La Jolla, 2024

 We are back in La Jolla for a two week stay at our timeshare overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The weather has been fantastic, 70-degree sunny days and 55-degree evenings. Our walking/running routine is firmly in place every morning as are our multiple trips on foot for shopping and restaurants and so forth. For the past week we have been getting 20K steps in before dark. 

Much has changed in the two years since our last visit. The hills have gotten steeper, the prices have gotten steeper and I swear my legs have gotten shorter!  La Jolla is still the village of designer clothes, designer cars and designer dogs; I’ve never seen so many ‘cutesy’ dogs, many of them dressed much better than me. These dogs have more gene varieties than a Calvin Klein showroom!

We had a car for the first six days of our visit so we could stock up on heavy groceries such as water and wine.  We have also been able to go into San Diego to dine with our friends there, and it was lovely to catch up after two years of only emails! On Wednesday we drove north for about 40 minutes to Encinitas where there was a noon concert Cindy wanted to attend. It was held in the Encinitas Public Library and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful library!  The south side of this modern facility is all floor-to-ceiling glass with spectacular views of the town, beaches and Pacific. I had fully intended to drop Cindy off and walk around for an hour, but unlike the dark, dreary musical venue here in La Jolla where we went on Monday for a concert, this one had a raised stage, plenty of chairs in comfortable configurations, and the backdrop was the Pacific Ocean!!

We drove home the long way and stopped for a late lunch at a restaurant right on the water. As we sipped our Prosecco we noticed a little roiling in the ocean very close to shore - and there, undulating with abandon - was a pod of six bottle nosed dolphins. They performed for us for twenty-five minutes going back and forth in front of us as they fed on the fish that appeared to be plentiful.  Next we heard and then saw a red aerobatic plane directly above us.  It turned out to be a skywriter and the plane released smoke that took the shape of a slithering snake!  Who knew we would have such performances during lunch, which incidentally was excellent.  (A mango/ avocado /shrimp stack and grilled salmon atop a salad.)

Sunsets here always find us on our bench at the beach waiting for the green flash, which we have seen two out of five evenings, always a highlight of our visits here.  We have another six days here and they are packed with visits from family and friends. It is funny, we have more friends here that we enjoy being with than we do in West Virginia. We only lived here for seven years and we’ve lived in WV for sixteen, go figure!  On the 7th we’ll take a morning flight to San Francisco, where Cindy will then take a cab to Palo Alto to visit one of her dearest friends. We have a room near the airport and will have a late dinner when she returns from the visit.  The next day we have our flight home. We are flying Alaska and I now remember why I liked them so much when we lived in Washington State:  They are head and shoulders better in every way than the big three, American, Delta, and United. The service was spectacular, the food was restaurant-quality, and the plane was spotless and comfortable. They even clean the toilets every so often, which is highly unusual in the USA.

And yes, we already voted!  Stood in line for about an hour the day before we left to make sure our voices were heard. Now we just wait!!

With best wishes, Cindy and William

History, Speed and Food, Part One

 September 2024

We just returned from a five-day trip filled with fun and frolic, having visited Colin and Meagan at their home in Williamsburg, VA spending lots of time doing things we normally don’t do. We started with a marvelous dinner at the Fat Canary restaurant on Colin’s Birthday. This is an old standard in Williamsburg that is justifiably well known for its ambiance, food and drink. We started in their excellent retail wine cellar looking at wines for dinner and then sampling them before we went upstairs. We tried and very much enjoyed an un-oaked Chardonnay from South Africa; alas we had just consumed the last bottle!  It was a lovely long evening of celebration and song.

The next day we had a lovely drive on the Colonial Parkway from Williamsburg to Jamestown in glorious weather where we proceeded to experience the Jamestown Settlement. They have a great large indoor area that is filled with dioramas depicting the area as it was in 1607 as well as tracing the history of the region to the present day.  We really wanted to get outside so we skipped most of the films, lectures, and displays and dashed out to the entry of the old fort just in time to see a musket demonstration. All of the enactors were in period costumes and their knowledge of the period was encyclopedic. The young man doing the musket demo really knew a lot about all types of other weapons of the time and could, and did, trace the history of successful battles to improved armaments.  And he was humorous to boot; it was a very entertaining and interesting presentation.  We then wandered around the old fort and marveled at how they had to live with constant fear of the locals as well as the Spanish. Since they were the first English settlement, Spain was eager to get rid of them so they could claim the entire area. We saw infirmaries filled with the tools of the doctors of the day and demonstrated by an enactor who again knew his stuff!  The stories and tools were quite gruesome.

