Never too old!

yellowbird23 · February 29, 2012

Debarkation in Fort Lauterdale was the usual chaotic affair, since all of the passengers had to leave the ship and go through Homeland Security. I did benefit by being in a wheelchair and while it took quite a long time until I could take the elevator in the Terminal Building down because there were a surprising number of other wheelchairs before me, then the long snakes of people lined up to go through customs were avoided. My dear friend Elaine came shortly after 10 and it was a joyful reunion. Went to the Bank where I picked up the foreign exchange I had ordered the week before, then a drugstore for some more cough medicine and drops - it's pretty bad and doesn't seem to get better.

She drove the pretty scenic route along the coastal highway North and we stopped at a beautiful restaurant for lunch. We had some good conversations and get along very well. Elaine is a very caring and intelligent person, but like always at this stage in my life, encounters like this are highlights which unfortunately cannot be sustained except in cyberspace. We got to Dale's place later in the afternoon and were warmly welcomed with open arms. My room is upstairs but I can manage the stairs slowly.

February 26 - a big party was arranged (I asked, how many and was told "between 25 and 50"; in the end there were about 30. People brought Salads, Veggies and deserts and Dale had ordered enough grilled chicken for maybe 50 people. There was music and of course much visiting. I withdrew early and went to bed, not feeling too chipper with the recurring cough.

Dale is an entirely selfmade man and a genius with too many interests and too much on his plate. His big success story must be his design and manufacturing of YoYos which are sold all over the world and are covetted by amateurs and professionals alike which use them in world competitions. Many are precision made of fancy metals and with roller bearings. Not only does he have two Prius Hybrids (one gold, one silver), but some priceless antique cars in pristine condition: 1940 Buick Roadmaster 4 door Convertible, 1929 Ford Model A roadtser pickup firetruck, 1963 Thunderbird Ford Sports Roadster, one 1970 Chevelle Malibu convertible, 1996 Calloway Corvette Convertible, 2008 Calloway Corvette Convertible. One of his great loves is National Rallies and he has partaken of many, winning 2nd place once. Another ambition is music and he is frustrated because he cannot get away from an entirely intellectual approach to it, whch crimps his style. (no wonder he refers to me as "my hero" to his friends). Building very pretty waterfalls on the large property and even in an atrium inside the house is another of his obsessions.

His wife Vera is equally talented and her good taste and innovative decoration ideas are everywhere you look. They installed an entire room in the syle of a 1960 Diner, complete with juke box and lit up counter but the entire house is a mixture of museum, artifacts and curios; where ever you look you'll see something interesting.

ThursdaysChild · March 1, 2012

Pat, thank you so much for continuing to post Egon's updates. This is the most wonderful saga! What a courageous and interesting man he is.

3dogsrule · March 1, 2012

So good to hear he's having a good time! Hope his cough clears up soon. Thanks for keeping us posted Pat!

Karen

yellowbird23 · March 2, 2012

You're all welcome, of course. Guess whose computer crashed AGAIN? I think this time I lost all my pics and documents including 8 years of diaries! I am so upset over this. Anyhow...sunshine on my shoulder makes me happy. A cruise right now would make me happier! lol

CAC104 · March 5, 2012

Pat....you should take your computer into a computer store, or call The Geeks, and see if they can retrieve your diaries. Too bad you didn't back them up onto a disc., but if you can get them back, you should store them.

I hope that Egon's cough will go away and not be something serious.

yellowbird23 · March 6, 2012

Not only did they bring me back to Ft. Lauterdale and the ship, they decided to come on the 4-day cruise to the Bahamas which is a compensation for the 3-day Rock Cruise just completed and brings the ship back into the 7-day cruise cycle. On the ship I also met again old friends who had booked this cruise because I was on it: Dick Young who at Christmas Eve 2010 when I had to leave the ship in Cozumel to seek medical attention, came with me ashore, toting my luggage and together we found the first motel I stayed in. A truly very warm and caring guy. The other, Harvey Markwart, now on the ship with his mother Elsie, was my tablemate earlier that year; he is a singer and I accompanied him when he sang at a talent show. Old home week! It took a little doing to get at least Dale, Vera, Harvey, Elsie and myself onto the same dinng room table - the first night after embarkment is always a formidable disorganized scramble.

On the ship are Danny and Marie Osmond with an entourage of 564 fans and there are quite a few events scheduled just for them, including in the theater which then only has one show for the public instead the usual two. I made no effort to see them - I knew them when they were kids!

