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Author Archives: Sparky

“The Target” by David Baldacci

Copyright 2014 by Columbus Rose Ltd. Published by Grand Central Publishing, New York. This is #3 in the series of books by Baldacci featuring Will Robie and Jessica Reel, America’s premier team of assassins. I have read and reported on the previous book – “The Hit” – and I strongly recommend that you read that … Continue reading »

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NCL3 Day 3: Harvest Caye, Belize

Both Marlene and I thought we had been here before but we were both wrong. We have been to Belize but never to Harvest Caye which is a port area with a beach and a small zoo, strictly for use by cruise passengers. It is quite nice as these port areas go. I had breakfast … Continue reading »

Categories: Belize, Cruise, Health, NCL3 | Leave a comment

NCL3 Day 2: At sea

This was a bummer of a day. Marlene woke up sick with a high fever – almost 104 degrees. I gave her some Tylenol and went to breakfast alone. She slept most of the day. Her stomach is upset too, so probably the flu. Glad I got that vaccination. There was a luncheon party for … Continue reading »

Categories: Caribbean, Cruise, NCL3 | Leave a comment

NCL3 Day 1: Embarkation in Miami FL

Yes, folks, we are off on yet another cruise. This one is “only” 7 days, to Belize, Cozumel and Grand Cayman, on the Norwegian Encore. We booked this cruise because both Marlene and I were each given $800 credits from our trip to Alaska in April (NCL2). That credit could only be applied to a … Continue reading »

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“Atlantis Found” by Clive Cussler

Copyright 1999 by Clive Cussler. Published by Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc., New York. This is #15 (though I found a list in which it was #14) in the long (27) line of Cussler books featuring Dirk Pitt, Special Projects Director at the (fictional) National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) and … Continue reading »

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ATW wrapup

Each of the three segments of the ATW has its own wrapup (ATW-1, ATW-2 and ATW-3) so all I can add here are some observations about our epic around-the-world trip.

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ATW-3 wrapup

The ATW-3, the third and final leg of the ATW, was a 14-day cruise on the Carnival Miracle and little more. The “little more” included the trip from Rome to the port in Civitavecchia and the auto trip (via rented auto) from the port in Tampa to home in Lehigh Acres FL, with a detour … Continue reading »

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ATW-3 Day 15: Disembarkation in Tampa FL

Our big bags were taken to the terminal by the crew, so we had only our small bags (backpacks, laptop, handbag) to pack in the morning. We had breakfast in the buffet (and said goodbye to a few more friends), then vacated the room and disembarked. The disembarkation took a while – nearly an hour … Continue reading »

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ATW-3 Day 14: At sea

This was the “say goodbye to new friends” day. On these long trips it is inevitable that we make new friends. Regina, DeDe and Kim to name a few. And a few crew members too. We started with brunch – our only breakfast in the dining room in the 2 weeks. The “skillet cake” had … Continue reading »

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ATW-3 Day 13: Nassau, Bahamas

We have been to Nassau many times before, so we didn’t expect to do anything we hadn’t done before. But we did. We, accompanied by Regina, walked around town shopping. But 6 ships were in port and everyone had their “gouge the tourists” prices on display. We bought nothing in town. But then Marlene discovered … Continue reading »

Categories: ATW, ATW-3, Blogging, Cruise, Friends | Leave a comment