MY BIG FAT CARIBBEAN CRUISE II

MY BIG FAT CARIBBEAN CRUISE II

12.21.2012

NEW YEAR’S EVE

It’s the last day of 2012 and we’re spending it on the Mariner of the Seas sailing the Western Caribbean. Early in the morning, it feels like any other day on board a cruise ship.

We ate breakfast at the Windjammer and sat by the big picture window watching the sea go by. All we could see was waves of blue sea for miles and miles (and I mean blue).

We couldn’t stay away from the shops before going to the pool. I bought a party dress because tonight is formal night. I promised myself that I wouldn’t but anything for my self but it was a promise I didn’t have to keep. The dress is short, sleeveless, and black with silver sequins at the neck and hem.

The pool was very busy this morning. The upper level has a track for walking and jogging. It was a little cool but it didn’t stop anyone from trying to get a tan, jump in the hot tubs, eat frozen yogurt, swim, drink, and watch the Fab Abs (Females Only) Contest.

About eight women of all ages, sizes and shapes strutted – or tried to strut – their stuff. The one thing they all had in common was guts and in the end, the oldest woman in the group won the cup: a RC mug.

Andrea had never seen an ice show before (hockey games excluded) and so we went to see the4:30show at the Savoy Theatre at one of two theatres on the ship. I wasn’t expecting it but it was a good entertaining show.

The costumes were very colorful. Each skit or set had its own theme and color scheme: black, sliver and white for the Russia Cossack routine and rainbow colors for the Clowin’ Around skit, etc.

Waiters and waitresses took your order for drinks and bring them to your seat. (Please don’t forget to add a tip.) Andrea had to order a Coke.

Pretty soon, though, she can order something else.

It’s just unofficial observation on my part but there are a lot of families on this cruise as well as the requisite senior adults and/or couples. I don’t know what I expected.

We were riding the elevator after the show when I heard Andrea say, “Aww…”

I looked down and saw a small pink baby carriage. I peered under the hood and saw a long-haired puppy. I’m not sure about its breed but she wore a pink ribbon in her hair.

“How does she like the cruise?” I tried to hide my surprise at the dog’s mode of transportation.

“The first day was an adjustment but she’s getting used to it now,” her owner responded.

Later, I asked Andrea,

“Who would want to bring her dog on a cruise?”

“She just loves her dog,” Andrea said.

Another woman carried a fake dog with her wherever she went.  Sometimes her husband/companion held it for her. I assume the dog was battery-operated because it would move its long-haired head slowly. The dog looked like a sheep dog only smaller.

I wondered if this was some kind of therapy for the owner.  She was too old to play with toys.

Our attendant dropped off an itinerary of events and other information for us. There were many parties/event scheduled for the evening and of course, a balloon-drop on the Promenade.

At 6:30 we went to dinner at the Sound of Music, true to schedule. My dinner choices included a light mushroom and cheese crepe; a salad of winter greens with walnuts and light vinaigrette; baby rack of lamb with string beans and root vegetables and a hazelnut coffee mousse for dessert with a cup of coffee. I had a glass of Pinot Grigio.

Everything was excellent in taste and presentation and not only on this night but every night. I never had a bad meal there.

Andrea loved her choices, too: beef consommé; herb-encrusted Alaska halibut with side veggies that I can’t remember and a light strawberry banana torte for dessert and a Coke. (The day after tomorrow, she gets to really drink.)

She ate everything so it must have been good.

While we were eating there was a parade in the lower level of the restaurant.  I didn’t see it (and Andrea had gone to the restroom) because we were on the upper level and I didn’t feel like running to the railing. It didn’t last long.

A live band played every night in the lower level.

We started talking to a couple from California sitting at the table next to ours. There names were Kristin and Paul. They were surprised that we had come all the way from Pittsburgh. They were from San Diego. They were curious about Pittsburgh.

I told them I loved the city because it has a community-oriented feel to it but I didn’t love the winters. They wanted to know why and I cited the difficulty navigating the hills when the municipal authorities can’t get it together to plow.

