Jan 15th to 25th - Cruising

Jan 15^th to 17^th – Thurs/Fri/Sat

I was right about “a couple of weeks”! This is going to be one big entry.

We left for Houston bright & early on the 15^th in Bob & Sandi's Jeep. We stopped in Van Horn TX for the night – OK motel, crappy dinner. The next day we took a break in San Antonio and wandered around the river walk. We stayed in Schulenburg – better motel, great dinner at a buffet with intentionally crooked windows - which left a decent drive Saturday morning to Seabrook which is the location of a new cruise ship terminal near Houston. We had plenty of time to board the Norwegian Jewel, get drink package stickers on our key cards, find our room (9) – balcony and directly across the ship from Bob & Sandi – and have lunch and explore a bit before watching the ship leave the dock at 4. The props & side thrusters throw up “stuff” from the bottom and there were tons of birds having dinner. We checked out the casino, had dinner and went to the lounge/nightclub before calling it a day at midnight.

Jan 18^th – Sun

Today was a sea day. We met Bob & Sandi for breakfast (7), watched some line dance lessons (13) and we all took part in a slot tournament (6) where we did not get past the first round. The numbers in ( ) are levels in the ship and I put them in to show how much exercise we all got – yes, Terry included – by using the stairs ALL THE TIME! We had a light lunch and then Terry went back to the casino and I relaxed & read. Sandi & I went to a movie while the guys watched the Sea Hawks pull out a surprising win. We went to a steakhouse for dinner to celebrate Terry's birthday a couple of days early. The meal was wonderful.

 

Jan 19^th – Mon

We docked at Cozumel this morning and walked a short ways where we rented a well used (rickety!?) jeep and went touring. We stopped for a beer and pictures on the rocks and then made a second stop for nearly the same thing but added some chips & salsa. The circular peaked roof of the bar was entirely covered on the underside with T-shirts and there were fun signs all over. We missed a turn for some ruins so we backtracked, drove a couple of miles off the main road and then decided not to tour the ruins! We returned the jeep and did some shopping before returning to the ship.

We had a snack at the outdoor buffet to tide us over and went to the casino for a bit until the 7:15 show – a comedian named David Naster who was excellent. Bob & Sandi went to eat (Sandi had a very small snack unlike the rest of us!) and we went to watch some line dance lessons. The floor was jammed and we knew the dances so we just watched – and drank! The lessons were followed by a “contest” called “Dance Like a Norwegian” where 6 guests were paired with ship personnel in a dance contest. Lots of laughs.

Jan 20^th – Tues

During the night we traveled to Belize City. Due to the barrier reef, we had to tender in which was a good experience. Catamarans from Belize were used rather than lifeboats from the ship as all ships have to tender. We walked down the dock and joined up with couple from Florida for a private tour in an air conditioned van that could have held twice as many people. It was run by a church and the pastor was our tour guide. The outstanding impression of Belize City was poverty and lack of fundamental facilities in the majority of houses. We made the “mandatory” stop at a run factory and then went through a very poor part of town which was quite depressing.

We shopped – of course - on the main street and then in a duty free section in the dock area. We sampled some frozen drinks and had to buy one each – yummy. Can you say “head freeze”? We had an early dinner at Azura which is a complementary sit down restaurant and very good. Norwegian has “free style” dining so no reserved seating with the same people each night and suits us fine. The show was a Russian acrobatic couple who were excellent. The man was also a very good singer. Then we went to the lounge for a “Battle of the Sexes” game which was quite funny.

 

Jan 21^st – Wed

A night of travel took us to Roatan, Honduras. It is a little island – 38 miles long, 3 miles wide - just off the coast and very lush & tropical. We had booked a zip line excursion but not early so we had breakfast, then lined up on the dock and followed our tour guide to the bus area. She gave us lots of information on the way. We were all decked out with harnesses, helmets & gloves for braking. There were 12 zip lines going back & forth across a big gully for a total of 2 miles. There were 40 people in our group so it wasn't as much fun as the zip lines we did in Maui with a smaller group but it was OK. We piled into trucks for a ride back to the start and then had to wait for the 2 buses to get back to the dock area.

