Antarctic Peninsula

What could be more glorious for a birthday than sailing through the Antarctic Peninsula. Since it's my birthday I decided to blow off my morning workout, but it would be silly to sleep through these vistas (or is that vistae)? The sun has shown through the clouds; it's just like I anticipated it would look, only more so. At one point we were going so slowly that the mountains reflected in the water. I'm not sure a $$$ camera could do it justice, but my point and shoot surely doesn't.

Joe ordered me a champagne breakfast with more food than four people could eat - salmon that looked like a rose, crab legs, broiled tomoateos, some strange asian slaw, fruit galore and of course, some tasty sweets.

The temperature is a little above freezing and it's quite pleasant outside, as long as you're dressed within an inch of your life. They warn about sunburn. My geographical ignorance didn't allow for mountains - but they're here. The fog cuts off the top of them, but someplaces look like the Rockies with much more snow.

We met another crew member, Edgar, from our ill-fated cruise on the Sapphire Princess. Several nightmares emanated from that cruise, one of them being terrible food. Edgar was our waiter. He says that memorable passengers stand out and he remembers them. I'm hoping it's because Joe's in a wheelchair, not that we complained loudly about the food.

And, p.s. I got my hair makeover. I've also tried to have highlights that look natural; not this time, baby. I've got chunks of "copper" and "blonde." This morning when I got up, I looked like a rockhopper penguin. Joe was kind enough to comment that he like the color. The last time i got it cut short, he told me several times he hated it. I believe good friends Barb and Patty suggested to him that he might work for more tact. It's working, ladies.

And another p.s. If I haven't mentioned how much I love Joe, here it is. He has made this a magical birthday and given me a wonderful life. I love him dearly.

It's snowing!!!

It seems the only thing I forgot to pack were Joe's socks. Drat. It's day seven - I think. The spa has convinced me to change my look. This should be fun. But, I digress. Glorious sea days - I even got a couple days in the sun. We've attempted to be good when it comes to eating, but Fernando keeps bringing me chocolate croissants whenever he sees me. STOP. They are my favorite, however. Ah yes, and Ramon, the room steward leaves me an excessive amount of chocolate every night. It's a plot.

I spent the day in the Falkland Islands. We took an offroad trip to Volunteer Point to see the penguins. First we had to fit into our four-wheel drive cars. I say that because I had to give up my front seat because of one of the passengers who was too big to fit into any other vehicle. It was the only spot to wedge him in. It turned out well, though as I shared a back seat with another Kappa Alpha Theta; what a small world.

The most glorious were the King penguins. They stand between three and four foot tall and don't mind a whit that you're watching them. Some even oblige by preening for you and showing off. If I eat more I'll really be able to do the penguin walk. There were also Gentoo and Jackass penguins - fun to watch but not as regal. We got there by four-wheel drive overland, through ruts and mud and even lost our front bumper. Bummer for the driver - it was her boss' car.

Today is a real treat. We're sailing around Elephant Island in the South Shetlands. There's a gentle snowfall and spectacular views. We're blessed in that it is often too foggy to see anything. We're fortunate to have a balcony, so we're sheltered from much of the wind. But, an Aran Island sweater, a goretex jacket, North Face pants, hat and gloves - heck, it's almost balmy. The down side, of course, is that the sweatpants I packed for Joe are apparently our daughters. It was a stretch (literally) to get them pulled up to Joe's waist. Drat.

Well, it's lunch time, heaven forbid we miss one. And, my internet minutes are fleeting. More later.

Don't cry for me Argentina . . . .

Ahhh, at long last. The cruise. Why should we whine? Does anyone work for Delta? If so, shame on the baggage department. We got Joe's electric wheelchair in Buenos Aires - in many pieces. I figure to cause that much damage they must have dropped it from the airplane onto the tarmac. We've been a lot of places and it's suffered a lot of dings, but nothing that I couldn't fix. This poor thing is beyond recognition.

But, that was yesterday. We have a manual wheelchair and a strong pusher (me, the kickboxing queen). We were relatively exhausted yesterday after a day flying, but undaunted, I took an afternoon tour of Buenos Aires. We saw the normal big sites - I'd been there in 1961, but memory being what it is - they were mostly all new to me. I really wanted to see the cemetery and almost got to. When I woke up, the bus was empty except for me. Drat. Otherwise, we found Buenos Aires to be delightful. Tremendously friendly and helpful people and good food except for an overcooked steak - mine, not Joe's.

We stopped for a drink at the piano bar tonight, and I got Joe a Beck's. Then Elbert came by and asked why Joe wasn't drinking Bass. Seems he was on our cruise a year ago Christmas. He remembered us and that Nick and Joe drank Bass and that I drank white wine. (He also remembered Maggie, go figure.) I could never work on a cruise ship, I CRS. Miss y'all.

Off we go . . . .

Joe and I are off on a great adventure. Daisy has gone to visit her boyfriend and surrogate parents, Patty and Fred. (She was initially sad because Maggie's puppy has made her life intolerable) but if anyone can fix that Patty can. And Daisy does like the special early morning time with Fred when he's reading the paper and she get her ears scratched.

We're nearly packed; I'm wondering what I will discover I left in the bathroom when we get to Atlanta. All the chargers are packed, I think. I believe I have more clothes than are necessary, but at two bags each, what the heck. Besides, what would I want to buy in Argentina and Chile anyway? Certainly not wine. p.s. I've had a really low iron count so the doctor asked me if I'd had any weird food cravings. Like chocolate, I asked? No, more like blackboard chalk or dirt. Whew! No weird cravings for me. Thank goodness, I'm normal. Bring on the chocolate. I did tell him that my daughter's lab puppy had been eating dirt - did he think she was anemic? No, just a destructive puppy.

I've pledged to exercise and eat sensibly on this cruise. I have 500 hundred "free" minutes on board to access the internet. I'll keep you posted. Actually, it will be more like an open diary. I thought maybe I could give up diet sodas and processed sugar (including Splenda) on the cruise. Seems a lofty goal, much like eating chalk. Notice there was nothing about chocolate. I do like their chocolate croissants, which they have every other day. Maybe if I sleep til 1000 on those days, they'll be gone. That's a concept. Help! What have I forgotten? Maybe to go to sleep.

Tune in for stories of our great adventures. Penguin pictures to follow.

The Wireless Connection

We're getting ready to go on a three-week cruise. While I was stressing about the cutback in luggage allowance, it occurred to me that I nearly have a small suitcase filled with wires. When Nancy and I and her parents drove to Chicago back in ( well never mind when)we sang songs all the way there. No need for a radio, we just belted them out (God bless her parents for not pulling their hair out). Now, I have to pack two cell phone chargers, a camera charger, the electric cord for my notebook, the charger for my Kindle, Joe's wheelchair charger, my IPod cradle and its cord. We could take our electric toothbrushes and the charger and the charger for Joe's electric razor. I will probably also break down and take my Nintendo DS - for those lazy At Sea days. That will require another charger though. Surely I'm forgetting something.