There is a tiny little nail...

.…in our kitchen.  It lives near our wall phone – yes we still have a land line.  The normal job of this tiny little nail is to hold the sky chart for the current year.  It is a good little nail and does its job very well.  The chart too is a good chart giving us knowledge of the stars and planets shining above our house.  The schedule of the space station’s sightings lives elsewhere in the kitchen – under a magnet on the refrigerator.  The thing about the sky chart and the ISS sighting schedule is that you have to stay up after the sun sets to use them.  But that is another story.

Sometimes the tiny little nail holds other things.  Two years ago it held a 4 ft long map of the Appalachian Trail.  That is when Jerry hiked from GA to ME.  He was gone for about 6 ½ months so the map and I spent a lot of time looking at each other. 

More recently the tiny little nail held a map of CA with the John Muir Trail highlighted.  That happened when Jerry and three friends flew out west for some more hiking adventures.   According to Jerry it was all good.

And now the tiny little nail is holding a map of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park perhaps getting ready for another future adventure.

To be continued….

13 women...

Mostly strangers, together for a week and we all survived. Actually we thrived. The journey began at noon on a hot Saturday in mid-July. We met, introduced ourselves, shared a meal and hit the road. Women in Service – that’s us. Headed for Lott’s Creek KY. Three vans with luggage, food, donations all headed south on I-75. 64 east out of Lexington, Mountain Parkway past Koomer’s Ridge Campground to the Campton exit. As we passed through Campton we stopped for a visit with Sister Amy who has served the people of the area for many, many years. She shared with us her knowledge of and love for the people. She talked of programs, progress, trials, natural disasters, and of people. People who are in need. People who come to serve. People who are like people everywhere. Sister showed us around the church and the grounds. The grounds were a little soggy but filled with people doing good things. We then headed down RT 15, past Jackson, Lost Creek, Hazard and on to Lott’s Creek. Our first sign that we were truly on the right path was the sign that read Lott’s Creek Community School 6 miles. We found the drive and took the branch to the right. We passed a cabin and at the end of drive we discovered the cinder block dormitory that was to be our home for the next 7 days. On the second floor we found the shower room (2 showers) and the bathroom (3 toilets, one without a shower curtain door that didn’t get much use). There were a number of bedrooms with 2 to 4 sets of bunk beds in each. On the ground floor there was the kitchen, dining room and small sitting area. The chairs were all cane chairs. There were rockers outside that faced across the road, pass the school and looked out on to a wonderfully green mountain side. Two of us were dealing with respiratory issues and decided to separate ourselves for the rest of the group at night for the good of all. We slept in the cabin which was the original house of the founder of the school, Alice Slone. The house was full of character and positive energy. The tasks for the week included, but not limited to, painting the inside of a four room house where 11 people presently lived, helping to mud and sand drywall in a new home being built, sanding and staining bleachers in the school gym (they recently hired a new coach which some people might appreciate-Rodrick Rhodes who played for UK and the MBA), working in organizing clothes and books for the thrift store and library. Meals and clean up were a group effort. Prayer was a part of our days. Evenings were spent watching DVDs of local interest, talking and learning. …….. It has been two weeks since I wrote the above entry. A lot has happened since then, most notably being the fact that we had to put our dog Comet to sleep. She had developed a cancerous tumor which caused a stress fracture in her hind leg. There is probably more that could be said about Lott’s Creek but at this point it will be sufficient just to let it pass in to an experience that will be reflected as part of my life’s journey.

The past week....

was an interesting one.  Last Monday we packed up the tent and headed to the Shenandoah Mountains National Park where we were to meet some friends for a few night of camping.

 We took an extra day and pitched our tent along the way at Greenbrier State Forest in WV.  This was the same place we camped on our way home for out Hostel trip back in May.  Same campground, same campsite, ate at the same diner.  The purpose of this side trip was to be able to visit Green Bank WV.  home to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.  It is a couple of hours off the expressway but well worth the trip.  I don’t pretend to understand much of what I heard but the little that I was able to comprehend was truly remarkable.

