All Things EARTH... part 2

[Sailor_Sally]

50 minutes ago, Ellesor826 said:

@sailor_sally 

That’s so interesting 🤔.  If you post a photo maybe I will recognize you too 🤗

I’m supposing you’re live near exit 213-UTC.  I live near exit 224-Ellenton Outlets.  

I know areas by stores or restaurants.  
Are you a “transplant” or native Floridian??
-Rosie

My SO is a native Floridian but I have been here for 25 years . I live close to Sarasota airport on Sarasota bay .

[Anita Latte]

Very pretty scarves Laurie...I have scarves but I haven't really worn them much. It's harder in the warmer weather though having a scarf could be helpful for some sun protection...and I've been thinking lately about all the glamorous Hollywood women that used to cover their hair with scarves...think convertible hair protection. That's not a thing any more. I wonder sometimes about how things that were practical in a way were somewhat accepted as good fashion...but now...we see a scarf like that and think about someone hiding their hair curlers or something.

 

Anyway, I'm working on figuring out ways to incorporate scarves into more of a hair accessory.

 

We didn't get the coffee card. Harmony has a full fledged Starbucks on board. If it wasn't clear, we did try the lattes at the Cafe Promenade one morning. We each get a BOGO coupon for a specialty coffee drink with our loyalty status but the lattes weren't good. Not hot enough...and the flavor of the espresso wasn't strong. Starbucks doesn't participate in any drink package, promotion, coupons on board so...if we wanted it, we were stuck with paying OOP Starbucks pricing plus the 18% service charge. Ugh.

 

When working, I think a well placed 5-night cruise can be really good. It's not the same as the full 7-night but if you are able to tack on days before or after in such a manner that adds quality vacation time...it can be nice to have some transition time post vacation before having to get back to work. But, by that token...if you only take the one week each year, maybe you can take of an extra Monday post vacation. Then there's that added bonus of the short work week upon return...

 

I think we need to have two good weeks each year if possible. DH gets 3 weeks each year, but when he wants time off at Christmas...well...2021 will need some planning because we have the TA which will take 2 weeks in April and then we were hoping to go to Alaska that September...and that could cause problems with available vacation... But currently, we don't have major fall plans this year, so maybe we can save some vacation time to roll over to help out next year. It will require some clever planning on my part I think so that DH doesn't get burned out...I'm the one that can plan out weekends that feel like good breaks...with DH working a 9/80 (getting every other Friday off) I should be able to swing it.

[Ellesor826]

26 minutes ago, Sailor_Sally said:

Sarasota airport on Sarasota ba

Lovely 💚🐬 

Do for us it would be exit 213 yo get to SRQ 🤗

We’re here 6 yrs now but spend 4 months (+/-) in NY.  Summers are too too hot/humid for me.  
 

[Sailor_Sally]

My daughter lives in Lakewood ,Ny so I visit New York every summer .I don't mind summer because there is less traffic but summer just goes on too long .

[Anita Latte]

San Juan...

 

I haven't toured around San Juan before. I had an embarkation in San Juan once...but we flew in from Atlanta on the day of embarkation and flew out on the day of debarkation...so no touring.

 

DH has been struggling with knee pain for...IDK...something like 4-5 years now? MRI...etc etc...trying different things to try to ease the pain of a knee that doesn't seem to have anything more wrong with it than normal wear and tear. Walking can be quite painful...so I was hesitant about how to tour San Juan.

 

The plan was to go to El Morro, one of two forts in Old San Juan. It is the one on the point that was built to guard the harbor. The other fort was built more to guard the town. I'd read that it was mostly uphill to get to El Morro...so I had toyed with the idea of taking a taxi up to that fort...walking all around the fort...and then depending on DH's knee...we would either meander our way through Old San Juan, seeing some sites on our way back to the ship...or even take a taxi back to the ship.

 

Our walk into Philipsburg the day before went well. Much better than such walks have been in the past...looking up the distance to El Morro...just over 1 mile...really similar to what we did in St Maarten...DH said that he would like to avoid the taxis...that didn't sound good. Ok fine.

