May 10, 2008 Ship of Thieves! Stealing the Magic..AGAIN!!! Panama Canal FL to CA!!! Part 4

[been2marceline]

Oh, dear. I've been away for a few days and now I'm really, really behind. About 150 pages, I think. Did I miss anything good?

Thursday morning I was on my way out to the car in the garage to go to work. I loaded a bunch of stuff in the car because we were going camping that afternoon. Well, on my final trip out, I noticed I forgot to turn off the light, so I jump back up on the 2nd step, opened the door, turned off the light, and turned to go down the steps and to the car. Well, I guess I lost my balance or footing or whatever, but I fell onto my right side, hard, really hard. Thank goodness I didn't hit my head, I was able to stop that with my right arm. However, I did do some damage to my right ankle. I laid there for a good 20 minutes before I could even think about getting up. But I managed to get myself back into the house, the phone, and a chair. Called my husband at work and he finally got to the house about 2 hours later. Seems his boss would not let him leave until he was finished doing what he was doing. Even though she knew he had an emergency. Jeezzzz, for all she knew I could have still be laying on the garage floor. Anyway, we tossed around going to the doctor or the emergency room and finally decided we would just wrap it and try to go on with our camping plans. We made it to Moses Lake later that evening and I was hurting but not horribly. Next morning however was different. I was hurting pretty bad by that time. The next moring, Saturday, I was in horrible pain. On a scale from 1-10 it was a 10. So we decided to leave. We dropped off my parents and their RV, picked up our car and headed for the emergency room. They gave some percuset (sp?) and took some xrays. Turns out it is a severe sprain on both sides of my ankle. No break or fracture they could see. Doctor ordered me completely off of it for a week. They gave me an ace bandage, a boot, crutches, and a note for my boss. I'm sure he will be very pleased when he reads my email that I will be working from home all of next week. So, that's my sad, sad story. Enough rambling.

Did I miss anything the last 4 or 5 days?

Tina

Tina,

I have sprained both ankles many times in the past. I know that it is very painful, but be sure to keep them elevated and iced.

Good luck! Sorry for the break in your vacation.

Yes, you missed a lot... but oh well...

Karen

 

[woody73]

Yes, that's the one! How close is it to your house? I think it's near the beach too, but I'm not certain. I know the Santa Monica pier is not far also. Any other points of interest nearby? We'll be staying there for one week after cruise. Is it a nice hotel? From what I've read, it appears to be. What do you think?

The Crowne Plaza is a very nice hotel, facing the Redondo Beach marina. Try to get a room facing the ocean if possible. We are about two miles away.

There are many, many wonderful restaurants nearby. The Cheesecake Factory is practically across the street, as is Ruby's Diner (a 50's style restaurant) with views of Seaside Lagoon (great for kids) and the water. We go to the marina often.

From your hotel, the Redondo Pier is to the south, and the Hermosa Pier to the north. Hermosa has many restautrants and clubs, including the Comedy and Magic Club where Jay Leno performs on Sundays. ComedyAndMagicClub

Woody

 

[been2marceline]

We're almost there..............


ARGGGGGGG! Maties!

Whew!! Good job Jackie!!

ARRRGGGG!!!

Pirate you are!!

Karen

 

[EllaEnchanted]

The Crowne Plaza is a very nice hotel, facing the Redondo Beach marina. Try to get a room facing the ocean if possible. We are about two miles away.

There are many, many wonderful restaurants nearby. The Cheesecake Factory is practically across the street, as is Ruby's Diner (a 50's style restaurant) with views of Seaside Lagoon (great for kids) and the water. We go to the marina often.

From your hotel, the Redondo Pier is to the south, and the Hermosa Pier to the north. Hermosa has many restautrants and clubs, including the Comedy and Magic Club where Jay Leno performs on Sundays. ComedyAndMagicClub

Woody

Wow, how cool. OK then I'm happy to spend a week there. It sounds exactly like the kind of area I was looking for. Yes, I want an oceanfront room. I think they have terraces also. Maybe we could go to dinner after cruise to one of those great restaurants. We'll talk more about it on the cruise. Thanks for all your help and input today. Now I'm getting excited about my stay in LA after the cruise as well.