Kristin told me a little about the history of California which has a different history from the eastern US, California had originally been founded by Europeans who established missions to help the Native Americans.

They also mentioned how warm the weather was in San Diego. That city doesn’t really experience weather changes.

I have a photo of Mike who grew up in California and Hawaii until the age of 7 or 8, wearing shorts and a T-shirt on Christmas Day. This was when my father-in-law was in the Navy and stationed in California.)

Of course, we also talked about the Steelers, Chargers and Penguins.

There was down time until the festivities began so we went back to our room. Andrea took the opportunity to re-do her hair for the zillionth time.

There are several bars on some of the decks. We stopped in and listened to the music and moved on to the next one (except Ellington’s because Andrea isn’t into jazz).  Some of them allowed smoking so we didn’t linger too long in those. Smoking makes me sick.

We passed the Champagne Bar on the Promenade deck.

“On January 2, we’ll go in there first,” I said to Andrea.

After that we dropped in the Dragon’s Lair (Michael Jackson Tribute); Latin American dance music; Country and Western Music at Studio B and the party on the Promenade deck where the balloons will drop. Fittingly for us, the balloons are in black and gold.

The Promenade consisted of wall-to-wall people – young, old and in-between.

Waiters and waitresses were giving out free glasses of champagne. One underage kid picked one up and the waiter took it right off of him. A jazz band played and they were very good.

The crowd was proportionately as large as a Times Square crowd although the Promenade is a bit smaller. Now I know how it feels to be sardines or anchovies stuffed in a can. At the count down to midnight the balloons dropped one or two at a time – a malfunction of something or other, I guess.

Clink! Clink! of the champagne glasses. All of a sudden, the remaining balloons dropped all at once. Auld lang syne was over by then. Balloons were batted back and forth or the kids stepped on them.  Pop! Pop!

We revisited our previous stops but most of the crowd on the Promenade deck didn’t die out until much later.

A note on the fashions of the evening: there was mostly short evening gowns were prominent although there were long gowns, too, on women of all ages. The color black dominated as did silver and gold sequined attire; white and neutrals like champagne were and beige were favored, too. I didn’t see too many bright colors although I remember a long, yellow gown floating by. I think I saw red, too. I saw some lace and dotted Swiss material, sheer tops, sleeveless gowns, and skinny straps but not too many strapless numbers. Women were wearing platforms, high heels and flats.

I wondered how the puppy in the buggy celebrated New Year’s Eve. Finely ground filet mignon with a magnum of Perrier water? Just wondering.

 

Tomorrow: New Year’s Day

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MY BIG FAT CARIBBEAN CRUISE I

MY BIG FAT CARIBBEAN CRUISE I

DECEMBER 30, 2012

ROYAL CARIBBEAN’S MARINER OF THE SEAS

NEW YEAR’S EVE CRUISE

Once on board, we went straight to our stateroom. It was small but nice with a TV and a safe. We looked around the ship. It was beautiful and even elegant. Each deck is decorated differently and there are lots of sculptures, paintings, watercolors, bas relief, vases, prints, ceramics….There are marble floors, hardwood floors, carpeting, tile….

There are two sets of elevators: one is enclosed while the other is all glass. From the glass elevator you can see the core of the ship which consists of decks 3 through 8. (Below deck 3 is uninteresting although the ship’s doctor is located there.) Above 8 is one more floor of staterooms and above that is the pool area. The pool area has two decks (9 and 10) and the gym, spa and game room are on that upper deck, too. The very top (which we never got to see) contained the miniature golf course, basketball court, etc.

When we first boarded the ship we entered via the Top Hat and Tails Restaurant which looks exactly what its name implies. It’s no burger joint. The waiters held wine lists which they were eager for us to look at.

(“I’m putting on my top coat; I’m tying up my bow tie, dancing my tails…” Fred Astaire sang in Top Hat. Check out all his dance routines on YouTube.)

