New Beginnings | Peaches Prattlings

{January 31, 2024} St Thomas Day 5: Do it all Snorkel

Sounds like a fine offer, ok we will! Let’s Do It…All! Snorkel!

The days started beautifully with a beautiful sunrise, not setting an alarm, yeah, I’d say beautiful! We had our next snorkel trip booked for 1pm, so we decided to head down to Charlotte Amalie first thing, to see what we could see and we saw!

We were looking for a place for breakfast, specifically at the moment, some decaf coffee for PSM, someone recommended the Parley Cafe and when we found it, we were very glad we did! It was cozy, bright, tropical, everything it should be, and…smelling y u m! We got tea and coffee and two home made pastries, oh yeah!

I texted my dad and my sister, who were in London at the time, what are the odds, I’m on an island in the Caribbean and in the cafe I walked in to, Paddington Bear is on the tv and they’re in London, maybe close to Paddington station!

After a light breakfast, we walked around Charlotte Amalie, a few more people, still not crowded, but the shops were open, the nice thing, not crazy busy since there weren’t any cruise ships in this morning. As with all our trips, we always look for a motorcycle dealership to get a t-shirt. The Harley Davidson dealership, which was a store, was closed, but their merchandise was being sold right around the corner, of course we had to go!

We picked up a shirt or two, I got a magnet and a sticker, and we both got water bottles and some stickers for the bottles so we could bring water with us wherever we went. We have a serious metal water bottle collection, but….we buy them where we travel, it’s a great memento of our trip and they usually have the logo of where we’ve been. I’ll show you our collection some time! Oh brother! We walked around, enjoyed the sights and sounds and then headed back towards Red Hook, we had a boat to catch!

We made our way to Red Hook to Ocean Surfari where we booked the Do it all Snorkel trip! We checked in, got our tickets, and waited for the go-ahead to head to the boat. And now it’s time! We got down to the dock, relinquished our shoes, handed in our tickets, and boarded the boat, the Reef Safari. We got the lowdown from the captain and first mates and we were off! They offered water, soft drinks, juice, no alcohol until we did our first snorkel, so they could tell what type of swimmers we were like and if we were different after a drink! ha ha. They had these cool cups that turned blue if the drink was cold! yes, we took a few, they said we could!

We headed over to Cruz Bay on St John pick some folks up, Ocean Surfari has locations on both islands, then it was off to our first stop. We geared up and got ready to jump in the water. It’s funny, you never know what the temperature of the water is going to be when you jump in, even if you were just in the water earlier, or know that the water is perfect where you are. But nothing to fear, jumped in and ahhhhh… the water was perfect temperature, it was clear in some places, cloudy in others, but just being in the water is enough for me!

I love my GoPro, but I don’t know if I get the most out of it! [I have a GoPro saga for you in another post!]. But I’m so happy not to have to deal with or worry about using my phone under water, no matter how waterproof my waterproof case is!

Back on the boat, off to the next location. We get about 45 minutes to an hour in the water in each place, not too shabby! PSM and I swim together, separate, come back together, swim, point things out to each other, just explore and love being in the water! There weren’t a lot of fish, it was mostly coral, but the coral was stunning, I’m just happy being around Mother Nature and Trident, what more can I say!

Back on the boat, the rum punch and painkillers were flowing as we headed back towards St John, but first…lunch at Pizza Pi VI in Christmas Cove of Great St. James. This was a floating pizza restaurant and it was great! You can see they have seating tied off the boat and we were stopped and the pizza was delivered to the boat! We had plain cheese and pepperoni and the pizza was pretty good! Yes, I ate it, when in Rome and all!

After lunch, we made our way back to St John to drop folks off, then back to St Thomas as the sun was setting, it was so beautiful, we had rain on one side and sunshine on the other, a very rare occurance indeed. The sun took her time setting and it was so worth it, the captain played music and told stories about the area.

One of the things I love about island life is the holidays, people light up their palm trees and boats, just imagine being on the water, after dark and people have their boats trimmed in different holiday lights, what could be better to put you in the holiday spirit?!

All in all, a great day, what more could you ask for? And now…I’m going to go to bed and dream about the ocean, pizza, coral, fish, boats. Mmmmm night!

{January 30, 2024} How do I come up with my blog post ideas?

That’s a great question! I have no idea…most of the time!

When I first started this blog it was a way to talk about things, cheap therapy I think I said, and then random things started popping into my head, and it became a blog about everything, something, and nothing all at the same time! And I’m ok with that!

When I say random and about something and nothing, I remember talking to you about bathrooms, well, specifically if there is only one stall or if it’s a room with a commode and a sink, and a place to dry your hands and store supplies, why do we have to have a separate men’s and women’s room? And my next point, I am thinking, why is it women’s vs ladies? I like when they have a gents and a gals, or a her and his, or something equally clever…come to think of it, I do take pictures of different bathroom signs when they are interesting, I need to do a post and just show those pics.