 

[woody73]

Thanks, that's a great link, lots of good info. But, Enterprise not open on Sunday when we get off the ship. How far would it be to Long Beach airport from there? Could take a cab or car service and have more car rental company options. If Long Beach is the next closest, if they even have an airport...still working out the details. I'm trying to get it planned now because in three weeks it'll be one year and I can finally book everything. YEAHHHH gotta get those ressies done asap.

From the port, your hotel is to the northwest. The Long Beach airport is to the northeast.

Personally, if I were staying at the Redondo Beach Crown Plaza, I would take a taxi, shuttle or towncar straight to the hotel and wouldn't get a rental car until I needed it. I recall there's a rental car desk at the hotel with cars onsite. I would also see if the hotel has an airport shuttle. I would then weigh the options (renting for the week vs. the days I needed a car; returning the rental at the airport vs. taking the shuttle).

Woody

 

[been2marceline]

Karen:
What is your website again? My mom wanted to take a peak...she was looking for a few wines.

Thanks

Kaylee,

www.winemiles.com

Thanks!

Karen

 

[DisneyVegas1]

Thank you for asking Deb, he is doing fair. He has not really been the same since mom passed away, and I feel like I am watching him decline before my eyes. He is now using a walker to get around - up until last year he always used to pride himself on how much walking he did.

I am hoping he recovers more fully, but it is slow going.

I only quoted this to get youe attention John ,

I got your message over on the EB thread , Yes I was aware of that but I got hired buy the really Big theater here in town to be Jack all opening weekend so I wont really be able to get down to LA for it ...But thanks for at least thinking about me ...

 

[EllaEnchanted]

From the port, your hotel is to the northwest. The Long Beach airport is to the northeast.

Personally, if I were staying at the Redondo Beach Crown Plaza, I would take a taxi, shuttle or towncar straight to the hotel and wouldn't get a rental car until I needed it. I recall there's a rental car desk at the hotel with cars onsite. I would also see if the hotel has an airport shuttle. I would then weigh the options (renting for the week vs. the days I needed a car; returning the rental at the airport vs. taking the shuttle).

Woody

Good info and thanks again so much for your help today. It does make more sense to rent a car from the hotel as needed. We could always do car service to the hotel from the boat and to the airport at the end of the week. I have to wait another three weeks before I can book, but then I'll call the hotel and ask about rentals and shuttles. It does sound like a better way to go. If we go straight to the hotel and get a cab or car service, do you want to share with us? If you don't already have a ride back. Just let me know. Thank you so much again. You have really been a great help.

 

[woody73]

. . . Yes, I want an oceanfront room. I think they have terraces also.

The terraces are like a veranda on land, at a fraction of the cost. Perfect place to enjoy your favorite beverage while watching the sunset.

. . . Maybe we could go to dinner after cruise to one of those great restaurants. We'll talk more about it on the cruise.

That would be nice!

Woody

 

[woody73]

If we go straight to the hotel and get a cab or car service, do you want to share with us? If you don't already have a ride back. Just let me know.

Thank you for the kind offer. I'll let you know.

Woody

 

[EllaEnchanted]

Thank you for the kind offer. I'll let you know.

Woody

Hey Woody, it's not like we don't have a year to work it out...no pressure to know what your plans are right now. Just keep it in mind as time goes on, it's another option.

So who is travelling with you? On this trip it will just be me and DH John. We have a GTY 5 so we don't know where on the boat we'll be. How about you? Do you have an assigned SR number?

 

[NotSoLittleMermaid]

My children are 35 and 29 now and they both remember the trip fondly. We were moving from CA to OR and DH had come up 6 weeks before us. We had to wait for school to be out, he had to get to the new job if he wanted it. It was a challenging trip because it was a 29 hour trip and we could not get a sleeper. Food was also a challenge as there was 1 dining car that sat 60 people and there were 600 people on the train. We managed though and we laughed and saw beautiful country and they got to experience riding a train and eating in a dining car. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I have wonderful memories (even though I was very young-in the early 50s) of taking the train from our hometown in AZ to CA with my grandmother. I remember hearing the porter ring some chimes as he walked down the hallway saying, "Last call for supper! Last call for supper." My ex-husband and I took the train from Phoenix to New Orleans in the mid 80s. It was 2 full days and one night. I really loved it. We flew home--the cost of the train was the same as flying. I feel fortunate to have had those opportunities.

