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The weather took a turn for the worse but it wasn't that bad (yet).
Shortly after we started heading back to San Diego old Mother Nature decided to show up and make us pay for all those days of sun and fun.
The Captain came across the blower and told everyone that because of a big headwind and a storm blowing into California he was going to put the pedal down all the way back. What this meant for the guests is that things were going to get a little rough and rocky but not to worry, he'd sailed in worse conditions so this wouldn't be too bad.
Personally we didn't think it was bad at all, we'd experienced much worse when we caught the tail end of a hurricane off the coast of Martinique but it wasn't a pleasant time for some, in fact the medical department was handing out Dramamine and Bonine like they were after dinner mints!
The sea started churning and the wind started howling so it was decided that the Promenade deck was to be closed to everyone so this is the best shot I could get of the wild weather. As I said before it didn't bother us but for some it was not the perfect ending to the perfect trip.
The work doesn't stop just because the sun goes down!
The vessel DOUCE FRANCE (IMO 9845661, MMSI 228395600) is a Container Ship built in 2020 (4 years old) and currently sailing under the flag of France. As of this upload the current position of DOUCE FRANCE is at North East Atlantic Ocean reported 22 hours ago by AIS. The vessel is en route to the port of Philipsburg, Sint Maarten (NL), sailing at a speed of 8.1 knots and expected to arrive there on Feb 19, 17:00. Thanks to VesselFinder.com for the above information:
www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/details/9845661
We were late leaving Sint Maarten which gave me a chance to get this night shot. As I said above the job doesn't stop just because the sun goes down, especially in a working port like this.
PS, my standard disclaimer:
For those in the Show Your EXIF group you should note that the actual lens used is a Tamron AF 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 Di-II VC All-in-One Zoom for Canon APS-C Digital SLR. It's a known issue and for some crazy reason it always shows up as a Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8, a lens I've never owned or used!
If you want a good spot you'd better get here early!
It's that time again, time for the 98th annual Tucson Rodeo Parade!
Our lodge is directly across from the rodeo grounds which means the parade passes right down the street in front of the building!
Providing parking for the parade and rodeo patrons is our big moneymaker for the year, along with our semi-annual yard sales. Being right across from the rodeo grounds and parade grandstands means we tend to fill up pretty quick. It's nice to put out the lot full signs but you do feel a bit sad for the latecomers that you see circling the blocks trying to find parking!
The Tucson Rodeo Parade is believed to be the nation's longest non-motorized parade dating back to 1925. All the parade entries are horse pulled other than the street sweepers who always end the parade by cleaning up the landmines left by our equine friends.
The Buffalo Soldiers have a long and storied history, it's good to see these gentlemen keeping it alive!
The First African American soldiers to arrive in Arizona at Fort Huachuca were the Buffalo Soldiers in the l890’s; the 9th and l0th Cavalries and the 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments. The Fort Huachuca Buffalo Soldiers distinguished themselves in the Spanish American War and the charge up San Juan Hill. They were part of the Punitive Expedition into Mexico and were sent to Camp Naco, Arizona, Camp Little in Nogales and other locations in Arizona to guard the Arizona Borders during the Mexican Revolution.
If you'd like to visit their webpage I'm sure it would be most appreciated:
These gentlemen come up from Fort Huachuca every year to ride in the Tucson Rodeo Parade. They're working hard to keep a part of history alive and I can certainly appreciate their effort!
The Tucson Rodeo Parade is believed to be the nation's longest non-motorized parade dating back to 1925. All the parade entries are horse pulled other than the marching bands and the street sweepers who always end the parade by cleaning up the landmines left by our equine friends.
A series of shots I got during our passage through The Big Ditch!
No smiling and waving here, these guys were all about business. No pool parties or lounging in the hot tub, just let's get through this and get on our way. This ship is the Atlas T.
Going through the complete Panama Canal was definitely a bucket list item for me. I spent the entire day (8 hours) outside on the deck along with a bunch of other folks, my shutter happily clicking away!
We had a Canal Guide onboard who pointed out all the interesting locations, couldn't tell you one thing he said because I wasn't listening I was too busy shooting!
