We'll Return After This Short Message ...

Just a quick post to say that I'm still alive and kicking, I'm just not kicking with much enthusiasm!  

I will try to return to my previously scheduled blogging - including visiting everyone else - as soon as I can muster up the ambition but in the meantime I am going to step back for another day or two while I recharge and reorganize and ... well, you get the idea I'm sure! 

I Found Yet Another Reason to Go to Salem!

While perusing status updates on Facebook Friday evening I came across one from the Hawthorne Hotel which read, "Do you love history, and patriotism too?! Come to Salem on Saturday (tomorrow) to witness the Commemoration of the 374th Anniversary of the First Muster of the National Guard." Well, gee, I love history and patriotism! I also have a soft spot for men in uniform and seem to have a love affair going on with Salem, too, so it was like that status update was speaking just to me. Hmmm, should I or shouldn't I?

As I sat mulling over whether a trip north to photograph the Muster and take Amanda to lunch might be a good idea, I received a message from Juli (the sainted woman who saved the day when Amanda was having roommate problems at Montserrat) making the prospect even more tempting in the form of an invitation to dinner at her house.  Amanda had absolutely raved about meals at Juli's house as well as how funny Juli's husband Walt is so couple that with the chance to spend more time chatting with Juli herself and my decision was pretty much a done deal.  It really locked into place when I was offered the chance to stay at the Hawthorne again as you know what a sucker I am for that place!  Alright then, Jamie and I were heading to Salem bright and early on Saturday morning!  A few messages back and forth had my plans all set so the only thing left was to get to bed so that I could get up at 6:00 in order to be out the door at 7:00 being that the Muster began at 10:00 and I wanted to make sure we were there in plenty of time.

Fortunately the weather was bright and sunny when we left (even though we're still looking for more spring-like temperatures) and with it still being fairly early and traffic not being bad, I decided to take an alternate route to my usual drive up to the North Shore and drive up through Boston via Interstate 93 rather than taking the Mass Pike which gets real old real fast! As we approached Boston itself I asked Jamie to take a couple of pictures which she grudgingly did.  I don't get it ... if I were a passenger I'd probably be snapping pictures all the time but alas neither of my two kids seems to appreciate it when I ask them to take a few shots! Probably because it takes their attention away from changing the song on the stereo!

With four new tires on the car, I practically sailed to Salem (Memo to Self: it's too easy to drive too fast on new tires so watch it!) and we arrived in town before 10:00 a.m.  First Muster would eventually wind up on Salem Common which is directly adjacent to the Hawthorne Hotel so I decided that parking there would probably be my best bet however, being that the lot is reserved for guests of the hotel and a parking permit is required to be displayed I decided I'd pop into the hotel to see if I could get my permit early so that it would be okay to park there.  Much to my delight, not only was I able to get my parking permit but I was also able to check in early as our room was ready.  You have got to love a hotel that will let you check in before 10 a.m.- a good six hours before the usual 4 p.m. check-in time! 

Being that the Hawthorne is doing some major renovations with their bathrooms and forty rooms are currently under reconstruction, for this visit Jamie and I were going to be doing something completely different and spending the night at the Suzannah Flint House which is a historic Bed & Breakfast-style property located to the rear of the Hawthorne's parking lot. The Hawthorne acquired the historic 1807 property that once belonged to Salem Schoolmaster John Gray in 2003 and offer it as an alternative to the main hotel for guests that like a more intimate feel. If you'd like to read more about the house's name, please follow this link over to the Hawthorne Hotel's blog for more information. It does make me wonder why it's still called the Suzannah Flint House and not the Fidelia Bridges house though. 

The house has four rooms for guests - two upstairs and two downstairs; Jamie and I would be staying in the "Garden Room" located on the first floor of the house. Our room was quite lovely as well as sunny and bright - I loved all the windows! - and trimmed in one of my favorite colors, a soothing green. The antique wide pine floors are covered in Oriental rugs and each room has a decorative fireplace along with a queen-size bed and a sofa sleeper and are quite roomy.  There's also free internet and cable television for those that can't go without the modern conveniences. We never turned the TV on but Jamie wasted no time in making sure that the internet worked!

