North Myrtle Beach Part 2

Tropical Storm Chantal arrived the day after our neighbors went back to Charlotte. It hit in the early hours of July 6th, and I will say the wind and rain blasting the front of the condo were pretty impressive. As our bedroom was ocean front, we definitely were awakened by the storm. By mid-morning Chantal had been downgraded to a tropical depression, leaving only high winds. The rainbow almost made up for the lack of sleep we had gotten the night before.

rainbow

Mid-week some friends from Charlotte came to stay with us for a few days. They are also not ones to just sit on the beach all day, every day, so we filled our time with other activities. They are avid pickleball players, so we got on the courts a few times with them. They enjoyed learning the Shag with us on Tuesday night, and also the Thursday night concert near the condo.

Back at the condo we got caught up while playing card games and Mexican Train. It's so nice to have friends who enjoy the same activities as us, while also being on the same schedules of waking up and going to bed. That is pretty rare!

North Myrtle Beach

The next post will wrap up our visit to North Myrtle Beach.

First International Travel Since Covid-19 Arrived

Sangster International Airport

For the first time since Covid began and the country went into lockdown more than 19 months ago, we boarded a plane and traveled outside the United States. In January of this year we booked a pickleball adventure to Sandals Southcoast in Whitehouse, Jamaica with the Lake Norman Pickleball Club. Of course at the time we had no idea if the trip would be cancelled or not due to the pandemic. I'm not going to lie, part of me wished it would be rescheduled to next year as we agonized over whether it was smart to travel yet.

In the end, there were many things that aided our decision to go. We both are fully vaccinated and have the booster shot. A negative Covid test is required before entering Jamaica as well as upon departure. The three hour flight was direct, so there was no additional exposure at another airport. We would be staying in an all-inclusive resort the whole week, and the staff there is all vaccinated and required to be masked at all times. There is lots of outdoor dining and our pickleball play would be outside as well. We decided to take the calculated risk and go on the trip.

Within seven days of travel we were required to complete online paperwork and submit it to the Jamaican government so they could authorize our travel to their country. We also had to give them proof of insurance that would cover us in the event we tested positive for Covid while in Jamaica. That policy was included by Sandals as part of our reservation, and they had sent us a copy of the policy.

Three days before departure we went to the local CVS to take the antigen test. This was the first time either of us has needed to be tested during Covid, so we were a little apprehensive. We made our appointments online, then parked in the designated testing spots in their lot. We texted that we had arrived, and were directed to the back door of the pharmacy. There we were met by a nurse, who led us to a back office. The three of us were the only ones in the room. She opened up kits and handed us each a nasal swab, and directed us to swirl the swab several times in each nostril. We then placed our swabs in their respective vials, and that was that. About an hour later we received our negative test results.

Sunday morning we arrived at Charlotte International Airport 2 1/2 hours before our flight. We both have TSA pre-check with our Global Entry Card, so we felt that was a sufficient amount of time. The check in process with American Airlines was completed quickly, and the TSA line was short. I, however, was selected for additional screening. A female agent swabbed my hands with a wipe and then looked for traces of explosives. At the gate both of us, along with a dozen or so other passengers on our flight, were called to the counter to have our passports screened again. It seemed really strange since the passports had already been reviewed by the check in personnel and security agents.

The plane was boarded in an efficient manner, and I'm happy to say that all the passengers were well-behaved. No one had to be reminded to leave their masks on during the flight, and there was no screaming - by adults or kids! I spied a rainbow out the window, and chose to believe it was an omen that we would have a wonderful vacation. I wasn't wrong...more in the next post.

Where's the Pot of Gold?

rainbow but no gold

We have been having some strange weather lately. Tropical Storm Fred to the south has been unpredictable, and the forecasters keep saying each day that we will be getting rain. And each day it gets cloudy, a little windy, and some thunder rolls in. But rainfall has been negligible. Following what little rain we got yesterday, this vibrant rainbow appeared in the northeastern sky. That was a consolation prize, I suppose.

While we need the rain, I really hope the forecast for today is wrong as it is so often. We are hosting two pickleball clinics tonight on our outdoor courts. The first hour at 7:00 is for beginners, and then my husband and I will take those 8 students to the tennis courts (which are also striped for pickleball). We will work with them on what they learned for an hour or so. At 8:00 the instructor will then work with 8 advanced beginners on the pickleball courts for an hour and a half to help them improve their skills. 

When the sign up was posted for the two clinics, they filled in a few hours. So we have a second set being offered next Monday, and those signups filled immediately as well. It's obvious we have a huge need (and desire) for these types of clinics here. I just hope we can get them in, because rescheduling could be incredibly difficult. Here's hoping that our pot of gold is filled with sunshine in a couple of hours!

Luck of the Irish

Goin' Green at Imagery

Our 55+ community has been very conservative with events in light of the pandemic. We were fortunate to have not one but two St. Patrick's Day celebrations here, and the weather cooperated so they could be held outside. For the first event we had a man playing a guitar and singing, along with a lady playing bagpipes. A local Irish dance school offered up traditional Irish dances, and a food truck kept us from going hungry. 