Have to commend Princess Cruises, they were really nice to us outside in that they had stewards coming around with sandwiches and cool drinks for everyone.
Some people will go to great lengths not to be a part of the shot!
Some of the folks visiting the Mission San José de Tumacácori. As I said in a previous shot we decided to skip the docent led tour and wander on our own and this is exactly why!
He was intent on getting the perfect Insta shot and she obliged for a couple of them but finally hit her limit and turned away. Hopefully it didn't sour the rest of their looking around!
Definitely not from around here, you can tell because he's wearing a coat. Weather was fantastic today, 65 degrees and sunny with a slight breeze, no need for anything other than a light sweater at most.
Nobody else seemed worried so why should we?
If ti's at all possible we like to go out exploring on our own when we hit a new port. We'd been to Puerto Vallarta before but that was many moons ago so it all seemed pretty new to us.
The Malecón Boardwalk is about 7.3 KM (4.5 Miles) from the cruise port, easy to walk 20 years ago but not so easy now so that was off the table. Taxis wanted $25 US to take us there so that was definitely a no go, leaving us with the city bus.
The fare per person is only 10 Pesos one way (55 cents US) so we waited at a stop till a bus that said Malecón on it came by and we climbed aboard.
The ride itself was pretty uneventful but Niccy wasn't that impressed with the driver's navigating skills, especially when we got to the cobblestone road part of the ride. I told her he was a trained professional who did this for a living every day but I don't think she was satisfied with my comment!
I'm sure glad she's the adventurous sort, it makes our excursions a whole lot more fun!
The things I have to do to become Insta Famous!
One of the MANY people out to see the parade.
I'm sure she means well but if you were to put her out in a pasture with a couple of cows I'm sure she'd fall apart quicker than a cheap suit. Were they to make a movie called Urban Cowgirl she'd probably have a shot at the lead role!
Another shot using the f/16 which seems to work but evidently not shooting into the sun? The sky is pretty blown out, not sure how I compensate for that. I suppose that an ND filter would work but that means another purchase since this lens needs a 62mm and everything else I've got is Canon 58mm.
The Mormon Battalion was the only religious unit in United States military history in federal service, recruited solely from one religious body and having a religious title as the unit designation.
The volunteers served from July 1846 to July 1847 during the Mexican–American War of 1846–1848. The battalion was a volunteer unit of between 534 and 559 Latter-day Saint men, led by Mormon company officers commanded by regular U.S. Army officers. During its service, the battalion made a grueling march of nearly 2,100 miles from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to San Diego, California.
Thank you to Wikipedia for the above verbiage:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_Battalion
One of the many floats in the parade. I'm not sure but I would imagine that it's sponsored and staffed by the LDS Church.
The Tucson Rodeo Parade is believed to be the nation's longest non-motorized parade dating back to 1925. All the parade entries are horse pulled other than the marching bands and the street sweepers who always end the parade by cleaning up the landmines left by our equine friends.
Yeah, I used a bit of "artistic license" on this shot!
Niccy and I just got back from a transatlantic cruise so I've finally got some shots to post!
Got on an elevator, heading for the cabin when I saw that beautiful man again. Asked him if I could take a shot and he obliged. Turns out he's a really nice guy, the sort I'd go and drink an adult beverage with!
For those who are interested his shirt says "I walked the walk in dungarees and boondockers, US Navy Veteran. If you know you know, if you don't I can't explain it.
BTW, this was not posted to YCPTPH, Jim's hammer really hurts!
You know, I like what I'm hearing!
One of the many intangible benefits of providing parking for the Tucson Rodeo and Parade is that we get to meet a lot of people that we normally wouldn't meet and this is the perfect example.
The gentleman in the Driver's Flat Cap had parked in the lot and then decided to have a conversation with one of my lodge brothers. Turns out he's a Mason and his trowel is a bit rusty, aka hasn't been to a lodge meeting in awhile. Hopefully he decides to brush up on his work and come back to lodge.
My personal feeling is that he might be a snowbird aka "winter visitor" to the area. That's not a problem since a good number of our members are snowbirds and we welcome them in when they're in the area!