On a small table next to the sofa bed, there was a journal available for guests to leave a message for those who came after them and even though I forgot to write a passage myself, I did enjoy looking through to see what others had written. One of the latest entries was about four pages long and quite interesting!

As I've found from my previous stays in the main hotel, the bathrooms at the Hawthorne definitely add to the uniqueness and charm of staying at a historic hotel but they may not be exactly what a lot of people appreciate (which is probably one of the main reasons that they're undergoing major renovations right now). The bathroom at the Suzannah Flint House was no exception as it was divided into two "water closets" as it were.

The shower closet was pretty small - so small in fact that there was no way that I could even take a picture! - but the shower itself was great as I found out on Sunday morning. Lots of hot water and really good pressure so even though it was probably akin to taking a shower in a phone booth, I didn't really mind it. The rest of the bathroom was in another "closet" and had what is probably the smallest sink I have ever seen! The term "Doll's House" came to mind several times in regards to the bathrooms but considering that when the house was built indoor plumbing was right up there with space travel, it's understandable that the bathrooms are as tiny as they are. For me, it adds to the charm and they're certainly more than functional but again, that may not be everybody's cup of tea.

Guests that stay at the Suzannah Flint House are welcome to use all of the amenities of the main hotel which is not far away at all - I'd say a stone's throw if you've got a good arm! - but with the exception of taking Amanda to lunch at the Tavern on Saturday afternoon, I only popped in and out long enough to check in and check out.  Even for just those short transactions, though, the staff was its usual friendly and helpful self and I felt like I was visiting family and not just spending the night at a hotel.  I know I've said this before but it bears repeating that part of the big draw for me at the Hawthorne is the way the staff makes me feel when I'm there.  They go out of their way to make sure that everything is as close to perfect as it can be.  The Hawthorne is one of the most guest-friendly hotels I have ever stayed at and I'm not just saying that because the General Manager has become a friend, I'm saying it because it's true!

As always, I had an excellent night's sleep with no disturbances whatsoever (rats, still no ghosts to write about!) and it seems that Jamie did, too ...

Honest - she really is under there somewhere!  She had told me Saturday night that she wasn't too sure how comfortable the sofa bed was going to be so if I woke up to find her sleeping next to me to not be surprised but it turns out that the pull-out bed was quite comfortable and I had to nudge her awake around 9:30!  

All in all I had yet another wonderful stay in Salem thanks to the Hawthorne.  I really think I'm getting spoiled for any other hotels, though!  

As soon as I can get the pictures sorted through I'll be posting about our "real" reason for going up to Salem this weekend which was the 374th Anniversary of the very first muster of what turned out to be the National Guard - something that was pretty cool in my history-loving book!  For now though I'll leave you with a sneak peak at that post. Oh, and did I happen to mention that I have a soft spot for men in uniform?

The Long-Awaited Vacation, Part Eight

Exactly one month ago on Wednesday evening, March 2nd, our ship got ready to head out of Saint Thomas en route to our next port of call at San Juan. Barb and I were rather hungry after our "what the hell" of a day on the island so just before six o'clock I made my way aft to our assigned dining room where I joined the hungry crowd waiting outside of the still-closed doors. See? I wasn't kidding about there being a lot of people on the ship despite what most of my other pictures have shown so far!



Before I get to the rest of the pictures in this post, allow me to tell you right up front that they aren't very good as I was shooting on low level lighting without a flash as I was trying to take some pictures and not disturb people in the process.  As such there is a lot of blur and the exposure isn't all that great but I think you'll forgive me just this one time, right? 


This picture of Barb and I was obviously not taken by myself hence the lighting is good and there's no blur - thanks, Zane!  I think Barb was telling me something about her drink or I was telling her that "what the hell" was no longer an acceptable answer - I forget which! 