Our next stop was deck 5, called the Promenade. The area was decorated with a giant Christmas tree and other holiday decorations. From deck 8 where our room was located you can see several floors below with a huge colorful cascading glass chandelier that I came to photograph a lot as its centerpiece. The chandelier has several components as it hangs from deck 8 down to deck 3.

We ate lunch at the Windjammer, the super duper buffet of the Mariner.  Purell hand sanitizers grace the front entrance and the hosts practically insist you use the sanitizer before you enter the restaurant.

The shops weren’t scheduled to open until the ship sailed so we went to check out the pool area. It became our favorite spot, or one of them, during the trip.  There’s a giant TV, two bars on each level, hot tubs, deck chairs galore and a pool, too.

A band was playing and an activities leader (whatever they call them) was teaching the crowd line dances. I didn’t participate but Andrea did only she didn’t need the lesson. It was fun to watch, though a lack of sleep was starting to up with me.

Then it was announced that everyone had to attend a mandatory fire drill. All it involved, though, was having the passengers walk down the steps to their designated area (ours was the Sound of Music Restaurant) where we learned how to use a life jacket.

Our designated restaurant for dinner was the Sound of Music Restaurant which displayed costumes from the play/movie (reproductions, I’m sure). There was one discreet Purell hand sanitizer stand at the entrance. We have a pre planned reservation for 6:30 pm every evening. I thought that it was beautifully decorated much like Top Hat and Tails. The waiters/waitresses wore black pants, white long sleeved shirts and black vests. Andrea giggled when the waiter placed a napkin on her lap and held out her chair for her to sit.

I chose a bottle of white wine, a Pinot Grigio to be served every evening until it runs out. I sniffed the bouquet and tasted the wine before the waiter poured me a glass. Since I only drink one glass per evening if at all, it should last a while. On our first evening, I had the catch of the day which happened to be bass and it also happened to be a low calorie selection.

Andrea selected a vegetarian Indian dish. I had the watermelon gazpacho soup and she chose the Tortilla soup. No dessert for either of us although I had to have a cup of coffee. I hadn’t had coffee since the morning of December 29, 2012!

Our ship finally sailed at 5:00 pm to no fanfare. I expected to hear bells, whistles, fog horns, and/or fireworks…something. We pulled away from Galveston which gave us a landscape view of the city. It is nondescript (no hills) but I snapped a photo as we sailed away. It’s a town that exists because of the harbor, IMO.

The shops opened and we did a little bit of shopping. All the stores are located on the Promenade deck. We were looking for conditioner. the first shop we went into didn’t have any. What?! No hair conditioner? Panic set in! But we found some in another shop.Whew!  Other people were shopping for hair conditioner, too.

We also visited several lounges (two more days before Andrea can legally drink) just to see what was going on for a while and then we crashed.

TOMORROW NIGHT: NEW YEAR’S EVE

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ART PROJECT FOR KIDS: Paper Weaving.

ART PROJECT FOR KIDS: Paper Weaving.

 

The craft PAPER WEAVING was adapted from the project “Stitches, Scraps and Haute Couture/Paper Weaving” published in Arts and Crafts Activities Desk Book by Joyce Novis Laskin and published by Parker Publishing Company in 1971.

MATERIALS:

Large sheet of thick paper or cardboard for the frame of the mock loom

Two or three different colored and/or pattered papers cut into strips

Ribbon (optional)

Scissors

Ruler

Pencil with eraser

Glue stick or scotch tape

  1. Fold paper in half. (Choose any size paper or cardboard from 8 ½” x 11” and up.) Draw lines ¼” to ¾” apart down the length of the fold.
  2. Look at Step II below. Make incisions with the scissors, starting from the fold up to ½” of the edges of the paper. Don’t cut all the way to the end or you will cut the paper/cardboard into strips! Cut up to ½”  at each the end of the paper/cardboard and draw a line across. (In other words, leave an uncut margin at both ends.) This is the weaving “frame” or “loom.” Open the paper or cardboard.
  3. Measure and cut strips of paper to weave in and out of the paper loom. To minimize mistakes, make sure that the strips are a little longer than the width of the loom.
  4. Choose two or three different colored papers to weave through the paper loom. (Alternate ribbon with paper for a different look to the weaving.)  Start at one end and work your way up to the other end. Alternate the in-and-out pattern with each row. (Refer to photograph.)
  5. Trim loose ends and glue the ends down using a glue stick.
  6. Use your paper weaving as a place mats or give it as a gift.  What else can you do with your paper weavings?
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ART PROJECT FOR KIDS: Nature Prints