The highlight for me was outside the fort at the water’s edge where they had two replicas of the ships that brought the settlers from England. We boarded one of the ships and were amazed at how small they were to have carried 75 men and boys. The crew had some sleeping facilities, not pleasant but far better than the others who basically had to sit up most of the day and sleep on the planks when there was space. Quite the transatlantic crossing!  It was all great fun and so educational I almost forgot I was in a museum!

On the way home we stopped at a seafood place that was smack dab in the middle of a strip mall and had one of the best meals of the trip (among many). Fresh oysters several ways, crisp salads with seafood and icy cold Sancerre. A surprise and delight!  We did a little shopping for dinner and headed home for well deserved naps. 

That evening Colin produced a mammoth meal with the ease of an experienced caterer. Seafood kabobs, sausages, multi colored peppers, all grilled to perfection and served with fresh breads and greens.  Cindy had brought her famous cole slaw but we forgot to serve it since there was so much bounty on the table. We continued the celebration of Colin’s birthday with French sparking wines and Italian whites. 

On Saturday morning we walked through Colonial Williamsburg, marveling at the old homes and gardens (one of which has a huge old-fashioned windmill). It is a meticulously maintained town and at every turn there is something to catch the eye. The Farmer’s Market was in full swing and, like all such markets, filled with colors, aromas and people from all walks of life.  We were again blessed with spectacular weather, just perfect for wandering and sampling and enjoying being outside. 

In a surprise twist, we found ourselves heading to Busch Gardens, someplace I had heard a lot about but never visited. As we approached the entrance we became aware of the fact that we were not the only people who thought visiting here would be a good idea. It took about twenty minutes of inching forward before we got our pass. The kids have an annual pass which gives them priority parking so once in we headed for the uncrowded VIP area and were parked in minutes. It is a huge place, 425 acres to be precise, and filled with more rides, walks and restaurants than you could possibly handle in one day. We were assured that the best way to get familiar was to take the railroad train around the entire park. Oh my, what a delight!  I was like a little kid getting onto the train which is an genuine steam driven train with a colorful locomotive and coal car. The train engineers were in period dress and the whole thing was so authentic. We settled in and soon the train steam whistle blew and we were off at a brisk pace of 5 mph.

The train goes through all of the six countries that are part of the experience, much like EPCOT. We boarded in Scotland and went to Italy, Ireland, Old France, New France (Canada), England and Germany.  We crossed over a 90 foot bridge over a beautiful river with little river cruise boats taking passengers between amusements. It was a physically beautiful ride, with views of forest, fields, wildlife and flora galore. However, we did see some amusements!!  I shall never understand how something that takes you to the top of a two hundred foot structure and then plunges you straight down at sixty miles per hour can be considered an amusement. There were several of these and all of them packed so obviously I’m in the minority. It doesn’t have to do with age either, since I’ve never had an interest in carnival rides. The last one I enjoyed was outside a drugstore in Norwalk where I sat on one little wooden horse and my sister on the other and my dad put the nickel in the slot and we were off just like Roy and Dale Evans.  Now that was a ride!!

Much to my disappointment, we had to get off the train and walk through the countries we had just whizzed by. It was lots of fun and we enjoyed every moment. This time of year they do a scary Halloween thing that is a major attraction at night when it is dark and spooky but we did not stay for that. We had built up quite the appetite and ended up in Germany, the largest of the country areas.  (Since Adolpus Busch was from Germany, it makes sense.)  We entered the Octoberfest tent and grabbed some O'fest food and drink. Sausages, chicken, red cabbage, white cabbage, a variety of potatoes and lots of mustard and German beer hit the spot!  All too soon, we were on our way home for some well deserved nap time. 

That night Colin prepared Greek Grinders, at least that is what I called them. We had purchased some really good baguettes at the farmer’s market and he filled them with grilled chicken, tzatziki, tomatoes, peppers, onions and sausage - and oh my were they good. We had Cindy’s coleslaw alongside, and for dessert, Cindy’s Lemon Lime Satins topped with crême fraîche. We had a lovely evening just sitting around and talking about the day's excitement. We hit the beds early since we had a very early departure the next morning to go to Virginia Beach.

