Sea Days mean Fun Days

Towel Animal

One of the things that I enjoy about cruising is that as we travel from location to location, we take our room with us. Normally, travel days mean moving luggage and climbing into various forms of transportation. 

On a cruise, travel days, or sea days, are a relaxing time aboard the ship to enjoy the activities and lay in the sun beside the pool.

Chris with the Drink of the Day

Yesterday the most exciting thing that Chris and I accomplished was to watch the sea birds and a young boy try to infuse some enthusiasm into the crowd. 

Mind you, there is nothing wrong with relaxation, but in retrospect, watching sea birds fish for hours, and even taking video of them diving into the Caribbean Sea seems like one of the lowest forms of entertainment.

And writing of infusing excitement into the crowd, we spend almost 30 minutes yesterday watching a 2-year old spice up an otherwise absolutely uninspiring performance in the atrium of the ship. 

The entertainment aboard the ship is mostly amateurish at best, and at least those watching are attempting to add some value to the performances. 

Today, however, we are in Curacao! A whole day of beach wandering and enjoying the island. Tomorrow Aruba! It is the mid-point of the cruise.

-- Bob Doan, writing from the Carnival Conquest preparing to disembark on Curacao

Onto the Sea after a Shore Day

Today marks the seventh day of my vacation and sadly, by this time next week I will be back at work and everything that I have been and am doing will be but memories and images. 

I am glad that I have been away as the Presidential Olympics continues to become more fractured and disturbing.  The more thuggish candidates are presently climbing to the top of the polls. Apparently they appeal to some dark side of the American electorate that has hitherto been untapped.

Snorkeling off Grand Turk

There is something appealing to waking up and having breakfast delivered to the door and then heading out to the balcony to watch the ocean pass by. Even the news channels on the TV have poor and almost unusable connections with forces me to focus my mind upon the plan of the day and not continue to be amazed by the state of the political disarray found across our nation.

Nurse Shark off Grand Turk

Yesterday was a short stop in Grand Turk for some snorkeling and shopping.

Me Waiting to go Snorkeling
on Grand Turk

The snorkeling was good and there was, yup you guessed it, another nurse shark alone with many other beautiful fish. I was able to view the great drop off again where the ocean depth drops from a few feet to a few thousand feet.

Today is another sea day--which means relaxing on the ship. 

Enjoying another vacation day and making another set of memories while life goes on, elsewhere!

-- Bob Doan, writing from aboard the Carnival Conquest in the Caribbean Sea

Monday Musings - July 27, 2015

Carnival Conquest from the Stern

1. Waking up surrounded by the ocean is a great and humbling experience. I forget how big and vast is the Atlantic Ocean.

2. I wonder who will be Donald Trump's next target. it is too bad that people are positively responding to his negative message.

3. The Orioles managed to win a series on the road! They are still seven games out of first place.

4. Glaciers of frozen nitrogen? Where else but Pluto?

Chris at Lobster Dinner(s)

5. The U.S. Men's Soccer team took the Jamaica team far too lightly during their 2-1 loss. It is too bad that the men could not win the tournament.

6. It is hard to believe, but this is the last Monday in July! August is sneaking up on us.

7. Today Turks and Caicos! I'm headed to Grand Turk. I love vacations.

8. Two lobster dinners? Chris ate the whole thing!

-- Bob Doan, writing from aboard the Carnival Conquest nearing Grand Turk

Good Morning from Sea

Chris Looking Out Over Port Everglades
Exploring the Ship

Chris and I are officially on vacation! Well, we have been on vacation since last Wednesday, but are on the cruise portion of the vacation about the good ship Carnival Conquest.

We sailed from Fort Lauderdale yesterday under the cover of an afternoon thunderstorm and still enjoyed seeing the coast slip past and cell phones go dead!

Out the Stateroom Window this Morning

It was a bit scary for me, personally, when my phone gave up the connection ghost!