From their website:
"What sets us apart is our boats. We have the fastest tour boats in San Diego with the ability to reach speeds of over 50 mph. Moving fast means that we can cover more ground and see more of what we love!
Our Rigid Inflatable Boats (R.I.B.s) were purchased from the NAVY SEALs and completely customized to make them ideal for San Diego guided boat tours."
adventurewhalewatchingsandiego.com/
Nothing better than setting out to sea in a rubber raft put together by a government contractor who put in the lowest bid! Nah, I'm pretty sure that the SpecWar folks get the best equipment available, at least I'd like to think so.
If you're into seeing marine life in the wild this would probably be a great way to do it. Just make sure your camera gear is in a dry bag and your waterproof camera housing really is waterproof!
I do believe they got on the wrong ship!
The Zaandam had several small decks on the aft of the ship that are a bit tricky to find. Lucky me, I stumbled across them and came upon this engaging scene.
These are not your typical Holland America cruisers, these two really skew the demographic! Holland America cruisers usually don't pose for Instagram shots (notice how she's got her feet one in front of the other, one foot raised) nor do they spend minutes taking the same shot over and over and over again.
They don't agonize over getting the right angle (a 45 degree turn while keeping your head down) or worry about standing where the sun rays can get to you and highlight your best features.
I spent several minutes watching this bizarre ritual, then headed off to find an old person doing something silly that I could shoot. Not a challenging target on Holland America!
There's a rumor going around about missing men....
The story going around is that there's been men going out to Catherine Sienko's place for a visit and never making it back home. I was tasked with going out to check things out but I'm not going alone. I'm bringing along some "friends" just in case things should wind up going sideways!
A shot of one of the gentlemen from the Southwest Association of Buffalo Soldiers, riding in the Tucson Rodeo Parade.
The First African American soldiers to arrive in Arizona at Fort Huachuca were the Buffalo Soldiers in the l890’s; the 9th and l0th Cavalries and the 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments. The Fort Huachuca Buffalo Soldiers distinguished themselves in the Spanish American War and the charge up San Juan Hill. They were part of the Punitive Expedition into Mexico and were sent to Camp Naco, Arizona, Camp Little in Nogales and other locations in Arizona to guard the Arizona Borders during the Mexican Revolution.
If you\'d like to visit their webpage I'm sure it would be most appreciated:
These gentlemen come up from Fort Huachuca every year to ride in the Tucson Rodeo Parade. They\'re working hard to keep a part of history alive and I can certainly appreciate their effort!
The Tucson Rodeo Parade is believed to be the nation's longest non-motorized parade dating back to 1925. All the parade entries are horse pulled other than the marching bands and the street sweepers who always end the parade by cleaning up the landmines left by our equine friends.
Does anyone still call Cop cars Black and Whites?
At the core of port security is the Los Angeles Port Police force, a specialized law enforcement agency that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week to protect the Port from threats whether by land, sea, air or cyberspace. Comprised of more than 300 sworn officers and civilian personnel, the force’s jurisdiction spans 7,500 acres along 43 miles of waterfront.
In addition to using advanced technology to augment its security operations, Port Police capabilities include K-9 units for vessel and container searches; a full-time dive unit for inspecting critical infrastructure; a Cargo Theft Interdiction Program to prevent and investigate cargo theft; a marine unit for conducting high visibility patrols to deter and detect infrastructure threats; a High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area anti-drug task force for targeting drug trafficking activities; and a Sea Marshall Program to inspect all inbound and outbound cruise ships and vessels of interest.
I shot this in color but the water was a brilliant St. Patty's Day green, a reflection from the Evergreen Ever Most that we were passing by. Black and white solved the issue.
We were escorted out of the port by these fine gentlemen, probably wanted to make sure we were really leaving!
The last step in a most arduous disembarkation!
Once you've passed immigration there's just one more hurdle to getting of the ship and that's getting scanned out.
All guests have a key card that they use during their cruise and it serves multiple purposes. It unlocks your cabin, serves as an onboard charge card for drinks and merchandise, lets you on and off the ship in ports and it's your casino loyalty card if you decide to play.