Miss Bee will need to correct me if I'm wrong but I think this was Lobster Bisque which was a'ight but not the best I've had (that honor goes to my boss, Matt, who makes one mighty fine Lobster Bisque!)  There were some very tasty soups on the Glory but this wasn't really one of 'em though it is the only I have a picture of!


A shot of Sandy who is a true Georgia Peach if I've ever met one.  I can't think of enough nice words to say about this lovely lady or her husband ... 


... and her own personal Maytag Man, Dick, who was giving me the Evil Eye for pointing the camera in his direction! 

Sandee, Sarge Charlie, and Miss Bee.  Oh, and that cute guy in the back?  One of our waiters who did a fantastic job.  Honestly, for customer service I will say that you cannot beat a cruise ship! 


My entree for the evening - obviously some sort of fish but again I don't remember what kind! Heck, it's been a month since I had this meal and I generally can't remember what I had the day before! 


Another shot of Dick and Sandy and a partial shot of Zane. 


Sandee and Zane with our head waiter, Miguel, who was a very nice man as well as most courteous and conscientious.  There's just something about being called "Miss" at my age that I rather like!  


Sarge Charlie was obviously hungry, too, as he tucked into his Southern Fried Chicken.  I had that one other night and it was very good so I don't blame him in the least!


This dessert was highly recommended by Miss Bee but again I can't for the life of me remember the name of it but I bet she does!  You made a hole with your spoon in the center and then the waiter poured cream in the middle - delicious!  Almost as good as the Grand Marnier Souffle I had one our last night which was in my opinion the best dessert of the whole cruise! I could really go for one right now but alas there is none in sight!


Partially through dinner I noticed that we didn't really seem to be moving though we were due to have pushed off already.  Turns out that there was some sort of problem with the propellor and we hadn't even left the dock in Saint Thomas yet so following dinner Barb and I made our way to my favorite deck to enjoy the evening air and watch our departure. 


A night view of Saint Thomas and the tramway that Barb and I should have taken rather than the tour that we did.  Ah well - what the hell - live and learn, right? 


The blue lights on the deck made this orange life preserver look like it was actually purple! 


Finally we started to push away from the dock and make our way towards Puerto Rico. 


Hey!  Who were all these other people out on my deck??  I guess Barb and I weren't the only ones who wanted to watch as we left Saint Thomas. 


I really should have had my tripod with me if I was going to try to do some night photography but I propped my camera on the railing and hoped for the best.  This one isn't too bad I reckon. 


A small boat came out to give our ship a nudge and a little help putting us on our way before heading back to shore. And yes, I had to hang part way over the railing to get this shot but thankfully neither I nor my Nikon ended up in the drink!  If we had, somebody else would be writing this post with different pictures!


Once we were away from the lights of the island, Barb and I took a walk down to the aft section of Deck 5 where some of the nightclubs/bars were located. Superstar Live, which is basically karoake with a live band and back-up singers, was going on so we decided to take a seat and watch for awhile. I believe the gentleman singing above was named Larry and boy, did he like to sing.  He'd finish one song and a couple others later he'd be right back up there again!  He was a decent singer but his enthusiasm was better than his voice.  Still, I give him major points for getting up and singing in front of strangers - major points! 


Being that we were in a nightclub I did what any good cruiser would do and ordered a drink.  This rather colorful combination is called The Twilight Zone which is made up of Midori, Appleton Estate Rum, Blue Curacao, coconut cream, and crushed pineapple.  Let me just say that it was very, very tasty and probably added to my good night's sleep!

I don't remember this gal's name but she was really, really good.  Unfortunately she only did one song which is really too bad as I'd have liked to hear her sing a couple others.  I think Larry jumped back on the stage after her! At that point Barb and I decided to call it a night as we would be in Puerto Rico early the next morning and it was a port that we were both looking forward to so we wanted to make sure we'd be ready to head out bright and early to explore what turned out to be the favorite port for both of us.

