Author Archives: Sparky
CV2 wrapup
I have lost track of how many cruises I have taken. Must be approaching 20. The CV2 cruise, on the Carnival Vista, is in the running for the worst. Certainly bottom 3. But there were some good things about the cruise. Let’s get those out of the way first. Highlights: Lowlights: The casino wasn’t kind … Continue reading
TN_10 Hop 4: Montclair VA to Worcester MA
440 miles via I-95, I-895 through Baltimore, I-95 again, the New Jersey Turnpike, I-95 again across the George Washington Bridge in New York City, CT 15/Hutchinson Parkway, I-91, I-84, I-90 and I-290. Auto miles: 447. Cumulative route miles: 1,471. Cumulative auto miles: 1,512. This was a LONG day. We departed at 7am, stopped for gas … Continue reading
TN_10 Hop 3: Florence SC to Montclair VA
372 miles via I-95 and VA 234 with one bio break. Auto miles: 381 (extra miles mostly in Florence getting gas and a birthday card for my grandson). Cumulative route miles: 1,031. Cumulative auto miles: 1,065. This was as easy as expected. No tire failures, no accidents, no bad weather. Simple. I like that. Especially … Continue reading
TN_10 Hop 2: Port Canaveral FL to Florence SC
466 miles via I-95 and a bunch of local roads in Brunswick GA. Auto miles: 479 (the extra miles driven in Brunswick GA looking for a tire – see below). Cumulative route miles: 659. Cumulative auto miles: 684. This was supposed to be an easy hop – just a straight shot up I-95. But sometimes … Continue reading
CV2 Day 8: At sea
Our last full day of this very disappointing Carnival Vista cruise. We started with brunch which was nice but not spectacular. We then headed to the other end of the ship (from aft to fore for those of you into ship lingo) to attend the “reunion” – a by-invitation-only get-together for the most dedicated (i.e. … Continue reading
CV2 Day 7: Half Moon Cay, Bahamas
Another day, another cay. And another cay that we didn’t see. This time we both put on our swimsuits in anticipation of going ashore. But we got a late start and by the time we finished breakfast some people were coming back on board, saying that “there is nothing there.” Just beach. We decided to … Continue reading
CV2 Day 6: At sea
We tried to do something different in the morning – have brunch instead of the buffet breakfast. But the wait was over an hour so we ended up in the buffet as usual. After breakfast I tried to upload photos to the laptop but failed. I might have to wait until the cruise is over … Continue reading
CV2 Day 5: Freeport, Bahamas
We had breakfast, as usual, then left the ship to browse the port area. It was the usual cruise port shops. Nothing interesting. So we started the 5-mile walk into Freeport. We didn’t get very far before Marlene’s shoe broke (the heel came off). So we went back to the ship, got a different pair … Continue reading
CV2 Day 4: Princess Cay, Bahamas
We dropped anchor about a quarter of a mile from Princess Cay and water shuttles ran from the ship to shore (and back) all day. I put on my swimsuit in anticipation of a day on the beach. Never happened. After breakfast (which featured the baker presenting her with a dozen of her favorite poppyseed … Continue reading
“Hammerhead Beach Motel” by Tim Dorsey
Copyright 2000 by Tim Dorsey. Published by HarperTorch, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, New York. If you like crazy you will like Tim Dorsey. I enjoy crazy, but only to a point. Apparently that point is somewhat below Dorsey’s level. There are about 1,000 characters in this book and about 12 intersecting plot lines … Continue reading