As you're taking those last steps toward the gangway you'll have your card scanned one more time. The ship wants to know that you've actually left the ship and it finalizes your onboard bill, which will be showing up on your credit card statement next month.
So many people thing solar or wind is the way of the future, I say Nay Nay to them!
This is from the storm that blew through this last Thursday, 27 July 23. The storm came in from the South and headed North, didn't come close to the city at all, so no nice closeups for me to get!
I'm guessing the Grid was running a little low and needed a recharge. A single lightning bolt is estimated to contain 1 Billion volts of electricity, enough to power a small town for an entire day! Not an easy thing to capture but if we could we'd all see our electric bills drop. Of course, the electric company doesn't want to be giving away electricity so don't expect to see any changes in your bill anytime soon.
This was shot @ f/7.1 with 36 seconds on the clock and ISO 100. I had my lens zoomed out a bit to 46mm since the storm was so far away.
I bought Niccy a pair of binoculars, they've got to be the best gift ever!
We took a little road trip yesterday, went a couple of hours north up towards San Carlos and wound up at the Apache Gold Casino. Bonus that Niccy was able to walk away $120 ahead of the game!
When we get a chance we like to road trip, we call it prep for when we get our RV. We'll take a nice picnic lunch with us and just enjoy the scenery. About 2/3 of the way there we stopped for a leg stretch and to take a look at the scenery.
She likes to get her binoculars out and look at the scenery, I like to look for the shot. This stop, we both got what we were looking for!
I know she's looking forward to getting on the road as much as I am and it's only a matter of time.
Just a note for those in colder climes this was a pretty typical January day in Arizona. It was a bit cool for Niccy but she's cold in anything less than 75 degrees F. We had clear skies and the temps were in the high 60s (20.5~ C) with no rain in sight!
The next best thing to actually being down there!
Back in the days some cruise lines offered "Behind The Scenes" tours of their ships to give passengers a glimpse of what went on while they were out lounging by the pool drinking maitais and baking in the sun. The tour would usually include the one of the galleys, maybe the laundry, and the engineering spaces. They were always interesting, at least to me and I'd always take advantage if they offered one.
Well, between covid and security concerns the tours ground to a halt. No longer could you see the chefs making your meal or the engines that were propelling you through the water at a leisurely 12 knots an hour. People voiced their anger, Holland America listened, and came up with a solution of sorts.
What they did was grab a camera and made a virtual tour of the engineering spaces. The Chief Engineer was on stage and gave us a guided tour of his department then answered questions from the audience.
The way I understand it is this was a trial to see how well it was received. Everyone who attended seemed to enjoy the show and it was a good compromise for all. Hopefully they'll expand it to include other departments on the ship.
I took this shot (and a couple of others) specifically for our beloved admin and this group!
Niccy and I just got back from a cruise that took us to Puerto Vallarta Mexico, Huatulco Mexico, Puerto Chiapas Mexico, Puntarenas Costa Rica, Puerto Amador Panama, through the Panama Canal, on to Aruba and ending up in Fort Lauderdale. It was in the Panama Canal that I got this shot.
The canal has a long and storied history, much too long for me to tell. If you're interested you can read all about it here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Panama_Canal
As we were passing through I got to thinking about how many ships had passed the same way over all the years the canal has been operating. While in one of the locks I noticed all the scars, scrapes, and colors on the wall of the canal and instantly knew I had to get a shot.
It's easy to talk about the history of the canal but here in front of me was a timeline that showed the history first hand. Each one of these scrapes and marks was the story of a ship that had gone through before us, a history carved in stone. A history that can't be erased.
Sissy Jon wearing a vintage Sears Nuback (Will Not Ride Up) girdle with inner belt and 6 garters. This is a serious figure control foundation!
I recently started posting bra pics as a "Living My Daydream" series, imagining these are pictures of me as the model chosen by our major department store for their semi-annual intimate apparel sale.
Well, that imaginary sale has me modelling not only bras, but also all-in-one shapers (body briefers), panty girdles, and slips.
So this is my first "Living My Daydream" all-in-one body briefer picture.
I also made a new I board section featuring the shaper, with ads from 1975 through 2003, here on Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/cindy_denmark/cindy-denmarks-clothing-i... .