History, Speed and Food, Part Two

 September 2024

One of the other reasons for our visit to Williamsburg was the fact that Meagan had purchased four tickets for the Blue Angels Air Show in Virginia Beach and she invited us to come with them. Well, I had to think real hard about that one, who would want to go to a large airfield, filled with lots of planes you can walk around or through - as was the case of a C-4, right through the belly - and then sit and watch lots and lots of planes doing crazy things five hundred feet above you?  I felt mesmerized before we'd even left the house that morning! The night before we watched an awesome documentary on Prime Video called the Blue Angels and it really got us in the mood for the show and made it that much more enjoyable knowing all the background information. I highly recommend watching that show. 

We arrived after a lovely drive along lots of water and Naval ships and joined some of our 120,000 closest friends. The Oceana Naval Airbase is huge and it had to accommodate all these people. I must say, they did a remarkable job moving folks, parking cars and manning information areas. Once out of the car you could smell the jet fuel and it was better than breakfast!  Meagan had secured VIP space for us and we wandered around the static exhibits of planes both old and new until we arrived at our area, which was the equivalent of being on the fifty yard line at a football game.  We were given bracelets which allowed us access to everything, and found a table for all our stuff which included cameras, noise cancelling headsets, booklets, foul weather gear (which thankfully we didn’t need) - and headed back out to the static exhibits.  This link will give you a sample of what was there on the ground and this link for what was in the air!

We wandered for about an hour or so before the shows started.The Blue Angels weren’t scheduled until 3 pm and the shows started at 11 am so we saw a heaping helping of airplanes before the Angels took to the air. Our VIP area included lunch, beers, wines and soft drinks, as well as our own set of personal Porta Potties; did I mention free beer?!  The food was very good and everyone was in a party mode with lots of friendly chatter since we were all part of this special aviation community.  

There were some mighty impressive aerial displays for the next three hours as you can see from the links above, but none as impressive as the F-35C Lightning II demonstration . This is the Navy’s only fifth-generation stealth aircraft and it is remarkable. At one point in the demonstration it flew straight up and just hovered in the air, looking like it was holding a stationary point for what seemed like a minute, a feat that few aircraft of that power and weight can do. It also has a turn ratio that is much smaller than other aircraft of its caliber enabling it to excel in dog fights or close ground cover. Oh, and it is LOUD! Most of the planes are really loud but this one, operating so close to the ground, seemed really loud. We were all glad we had our headsets with us to protect our aging eardrums!

Finally, it was time for the big show and it did not disappoint. The precision of the Blue Angels is as crisp on the ground as it is in the air. The ground crews all have routines that are fun to watch and really important in order to maintain the safety of the crews and planes - it is actually choreographed as 2 people get ready for the pilot of each plane. This season they have - for the first time - a woman as a team member. She was part of the film by Amazon Prime and we got to know a lot about LCDR Amanda Lee. Every time the Angels were introduced, she received the most applause and cheers.  All of these Blue Angels have more than three thousand hours of flight time and I think most are also graduates of Top Gun training in Miramar. They are the elite of the elite and the hours of training, both mentally and physically, are grueling and do not allow for errors.

They do have ways to surprise the audience. One of their signature formations is the flying Delta, in which they fly in a delta pattern with only eight inches between the jets. They flew by the observation deck and everyone was watching as they slowly started to turn for another pass and then BAM! one of the two ‘extra’ planes came out of nowhere at 500 feet doing 800 miles an hour right above our heads!  It caught everyone by surprise and there were loud cheers once we realized what had happened, but oh my, it was loud and got the old ticker racing.  And before we knew it, it was over.

As you might suspect, it takes awhile to get 120,000 people out of a parking lot and onto one of two roads leading away from the air base. We used that time to talk about our favorite events and it was fun to talk about something we all enjoyed immensely.  By the time we got to the house we only had thirty minutes to ready ourselves for dinner but we all managed to be in the car at the right time and heading to the Blue Talon, a French Bistro in downtown Williamsburg. Once you enter, you leave the USA behind and are in the middle of an authentic Bistro, complete with stamped tin ceilings, cosy banquettes, caned chairs and marbled tables - and of course a long, lovely Zinc bar. We shared heaping platters of mussels in white wine with frites, bien sûr. Salmon rillettes, patés with cornichons and grilled bread, and a bottle of French Crémant, a lovely sparking wine that is just like Champagne but can't be called that because the grapes are grown slight out of the area. We got down to business after the openers and had Gran Mère’s roasted chicken, grilled shrimp, and Steak Frites, mon dieu, a grand feast with appropriate French red and whites to make it a special penultimate dinner with the kids. 

