Day 01 Embarkation Excitement

Mats in elevators

Here's the blurb about the ship from Holland America Line hereinafter known as HAL:

"Named for the Maas River in the Netherlands, the ms Maasdam is the fifth ship in Holland America Line's 135-year history to bear the name. At 720-feet, the ms Maasdam is designed to carry fewer guests while providing more space for maximum comfort. Many staterooms feature commanding ocean views, and each suite has a private verandah.

Featuring an interior motif that pays homage to the historical Dutch East and West India companies of the 17th through 19th centuries, the centerpiece of this elegant ship features Luciano Vistosi's "Totem," a monumental sculpture using nearly 2,000 glimmering pieces of glass, prominently displayed in a soaring three-story atrium. Other intriguing art featured on the ms Maasdam are two abstract murals painted especially for the Rotterdam Dining Room and a collection of seven iron teapots and a charcoal brazier from Japan, which date from the end of Edo period."

Our new home for two weeks. Read more about her CLICK HERE

The all-day buffet at the Lido Restaurant is probably the most popular place on the ship

We said our goodbyes and to Gary and Ann and drove the 80 or so miles to Fort Lauderdale where we dropped our car at the Park N Fly and boarded the Maasdam without event. Our cabin was ready when we got there at around one and we spent the afternoon with our somewhat abbreviated number of cruising friends Holly and Barry, and Deb and Cheryl. Deb and Cheryl are sharing a cabin since their husbands are not traveling with us this time. We enjoyed a light lunch and the Lido and gabbed the whole afternoon away on the Promenade Deck.

At dinner time there seemed to be some confusion about which table we were to be assigned. Cheryl and Deb had erroneously been designated for ‘open’ seating so I figured that one of the changes was to accommodate them, but just before dinner another change was made to the table.  Since there is six of us and we’re at a table for eight we wondered who would occupy the two final chairs. 

 

What a surprise!

Two smiling faces approached our table.  It was Jean and John from the UK. If you go back on the blog to 2007 you’ll see that they joined us on a Caribbean cruise five years ago. We have kept in touch by e-mail and only a few weeks ago they had said they could not make it to this cruise.  None of us could believe our eyes.  

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The West Palm Beach Boat Show

This morning We are off to we are off to Alice's restaurant for breakfast where we will meet up with M.J and Mike Miller before the six of us go to the boat show.  The West Palm Beach boat show starts at noon  .  Maybe I can find a new boat .  Ha ha. 

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Fun with Gary and Ann

We spent the most enjoyable day as Gary and Ann drove us around the area pointing out all the points of interest  .They highlighted some of their investment properties and the interesting tour ended with lunch at the Dolphin Bar & Shrimp House, a perfect waterfront eatery originally owned by Hollywood actress Francis Langford. Later we attended a large local auction sale.

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 Gary bought a beautiful dining room suite.

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Arriving at Gary and Ann's

This picture is a fake. I made it up using Photoshop and Google Map.

The drive today was only around 5 and a half or 6 hours so we got to Gary and Ann's lovely home on Hutchinson Island around 2 pm. The picture of me outside the gated community of Joe's Point was actually a fabrication. I knew I'd likely not get my blog up-dated right away so I thought I'd try a Photoshop trick.

Anyway, this is what the entrance to Joe's Point looks like and that is certainly what I look like so there was little need to take an actual picture.
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Continuing on to St Augustine, Florida.

We decided to head over to the east coast of Florida to St Augustine instead of Gainesville as originally planned. Temperatures were 20 degrees above normal in the mid to high 80's all day, sunny. It hit 88 inland and dropped a bit to 79 near the ocean. We figured the beach would be a perfect way to enter Florida. We made good time and rolled into St. Augustine around 5 pm. It's only a few hours to Gary and Ann's tomorrow so we should arrive there after noon depending on what time we finish breakfast and get on the road.