We shopped, had $2 drinks in a “rustic” bar and headed back to the ship. Once again we had an early dinner at Azura (not so good this time) so we could get good seats for the 7:15 show which was a magician/comedian and again very good. We spent some time at the casino before calling it a day.

Jan 22^nd & 23^rd – Thurs/Fri – sea days

Bob & Sandi enjoyed breakfast on their balcony (east side of the ship going back) so after we had another great meal at the buffet, we went back to the casino. We all met for lunch and then went for a talk/presentation (You just have to laugh) given by the comedian David Naster. It was really good. We watched a movie trivia game while we had a drink. We moved to another bar where Bob & Sandi took part in a martini tasting event and we continued to make good use of our “unlimited drink package”. We had to change into slacks for dinner at the Tzar's palace which was just OK.

The 9:15 show was Le Cirque Bijou where we were amazed to see dancers from a few nights ago now doing acrobatic acts above the audience. After the show, a parade of employees & officers were introduced and then exited so they could “meet & greet” the leaving guests. We continued on to the “White Hot Party” in the lounge which was very loud & crowded so we didn't stay too long.

 

Friday dawned with clouds & showers but 7 foot swells didn't budge the ship. We dawdled over breakfast, Bob & Sandi joined us at the casino for a bit and then we separated for lunch and some packing. Once again we went to Azura for dinner and this time the service and the food were not very good. I am happy that we got the good meal first or we would have only gone once.

The “grand finale” show was super. All the acts took part in some fashion and at the end 6 of the activities personnel did a hilarious “water spitting” act that Bob & Sandi have seen on previous cruises. The activity director was superb. A great end to a fun trip!

Jan 24^th – Sat – disembarkation (just had to use the word!!)

Norwegian has a “fast exit” process where those who can carry all their luggage can do so and disembark first rather than waiting for luggage with different colored tags to show up in the terminal. We were supposed to leave at 7:45 but an announcement at 7:15 said the gangplank was ready so we hustled out. There were lots of customs agents, the parking lot was close to the terminal and we were on the road just before 8. Breakfast at McDonald’s, a few gas stops, lunch at Subway and a Red Roof motel in El Paso. We went to Outback for dinner but there was a 45 minute wait so we went to Logan's Roadhouse where there was also a wait. We ended up at Macaroni Grill which was good. We were definitely ready to crash when we got back to the motel. Terry had turned on the heat before we left for dinner and we could hear a fan rattling before we opened the door. Luckily it was warm enough that we could turn it off for the night.

Jan 25^rd – Sun

We got an early start and drove for an hour before stopping for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. There was a bit of snow on the ground in Texas and quite a bit more in New Mexico. Bob & Terry took turns driving & napping and we made good time. We arrived at VVV at 3:10 to find a few friends waiting in the street as Gloria had sent a text when we were near Casa Grande and they had a pretty good idea when we would arrive. A couple of phone calls and others arrived. We threw our bags in the rig, got a drink and some snacks, put out chairs and enjoyed the party!

Home Sweet Home!!

Jan 11th to 14th - Mesa

Jan 11^th – Sun

After a lazy morning, we went to Red Mountain Cafe for a late breakfast but there was a line out the door so we checked out Wild Berry – same thing there. So we went to Fry's for a few groceries and picked up chicken for lunch.

I continued with minor alterations and finally put the sewing machine away. Terry had promised to take Beth on a motorcycle ride so he did that and then took Terry Hensley for a ride. She wasn't sure about the whole thing and wouldn't let him go out of the park and drive too fast.

I made deviled eggs for a party at Bob & Gail's that started at 4:00. It was originally a farewell party for us and for Gail who is going to Ontario to visit family. Any reason for a party is good enough! Their driveway & patio were jammed and people spilled out onto the street. Luckily we had eaten by the time a light rain started. Tables were moved at Bob & Gail's to allow seating under the awning and a bunch of people moved under our awning and inside our place.

After everyone left our place, we went to Bob & Sandi's to decide which excursions we want to book. We finally decided on a zip line trip and will figure out the other stops when we get there.