We left the site in awe and wonder.  We headed to the National Park, crossed about 5 mountains on the way.  Ah, mountain roads, huge trucks, fog, a little rain, at one point a plane passed over and we both ducked – really we were that high.  But the pink mountain laurel was in full bloom – well worth the trade offs.  It was an exhausting journey.

Thanks to the senior pass we were once again admitted to the National Park fee free.   Now the Shenandoah National Park is a long one.  The road is 105 miles from north to south, not many turn offs.  We got to the campground found our reserved site and decided to look for another one.  We happened to meet our friends at the sign in booth so we searched together for those two perfect sites.  Sites found, tents pitches, dining canopy in place we headed for a ranger lead program in the evening.  Oh yea, there were pesky nats everywhere.  Seem like they might need to import some more bats.  These little critters did not give up – under the hat brim, in the ears, in the eyes, in the hair….  Luckily when the sun went down so did they, for the most part.

The second day we did another ranger lead hike along part of the AT.  It was good.  By chance Jerry just happened to wear his AT shirt so the ranger gladly let Jerry talk a lot about his experience.  I happened to remember that it was the summer solstice so we kept our eyes out for hikers – rumor has it that that day is celebrated as ‘hike naked day’ by some.  All the hikers we saw were fully dressed and loaded with their packs.  The day was a hot one so the afternoon we spent in the AC of the van enjoying the scenic views.

The next day we decided to look for water.  Having a fly fisherman with us proved interesting.  So the park is on a ridge top - but the water isn’t.  After a bit of searching outside the park we ended up at Shenandoah River State Park.  What a great place!  The river was beautiful – wide, clear, clean and shallow enough to walk across it (if you’re a little taller than I am).  We sat in the shade on the river bank and watch our friend show off his fly fishing skills.  The fish were fairly quiet until the sun moved down a little in the sky then the catch mounted to four.  Turns out that there was a heat advisory that day in the park that day so they were advising everyone who wanted to hike to stay on the AT since it is pretty level there in the park.  Guess it was a good day to wet a line instead.

Rain/storms were predicted that night so our friends had sense enough to pack up and head out in the evening.  We on the other hand decided to take our chances.  The night sky did not reveal the Milky Way to us as it did the night before and about 4:30 the wind kicked up.  Realizing that we could pack up and get an early start or go back to sleep and maybe be packing up in the rain we decided to see how quickly we could get thing broken down.  We pretty much have this down to a science so we were pulling out of the campground in less than 30 minutes.   It was a safe non eventful trip home – the best kind.  So ended another wonderful road trip.  Good friends, out in the woods, learning something along the way.

Sunday evening we went to be part of ‘the nuns on the bus tour’ event in Cincinnati.  You can google that if you do not know what that is and are interested.  It was a good experience.  I was hoping to see more people there that we know – but we’ll take what we can get.  Basis message – come on folks (politicians) what we need is ‘reasonable revenue for responsible programs’.

As an aside one of the speakers was talking about meeting Martin Sheen and although this was not a Vatican bashing event by any means she quoted Martin Sheen as saying that ‘the trouble with the Vatican is that it is the only nation in the world without children’.  Interesting point.   Thought it deserved a mention. 

While at the event we met an AT hiker, evident by his AT shirt and duct-taped shoes.  He is a section hiker but is also involved with the AT Conservatory.  He is also an author and composer of classical music.  So he has composed a piece of music from his experience on the AT.  It is due to be released next year.  Should be interesting.

More and more I’m realizing how in so many little (and not so little) ways the AT has touched our lives.  Conversations/connections/experiences/future plans/appreciation of people, nature, events……  Thanks Jerry for having the courage and craziness to do it all and for letting me tag along.

observations

Things of nature no matter what name we give them, no matter what our expectations are of them will always respond to what their nature calls them to. 

Our Christmas cactus is blooming in June. 

We have one blueberry on our blueberry bush. 

Our beans decided to produce only two beans.