We are staying out in St Augustine Beach across the street from the ocean pier in the Regency Inn and Suites. Nice place with pool etc. $69.95 

 For dinner we walked to the Sunset Grill.  I think I'm getting "winged out" but then, what the heck... There are NO CHICKEN WINGS on the ship! (great wings)
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Miamisburg Ohio to Chattanooga Tennessee

 Since we left early and got a lot of boring highway behind us, we are now able to relax a little and do my favorite driving thing. That is setting the GPS to avoid the freeways and head through some of the more scenic back roads. I'm not sure yet exactly where we'll leave the 4-lane highway but probably somewhere south or Lexington Kentucky. I love the more hilly terrain and the ever-changing views afforded by the less-traveled route. The official term for this is "Shunpiking".

The temperature hit 83 in Kentucky today and the GPS took us to spectacular off-the-beaten-path scenery that was truly spectacular. The narrow roads allowed little time for pictures, since there was always somebody right behind us but the blossoms and buds and new leaves were more awesome at every curve.

We were listening to WNOX Knoxville TN when a news broadcast advised us of the idiotic actions of the Paddy's Day fiasco back in good old London Canada. Can you believe it would make the news way down here?

Dinner was great as usual at Applebee's even though we missed happy hour.

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We Begin Our Journey on Paddy's Day

Happy St Paddy's Day everybody!

We decided to leave today instead of Sunday to reduce the driving time per day. Although it's an extra night it will allow us to "smell the roses" along the way. Today we have reservations in Miamisburg OH near Dayton. Google says it will take 5 hours and 40 minutes and we will leave London around 2 pm after Wendy's hair appointment.  Because of the extra day, on Sunday we hope to slow down a bit to meander through some back roads in Kentucky/Tennessee to arrive in Chattanooga TN in the late afternoon.

It's been warmer than I can ever remember for this time in the Winter. Spring doesn't even start for another few days and yet the temperature has been over 70 all last week and 75 by Tuesday. (warmest in 65 years) What are we doing driving south?

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Cruise Selection 101

Our cabin E532 on the Maasdam

On her recent visit, my sister Pat was asking about the best place to look for a cruise. I thought maybe my readers would like to know the answer too so I'm posting some cruise tips that our cruising gang have learned over the years.

The first thing you need to do is find the cruise you want. For this purpose, Vacations to Go should be your very first stop. This is the THE place to get the cruises straight in your mind. They usually have the lowest prices but you can always check "Cruises-N-More" and "Crucon" once you know what cruise you want to take.  Also, if you collect Air Miles or have a favorite travel agency, you will know what you are talking about if you call them.

Right across the hall in L530 is Holly and Barry

Another tip - First decide if you want Inside, Outside Oceanview, or Balcony. When booking a cruise they will try to get you to choose a particular cabin. We have found it is better to purchase the cheapest room as a "GUARANTEE" and let the cruise line place you in a cabin of the lowest category or better. The key here is "or better" The reason is:

Suppose you select an Oceanview cabin and want the best price. Rather than pinning yourself to a specific HH (fully obstructed view) cheapest outside cabin, just ask for a GUARANTEE. That way you are guaranteed the best price but the actual cabin will be "guaranteed HH price" OR BETTER We have always been upgraded to a better cabin than the cheapest, but have always paid the cheapest price. 

I think most people (and travel agents) select (and lock in) the cheap cabin, thereby guaranteeing that they will get a crummy room. With my method, you never know until a week or so before sailing which cabin you'll get but it's always worked for us. You don't need to go for the cheapest like I do. You can also pick a better category (and of course pay a little more) but also make it a GUARANTEE.  You could have picked (and paid for) a Category E GUARANTEED and then possibly be bumped right up to a Category D.  You'll always get the category you paid for OR BETTER. I've even heard of bump-ups from Oceanview to Balcony but I've never had this luxury myself.