 

[been2marceline]

I have wonderful memories (even though I was very young-in the early 50s) of taking the train from our hometown in AZ to CA with my grandmother. I remember hearing the porter ring some chimes as he walked down the hallway saying, "Last call for supper! Last call for supper." My ex-husband and I took the train from Phoenix to New Orleans in the mid 80s. It was 2 full days and one night. I really loved it. We flew home--the cost of the train was the same as flying. I feel fortunate to have had those opportunities.

We took the train in Alaska. From Fairbanks to Denali and then from Denali to Anchorage. It was wonderful!! First class dining and comfortable seating.
We really enjoyed it!! Incredible scenery too, as one would imagine!!

Karen

 

[NotSoLittleMermaid]

Funny thing about this whole ankle thing is, the very first thing I thought after falling was....Thank God this didn't happen a year from now. I would probably have to miss the cruise!

I went on my first Disney cruise with a broken foot. I was going to cancel but my sister said I could sit in a deck chair just as easily as I could sit around at home, and she was right!

 

[EllaEnchanted]

I went on my first Disney cruise with a broken foot. I was going to cancel but my sister said I could sit in a deck chair just as easily as I could sit around at home, and she was right!

I went with a popped rib once. I put a brace on, ate some muscle relaxers and had the best time anyway. I just couldn't go in the pool or hot tub because I needed to keep the brace dry and it would hurt too much to take it off. I only took it off for showers. But I still had a great time!

 

[woody73]

So who is travelling with you? On this trip it will just be me and DH John.

Mrs. Woody, of course! And possibly two or three other families.

We have a GTY 5 so we don't know where on the boat we'll be. How about you? Do you have an assigned SR number?

We are also GTY. Not sure which category.

Woody

 

[granmaz]

Oh, dear. I've been away for a few days and now I'm really, really behind. About 150 pages, I think. Did I miss anything good?

Thursday morning I was on my way out to the car in the garage to go to work. I loaded a bunch of stuff in the car because we were going camping that afternoon. Well, on my final trip out, I noticed I forgot to turn off the light, so I jump back up on the 2nd step, opened the door, turned off the light, and turned to go down the steps and to the car. Well, I guess I lost my balance or footing or whatever, but I fell onto my right side, hard, really hard. Thank goodness I didn't hit my head, I was able to stop that with my right arm. However, I did do some damage to my right ankle. I laid there for a good 20 minutes before I could even think about getting up. But I managed to get myself back into the house, the phone, and a chair. Called my husband at work and he finally got to the house about 2 hours later. Seems his boss would not let him leave until he was finished doing what he was doing. Even though she knew he had an emergency. Jeezzzz, for all she knew I could have still be laying on the garage floor. Anyway, we tossed around going to the doctor or the emergency room and finally decided we would just wrap it and try to go on with our camping plans. We made it to Moses Lake later that evening and I was hurting but not horribly. Next morning however was different. I was hurting pretty bad by that time. The next moring, Saturday, I was in horrible pain. On a scale from 1-10 it was a 10. So we decided to leave. We dropped off my parents and their RV, picked up our car and headed for the emergency room. They gave some percuset (sp?) and took some xrays. Turns out it is a severe sprain on both sides of my ankle. No break or fracture they could see. Doctor ordered me completely off of it for a week. They gave me an ace bandage, a boot, crutches, and a note for my boss. I'm sure he will be very pleased when he reads my email that I will be working from home all of next week. So, that's my sad, sad story. Enough rambling.

Did I miss anything the last 4 or 5 days?

Tina

Ouch, ouch, ouch!!! Hope your ankle is feeling much better now.

DH is gold medallion and I am only silver medallion. Last week when we were flying home from Vegas, we bought uber cheap seats because it is so short and using our miles is a waste on that short of flight. Anyway, DH got upgraded due to his "status" and I did not. Nice huh! He was in first class and I was in coach. Met some really nice people who thought it was hysterical though! They actually paged DH on the plane and told him to move. He stood up and left and in about 16 seconds someone came in with his seat.

This happened to me returning to the UK from NY. It was a very busy flight and the staff were quite flustered. I got to the gate and they changed my seat number but not John's. I was upgraded to Club(British Airways Business class) whilst poor John stayed in the back. It was wonderful with almost flat beds, great food and service. He has never got over it!!!