Our redbellied woodpecker, after we build a special feeder for it decided not it show its self anymore.  It is still in the neighborhood , we can hear it calling.  Perhaps wants the old feeder that it shared with the starlings.

The humming birds have also made themselves scarce now that we’ve freshened their necter. 

The beets are alive and well - enough to put some up.

Peas are so green and sweet.

Tomatoes are poppin'.

And Venus is about to dance across the surface of the sun – or so it seems.

OH MY GOODNESS !

Yesterday a group of friends from days gone by were coming to the house for dinner, dominoes and conversation.  It is good to be reconnected again.

Before their arrival I went in to our garden to see how things were doing.  My hope was to pick some sugar snap peas to be eaten raw with our light meal.  There were so many peas just hanging there whispering ‘Pick me. Pick me’.  So I put my ‘pea eyes’ on (as my sister-in-lay Judy instructed us to do when dealing with peas) and went to work.  Yummmm! 

Next, I wanted to pick some lettuce for our sandwiches.  Greens, purples, yellow – what an array of colors.  Yummmm! 

Next, there was some little shoots of broccoli appearing, the ones that pop our after the big head is removed.  Yumm! 

Next, a little carrot called out to me ‘I’m ready!’  I had a hard time convincing the carrot that it had to leave its nice warn home in the earth in order for us to enjoy it – to fulfill its destiny as it were.  Finally with a few gentle words and gratefulness on my part it let go.  All 6 inches of it.  Wow and Yummmm! 

I so enjoyed cleaning and preparing all of them.  I was feeling excited and somewhat proud but mostly grateful.

Our visit was good.  We were so busy talking that we only made it through one round of dominoes.   The surprise of the night was that it was Sue T.’s birthday.  So we lit the tree (that will only make sense if you’ve been to our house), sang Happy Birthday and Sue blew it out.  A little later a candle found its way to our dessert so we sang again and Sue blew it out.   

It was a good night and a great display of healthy garden vegetables.

Simple pleasures!  Powerful blessings!

To Kayak or not to Kayak....

Monday Joanna wanted to go Kayaking.  Jerry was up for it.  I wasn’t too sure.  Our Kayak hadn’t been in the water for a very long time.  You could almost see it dehydrating.  The weather forecast was for rain morning and afternoon.  There were clouds in the sky but nothing threatening.  So we loaded up the kayak we had and headed up to Morgan’s at Ft. Ancient.

Joanna and I rented kayaks.  The three of us hit the Little Miami River

and we saw…

-          a gentle current that moved us along ever so slowly

-          tiny whirlpools left behind and created by our paddles

-          turtles who would have been sunning themselves on the downed trees, if the sun had been out

-          Little snake heads sticking out of the water every now and then

-          a mother ducks with  her 7 little quackers  close behind

-          fish trashing around near the shore

-          rapids, just enough to keep things interesting and to remind us where we were

-          blue herons, one perched in a tree, two others flying up the river over us

-          clouds, all unique in their shape and size

-          sun/shadows,

-          leaves drifting down from the trees, something they must have forgotten to do last fall

-          pedals from the tulip poplar trees floating on the water

-          a snake feasting on a fish, nature in action

-          welcomed cool breezes as the sun came out to keep an eye on us

-          river banks lined with roots, rocks and cabins

-          an indigo bunting

-          a man fishing in his waders

-          water dripping from the ends of the paddle and we worked to go with the flow

So if the question ever comes up ‘to kayak or not to kayak’ the answer is always “KAYAK!”

I don't get it...

and I suspect I never will.  Perhaps it is because I have never fallen in love 
with the A.T. as others have. 