Jan 12^th – Mon

We did laundry late this morning and then separated clothes that we are taking on the cruise so we won't wear them again. Terry brought the motorcycle to the laundry room to help me fold clothes so I drove it all around the park for some practice before I brought it back.

Terry went a bit early to the courtyard to get a table and I put a roast & veggies in the crock pot for dinner. One of our favorite singers – Rich Mancini – was playing so we line danced a lot. When a group got up for the first line dance, he said (about Terry) “I wonder what this guy eats for breakfast because every time he gets on the dance floor he is followed by 9 women”.

When MCY was over, we walked to Larry & Barb's site. They are on 7^th Street this year rather than 4^th Street with us as the site they were in had a streetlight that made it hard to park and there was a big, humming power box in the site next to them. They weren't home so we stopped at Harlan & Barb's. Barb promised to make me a Moscow Mule and she had just fixed one for herself. She had me taste it to see if I wanted it – yes! - and then made a couple more for herself & Terry. Our dinner was ready when we got home and we had a quiet evening.

Jan 13^th – Tues

We started packing for the cruise and then went shopping. But not for anything fun – underwear for me and Terry just LOVES hanging around near that department! We stopped for lunch at Subway on the way home.

It started raining when we were shopping so MCY was moved inside to the ballroom. Line dancers claimed half the dance area and everyone was happy. I used leftovers from last night for dinner and we had time to walk over and see Larry & Barb before going to line dance lessons. Line dancing was all review so we didn't have to get there until 7.

Jan 14^th – Wed

Clear & sunny this morning which brings out the neighbors in little groups on the streets. We did some more organizing/packing and then went to talk to Bob & Sandi about the trip. We are leaving tomorrow morning at 9. I doubt if I will post to the blog until we get back on the 26^th. I will have to make notes for a big entry then.

Of course we had to go to Albertsons for a few last minute items and ran into Bruce there. He has been sick and is on the mend but not 100 percent. He was buying medication because now Ann is sick! After another “street” powwow with neighbors, I gave Terry a haircut and sent him off to the courtyard so I could putter in peace. We are going to the variety show at Arizona Opry this evening so have to get everything finished up.

Woohoo! “Talk” to you in a couple of weeks!

Jan 8th to 10th - Mesa

Jan 8^th – Thurs

I joined Terri at coffee & doughnuts this morning. Larry & Suz won a motor coach trip for 2 to Laughlin but as usual my tickets weren't drawn for anything!

After a late breakfast we went shopping – clothes at Vanity Fair & Izod and a few items at Costco which was very busy but not slow checking out as all registers were open. We were back in time for MCY with Montana Guy.

We left the courtyard a little early and went to Dennis & Gloria's along with Ron & Terri. We had bought a step stool as a little “housewarming” gift for Bruce & Ann and asked them earlier if we could come over for a drink. Bruce was sick so they said another day would be better. We didn't want to wait too long with the gift so we just delivered the stool and left.

We ended up at Dennis & Gloria's long past dinner time and Terry was not the only one feeling no pain.

Jan 9^th – Fri

I bought a windbreaker at Izod which had a hood that folded into the collar. It made the collar too bulky and I figured I would not use it so I spent a lot of time picking the stitching apart, removing the hood and putting it back together. I also altered the sleeves so they wouldn't fall halfway down my hands. Picky, picky, picky!! No wonder Terry goes crazy when I try on clothes and don't buy anything. I had some blouses that gaped a bit and finally figured out a way to fasten them without using a pin every time I wore them. Unfortunately it took me a couple of tries – good thing I had time.

I turned some leftovers into a yummy lunch for a change rather than waiting for them to get cold enough to throw away. We spent time on the computer looking at possible shore excursions on our cruise.

We went to MCY with Tommy G. The singing wasn't great but we did a lot of dancing and enjoyed the sunshine. Afterward we joined a group at a big firepit area by the pool. At one point Ron & Terry made a run home for more alcohol and some chips. Dinner consisted of dessert!