 

The day was gorgeous. One of the bright and sunny with few clouds in the sky kind of days. The complete opposite of the day before. After breakfast sandwiches and fruit at Park Cafe, since we didn't enjoy the lattes at Cafe Promenade...and since Starbucks on board was punished with the extra 18% service charge, we figured it would be much cheaper to get lattes in San Juan...so we headed off the ship.

 

It was good to have cell service! Mapping out some coffee shops we started walking away from the ship and in the general direction of a shop that looked like it was near a downtown park...but we stumbled upon Zombie Coffee. OMG!!! Zombie Coffee is in Athens, GA, home of UGA, and we have been there several times when we've gone to Athens for all sorts of different music related events for DS...things like Midfest, All States, etc. Going in there, I VAGUELY remembered that I had seen that they had another location in San Juan...and here it was.

 

When I told Mom that...she asked if we had fun talking with the workers there about the other location. No. I never took Spanish, I took French...and seriously, living here in Florida...AGAIN, I'm like...I should really learn Spanish. The workers there had just enough English to deal with orders...so without Spanish...no extra conversation. Happy lattes in hand, we took off weaving through the streets of Old San Juan.

 

I'd read that if you walk up toward El Morro more on toward the coast, the hills aren't quite as steep...so we did head more OVER to the shoreline than UP toward the fort. We ended up in what I now know is the Parque Las Palomas...which is known for all the birds...beautiful overlook of the bay. The guided tour that had also, strangely enough, been IN Zombie Coffee was there. The guide was dressed as Captain Jack and the tour seemed VERY geared toward young children. We could overhear some of what he was saying when we arrived...but then he taught the children a local children's game which seemed very much like red light, green light to me...

 

We wove our way up and spying a gorgeous mansion type house at the end of a street...we walked down toward that and learned it was the La Fortaleza...the governor's mansion...a UNESCO World Heritage Site...built between 1553 and 1540...it is the oldest executive mansion in continuous use in the New World. Which reminded me of the second oldest church in the New World...so I looked that up to be sure we walked past it...Cathedral de San Juan Bautista.

 

Originally built in 1532, IIRC, it was destroyed by a hurricane and rebuilt in 1540. It has had some work done over the years LOL...but it is a lovely building. We were able to enter the Cathedral and walk all around...even while a mass was being conducted in one of the side areas. Explorer Ponce de Leon is "buried" here. Two things amazed me here...first...the presence of light. There were gable like windows all along the upper reaches of the Cathedral...like many such houses of worship...the ceiling is SO tall...all arched with details and interest and all along the lower parts of the high arches up there were half moon windows at regular intervals...everywhere. With the white washed stucco walls...it was very LIGHT.

 

The other was the trompe l'oile everywhere...giving the impression of more details like columns and recessed panels, etc, all up in the arches and the ceiling and the dome. 

 

Old San Juan is beautiful. I have only been to Malaga and Barcelona in Spain...but Old San Juan has that flavor for sure. The cobblestones aren't JUST cobblestones in way that I think about them. It is like the surface of the stones were glazed over in the manner of ceramic tile. They are shades of blue. Very worn shades of blue, but blue nonetheless. I was also reminded of the French Quarter in New Orleans. Some of the larger buildings had lovely coverages "halls" with rooms on either side and a courtyard in the distance...I would LOVE a house like this:

 

 

 

Peeking into shops that were of interest...and slowly making our way up...we finally arrived at the El Morro. The great expanse of lawn did have some kite flyers. In fact, we figured out that it was the same tour that we had encountered twice earlier...with the children now flying kites supplied from the tour guide.

 

The expanse of lawn is crazy big in front of the fort. The wall bordering the lawn...separating the lawn from the cemetery right by the ocean beaconed...along with a bastion, which I later learned is the Bastion de San Antonio.

 

I had read about the historical cemetery online...this information stayed with me, "the location of the cemetery is central to the Puerto Rican belief in the separation of death and life. The colonial Spanish government at the time construction of the cemetery commenced, viewed death with fear because it was a mystery. Therefore, they decided to build the cemetery to overlook the Atlantic Ocean to symbolize the spirit's journey to cross over to the afterlife."