I love shoes too...but shoes don't love me My feet are hard to fit, I have a long narrow foot which wasn't too much of a problem in my younger days, but now my toes hurt in almost any shoe (arthritis)

You expressed it so well

I have a problem with shoes too!!

Oh my gosh!! How I wish we lived CLOSE to one another!!

That' sounds so good!! AND it sounds like it is HEALTHY too!!

Enjoy!! I'll live vivaciously through you again!!

Karen

Bread is great, butter is not!!!!!

 

[UKANGEL]

well! hope everyone had a lovely weekend! Its been absolutely glorious weather here since Friday....so i've had 30 pages to catch up on today!

It hit over 25 degrees yesterday and we all enjoyed the sunshine all day long, pottering in the garden, after clearing out our spare room for a friend who's coming to stay tomorrow. We also did a bit of packing for out trip

Saturday was great as we spent the day with some friends of Mark's, who had a baby just before Christmas, Eleanor is just 4 months old now and really cute. Both her parents are in the Army and we did laugh as they are so well organised and disciplined with her....she'll be so well regimented! Liz spent 3 years in LA with the Army a while back so was telling us lots of good places to go when we're over there next year!


Now to catching up......

Well I'm back from shopping. Had a good day but still not got some nice cropped trousers/skirt! Our fashion at the moment is really lovely, but not suitable for older ladies, and all the shops are the same! I managed to get a cossie cover up and a blouse, but after trying on nearly every skirt around, I came home empty handed and depressed because they are funny shapes, or I am!!! They are also too long or too short. Found a lovely white one, but the undies show through!! Fancied white linen trousers, but they have the same problem.

Ah well, there is always Monday!!!

Hope you all are having a good day, and that those with problems are getting through them.

It's the weekend tonight and I hope you all have lovely ones planned.

Cheri, that wet dust storm sounds nasty. Enjoy San Diego.

Maz, hope your shopping goes better today. Did you try M & S? Ours had some lovely capri pants/cropped trousers

ixiedust: to Julie and her family that all is well!!


For those that have not seen the news yet:

Earthquake strongly felt in Acapulco, Mexico City; no damage or deaths reported

My kind of "Fresh Produce"

I love those olive green capris! We went into a Fresh shop last time we were in Orlando, they had some great stuff!

 

[UKANGEL]

One of my favorite stores is H & M. I think it might be an English store (?). I don't think they have online shopping but I love to head there everytime I am in NYC. Another for comfy clothes is Chico's and their traveller's line. I think a new pair of shoes is needed now

I love H & M too, I think they're actually Swedish but we have loads of them in the UK, and they are popular across Europe.

Update on the house...

Thank you to all for the pixie dust....the house was not sold today at auction
We still need to wait and hear what the bank is going to do, but for right now we are set. We will head to auction on June 29th and hopefully the house will be ours ! We went there today and walked around, boy has it fallen apart in the last 6 months. It needs lots of TLC now, but we are ready, willing and able!!!! I'll keep you all informed.

that's great news!

It was a very nice day, we did lunch after the appointment. Mom weighed 115 one week ago and today weighed 103. Not good. But the doctor caught it, thinks it's bacterial and gave her an antibiotic. Then we did lunch and made her eat. Thanks for asking. We're keeping her under close watch and hopefully can avoid the hospital trip this time.

Glad the Doc caught it in time Deb, here's wishing your Mum well.

yes, when she has kids and they do it to her and you just sit back and laugh...

Can't wait!!!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE wine tastings, but I have NEVER been to a champagne tasting....and that's my all time favorite drink! It's going to be so much fun...

Right now it's a champagne girls event, but we have lots of sea days, so if we have that much fun, maybe we should consider more than one event? The second one can include the lost beer boys along with the champagne girls and we can really have some fun...

.......this cruise will be just one long alcoholic blur.........

well....did a few more loads...added some acid to the pool and cleaned out the various leaf catchers....I think we are headed in there in a bit. It is a gorgoues 90 degree day. The girls have managed to drive me nuts all day, not help do anything and really frustrate me beyond belief. I seem to have such a short fuse these days.

I'm soooo jealous of all of you with a pool!

 

[UKANGEL]

Stoke-on-Trent was my favorite day trip...visiting all the pottery factories. It was just great! Lisa

It's a lovely place isn't it? I spent a great weekend there once visiting some potteries and glass making places

Back from Blacksburg. It was raining and cold...but such a beautiful campus.