Jan 10^th – Sat

We left at 7:40 to golf with the Saturday group. Terry & I played with Chris & Anne. It was very cool when we teed off at 8:44 and I didn't take my jacket off until we were almost finished the first nine. Then the jacket came on & off the rest of the game as clouds moved in & out and we even had a few sprinkles. I had the best game ever at this course and was the first in our group to get a birdie which called for Chris' “birdie juice” - shots of Malibu Rum after each birdie. Luckily, Terry & Chris both got birdies! We joined 11 others for lunch at The Hub after golf.

Terry went to listen to the last hour of music in the courtyard and I continued trying on clothes and doing small alterations which in some cases I should have done a long time ago – like hemming a T-shirt that I bought in Alaska!

We sold our tickets for a dance here in the park and went to a dance at Good Life instead. A large group of line dancers from here were going to listen to North Star and have room to line dance.

We had crawled into bed and were watching TV & reading when Larry & Barb pounded on our door. They arrived today and popped into the dance to see who was there and when the dance was over came to say hi. Terry & Larry had a nightcap and we had a nice chat.

Jan 5th to 7th - Mesa

Jan 5^th – Mon

I finally talked to sister Marg. Her birthday was yesterday but she wasn't home each time I called. We did laundry again as we needed to wash the new sheets and I am trying to time things to coincide with our cruise.

It took me forever to catch up the blog. Once again I will tell myself not to let it get so far behind and once again I am sure I will not keep up! We danced to John & Susie in the courtyard and were not unhappy when they said they would not be back this season as their last 2 performances were not up to par.

We ate a late lunch at the courtyard and had a quiet evening.

Jan 6^th – Tues

I went with Terri to pick up Mike & Susie at the Phoenix airport. When she knocked on the door she said the flight was going to be early. As we were approaching the terminals, Susie texted to say they has just landed but they didn't know how long it would take to disembark & get out so we found the new cell phone parking lot. When they called, they were at the last door and we didn't know enough to immediately cut across 3 lanes of traffic to exit so we ended up making the loop around the terminals again. It is a big airport.

I made lunch and put a roast in the crock pot before we went to MCY. Dakota Kid provided good music and there was a large group of line dancers. The weather was absolutely perfect – not too warm even in the sun but not too cool in the shade. We actually ended up at 79 degrees which is 2 degrees below the record high for this date.

Having the roast ready made it easy to finish & eat dinner before going to line dance lessons at 6:30 which was well attended again.

Jan 7^th – Wed

Ron & Terri came over to ride with us to Organ Stop Pizza where there was a special lunch just for Val Vista residents. The truck didn't quite catch and then would not turn over! The guys put the trickle charger on it and Terri drove. We had a good lunch and a very entertaining performance on the pipe organ.

When we got back, the truck still wouldn't start so the guys borrowed a large battery charger from Mike. While they were messing with the truck, Terri & I walked to the new dog park where there was a grand opening complete with a band, food & beer. The park is much larger than before and all grass. It even has a fire hydrant and an agility course.

Now it was time for MCY with Dan the Music Man. Ron Smith kept the line dancers on the floor for most of the songs.

Jerry & Becky invited us for dinner but first Terry started the truck and took the charger back to Mike. After dinner we played Pegs and I am happy to report that the ladies won.

Dec 29th to Jan 4th - Mesa

Dec 29^th – Mon

Laundry day again. Terry saw Joyce and she said the laundry room was packed. I had everything ready to go so I went to check and found plenty of empty washers – just scattered about. We didn't get all the ingredients that I needed for Seafood Lasagne so after we finished the laundry we had to go to Albertsons.

We picked Ron & Terri up at the airport and got back before 4. Terry & Terri went to MCY and I stayed home to cook as we invited Ron & Terri and Bob & Sandi for dinner. We were talking with Bob & Sandi before Ron & Terri arrived and they told us that they had just finished booking tickets for a cruise. Terry said “I wish we were going” and - voila – we decided to join them! Sandi called her travel agent and left a message asking her to call us tomorrow.

We had a good dinner and a wonderful evening with great friends.