 

Looking toward the other fort:

 

 

Looking toward El Morro:

 

 

The Bastion de San Antonio:

 

 

As crazy as some may think this is...I'm wearing a lightweight Merino wool hoodie with my C9 capris. Knowing that we would be doing all the walking...I wanted my arms covered and I have found that the Merino wool in a summer weight is actually very breathable. I find a lot of "slinky" activewear to NOT be breathable...it may wick, but it needs to because it can be stifling. The wool is very thin and contrary to common sense, it is quite comfortable to wear in the heat...ESPECIALLY if there is a breeze. Bonus...if you do get sweaty...it is a naturally quick dry fabric. I love these capris because they have those "cell phone" pockets down the legs...super handy.

 

We continued our meander along the road that followed along the shore.

 

The wall continues all along the shore. Reported to be between 15-20 feet thick...there is space between the wall and the shore. Here you could see A LOT of hurricane and storm damage. Rather sad...because the houses lining the shore would be the most wonderful place to be if it were in good repair. Reminds me of images I've seen of such things along the Mediterranean...what used to be bright colorful houses but is now looking like some attempts to rebuild and quite a few places up for squatting claiming.

 

There are more bastions along the wall but they were gated off so that you couldn't enter them.

 

When we reached what appeared to be the apex of the road...before we started going downhill toward the other fort...we decided to continue with our downhill meander and head back toward the ship. You can see the bay in the distance...and the blue sheen on the cobblestone street...

 

 

I love all the different personalities of all the different houses on the streets...the deep green with the cream colored accents and the rich wood...one of my faves...

 

 

All these lock boxes...I wondered if this building was basically one big AirBnB...there were no indicators that anything in here was for sale.

 

 

Continuing on toward the ship...a street vender selling art caught my eye. He had photographs from two different local photographers and prints from one painter. All of icons of San Juan. The one photographer has a whole series of the different doors in San Juan...which I loved. I did that myself in Spain with a few of the doors...but I ended up loving a painting of a bastion near the other fort. I was told there some sort of significance to this one in particular which I can't recall now...and while I originally took issue with the fact that it wasn't the one bastion that we had spent so much time at...DH was like...OMG...if it brings back the memory...does it really matter? For $20...it was in my art budget.

 

We continued weaving through streets we hadn't walked previously to the ship.

 

It was after 1 PM...Sabor was open...as I said before...Mexican just sounded like the right thing to eat at this time.

 

I was able to have a few texting conversations from San Juan. I was especially thrilled to catch DS and we actually texted back and forth for quite a while. Kind of made my day. 

[Anita Latte]

San Juan...on the ship...

 

To the stateroom to change into swim suits. Thermal Suite. Bucket o' brew from the pub. Hot Tub.

 

All aboard was supposed to be 3:30 PM, but our departure was delayed because an RCI shore excursion was running late. We were still in the hot tub for sail away and could clearly see the fort as we sailed away from San Juan.

 

Hot tubs are usually fairly social...and it was fun to hear about what everyone had done on their day in San Juan...just like hearing what people had done in St Maarten. Most of the St Maarten stories were saddened from the intermittent rain throughout the day...which we largely avoided in the movie exhibit...but the San Juan stories were all happy.

 

Shutting the spa down...time for to get ready for dinner at Chops.

 

Tonight I wore my easiest dress...the simple tee shirt style knit dress. We did take photos this night. They had the white background up but they had it set low...so everyone was doing poses on the floor. Really not the best thing in a just reaches the knee dress... I normally really like the white background photos but all of these were awful...

 

So no photo from tonight. 

 

This evening was the reschedule aqua show. Starting at 9:00 PM. All the reservations for the rescheduled show were supposed to be rescheduled on our behalf. Royal has an app now but it was NOT working for me. None of our dinner reservations showed up. And none of our show reservations showed up. They USED to show up before we boarded the ship...but when I would look...couldn't see anything on my calendar. VERY frustrating. And SOMEHOW, the stupid app would send me alerts...like this

 

Sent at 7:15 PM...You have plans! Dinner at Chops at 6:45 PM.