Yup--no calls for a week!

That is a good thing, I'm told.

OK, I did buy the internet package so that we can stay in touch a bit. But I'm not planning on answering email.

We have enjoyed the partying and even though the sail away party had to be brought inside, Chris managed to dance up a storm.  Yes, I filmed it wrong! I can't believe that I did it, but I take full responsibility because it just seemed to fit better.

We are preparing for a fun day at sea. And of course, more relaxation. 

-- Bob Doan, writing from the Carnival Conquest somewhere in the Caribbean (The Bermuda Triangle?)

Shark Encounter in the Water

Fish off Jupiter Island

Two days on the beach and two shark encounters.

Yesterday was a snorkeling morning. The water was calm and clear. Chris and I had a lot of fun. We also used the GoPro in the underwater mode for the first real run of the vacation. It takes great video even while being attached to the head strap, but we need to learn how to use it a bit better to get more viewable videos.

Juvenile Angelfish 

My underwater camera was also very useful and documented the really impressive things that we viewed during our event filled outing. 

The big event during the outing was the shark encounter. While we were snorkeling we came upon a small nurse shark, a pup, that seemed to be in a unique position--belly up. This caused us great consternation, as you will see from the video. We spend a good deal of time trying to decide what, if anything, we should to to help this small shark. 

Nurse Shark Belly-up in the Rocks

Of course there was a great difference of opinion. And in watching it further, I began to wonder if it was dead, I could see some fin movement, but I wasn't sure if it was caused by the undulation of the water. 

Our desire to assist a fellow inhabitant of the planet finally won out over common sense, and of course knowing that it was a nurse shark coupled with its small size contributed to the decision that it clearly needed assistance.

A rescue attempt was made, which ended with a great amount of laughter when the shark, startled a lot more than I was, took off never to be seen again.

Did the shark really need assistance? Probably not! But, we felt better about it when it was over because we made a rescue attempt.

Moray Eel

And then we were on our way for the neatest find of the day, and one unfortunately that the camera did not fully capture--a medium sized moray eel in the open, hunting. 

It is a good reminder why I never reach into dark areas while snorkeling. You never know what is there!

A great day in Florida. And the entire snorkeling adventure lasted only about an hour, leaving a whole day to get sunburned on the beach.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Jupiter, Florida

Shark Encounter at the Beach

Measuring in at 95 Inches

With all of the news about shark attacks this year, we had our own shark encounter on the beach. We were spending the day at the beach in the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge and some youthful fishermen near us on the beach hooked a large, 95 inch, nurse shark and brought it to shore.

Nurse Shark

It was awesome to see such a beautiful creature up close and personal. Really up close. 

They were very gentle with the shark, which did not even attempt to attack anyone, but only wanted to get back into the water. 

Getting the Shark back into the Water

They measured the catch, removed the hook as best a possible without hurting the animal and released it back into the water so that the shark could get back to living. 

I have seen these sharks in the water, but seeing this large specimen up close was really a treat. Even though I know they are generally docile in the wild, I still give them a wide berth.

Everyone was very excited and the shark was treated with the utmost respect as an apex predator who was definitely out of his element.

I love the ocean and I enjoy mutually beneficial encounters between myself and the creatures which inhabit it.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Jupiter, Florida

Clouds, Sunsets and the Lighthouse

My return to Jupiter, Florida, it had been two years since my last visit, embodied almost everything that I have come to expect and appreciate.

Cloud with Halo

There was a unique cloud formation, preceding a fairly ferocious thunderstorm, in which a cloud appeared to have a halo above it. I found the clouds fascinating--and I even was able to get a fairly good representation of it from my camera.

It was a beautiful and hot afternoon and we were enjoying happy hour at a local establishment as the storm made its way toward us. 

Sunset in Jupiter

As the evening progressed we transitioned to another establishment, right on the river and were able to be impressed by a spectacular sunset. I just can find a sunset framed by palm trees in Maryland. 