ART PROJECT FOR KIDS: Nature Prints

The craft NATURE PRINTS was adapted from the project “From the Yard/Nature Prints” found in All-Around-the-House Art and Craft Book by Patricia Z. Wirtenberg and published by Houghton Mifflin Company in1968

MATERIALS:

Leaves, bark, twigs

Printer’s inks or poster or acrylic paints in various colors (cheaper to use)

Drawing pencils (optional)

Rice or bond paper in white or various light colors (works best with poster/acrylic paints)

Brown wrapping paper or construction paper for use with printer’s inks

Brayer (or roller)

Piece of glass

Newspaper

Solvent for cleaning brayer and glass if using printer’s inks unless using water-soluble printer’s inks

  1. Collect fresh leaves from the trees or bushes in your neighborhood or yard. You will need some to experiment with and some for the last print. Other objects such as tree bark (if it’s easy to peel off) and even some twigs will work along with the leaves, too.
  2. Cover your work surface with newspaper. Lay down the glass and brayer on the work surface. Select the paints or inks that you will use. Acrylic or poster paints are less expensive than oil-based printer’s inks and easier to clean up after use.
  3. You can squeeze one color for each leaf or squeeze two or three colors side-by-side on the glass. The leaves in the samples shown used one or two or three colors at one time.
  4. Roll the paint or inks on the glass until the pigment covers the brayer. If you are using more than one color, let the colors run into each other. Roll the brayer over the leaf several times and turning the leaf over, lay it on a piece of paper like rice paper or bond paper. Use your hand to press the leaf so that it prints on the paper. Paper that is not too thick or too thin is the best to use if using acrylic or poster paints. Printer’s inks can use a slightly heavier paper like construction or brown wrapping paper.
  5. Remove the leaf and see how it printed on the paper. Experiment until you have a print that you like. Experiment with other materials from nature combined with the leaves.
  6. To create a mixed media design, color the whites of the leaves or the background paper or outline the printed leaves with colored pencils. See the two samples below.
  7. Frame the print or using old note card stationery, make note cards or poster cards of the printed leaves. They make a thoughtful gift for people who still write notes!
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ART PROJECT FOR KIDS: Sgrafitto

ART PROJECT FOR KIDS: Sgrafitto

 

Sgrafitto

Sgrafitto

Sgrafitto is an etching technique that uses a pointed tool to scratch through a covered surface to show the art work beneath it.

Materials:

Wax crayons (Do not use black)

India ink or back poster paint

Pointed tool for etching such as a knitting needle or a toothpick

Cardboard or mat board

Brush

    1. Draw and color various abstract shapes on the cardboard or mat board. Make sure to use a heavy hand and leave a thick layer of wax crayon.
    2. Paint the cardboard or mat board with India ink or black poster paint. Allow the surface to dry completely. If the wax crayons show through, you need a second coat of paint or ink. Allow this coat to dry.
    3. Select the pointed tool you will use. You can experiment with different tools on a scrap of cardboard and then decide which one is best for your work of art.
    4. Have an image or design in mind or draw one on sketch paper first. Etch the design directly on the painted cardboard or mat board using various strokes: long, short, or circular going in various directions: horizontal, vertical or diagonal. Etch deeply enough to penetrate the first layer of ink or poster paint.
    5. Frame the sgrafitto and don’t forget to etch your name in the lower right-hand corner.