Sorry, these aren't The Rockers (or Midnight Rockers) of WWF fame but if you happen to be visiting Puerto Vallarta and see these guys just give them a tip and they'll create an art piece for you as well!
Niccy and I have been to Puerto Vallarta before so we knew the lay of the land fairly well. We caught a city bus down to The Malecón a 12-block, mile-long esplanade in Puerto Vallarta's Centro and Zona Romántica. It's the place where all the tourists go to see the "Real" Puerto Vallarta. There's a restaurant down there that we like that is off a side street so there's no real tourists but a great view of the ocean.
As we were walking to the restaurant Niccy decided to stop and look at some of the tourist traps along the way. I had no interest in this so I wandered down to the waterfront and came across these two.
As I was sitting there the guy in the striped shirt came up and asked if I spoke Spanish. I told him a little so he told me how he and his friend like to create "art" for the tourists and they gladly accepted tips for their effort. I asked him how much "tip" was appropriate and he said anything would be appreciated. I had some peso coins in my pocket that I didn't feel like lugging around so I gave them to him. He ran over to his friend and they started in on creating this "art piece" as a token of their appreciation.
I probably gave him about $1 US so I considered that to be payment for snapping off a couple of quick shots while they worked.
Some people just don't see the forest for the trees....
Walking along the Sacramento River with the doggos when we came upon this scene. There were Canadian Honkers all over the place and this lady didn't notice but was looking out at the river instead. After a couple of river shots she realized she was getting surrounded and started shooting the geese (with her phone).
As I said above, some people just don't see the forest for the trees!
Niccy is a master when it comes to multitasking!
Niccy is on her phone, planning out a route for us to get back home that doesn't include freeways when she starts pointing in back of me. Evidently while on the phone she saw the shuttle van that was about to run me over, how she saw it I'll never know!
If you should ever find yourself in need of airport, cruise, or long term parking in San Diego I can HIGHLY RECOMMEND San Diego Airport Parking Company:
Much cheaper than other parking companies, super friendly staff and first class service. Ask for Michael, he's a great guy (combat vet) who'll take care of you and your car! Also, if long term parking is something you use regularly in San Diego they do have a loyalty program.
And don't let go until they buy something!
Niccy and I found several reasons we don't like Cabo San Lucas and this is one of them.
They were everywhere along the walk, selling cheap (and sometimes offensive) junk that only tourists and drunken fools seem to buy. Just like the "tour guides" and the Lizard Men they were relentless when it came to their pitch, like wolves circling round their prey.
As I said in the previous shot Niccy and I were done with all the tomfoolery so we found a nice shady table and watched as this scenario played itself out over and over. There were way too many of these folks to count and they were working nonstop.
We get it, Cabo is a tourist town and that's how they make their money. We can't fault them for trying to make a buck but when you start getting aggressive for us you've gone too far.
For those who are curious we've decided that the Mexican Riviera is off the table for at least 10 years. By then we'll more than likely forgotten why we didn't like the trip and get the chance to experience it all over again!
Vince Pardo sounds like the kind of guy I wish I'd met.
A riderless horse in the Tucson Rodeo Parade, honoring
Vince Pardo. I would imagine he did a lot of work for many of the cowboys who took part in the rodeo. Repairing shoes is not something you would think about much today in our world of everything being disposable.
The riderless horse has quite a story behind it, if you'd like to learn more you can see this Wikipedia article:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riderless_horse
Quite the honor to say the least,
It's that time again, time for the 98th annual Tucson Rodeo Parade!
Our lodge is directly across from the rodeo grounds which means the parade passes right down the street in front of the building!
The Tucson Rodeo Parade is believed to be the nation's longest non-motorized parade dating back to 1925. All the parade entries are horse pulled other than the marching bands and the street sweepers who always end the parade by cleaning up the landmines left by our equine friends.
We sailed on the Equinox back in 2021, our first post covid cruise!
The Celebrity Equinox (IMO: 9372456) is a Passenger Ship that was built in 2009 (15 years ago) and is sailing under the flag of Malta.
