Windsor Castle, Train Journeys and the Ruby Princess

We had a few adventures getting around our cute little Watersedge Hotel, but used our London Transport Oyster Card with the greatest of ease. Windsor Castle was most amazing and very busy. We ate the Queens own ice cream made from the cream of contented cows, at an exorbitant £3.50 per teeny tiny cup. That is about $6.75 per. Good thing it was pretty delicious, otherwise I certainly would have felt RIPPED OFF! After our visit to the Castle we got on a bus that took us to all the slums of Heathrow and vicinity. Caught the train the next day and boarded the ship to find our lovely upgraded balcony cabin. We had dinner with some very nice folks from the USA and went early to bed since we were getting up the the ungodly hour of 5:45 in order to go ashore to catch the ferry to Sark, where we were touring on bicycles. The ferry was about 45 minutes and sailed through some very rocky shoals, where historically there have been many shipwrecks. The island is very small but beautiful. We visited a beautiful garden that was full of roses and many bees and butterflies! Our return trip was late so we arrived back to the ship just as the anchor was pulled up! Dinner and a show took up the whole evening. We continue to meet the nicest people and have great conversations over dinner. Our CruisCritic Meet and Greet was well attended and Mike and I got our Pictures taken with the Commordore of the fleet Guiseppe Romano, a very nice man! Today we are in the nicest little town, Cobh (pronounced cove). The annual regatta was on with crafts and entertainment so we had a fine day. Sat in Connie Malones pub and watched the Hurling, a very violent sport played with great ferocity by very fit men. And listened to the Irish men talk, sing and swear around us. So FUN! We are pretty much over the jet lag and will start to have a sleep and wake cycle we can live with.

Ready to GO!

All the prep is done, bags packed, air check in done so now all we have to do is anticipate! London is feeling the effects of Hurricane Bertha so hopefully it will be nicer weather by Wed. Our holiday is shaping up to be a very active adventure. The cruise takes us to many great ports, such as Guernsey and the Orkneys. We get to see the Tattoo in Edinburgh and visit several castles as well as Versailles in France. Our Narrowboat journey will be a bucket list treat. Hopefully I will be able to post pictures.

Maricopa

Michael, Abby, and I visited my cousin Carol at her lovely home in Maricopa, Az. For two days this week. She has a beautiful three bedroom home in a suburb of Maricopa. Her pool is a true oasis and we enjoyed sitting outside visiting and getting reconnected. It seems that time and distance will not affect a special relationship and it seemed like we had been together yesterday!

Tucson, January to March 2014

After a rush trip to avoid weather, we arrived in Tucson on Jan 1, at the Voyager RV Park and got settled into our site. Sadly we have no palm tree on site but we are close to the dog park and not too far from the pool and other amenities. This winter we both decided to do more physical activity and get involved in park stuff. So far it has worked out well and we both are getting involved. Mike is exercising at the gym and I am doing deep water exercise three days a week. I have been learning about quilting and made a small lap quilt that turned out OK. I am going to make a crazy quilt for a grand kid that I learned about in a class. It is enjoyable and great to se a finished product. Our trailer is still comfortable and we have even entertained Dominick and Brittany for a few days. And had lots of fun! We have seen many interesting things in Tucson this year, including the Reid Park Zoo, Old Tucson, the Sonran Desert Museum, the Pima Air and Space Museum, night viewing at the Kitty Peak observatory, the Gem Show, the Tubac Artisan show, Gordon Lightfoot and Danu in concert at the Fox theatre, and an amazing quilt show at the Convention Centre.