 

How helpful is that? OMG...IT at Royal is AWFUL.

 

As great as the app is for boarding...don't count on it while onboard. You don't have to have an internet package to use the app. You can log on the ship's WiFI and the app will work through that...you won't have permission for any other usage of the WiFI (we never tested iMessage to see if that worked...no need...we were always together).

 

The current aqua show on Harmony is called Fine Line. We were able to get good seats in actual chairs...every other row is a long bench versus actual chairs...not in the splash zone. We were the last row of actual chairs closer to the stage/pool but we far from the splash zone. I thought they were good seats but later realized that if we were seated further back, we might have had more warning for when the drivers from the higher platforms were diving. As it was, the highest platforms were totally out of our periphery...but once we realized that...we were more on alert to notice the change in lights to try to see the divers up there.

 

I'd found a spot light on the workings of the aqua theater. I think on the official, or maybe unofficial, Royal blog site. Maybe their YouTube site? It was a video highlighting one of the performers on the Symphony I think. Excellent thing to see to really appreciate what all is going on with an aqua theater show. UGH...trying to find that video and I can't easily find it...

 

Anyway...it's a good show. I'd read about a whirling dervish kind of part in the show...but I didn't see him.

 

We enjoyed the show. Then off to our stateroom for the night.

[MJC]

Anita, I get the merino wool thing. On our trip to China years ago, one woman wore a short sleeved light wool or silk sweater every day even though it was 100 or more degrees some days. She and I (in washable linen) were probably the coolest people on that trip. Not to mention the kewlest ✌️.  Pre-Under Armour and other tech fabrics, most of the quick dry workout wear was much hotter than what's available now.

 

I'm really enjoying how you decided to cruise in a specific way, and how you accomplished your vacation "goals." I think one of the things that attracts us to trying a TA is that not having ports means we can enjoy some enforced downtime and hopefully do the things we enjoy that don't happen enough. For me a whole afternoon reading somewhere comfy is high on my list.

 

Speaking of hot climates, I'm reading Euphoria by Lily King, a fictionalized account of Margaret Mead's time in New Guinea with an imagined ending. It's really excellent (I found it on the NYPL "librarians recommend" list). I have no interest in going to New Guinea, but I am curious to read her biography now. Here is a review.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/dec/24/euphoria-lily-king-review-margaret-mead-new-guinea

 

Does anyone else watch The Masked Singer? It is my current guilty pleasure, along with Project Runway. We also just found Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, which we enjoy for the song and dance numbers. The lead woman is quite the FIRE example.

 

 

 

[Anita Latte]

Day 6...Sea Day...

 

There's nothing unusual about this day...It went much as I described previously.

 

I did forget to mention that on the second Sea Day (Day 3)...we went to the Meet and Greet for CC. What a lame thing. I guess if no one takes charge of the socializing aspect of the M&G then no one does much socializing. The Activities Manager was the main host. And he had an assistant. There were pastries...and coffee and tea. The time was 9:30 AM...and while he was attempting to coax everyone who, like us, I'm sure had just had breakfast to eat up on the food offerings because anything left "was going to go straight into the trash"...I was seriously irritated. Could he be that ignorant? For real? I don't think a single person ate anything.

 

They had a raffle where they gave away things like a free in stateroom movie, two different Royal logo backpacks, 3 bottles of wine.

 

Before the raffle...the guy is talking to us all about all the shows on board and all the things we can do on board Harmony...and I'm thinking to myself...does he KNOW this audience AT ALL. Everyone in that room could probably tell him the show schedule and all about the stupid shows. What we are more interested in is the behind the scenes knowledge...maybe something about what is happening with Royal...anything that is extra in that way because we all are researchers and don't need to be hand fed any information that is easily gleaned with some time on the forums or in the more information part of the cc website.

 

I was so disappointed.

 

We did talk to a few people at the end.

