The Journeys of the Rams: 2011

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Going Back Cabo...Cabo...Cabo!!!

Coming up October 2012, Sammy Hagar will be turning 65 and will become Medicare eligible!! Robert wants to go back to Cabo San Lucas to be there for the week long festivities. We were there in 2010 and stayed at the Finisterra resort which is not an all inclusive. The hotel suited the purpose but we decided that we wanted to try a resort with more amenities and all inclusive. We are booked at the Riu Santa Fe and we think we will like it better. We have decided to book this early as things do book up rather fast during the birthday celebration.

Renewed Passports & Booked Airfare

Our trip to Norway is becoming more of a reality!!! This past week we booked our airfare to Norway on Iceland Air. We are flying out of Dulles in Washington, DC and then to Reykjavik, Iceland and then to our awaiting ship the Vision of the Seas in Norway. Our airfare was a little over 2k for two round trip so I really do not consider that too bad. Seeing as our passports expire May 2012 we went ahead and renewed since this trip to Norway will be in June 2012. It is hard to believe that we have had our passports for 10 years, time really does fly!!! I personally believe that all US citizens should be entitled to a free passport instead the cost of renewal is $110 per passport.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Bar Harbor, Maine

On our recent cruise on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Jewel of the Seas our second port of call was Bar Harbor. A family member visited Bar Harbor raved over this quint shore town. The Main Street in Bar Harbor is just like any small town with a main street. The road into Bar Harbor is tiny with one lane roads. I can imagine would be very congested during the peak of their tourist season. All of the shops and restaurants that line Main Street are one of a kind and strike a curiosity for any shopper looking for something unique. My husband and I are had never had a lobster roll and so we decided that Bar Harbor would be place we would have to try a lobster roll. We wondered Main Street looking at restaurant menus pondering where would we have the best lobster roll experience. We settled on The Lobster Claw. We ordered the traditional lobster roll which the lobster meat was prepared with a scant amount of mayo. Our order came to the table and we were disappointed that the roll did not have any flavor. The lobster roll was like eating bland cold lobster on a buttered bun resembling and piece of Texas toast folded like a hotdog bun. Our disappointing culinary experience with the Lobster roll came to a total of $36.36 and that included 2 bland lobster rolls, over fried homemade potato chips and 2 cups of old tea that had been obviously sweetened by a northerner.

Two other shops that we visited where Fiore which carries an impressive array of artisan olive oils and vinegars. All of the olive oils and vinegars are available of sampling. I purchased the 18 year aged Dark Chocolate Balsamic as well as the Vanilla Balsamic. Both are thick and great on fruit or gelato. I could have bought so much more but I was trying to watch the weight of my luggage. The store representative kindly advised that they do ship but I decided I would be fine with the two 200ml bottles I purchased. http://fioreoliveoils.com/site/

Another great shop we visited was the Bar Harbor Tea Company. I have been to several tea shops and each is unique in the inventory that they carry. Their selection of different teas was impressive. They also carried a wide variety of local or regional teas. I was delighted to see that they also carry a wide selection of tea cozies made in a variety of fabric patterns. After going back to the shelf several times I decided on the a cozy with a blueberry pattern since Maine is known for it blueberries. http://www.barharbortea.com/

Friday, September 30, 2011

Cats of Our Travels

As many close friends and family know I have a love for all the cats of the world. I would like to share some of my pictures of the kitties of the world.

These pictures were taken at the Hemingway House in Key West, Florida and is of the descendants of one of Hemingway's polydactyl cats. I really did not care to take the tour of the house but knew that would be the only way to get to see these neat kitties.

Curious black and white kitty of Tangier Island, Virginia.

A kitty on a mission to greet visitors to his territory on Tangier Island, Virginia.

Beautiful blue-eyed Siamese begging for scraps at a restaurant on the beach in Pueto Vallarta, Mexico.

Another tabby snoozing on the picnic table at the dock on Tangier Island, Virginia.

This is Tunnah and she is one of the kitties of Shirley Plantation located in Charles City, Virginia.

This is the other kitty that resides at Shirley Plantation and her name is Sugah.