We were all exhausted and hit the hay by 9:30 since Meagan had to go to work early, Colin had appointments, and we had a road trip to Fredericksburg ahead of us. We took the slow road, which went through Yorktown, I mean Historic Yorktown. Over the big bridge and then off to smaller roads through rural Virginia. It was all rather spectacular scenery and the day was just perfect for meandering. In one of the small - they were all small - towns, we stopped at a funky coffee shop and had a surprisingly wonderful lunch. Cindy had a Gouda and red pepper soup and I had a chicken salad made with amazingly fresh and flavorful greens and well-seasoned grilled chicken. Everyone was addressed as hon, sweetie, sugar, darling and our wait person looked like someone out of central casting oozing southern charm. 

We got to Fredericksburg, I mean Historic Fredricksburg, in time to check in and take a quick nap. It had rained a bit but it was mostly over by the time we decided to take an exploratory walk. We had been here in 2011 but remembered almost nothing about the town or the hotel so for us it was all new.  Actually Cindy remembered one thing, the name and location of a tattoo parlor called "Sorry Mom Tattoos."  Still there! - and who could forget a name like that.

Fredericksburg really is a lovely town with lots of shops, bars, restaurants and historical placards all over the place. We returned to the hotel to get ready for our reservation and decided to have a drink in the bar, which looked lovely. This is the only bar I’ve ever been to in the USA that has Pinot Bianco from the Aldo Adige region of Italy, up near the Austrian border. It is really a delicious wine and it was served ice cold from a freshly opened bottle. I immediately liked the place. 

We dined at La Petite Auberge, which at 7:30 on a Monday was almost empty. We were shown to a lovely corner table and there was a bottle of the same French sparking wine we had enjoyed the night before, courtesy of Colin and Meagan. A nice surprise and an excellent way to start the evening. Our waitperson was young, talented and ever so professional. She made appropriate recommendations and never hurried us, which allowed us to order course by course depending on our hunger level. Roasted duck with scalloped potatoes, roasted halibut with the very best tasting vegetable melange and of course more wine. We did skip dessert since we were happy with our meal and nothing sweet would make it any better.

We woke up early the next morning and took a long wake-up walk down to the river. On the way I noticed a real barbershop with the lights on and the barber looking out the window. I motioned with my head and he opened the door to let us into a time warp. The place had six chairs and sinks that had been there since 1928 and one barber who looked like he might have originally opened the place. It turns out that Junior, that really is his name, is 77 years old and had been working at that place for more than fifty-five years. What he lacked in tonsorial skills he made up for in chatter. I mean nonstop, uninteresting chatter, but I was desperate for a haircut. Cindy, always quick to read a room, excused herself and continued her walk. JR, as I called him, would stop cutting my hair and show me photos of the shop as it looked way back then, which to me is the way it currently looked. This meant that a fifteen-minute haircut took thirty, but hey, I was in no hurry. 

We found a place that had real expresso, as it happened served by a German woman, and we were in heaven. The place smelled of fresh hot croissants and pastries.  Simply the nicest way to leave a city, which is what we did as soon as we had finished our breakfast. It was a most wonderful way to end our four days of excitement. 

Best to all, Cindy and William

Willie Nelson

 24 August 2024

The Democratic Convention is done and dusted for this cycle. While I didn’t watch any of it, it did bring back memories of another Democratic Convention, this one in New York in 1980. I had been working with the Carter Administration is a variety of ‘unpaid’ positions starting as  Office of Protocol consultant, then Deputy Treasurer of the DNC, and finally as an advance man for the Carter re-election effort. 

Most of us knew that Carter’s chances of re-election were shattered when the attempted rescue of the Iranian hostages went south in April of that year. Had that worked, who knows, but the country was suffering from lots of economic turmoil capped by an oil crisis that had Americans lining up for gasoline across the country. Not much of a record to run on, but run he did, and the convention was to be the kick-off for a new start to the campaign which was already in full swing. 

As someone who had coordinated two of his campaign stops, I was asked to come to the convention and ‘handle’ issues that arose during the planning and presentations. On the last day of the convention when Carter was to officially become the candidate for president, I was asked to take care of Willie Nelson who would be singing the national anthem at eight that evening to open the final night. 