 

And we headed over to the Captain's Club party. All the high level managers introduced themselves along the line of "I'm the most important crew member on the ship because..." And the Master of the ship takes over at the end with, no, YOU are all the most important people/persons on the ship because...

 

They name off how many Crown & Members were on board...roughly one half of the passengers on the ship...over 3000. And then how many were each level. And at the end the top three cruises. DH calculated out that the top two cruises had each spent roughly 5+ years of their life on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. I wasn't jealous. Or is envious more proper in this context? IDK...

 

Anyway...back to the last Sea Day. I just have to reiterate for the umpteenth time that I really loved having the three full sea days. I've looked at some itineraries to Bermuda in the past...the week long ones with so many sea days...thinking that was one of the closest things I'd found to the idea of a TA...only shorter and obviously RT. I'm definitely thinking that Bermuda would be a good one...we would enjoy it.

 

Tonight was the second formal night. I had planner to wear my new "formal" dress for both formal nights. This is actually the first time that I have done this...worn the same dress for both formal nights. I can understand the desire to not wear the same thing when you are going to see the same people at dinner (if you are in group and/or dining in the MDR at a shared table) but I enjoy wearing my new dress so much...and knowing beforehand that we were dining UDP style and likely not going to be in the same restaurant both formal nights...I had no qualms.

 

Funny enough...DH was the one that wore two different "outfits." Both nights he wore the same dress slacks and waistcoat, but tonight, he was more casual, wearing only a dress shirt with no tie.

 

We purchased two pictures from this night...I liked them both so much. One in Central Park...

 

 

And one on the stairs going up to the "stage" in the Promenade...

 

 

I love these both so much because I think we look very happy...and our smiles are very natural. Flat out...I was laughing from all the photographer led choreography for posing in the second photo. 

 

The next, and last, day is CocoCay.

 

 

[Ellesor826]

4 minutes ago, Anita Latte said:

We purchased two pictures from this night.

LOVE LOVE LOVE that dress on you!  Where did you find it!
I'm getting the whole gist of this thing now!
xx R.

[Anita Latte]

I have two short sleeved Merino wool shirts also. I wear them a lot. Two different brands...and I find myself really liking the Icebreaker brand (I think) because it has "tumble dry" in the washing instructions...and it's fine. I accidentally tumble dried the SmartWool brand one and it shrunk a little. But still...love them both. So much so that I was thinking that I wouldn't mind eventually having all my shirts be more natural fabrics...even for exercise clothing. Think I might be treating myself as I need smaller clothing...not that I'm there...but hopefully, I will be.

 

That's exactly why a TA is appealing. Staycations are supposedly for dedicated time to "do the things you don't take time to do" including just relaxing and maybe self pampering...but somehow, being surrounded by my "work"...I have a hard time ignoring all the things that are chores and/or things I think of as "should do" all around me. And then it can be somewhat guilt inspiring to go someplace and then all you want to do is lounge around. But the TA solves the mental battle because there's literally no guilt in just spending your time as you see fit on all those Sea Days.

 

You should book the Harmony TA!! Mom and Dad are going too.

 

I have watched the Masked Singer. I'm not up on the current season though. I might have watched the first few episodes but I know I didn't get far into the season. Haven't heard of the other show you mentioned...I'll have to look that up.

 

If you watch Project Runway...have you seen Next in Fashion? I think it's on Netflix. Similar premise but I think it is a UK production? English accented hosts and the designers are more international.

[Anita Latte]

4 minutes ago, Ellesor826 said:

LOVE LOVE LOVE that dress on you!  Where did you find it!
I'm getting the whole gist of this thing now!
xx R.

 

Thank you! It's a Macys find. DNKY.

 

Mom and I went dress shopping over Christmas and I must have tried on 30+ dresses...anything that caught my fancy. I didn't reject trying anything on if I took a fancy to it. A-line is a good style for me. This dress fits me so well...and that's a hard find for me...the arm holes are perfect and that sounds so odd but I had no worries of my bra showing and that's a big deal for me...a major problem in fact. It's not actually the best color for me...but I do believe that the blue is more warm and muted...when I put up other real blues to it...it shows as more of a deep periwinkle. It looks almost purple next to a royal blue...and because the black overlay is mesh...it comes off very muted...not that deep inky black that looks so great on Ice...so I think this dress really works.