Jerry and I went for a short journey this past week. Jerry had made reservations for us at Wood’s Hole Hostel near Pearisburg VA for two nights.  (http://www.woodsholehostel.com/ I encourage you to visit the website if you have time. This is a hostel is located ½ mile from the A.T. He stopped by there in 2010. At that time it was Trails Day Weekend in Damascus VA, a little further south and not much was happening at the hostel. Jerry continued to talk about the hostel and so two years later he made reservations for us to visit. We arrived about 4:00 in the afternoon after traveling almost 7 hours on the interstate, state routes, a gravel road and finally a one lane dirt road with cattle guards. The yard was in the process of collecting hikers for the night. 
The ‘house’ consisted in part of the original log cabin built in 1880. The couple running the place, Neville and Michael, were both very high energy and welcoming peoplethe place showed it. Raised bed gardens were everywhere along with bee hives, chickens, pigs, goats and an ever growing number of hikers. There is a bunk house where the many hikers sleep upstairs. The house included three guest bedrooms, a massage room, a living room, kitchen and two baths. We were in one of the upstairs bedrooms and shared a bath with a three bed room. The porch had two porch swings, 4 rocking chairs, two sling chairs, one table, about six other chairs, a hand carved 6’ bench with guitars carved on either side, a sign that said ‘leave shoes here before entering’ and one computer. Oh - and about 4 dogs, 4 cats and at one point the pigs got out and there were two pigs on the porch also. (The pigs were kind of cute and thought they were part of the family.)
So for the price of a nights stay the hikers got a full breakfast. A hiker size breakfast! There was coffee, juice served in Mason Jars, homemade bread with homemade apple butter, strawberry jam, eggs from the chickens with fixins’ from the garden, peach crisp, orange slices. All served up by Neville and a few volunteers. A person could also purchase dinner. Our first dinner was a wonderful salad from the garden, pasta and homemade tomato sauce and homemade bread. All hiker size! After clean up ---oh yea, clean up ---was done by Neville and a few volunteers.  The first order of business was to put the plates on the floor for the dogs to lick clean, then they went in to the dishwasher-the plates not the dogs. Then the huge cooking pots went on to the floor – for the dogs to lick clean. That was an interesting sight, their heads were completely in the pots. I was helping to dry the things that would not fit in to the dishwasher. Neville was washing. When you’d pick up an item to dry Neville would call out directions as to where the item went. ‘Right of stove, door on left, top shelf, middle stack.’ This when on for about 30 minutes. She did not miss a beat. After clean up she brought out the box on 100 ice cream cones and the 5 gallon bucket of ice cream. Bucket of ice cream went on the table and she stood on a step stool to scoop it out. The whole meal was quite an experience. Did I mention that this meal served 28 people? The meal was eaten off of real plates and people sat outside any where they could. Before the meal we joined hands in a circle and each mentioned something they were grateful for.
Neville mentioned that this was the beginning of their peak season. For the next 6 weeks or so they would keep up this pace every day. Did I mention that they were high energy people? Did I mention that she did Yoga sessions during the day and meditation session in the evening?
During the day Jerry and I hiked for a couple of hours on the A.T.. We were in search of some of his favorite wildflowers from the trail. As it turns out we are about a week too early. But he remembered the trail and was happy to be back on it even if I was slow and clumsy. At one point he stopped, looked off to the right of the path at a fallen tree and said something like ‘If I remember correctly there was a lady slipper blooming by this tree two years ago.’ Off he went to look for it while I stood wondering how a person could remember something that exact from 2 years ago when they can’t even remember to write dates on the family calendar. 
Jerry was able to provide some of the hikers with information about things that were just down the trail or in the next state or during the next six months of their journey.
The trail is not my thing. I do not have or ever will have a love affair with it – but apparently a lot of people do. 
We met some interesting hikers with interesting names and interesting stories. It was good to be a Wood’s Hole if only for a short time. 
On the way home we took an extra night and camped at a state forest in WV. It is always good to be outdoors!!
So what don't I get? People who are so generous as to open their home and their hearts to hikers
to so many stranger.  People who set out on a six month + journey through rain, hot sun, ups and downs, risking injuries and life changing moments - oh, okay, maybe I do get it...

Spring Break with...

the granddaughters to a cabin at Natural Bridge for two nights.

We hiked to Whittleton Arch, Rock Bridge, our favorite Frog Pond, Natural Bridge. Roughly over 5 miles in all.