Oh my…do you see how this is happening? I stated talking about one thing and look at this lovely rabbit hole or bunny trail I have gone down. And that, my friends is how it works, or doesn’t, depending on your opinion!

Some days, I will tell you all about my day, like on the weekends, I tell you where we went, what we did, where we ate, when we travel, I tell you about that, where we went, what we did, where and what we ate, wait, that sounds like a regular weekend! So does that make a vacation just a long, I mean really long weekend? Hmmm… During the week, well, a work week anyway, sometimes I might tell you about my day or some random thought, a movie or book review, or about a past trip. Or if I happen to talk to someone, boom, another thought. I actually have a list of things I want to talk about, just piling up…a thought comes to me and I write it down and then pull it out of the air when I need inspiration or I just don’t know what else to say! But come on…when have you ever known me to not know what to say? Muwahaha.

And here I am rambling about where I get my ideas and I can’t stop, so I’m going to stop, ha ha. Do you have something you would like me to wax philosophical on? Let me know…see if it gets the little grey cells going! Thanks Hercule Poirot!

Happy thoughts all!

{January 26, 2024} It’s Friday Night…What to do? A new place and a Motorcycle Club? Sure, let’s do it!

Friday work day is done, now what? PSM called from work and said he’s going to pick me up and we’ll go out to a new place and maybe check out the local motorcycle club, sounds great!

He picked me up from work about about 6/630p and we went to the Gin Mill Restaurant & Tavern, finally! I say finally because we have tried to go on several occasions, but their hours aren’t great. They are open Monday-Saturday until 9p and on Sunday until 8p, not great if you’re out late or riding around and hungry later, and the kitchen closes about 30-45 minutes before the doors, no shade, just hard in the summer when you might want to go out later. But tonight, we got in there in plenty of time!

Did anyone have the fog we did here? It was cr-azy! You could barely see in front of your face! This is what it was like when I was walking the dogs, it was worse for PSM on his way to pick me up! It took him an extra 15 minutes to get home because he couldn’t see!

It’s a lot larger on the inside than it looks from the outside. Great atmosphere, huge bar, two sitting areas off of each side of the bar, not a lot of room to walk behind each side of the bar, but enough to get buy, one of those places where servers kind of have to raise the plates to get buy and not hit you. The place was pretty packed, PSM had been there one other time and it wasn’t this full, it definitely has a different feel when it’s full. There were people of all ages and families sharing a meal together, definitely a local type of place. The decor was fun, a lot of brewery and beer logo signs, things made out of beer/brewery labels, sitckers, and bottle caps, just what you want to see in a pub/local brewery.

I will say, if you’re not a meat eater, it won’t be easy for you, but if you’re going for drinks and a few apps or sides, you’ll be fine. PSM ordered a few mixed drinks, I had hot tea, always happy when a bar/pub has hot tea! It came out in a glass mug, my favorite! I had a Caeasar salad and a side of broccoli, and PSM had their Chinese Takeout Burger. Think…Chinese takeout on a bun with a side of fries, I know right?

We sat at the bar, as we do almost everywhere, which, as you know, we love. Chatted with the bartenders, one of the chefs, which was who convinced PSM to get the burger, from his description, and had a great time on our date night! What more could you want?!

Now…motorcycle club time! We were about 15 minutes from there, but it took a little longer to get there because of the fog! Ugh, should I be drinking London Fog tea? Should I be wearing a London Fog coat? Wow! We got there about 730p, the doors open at 7p, meeting is at 8p. The Lebanon Valley Motorcycle Club has their own clubhouse, very cool! We went to one door, no go, we went down around back where we saw other people heading and score! Just outside the door we met the president and treasurer of the group, the president opened the door, led us in and announced we were there, to a great big welcome, it was grand!

We walked towards the bar and met a lot of people, they have drinks, water, beer, soda, they have coffee cans for the money because they can’t exchange money by handing it to each other, so they put the money in the cans, love it! They have a pool table, currently out of commission, waiting on repairs, they have tables and chairs, places for people to sit and chat before the meeting begins.

There were people of all ages and with different types of bikes, this is a motorcycle club, all bikes welcome. It’s similar to the other groups we ride with, but the primary bike in those groups are Indians, because they are the Indian Motorcyle Riders Groups [IMRG], all riders are welcome, but to join you have to have an Indian Motorcycle, same with Harley Davidson groups, that’s fair. This one is ‘come one come all’, you just have to have a bike! At least I think so!

Several people asked who told us about it, I wish I could remember! I was at White’s Harley Davidson, the dealership near our house and someone told me about it, they knew who I was talking about. Apparently you have to be recommended to join, among other rules, they are serious. With our IMRG groups, you only need to pay your dues, for this club, you have to be recommended by a current member, you pay an application fee, then you’re on a 6-week probationary period where you have to attend at least 1/3 of the scheduled meetings/events, then after the 6-week period, the board either votes you in or not. I kind of like it, you need to attend events or meetings to show you’re interested, not just join and don’t do anything, every group has their rules, I’m ok with that!