Nassau on February 29 was as usual very crowded, with 6 cruiseships in port. I spent a few hours in the noisy terminal building with free WiFi (and earplugs) but was happy to get back to the peace my cabin provides. I decided to see Dean, the ship's Doctor, at the Medical Center, because I just can't shake the perniscious cough I have and am concerned that it might turn into pneumonia; he checked me out and put me on a 4-day course of antibiotics which I have to take three times daily and also told me not to go swimming for now.

Then there was a unadvertised sea-day where the ship just loafed around since the distance from Nassau to Ccococay Island is only some 60 Miles. I played in the afternoon and had quite a few enthusiastic listeners. This was a Gala night preceded by a cocktail party where I had only one martini (instead of the usual three) in deference to the antibiotics. In the morning I had met Pamela Anderson and her mother at the breakfast table who also came to listen; I had promised to bring my yodeling Bernese Bear, because she and her husband lived three years in Switzerland and she knew Berne well. I did bring the bear but forgot to show it to her and have not seen her since. This afternoon, March 2, a present of a jar of home made Orange Marmelade together with a birthday card was delivered to my cabin from Barbara and Mark Uchwat, friends I made at Sabor, and with it was a note referring to "Pam" having found me. I have tried to contact her but she is on the island. I also went this morning (by tender) but returned very soon since I could not move with the scooter on the sandy paths. This is a private island actually owned by Royal Caribbean.

March 3: Back in Fort Lauterdale and through customs but waiting as usual to be able to go upstairs in the Terminal Building where I'll have WiFi. And now, after 2pm, I am able to send this off. There will be two Sea Days ahead and you may not hear from me for a while.

Edited March 6, 2012 by yellowbird23

yellowbird23 · March 6, 2012

Sorry that the previous update is so small. Can't find the font key to make the thing larger. I hate this computer now. Bring back familiarity!!

PartyOfOne · March 6, 2012

Sorry that the previous update is so small. Can't find the font key to make the thing larger. I hate this computer now. Bring back familiarity!!

Not only did they bring me back to Ft. Lauterdale and the ship, they decided to come on the 4-day cruise to the Bahamas which is a compensation for the 3-day Rock Cruise just completed and brings the ship back into the 7-day cruise cycle. On the ship I also met again old friends who had booked this cruise because I was on it: Dick Young who at Christmas Eve 2010 when I had to leave the ship in Cozumel to seek medical attention, came with me ashore, toting my luggage and together we found the first motel I stayed in. A truly very warm and caring guy. The other, Harvey Markwart, now on the ship with his mother Elsie, was my tablemate earlier that year; he is a singer and I accompanied him when he sang at a talent show. Old home week! It took a little doing to get at least Dale, Vera, Harvey, Elsie and myself onto the same dinng room table - the first night after embarkment is always a formidable disorganized scramble.

On the ship are Danny and Marie Osmond with an entourage of 564 fans and there are quite a few events scheduled just for them, including in the theater which then only has one show for the public instead the usual two. I made no effort to see them - I knew them when they were kids!

Nassau on February 29 was as usual very crowded, with 6 cruiseships in port. I spent a few hours in the noisy terminal building with free WiFi (and earplugs) but was happy to get back to the peace my cabin provides. I decided to see Dean, the ship's Doctor, at the Medical Center, because I just can't shake the perniscious cough I have and am concerned that it might turn into pneumonia; he checked me out and put me on a 4-day course of antibiotics which I have to take three times daily and also told me not to go swimming for now.

Then there was a unadvertised sea-day where the ship just loafed around since the distance from Nassau to Ccococay Island is only some 60 Miles. I played in the afternoon and had quite a few enthusiastic listeners. This was a Gala night preceded by a cocktail party where I had only one martini (instead of the usual three) in deference to the antibiotics. In the morning I had met Pamela Anderson and her mother at the breakfast table who also came to listen; I had promised to bring my yodeling Bernese Bear, because she and her husband lived three years in Switzerland and she knew Berne well. I did bring the bear but forgot to show it to her and have not seen her since. This afternoon, March 2, a present of a jar of home made Orange Marmelade together with a birthday card was delivered to my cabin from Barbara and Mark Uchwat, friends I made at Sabor, and with it was a note referring to "Pam" having found me. I have tried to contact her but she is on the island. I also went this morning (by tender) but returned very soon since I could not move with the scooter on the sandy paths. This is a private island actually owned by Royal Caribbean.

March 3: Back in Fort Lauterdale and through customs but waiting as usual to be able to go upstairs in the Terminal Building where I'll have WiFi. And now, after 2pm, I am able to send this off. There will be two Sea Days ahead and you may not hear from me for a while.

__________________

yellowbird23 · March 7, 2012

Thanks again! :) You have been so much help to me these past few months. BUT...I need your e-mail so please send it again.