 

Plus I just love how it catches the light...I got several compliments on my dress on the cruise.

[MJC]

My tip for watching The Masked Singer and Project Runway is that I DVR them, so when I watch them later, I fast forward through all the yakking and commercials. For PR, I watch what the challenge is, I watch the feedback session with Christian, then fast forward to the runway show. I don't care about all the workroom drama. Same thing for TMS, I watch the hints, the singing, and the judges' guesses for each contestant. I can't stand Jenny McCarthy so I skip her a lot. 🙂   It is really surprising how talented some people are who you know as sports figures or tech people or whatever. Always fun to see the reveal.

 

Zoey's Extroardinary Playlist is on NBC. Zoey hears people's inner thoughts as music, hence all the musical scenes. The main characters all have lovely voices, and her best friend is played by the guy from Pitch Perfect, Skylar Astin.

 

Anita, part of what makes that dress so wonderful for you is that you are happy in it, and it radiates from your photos. 🙂

[pacruise804]

On 2/17/2020 at 10:02 AM, laurspag said:

 

The reason I am rethinking staying with my SIL is that originally, she mentioned she probably wouldn't be there, so she would be handing us her keys for a few days.  It appears though that she will be there, and I think it is only a one bedroom!  She told us she will give us her room.  I can't get myself to do that, but my husband doesn't want to come right out and ask her how many rooms she has.  I was thinking we could make it a point of spending Friday with her for lunch and maybe a little bit of sight seeing.  It would be great to see her, but having her sleep on the couch is not good to me.

 

I even tried googling her address to find out, but I came up empty.  the street seems to have patio units, but I can't tell if she is an apartment building on the street or what.

I totally get your discomfort with taking your SIL bed.  Hopefully you are able to work something out and not have any hurt feelings.

 

On 2/20/2020 at 1:25 PM, Ellesor826 said:

Got it!

I agree with the light coral top, washed me out.  I’m starting to pay attention now to my colors and I’m beginning to understand deep jewel tones like the one I’m wearing now.  Pastels , not so much. Blues, purples, yellow, certain green, chocolate brown but not tan.  Black always.  
I’m having fun with this.  May need to sort thru my wardrobe and that light coral top is definitely going into the “bumming around the house” pile. 
xo.  R

 

Rosie, I agree about the pastel pink/coral not being as flattering as the green.  I was going to comment how nice the blue looked, but I think Anita really nailed it that the green showcases you while the blue drew the eye to the shirt.  It's still a lovely shirt and looks nice on you, but I would rather I look nice than the clothes look nice (make sense?).

 

You remind me a lot of my son's Spanish teacher.  Do you have family in PA?

 

 

1 hour ago, MJC said:

Anita, I get the merino wool thing. On our trip to China years ago, one woman wore a short sleeved light wool or silk sweater every day even though it was 100 or more degrees some days. She and I (in washable linen) were probably the coolest people on that trip. Not to mention the kewlest ✌️.  Pre-Under Armour and other tech fabrics, most of the quick dry workout wear was much hotter than what's available now.

 

Does anyone else watch The Masked Singer? It is my current guilty pleasure, along with Project Runway. We also just found Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, which we enjoy for the song and dance numbers. The lead woman is quite the FIRE example.

 

 

I really think I need to invest in some wool or bamboo.  I like the idea of scarfs as head wraps for protection from the sun too (very vintage) - when we visited Niagara last summer lots of people used umbrellas as parasols and it really made a difference in the heat.

ETA: We've been enjoying Masked Singer and the Lego show that is either before or after it.

 

38 minutes ago, Anita Latte said:

 

 

We purchased two pictures from this night...I liked them both so much. One in Central Park...