We socialized with the group downstairs in the bar/pool room, turns out one couple lives on the street right behind us, how cool! then at 830p, we all went upstairs for the meeting. They are very official! We stood for the pledge of allegiance, then they asked if there were any visitors, we were, we stood up and introduced ourselves, then it was on to reading the last meeting’s minutes, then on to new business, including announcements and updates on how some members who were ill, a very caring group!

The couple we sat with, who are the ones who live near us, gave us the lowdown as everything was happening, as they made announcements, talked events, and happenings. There is a banquet next weekend, unfortunately we won’t be able to attend, but it was nice to be included right off the bat.

After the meeting we spoke with a few people, got more information about the group and joining,turned in our applications and money, got a calendar of events, it’s actually a pocket calendar with the events stamped in, love that! Their first ride is in April, so ready!

We headed home, it was a long day and we were done! Tomorrow…new adventure, I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow!
Night! Dreaming of being on the bike, when is the fog, rain, and snow going to stop! Vroom vroom!

{January 24, 2024} What it’s like talking to me when I am walking the dogs

Basically, it’s entertaining to say the least…

If you’ve ever been on the phone with me while I’m driving, you have 95% of my attention, I still have to watch the road, but I can’t do anything else but talk to you, bonus. If you’ve ever been on the phone with me at home, depending on where I am, you probably have 90-95% of my attention, there are so many things to look at. If I’m wandering around the backyard, I’m only talking to you, if I’m sitting on the sofa or in the hammock, I’m only talking to you, sounds good.

Now…if I’m walking the dogs, you probably have about 75% of my attention, sorry… I say that because I am not only talking to you, I am watching for cars, if we are in the neighborhood, or I am looking for other dogs. If we are in the park, I am definitely looking for other dogs, hoping it’s a good meet-n-greet, I am watching where I am walking, and I am trying not to get pulled by the dogs. If we meet a dog, I will ask you to hold on, we might go by or we might do a doggie greeting. Ya never know!

Or…when they decide to wrassle! It sounds awful the first time you hear it, but they are having a grand ole time!

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Now…when it comes time for the dogs to do their thing…I always have to tell the person I’m speaking with, ooh, hold on, I need to pick up what they just put down. The person will also hear me say “Wait, I have to pick this up, the deal is…you poop, I scoop.” And that usually illicits a good laugh out of the person on the other end of the phone. And isn’t that what it’s all about?

So…if you happen to call and I’m walking the dogs, just know…you have about 75%, and the dogs have the rest, unless they’re acting up…you get 25%, maybe…and they get the rest!

Random musing for the day!
Night!

{January 23, 2024} St Thomas Day 4: Charlotte Amalie, Emancipation Day Celebration, Sapphire Beach

It’s December 25th, Happy Christmas to one and all who celebrate!

This is not such a bad way to wake up. Some days with the sun, some days before it, some days after, whichever way the wind blows. Yeah, cheesy, I know. But, c’mon…look at that view…sigh.

We had breakfast, since we went to Moe’s Market and picked up supplies, I made breakfast almost every morning, a fabulous egg sandwich, y u m! and headed out to explore. It’s Christmas day, not much was going to be open or available, and that’s ok, we’re going to see what we can see! We head down to Charlotte Amalie, the capital and the largest city of the USVI.

The first thing we wanted to do was to go to the Hebrew Congregation of St Thomas, we thought…what better place for two Jewish kids on Christmas than to go to a synagogue. Alas…just like most of St Thomas, it was closed, oh well. We’ll go another day, promise! We got back in the jeep and looked for a place to park, that wasn’t on heart attack hill! Which a lot of St Thomas is! Oh my!

We went to Main Street, this is the street you probably see in photos of St Thomas, and if you’ve ever been on a cruise to St Thomas, you probably took a shuttle or a taxi to Main Street, this is where a lot of the tourist shops are for jewelery, and cosmetics, and liquor, and…and…and… It’s open whenever the cruise ships come in and since none were docking on Christmas, this street was shut up tight! It was kind of nice to be able to walk down the street and look at the beautiful colors without being accosted, so to speak from shop owners and people who work in them to come in and look at their wares. St Thomas really is beautiful and charming in some areas.

When we came back around towards the water, we heard music and saw lots of people. We walked over and discovered Emancepation Garden and a wonderful celebration happening! It was the Christmas Emancepation Celebration, 175th celebration to be exact! From the article I just linked “A sea of people in red with sprinkles of green and white, traditional treats to fill the belly, and the island’s best renditions of Christmas songs converged at the Emancipation Garden on Monday morning for the 47th Challenge of the Carols as people gathered to be lulled by the holiday spirit.”

What a treat and honor for us to happen upon the celebration and to be swept up in the festivities and excitement! Everyone was decked out in festive wear, sparkling, not just from the sun, but their outfits! Steel drums, snare drums, and brass instruments made amazing music and sweet sounds that filled the air, the ears, and the hearts of all who were ther!

