it really needed to come home with me. I can hardly be called a dumpster diver. I had no intent to scavenge. It was all rather serendipitous. Mr. Gadget better watch his tongue.

So tomorrow we're set to return to the cold northeast, although the weatherman says it may get down to 36 degrees here in SoCal tonight. It may be the first time ever that I'll leave the Calcondo in the same winter-wear I'll need at the Concondo. This will definitely help the baggage-weight situation. I was afraid I might have to leave the chocolate-covered mac nuts behind.

A little Hawaiian humor

The nene--the state bird of Hawaii.

Definitely a nono.

Dock workers getting ready to secure our ship to the pier in Honolulu. One to pull the rope, one to give directional instructions, and two to supervise. Not unlike a road repair crew in Connecticut.
Bored tugboat captain doing 360's.

Two of the multitude of chickens that roam aimlessly around the island of Kauai.

A wonderfully whimsical clay fish--the work of Maui artist Steven Smeltzer.

Birds in a nest with egg. The towel artistry of our room steward, Savio.

Encenada, Mexico. Such an unlikely place to run into the Queen (Victoria)!

We've run aground

Now where was I? Oh yes, now I remember. I was getting ready to post another report from the cruise when, somehow, one of my body parts accidently leaned against the laptop's delete key....sometimes I really miss my old Selectric...and then, somehow, I lost my will to post. And what with the lei-making classes, hula lessons, ukelele tutorials, and the knitting get-togethers, I just never got back to the blog.

Actually, I didn't attend any of those lessons. I mostly just sat on a lounge chair in the covered pool area and knitted and read. I did, however, take small breaks to visit the buffet for lunch or ice cream or cookies, and because of that I now find myself in quite a predicament. Fewer of my clothes fit.

I'm also dealing with another predicament that doesn't seem to be getting any better with time. Cruise lag. It has nothing to do with the clock; it's a total aversion to the washing machine, the kitchen, and making the bed. I must remember all of this the next time Mr. Gadget twists my arm about taking another cruise...

We did have a very nice time. The weather was good and the seas continued to be calm the whole way...which ended up being just over 5,000 nautical miles. One of the highlights of the cruise was seeing whales in Maui.

Another was a visit to Volcano National Park on Hawaii.

Getting together on sea-day mornings with a great bunch of ladies to knit and do handwork was lots of fun too.

We've already been in touch by email to trade patterns and moan about how unfair it seems that we've had to return to dry land.

I'll be back soon with a few more cruise stories before delving back into crafty stuff. There's not much going on in that department anyway, but I'm itching to start something. I'm hoping it's just that and not bed bugs....

Whales and whatnot

Today we are in Maui where the whales are plentiful.....and I don't just mean the ones at the buffet.  A large pod of 7 or 8 swam past our side of the ship a little earlier, and Mr. G and I were surprised at how much noise they made.  We took lots of pictures... which I will post at the end of the cruise.  In a couple of hours, the captain will hoist the anchor and we'll be heading eastward for home.  The return trip will take 4 days, and we'll spend part of the 5th and final day in Ensenada, Mexico....not noted for being particularly scenic or exciting.  The stop is solely for the purpose of complying with The Jones Act--a ruling that requires a ship leaving and returning to a US port to make a stop at a foreign port.

So far, this has been a great trip.  We've had good weather and calm seas--both unusual for January.  Of course, we still have several more days to go, so there's no telling what could be in store.  Yesterday we were on the island of Kauai, where we took a river cruise to the fern grotto.  One of the things we noticed was the great number of chickens running loose everywhere.  It seems  that many years ago Kauai had a hurricane and the chicken coops around the island were the first things to go, and all the chickens flew the coop. Rounding them all up proved to be an impossible task and they've been reproducing in great numbers ever since.  They do add a bit of whimsy which I find charming. You know what a fan I am of whimsy. If only I had my embroidery thread...

Tomorrow I'll get together  with the other needleworkers again, and we'll have a show-and-tell.  I'll see if anyone else has made progress on their projects, and I'll find out if any of them scored any great fabric or fiber finds on the islands.  I did see some shops out of the sightseeing bus windows, but I couldn't convince the drivers to stop.  If only I was in charge of choosing the excursions.  There would be fewer fern grottos and more fabric stores.  I'll drop a note to the captain....

At sea

Mr. Gadget and I have been afloat for 4 days now and we are making good progress on our resting-up project . A typical day at sea for us is to get up around 8, have some coffee (tea for Mr. G), then some breakfast....and then we stake out a couple of deck chairs for the duration.  Since the first couple of days out of L.A. are usually cool this time of year, we opt for the covered pool area where it is usually quite nice--except for a nonstop ping-pong-playing Asian foursome. But if we pick the right chairs, we are far enough away from the noise, yet still well enough situated for a view of the wildlife in the pool.

The weather has been sunny for the most part, and the seas are fairly smooth with alternating slight (1 to 3 ft.) to moderate (4 - 7 ft.) swells.  No Dramamine for us.  And most importantly, no missing of any meals.  We should be arriving in Hilo, on the big island of Hawaii, tomorrow morning.  Mr. G and I have signed up for an excursion to Volcano National Park.

In yesterday's newsletter (the listing of daily activities onboard) there was mention of a needleworker's meet-up in the Promenade Bar at 9:30 a.m.  Fortunately I brought along a mindless-knitting project-- a red garter-stitched scarf--so I made a beeline down to deck 7.  When needleworkers get together there are never any strangers, and the 12 or 15 ladies in the group were friendly and fun.  In fact, we had such a nice time we decided to get together each sea day at the same time in the same place.  That is, unless we get booted out by the bunco ladies.  I hear they can be a bossy lot.

I guess that's it for this time.  I'd better sit for a while and take a little break before dinner. This resting-up is harder than it looks...

Update:  A couple of days have gone by....somehow.....I don't have any idea how that happened.....since I wrote this post about us being afloat.  We have now been and gone from Hilo (where we had a great excursion to the volcano) and we are currently tied to the dock at Honolulu. Since we've been here before,  we are mostly enjoying ourselves on the ship which is like a ghost town.  No loud ping-pong players, no one pushing in line at the buffet, and lots of quiet which is very nap-enabling.  I wonder how much it would cost to charter this thing?

Pre-party warm-up

Mr. Gadget and I briefly interrupted our cruise packing for a little pre-party warm-up. We'll be setting sail tomorrow at 4 p.m. with high expectations for warm weather, smooth seas and no snow. Especially the no-snow part.

I'm planning to keep the blog going while I'm at sea, but it will probably look a little different because of my lack of tech skills. And there will be no pictures until I get back. There's a limit to what I can deliver when left to my own devices.

Our first four days will be at sea, and then we will arrive in Hilo. Mr. Gadget and I love sea days. This isn't everyone's cup 'o tea, but we like to sit in deck chairs and stare at the ocean, and take naps and do nothing. Some people call us Mr. and Mrs. Excitement.

So now I must resume the cruise packing. And then I will be resting up so I can be well-rested for resting up.

Stay tuned for more from the high seas.