Fishing the Flats!

Fishing on a nippy, late May morning at POC! A light jacket with a long sleeved shirt and a hot cup of coffee needed today! A nice 23 inch red in the ice chest about 5 minutes after we stopped...a good sign! Another nice red on the next drift! Then we found a pocket of small fish....both reds and trout.....illegal to keep! Pitched them back to grow! The rest of the day was slow...with lots of boats on the water! Lunch was cold fried chicken, slaw, and potato salad with ice tea...don't get no better! A small ice cream cone at DQ on the road home was our dessert!  Home...boat washed!

Gypsy Sisters at Port Aransas 2017

Back from Cayman a day, I left for Port Aransas to join a group of women called Sister's on the Fly.  I had rented a spot in a beach house with ten women that I had never met....how bad could it be?   I figured it would be fun!!! A few of the women were there when I arrived and I decided to room with a gal from Austin. That night we went to StingRays for dinner and then sat around the beach house and talked.....very interesting. The next morning we took the golf cart and went to the beach....the wind was blowing like crazy....it was like getting sandblasted!   That night we had a Pub Crawl scheduled and it was okay......I'm not much into dark, stinky, beach bars....but I had an okay time!

The next day my roommate and I headed to Rockport to look around and then enjoyed lunch at Paradise Key.  The theme that night was a Mermaid Crowning and we all met at a bar called Salty Dogs....most in their full Mermaid glory!  I had found a pair of mermaid leggings and wore that with a black tunic top....I thought that was wild enough for me! There were mermaids of all shapes, sizes, and ages!  I went back to the beach house early! Not my thing!  Chatting over and over......"We aren't Chicken of the Sea.....we are mermaids brave and free" .....like little kids!  The next day we shopped in Port Aransas and hung out at our pool........before heading to The Gaff for a Pirates and Pizza get together.  Not to many came in costume and the pizza was good as we sat around picnic tables out back and listened to music.
The next day the weather was still funky and I decided to head home.....even though the big Gypsy event was that night on the beach.  I packed my stuff, including my gypsy costume, and told the gals goodbye. I was ready to get back home to Dale......a really interesting experience in the books!

X Dive Time!

Cayman bound again to spend some time with my friends, Tamara and Dennis for some diving.  We all arrived, checked in, unpacked, and had a nice dinner with John and Cecilia at Tukka....they have the condo upstairs.  The next day we hit the grocery store and fruit market....plus we chilled out in the pool.
 
We had a great week of diving, good weather, and calm seas!  The highlight of the week was the X Dive where the guys in gray suits showed up.  We also signed up for the early morning Sting Ray City trip.....we hadn't done that in a long time, and thought we would try it again.  Up early with a drive over to catch the boat at Kaibo was well worth the trip.  Being the first boat out there has it advantages....you have the stingrays all to yourself.
After Stingray City we stopped over at Starfish Beach were we snorkeled with lots of beautiful starfish....all shapes and sizes! Great place to take photos!


Dennis cooked almost all the meals except for the night I fixed them some Texas Chili and we made Frito Pies.  As usual the meals were great,  and the drinks were always delivered to the pool at the stroke of five o clock. We did enjoy a nice dinner at the Italian Kitchen and of course had to have fish tacos and conch fritters at Eagle Rays.
Dennis and Tamara drove me back to the airport on Monday as they were staying a few more days....another great trip, with great friends!

Junk Junkie!

My daughter and I were off to Warrenton/Round Top for a day of Junkin Fun.....looking for something special.  The sky was cloudy and a cool breeze was blowing.....being a Monday it was a slow day....no crowds.  We walked and walked......looked and looked.....tried on clothes and did it all over again.  We stopped in Round Top to check out the vendors around the square...but several were not open.....darn!  We had a yummy lunch at Bistro 108 in Round Top, then it was back to shopping, looking, and walking!  We were disappointed in the wildflowers...sure thought there be more in full bloom.  We ended the day with margaritas and guacamole at a Mexican food restaurant in La Grange.  A fun day, some treasures, and lots of laughs!

Cecilia's Video!