We saw…
…wild flowers - wild geranium, wild ginger, red and white trillium, chick weed, bishop’s cap, bellwort, solomon’s seal, the beginnings of the pink lady slippers, wood betony, foam flowers, a tiny maiden hair fern, may apple (not the flower just yet), dwarf iris, jack-in-the-pulpits, violets, columbine all in full bloom.

… wild life (besides the kids) – frog eggs, tadpoles, salamanders,(found a great bargain on a little fish net that we used at the frog pond – probably terrorizing nature at its finest) a tiny snake, butterflies, turtles, life in the streams, a crawdad or two, flying squirrels, all kinds of insects, a jumping spider.

We heard…
….thunder in the evening as a number of storms rolled through the valley Tuesday.

…grandpa’s lessons on rocks, trees, flowers, water, and did I mention rocks?!

…grandpa’s motto: “You can learn something new every day, if you pay attention.”

….”Have they worn you out yet” spoken by a man on the trail when Autumn announced that we were her grandparents. We weren’t sure if he was talking to us or to the kids.

…”Thanks for bringing us here.” Spoken at the Frog Pond.

...”Here again next spring break? I don’t think so. We’re too tired. “ Spoken by Destiny at the end of the second day.

…”You alright Grandma?” Spoken by Deasia many times. I tried to convince her that I enjoy bringing up the rear, more time to take it all in.

The girls were a delight. Even after Deasia fell in to the stream and came up soaking wet she handled it well. Hiking in wet clothes cannot be fun. But she dried off and kept up the pace.

Maybe Destiny along with Autumn and Deasia will only remember the fun times and not how tired they were and they’ll be ready for another trip next Spring Break. Maybe Grandma and Grandpa will be too.

Yesterday I vacuumed the tent....

Yep, that’s right. A few days ago I realized that back in October when we were headed back from our ‘out west’ trip, we folded up the tent with the internal ground cloth still in place. We had gotten in the habit of doing this in order to save folding and a few hours later unfolding the tarp when we were once again setting up camp. Seemed like a good idea then, perhaps it was because we were breaking camp in the dark with a giant green blow-up Frankenstein staring at us, (Remember this was October folks.) and it was but now, 6 months later I realized that we never unfolded the tent to air it out and remove the ground cloth in order to roll the tent in to its proper stuff sack.

So, yesterday I set up the tent in our ‘tree room’ (due to the threat of rain) pulled the tarp out and had a few moments of trip recall – the mountains, the sky, the chilly nights, the wildlife, the lakes, the canyons (there were all grand), the birds, the trees, their magnificent colors especially towards the end, the endless road that took us and delivered us back home, and the people we met along the way, not to mention the buffalo.

So I pulled out our green ‘floor’. Took it out on the deck to shake out. Went back in and realized that the floor of the tent needed to be swept out. Hmmm…could I use the vacuum on it? Well, yes I could. It worked like a charm. All the tiny twigs, dust from other states and feathers from Jerry’s down sleeping bag disappeared up the black hose. But, and I’m happy to say, the floor of the tent and all the memories are still strong – of good times and delightful experiences.

I like it when spring cleaning = tent preparation.

Day 8 - Dec. 11

Up bright and early. First order of business, pack up the luggage (aka carry-ons) and put them outside the door for the crew to gather. Next time we see them would be at the hotel in Guayaquil. One last breakfast and one last zodiac ride this time to San Cristobal. One last bus ride to the airport. Then on to Guayaguil for one last night in the Hilton.
We were about to begin the final leg of the journey, a 24 hour journey back to KY. Armed with our luggage and the travel mantra Clair had us versed in – ‘Wallet. Passport. Wallet. Passport....”

We arrived at the airport in plenty of time. There ended up being a 3 hour delay due to ‘mechanical difficulties’. Guess there is a reason they never explain that term. We did receive vouchers for a free lunch. Of course the 3 hour delay in Quayaguil shortened our layover at JFK to 9 hours. There is absolutely no place to sit comfortably at JFK much less think about sleeping. The terminal we needed didn’t even open until 3:45 a.m. I fell asleep for a few minutes with my head resting on my arms at a sushi bar.