We sent a car to his hotel to fetch him and his wife Connie and take them to the stage entrance of Madison Square Garden.  I met them there and escorted them to the Green Room where there were light refreshments and some wine and beer. Willie was, of course, an icon and I wasn’t sure how things would go - but I must say, they went well.  It was as if no one in the world had ever told him he was famous!  He was so very natural and gracious and always smiling. He greeted me like I was an old friend, introduced his wife Connie and asked how things were going. He was relaxed, lightly stoned, and very interested in the campaign and how it all might turn out. 

We had been talking for about thirty minutes when I got a call that Willie was to go on at nine o'clock rather than eight, due to normal screw-ups associated with the convention. He took it all in good spirits and asked if I might get them glasses of bourbon. Well, we didn’t have bourbon in the Green Room, just wine and beer, neither of which worked for them. I called my contact at the Garden, made my request for bourbon and was told it would take an hour or so. Unacceptable, especially in NYC where you can’t spin around with your arms out without hitting at least one liquor store. I had what they called an Everywhere Pass, meaning nothing was off limits and I could come and go as I pleased all over the Garden. I told Willie that I’d be right back and dashed to the nearest exit and sure enough there was a liquor store right across the street.

I bought a bottle of Jack Daniels, only because that is what my dad drank and it was the only bourbon I knew. I dashed back to the entrance where a guard was having a heated argument with someone in one of those ‘do you know who I am’ situations. It turned out that it was Dan Rather who had somehow misplaced his credentials and could not be allowed back in to cover the convention. I talked to the guard, showed him my pass and credentials and was told I could take Rather in on my authority.  I summoned Rather over and said we could get in and that I’d take him to get new credentials. Instead of a thank you, he said this was a poorly run convention and berated everything.  I turned him over to one of the other folks to let them handle this ill-mannered man.

Willie was delighted with the Jack Daniels and I admitted I knew nothing about bourbon but that my dad had two fingers of it now and then. Willie said, “well if it is good enough for your dad, it is damn good enough for me!”  What a guy!  He insisted that I had a drink with the two of them and I sipped away while he refilled his glass a few times.  As my confidence and comfort grew I told him that there was a woman named Frances who was the hardest worker at the DNC and she seldom got any credit for all she did. I mentioned that she was his biggest fan and would be waiting outside the door as we went to the stage - just so she could see him up close. He asked how to spell her name and got a pen and 8x10 glossy of him from Connie and signed the picture to her.

It was finally time to take Willie out to the stage and sure enough Frances was waiting to see him. He looked at me and I nodded and he handed her his personalized photo saying, “I’m told you are the heart of this organization, bless you, Frances."  With that marvelous gesture he took to the stage and the audience went wild as Frances wilted with emotion in the wings. If you were to ever watch a clip of his rendition of our National Anthem, you might notice that there are a few mangled words and some forgotten lyrics. Management takes no responsibility for any of these alleged errors, besides which, no one in the crowd seemed to care - after all, it was Willie Nelson!

Racing to Miami

 June 6, 2024

It is D-Day, the Longest Day, and we are now sailing to Miami for an on-time arrival on the 8th. Two things of note since the last blog: We had our finest meal on the ship the night before arriving in San Juan and we had a lovely morning in San Juan.  First the meal: Crystal has an exclusive relationship with the Japanese celebrity chef and restaurateur Nobu Matsuhisa and 

Crystal is the only cruise line with his restaurant. 

It is elegance personified! From the moment you walk in and are greeted by name with welcomes in Japanese from all the staff - until you walk out on cloud nine - it is a truly magnificent experience. Everything stimulates the senses, from the lovely small orchids on the table to the handcrafted chopsticks with NOBU burned into wood. The service is to your taste, by that I mean they want you to order at your convenience and pace. The table is yours for the evening and you may linger over multiple courses deciding at the last minute if you want more of something, which is exactly what we did.  We worked through the menu with gusto and savored every small detail and taste. We enjoyed it so much that we decided not to go back for fear that the second time would pale from the first and diminish our appreciation of the restaurant experience!

The Asian flavors were divine, starting with two tiny appetizers floating in miso, one tuna and one salmon, both garnished with caviar.  There were several dishes to follow, the highlights including lobster "smothered" with roasted peppers, tuna tataki in a cilantro sauce, and the black cod for which Nobu is famous.    

We decided to get off the ship in San Juan with three objectives:  a good PR coffee in a typical cafeteria, a decent haircut for me, and a new Panama hat to replace the one I purchased five years ago that was being held together with crazy glue and duct tape. We cleared immigration (so we don’t have to do it in Miami) and headed towards the area Cindy had determined would be the best place to find a barber. Sure enough she found the one we were looking for but they did not open for another twenty minutes. Luckily right next door was a down-and-dirty cafeteria called Mallorca so we popped in. We ordered two coffees, water, and something called a Mallorca, which turned out to be a panini made with sweet Puerto Rican bread and Swiss cheese, all of which was liberally covered with powdered sugar!  They do love their sweets and everything was delicious despite being served in paper and plastic. 