 

 

 

 

 

 

I adore ❤️ this picture of the two of you.  They were all nice but this is my favorite 🙂 

 

Your trip sounds great.  DH plan to go to Yoda Exhibit on our cruise - do you remember if he took USD and roughly the price?  We've talked about doing a ship based cruise sometime and it sounds like it went really well for you.

Edited February 21, 2020 by pacruise804

[Ellesor826]

3 minutes ago, pacruise804 said:

You remind me a lot of my son's Spanish teacher.  Do you have family in PA?

North Shore of Long Island, born and bred until 6 years ago when we moved to the Suncoast of Florida.
I was a teacher though just not Spanish . lol.
I must have the kinda face that looks familiar I suppose....Sally said the same thing about looking familiar...maybe I've got a doppelganger.  
Rosie

[Anita Latte]

1 hour ago, pacruise804 said:

DH plan to go to Yoda Exhibit on our cruise - do you remember if he took USD and roughly the price?  We've talked about doing a ship based cruise sometime and it sounds like it went really well for you.

 

The price was quoted in USD. $12 pp for admission. If you like artwork, there was big selection of Star Wars related prints in the mat frames. They were $40 cash or $44 with a card.

 

DH has been working especially hard the past few years, and especially with this work he has been doing here in Orlando. Also...that travel back and forth from December through May every weekend took a tool, we needed a RELAXING vacation...couldn't afford to come back and need to recover from our vacation LOL. Whatever you wish you had the time to do...find a ship that supports that...the relative isolation of being on the ship is really conducive to feeling more freedom to do exactly what you purpose to do. Which sounds odd to say but sometimes I feel pressure to "take advantage" of the opportunities presented by travel...and we were able to avoid all that with this particular cruise. I'm looking forward to our TA next year when we get to do it again!

Edited February 21, 2020 by Anita Latte

[MJC]

Rosie, I do the NY/Sarasota thing too, I have family in SRQ and visit a few times a year, ever since I was a baby! Mostly Siesta Key but I'm getting to know Lakewood Ranch as my sister lives near there.

 

I picked up some new nail color today, can't wait to try them... Essie Exposed, a muddy green:

https://www.riteaid.com/shop/essie-nail-polish-the-wild-nudes-collection-exposed-green-0-46-fl-oz?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqOm_rebj5wIVGKSzCh3nOwLLEAYYASABEgKwHvD_BwE

 

and Bed Rock & Roll, a nice brick red/orange:

https://www.hbbeautybar.com/products/bed-rock-and-roll-by-essie?variant=23906933047377&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google Shopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIp63ipOfj5wIVCY6zCh0fJQBtEAQYCiABEgJCj_D_BwE

[Sailor_Sally]

The TA we took was my favorite cruise . At first I thought all those days at sea will drive me nuts but we got into a nice routine . We had a leisurely breakfast ,played trivia ,had a light lunch and then I would go somewhere and read and Gary would do his computer job. Sometimes a nap called my name and sometimes I hit the casino .We were supposed to be going on a TA this May but cancelled when all the sickness happened which is just as well since my immune system is pretty low right now .I need to build myself up and gain some weight .I hope Melody is having fun .

[laurspag]

Anita, I want to say two things about your pictures.  I'll start with this:  I really, really love your outfit choices.  It just seems like you are so comfortable in them, and they seemed to be exactly what you wanted.  By that I mean that it looks like you wanted to wear them.  

 

The second thing is, they pictures are so, so, so beautiful!  You and your hubby look happy, relaxed and natural.  That can be hard to do.  If these were my photos, I would imagine that they would be favorites, and I would be running to switch out photos that I had hanging up so that I could put these on display.  

 

I actually did that after my last cruise - there were a couple of pictures from the casual night where they use the white background and have you crawling all over on the floor and what not...those photos truly caught the essence of "us".  

 

In addition to the formal night photos, that green tank you were wearing one of the other nights looked great on you!  It was a really good color for you.  And a pic while you are holding a glass of wine?  Perfect.

 

I have so many places I want to go back to, and new places I want to explore.  I love seeing photos because they inspire me to not forget that I have these goals.

