Author Archives: Sparky
Carnival Conquest Day 6 – Dominica
Our itinerary has 5 straight port days where we arrive at 8:30am and depart at 4:30pm. Today’s port was Roseau, Dominica. We had breakfast in the buffet and then disembarked to wander around the town. It is less “third-worldy” than Antigua, but more so than St Maarten. We bought two clothing items for Marlene and … Continue reading
Carnival Conquest Day 5 – Antigua
Another day, another port. Antigua this time. This is one of the two ports on this trip that will be first-time visits for me. Based on what I saw I won’t be eager to return. We had breakfast in the buffet and chatted with the people at the table next to us. It turns out … Continue reading
Carnival Conquest Day 4 – St Maarten
Our first (of 8) ports on this trip was St Maarten. an island with two halves – one a Dutch colony (which we visited) and one a French colony (which we did not visit). It is a highly developed Caribbean island with nice shops (including high-end ones) and some very nice hotels and restaurants. We … Continue reading
Carnival Conquest Days 2 & 3 – At sea
This cruise started with two days at sea. We didn’t do much these days except sleep (Marlene) read (me), spend time (and money) in the casino, eat and attend some shows. But Day 2 was a formal night and Day 3 was my 75th birthday, so we dined in the dining room both nights. Before … Continue reading
Carnival Conquest Day 1 – Embarkation in Miami
We were going to leave on Friday and spend two nights with Marlene’s brother in Coral Springs before boarding the Carnival Conquest in Miami on Sunday. But for various reasons we delayed departure until Saturday afternoon and spent only one night at his house. We attended, briefly, a birthday party before we left and also … Continue reading
Yet another cruise
I cruised, with Marlene, a total of 48 nights in 2023. We will embark Sunday on another 14-night cruise, to Aruba, Curacao, Barbados and 5 other ports. It will be a lovely cruise, I am sure, but it would not have happened if it had been my choice. It comes right in the middle of … Continue reading
Dancing into 2024
Marlene and I continue to dance several times a week. The venues include the Center Bar in Bonita Springs, Nauti Parrot Oasis in Ft Myers, Stan’s in Goodland, The Launch in Labelle and LJ’s in Ft Myers. For New Year’s Eve we went to the Eagle’s Club in Lehigh Acres. It was a low-key night, … Continue reading
2023 in review
Last day of the year. Time to reflect on what was good and bad. Highlights: Marlene. We made it through an entire calendar year, which made this relationship considerably more durable than the preceding one with Ooma. It wasn’t all sweetness and light, but it was a lot of fun and a lot of adventure. … Continue reading
“Stone Cold” by David Baldacci
Copyright 2007 by Columbus Rose Ltd. Published by Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Book Group USA, New York. This is the 3rd of 5 books by Baldacci featuring the “Camel Club”, a ragtag group of men in Washington DC who perform nearly superhuman feats of derring-do, mostly in service of the national security of the USA. … Continue reading
Topsy-turvy weather
This past summer – “wet season” in Florida – it was very hot and very dry. I heard many people say they had never seen such a hot, dry summer. Ft Myers was officially in a moderate drought. So there was some concern as winter – “dry season” approached. Not to worry. December and, so … Continue reading »