It almost felt like the music would never end! Not that we were complaining at all!

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After the celebration, we decided it was time for a swim and a snorkel, so we headed to another beach on our list, Sapphire Beach. We were told it was gorgeous, fabulous beach, and a great place for sunsets. I have to admit, it was pretty, but it wasn’t our favorite beach that we went to. It was nice, the water felt great, but it wasn’t great for snorkeling, I didn’t snorkel for long, ended up taking off the gear and just floating for a few. The sand on one part of the beach was smooth, but a lot of it was the hard, broken shell type of sand. It was also very crowded when we got there, you have to get there really early to get a good spot, not exactly sure where that was, but it was very crowded. We enjoyed our time on the beach while we were there, but for us, it wasn’t a highlight.

After the beach, we were hungry so we went into Red Hook, it was on the way back to the resort, very convenient! We were both in the mood for sushi, so we went to Saki House Thai and Sushi Restaurant. The atmosphere was nice, the staff friendly, and when we walked in, we were the only ones so the service was great! By the time we left the place was filling up.

We orderd green tea, miso soup, sushi rolls, and spring rolls. The spring rolls were by far our favorite! The miso was flavorful but a little too salty for me, the sushi rice wasn’t the best, but I loved the avocado and cucumbers in the roll.

There was Christmas music playing and all of a sudden I hear a little voice singing the parum-pa-pa-pum from The Little Drummer Boy, it wa the cutest thing and I complimented him on the way out of the restaurant. We really did enjoy ourselves, the atmosphere, service, staff, a nice way to spend a Christmas dinner.

We walked around a little, then headed to the resort. We parked and walked down by the beach to watch the sunset and it was stunning. We did what we did the first or second day, we sat for a while, then when the sun set where we were, we moved left, and when it went down there, we moved left, until it was completely down and we made our way back to the room to shower, chill, and crash. Not a bad way to end the day!

We started our day with a beautiful sunrise, had a walk about, joined in an important and joyous celebration, got in the water, tried a new place, and ended with a fabulous sunset, what more could you want?

Happy Monday, Happy Christmas to all and to all…you know it, say it with me! a good night!

{January 20, 2024} How do we pack it all in…in a day? A snuggle, new coffee shop, new park, motorcycle group meeting, another new coffee shop, framers, drywallers, shoveling, new fireplace, a little football, a new desk [sort of]…

Whew! We don’t know how to rest on our laurels around here!

And on a Saturday! First…woke up after the sun, what?! It was just about 730a when we woke up, that was loverly! After a few minutes, PSM said, let’s get the dogs, sounds good to me! I said prepare yourself! I went down, grabbed the pups and raced them back upstairs! When I say ‘who wants to snuggle?’ they automatically head to the living room because they think they’re going to snuggle with me on one of their beds. So cute!

Up to the bedroom where Ruby jumped right up and Bee, you know, the Beagle, short legs and all, needed a wee bit of help! They were both up there, I got in bed, and it was like I wasn’t even there! ha ha. They la la la love being with PSM! I had to pull Ruby away to snuggle, then she went back and I grabbed Bee. A little whining and finally some singing! That dog la la la loves to sing! You can see it on her face!

After about 30 minutes, we realized we had a few things to do this morning! Get up and dressed, get the dogs ready, and we were off! We have to get another stamp in our Java Journey passports! We went to the Whirling Dervish Bakery & Coffee Shop in Annville, a charming little college town, we were there last week at Swatara Coffee Company, they are across the street from each other. If you ever get the chance to go, please do! But…beware the hours are not great! Thursday and Friday 7am-11am, and Saturday 8am-12 noon and that is it! We found out that the owner owns a real estate business, that’s on the main drag and the bakery/coffee shop is at the side door, which is also the back of the real estate office.

It’s sweet and charming, and delightlfully gnomish! It is covered with gnomes, gnomes, and more gnomes, and reindeer. They have a collection of gnomes that might put gnomes or a yard to shame! They are from all over the world and most are not for sale, just for looking, but some are for sale. Then there’s the baked goods! And the drinks. PSM had coffee and I had a chai tea, it wasn’t my favorite, I got it with almond milk. If we go back, and I want to, I’m going to get a cup of tea just made with water, and some sugar, I’m ok with that!

We got a few pastries to go and they were yummy! It was just so charming and heart warming walking around looking at everything. When I say walking around, I really mean standing in one spot and turning around and around, that’s really all the space they have. Totally recommend this place, even if you’re just a lookie-loo!

We left with our baked goods and drinks and headed to a nearby park the folks working there recommended. And oh my was it soooo worth it! Quittie Park Nature Park is stunning and charming and covered with a whole lotta snow today! The dogs absolutely la la la loved it! We dropped their leashes for a few minutes, there was no one else in the park, we wouldn’t do that if there were any other people or dogs. They so enjoyed that, watching both of them run like the wind! And now…I have Ride Like the Wind by Christopher Cross in my head! You’re welcome for the ear worm!