Jupiter Lighthouse

The sunset last evening was truly special. Why? Because I was able to enjoy it with friends and I am on vacation! It seems that the sunsets I see on vacation are always better than those back home. 

And then there is the signature feature of Jupiter, Florida. The Jupiter lighthouse.

I enjoy looking at the lighthouse and knowing its history makes it even better. 

The site was selected before the Civil War and there was collaboration between two eventual opponents on the field of battle: Mead and Lee.

Welcome back. It is vacation time again!

-- Bob Doan, writing from Jupiter, Florida

My Take--Money Talks, but Trump needs to Walk

I was shocked about what presidential candidate Donald Trump said about John McCain and his service record. 

Trump--The Angry Man

Someone who holds so little regard for the military and military service and especially for someone who suffered intolerable injustices and remained faithful, should never be endowed with the title Commander in Chief. Period.

By the way, Trump's military service record consists of a string of deferments.

When too much money talks without filters we can dismiss the ignorance; however, should a president speak like that on the world political stage, then wars start.

Ignorance must never be tolerated. We can choose to disagree, but an intolerant and insensitive bully should never become president.

I liked his direct speak in the beginning, but the veneer has been stripped away and it is clear the Trump, the man, has become a legend in his own mind.

Ruth Marcus, columnist for the Washington Post, wrote a piece yesterday titled Donald Trump and the anger of conservatives,  describing the Trump phenomenon and why he will never become president. 

I hope she is right. The man apparently appeals to the deep, dark side of the electorate--a reaction to everything that is wrong with our country by blaming it on someone or something. His plans to rejuvenate the country are to build a wall! Really? I almost believe that his next big reform idea will to start a war with Mexico to revive the economy. 

"Speaking to a gathering of Libertarians in Las Vegas before headlining an event in Phoenix, Trump repeated his charge that Mexico was sending violent offenders to the U.S. to harm Americans and that U.S. officials were being "dumb" in dealing with immigrants in the country illegally." This was reported in The Times-Picayune. 

There is history here of which we must be aware. Extreme reactionists get elected because they appeal to those who do not understand the deeper issues facing the country and the world. They have a knack for blaming our problems on others and then promising to get rid of the others. 

The problems do not go away, they only get worse.

Trump is not the answer, he is part of the problem.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Hot--The Word of the Day

Although the year to this point has been relatively cold, the past few days have reminded me that summer can pack a real punch.

Hot and sultry weather.

People forgetting the cold weather when they were wishing for summer.

I do love the heat!

I like writing about hot weather a whole lot more than cold. 

I spent most of yesterday outside, between playing golf and attending Artscape--then hanging out in the pool. Enjoying the heat.

I, for one, like opening the door to the outside and being greeted with a hot, humid slap in the face. It is far superior to having an icy hand rip though my lungs.

Enjoy the heat, colder is not far off and then we will be longing for hot temperatures. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - July 20, 2015

Artscape in Baltimore

1. Weekends are the best!

2. Sunday was a hot summer day. It was awesome.

3. I went to Artscape in Baltimore on Sunday. I was joined by a throng of other crazy people we went out on a summer Sunday afternoon.

Mike, Levi, Jeremy on the 12th Tee
Eisenhower Golf Course

4. I started another Sunday on the golf course with Jeremy, Mike, and Levi. I wish I had played better, but my game is coming together and I only had two really terrible holes.

Statue to the Confederate
Fallen in Baltimore

5. Some of the flowers in my garden have grown very big. They are fun to look at.

6. I was approached by a well meaning person with a petition to remove a Baltimore statue erected in memory of the Confederate soldiers who lost their lives. The removal of everything Confederate is part of the misguided trend of revisionist history sweeping the country.

7. The Cuban Embassy reopens in D.C. today.  The U.S. Embassy will likewise reopen in Havana. It is about time!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD