The Holy Land

A whirlwind tour of the Holy Land is complete. You can't upload pictures on the ship's computers, so I'll have to do that when we get home. Also, I'm writing this without notes, so I'll fill in later. The first day consisted mostly of getting on and off the bus. We began in Nazareth at the Church of the Annunciation - where Gabriel appeared to Mary. There is a continuing struggle with the Muslims in Nazareth and they are currently protesting because they want to build a mosque adjoining the church. Sound familiar? Then it was off through a thick haze (the guide said not smog, just dust and humidity) to the Sea of Galilee. Up the mount where Christ delivered the Beatitudes, then down to Sea. My left brain was amazed at distances - how far it was from the mount to the sea to Capernaum. I washed my hands in the Sea of Galilee but was distracted from any contemplation by a guy doing figure 8's on his jet ski. From there we visited the ruins of Capernaum, which are under excavation. There is a church built on stilts over what are purported to be the runis of St Peter's mother-in-law's house. I say purportedly because I believe many of the sights in the Holy Land are built on estimations or are simply memorials to the idea. Not that it matters. After that, a wonderful meal at a Kibbutz and a stop at the River Jordan.

Then off to Jerusalem, through the Judean Desert where temperatures were at 38 degrees centigrade. I'm not sure of the conversion, but it was hot regardless. I had not paid attention to the politics and learned later that the agreement to halt building in the West Bank expired at midnight. Now I understand the bulldozers and cement trucks along the side of the road. These week is Succoth (sp?) and it is a week-long holiday. When we arrived in Jerusalem, it was the Priest's Blessing Day, which occurs during Passover and Succoth. We visited the Old City at about 10 p.m. and it was packed with people. The ultra-orthodox Jewish men with hats of every size and fabric made quite a display. Then it was back to the hotel.

Monday was clear and hot. But I shall have to leave y'all handing as Joe and I are off to Egypt in a few minutes. Let me just say that the Holy Spirit is ever-present in the Garden of Gethsemene.

Full moon over Vesuvius

As we pulled away from Naples, the moon highlighted Mt Vesuvius. Maybe not breathtaking but certainly worth noting. Yesterday seemed like old home week. Two waiters in the dining room hugged me and welcomed us back (we must have tipped well). Then, I thought I saw an old co-worker from the Pentagon, but wrote it off as the "I've been away from home so long people are starting to look like someone I know" syndrome. But, later I saw his wife. They live in San Antonio, but it takes an ocean to meet up.

Today was a long road trip. The Amalifi Coast (55 kilometers of curves)and a short stop in Positano - a village built into the side of the mountain. Then back to Sorento for sightseeing and lunch at a 5-star hotel. Ok, the Italians have pasta down to a science. Then, on to Pompeii, somewhere I've wanted to visit since grade school history class. The eruption that buried the city was in 79 a.d. The last eruption in 1944. Pompeii was a city of 10,000 to 20,000 people complete with 143 wine bars, several bordellos and assorted other places of note.

When we could barely walk another step, a woman and her husband whom I met during the course of the day, convinced me we could not leave without sharing a piece of pizza. Just like Julia Roberts in the disappointing "Eat, Pray, Love." Unlike her I do believe I gained 10 lbs today alone - and we have 40 days left. Ah well, swimming tomorrow and maybe even the gym. I am proud to say, it's been four days without a soda. Way to go, Janny.

Arrivederci Roma

Well, I have no idea how to spell "goodbye" in Italian, but that was my best shot. The luggage, Joe and I have arrive on the Celebrity Equinox safely, although he had just one blip left on his wheelchair, and if the battery goes dead, there is no resurrection. A long 9 1/2 hour flight to Rome made easier by a last minute upgrade to Business Class. i think I'm spoiled. A suicide driver in a Mercedes mini-van got us safely to the Hotel Cicerone, which was close to the Vatican. We checked in, had a good lunch, followed by a nap and a good dinner, followed by several Italian white wines and a Benedictine and Bailey. I was able to find the air conditioning switch about 3:00 a.m. this morning and it made it much more comfortable. After another harrowing ride to Civeteveccia, we are save and sound. Ciao.

Off on a great adventure tomorrow

Well, the party has come and gone. 100+ people, family, and friends all enjoying football and great conversation. Bob and the crew worked their magic once again. Barb and I did have to sneak six large black trash bags to a closeby dumpster cause something in the garbage was smelling like chicken left outside in the heat - and we didn't have chicken.

Now I'm on to packing and trying to keep the suitcases under 50 lbs. That's hard for a 42-day vacation. And, every weather forecast seems to predict temperatures diametrically different than one another. But, right now, I wish the suitcase didn't weigh so much empty. I'm getting cheated out of 14 lbs. Of course, I've had lighter suitcases which the airlines manage to annihilate in one brief trip. Fortune did smile briefly today while checking in on-line. Your could upgrade to Business Class for a high, but manageable amount. So, for 9 hours and 15 minutes we should be as comfortable as possible. Bring it on and Ciao.

Ooops

I forgot to put the pictures from the World War I Symposium in Kansas City at the WWI Museum. Here they are. Why would I want an SLR camera when I can barely work this one. The field of silk poppies gives pause. There are 9000 poppies, each one representing 1000 people who were killed during the war. Lest anyone forget . . . . It was a moving place to remember 9/11.

On the road again. . .

After a couple days at home (think laundry), we took off again to a World War I Symposium in Kansas City. A simple journey north on I35. Unfortunately, Tropical Storm Hermine also decided to go north along I35 the entire three days. They closed 35 in Dallas as we went by; it rained 11.6 inches in Killeen as we went by. Boy was that fun. Good times in KC. I had lunch with an old friend from Pentagon days, who hasn't changed a bit. It gave me hope that I hadn't either. Saturday was the piece de resistance, however. We got up early and I got Joe off to the seminar. And, Daisy got a chance to run and run and run. Then it was my turn. I crawled back into bed and watched two Law and Orders and drifted in and out of sleep. Utter decadence. Then Room Service. A personal pizza, apple pie and a Diet Dr. Pepper. Back into bed and watched Runaway Bride. Mindless idiocy, but I can't remember the last time I got to do that. Maybe the morning Princess Di and Charles got married. That maybe an exaggeration but not by much.

Now the National Baptist Convention was at the hotel and the membership really knew how to dress. Hats, suits, hats, bow ties and more hats. I wish I could carry off some of those outfits. I owe a big vote of thanks to two of the guys standing outside the hotel. I went out to walk Daisy, and they called after me, gesturing wildly. Seems my cute little skirt was tucked in my panties. See, I could never carry off the elegant outfits the women were wearing.

The 9th anniversary of September 11th has come and gone. Polly called to tell me she was thinking of us. That touched me more than I would have anticipated. The memories continue to fade; the only concrete remnant is a strong startle response. I guess I'm at peace with what was done or not done. Someone said today that we should focus on the survivors of that day. I liked that. Virtually everyone was changed in someway. Maybe we should all take a moment to thank God that we're survivors and to savor that fact.

Well, after too much to eat at a rib place in Norman, OK, I guess I snuggle in for a long winter's nap.

I'm Baaaaaack

I can hardly believe that it's been almost a year since a sallied forth. But, good friends reminded me of the obvious. Joe and I and our favorite lap dog started out on a two-week roadtrip to points west. We hoofed it to Ruidosa with a stop in Ft Stockton, one of our favorite resting places (that was tongue in cheek) but if you live in San Antonio and want to go west, it's stop there or nowhere. We descended on Bruce and Nancy and Daisy's sister, Pali. Daisy decided to stay with them when we went to Chandler to Creative Escapes scrapbook extravaganza.


We made the yearly pilgrimage to the Heart Attack Grill and stuffed ourself with lard, cream and Mexican cokes - the really syrupy kind. Fred and Joe had found it (by accident) last year, so we invited Nancy and Bruce and we all had burgers dripping with grease. After 3 hard days of scrapbooking, we left Patty and Fred at the airport and went to retrieve Daisy.
Joe and I had decided to drive to the Grand Canyon but when we learned Nancy (another highschool friend) and Don, her husband, were back in town, we opted to have lunch with them and then the six of us could drive to Vegas instead. What a great choice.
Boys in one car and girls in the other. We told funny stories, reminisced, and just had an all around good time. Once there, we had great Italian food; bad craps tables, good Oz and Monopoly slot machines. It must have been a good time cause we never left the hotel. You just can't take for granted friendships that last over time. We have been truly blessed. And another blessing is that our husbands really appear to like each other. I'm sure sometimes they feel left our of the stories, but they benevolently hang in there. Here's to them.
After all of that, the ride home was a bit of an afterthought, but Daisy joined us in the front seat and we returned home to laundry, mail, and other assorted mundane stuff. And packing for a trip to Kansas City. Thank you Lord for friends.