We don’t know how large the park is or how long the paths go, but you can rest assured, we will be going back! It’s only about 15 minutes from us, so I forsee a lot more trips there! Definitely on the weekends, maybe some evenings when the sun stays in the sky longer. Add this to the list!

Then it was time to go to the monthly Indian Motorcycle Riders Group meeting at Hernley’s Polaris-Indian Motorcycle. We joined the group when we moved to Pennsylvania. We join wherever we are, so we are now honorary members of our chapters in Hawai’i and St Louis! It’s a great feeling to know that you have people to connect with when you’re there! They were going over new business and somehow I volunteered to take over the calendar duties for the group, and I dubbed myself CQ…Calendar Queen! I’ll take it! I’m now responsible for putting together the calendar of rides for our group! I’m ready!

After the meeting, there was the monthly picture and we were off! We have a drywall finisher coming to the house at noon and we had just enough time to get there! We had just enough time to stop for gas, maybe get another cup of coffee/tea/passport stamp before we headed home. We stopped at Mill 72 Bake Shop & Cafe, so called because: Our name, Mill 72, is made up of two components. The “Mill” comes directly from our last name, Miller, and our family’s history of owning and working in a family-owned corn meal mill. The “72” references our Bake Shop & Cafe being located along Manheim’s Route 72. How cool is that?! I’ve oftne wondered why it was called that!

Well, it was lunch time, we got coffee and a chai latte, and two egg sandwiches made on waffles. Everything was pretty good! We both felt like the sandwiches, because they were made with waffles needed some syrup, but other than that, enjoyable. The atmosphere was charming, quite a few tables and some sofas and seats towards the back. It was open and inviting. I can definitely see going back!

After lunch we headed into downtown Lebanon to the Lebanon Fine ArtFine Art Gallery – Lebanon Picture Frame to finalize the frames we wanted for the artwok that was damaged in the move. The artwork saga is a whole ‘nother post! But Melody and Eric, the owners, have been great to work. They helped us with the estimates to get the pieces fixed and pick out new frames and mats, very excited to see them when they’re ready!

We grabbed the broken frames, I have plans for them, of course! and headed back to the house. The drywall finisher was there to do his thing and boy did he do his thing! He is really good! He taped up the seams, covered any nails and screws, and just made things seamless. He’ll be back on Monday to do whatever else he needs to.

While he was working, we went outside to do a little shoveling, it had snowed a little more yesterday and it’s windy so the snow is blowing onto the driveway. When I found the big patch of ice and went down on my knee and my wrist, I said…I’m good and I’m going inside! PSM soon followed.

We took a break, watched something on tv, then I went into the art studio to start to build my new fireplace! I’ll tell you all about that in another post, but it’s awesome! PSM ended up helping me and I’m so glad he did! There were parts that said it’s a 2-person step and they were right! bless him! We got the cabinet together and then put the fireplace in it and it’s AWE-SOME!!! You can turn the flames on with or without heat! I cannot wait to have everything in place for the studio! Right now it’s housing stuff from the kitchen, things that didn’t fit on the shelves in the other room, all good, working around it!

Then it was time to chill and eventually grub! We had leftover Chinese food from North China, our new favorite go-to for Chinese food. I seem to only get their garlic broccoli and I la la la love it! I’ll share more on this place some other time! We ate, watched some stuff, then PSM put on football and I headed into the art studio to put on my new fireplace and a movie to…start to put together a desk I got at Harbor Freight. I really love this thing and I got it half built, some of it is a 2-person job, so far so good, but I kind of ran out of steam, the thing is hea-vy! and I wanted to talk to you guys, so…I’ll go back to it tomorrow!

I think that’s about it for a Saturday, was that enough? Did I mention that most of what we did before we got home was all before 1pm?! I think that was quite the way to start the day! Are you tired? I am! What does tomorrow hold? I am contemplating going skiing! If I do, you know I’ll tell you all about it!

Night!

{January 18, 2024} St Thomas Day 3: Boat Trip, Snorkeling, Margaritaville, Jeep, Mexican and Tequila

It’s day 3 in St Thomas for us, December 24th, Christmas Eve, and our first excursion! It’s a jammed packed day, ya ready?

This was the first excursion we booked, don’t even remember the company, but we were supposed to go on the snorkel cat catamaran, but it turns out the catamaran was only going to two stops, so we opted for 3 and ended up the Breakaway. I’m wrong, just looked it up, and it’s New Horizons! The trip left from Margaritaville, we got a taxi up to the resort, found the launch point, got checked in and took a look around. A beautiful property, but, shhh…we thought our beach was better! We spent a bit watching the pelicans flying and dive bombing into the water, what a site to see!

And now we’re off, have our snorkel gear in hand, one of the things we always travel with when we’re going somewhere we know we’re going to swim. The great thing is we pack so little clothing, everything fits in our travel backpacks. We LOVE the ones we have from eBags, they are the Mother Lode Travel Backpack, I need to do an entire post on the eBags we have, I might sell you on some! The reason I mention them is we can fit all our clothes for the two or three weeks we’re traveling and our snorkel gear, which includes mask, snorkel, fins, waterproof bag, and travel towel. I’ll talk some time about how we pack, apologies for the digression!

