Author Archives: Sparky
TC1 Days 8 & 9: At sea
The days are starting to blend together. The big event for me on Day 8 (Tuesday) was my first beer on board (not counting the beer tasting on Day 2). I read on the aft deck for much of the afternoon, finishing Speaking in Tongues by Jeffery Deaver (described in the previous post). I worked … Continue reading
“Speaking in Tongues” by Jeffery Deaver
Pocket Books, 2000. This book was special to me, not because it had great characters or plot, but because it was the first book I read using reading glasses. A few weeks ago I admitted to myself that my reading time had been greatly reduced because it was no longer a pleasure. Too much squinting, … Continue reading
TC1 Days 6 & 7: At sea
The sun returned for Day 6 (Sunday) which proved to be the most sedate day yet. We seem to be falling behind the clocks, which advanced another hour (3 hours in total now). We rose too late to make the Sunday brunch in the dining room, which began at 11:30 am. Instead we had our … Continue reading
TC1 Days 4 & 5: At sea
First I will report two technical successes. Due to the impending Hand, Knee and Foot training session, we needed to print a set of rules and some scoresheets. So I took the laptop down to Deck 1 where there was a “business center” with 3 computers and a printer and inquired at the service desk … Continue reading
TC1 Days 2 & 3: At sea
The first full day at sea was, as expected, quiet. At breakfast I tried the buffet scrambled eggs (terrible), bacon (good) and lox (excellent). I then, while waiting for Jett’s cappucino to be made, joined in on the attack on a 2,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. In the afternoon I attended an “international beer tasting” event that … Continue reading
TC1 Day 1: Embarkation
The process of embarkation – passing through the passport check, filling out health forms, checking in and receiving our on-board “keys” – went very quickly and we were aboard the ship in less than 30 minutes after our bus arrived at the dock (at 12:47 pm, to be precise). But the process contained an element … Continue reading
TC1: Our first transatlantic cruise – prelude
The start of our first transatlantic cruise has arrived! For the next 27 nights we will be aboard the Holland America Oosterdam, first crossing the Atlantic Ocean, then cruising the Mediterranean Sea, followed by two nights on land in Venice. It should be an epic vacation! To get started we had a day of very … Continue reading
Brush fires
Brush fires in March are common in southwest Florida. The Everglades may be wetlands, but they are surrounded by vast areas of grass and woodland that burn pretty freely once a fire gets started. Last year parts of Naples had to be evacuated due to fires that threatened the eastern fringe of the city. This … Continue reading
TN4 preview
Our Fourth Trip North (TN4) is not going to be very interesting. It will be a quick trip – 1650 miles in 11 days and 7 hops – necessitated by our need to get to VA quickly to pick up Rusty who we are leaving in the care of Jett’s kids while we spend their … Continue reading
Our plans for summer 2018
We have booked a site for the summer season: Lamb City Campground in Phillipston MA. This location is a bit further west than we would like – about an hour to North Andover and nearly an hour to Worcester – but it is close to Uncle Ray’s summer cabin in New Salem MA. It is … Continue reading