Her carrying capacity is 121878 Gross Tonnage and her current draught is reported to be 8.9 meters. Her length overall (LOA) is 317.2 meters and her width is 36.9 meters. Thanks to Marine Traffic for this information:
www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:289375/...
Celebrity Silhouette is the fourth ship in the Solstice class, following her sister ships, Celebrity Solstice, Celebrity Equinox, Celebrity Eclipse, and preceding Celebrity Reflection. Solstice, Equinox, and Eclipse entered service in 2008, 2009, and 2010, respectively. Silhouette debuted in 2011, and Reflection, the final ship in the class, debuted in 2012. Thank you Wikipedia:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebrity_Silhouette
As I said above she was our first cruise post covid and it was great! We really enjoy sailing with Celebrity and with the right (and itinerary) we'll sail with them again!
I just realized that when I got this photo:
www.flickr.com/photos/nyalr/51936682413/in/photolist-2phx... we were also in Antigua. Hmm....maybe it's a sign?
This is SOOC other than a crop!
I saw this lady taking several selfies and thought I might be able to do something with the shot so I took it. When I saw the picture on my monitor I was quite shocked.
I honestly don't know what happened, I'm thinking some sort of a weird reflection or lens distortion at the edge of the lens because I know this lady did not look this way at all. Maybe it's like the movie They Live:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/They_Live
where the special sunglasses (or special camera lens) let you see the aliens hiding in the human form?
I was a bit torn on whether to upload this or not but I decided to since I don't know exactly what happened. If anyone has any guesses please send them my way.
I know sometimes it can be annoying to wear them all day, but with our all-in-one bodysuits you have something under your clothes that makes you feel confident.
Because bodysuits are guaranteed not to slip, plus they have a comfortable fit and give us gurls a nice shilouette.
It's definitely not Tony or Angela!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who%27s_the_Boss%3F
The crew onboard the Zaandam doing a complete pool cleaning. Something I've never seen happen during the day, it usually happens at night while the guests are tucked away. Maybe this was a special situation, perhaps a Caddyshack moment?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPxiXGr9nFM
When you take a cruise holiday your every need is catered to and you've got nothing to worry about.
Sometimes it's easy to forget that there are a LOT of people both in the front and back of the house that make things happen for your dream vacation. Folks that aren't on holiday, they're working at their jobs to provide for their families back home.
If you should ever go on a cruise I hope that you won't forget these folks and will let them know that you appreciate the hard work they put in to make things easy for you. They bust their butts so that you don't have to.
Do you think they had a pair of "Big Eyes" out on the deck?
www.skipjackmarinegallery.com/20-x-120-united-states-navy...
As we were leaving Cabo San Lucas I got this shot of the Guardia Costera (Mexican Coast Guard) making a swing past Lovers Beach.
Seeing this makes me wonder if they were watching out for those sharks that can swim on the land?
Leave it to the Officer with the eagle eyes to see that!
We were parked next to Mein Schiff (don't know which number) when I got this shot in St. Martin. Evidently the deck crew officer has seen an area he didn't like and was letting these guys know about it.
When you take a cruise holiday your every need is catered to and you've got nothing to worry about.
Sometimes it's easy to forget that there are a LOT of of people both in the front and back of the house that make things happen for your dream vacation to be the best it can be. Folks that aren't on holiday, they're working at their jobs to provide for their families back home.
If you should ever go on a cruise I hope that you won't forget these folks and will let them know that you appreciate the hard work they put in to make things easy for you. They bust their butts so that you don't have to.
Two things you're guaranteed to see when you go on a cruise, delivery trucks and ambulances!
Cruise ships these days are pretty much floating resorts and they need to have all the amenities onboard to keep the passengers and the crew happy. On turn around day you'll see a long, long line of trucks dropping off supplies, everything from your surf and turf dinner to mechanical parts to make repairs to the ship itself. Then there's the Ambulances.
Maybe it's a sprained ankle. Maybe it's an asthma attack. Maybe it's a cardiac event brought on by seeing your final bill. Doesn't matter, someone is getting carted off the ship on a gurney and shuttled off to the local medical facility.
All cruise ships do have a medical department that's pretty well equipped and yes, they do have a special freezer to use as a morgue. They not only need to care for the passengers but the crew as well.