From Guayaguil, to NY, to NC to CVG. 23 ½ hours. It was good to be home. Thanks to Joan for picking us up at the airport. Thanks to Joanna for house and dog sitting. Thanks to all who made this trip possible.

Day 7 - Dec.10

Ho- Hum. Another day of hiking, snorkeling, zodiac riding, beach walking, eating, resting, enjoying the views, enjoying other peoples company, sharing ideas, and knowing that this is our last full day in the Galapagos Islands. What a trip! Have I said that before?

Things I may not have mentioned –

there was a doctor on board the ship
there was an exercise room , small but sufficient
there was a library
they sold crafts from the locals on board
walking sticks were provided – which was great since you can’t pack them in your carry-on
wet suits were also provided
the food was so plentiful, well presented and down right good – so many choices at all times
there were laundry services
beds were made up every day
fresh water delivered to the room 2x per day when needed
coffee, juices, soft drinks available at any time
the bar was fully stocked and Jimmy the bartender was always close by
the bridge had an open door policy which meant that you could go check out things there anytime
all the crew was super friendly and helpful
we were there in the dry season, the bugs were few, the rainfall none

So, if you ever get a chance to go…..

Day 6 - Dec. 9

Up before breakfast once again. Stretching on the Sky Deck once again.

After breakfast we headed for Santa Cruz Island home to the largest human population in the Galapagos. Also home to the Galapagos National Park Service and The Charles Darwin Research Station.

After a dry landing on the island we walked to the Research Center where we saw the many giant (and also baby giant) tortoises. There is one called ‘Lonesome George’ the only one left of his kind. When he is gone his race will vanish from the face of the earth. No other tortoises found match his DNA.

After seeing the research station we were able to walk through town – reminded me a little of El Salvador. We did a little shopping and also bought some postcards for the grandkids and my aunt. Last I heard, and this is over a month ago, Autumn was the only one who has received the postcard. All mailed same place, same time.

A little later we boarded a bus and traveled to a farm in the highland. On the way we stopped at an open air restaurant for lunch but before that we stopped and walked through a lava tunnel. As the name implies it was an underground tunnel formed from flowing lava. It was interesting and a lot like a rough version of many a cave we’ve been in.

The farm we visited was one located in the middle of the tortoise migratory route. There were giant tortoises everywhere. Just moseying around, sunning themselves, munching on leafy greens or enjoying a very muddy puddle. They did not seem to mind us humans being there although I never heard a tortoise growl before.

We returned to the ship before dinner. In the evening a group of local musicians joined us in the lounge. There were three women who performed some folk dances for us. Each dance had its own homemade, hand painted outfit. Very entertaining!

Day 5 - Dec. 8

Santiago Island.
This is where Darwin spent most of his ‘on land’ time. He spent a total of 6 weeks in Galapagos, which included only 19 days on land. Nine of which were spent on Santiago Island.

(The movie Master and Commander is the story which includes a little of Darwin’s adventures. We were able to watch the movie since we’ve been home. Filmed in the Galapagos we highly recommended it if you haven’t seen it.)

Another day spent on the water, in the water, under the water - kayaking, swimming, snorkeling. Along with some hiking. When we traveled by zodiac to an island we either had a wet or dry landing depending on the area we were approaching.

A dry landing meant that the zodiac was able to butt itself up against very well placed steps or rocks where we could step from the zodiac on to the inflated side of the boat and then on to dry land. A wet landing meant that the zodiac stopped as close to shore as it could but that we would have to swing our feet over the side of the zodiac and jump off into – hopefully no more that knee deep water. Sometimes this worked well – sometimes not so much. If we did a wet landing with the intent to hike we would have to take along dry shoes for the walk.

When we boarded the ship from the zodiac we had to step on to the inflated side of the zodiac and then on to a ladder to take us up to the ship’s deck. This was always a two handed accomplishment. Most of the time it worked very well.