Five on Friday - The Nickelback Version

I'm afraid that Amanda would probably roll her eyes at my choices for this week's Five on Friday being that she is of the opinion that every song that Nickelback does sounds like the last. I suspect that to a certain extent she may be right but I like the boys from Alberta, Canada regardless and have been listening to them since 2001 when the band released their Silver Side Up album which propelled them into the mainstream. The first single that I remember listening to, "How You Remind Me", was a huge success peaking at #1 on both the American and Canadian charts at the same time so obviously I wasn't the only one who liked these guys!  So there, Amanda!

My favorite song of the set is "If Today Were Your Last Day" but I quite like the rest, too, and it was darned hard to pick just five but I wanted to stay within the rules!  Don't forget to pop over to Trav's Thoughts and check out the other FOFers and their choices for this first day of April which is a rainy, snowy, and cold one here in New England - meh.

The Long-Awaited Vacation, Part Seven

Someone once wrote "Ever notice that ‘What the hell’ is always the right decision?" and I guess that maybe to a certain extent he's right but in this post, I'm going to refute that particular axiom as I made that very decision in Saint Thomas and I really think it was perhaps the wrong answer in this case!

Wednesday, March 2nd, would eventually find us in Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands but not until a little later in the day which gave Barb and I the opportunity to try breakfast in the Golden Dining Room which did Open Seating for both breakfast and lunch. Turned out that this was the best way to have breakfast on the ship as it gave you a chance to not only have a nice relaxing breakfast that you didn't have to stand in line for but it also gave us the chance to meet some of our shipmates. Now, I know you're going to be thinking that I spent my whole cruise avoiding people due to what I've said so far but that's not necessarily true - I liked meeting them in small groups just not all at once!

In the picture above the gentleman on the left was from  Ohio and he was there with his wife whose elbow you can almost see!  The lady sitting next to him was from Canada, her husband had been sitting across from her but he'd obviously disappeared when I took this.  Both couples were very nice and I thoroughly enjoyed having breakfast with them.

As you can see, Barb found something of interest to listen to in the conversation as the couple from Ohio owned a flower shop and I believe they were exchanging business owner stories!  And aren't you pleased that I brought my camera along and even remembered to use it for a change?!?  Woohoo! The day was off to a fine start.

Following our delightful meal with delightful company, Barb and I made our way out to my favorite spot on Deck 3 Starboard so that I could take some pictures as we approached Saint Thomas.  Have I mentioned how much I liked that spot?? 

Rumor had it that Saint Thomas was one of the prettiest islands in the Caribbean and we were both ready to get off the ship and take some nice pictures. We had even formed a plan which was to take the tramway up to a vista point where there was a restaurant where we could have a tropical drink whilst enjoying the view, take pictures there, and then make our way back down and explore some more of the island.

First though I needed to make sure I sent some postcards so after getting off the ship we popped into a nearby shop and then the Post Office which were conveniently located next to each other!  Saint Thomas being a U.S. Territory it didn't cost me anywhere near the amount of money to mail postcards there that it did in Nassau - plus we had the added benefit of 3G service on our AT&T cell phones.  It was nice to be back in touch with the people back home who - believe it or not - I quite missed.

So ... anyway ... while I finished up in the Post Office, Barb stepped outside where it had just finished sprinkling a little bit and when I came out she was talking to a gentleman who was trying to talk Barb into coming along on his tour truck to see the island that way instead of going up on the tram.  He said that if we took the tram, we'd only see one view but if we went with him he could give us numerous views of different parts of the island.  Barb told the driver that we weren't interested in shopping or anything like that but that we both wanted to take pictures and he assured us that we would be able to get great pictures if we took his tour.  Barb asked me what I thought about the idea and that's when I uttered that later-to-be-regretted phrase, "What the hell"  and threw a "Why not?" behind it.