Once done with breakfast we stepped out the door and entered the barber shop that had just opened and I was in the chair in seconds. I got an almost Italian haircut; he was great and ever so talented. Cindy watched the entire show and said she learned a lot from observing (many future haircuts are likely to be done by her). I paid the modest bill and gave him a rather large tip for his artistry. As we were leaving I showed him my well worn Panama hat and asked where I might buy a new one.  Rather than give me directions, he simply said to follow him. He locked up the shop and walked us, without conversation, down and around narrow streets and deposited us in a magnificent hat store with a huge selection of Panamas and then silently returned to his shop!  I guess I tipped well! I spent fifteen minutes with the knowledgable clerk, selected and paid for my new hat, and left the old one with him for disposal. In just ninety minutes we had accomplished all we wanted and headed back to the ship. 

We started to see lots of people with maps and shorts and tank tops and kids, all wandering aimlessly and we knew that they were not on our cruise. Rounding the corner with a view to the dock we saw the largest cruise ship we had ever seen. It had docked after we had left the pier and there were thousands of people spilling out of this behemoth, which turned out to be the  Carnival Celebration and holds 5,340 passengers!! This thing has waterslides, roller coasters, fifteen restaurants and, well … you get the picture. There were scores of busses lined up for excursions and we felt like we were swimming upstream as the multitudes kept coming off the boat. We were ever so happy to get back on our little ship!!  Cheers - Cindy and Wm

Crystal Serenity

 June 3, 2024

Today is Cindy’s birthday and I arranged this cruise so that she could celebrate it in style on the high seas.  We are into day eight of a twelve-day cruise from Las Palmas (Canary Islands) to Miami, arriving on June 8th. Thus far it has been a perfect cruise with excellent weather, flat seas and spectacular service and food. We really didn’t know what to expect from the new Crystal after Covid and a corporate bankruptcy, but they are doing a fantastic job. 

There are people on board  who started this cruise in San Diego in early January and will finish the cruise there on the 21st of June.  I love cruising but can’t conceive of being on a ship, no matter how luxurious, for 140 days plus!!  Our first day on the cruise was very interesting since we were 200 or so newbies, and those who'd been on board for weeks or even months would look at us and size us up. There are about 250 passengers that have been on the entire cruise and of course they know each other quite well. The first night after dinner we went to the Avenue Saloon to hear a remarkable piano player and it was like being in Cheers. Everyone  (except the newbies) who entered the bar was greeted by name from the piano player, who incidentally never missed a note during his shout out. We have noticed that every night the same people occupy the same tables at drinks before dinner, in the dining room at dinner, and again in the bar for after-dinner drinks. One large family!

The ship is designed to carry 740 passengers in great comfort with almost as many crew members. On this leg of the passage there are only about 450 passengers, meaning there are far more crew than passengers and which might account in part for the great service. We are told that two hundred or so passengers disembarked in Cape Town when it was announced that due to piracy concerns in and around Yemen, they would no longer be visiting India, Oman, Jordan, Egypt or the five ports planned in the Med. Instead they would be going up the western coast of Africa for two weeks visiting countries that we only hear about because of famine, drought, civil war and pestilence! No doubt there were more UN Peacekeepers than  passengers in most of the stops.  Certainly I would have jumped ship!

Crystal is an all-inclusive cruise line and everything is included in the upfront price. That means that from the time I stepped aboard I only needed to carry my suite key, pocket knife, handkerchief, pedometer and some See’s Lollipops. All of the food, drinks, tips, and wifi are included. Our butler came on day #1 asking how we would like our suite bar set up and every day since he checks, replenishes and brings us canapés before cocktails. Perhaps I could stay for 140 days but they would actually have to use a crane to take me off my balcony at the end of the cruise!

In reality, we are always quite moderate on these cruises and usually lose a little weight since we have lots of time for exercise and we can choose from many healthy food groups. There are about six places to eat, three formal dining options and three informal which are mostly used at lunch time. We honestly have not had a bad mouthful of anything and the food is always fresh and well prepared. They offer lots of wine choices and the bars are stocked with top-shelf booze with well-trained bartenders and servers. What’s not to like?!