    Inspired by: All-Around-the-House Art and Craft Book by Patricia Z, Wirtenberg

    Art Work by Jeffrey J. Bennett

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ART PROJECT FOR KIDS: Textured Rubbings

ART PROJECT FOR KIDS: Textured Rubbings

MATERIALS:

Thin paper like rice paper or bond paper

Any kind of crayons including Wax crayons

Graphite

Textured surfaces: chain link fences, tombstones, bricks, sidewalks, gratings, certain fabrics

 

  1. Find an interesting raised surface to rub. For the first rubbing, select a surface and rub with either the graphite or one of the wax crayons.
  2. For the second rubbing, rub with a different wax crayon on another surface or on the same surface. The shift the paper up or down or sideways, rubbing the surface with another color or the graphite.
  3. For the third rubbing, select two or three colors and two or three surfaces to rub. Use only one sheet of paper for this. Select a color and rub the first surface with it. Rub the second surface with a second crayon. Rub the third surface with a third color or the graphite.
  4. Do you notice a pattern created with the different colors and surfaces? Insert your best rubbing in a poster frame and hang on the wall of your bedroom.
  5. Alternative Project: Rubbings also make great greeting or note cards. Cut a blank piece of paper in half. Cut the rubbing and paste it to the front of the folded paper.  Cut the rubbing smaller still and you can make gift tags the same way as the greeting card.

 

For more ideas on rubbings:

All-Around-the-House Art and Craft Book by Patricia Z. Wirtenberg

Arts and Crafts Activities Desk Book by Joyce Novis Laskin.

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Art Project for Kids: Abstract Design

Art Project for Kids: Abstract Design

Abstract Design

ABSTRACT DESIGN

 

MATERIALS:

Markers

Pencils

Crayons

Construction or bond paper

PROJECT:

  1. Find interesting objects in your home and trace them.
  2. Arrange them on construction or bond paper creating an abstract design.
  3. Trace the objects with markers or pencils or crayons. Trace one object at a time, adding objects as you go or lay them all down and trace them.
  4. Remove the objects from the paper. Choose three colors or two colors plus black. Now add patterns to the traced objects: dots, stripes, zigzags, checks or color some of the areas in the design.
  5. Mat the abstract design and display it or use it as a cover for a favorite book.

 

VARIATION:

Trace one object, turning the paper as you trace. Or overlap the object by placing it vertically, horizontally, upside down, etc.

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Art Project for Kids: Painted Rocks!

Art Project for Kids: Painted Rocks!

PAINTED ROCKS is an updated adaption of the project from “Painted Stones and Stone Sculptures” found in the Reinhold Book of Arts and Crafts Techniques and published by Van Nostrand Reinhold Companya division of Litton Education Publishing, Inc. in 1976. Materials: Rocks preferably with a relatively smooth surface Poster or acrylic paints Brushes of various widths Container for water Palette or disposable smooth surface like wax paper Soap Paper Towels Newspaper or something similar to cover the surface of your work space

  1. Wash rocks thoroughly and dry. If rocks are very dirty, soak in a bucket of sudsy water, rinse and dry. In the meantime, cover your work space.
  2. Think of a design for the rock. Sometimes the rock suggests a design or an object. Stripes, dots, stars, swirls, circles are some ideas you can use alone or in combination.
  3. Select the paint colors and squeeze a small amount (about the size of a quarter to start) on the palette or wax paper. Squeeze white, black or brown for the base coat of the rocks.
  4. Prime the rock white if you selected lighter colors or brown if you selected darker colors. This step isn’t required but it makes the colors adhere to the rock better if there is a base coat on which to paint your design. Paint one side at a time and allow the rock to dry. Turn over and paint the other side.
  5. If you can’t think of a design, lay the paints on the surface randomly. Overlap the colors and see them run into each other.
  6. Paint one side at a time and allow the design to dry. Turn over and paint the other side.
  7. Use your rocks to decorate your desk or your bedroom’s window sill. They also make nice gifts!

VARIATION: Select yarn or string in different colors and dip into glue. Wrap around the rock in different directions. Allow the glue to dry. VARIATION: Create rock creatures by gluing paper, pipe cleaners, pompom, buttons and more!