Yesterday's event had entertainment by our own local disc jockey. He played Irish songs, including sing-alongs, and asked some Irish trivia questions. The dance school sent a different group of girls to show off their skills. Another food truck was here for that event, though no corned beef and cabbage was to be found. That was okay with me, as I'm not a fan.

Today St. Patrick's Day 2021 closed in a big way with the appearance of a beautiful rainbow over the lake out back. I didn't see a pot of gold, but to be sure it was a glorious sight!

rainbow over Mountain Island Lake

Proud to be an American?

One thing I have never done on my social media channels is discuss politics. I've always thought there were many good reasons for the old adage "don't discuss politics or religion." We are all entitled to our personal opinions on both. Most likely you won't change my mind, and I probably won't change yours.

But yesterday's storm on Capitol Hill by Trump protestors has really sickened me. Protest the election results all you want, it is your right. But to illegally enter and damage the Capitol building - a symbol of the American people and their government - is beyond belief. Our country is already so divided over many things, and this riot in Washington, D.C. really illustrates how wide-spread the division has become.

There are a lot of unanswered questions regarding who the protestors are and how they managed to breach the building on the very day that Congress was verifying the electoral college votes to determine who the next President of the United States will be. Hopefully those who broke the law will be aptly punished for what they did.

Despite the chaos around them, Congress stayed into the early morning hours to count the electoral college votes. Joe Biden has been officially declared the 46th President of the United States. I can only hope and pray that he can bring healing to a country that is being torn apart from within by its own citizens. I'm not looking for a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, but instead peace for the country of my birth.

rainbow over Mountain Island Lake

Saturday in Auckland

Since it was our first full day in Auckland, we decided to walk down to the wharf area and visit and Information Center. The lady provided us with information about the Hop On Hop Off buses, which we decided to do so that we could get an overview of the area. Also rain was in the forecast, so it seemed prudent to have a form of transportation should the rain occur.

Before we got our bus tickets we stopped at an ice cream place as we saw that they had bakery goods for sale as well. I tried a cronut, which I had read about in the states but never had a chance to purchase. It is a combination of croissant and a donut. It looked delicious, but in reality it was a little tough. I definitely wouldn't run back for another.

We picked up the bus at Princes Wharf, which is at the entrance to Viaduct Harbour. This waterfront harbour was developed to host the America`s Cup regattas in 2000 and 2003.

The first stop on the bus was Bastion Point which offers views of Waitemata Harbour and back to the Auckland city skyline. A statue of Michael Joseph Savage, New Zealand's Prime Minister from 1930-1940, towers over the formal gardens. By the time we walked down to Mission Bay, the wind picked up and a storm blew in. We spend the rest of our time waiting out the rain under the protection of the restroom!

The next spot we got off the bus was the Auckland Museum, where we learned a bit of military history. We grabbed lunch here before heading to the Wintergardens. We very much enjoyed the floral displays there.

Last stop for us was at Parcell Village, a grouping of 1860 era buildings that were saved from destruction in the 1960s by a man named Thomas Leslie Harvey. He restored them and turned them into shops and restaurants. After that we walked back to our apartment to rest up and dry out. Tomorrow's forecast is much better.

The Great Barrier Reef

Today was one of the days we most looked forward to on this trip - seeing the Great Barrier Reef. We booked an excursion with Tusa 6 after looking at many options. They came recommended by the tourist information center as well as over 1,100 reviews on TripAdvisor that rated the company as 4.5 out of 5 stars. That is pretty impressive. While the boat can legally hold 120 passengers, they never take out more than 60. That is still a large group, but we appreciated the fact that a larger boat would be a little more stable on the ocean, and they have access to 16 different reef locations so they can choose the ones that are most suitable for that day's weather forecast. The other companies only have two spots they can ever go to, regardless of the weather.

We left our apartment at 7:30 to walk to the pier as boarding began at 7:40 and the boat was to depart at 8. As it ended up, there were only 56 on board, including the 8 crew members. Nearly half the group was diving while the rest of us just intended to snorkel. Tea, coffee and danishes were available first thing. It took 90 minutes to get us to Hastings, the first reef location. On the way there a
beautiful rainbow appeared, which morphed into a double rainbow.

We all donned wetsuits as it is the end of jellyfish season. Wetsuits are like Spanx on steroids. They are incredibly difficult to get on, even when dry. I was surprised to see that the suit ended right above the knees as that left our lower legs exposed. We were given the option of using a full life jacket or a swimming noodle in the water. We like the snorkeling life vests as you can adjust the amount of air in the vest if you want to drop down more in the water. As they didn't have that kind, we opted to use the noodles. They worked surpringly well. 

We had two hours to swim before lunch was served, and we found out that is a long time in the water. We took a break about halfway through. We both agreed that it was the best coral we had ever seen. All colors of the rainbow were present in either the coral or the fish, and the blue of the water was unlike any I had seen. Jim has an underwater camera, albeit an old one so the technology is not as good as the new ones. Below are some of him pictures.