Pat

yellowbird23 · March 11, 2012

Pictures are from Nassau

While I did see Pam again and she enjoyed the Yodeling Bear, she was not the one who delivered the present. There are no less than 15 "Pamela"s on board; I sent a message to the only one hailing from Canada but haven't heard from her. Probably Barbara mentioned her somewhere in one of her emails but I forgot to check while I had Wifi.

This cruise is billed as a "Holistic Holiday at Sea" and there are 1400 Vegans on board which means that for the rest of us mortals, all normal routines have been upset, from dining arrangements to the shows in the theater. Harvey, Elsie and I are sitting at a table for four, designated as "reserved" as it is surrounded by Vegan tables. Neither of us was anxious to have the champagne which was brought to my table, so I postponed having the bottle opened to tonight and will simply share it with the neighbouring table. The strawberries however went well and I brought 4 of them to Angelica. Went to bed after 8pm, tired from the antibiotics. but getting better.

March 4: At breakfast, another Black Card member whom I got to know a year ago, spied me and we sat together. She is Gina Bianchi from New York, a very nice lady in her seventees and she has been following my travels through the reports consistently. We'll no doubt see more of each other.

I played both sea-days and today, March 6 in Charlotte Amelie (US Virgin Islands) I swam again after the antibiotics alleviated my cough considerably. A large group was doing calistenics in front of the stage by the pool and I see lots of people doing their thing along the balcony surrounding the pool areas: walking, running, hopping, stretching or just surveying thre scene below. I note that on the ship there are many actually obese people -mostly women- and also many with physical handicaps.

March 7, a very windy day at San Juan, Puerto Rico, with some rain in the morning while I swam, but it cleared up later. I wound my way uptown through dozens of stands selling souvenirs and got to Starbuck's only to find it already full of people with laptops. I did find a seat at a small table and then spent two frustrating hours trying to get on line. I learned that Srarbuck's, while providing free WiFi, limits the number of computers that can be on line at the same time and since noone was relinquishing his/her coveted position, I eventually gave up in disgust and just cruised around the very lively town swollen with the passengers of four cruiseships in port. Forget the internet - we'll be in Nassau in two days when I can catch up on things. Back to the ship for lunch and a long wait there, the Italian waiter complaining that everything is a "Casino" (which in Italian colloquialism means a messy chaos) because of the Vegans which have their own menu and eat in different parts of both restaurants. This "Holistic Holiday at Sea" actually represents a considerable imposition on the rest of the passengers who are in several ways inconvenienced.

March 8, Sea Day: Scrabble in the morning, playing in the afternoon. It's Gala night and after I organised a nice Martini at the cocktail Party for "repeaters", had Dinner at the Obelisco with Marcello and various other people. While the company was nice, I find myself increasingly disinterested in the repeating menus, even in this "special" restaurant and eat very little. Give me some plain old liver and bacon for a change!

March 9 in Nassau. I am glad to be at my "post" in the Terminal Building early because there are 6 ships in port including the Norwegian "Epic" with 6000 Passengers; later on the floor around me is full of guys sitting uncomfortably with their laptops in their laps -where else!- and the Internet access has slowed down considerably. Of course I swam early in the morning and also watched the large group of people partake of their calisthenics, while others on the side practice yoga and of course there are many doing their thing chasing each other around the balcony one deck higher which surrounds the entire pool area.

March 10: Back at Ft. Lauderdale. After my swim and breakfast, got them to take me down by wheelchair and through Customs. Dennis met me shortly after 10AM and we spent the morning together; he showed me his lovely condo in Boca Raton which he offers me to stay in almost any time. I could do a few important emails at his place. We ate at a Jewish Deli not far from there (chicken soup, smoked meat and chopped liver on rye!!) and went to a WalMart where I got a new beard trimmer since my old one had outlived it's battery and was sorely temped to buy a new netbook with a 11.7"screen, larger keyboard, 6-cell (8 hr) battery, and Window 7 Premium, 2 GB for $298 but held back. He however found the same model on line with 4 GB and 64 whatever (don't remember!) for only $ 20 more including shipping, and bought it. He now has 4 computers in his hone. He also showed me his garderobe, which apart from two tuxedos includees dozens of suits and pants and more than 300 shirts - he claims he could wear a different one each day of a year and I would not be surprised. Reminds me of Evita and her shoes! Got back to the ship about 2.30pm. This afternoon I will pick up Pamela's picures but won't be able to mail them until next Saturday when we are back in Ft.L.

.

Edited March 11, 2012 by yellowbird23

yellowbird23 · March 11, 2012

I have asked for Doug's assistance to do the posting, as for some reason, I can't find the font key to make it larger. When I get e-mailed to me it's fine, but when I copy it to here it's meniscule.

PartyOfOne · March 11, 2012