On this cruise we opted for a one-bedroom suite and it is delightful, well designed and maintained with a large comfortable balcony.  I suppose we could have breakfast or lunch out there, but really, who wouldn’t rather be waited on in air conditioned comfort in one of the dining venues? The balcony is a nice place to exercise in the morning and to sit and have a coffee or quiet drink. We used to choose cabins with large windows but no veranda/ balcony. That all changed during Covid when on the news we saw people being confined to their cabins with no access to fresh air - or worse yet, those that had interior cabins with no windows. With age comes privilege!

Speaking of age, we are in the category of youngest on board. Two thirds of the passengers are clearly in their eighties/nineties and there are lots of walkers, scooters and wheelchairs being used, but these passengers are a game bunch and they don’t let anything get in the way of having fun.  It's a good reminder for us to be thankful for our mobility and good health.

Prelude to a Cruise, May 2024

Almost two years ago we signed up for a Trans-Atlantic cruise departing La Seyne sur Mer for Miami on Crystal Cruises. We were looking forward to seeing how they have fared since going bankrupt during the pandemic. They were a favorite of ours and since they were departing from the south of France and calling at Barcelona and Gibraltar, we were eager t. We booked excursions in both Barcelona and Gibraltar; having never been to Gibraltar we were really excited, and we were looking forward to visiting the Palau de Music in Barcelona since on our last trip there we could not get in.  About three months ago we were informed that the trip was now only 12 days, not 14, and that it would depart from Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. This was very unwelcome news for lots of reasons!  We had already booked and paid for flights and hotels in La Seyne sur Mer. Unwilling to kiss off thousands of dollars we decided to come here and enjoy three days of France and book a separate flight from here to Las Palmas.  We are happy we did that since this is a lovely little town, mostly a marina filled with huge yachts, large sailing and motor craft, and excellent bars and restaurants catering to the wealthy ‘boat folks’. 

Our trip here was uneventful, exactly what you would expect from Swiss Air. The service on the long flight from Dulles to Zurich was spectacular with restaurant-quality meals and wines. We kept saying to each other, “We are not on United anymore."  The short hop from Zurich to Marseille had equally good service and a nice lunch.

We'd hired a driver to get from Marseille to Toulon (actually the neighboring La Seyne sur Mer), and once we found him it was relatively quick trip in the sunshine.  Our hotel room has a large balcony overlooking the marina and the bay with lovely views of the hills of Provence in the background. Our room was extremely hot the first night since the AC did not work, so in the morning we asked reception to send up engineering to fix the system. We were somewhat surprised - but this is of course France - to hear that since it was not yet summer their AC system for the entire hotel has not been turned on!!  It was 78 degrees in our room!  They did give us two small fans, thank goodness - over the decades we have purchased more fans in France than we can count but we weren't about to buy one this time. It reminded us of how spoiled we are in the good old US of A, where even the humblest of rooms at a Motel 6 has AC. They may be right that Americans are spoiled but this is a Mercure, a top rate hotel chain, and the rooms are 250+ Euros per night!  C'est la vie!  La French Vie, at any rate.  

We were able to walk off a lot of our jet lag over the past two days and have enjoyed delightful meals in all of the bistros and restaurants we have tried. Our walks have taken us from the marinas to the inner core of the city and each has offered very special sights, sounds and smells. There are times when we are in Provence that we are not sure if we are in the South of France or the North of Africa! Certainly along the marina with its luxe sail and motor craft, you know you are in a very wealthy French city. The deeper you get into the core of the city the more you experience Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco. The language and shops and aromas all are so very different from those closer to the marina. All of which makes for a most delightful cultural point-counterpoint. One example is that I had hoped to get a haircut here but all of the barbers seem to specialize in cutting initials, shapes or Arabic script into your hair! I’ll try again in Las Palmas!

From our balcony we have watched the ferry come and go to and from Toulon, so we decided to take it just for the fun of seeing our area and Toulon from the water.  They are small ferries, 100 passengers max, and they ply the route every twenty minutes. We hopped aboard, paid our two Euros each and settled in for the ride. What a bargain!! The short 17 minute ride took us past the Toulon Naval Base, the largest in France, past ship builders specializing in retrofitting the huge ferries that go to Corsica and Sardinia, and then into the picturesque Toulon harbor which is lined with scores of restaurants. We had been there before but still enjoyed entering from the sea as opposed to walking in. We wandered a bit though the Friday market, filled with local vegetables, fruits and flowers. The garlic alone was worth the trip, huge pink bulbs woven together to form a long chain of delight. It quickly clouded over and started to sprinkle so we just hopped on the next boat home, a delightful interlude. 