Because we were not allowed into the lounge area in our wetsuits, that meant we had to get them back off before lunch. Jim didn't get on the boat until awhile after me, so I had some complete stranger help me get the top part off, praying that my swimsuit stayed in place while he assisted me.

Following lunch we took off for the next spot, which was Michaelmus reef. That meant the very wet wetsuit had to be put back on. Jim headed out before me as I wanted to take some pictures, so I struggled to do it on my own. After about dislocating my shoulder, I went to zip it up only to find that I had put it on inside out! Now I had to ask a different complete stranger to help me get the darn thing back off. By the time I was finally in the suit again, I told the man they would probably be calling everyone back to the boat. Anyway, I got into the water eventually, and it was pretty rough. The strong waves would keep carrying me back to the boat, so I didn't venture off too far. Due to the waves, the water was not as clear as our first location so that was a little disappointing. I don't think anyone stayed in the water for the full time period. It was challenging just trying to get out of the water onto the back steps of the boat. Once again I got out before Jim, so this time a nice young woman from Germany helped me with the top part of the wetsuit. I certainly had a lot of people getting me dressed and undressed today!

On the journey back it was quite a wild ride due to the waves. I'm so thankful we are not prone to seasickness, because some people had a rough go of it. We were able to enjoy the afternoon refreshment, unlike some. The boat got us back in port by 4:00. One more item off our bucket list!

Seeing Seattle

party house

We recently spent six days in Seattle. The main purpose of the trip was to attend the wedding of the son of some friends from college. The dad was in our wedding and Jim was in the dad's wedding, so we go back 42 years. Man, we must be old! We had also attended the wedding of their older son at the Air Force Academy chapel several years ago, and at that time the G's rented a house and ten of us stayed there. Some of us had never met before, but the whole group got along like we had known each other for years. So the G's rented a house in Seattle this time as well, with most of the original ten cast of characters making a repeat appearance. Located two blocks from Alki Beach, this house was unbelievable and a great place to be the base for the wedding. There was easy access to mass transit, and fun shops and restaurants were within walking distance.

The day of the wedding began on a rainy note (it was Seattle, after all), but once it cleared a group of us took the water taxi to downtown Seattle to check out the Public Market Center since the ceremony did not begin until 5:00. We, of course, had to make a contribution to the Gum Wall, noted as one of the top five germ-filled attractions in the world.

Seattle Day 1

rainbow over Seattle

The wedding was nice, and the reception was held at a restaurant on the beach with a great view of Seattle. A rainbow even appeared during the reception. If that isn't a positive sign for the bride and groom, I don't know what is. We had fun toasting the bride and groom, and dancing the night away. As the bride is from the northern Kentucky/Cincinnati area, I enjoyed meeting the family and guests from her side of the family.

view from the wedding reception

Saturday morning the bride's mom and dad had us all over for brunch (I think there were 80 guests!) at their circa 1911 home. I cornered the mom for a bit as she does genealogy, and their family name is also in Jim's family tree. Wouldn't it be something if they are related? Following the brunch some of us went to see the Chihuly Garden & Glass exhibit. Oh my! I have been a fan ever since the Missouri Botanical Garden showed his work many years ago. What a treat to see his beautiful pieces of art in the area of the country where he was born and raised. 

Chihuly Garden & Glass

On Sunday it was back on the water taxi to Seattle, this time to board a ferry to travel to Bainbridge Island. By the time we waited for the ferry to unload, then load up all the cars and people, and then travel to the island, it was time for a late lunch. Since it was a holiday weekend with beautiful weather and we wanted to dine outdoors, that pretty much blew all of our time on the island. We got to see a bit on the walk to and from the ferry to the town, but that was about it.

Bainbridge Island

As it was overcast on Monday, a visit to the Boeing Flight Museum seemed like good option. One of the couples had already taken off for the next part of their vacation, so eight of us went on this excursion. The museum is huge, multi-faceted and very interesting. The one young person in our group, who is a pilot in the air force, got Jim into one of the flight simulators. There was a lot of rolling going on, but Jim still managed to rack up six kills as the gunner in the plane. I was content to take pictures and video of them. It was particularly interesting to see the SAM (Special Air Missions) 970, the first Presidential jet plane. It was delivered in 1959 for President Eisenhower, and remained in service until 1996. I loved that there was a doggy door in place!

Boeing Flight Museum

Before meeting back up with the others for dinner, three of us went to see the Hiram M. Crittenden Locks (also called Ballard Locks by locals). Completed by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1917, the locks connect Lake Washington, Lake Union and Salmon Bay to the tidal waters of Puget Sound. It was fascinating to watch the water levels rise and fall to move the boats from one area to another. What a time-consuming process!

Hiram Crittenden Locks

As we were driving back to West Seattle, we noticed Olympic Sculpture Park along the way. Since Jim knows the firm that was on the design team for the park, we had to stop. I wish we would have known about it sooner as it was a wonderful place to walk, see nice views and enjoy the sculptures.

Olympic Sculpture Park

By Tuesday nearly all of us were on the way back to our respective homes. What a wonderful time we had rekindling friendships and seeing part of what Seattle has to offer.