I wish you...

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Don't Wake Benzy!

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Artsy Pic - Toronto

My "artsy pic" for today shows an old post card from 1911. Yonge at Queen looking north. Just for fun.

Click on it to enlarge it.

Notice there are no stop-lights. Just a cop directing traffic. It would be almost two decades later that we had to obey the "red-amber-greens". Other traffic signs were developed later.

Original keystone Yield sign 1950

TRIVIA: In the United States, the first yield sign was installed in 1950 at First Street and Columbia Avenue Tulsa, Oklahoma, having been devised and designed (apparently independently) by Tulsa police officer Clinton Riggs.
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Merry Christmas 2016

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Home for Christmas

It was a pleasant shock to see all the snow after such a beautiful Fall lead-up. Since the blizzard drive to Buffalo on December 9th, we have been basking in the sunshine for most of those glorious days.

When we arrived home Wednesday night the kids had all the lights on for us. Wendy had tirelessly decorated everything before we left. Experiencing the contrast from a tropical climate to Canada's Winter wonderland at Christmas really made the trip complete! Gloat, gloat!

I didn't always have internet access so I will be adding more travel pics to the blog this weekend.
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Celebrity Eclipse - Disembark and Heading Home

It was a long day since we were up at 6 and didn't leave the ship until nearly 10. Then we waited for our luggage for half an hour before discovering it was on the wrong carousel. Outside the terminal my phone wouldn't work so I had to use a good Samaritan's cell phone to call our shuttle to the Fort Lauderdale airport. We arrived at FLL around noon and boarded our Jet Blue flight at 2:30 for BUF. We lucked out with Wendy in seat 22D and me in 22F; we had the empty seat 22E between us. This was also the case on our trip down even though the plane was nearly full both times.

Arriving at BUF on time it was 7 or so when we got to our old Rendezvous at the Millennium Hotel. I guess I must have left the GPS turned on because the battery was completely dead. The hotel must be used to this because they promptly sent the maintenance man who jumped the car and got it started. Leaving the car running, we bought gas and stopped at the Duty Free for 2 half-gallons of cheap rum and a liter of 190 proof alcohol before starting the long drive to London. We called Tim at home and he warned us about a snow squall near Hamilton so we took the back way through Dunnville and arrived home around 11 pm.
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Celebrity Eclipse - At Sea (4)

Our Captain Leo (Leonardos Palaiokrassas) and Cruise Director Eddy Jenkins.

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Celebrity Eclipse - At Sea (3)

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Celebrity Eclipse - St Maarten

We are meeting up with Cliff and Abi who are on the Koningsdam. We communicated by email a couple weeks ago when Abi realized we would be at the same port.

We told them we'd meet them at Sharky's Bar on the pier. No, Wendy isn't drinking beer at 9:30 am. The picture was taken last time we were here.

The Eclipse flies the Maltese Flag of Convenience.

We docked at about 9 am, right beside the Koningsdam. Cliff and Abi met us on the pier as we disembarked and we met Peter and Kay at Sharkey's

That makes six of us so we had no trouble getting a taxi outside the gates. Edward Arrindel took us to Mullet Bay after we determined that Baie Rouge in the French side was too rough. We negotiated $9 ea. instead of $10 and I think that was fair. He got it all back and more in tips anyway.

We took our chairs in the back row because the waves would occasionally sweep right up to the front row.

Kay lost her beach bag (and I-pad)  so that was a major disappointment. We're not sure exactly when, but the bag was hanging on the umbrella where the shoe is now. Cliff thought he saw a black man hanging around nearby but he was long gone when we noticed the beach bag was missing.

The water was amazingly beautiful but I chickened out and didn't go in.

Just so I won't forget, this is Edward's card. He was a very nice young man with a brand new taxi. He was very accommodating. Look for him outside the cruise terminal gates to bypass the line-ups and save a buck or two.

We used Joey (Rasta man) and found him reliable in the past.
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