For all of my CA friends...there were 5 families from CA that flew in for the weekend to figure out if their children want to attend Tech. That really surpirsed me.

Kids could attend today or tomorrow. Today's group had 2,100 families. They said 85% of those kids have not made up their mind yet. That really surprised me as well. 600 families from VA and the rest are out of state. Tech is a great value. For in-state, $12,000 per year Room, Board and Tuition. Out of state is about $27,000.

They got 20,000 applications and offered admissions to 12,000. Of those 12,000 they think 5,000 will come.

It was a very well run event. First session was for all incoming freshman. (2,100 kids) Then it was an event for all business students. (300 kids) Then lunch and a tour. Next was the specific major meetings. Daniel is interested in Accounting and Information Sciences. (about 10 kids) then off to a meeting for a minor you might be interested in. Daniel thinks he wants a Global studies minor. He will need to spend time out of the USA studing, if he wants to do this.

Julie, he has researched Universities and he think he liks Monterry Tech in Mexico. Not sure about all of this....maybe you know something about this university??

All in all we had a very nice time. We love to spend time together and why we are on this cruise together.

Found this all very intersting....I guess it's similar to what we'll be doing with Becky in a couple of months time too, for her entrance to University. Can't beleive it!

Thanks Woody, I didn't know the port was in San Pedro. I thought it was in Long Beach. You can tell I'm an East Coaster. I know where the port is in Florida.

Thanks for sending the info. it looks great! Now I have a choice of three to visit. Or I can do them all! We're going to be staying at a hotel on the water in Rodondo Beach and we'll have a rental car, so I imagine we'll be doing a lot of driving to get to all of our points of interest. I hear traffic is not the best and we'll be arriving during Memorial Day weekend. Should be congested during the weekend and then hopefully return to normal work schedules by Tuesday. We'll probably stay local and do the Santa Monica pier during the holiday weekend. Tuesday we'll probably hit DL....first time there!!! Then we'll have the rest of the week to explore LA and surrounding areas. So much to do in so little time...

That sounds lovely Deb! Now that Mark will be permanent at work it means we should be able to stay longer in LA too so we'll have to decide what to do...not long now!

Ditto!!!

Next I want to do Hawaii...but only if DCL takes me there.

I'll be with you on that one1

Oh, dear. I've been away for a few days and now I'm really, really behind. About 150 pages, I think. Did I miss anything good?

Thursday morning I was on my way out to the car in the garage to go to work. I loaded a bunch of stuff in the car because we were going camping that afternoon. Well, on my final trip out, I noticed I forgot to turn off the light, so I jump back up on the 2nd step, opened the door, turned off the light, and turned to go down the steps and to the car. Well, I guess I lost my balance or footing or whatever, but I fell onto my right side, hard, really hard. Thank goodness I didn't hit my head, I was able to stop that with my right arm. However, I did do some damage to my right ankle. I laid there for a good 20 minutes before I could even think about getting up. But I managed to get myself back into the house, the phone, and a chair. Called my husband at work and he finally got to the house about 2 hours later. Seems his boss would not let him leave until he was finished doing what he was doing. Even though she knew he had an emergency. Jeezzzz, for all she knew I could have still be laying on the garage floor. Anyway, we tossed around going to the doctor or the emergency room and finally decided we would just wrap it and try to go on with our camping plans. We made it to Moses Lake later that evening and I was hurting but not horribly. Next morning however was different. I was hurting pretty bad by that time. The next moring, Saturday, I was in horrible pain. On a scale from 1-10 it was a 10. So we decided to leave. We dropped off my parents and their RV, picked up our car and headed for the emergency room. They gave some percuset (sp?) and took some xrays. Turns out it is a severe sprain on both sides of my ankle. No break or fracture they could see. Doctor ordered me completely off of it for a week. They gave me an ace bandage, a boot, crutches, and a note for my boss. I'm sure he will be very pleased when he reads my email that I will be working from home all of next week. So, that's my sad, sad story. Enough rambling.

Did I miss anything the last 4 or 5 days?

Tina

Oh dear Tina! That sounds nasty! Hope you soon recover

DD was done at just over 1 year old. She went to sippy cups with straws very naturally. Course, we are also not pacifier people either. She never had one dangling from her puss...

Karen

sorry Karen, you have no idea how funny that is in UK speak (one to explain onboard I think....... )