Post Cruise Update - Part II - Mexican Riviera

We headed out bright and early for the drive from Palm Springs to the port in Los Angeles. Traffic was heavy so a projected two hour drive took over three and a half hours! Nice to have wonderful friends like Bill & Dotty to take care of us.

Boarding was a breeze since we are now Platinum on Carnival. We whizzed through the priority line and were quickly in our room. Yes, a balcony. I'm spoiled. Actually, I get on people overload and love having an outdoor space just for me (and Stu).

Our first week was visiting the Mexican Riviera with an overnight stop (a first) in Puerto Vallerta and then on to Cabo San Lucas. While I hadn't been to Puerto Vallerta, I've visited enough in Mexico to not bother getting off. Of course, we honeymooned in Cabo. ;) But Stu had dives in both places. He preferred Cabo but enjoyed both. Heck, any dive is a good dive, he says.

He didn't take any land photos and I only took a few from the ship at both ports, but here are some stills taken from his GoPro video shot in Puerto Vallerta as well as a few I took from the ship. To see all the photos we took at both ports, click Puerto Vallerta and Cabo San Lucas.

These are all from Puerto Vallerta:












Here are a couple from Cabo San Lucas which was a tender port (meaning to get to shore, you would board a smaller boat):








PS. You can see ALL our trip photos HERE.

Ciao for now!

Post Cruise Update - Part I

Sorry for the lack of posting...it's been cRaZy!!! I'll try to give you a synopsis and a few photos from the last five weeks. Oh, there will be more than one post. This is part one. LOL!

Other than cramped seats, our flight to Los Angeles was uneventful. Stu's old partner and our good friend, Bill Metcalf, picked us up and we headed to his and his wife, Dotty's, beautiful home in the Palm Springs area. They are both avid golfers, so this is the perfect spot for their retirement. Here are a few shots...









We did a little sightseeing while there. First was a day trip up into the hills - breathtaking!







Then a trip up into the mountains on the tramway. We stayed until the last tram down and got to see the city lights. It was as wonderful as everyone told us it would be.













Lots more photos of our visit with Bill & Dotty here - two cameras, so not all photos are in order. Hope you enjoy!

PS. You can see ALL our trip photos HERE.

Ciao for now!

A few recent purchases....

We've picked up a few new things in the last week or two and I thought I'd share a couple with you.

My favorite is my new mug. Traveling in warm weather and buying a lot of bananas, we get fruit flies. We also get gnats, those tiny swarming, annoying little flying insects. I keep a small bowl of apple cider vinegar with a tiny dash of Dawn dish detergent on the counter, but invariably, they still find time to swim in my coffee. Tired of setting a piece of paper or a coaster on top of my mug, I went in search of a mug with a lid. I saw this and loved it, and I love it more now that I've received it. The silicone lid is perfect, creates a nice seal, and the decorations are adorable!

Cute Totoro Mug (choice of colors)

The next was a must have replacement. Twice, after traveling all day, Stu's office chair was found pressing against the run button on our shredder. Well, twice was too much and it burned out the motor. We had talked about replacing it with a smaller one or maybe just one that sits on the of a wastebasket while using it. This is what we decided on...much smaller but does the same work.

Aurora AS420C Desktop-Style Cross-Cut Paper Shredder

The last item was a spur of the moment purchase. Stu has been talking about wanting a cast iron pan to make cornbread. The one's we have seen at places like Cracker Barrel have been pretty pricey. While at Tractor Supply yesterday, we found this three piece set for $30. He inspected it quite closely and like what we saw. We couldn't say no. Check it out at your local Tractor Supply or order online. Great holiday gift!

Red Shed 3-Piece Cast Iron Fry Pan Set

We are still in prep mode for our month's vacation...slowly getting things done. I still need a haircut, maybe tomorrow or this weekend. LOL! Mon/Tues we will be packing - oh yeah, we fly out at 6 am so we will be leaving the RV around 3 am. Eeep!

Ciao for now!