After climbing into his tour truck, which was essentially a double cab pick-up truck with seats in the back and a covered roof, we waited for some other folks from Argentina to join us along with another couple of ladies who I think got off the Glory also.  The driver climbed in and off we went but not very far.  We came to a stop at a small plaza/shopping area still within site of the ship and the driver left us there saying that he'd be back in about an hour so that we'd have time do some shopping at the outdoor market.

Excuse me?  Shopping?  Hello?  Did we not make it clear that neither one of us were interested in shopping? What the hell? The driver told us he'd meet us back in the dusty park near a particular group of benches and off he went while I decided to take pictures of what is probably one of the U.S. Coast Guard's most coveted assignments ...

Avoiding the shopping area like it was inhabited by lepers, Barb and I walked around a bit and found a spot where we could sit at an outside table and partake of a local brew while killing some time waiting for our driver to get back.  The Island Summer Ale was a'ight but it could have been a bit colder for my liking but still ... what the hell, right?

One of the things that I found rather ironic or funny or both was that the place that we ended up grabbing our beer at looked awfully darned familiar to me except for the fact that it was located on a tropical island rather than in the middle of the Maine Coast.  Matter of fact, if i didn't know better, I might have sworn that I was sitting in Camden, Maine rather than Saint Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands!

Oh well, I was pretty sure that were I sitting outside of Linda Bean's Perfect Maine Lobster Roll shop in Camden that I wouldn't be looking at palm trees!

Checking our watches, it looked like it was about time to head back over to the dusty little park where we had been dropped off at to meet up with our driver so Barb and I made our way back though not before I got a picture of some the local ambulances which sure didn't look anything like the ones I dispatch back home!

While we waited I took a few more pictures because that's just what I do!

Island "Chicks"

An Island Street

An Island Steeple

Our ship and two others sitting just across the bay

Our driver finally returned but two of our party didn't as the other two ladies that had ridden over with us just seemed to disappear ... they probably got a tip that they'd be better off staying where they were and walking back to the cruise ship!  Ah well, what the hell, right?  Finally starting out on our "tour" we went up a rather busy and winding road to a scenic point where we were able to pile out of the truck for about ten minutes and take pictures elbow to elbow with a whole lot of other tourists.  Again, what the hell?

Getting back into the truck we continued up the windy, curvy, very busy road and then pulled off at another "scenic area" where apparently the whole idea was to try some sort of frozen rum drink and then hopefully buy one from a guy who was apparently a friend of our driver. What the hell? Oh how convienent but no sale from either Barb or myself who were neither too impressed with the view or the drinks!

The driver had promised to show us some of Saint Thomas' beautiful beaches so Barb asked him if were going to see Magens Bay which is one of the top ten rated beaches in the world but he gave us some song and dance about how it would cost $8 more to see Magens Bay and he'd take us to another beach instead that was free where we could go stick our toes in the water.  What the hell?

Neither Barb nor I had any interest in sticking our toes in the water whatsoever so rather than amble down to the beach with our "tour guide" and the Argentinians we opted to stay in our truck and wait for them to come back.  After awhile, though, I decided what the hell and went down to the water to take a couple of pictures of Sapphire Beach which is where we had ended up at.

The beach weren't much as far as I was concerned but I did like the clouds! Look how tiny they make that cruise ship look!

I was particularly partial to the palms, too!

After what seemed like an interminable amount of time, everyone regrouped and climbed back into the truck and off we drove back towards the area where our ships were docked.  The driver dropped us off in the middle of yet another shopping area - what the hell? - though this one at least had actual buildings complete with a tobacconist where I grabbed a couple cigars for some friends back home and Barb got one for her father before we wandered back to our ship all the while wondering what the big deal about Saint Thomas was.  Barb had been there before and said that she had thoroughly enjoyed it but that was 16 years ago so she wasn't sure if things had changed that much or what the hell had made it so different.

If you ask me, I'd have to say that it hadn't changed that much but that 'what the hell' in this case had most definitely been the wrong answer! You can darned well bet that I'll be thinking twice before I answer something that way again!