Goodbye 2015 - Happy New Year 2016

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Cats Love Christmas.

Benz is ready.



The wrapping paper is the best part. Benzy got into the Christmas presents stored behind the tree and managed to open Pat Cooper's present. He didn't care about the contents but the colourful paper was a real treat; better than his own snake and toy.

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Looking For A Stud? Watch This Aussie.

I saw this video quite a while ago and I thought I should post it because it really, simply, solves a problem. This time of year, if you are contemplating hanging up your new flat screen TV or even want to put a hook in your ceiling for your Christmas tree you will likely want to also find a stud to support the weight.

In the past I've never been too good at finding the studs and my installations reflect that fact. I purchased a stud finder years ago which I found nearly useless, and tried all the other methods but I've always had trouble getting the middle of the stud. This simple and cheap method  will be used in my next wall project.
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From My Warped Imagination.

Who needs a huge motor yacht if you could have just the best parts of a luxury craft without all the rest of the obligations and costs associated with a million dollar boat. Just for fun I composed an imaginary deck with some of the things I like most on a big boat. A bar, refrigerator, an icemaker and a sink; a hot tub, complete with solar heater dome; of course a gas grill and a good sound system, a bell, binoculars and a life ring or two, plenty of comfortable seats, and an awning for shade. Don't forget a head and a change room, storage and some pots for your favorite plants. A large TV would be nice for my friends that enjoy watching a game. Finally a ladder for re-boarding after a refreshing dip in the lake and some cleats for tying up a runabout or dinghy.

My imaginary deck would need no engine and would be anchored in in such a way that the vessel could be swung around so it was always facing the "right" direction to maximize the sun. Made of durable polyethylene the hull could be left in the water all year or pulled up on the beach with minimal maintenance required. There you have it. Live like an over-paid, millionaire politician on a workingman's budget.
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A Bathing Beauty Aboard The Sea Pig

Oh what a nice picture to look at on a cool, dreary December morning. The shot was taken over forty years ago on the front deck of the Sea Pig. You can look at more Sea Pig pictures by clicking on the sidebar caption "Our First Boat - The Sea Pig" or CLICK HERE.

As Wendy sorts through old photos, I've been picking out a few to restore and enhance. As the old prints age, the colours change and the paper deteriorates. This original picture of beautiful Wendy has, through the amazing technology of Photoshop been magically restored and now saved digitally for many years to come.

You should consider rescuing some of your old treasures before they fade into oblivion. If you scan them into your computer, make sure the scanner is set to its highest resolution so you don't lose any more of the picture's information.  Usually even pictures thought to be beyond help can be salvaged and enhanced back to an acceptable level.
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The World's My Colouring Book.

Well, maybe not the world, but lots to keep a person busy maybe.

Here's the coloured and restored version of Wendy's gang when she was little with a few missing pieces generated from cyberspace through Photoshop. Wendy is in the green shirt.

Here's the original snapshot photo, pretty grim shape with cracks and scratches and tears. Wendy doesn't remember the tall, older girl's name, but then next to the tall girl, there's her lifelong friend Patricia, brother Brad, Wendy, Tricia's brother Robin and Wendy's youngest brother Doug. In the background is Tricia's dad Joe.
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Just FYI - Interesting Reading I'm Sure!

I must admit, I have a child-like fascination for things like this. It's all part of Christmas for me.
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Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

Only two stops to find the "perfect tree". If you have been following this blog over the years you will know this has taken more than a little time in some years. Our first stop was Home Depot but the prices were over the top at over $50 for a small tree. A simple drive from South London to North London put us at a Rona big-box and the perfect tree priced at $24.99 was in the car within ten minutes. A new record I think.

With years of experience, we knew to leave the tree tied up until we added the water to the bucket. Notice NO STAND REQUIRED. Just set it in a bucket and tie it to the hook.

One of the best things I did many years ago, was add a hook to the ceiling. This simple advancement certainly cuts down the stress of standing up a tree and eliminates the discussion of where to put it. It has likely also prevented many a tip-over, especially when there is a curious cat in the house.

Wendy removes the chord that bound the tree. Hanging from the hook the tree immediately swells to its original, glorious, fullness. Benzy, an indoor cat, watches with great interest. I'm sure these crazy humans never cease to amaze him. Benzy is thrilled. He's never seen Christmas before. As we all know "Cats Love Christmas!"