Dec 30^th – Tues

Terry talked to the travel agent and got reservations for the cruise to the western Caribbean! We will be driving with Bob & Sandi to Houston TX (1000 miles) and leaving from there on Jan 17^th. We stop in Cozumel, Belize City and Roatan Honduras. We get back to Houston on the 24^th.

Of course we went to the courtyard & danced as usual.

Terry got ribs at the courtyard for dinner but I got the better deal – leftover lasagne from last night! We had a quiet evening.

Dec 31^st – Wed

Lazy morning!

We went to Burger King for lunch and walked to the Dollar Store nearby looking for eye masks for tonight's dance. We didn't find what I thought I wanted so we went to a couple other places and finally ended up at another Dollar Store and got the same masks we looked at first! I had to make a couple of modifications when we got back.

The masks were for the New Year's Eve dance with a “Black & White Masquerade” theme. It started at 8:45 with heavy appies and “dinner” music from Johnny K & Kompany. Once most people finished eating, the band switched to livelier music. It was very crowded but our small line dance group found little corners. The band played until after 1:00 so we were ready to call it quits.

Jan 1^st – Thurs

We joined a group of 8 other bikes and 11 riders to ride to Filly's for lunch. We had a slight delay when Debra had a problem with her bike and stopped at a service station. The front bikes didn't stop so she asked us to catch up to Chief and tell him to come back. By the time we made the decision to head back, Debra had discovered she was out of gas so we met them continuing on and did a “Chinese fire drill” to get everyone going in the right direction.

We had a nice surprise – snow on the Superstition Mountains. I managed to get some good pictures with Terry's camera as the traffic was very slow due to lots of people pulling over to take pictures of this rare occurrence. One the way back after lunch at Filly's, we stopped at What The Hell Bar for a drink. The weather cooled down quite a bit from when we left the park at noon.

There was no music in the courtyard so Terry figured it was time to head to a casino. We went to the Wild Horse and had a hard time finding empty machines at first. Then it started to thin out a bit and Terry got most of our money back before we left. It was late when we got back but we were hungry so we had dessert.

Jan 2^nd – Fri

Dennis & Gloria stopped by after getting tickets to tell us what table they got for the Valentine Dinner & Dance. After they left, we went to the activity office to get our tickets for February. Then we told Ron & Terri and went back with Terri so she could get tickets. All set!

After music in the courtyard we joined Richard & Nancy for dinner at The Duchess. When they brought us back they came in for a drink and more chatting.

Jan 3^rd – Sat

Terry went to check on the toy hauler repairs – they had the siding replaced but no decals and hadn't worked on any other items.

Today was the first day for music in the courtyard from 1:00 to 3:00 on Saturdays. It wasn't too cool (a big propane heater helps) and we had a great time dancing.

We needed new sheets so we went to WalMart and also did grocery shopping there. I don't know if it is a regular occurrence late on Saturday afternoon but there were empty shelves all over the grocery department – no 2% half gallons of milk, egg shelves about ¾ empty, picked over produce. We got chicken from the deli so I only had to add a salad for dinner.

We went to a dance here at 7:00 – the Needham Twins were playing and we have enjoyed them in the past. The dance was not sold out so the line dancers were able to stake out a portion of the dance floor.

Jan 4^th – Sun

I put cabbage rolls together and had to send Terry to the store as the seal was broken on the jar of sauerkraut. Then I made all the rolls and realized I left out one ingredient so I had to take them all apart, add the eggs and make them up again. Finally I had them simmering on the NuWave cooktop which I really like.

We didn't do anything much “constructive” until it was time to head to the Fiesta community center for Ernie's birthday party. Ernie & Dianne run the weekly music jam and a group of their friends were playing when we arrived. After one line dance at the “back” of the room, Terry asked it he could move a couple of empty tables from the front to the back and then everyone could watch the musicians & dancers at once.

Dianne cooked a couple of turkeys and a ham and everyone brought the usual wonderful, delicious assortment of accompanying dishes. More music & dancing after dinner until the party broke up about 8. We stopped on the way back to visit with Jerry & Becky.