In our case, we booked (and paid for) the cheapest Outside cabin which was HH Obstructed View. Instead we were bumped up two categories to a Category E Unobstructed view. This cabin is good because it is only one level below the Lower Promenade Deck. We like to sit in deck chairs on this level and watch the people walk by. This wasn't the best bump-up we've ever had but at least we have a totally unobstructed view..On our Alaska cruise we were bumped right up to the Navigation deck with all the penthouses!  You never know, but that's half the fun.

That being said, if after scanning the floorplans, you have your heart set on a specific cabin, you can lock it in, but you'll likely pay (much) more. 

Vacations to Go also has web pages for River Cruises, All-Inclusives, Land Tours etc. Good browsing.

 Here's the summary of cruises on the Holland America Line for Wendy and I : (It doesn't show our upcoming 14 day cruise which will bring the total to 118 days with this particular cruise line)

Cruise Date	Ship Name	Destination	Cruise Day credits	Onboard Spend Cruise Day credits	Suite Bonus Cruise Day credits	Total Cruise Day credits
Apr 04, 2010	ms Noordam	Southern Caribbean	10	1	0	11
Nov 22, 2009	ms Westerdam	Collector Caribbean	14	2	0	16
Jun 12, 2009	ms Ryndam	Alaska Southbound Gulf	7	NA	NA	7
Jun 05, 2009	ms Ryndam	Alaska Northbound Gulf	7	NA	NA	7
Nov 07, 2008	ms Maasdam	Southern Caribbean	14	NA	NA	14
Oct 30, 2007	ms Maasdam	Southern Caribbean	10	NA	NA	10
Mar 13, 2006	ms Volendam	Southern Caribbean	10	NA	NA	10
Mar 19, 2005	ms Oosterdam	Mexican Riviera	7	NA	NA	7
Mar 16, 2005	ms Ryndam	Mexico Sea Of Cortez	10	NA	NA	10
May 07, 2004	ms Westerdam	Greece/Turkey	12	NA	NA	12
Total Cruise Day credits						104

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Goodbye Aunt Marg

Today we laid to rest a very fine lady. I've known her all my life and I cherish the time I spent with her and her husband Tom, my dad's brother, and her four daughters, my cousins. I don't usually take pictures at funerals, yet I really don't know why. It's the only time I get to see most of my relatives and the sadness of the occasion is usually eclipsed by the joy of seeing everybody. After all, they keep telling us it's a "Celebration of Life". 

Anyway, at the grave site daisies were distributed and everyone stepped forward to deposit a flower on the casket. It was such a moving experience, my cousins were  lamenting that no one had a cell phone or camera. Well, I always carry a camera in my pocket so I was able to capture the somber beauty of the daisies on the rain spattered casket. 

Goodbye Aunt Marg. I still have the happy memories.

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Unbelievable March Weather

It's still winter but you couldn't tell by the weather. If this is the so-called Global Warming, I'll take it!
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Me, my sister Pat, Wendy and our son Tim

We sat outside with my sister Pat who was in London for the  funeral service for our Aunt Marg tomorrow. Cold drinks in the winter, but warm sunshine and nearly 70 F.  Who needs to drive all the way to Tennessee?

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More Art Created From Old Pictures

Does the girl see the cat? Click the pic.

This picture is a bit busy but that's because I composed it from several postcards from around 1920. I left the "feel" of the postcards while integrating new stuff. Referencing old photos of the dock area from the internet, I fabricated the railings from scratch and the bench came from a picture on eBay. Our old cat Flash went back in time through the magic of Photoshop.  Where's Waldo? I mean where's Flash? You'll have to click on the picture to see the whole thing.

This composition shows a pretty young lady, maybe waiting for somebody because she appears to be all dressed up. Is she watching Flash? She's sitting in the observation deck of the Northern Navigation Terminal building in Sarnia Ontario. The cars are lined up to get on the ss "City of Sarnia" ferry boat that will take them across the St Clair River to Port Huron Michigan. You'll notice all the litter on the ground as people used to throw everything out the car window. There was no bridge back then so this was quite a bottleneck I'm sure.