We've seen sprained ankles, we've seen broken hips, and Niccy has tended to a passenger that was having a stroke on a river cruise in Amsterdam. It's something we expect to see and though we hate to see it happen it's a sad fact of life. There's always at least one......and not just on Holland America.
I always tell Niccy that she's our wireless doorbell!
I was sitting down and giving all my lenses a good cleaning, getting them ready for our next trip. Tater Tot was sitting on the dog chair, watching with a mixture of sleepiness and boredom. I tested each lens after I cleaned and since she was nice and handy she became my test subject.
Even when its daytime my camera struggles on inside the house shots so I usually use a flash, either the onboard or an external. Well, I figured out how to reduce the power for the onboard flash so that it doesn't overpower the shot but still gives me a tiny bit of catch light. Always learning something new!
If you're curious about story behind the Tater Tot you can learn all about her here:
If you don't know the "inside" story this seems sort of mean!
Last sea day and I was wandering the ship when I came across this. As you probably know cruise ships are quite well known for serving copious amounts of food 24 hours a day. Doesn't matter what time it is you can always find something to eat and if you're lazy you can have it delivered to your cabin, no charge!
When I came across this i actually stopped for a minute and did a bit of pondering. Was this a cruel joke played by the crew on the guests or was there something else going on?
One of the ship's officers happened to be walking by so I asked him what the deal was. His official story was that there were scales placed around the ship so that passengers could weigh their luggage and avoid a heavy bag surcharge with the airlines. A little investigation with one of the crew revealed that this truly was the case.
I appreciate that Holland America was out to save folks a few dollars but considering the placement of this I still think that somewhere down deep inside that someone had a plan to take the mickey out of all of us!
Buildings don't have a 13th floor, why have a 13th lifeboat?
superstition
noun
su·​per·​sti·​tion ˌsü-pər-ˈsti-shən
1
a
: a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation
b
: an irrational abject attitude of mind toward the supernatural, nature, or God resulting from superstition.
2
: a notion maintained despite evidence to the contrary.
We've all got them, rational or not. It might be a cultural thing, a religious thing, or a personal thing but nonetheless we've all got them.
The number 13 seems to be one of those things that people avoid, and Holland America it seems doesn't have a problem with it. I feel kind of bad for those folks who think it's a bad omen, especially when it shows up on your boarding pass as your lifeboat. For them, the thing that's supposed to save them is quite possibly going to kill them!
Personally I don't care what lifeboat I'm assigned to since I don't plan on using it anyway. Should disaster strike my plan is to get off the ship and far away as possible, lifeboat or not!
According to the Google El Camino Español translates to The Spanish Way
The Camino Español (A-07) is a Ro-Ro type logistics supply ship of the Spanish Army operated by the Spanish Navy. It was acquired second-hand at the end of 2023 from the Balearia shipping company.
The ship was built in 1998 under the name Cadena 4 at the Fosen shipyards in Rissa, Norway, and was in service with several shipping companies: from 1998 to 2002 with United Carrier, from 2002 to 2013 with Birka Carrier, from 2013 to 2016 with Carrier Eckero, from 2016 to 2019 with Finncarrier Finnlines, from 2019 to 2022 with Color Carrier. 5 In 2022 it was acquired by Balearia. 1 In 2023 Balearia sold it to the Spanish Army.
I got this shot in the early morning as we were pulling into Cartageña Spain which should not be confused with Cartageña Columbia which we might get to visit in April. This totally depends on whether there is a travel ban in place or not!
Niccy and I just got back from a transatlantic cruise so I've finally got some shots to post!
There's just something about docks at dusk that really speaks to me. This ships, the lights, the activity. Very peaceful time for me, a chance to reflect on the day that has passed and to think about the day to come.
Certainly not the best lens to be using in a low light situation but it's what I had mounted at the time and I didn't feel like changing.
I've seen that movie The Arrival and I don't want to see the ruins!
Tourists on the docent led tour at the Mission San José de Tumacácori. This is the entrance to the Nave, where parishioners stood or knelt during services since there were no pews. There are a few high windows but with the sun coming in at the South it's pretty dark inside.