My roommate, Cecilia took this video of us snorkeling with the sea lions in Galapagos!  It was an amazing adventure snorkeling with these creatures.  So playful and inquisitive!

The Trip of a Lifetime....Galapagos!

Checked a big one off the bucket list with a trip to Ecuador and a cruise of the Outer Loop of the  Galapagos Islands with my dive buddy,  Cecilia.  Flying into Ecuador late in the evening we were taken to our hotel to rest, and prepare for a day of touring the next day. Quito was a busy, bustling city and a hub of activity on the weekend.  We toured some magnificent churches with exquisite wood carvings covered in gold leaf, and beautiful stained glass windows, pure works of art!  We toured a old convent with only monks in residence and the Presidential Palace with the guards standing watch.  Colorful street vendors on every corner were busy selling their wares.....flowers, colorful scarves, and paintings.  Lunch was served at a restaurant located in an old theater, very grand and beautiful.


We also visited a park on the equator and stood with one foot and one side of the equator and the other on the other side of the equator.   I even balanced an egg on a nail, which is suppose to be difficult to do there.....got a certificate for my accomplishment.  Dinner that evening was at a local restaurant that was reserved for our tour group. After a busy day we turned in early!
The next day we were up early for our flight from Quito to Baltra on our a Celebrity charter flight, where we then boarded a bus to the marina to catch a zodiac to our ship....Celebrity Xpedition!  Our cabin (410) was ready and our luggage was delivered shortly after we had lunch.  We toured the ship, were issued snorkel gear and a wet suit, and mingled with the other guest. We later had a meeting to go over the schedule for the week....boy we were going to be busy.
It was an intense week of hiking, snorkeling, and zodiac expeditions around the islands!   It was very hot, but really never had an issue with bugs!  Sunscreen was constantly applied as the sun is brutal on the equator! It did rain on one excursion when we were looking for the giant tortoise. Our schedule consisted of getting up around 6 am, breakfast at 7 am, and the first excursion at 8:30 am, then back to the ship for a buffet lunch, a brief break.....and then out for another excursion, then back to the boat to clean up, have a drink before dinner, a meeting to explain the next day's activities and a chance to sign up...then dinner and usually bed! Usually there was a activity after dinner, but we usually crashed!

Our first hike was down a beach with sea lions lounging every few feet.  Being a beach gal I figured somewhere on the beach the sand was firm and easy to walk on....Nope, not this beach, it was a killer hiking a mile up and a mile back in the deep sand....we nicknamed it....The Death March!  We hiked on lava fields, over lava rocks, and climbed over some lava boulders!  Our zodiac landings were either dry or wet...getting out in the water and walking to shore!  They did prepare us with briefings every day on the surface, shoes we should wear, clothes, sunscreen, and our water bottles.....we drank gallons of water to avoid dehydration! After every excursion we were greeted on the ship with a cold towel, a fresh fruit juice drink, fresh fruits, and pastries........boy we looked forward to that! The snorkeling was great, playing with sea lions, giant turtles, penguins, octopus, marine iguanas, and cormorants....birds that no longer fly, but swim under the water!  We only saw one shark all week! The sea lions were amazing....almost childlike in that would approach us.....then dart off as if to say follow me.  No fear of us.....just really inquisitive!

One day we found a small cove. with crystal clear water full of sea lions floating on their backs, fins resting on their chest....just relaxing....I could have stayed there all day!

The Galapagos Islands are rugged, rocky, volcanic islands dotted with cactus and creatures!  The islands are about 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador.....it was very hot, but the water was very cool because of the currents! Its isolated terrain shelters a diversity of plants and animals....found nowhere else in the world.


I'm glad I did the trip and after all the hiking, I wished I had done it 15 years ago!  It is physically pretty intense...as you don't want to miss anything! We had a few older couples that couldn't handle it and missed out on some excursions.  We had one case of heat stroke and several that fell on the lava and busted their knees!  But we all survived!
We had two days back in Quito, Ecuador before we headed home to tour and explore! We visited a local market and then a gallery of local Ecuadorian art.   Our last day we went up into the Andes (12,000 ft) to a volcanic Geo-thermal spa...Termas Papallacta is a Hot Springs Spa and Resort located in a magical High Andes landscape.....a perfect ending to a great trip....soaking in the hot water, surrounded by mountains and in the clouds.....resting our weary bodies! The spa is where I officially became a Ecuadorian Chocolate Bon Bon.....after I had a chocolate massage and wrap!