When I print out all my portfolio I plan to take the mounted blow-ups to "quaint and trendy" stores in the Sarnia area and try to sell them. If that doesn't work, at least I'll have lots of pictures to adorn the walls of our condo in Point Edward which is off in the background to the north.
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All that I could find left of the "City of Sarnia" on the internet is a picture of the decaying wheelhouse of this once proud old ship. It was a black and white photo showing the wheelhouse abandoned in a field. I coloured it blue and superimposed it into a boat junk-yard to come up with a new art picture. The old boat in the background is "the Southern Marine" which sat for years in decay at our Bridgeview Marina. It's gone now too.
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 All the pictures I have of the ss City of Sarnia are in black and white. I really don't know what colour she was, but Wendy likes the red version. What do you think?

I found this b/w on the internet.

Click the picture then find Flash.

And finally for today, here's a 1915 time-darkened post card that I brightened up and repaired into a 12x18 art pic. It shows in the picture, the same dock but before the Northern Navigation terminal was built. The boat is a passenger ship, the ss Huronic.

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Art Created From Pictures

I promised I'd show you some of the pictures I have been working on lately. They will show up here kind of small so they won't have the same impact as the real thing but you can get the idea. I'll start with four pictures that I created for my friends.

My hand coloured from black and white, posterized and blown up to 24 x36.

I came across an old black and white photo from the US Government, Farm Security Administration. Since all works done by US government agencies are not copyright protected, I thought this shot would make a good gift for my friends Gary and Ann who have a beautiful home in Crossville TN where this was taken in the 1930's or 40's. Ann has a huge Coca Cola collection and I think this poster would look great in her Coke room.

Here's the original black and white photo.

You can see, if you look carefully, that I actually had to "manufacture" more bricks at the top of the building and more pavement down at the bottom near the signature. This is because the original picture was not tall enough to fit on a 24 x 36 poster. I get my pictures printed at Costco so I have to adhere to their sizes or cut the posters down to a smaller size. Since there are inexpensive poster frames for this standard size, I had to alter the picture to fit, but it worked out well. You can't even tell I added bricks, pavement and cloudy sky.

Barb and Barry's dog Somerset eagerly awaits the new paint job.

If you click on the picture you can see that I made this montage into a cutesy watercolour.

I reversed the other dogs and got rid of the background.

The picture of Somerset I took myself last fall, then I added some other dogs and these two city workers in the background. I coloured them up, added a watercolour effect and overlayed that all with a posterization effect.

The city workers were in black and white.

 

This is my picture of Somerset.

This is a "watercolour" made from a web cam view.

For my good friends John and Linda who live in Grand Bend (when they're not in Florida) I created this big 16 x 20 watercolour that I plan to mount  and present to them so they can see what Grand Bend looks like in winter. It's made from a "lo-res" web cam picture. Click here to see the web cam.

This was a very old 1909 postcard.

The faded old 1909 postcard was re-invigorated.

With Photoshop you can take the scanned postcard of Grand Bend Harbour and bring back the faded colours. You can pump up the intensity and add effects. To start with, be sure to use pictures older than 1923 or non-copyrighted material so there is no danger of copyright infringement. In my next posting I'll show you some of my "commercial" artwork that I intend to try and sell through "quaint" dealers in various places around SW Ontario.

Send me an email if you want to find out more about altering your photos or other non-copyright materials into interesting new art.

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Hmm! Haven't Seen That For A While

I checked today at the Loonie/Greenback ticker top left and see that the US dollar is trading a penny below our Loonie. 

Greenback vs Loonie

$1CAD buys $1.01USD
$1USD buys $0.99CAD

That can't be good for our exports but great if you are going south this winter. Better go and buy some US dough.

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