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BUGS AND THINGS: Butterfly

BUGS AND THINGS: Butterfly
BUTTERFLY

BUTTERFLY

BUTTERFLY

Butterflies belong to the order of Lepidoptera which means “scaly wings.”

Butterflies and moths live in high mountains, warm tropical rainforests, the Artic tundra, deserts and swamps. Some pollinate flowers but some are also pests. They help the environment by providing food for bats lizards, frogs and birds.

 Scientists have discovered one million creatures in the animal world; ¾ of these are insects. Of these, 18,000 to 20,000 different kinds of butterflies have been identified.

During the fall, monarch butterflies fly as far as 3,000 miles to their winter homes. None of them return to their place of origin because few of the live longer than a month. Only some butterfly species can journey very far.

Materials:

Paper Twist or similar wide wire ribbon (color of choice)

Chenille stems (color of choice)

Clothespin

sequins, glitter, markers, etc.

Project:

  1. Unfurl the twist and lay one end down on a smooth surface. Determine the length. For example, if you choose to make a 6” butterfly, unfold it, and lay down 6” of twist going in one direction. Lay down another 6” going in the other direction. Continue in this manner until you have 3-4 loops of twist on each side. Cut off any excess.
  2. Pinch the twist loops in the center with a clothespin.
  3. Decorate the clothespin with sequins, glitter, markers, and other craft items.
  4. Take two chenille stems and wrap them around the clothespin. Curl the ends so that the stems look like antenna.

 

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BUGS AND THINGS: Bees

BUGS AND THINGS: Bees

 

BEES

BEES

BEES

Bees are flying vegetarian insects that collect pollen and nectar. While many bees are black and yellow, some are all black and generally measure one half to three fourth of an inch in length. There are many different kinds of bees: honey bees, carpenter bees and bumble bees among others. Wasps and hornets resemble and can be mistaken for bees, too.

Materials:

Styrofoam egg

6 chenille stems

White glue

Black paint

Paint brush

Yellow felt or yellow paper

Small wiggle eyes

Small Styrofoam ball (must be smaller than the egg)

Scissors

Project:

  1. Cut ¼” from one side of a Styrofoam egg so the Styrofoam can stand on its side.
  2. Paint the egg and a 1 12” Styrofoam ball black.
  3. Cut ¼” from one end of the ball. Glue the head on the wider end of the egg.
  4. Cut strips of yellow felt and glue them on the back of the egg at intervals so you have alternate stripes of black and yellow. Optional: paint the stripes with yellow paint.
  5. Cut two 3” chenille stems for the antenna; cut two 11” chenille stems for the wings and one 1 1/2” chenille stem for the tail.
  6. Shape the 11” stems into hearts and twist the ends together. Cut small slits or poke holes into the sides of the egg. You may need a utility knife and the help of an adult in order to do this. Push the ends into the sides of the body of the bee. Apply glue into those holes to secure if needed.
  7. Push the tail into the narrow end of the body; add a little glue into that hole, too. Push the antennae into the top of the head; secure with glue. Bend and curl the tops.
  8. Glue eyes on to the face. Optional: paint two eyes with yellow paint.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Delano, Marte Ferguson. National Geographic Kids/Butterflies. Washington DC: National Geographic for Kids.

Greensburg, David T. Bugs! NY: Little, Brown and Company. 1997.

Jackson, Demi.  Guess That Animal! Name That Bug! NY: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2017.

McKissack, Patricia and Frederick. Bugs! Chicago: Children’s Press, 1988.

Parker, Nancy Winslow and Wright, Joan Richards. Bugs. NY: Greenwillow, 1987.

Simon, Seymour. Butterflies. NY: Collins, 2011.

Singer, Marilyn. Caterpillars. Waynesville, MC: Early Light Books, Inc., 2011.

Taylor, Barbara, ed. 1000 Facts on Bugs. NY: Miles Kelly Publishing, 2005.

 

For more information about honey bees and bumble bees: https://www.mnn.com

 

 

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