Florida Day 3

Our day started out with a drive to Sarasota to have lunch at Yoder's restaurant with Irene Chmura, a former DTE co-worker who retired several years ago and now winters south of Sarasota.  Yoder's is an Amish restaurant with home made food and delicious pies.  We had a great conversation and a good lunch with slices of pie for dessert. YUM!

On our way back north we stopped by the Apollo Beach power plant where manatees gather in the winter due to the warm water output from the coal plant.  They have a nice (free) visitor center there.  We had one manatee swim right below us. They also had a petting tank for string rays there.  We walked down another path and saw that there were dozens of manatees up closer to the power plant and farther from the visitor center.
After we got back to the motel we sat in the sun and walked the beach for a while. 

It's been a good day.  And hopefully tomorrow is spectacular as we plan to join 100,000+ to watch the initial launch of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy.  

Florida - Day 2

We enjoyed another relaxing day while reading about all the snow back at home in Dearborn. Meanwhile with rain predicted for later in the day here, we headed to the Seaside Bird Sanctuary which we like to visit when in the area. It has no admission charge but an opportunity for a free will donation. 

It was nice to see, and they have quite a variety of birds, including some owls and a lot of pelicans and other local sea birds.  Those that have injuries are treated and released unless they need continued care, which they are given.  All of this is done through donations.  While we were at the sanctuary, we also took a walk on the beach. 

The rain started after we got back to our room but our plan was to stay in and watch the Super Bowl.
Tomorrow is a trip to Sarasota to have lunch with a former co-worker at DTE who now winters a bit south of here.   And sunshine is predicted!

Florida - Day 1

Today was our travel day for a week at St Pete Beach.  We're staying at the Plaza Beach Motel, a place my parents found a couple of decades ago, and both my sister and I have kept up the tradition of staying here.  It has been quite a few years since Mary and I have been here, but we're already enjoying it.

One thing we really like is that it is right on the beach, so you just walk out and there you are!  After we checked in we took a walk on the beach down to the Don Cesar Hotel.  It was about 1 mile,  but listening to the waves made it seem a lot closer.  What a nice start to our vacation.



After that we walked across the street to Chick-fil-a, then to a Publix store to buy groceries for the week since our room comes with kitchenette.  Looking forward to a relaxing week.

Mexican Riviera Cruise Day 10

Today was our last sea day as we continue heading towards San Francisco, passing San Diego early this morning.  Fortunately the seas are a lot calmer today, altho we still have noticeable ship movement.  Due to the heavy seas last night both Mary and I took seasickness pills and slept well all night. However when we woke up this morning we both were lacking energy.  So much so that after going to breakfast we laid back down and slept another hour!  I slept thru Zumba so I walked a mile on the deck instead. 

After having lunch from the grill in our room I headed to bridge and Mary to the DJ Bob Ray show on The Beatles. After that came printing boarding passes, packing, and the other last day things-to-do. 

Dinner will be in the buffet tonight since we both agreed that the dining room menu did not have any appealing entrees. 

So this concludes my blogs about this trip since all this is left is to leave the ship tomorrow and fly home. 

Mexican Riviera Cruise Day 9

Today was our second last sea day as we head north to San Francisco.  We're still sailing near the Baja California peninsula and should sail past San Diego by the morning.  I had my usual sea day activities today, Zumba and Bridge, and we went to DJ Bob Ray's 3rd lecture which was about One Hit Wonders.  

After having very quiet and smooth seas for 8 days, that changed today in a big way!  Starting early afternoon our mid forward cabin got quite bouncy so we both headed to the Piazza which is on deck 5 in the middle of the ship and stayed there all afternoon since it had much less motion than our cabin.  We did head to our cabin to change clothes for dinner then headed back to deck 5 to the dining room.  There seems to be a bit less motion this evening, but occasionally we do get jostled around a bit. We're hoping the seas calm down tomorrow for our last sea day as we continue north. 

What made today very special is tonight's dinner which was Mary's all time favorite.  She had a crab and caviar appetizer followed by a main course of  lobster and prawns with Floating Islands for dessert (merengue floating on a vanilla sauce).  YUM!  

After dinner we went to one of Princess' best production shows - Born to Dance - followed by a special performance by These Guys in the Piazza. We always marvel at the Born to Dance show as it covers all the major Broadway musicals.  

Mexican Riviera Cruise Day 8 - Cabo San Lucus

We had great day in Cabo!  Our morning excursion was one of the best, with a boat ride to see the famous arch, followed by a short bus ride for more views of the bay.  This was clearly the best port day on our cruise.  Beautiful scenery and weather combined with a super excursion. 

Our morning started very early as we had to be ready for our tender ride to the town by 7:15 am.  Once there we boarded a large catamaran that took us to the southernmost point of Baja California and around it into the Pacific Ocean. Both Mary and I took so many pictures -- we just could not stop, it was that pretty. Lots of sunshine and very pleasant (mid 70's) temperatures made for a great boat ride.  Ours was the only boat there that early;  by the time we got back into the bay at least 6 small boats were up close to the arch and the sea lions that rest near it.  We could see this area from our cabin balcony where our ship was anchored, and for the rest of the day, every time we looked, there was a swarm of small boats there.

Our next stop on the excursion was a restaurant with fabulous views of the bay.  We were treated to a refreshing adult beverage as we enjoyed the sunshine and the views.  What a relaxing way to end the morning. 

After doing some shopping, we caught a tender back to the ship, enjoying an open air ride on the top deck. We enjoyed a relaxing afternoon, reading books, getting some sun, and doing emails.  I did take a break to participate in a golf putting game in the Piazza, but did not do very well.

Tonight we saw great show by a group called These Guys.   They are a singing quartet who put on a great show with music ranging from The Temptations, to Jersey Boys to Chicago to barbershop quartet and a whole lot in between!  If you ever get a chance to her them I highly recommend it! 

Our ship is now headed towards San Francisco but we won't think about that yet!

Mexican Riviera Cruise Day 7 - Mazatlan

We had an early excursion this morning, a bus trip showing us the highlights of Mazatlan.  We were driven through "The Golden Zone", filled with 4- and 5-star hotels with beach views.  There was a shopping stop which included tasting Mexico's own Pacifico beer.  Also we saw a cliff diver (amazing!), lots of rocky coastline, and a pretty cathedral.  

After  having burgers for having lunch on our balcony, I played goofy carpet bowling (think bocci with lopsided balls) and then golf putting.  I came in tied for 2nd in both events. After sail-away we went to dinner (Italian night!) and then watched the NCAA championship game.  

Cabo San Lucas tomorrow.