Day 4 - Dec. 7th

The day once again began with stretching on the upper deck. How wonderful!

Then there was breakfast. How wonderful!

Then hikes on the island of Isabela, the largest island in the Galapagos group, formed by the fusion of six enormous shield volcanoes. The island has a distinct seahorse shape to it.

Our schedule for the day had two lines printed in caps. THERE ARE INTRODRODUCED WASPS AT THIS SITE. IT IS BEST NOT TO WEAR YELLOW OR WHITE THIS MORNING. Somehow I missed those words of wisdom and wore a very white shirt. But thankfully there were no close encounters with the wasps. How wonderful!

Before lunch anyone who wanted to was invited to participate in a “Megaswim”. A swim from shore to the ship – a distance of about 2,000 ft. Of course Jerry and Clair participated and now have the certificate to prove it. How wonderful!

Jerry and I spent time in a kayak early afternoon. Clair hit the water in her snorkeling gear. How wonderful!

The rest of the day brought more hikes and zodiac rides. How wonderful!

And a restful night’s sleep. How wonderful!

Day 3 12/6

Feast of St. Nicholas

There was an early morning call for those interested in joining the naturalist on the upper deck to view what wildlife might be in the early morning waters. This was one of 2 days where whales were spotted. They were so far from the ship it was difficult to see them. The distance did not permit pursuit so we just used our imaginations. We did however see sea turtles, dolphins, sea lions, and a lonely albatross caused a lot of excitement.

Today was the first time that we crossed the Equator. Everyone was on deck for the countdown. One couple renewed their wedding vows – seems that they do that wherever, whenever they travel. Whatever floats your boat I guess.

Today there was deep water snorkeling. It just means that the water is entered and exited by way of a zodiac as opposed to a beach. Jerry and Clair hit the cold water without a second thought – no surprise there. I decided to stay warm and dry and decided on a zodiac ride instead.

There was a late afternoon walk on an island – again filled with wildlife.

Sleeping on the ship was wonderful. On the advice of many people I took some motion sickness medicine with me. Never once did I feel a need to use it. The rocking motion of the ship was like a giant cradle. There were times when the sea was rough and the rocking motion turned into more like heaving back and forth but it was unique and interesting to experience.

Oh, and St. Nick left chocolates on our pillow again.

Day 2 - Galapagos Islands

Exactly one month ago today – we awoke to our first sunrise aboard ship among the Galapagos Islands. The top deck was partially covered for shade. There were tables and chairs, a bar, lounge chairs and even a couple of hammocks. Not too many people were up for sunrise. Can’t figure that one out because the sun usually found at least the three of us eager and waiting. Some mornings the ship’s masseuse offered stretching exercise on the top deck. No matter if she was there or not, Clair was - doing her yoga stretches and just getting in to all round good shape for the day. But even before the stretches there was fruit, breads, coffee, tea and juices out for the early risers. Ymmm, good!

Today brought the option of a pre-breakfast hike. 399 steps to an altitude of 359 ft. and a 360 view. The steps were built to avoid erosion among the fragile volcanic tuff. Back to the ship by way of the Zodiacs. Back to a full breakfast of so many choices.

After breakfast it was back to the zodiacs, back to the beach. This was to be my first experience in snorkeling. We needed to buddy up with someone. I knew that Clair and Jerry were able to keep up with each other and I didn’t want to hold them back. There was another guy there who asked if I wanted to buddy up with him. God Bless Warren. He was great. Hadn’t snorkeled much. Challenged me but didn’t push me beyond my limits. I guess we were in the water for almost an hour. We saw flounder, octopus, so many different kinds of fish, penguins, reef shark, rays, some coral, turtles, iguanas. What a world opened up to us. Silent and mysterious. Subdued yet overpowering. Occasionally I would forget what I was doing and turn my head to look at something taking in a mouth full of ocean water by way of the snorkeling tube. Even that was okay. After all, that too was a new experience.