We were on the boat, I took my Dramamine when we were taking off, they recommend about 30 minutes to an hour before you go, I take it when we take off. I don’t have a problem being on boats, I live for it, what I have a problem with is the not moving and just rocking, even ever so gently, I do not do well with that, I’ll tell you about that another time! But…I was set. The ones I bought were chewable, ick! They did not have the sweet, orange flavor they boasted. Needed to be washed down with something!

As we took off, we were offered a light breakfast, juice, water, pastries, and fruit, nothing too heavy before we were going to get in the water. The sky was crystal clear, we were even treated to a rainbow, can’t beat that! We sped along, good crew got us up to speed on what we needed to know when we arrived and the music was terrific.

First stop the water was clear, in some places, and not so clear in others, but it was so amazing to be in the water again. I missed this so much! It’s been about two years since we were in the water, and snorkeling, can’t wait this long again! Not a huge amount of fish where we were, but the coral and sea life that was there was terrific!

Back on the boat and a bit of lunch and the drinks started flowing. They said they wait to give us drinks until after the first stop, so they can see what kind of swimmers we are! And if we swim differently after a beverage or two! Second stop was great! There were honu, the Hawai’ian word for sea turtle. All of the honu had passengers! Remoras, I thought they were baby sharks, but not to be! Sorry some of my pics underwater aren’t the clearest, it all depends on where you are and if it’s sunny or cloudy what you’re going to get.

After another beautiful stop, and oh my the water temp was just perfect, you know that feeling you get when you’re just not sure how it’s going to feel and then you jump in and all is right with the world. Well…let’s just say…every time we swam, all was right with the world!

After the last stop, it was back to shore and Margaritaville. We thanked our crew, in voice and cash, then went to change. The one thing I’m not always a fan of is riding back in my wet bathingsuit, only because later in the day it does get chilly and you’re brrrrr a little. We changed into dry things and went into the bar/restaurant to wait until our rental car from 360 Car Rental, really beautiful blue 2023 Jeep Wrangler, was delivered. Can you beat this view? This was the window at the restaurant looking out onto the lagoon/beach. If I didn’t take the picture, I would have sworn it wasn’t real!

We ended up talking to two nice couples, very different individuals. One couple was older and a little limited in their mobility, but ready for adventure, he was a former airforce pilot and she was a huge movie buff like me! the other couple were bikers, PSM had lots to chat with them about!

Once we got the car we headed out and went down to Red Hook for dinner, at Agave, Tequila Bar & Mexican Kitchen. We sat at the bar, which is where we tend to sit at most places. There’s usually availability, the bartenders are pretty cool, and sometimes we get to chat with people hanging out like us. We had two outta three, worked for us. The bartender was great and helped PSM find some things he enjoyed. They had a deep conversation about tequila, whiskey, bourbon, and some other things, he concocted a new drink and had PSM try it, too cool. He also gave him a to-go cup for whatever he was drinking when we were leaving, gotta love that!

It was one of the better meals we had while we were there, I have to say! The gucamole and salsa were both made in house and a real treat. PSM had fish tacos and I had veggie tacos, both were really good and a pleasant way to cap the evening.

After dinner, we walked around Red Hook, then headed back to the hotel to shower and collapse. It was quite the day, not sure we could have fit more into the day! Not sure what’s going to be available tomorrow because it’s Christmas day, but we’ll definitely enjoy whatever it is we end up doing! Happy Christmas Eve everyone!

{January 17, 2024} Wonka

Yes. That’s all I can say is yes.

Well, I can also say worth it, loved it, enjoyed it, great story, fun to watch, laughed, cried, felt all the feelings, and we want to know what happens next. Well…we sort of do, because there was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory [2005], and there was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory [1971] [A very good year, if I may add!] And now…Wonka [2023].

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder was or is the story of how Charlie wins a golden ticket to take a tour of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Then, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, starring Jonny Depp is the same premise, but we get a glimpse into the man behind the chocolate and you get to see a little of his childhood and what made him who he is. Interestingly, this version, Wonka, staring Timothée Chalamet is more about how he got his start with dreams of opening a shop, with the help of some friends, and butts heads with the ‘chocolate cartel’. In Johnny Depp’s version, he had issues with his dad, Timothée Chalamet was very much loved by his mother. Hmmm…

We know Timothée Chalamet is Willie Wonka, and he was terrific, but the rest of the cast, oh my! Olivia Coleman as Mrs. Scrubitt, an evil and vile woman! She was fabulous and I love her no matter what she’s playing! Tom Davis was Bleacher, an equally repulsive character, I can’t say I’m very familiar with his work, but he was icky in this, so well done!