You might notice I quite often mention the price of various items on my blog. Part of the reason is, this is also my diary, and when I go back it's good to be able to reference the price I paid and compare it with the present price. Bear with me on this.

UPDATE: Saturday December 12
As usual Wendy worked her magic to make it a magnificent tree. Ta dah!
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Black and White to Colour - Like Magic!

BEFORE/AFTER of Wendy, Doug, Howard and Brad ready for church around 1955. Click the pic to enlarge.

The photo on the left is the original. Notice that the boy on the right (Brad) has his stomach cropped off so I had to use my imagination and fabricate some detail. I also removed some specks and creases before colouring the whole picture. A nice thing about digital photos is that you can keep the precious old original and let me work on the digital copy.

This animation shows a few hours work condensed into seconds.

Sometimes through colourization, you can notice things that weren't too apparent in the old, fading black and whites. The structure they were posing with is a tower that Howard built for his radio and/or TV antenna. I'll do some more pictures in the future.

Once the colours have been applied, they can be instantly changed to any other hue desired.

Hey, if you have an old picture lying around, I'd be glad to restore it to new condition. The only thing is, it should be in good focus and not blurred. Faded is okay. Wrinkled, creased, stained, I can usually fix all that. Even torn pieces missing can sometimes be repaired. Don't throw it out.
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Nine Years Blogging. (since 2006; 1385 posts)

Here's my first post on this blog, nine years ago:

I figured this would be a great way for Wendy and I to share some of our events, news, pictures and travels with our closest friends. Rather than email that clogs up your mailbox, this blog allows you to visit, post replies, or do nothing. I still plan to use email to send specific notes or more private communications where applicable. I have elected not to make this blog public, but available to those who have the address. I hope this mild exclusivity will encourage more personally interesting interaction since the content and your responses are not broadcast to a worldwide audience. Stay tuned for updates. 

Since I started blogging Facebook came along and wiped out most people's blogs and a lot of email. I find the social media too public and invasive for both the writer and the reader so I elected to stick with my simple blog. I rarely visit Facebook because I feel it violates my privacy and, by design, broadcasts to the whole world, which I never sought to do. 

I enjoy the control I have over my very own blog. No one "writes on my wall" or "pokes" me. If your picture ends up here you can rest assured that it will be seen by only you and a few of my friends. If you ask me to remove it, it will be completely and permanently erased. My blog is there every day and serves as an inspiration and obligation to keep it going by the addition of interesting posts. I know all the people who read this blog (not very many) and like it that way. In this "virtual world" we live in I prefer to keep mine smaller.

Unlike a Facebook page, I take ownership in my 1385 posts. My blog was intended just for my friends and family and as a personal diary to myself. I enjoy a more personal commitment and hope you do too. Still going strong after 9 years so please check back often and THANKS for visiting. As the airlines say "We know you have many other choices..."

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Twelve Years...

It's hard to believe but it's been 12 years since my cancer surgery on this day in 2003. I get tested every year and so far so good.
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Silhouettes at Honeymoon Beach

My "artsy" pic for today is a view of the idyllic Honeymoon Bay from Dinghy's Bar on Water Island in St Thomas. Maybe put on some Jimmy Buffett and make yourself a rum drink. It can't get much better than this

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Waiting For Us.

Arriving at St. Kitts the line handlers patiently waited for us to align ourselves with the dock so they could catch our lines and wrap them on the cat's heads. The lines are then winched tight.

Click the picture to enlarge it.

My "artsy" pic for today shows the line handler as we eased into the slip.
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God Keep Me!

My artsy picture for today is again based on a scene in the harbour at Castries, St Lucia taken from our veranda. The fishing boat is named "Dieu Me Garde" which means "God keep me" with a rum bar in the background.

"Dieu Me Garde"

Scroll down to see pictures I've added from St Maarten and Barbados as well as updating some of the "on board/at sea " pictures. More to come...
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I'm Busy Getting Pictures Ready To Post

I took a lot of pictures, but it will take a few days (til Wednesday) to get them organized for the blog.  The internet on board the ship was so slow and I had little time to waste. There were 1700 or so photos but I don't have room for all of them so... Please bear with me and check back often. I'll start from the first day and work to the end.