Hungary kitties eating food left behind by hikers up the mountain to the El Faro Lighthouse, Mazatlan, Mexico. As you climbed the stairs to the top of this mountain you could hear cats meowing.

Black kitty licking at the Carambola Golf and Country Club in St. Croix.

The Bay of Fundy

On our recent cruise to New England and Nova Scotia we made a day trip to the Bay of Fundy. The Bay of Fundy is located at the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian providences of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The Bay of Fundy has the highest tidal range in the world. In July, 2009, the Bay of Fundy was finalist for the New 7 Wonders of Nature contest that will end, November 2011.

This picture was taken in the fishing village of Alma, New Brunswick on the Bay of Fundy. This picture shows that the tide has already begun to go out.

This picture was taken at the same place as the picture above but just across from the river. Notice that the fishing boats are on land until the tide comes back in.

This picture was shot looking down on "Lovers Arch."

This is Staircase Cove where visitors can make the dissent down the 99 steps to the bottom of the ocean floor.

Another view of the rock formations.

A view toward to Bay of Fundy to see the progression of the tide going out.

Looking up from the ocean where normally during high would be covered with over 60 foot of water.

This is called the "Bear Rock" formation

Taken in front of "Lovers Arch," looking towards "Staircase Cove."

One will see piles of rock slabs and stone built to resemble a shape of a person with the arms stretched out. These stone structures are put up by the Inuit and are know as inukshuk which means "likeness of a person." The inukshuk is a well known symbol in the Canadian north.

This is called the "E.T." rock formation.

Another look at the Bay of Fundy watching the progression of the tide going out.

Since the phases of the moon have a large effect on the tidal ranges in the Bay of Fundy, I thought it would be neat to photograph the moon phase on our visit. On the day we were there which was September 20, 2011, the moon was in the last quarter and was 7 days away from a full moon which brings higher tides.

Taken behind an unnamed rock formation.

This rock formation is sometimes called the "Old Lady." The Bay of Fundy Park has called this the "Mother-in-law." Notice the small trees growing on the top of her head. These trees have been there for over a hundred years. These trees resemble bonsai trees as they do not get long periods of sunlight and therefore that keeps them from growing very tall.

This is the "Flowerpot" rock formation.

Lighthouses of Our Travels

My husband and I have been fortunate to visit several lighthouses on our journeys. I would like to share with you our beautiful pictures.

Bug Island Lighthouse in Portland, Maine

Spring Point Ledge Light, South Portland, Maine

Ram Island Ledge Light located on the northern side of Portland Harbor in Portland, Maine. We saw this lighthouse in the distance when we visited the Portland Head Lighthouse. I was disappointed that our guide did not mention this until asked.

Portland Head Lighthouse, Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Bear Island Lighthouse, Northeast Bar Harbor, Maine

Great Duck Island Lighthouse, Near Frenchboro, Maine

Baker's Island Lighthouse, Cranberry Island, Maine. By boat we could only see this light peaking from the tree-lined horizon. In a couple of years I would imagine this light will not be able to be seen.

Winter Harbor Lighthouse, Winter Harbor, Maine

Egg Island Lighthouse, Bar Harbor, Maine

McNabs Island Lighthouse, Halifax Nova Scotia. Our ship passed this lighthouse as we were coming into the Halifax harbor.

George's Island Lighthouse, Halifax Nova Scotia

Devil's Island Lighthouse, Halifax, Nova Scotia. We were disappointed that our boat excursion did not take us any closer.

California Lighthouse, Aruba. The lighthouse is named after a U.S. ship the California that sunk two years previous to the construction of the lighthouse in 1910.

Old Cape Henry Lighthouse, Virginia Beach, Virginia

Memories of Mom Through Travel

As many close to me know that my Mom "Vista" passed away after a short battle with rectal cancer in 2001. I am an only child and my Mom and I were close. Whenever I travel I seem to always be drawn to something with her name on it. I can't help but to think it is just her way of be my guardian angel as I am traveling. Here are just a few pictures to describe what I am referring too.

The Spice of Life - Fruits and Spices of Grenada

Many people take for granted where our produce and spices come from. Its more than just the grocery store. Spices come from an more natural place than just a can or a box labeled McCormick. On a recent trip to Grenada I was amazed that just about every spice grows on a tree.