Author Archives: Sparky
Carnival Venezia 2 Day 8: Disembarkation
We started the day at 6:30am, finishing our packing (just the little bag and backpack – we packed the large bag last night and put it out to be taken ashore). We had breakfast with Paul and Carol and wished them well on their much longer (about 11 hours) drive home. Then we disembarked, found … Continue reading
“The Inmate” by Freida McFadden
Copyright 2022, 2024 by Freida McFadden, published by Poisened Pen Press, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Naperville IL The Inmate is my first Freida McFadden book and probably won’t be my last. It was well-written, with intriguing characters and many plot twists. But it read more like a horror story than a mystery. The protagonist, Brooke … Continue reading
Carnival Venezia 2 Days 6&7: At sea
The last two full days on this cruise were at sea, heading back to Florida from the Virgin Islands. Both days were pretty laid-back, as days at sea are wont to be. Both days started with breakfast followed by some time in the casino. Saying the casino wasn’t kind to me would be an understatement: … Continue reading
Carnival Venezia 2 Day 5: St Thomas VI
St Thomas is another port that I haven’t visited in several years. But we must have docked at a different location this time because nothing about this port of call seemed familiar. We had breakfast and I did some editing of Marlene’s photos before we went ashore. When we finally got on land we had … Continue reading
Carnival Venezia 2 Day 4: San Juan PR
I like San Juan. I hadn’t been there for several years, so I was looking forward to being there again. But we didn’t dock until around 10:30am so we had time for both a leisurely breakfast and a few hands of knock rummy before we went ashore. The ship docked very near Old San Juan, … Continue reading
Carnival Venezia 2 Day 3: Amber Cove DR
Our first port was supposed to be Grand Turk but got switched to Amber Cove, Dominican Republic, about a week before departure. Don’t know why – no reason was given. But it really didn’t matter to us. Both ports are of the generic “made for cruise ships” variety – lots of shops and not much … Continue reading
Carnival Venezia 2 Day 2: At sea
Day 2 was a sea day. We started the day with breakfast, then all four of us went down to Guest Services to switch keycards for me and Paul. We had booked the two cabins with me and Carol sharing one cabin and Marlene and Paul sharing the other. This was done so that we … Continue reading
Carnival Venezia 2 Day 1: Embarkation in Port Canaveral FL
This vacation started with a drive from Lehigh Acres to Port Canaveral FL by way of Cape Coral FL to drop Becky off with Ray, our long-term friend. The trip was uneventful, just a bit tedious: 253 miles and just under 5 hours. We parked our car in a long-term lot near the cruise terminal … Continue reading
“Dark Light” by Randy Wayne White
Copyright 2006 by Randy Wayne White. Published by the Berkeley Publishing Group, New York. Randy Wayne White is an author who lives in – and writes about – southwest Florida. His books, with settings familiar to me, have special interest. I wanted very much to enjoy Dark Light, his 13th book featuring marine biologist Doc … Continue reading
15-minute hurricane
We had a storm blow through a couple of weeks ago. It didn’t last long and didn’t produce much rain but the initial winds were FIERCE. The first gust send the RV rocking as severely as any wind I have experienced in the13 years that I have been living in an RV. Fortunately my new … Continue reading