As usual, click the pic to enlarge it.

UPDATE: Monday Nov. 30  While you are waiting for my cruise pictures, here's my "artsy picture" for today. Let's call it "Heading Home to Castries" This was taken Nov. 20 from our balcony about 3 pm in the harbour at Castries, St Lucia, as we  waited to untie our lines and cruise down to the Pitons. Is he a fisherman? I see no tackle but maybe it's minimal.
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Heading Back Home

We booked Southwest Air going down and Jet Blue coming home. Our plane leaves at noon so we have lots of time disembark the ship and get to the airport. I like the extra seat room in the Jet Blue planes  and the price was less than Southwest.  The American Thanksgiving (yesterday) is known to be the busiest time of the year for the airlines so we were lucky to get a cheap flight the day after, but I guess most everybody is already where they want to be.

Our last morning on the ship is always a sad event. You might notice I'm wearing black socks with my sandals, a violation of the cardinal rule of warm-weather fashion, and a definite sign of "old geezerism". Unfortunately the shoes I brought with me were new and gave me life-threatening blisters so all I have to wear back to reality are my sandals. I didn't think arriving in Buffalo in bare feet in late November would be too good either, hence the socks.

I'm really glad we took Wendy's car to Buffalo because when we got back home, my old Rendezvous would not start. The battery was flat. This is not something you want to deal with after a long plane ride in a parking lot at 4pm on Black Friday in a foreign country.
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Half Moon Cay

There is NO other place like it. Period!

Happy Thanksgiving my American friends. I'll take the discounted cruise while you eat turkey. I figure the price of this cruise was so low mainly because most Americans like to be home with their families for the holiday.

UPDATE: Unfortunately there was a gale-force wind blowing so the captain cancelled our stop here again this year. The tender boats could not be boarded safely and staff from neighbouring Eluthra were unable to get here on the ferry. The same thing happened last year. Too bad Mark and Louise will again be unable to experience this idyllic paradise.

 

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At Sea

A good spot to watch the sea go by is down at level 2 with a big window. When you are this close to the water the waves seem bigger and appear to rush by much quicker than watching from our balcony on level 4.

Way up on the top Sports Deck level 10 the sun is so intense you can burn in just a few minutes.
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St. Thomas

For less than the price of a new car, you can have your yacht transported here from Florida.

It seems like the huge lizards on the harbour shore are always waiting for us to return.

The huge Celebrity Reflection dwarfs the Oosterdam. We later met some of the passengers over at Water Island. Pity!

The Water Island Ferry only holds about 30 and we helped fill it to capacity and everyone in our group managed to get on board.

This derelict Carver, a victim of a past hurricane a few years ago, continues to mark the way to Water Island. Apparently there was no insurance.

Just for future reference, I thought I'd snap a piture of the timetable. Not that it couldn't change!

Maybe someday a trip here would be nice but not cheap. For now I'll take the cruise.

I found a post card of Honeymoon Beach over fifty years ago.

World famous (I hope not) Honeymoon Beach is our favorite destination when we come to St Thomas.

When we first started coming here, there was pretty well no one here. Now it gets a little crowded when the cruise excursions arrive around noon.

Dingy's Bar has a new floating bar. That should be popular. Fortunately for us the big Tiki barge that usually brings dozens of cruise passengers, broke down and the excursion was cancelled. Hurrah.

Looks like the lady that sells her home-made jewelry has something new.  Nice pair!

Holly loves to walk but doesn't tolerate the sun too well.

Yup, the swim up bar is a great succes. Ha ha.

When we first came here, this bar, now called Dinghy's was called Joe's Bar and was just a very small structure. Joe left and now the place has been commercialized into quite a going concern complete with big, flat-screen TV's.

Here's an old out-of-focus picture of Joe's Bar from a few years ago.

Dinghy's is smart in not charging for chairs. Everyone seemd pleased with the prices and the bar did well. Treat people right and they will spend.

One of the smaller excursion boats returning with 30 or so very hot passengers. Notice no shade.

The Statengracht starts unloading yachts as we pull out of or slip and head off for a day at sea tomorrow.

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