Author Archives: Sparky
Carnival Conquest 2 Day 1: Embarkation in Miami
We began the trip on Thursday, the day before embarkation. The plan was to leave by dinnertime but Marlene had developed an infection in her hand. She went to see her doctor Thursday afternoon and he prescribed two medications. Walgreens took their sweet time filling those prescriptions so we didn’t get on the road until … Continue reading
Carnival Conquest 2 preview
Yes, we are going on yet another cruise on a Carnival ship. It will be our second cruise on the Carnival Conquest (see our Carnival Conquest cruise back in January, 2024) so I will call this one Carnival Conquest 2. Okay, not very original but pretty descriptive. This will be a 14-day cruise out of … Continue reading
“The Survivors Club” by Lisa Gardner
Copyright 2002 by Lisa Gardner, Inc. Published by Bantam Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. A serial rapist was on the loose in Providence RI, with at least three victims: Meg Pesaturo, a young college coed with a mobster uncle, Carol Rosen, a thirtyish housewife with a workaholic husband, and Jillian … Continue reading
Crazy busy
I haven’t been posting lately, not because nothing is happening, but because too much is happening. This blog has always been primarily a vehicle for recording my travels, plus a record of the books I have read. Well, I haven’t been traveling and I haven’t been reading. So what have I been doing? Work. Lots … Continue reading
MSC2 Day 5: Disembarkation in Miami FL
Every cruise comes to an end and this one, being shorter than most, came to an end earlier than most. We had delayed packing until morning, so we set the alarm for 7am and got right to it. We exited the cabin at 8am, went down to the buffet for breakfast and finished just as … Continue reading
MSC2 Day 4: Ocean Cay, Bahamas
This second day on Ocean Cay started cloudy and hazy. We took our time getting ready to go ashore. We had a late breakfast and when got to the island buffet shortly before it closed at 2pm we weren’t very hungry. But we had to eat something, so we got some blackened fish, french fries … Continue reading
“The Tristan Betrayal” by Robert Ludlum
Copyright 2003 by Myn Pyn LLC. Published by St Martin’s Press, New York. Robert Ludlum, best known for the series of books and movies featuring Jason Bourne, wrote a lot of other books before his death in 2001 And he wrote this one AFTER his death. Obviously, there was an unfinished manuscript and someone, under … Continue reading
MSC2 Day 3: Ocean Cay, Bahamas
I visited Ocean Cay back in 2020, with Jett and her sisters – her last cruise. I was impressed with it. Nice beaches, a scenic lighthouse. So when I saw that this short cruise on the Seaside included an overnight stay at Ocean Cay that became a major factor in my decision to book this … Continue reading
MSC2 Day 2: Nassau, Bahamas
The day started with a leisurely breakfast. We were in no rush because we have been to Nassau many times before. We didn’t expect there to be anything new here and we weren’t disappointed. Nassau, as always, was overrun with cruise passengers. Besides the Seaside there were 4 other LARGE ships in port. We wandered … Continue reading
MSC2 Day 1: Embarkation in Miami FL
MSC2 began with a trip to visit Marlene’s brother, Mike, in Coral Springs. We left arrived around 5pm on Saturday and Marlene and her brother went out to the casino. That was his way of wishing her a happy 80th. They returned around 5am, happy but considerably poorer. Well, her brother was poorer because he … Continue reading