Whenever we’d come back from a hike or excursion there would be cookies, tarts, brownies, juice and/or hot chocolate waiting for us.

Most off ship activities took place before noon or later in the day in order to avoid the sun. The majority of our time there was overcast. A true blessing. Still you needed to be careful not to expose yourself to too much sun. The temps were hot but not unbearable. The broad rim sun hats were defiantly in order along with a light weight long sleeve shirt.

There was another nature walk before dinner. The evening was spent listening to one of the naturalists talk about taking pictures of nature. Each evening there was a recap of the day and a preview of tomorrow.

Galapagos re-visited

A dear friend suggested that I try to blog about our wonder filled trip to the Galapagos Islands a little more. At the very least that sounds like a good exercise in memory recall. I think I’ll give it a try. You are invited along if you like.

It was the evening of Monday, November 29 when Clair opened her email to discover an entry informing her that, if indeed we were still interested, there was room for the three of us on board the National Geographic Cruise Ship the Islander which would depart from Quayaquil, Ecuador on Sunday, December 4th. Clair apparently even hesitated mentioning this to us being such short notice. But she did, and we slept on it for the night. On Tuesday we checked flights. Of course being last minute there was not much to chose from. We thought for a moment, talked about it and then hit the confirm button. MYGosh, we need to leave on Friday, very early Friday.

Traveling light has it benefits. We each had one carry on. Thanks to Joanna we arrived at CVG on time. Flew from CVG to Miami - to Quito – to Quayaguil. Clair guided us through the airports. Jerry and I are certainly not frequent fliers. She was accustomed to Customs and saw us safely through. Her Spanish was impressive at least to the two of us who knew none – besides parents are easily impressed. In Quayaguil we met Rodney at the airport. From that point on we were safely in the hands of a National Geographic employee. That was a relief. He managed a cab for us that delivered us to the Hilton in the city. Although once again, hearing Clair carry on a conversation with the taxi driver in Spanish was encouraging, reassuring and entertaining.

We arrived a day early and spent two nights at the Hilton. Never stayed at a 5 star Hotel before. We made use of the complimentary drinks and breakfast. Used the workout room and the heated pool. We did not however use the ‘wet bar’ (is that what they are called when the bar is in the pool?) We visited the river front area of the town. Driving, or rather riding, is an experience beyond description. It’s amazing how quickly prayers arise in the mind when put in a scary situation. The river had oil slicks floating on it and water flowers. The area itself was nicely developed and felt somewhat safe. We stopped in at the cathedral where the crib scene had life size statues of the manger animals. The people however were somewhat smaller giving it a different perspective. There was a city park in town where there were hundreds of iguanas. They were everywhere hanging from the trees, under bushes, under foot. It was impressive and it was the first time we were seeing these strange looking creatures.

Sunday morning found us with other people leaving the hotel heading on a bus for the airport, saying goodbye to Rodney and flying on to the island of Baltra. After we landed we boarded another bus and headed for the dock and our first glimpse of our home for the week, the Islander. We were in the Galapagos Islands!

First lesson was how to put on a life jacket correctly. We traveled from the dock to the ship by way of a Zodiac. Throughout the week the Zodiac would be our means of getting from here to there and back again.

Our first order of business was lunch – oh, the food! Later in the evening we went on shore for a walk of a little over a mile. We saw our first taste of the wild life – sea lions, frigate birds, crabs, blue footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls. Then there was the sunset! Where were we and what were we doing there?!? What a gift!

There were 44 passengers on board and 32 crew. This was truly to be an experience like no other we had ever had.

Later on ship there was the Captain’s Welcome Cocktail Hour, with snacks, followed by appetizers and then supper.

Our room – upper deck with a private glassed in balcony with a lounge chair and bench. Queen size bed, desk and a bathroom where you could sit on the toilet, wash your feet in the shower and brush your teeth at the sink all at the same time without moving – too much information?!?

Then there were the chocolates that we found on out pillows at the end of each day. Really good chocolates!

Thus ended day 1.