The ‘Chocolate Cartel’, fabulous idea and description, were played by Paterson Joseph as Slugworth, Matt Lucas as Prodnose, and Matthew Baynton as Fickelgruber. I love Matt Lucas, I’ve loved him since first seeing him in Little Britain! If you haven’t seen it, look for it, it’s a sketch comedy show staring Matt Lucas and David Walliams. I will tell you, it’s tough to watch sometimes, and you will either love it or not, not a middle of the road kind of thing, but I love it! Matthew Baynton, I love in Ghosts, the UK version, among other things.

Keegan-Michael Key played the cheif of police, he is a funny actor and I have enjoyed watching him since his days on Mad TV! Jim Carter played Abacus Crunch, fitting name for a number cruncher, I know, that’s the point! Many of you probably know him from Downton Abbey, but I’ve been a fan since Haunted Honeymoon! Rakhee Thakrar was charming as Lottie Bell, who worked for the phone company, and I have a feeling that won’t click for anyone younger than me! ha ha Calah Lane was charming as Noodle, one of the other main characters who becomes very close with Willie Wonka and helps give him purpose and to achieve his dreams.

Sally Hawkins was absolutely perfect as Willie’s mother, I have admired her work for a long time, but one of my favorite roles is the mother in Paddington, is she typecast in that role? Rowan Atkinson as the dirty priest, oh he was delightful in his wickedness! It’s still jarring to hear him speak, sometimes, even though, my first introduction to him was as the Blackadder, oh wow, takes me back! Hugh Grant as the Oompa-Loompa, Lofty! It was fun seeing some of the actors in Paddington in Wonka, and it helps a little that it was directed by the same person, Paul King, who was also one of the writers, could be why it had a not so unfamiliar feel.

Just like in the other movies, you honestly can’t tell where the movie is filmed, it feels like Europe, it feels like a city in the US, who knows. Some things made sense, some things didn’t, but isn’t that fantasy and the joy of not having a clue?! Slightly indicitive of all three movies, and I’m ok with it.

As we were watching the movie, it was a musical, and there were some great song and dance numbers, I was wondering if they would be making this into a Broadway musical, it definitely has the makings. It actually looked like it was backwards, that this had been made from a Broadway musical, not the other way around, I’m curious to see what happens! There was a great and catchy soundtrack, but…PSM and I were waiting on certain songs. They played some of the traditional songs as background, but not the full song. Oompa Loompa for one, but the big one…Pure Imagination PSM and I were holding our breath, as I said it was part of the soundtrack in the background, until towards the end, then we held hands, let out the deep breath we were holding and the tears started to flow. All good.

Overall, I can’t recommend this movie enough, it’s whimsical, hopeful, charming, cheeky, clever, sweet, inventive, smart, sounds like Willie Wonka himself…Enjoy!

{January 15, 2024} A day off, sort of, and two more coffee shops!

Today is MLK day and for many, that means a day off, wahoo!

MLK Day, or Martin Luther King Day, is a federal holiday in the United States observed on the third Monday of January each year. Dr King was born on January 15th, and was chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which protested racial discrimination in federal and state law and civil society. The movement lead to several groundbreaking legislative reforms in the United States.

Since it’s a federal holiday, many companies are closed, it was interesting, in Hawai’i, it was not observed as a holiday by all companies, but King Kamehameha I Day was an observed holiday and many companies were closed. A regional thing I guess. And, as companies were closed, some use it as an opportunity for volunteerism, giving back to communities, I’d say that’s a positive thing, wouldn’t you?

I think it’s great people have the day off to do as they choose, be it a long, 3-day weekend, a lazy day, a day to get things done, for contractors, it’s a day without pay and those aren’t as much fun, ha ha. Sometimes I am happy to take the day, but this week, we were given the opportunity to work and I took it! I am prepping for a new class, so it was the perfect time to get work done without the normal work day interruptions or meetings to take away focus. Now, don’t get me wrong, I didn’t get up at 6am like I normally do, I took my time waking up, we took the dogs to the park, and then we took the opportunity to go to another coffee shop on the Lebanon Valley Java Journey! Bonus!

We went to Baked Sweet Coffeehouse & Bakery, armed with only the passports, didn’t have to take the mugs! One less thing to remember! Weehoo! The street…you can tell they are trying to renovate and bring it up, there were several new houses and you could tell several others had been or were in the process of being renovated. The bakery itself was charming, from the outside to when you steppined inside. Open, airy, light feeling, edison bulb string lights, [do you know how hard it is to find a description and not an advertisement for edison bulb string lights?!], tables and chairs, small sofas, just the perfect atmosphere for a no-pressure, laid back coffee shop.

There was a Maker’s Market to one side with items from different vendors, all small businesses, they had their own line of merchandise down the hall, and in the back, rooms for events or overflow from the front of house. When we got there, no line, when we left, almost out the door! We’re not sure if it was the fact that businesses and schools were closed or it was the local coffee shop, could have been a combination.