We depart tomorrow for an overnight in Lisbon to have dinner with our friends Robert and Mary and then an early flight on Sunday to Las Palmas. Tonight there is a “Bière Fest” right in the park we overlook from our balcony. We shall wander, street eat and see how the night develops, knowing it will be an early evening!!  Ciao, Cindy and Wm

Eclipse

 April 12, 2024

We returned home Tuesday from a 1200 mile trip to see the full eclipse in Upland, Indiana. Cindy had been planning this for at least years and had made arrangements to stay with her grade school friend in Upland. She was going to make the trip by herself since I had no interest in seeing an eclipse but I decided this would most likely be my last chance and I really didn’t want her to drive all that way alone. 

We stopped for two nights in Columbus, Ohio because it was on the way and because we had never been there. It is a strikingly beautiful city with lots of parks and green spaces. There are lots of museums, theaters, and concert venues, all rather close to the Scioto River. The river takes its name from the local native American word for deer and there are three whimsical statues of deer dotting the banks and bridges over the river. 

Columbus has a magnificent botanical garden called Franklin Park filled with specialized enclosed spaces for butterflies, tropical gardens, desert gardens and a host of other ecosystems focused on regional gardens. The outdoor space is huge and again filled with plants and trees and also benches for relaxation. We were lucky and hit it on a day that was just perfect - sunny and warm - and all the spring plants were in full flower. We spent about two hours wandering, getting lost, and marveling at the diversity of flora contained in this park. 

At the garden gift shop Cindy purchased some cards and the clerk asked where we were from and we told her and mentioned we would only be in Columbus for a day or so. She said that we absolutely had to visit the Topiary Park. No one else had mentioned it, we had not read about it, and it was pure chance (and good luck) that she told us about it. We were intrigued and walked over to the park the next morning. It is a re-creation of Georges Seurat’s painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, all done in shaped yew trees, absolutely stunning!

We were not terribly impressed with the food/beverage scene but we really didn’t visit Columbus to eat and drink, just to rest and sightsee. We went out of our way to see their supposedly fabulous indoor market, but it was just some tired looking food stalls with nothing that seemed even remotely fresh. We had a fun lunch at an Irish Pub where we were one of only two couples eating there. The hotel restaurant was, well a hotel restaurant, but convenient for our first night. Our last night was at a Tapa joint which was hit and miss but loud!  Enough said. 

On Sunday we drove for three hours to Upland Indiana in preparation for the big show on Monday. Cindy and her friend Kari had much to catch up with, and Kari's husband Steve is a pilot so the two of us just started talking flying as pilots are wont to do. The next day we busied ourselves until about two o’clock when we all went over to their son’s home to watch the show. It was a multigenerational event with three generations of their family sitting in the driveway, all of us with our Eclipse Glasses and filled with anticipation. I had read a lot about what to expect and thought the actual event might not be as great as I hoped. I was, once again, WRONG!

As the moon began its steady and ever so slow journey across the sun I could sense things  happening around us. First it was the birds who now thought it was approaching dusk; they all started to roost in the trees around the house, chirping their evening songs. Then I noticed the chilled wind picking up as we neared totality. The sky was clear but the horizon seemed to be cast in a haze as it got darker and darker. Finally, I noticed there was no shadow from the tree in front of me and I took off my glasses and looked at a full eclipse with the moon covering the sun and only the bright corona of the sun visible. It was now quite cool and the birds had gone quiet. There were suddenly several stars visible in the sky and the entire horizon was embraced in a shimmering golden/red sunset. It was a truly memorable and moving experience, unlike anything I had anticipated, and a welcome three-minute and three-second respite from the real world.

Prior to the start of the eclipse we had told everyone that we were going to be departing as soon as the moon started to expose the sun. We had read that there was to be a lot of traffic surrounding this event and we wanted to get ahead of it as we made our way to Springfield Ohio for the night. My trusty navigator kept us moving in an East by Southeast direction and we managed to avoid all the traffic and arrived at the hotel at six thirty in time for an Eclipse Cocktail. The next morning we departed at eight twenty, a record for us, and arrived home at three pm with only a stop for gas. The traffic was fine with only a few short delays, and we were delighted to be home and to have had such a marvelous experience.  

William Byxbee

Emeritus Dean

San Diego State University