Well, Galapagos was truly amazing.....and I loved Ecuador!  Celebrity did a great job running the whole trip from the moment we landed in Ecuador, until we boarded our flight home!  The Celebrity Xpedition is a smaller ship, we had 98 passengers on board from all over the world! Most passengers were in the 55/65 age range...a few older!

All in all....it was the trip of a lifetime!
The Galapagos Album photos can be seen at the link below!
 https://goo.gl/photos/N6q4wK7StodfB7s76

The Love Boat!

We boarded the cruise ship Serenade of the Seas for our Anniversary Cruise in Fort Lauderdale.  We strolled around the ship, checked out our dining room table seating, and went to our cabin before the muster drill.  Dinner our first night was at Chops where we enjoyed some delicious steaks and outstanding service.
Our first day was spent at sea....so we relaxed in the Solarium most of the day and enjoyed our first formal night on Valentine's Day....everyone looking great in their formal attire. Dale and I celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary at dinner!

Another day at sea and more relaxing and meeting people from all over the US and Canada.  We hit the gym and attended the Meet and Mingle.

Our first port was Antigua where we had booked an excursion with Creole Cruises Antigua.  We boarded their boat in the harbor and were off for snorkeling, boat riding, swimming, hiking, and a wonderful, yummy lobster BBQ on the beach.  It was fun zipping along the coastline with two
300 hp motors on the boat. We had a great crew and they made sure we had a fantastic day in Antigua.

St Lucia,  was our second port and were we had booked a day pass at the Rendezvous Boutique Resort! We hailed a taxi and quickly were getting settled in to this lovely resort.  We grabbed a shady spot on the beach, relaxed, enjoyed a fruit juice before booking a Hobie Cat for a sail.  Captain Dale sailed the little boat like a pro and we zipped along the coastline.  Lunch was served buffet style on the veranda.

Calabaza Cruises and Barbados were next on our itinerary.  We boarded a lovely catamaran and were greeted by the crew with coffee and warm banana bread.  Two snorkeling spots included three shipwrecks and the turtles.  Drinks were served nonstop and snacks were plentiful.  Sailing along the coastline was fantastic on a perfect Caribbean day.  A delicious lunch was served on board with a dip in the ocean to cool off before sailing back to the harbor.

Grenada was next and we hadn't really planned anything....so we walked off the ship and joined a small group for a tour of the Spice Island with a local taxi driver.  He showed us some of the highlights of the little island.....a beautiful waterfall, a volcanic lake, a spice shop, and a old fort.....plus the most beautiful beach on Grenada.

Our next stop was the port of Bonaire.....an island we have visited many times in the past.  We strolled off the ship, shopped among the local vendors, stopped for a drink at a bar over the water, and ended our visit with a stop at a gelato shop.

Our final port was Aruba....one of our favorite Caribbean islands.  We took the local bus to the beach and spent the day at Moomba Beach Bar.  We grabbed to beach chairs in the shade and relaxed while watching all the people.  I walked the beach, went for a swim and took photos.  It was a beautiful day, the water turquoise blue and the skies were clear.....a great way to spend our last day.

The last two days were spent at sea heading back to Fort Lauderdale, so we had lots of free time to relax, eat, read, eat, swim in the Solarium, eat, and workout in the gym.  Our last formal night we enjoyed dinner with the great folks at our table...Phil and Arlene, Carl and Rosemary, Bill and Carolyn, and Ken and Georgieanne...taking a photo to document this awesome group.

Our cruise ended, but the memories we will cherish always.  We were blessed with absolutely perfect weather, amazing excursions, interesting dinner table mates, and six beautiful Caribbean islands. It was a great way to celebrate our ninth wedding anniversary!