Blue Planet Journey

Since our family expanded into Colorado, we've made a number of trips to the Centennial State.  There's a lot to be said about the qualities of the state, including the politics, the sunshine, the breweries, and the protected natural areas.  Colorado is not perfect, obviously.  But there is one issue that is very sobering... school shootings. Although it was not the first, the killings at Columbine High School  in 1999 put the topic on the national map.  You would think that this tragedy would shake our national psyche to its very core, resulting in meaningful and significant actions to keep something similar from ever happening again.  That was not the case , with deranged shooters now targeting even the most innocent at elementary schools .  I know a person who lost a nephew at Sandy Hook Elementary  in 2012, and his grief was endless and life-shaking.  Can there be a more sadistic and sinister act than shooting young child...

Okay, you've chosen a place to live, at least for a year or two. Maybe it was the location, or the proximity to school or work, or you've got some history in the area. Perhaps other family members live nearby, or the area is close to your favorite recreational areas. More practically, maybe the price was right, period. In any case, you've planted roots. One you’ve settled in, you realize that you’ve inherited neighbors. They may be people you knew in advance, or total strangers. You may share certain cultural attributes, or your neighbors may be very different from you in all kinds of ways. I once heard a talk from a person living in the wilderness of British Columbia. His nearest neighbor was 40 miles away, and that was about right for him. Some people may have, as neighbors, a Simpson-esque family. Sure, the Simpsons are a fictional family, living in the city of Springfield. The TV series debuted in 1989. One of the many uniquenesses of the family, and th...

What the bridge officers see.  This is from a presentation on ship navigation given by the captain. In general, the larger the ship, the more activities there are to keep you busy on a sea day (cruising between ports).  Right now I'm on the Celebrity Summit , and in a few minutes the Captain will make his 10 AM announcement on our location, sea conditions (we are 190 miles from St. Croix), and weather.  We left the island of Aruba last night, headed toward St. Croix.   I thought I would use this day as my "life on a cruise ship" example. My morning started with me heading out of our Deck 7 stateroom at 6 AM for a session in the gym on Deck 10.  I like hitting the gym early because there are no crowds... some free weights, machines, then 4 miles on the treadmill.  The ship was rolling slightly this morning, which makes running interesting as you sway. I have to hold on to the safety bar with one hand as I run, which is an acquired skill....

Small green sea turtle in St. Kitts.  Note the flipper tags.  It also seems like this turtle may have suffered an earlier injury, with a "bite-like" portion of the carapace missing. As we've visited the eastern and western Caribbean island nations and territories, Caroline and I have seen numerous references to or signs of sea turtles.  Cruise ships take advantage of the widespread interest, advertising excursions noting the possibility of seeing turtles while snorkeling. Note who Celebrity chooses to feature on their excursion brochures! This is a summary of the sea turtle observations we made. Puerto Rico In San Juan, we came across numerous signs indicating that turtles nest on the beach.  Obviously, we were there prior to the start of the nesting season.   Aruba Our first dive was in Aruba.  We saw a variety of sea creatures, and two airplanes that were sunk to make an artificial reef, but no sea turtles. C...

So close, and yet so far!  The many islands of the Caribbean  have beckoned to me for decades, and life has now afforded Caroline and me the opportunity to visit a number of these special places.  Well, I hope we get to visit.  We are currently on the Celebrity Summit  which was scheduled to leave San Juan, Puerto Rico two days ago.  Yesterday morning, I woke up early to discover that we were not steaming to Saint Croix Island, but were still tied to the dock at the San Juan Cruise Port Terminal.  The captain announced that we either had navigation or propulsion computer issues.  Looks like those issues continue! The captain just made a ship-wide announcement.  "Our technical issues are taking a little longer than we expected."  Apparently we will leave tonight at 6 PM.  This also means our itinerary will be changed.  Good grief... we had lined up activities on every island, and now we have to make contact with each tour op...