They had a large coffee and tea selection, and a lovely pastry selection. We ordered a chai with almond milk for me and a decaf coffee for PSM, a blueberry muffin, a coffee cake muffin, and a beautiful snowflake sugar cookie for later. I wandered around while PSM found us a seat in front of a great antique stove, not on, but definitely a conversation piece! Our order was up, they don’t take personal cups, unfortunately, we had to pour our drinks into our cups, and the drink and muffin were served on a metal tray with a napkin that looked like a linen kitchen towel. All-in-all, a great experience so far!

The baked good were great, PSM’s coffee was pretty good, I can’t say I enjoyed my chai at all, but the cookie, I had later in the day…y u m, fancy sugar cookie goodness. We agreed, we really liked the atmosphere, but it wasn’t worth us making a special trip there on another occassion, that’s not to say, if we were in the area, we wouldn’t stop by for a baked good.

I ended up not drinking my chai and since we were headed back home, we thought, why not…let’s check another coffee shop off the list, or passport, as it were! We went to City Watch Coffee. We had both been there before, the hours weren’t always conducive to when we were out and about. The atmosphere is cool, kind of futuristic, whereas Baked Sweet had a more charming atmosphere. Both places have very nice and accomodating staff.

Speaking of staff, one of the things PSM noticed and mentioned, which admittedly, I hadn’t, was that the staff at all of the coffee shops we had been to so far were completely staffed by women. Once he pointed it out, I thought, go girl power! I liked it!

I ordered their chai, which was called, I believe the Vic Chai, because it was named after a cousin of the owner’s husband, who’s name was Vic Chai, how cool is that and what are the odds?! PSM had a hot chocolate and we ordered egg sandwiches. The sandwiches were good, PSM’s hot chocolate was good, I didn’t enjoy the chai, not sure why, it had a strange aftertaste to me. It was the third time I had it there, so it turns out the chai is not for me, but that’s not to say I wouldn’t go back to try a different drink. I am drawn to chai lattes and I try them wherever I go and some are a hit, and some not. The nice thing about this place, it’s not that far from home, so if I do find a drink I like better, win-win!

After our 2nd Java Journey stamp for the day and fifth for the weekend, we went back to the house. When we got there, one of the guys from the construction company were there to talk to us about how the day was going to go, I went upstairs to start working, and PSM stayed down to hammer out any last minute details. There were a few things I had to come downstairs to take care of, but for the most part, I was able to get a lot of work done.

PSM went out to do some stuff while I stayed behind to work, hang with the dogs and answer questions. About 230p he picked me up, we went out to get some lunch, I was very much in the mood for soup, good ramen to be exact, but no ramen in the area, so we went to Kugo Japanese restaurant for udon, because they assured me they had vegetable udon, I was ready! We had been there for sushi a while ago and liked it, this time, the udon was just what I needed. Hot, flavorful, and full of veggies and noodles, what more could you want!

Back to the house, check out the demo progress, get some more work done, take the dogs for a walk, work, PSM went to the gym, then I was done by the time he got home, we had some grub, and it was time to chill!

Not a bad way to spend a day off…sort of!

{January 9, 2024} Wash, Dry, and Fold…No problem, but…

Put away, well… that’s another story.

Anyone who knows me knows I don’t have a problem with a good mess. What’s that saying? ‘a clean desk is the sign of a sick mind’ or a ‘messy desk is the sign of a genius’, well, neither apply to me, I can assure you, but tidy is just not me! Creative, yeah, that’s it!

It’s funny, I enjoy the lived-in look, I don’t like sterile, Messy Marvin, kindred spirit, but what I don’t like is dirt! ha ha. I will pick things up, clean, and put them back down! My parents were worried that the next world disease would start in my bedroom! The cleaners would come, I would pick everything up, they clean, I put it all back where it came from! In college, the clothes went from the closet to the desk to the bed, in one continuous stream!

I am not that bad anymore, I’m not the complete opposite, but in the common areas, like the living room, dining room, and kitchen, things are in their place, but lived in. I want people to feel like they can come in our house and put their feet up, please do!

Know what’s even crazier…I can organize the you-know-what out of someone else’s space! Need a closet overhaul? Need your garage organzied? Pantry straightened, medicine chest checked? Call me, I absolutely love it! But when it comes to my own stuff…well, that’s a different story! I know me, I’m ok with that!

So… back to my post. I will wash, dry, and fold laundry. I will unpack my bags, re-fold and pile everything on the bed ready to be put away. I will wash dishes, I will load the dishwasher. But when it comes to putting away, ugh…like pulling teeth! There have been times I have folded my laundry and just worked out of the basket. And you know what? I’m ok with it! The same can’t be said for a certain someone I live with! He unpacks his bag within 24 hours of getting home, I do admire that! If he knew where all my stuff went, I might be able to convince him to put them away for me!

It only took me 3 or 4 days to finally unpack, get all the laundry done, and put away after we got back from St Thomas. The bedroom is free from clutter, the baskets are all in their place and now…I can crawl into a freshly made bed and say…goodnight! Happy folding y’all!

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