 

My scarves came in!  Two of them, the ones I posted links to, are really beautiful and are going to go with so many things that I have.  There is nothing like finding earth scarves where you can literally put them with most any of your shirts or pants.  The third one I am disappointed in.  While the background colors are nice and warm, the color I thought was warm navy is black.  Dark black.  And it is dominant.  In the photo online, it was shown worn as a belt with jeans, so I don't know if the blue of the jeans was coming through, or I just misjudged.  It is very pretty, but I couldn't see myself wearing it.  I have to be honest too, I find I never really wear things that have plaid or stripes, or geometric prints.  I think if the picture had been a nice big photo of just the scarf, I would have passed.  Oh well, two out of three!  We don't have a Coldwater Creek store around here, so I will check and if I have to pay to send it back, I'll let you all know.  I'll just send it to one of you instead., if you are interested.

 

 

 

[Ellesor826]

16 minutes ago, Sailor_Sally said:

The TA we took was my favorite cruise

We are doing our first TA in October 2021 on Celebrity Reflection as a B2B and are lucky to be staying in the same cabin both cruises.
It's a bucket list to do a TA and we will be celebrating our 40th on 10/10/21 and DH's 65th on 10/14/21!  It's W. Med/Israel and then the TA.  Thinking stages of adding an Azamara cruise to it, 10/2/21,  starts in Barcelona (love) and ends in "Rome", where we depart with a day in between.  IF we do Azamara, it will NOT be a balcony...too costly for us this time since we are in Concierge on the other two with all the great perks/obc.

On another note; I bought 4 😳 bathing suits at Bealls  and I love each one of them!  Taking all of you advice to heart w/ the colors and styles and I thank you.

Melody appears to be having a wonderful time and is looking lovely in her fashion, which is no surprise.  Love her!  So blessed to call her my friend.

Have a Spectacular Saturday!!
xo Rosie

[laurspag]

Isn't it funny how nice some of the colors go with my bedspread?  Lol.  

 

I also took some photos of my swimsuit cover ups and swimsuits.  I am amazed how hard it can be to get colors right sometimes.  The scarves look right above.  I don't know if I should try to retake the swimwear photos or not.  I got to thinking about the light source and were I placed items.  I think it's because when I take group pictures, I put things at the top of the bed and for the scarves, they were at the end with me facing a completely different direction.

 

But here goes for the coverups.  The print with the gold and teal is my all time favorite shirt that is now too big.  It hits mid thigh, so it works well.  The print next to it I don't love, but the sheerness of the fabric lets it morph with a few different things I have, including the hot tub faded tankini.  

 

With the solids, the far right is a definite ivory, and it is a bit heavier and looks a lot like a dress.  As a matter of fact, I am almost positive the fabric is thick enough to wear as a dress, so it could be worn to the dining room for breakfast or lunch.  The red is from Athleta.  It works out well.

 

 

 

 

Since these photos don't look too bad, I'm going to try the bathing suits.  

 

Tankinis: these are essentially fire colors, all from Athleta.  Two are the same color.  I can mix and match the bottoms and tops.

 

 

Next are my three older one pieces.  The first one I am going to try on again soon, and take some odd pictures.  🙂  You know how sometimes a fabric has a little bit of sheen when it stretches?  I keep thinking you can see through the back, which is not lined.  My husband insists you can't.  I need to prove it to myself first though.  I have had it for two years, and really like it...from the front.  

 

The second is my trusty Athleta suit.  This feels sport, a little bit sexy and it fits great.  It is a bit of a hassle to get off an on, due to the way the back is situated.  But I love it anyway.

 

The third one is a color that seems to combine a maroon with rust.  I can't quite call it merlot though.  You have seen it before.  It had something that seemed like a built in necklace on it.  I cut them off, lol.  I like it a lot that way, but it was super annoying in the water.

 

 

The last two are the one I "modeled" for you all during the week, and my new Athleta one.  The reflection of the light from the window off the fabric is throwing the color off a bit. I would definitely call the monokini a russet color, and the Athleta one is just this awesome color and fabric that is a rust with a nice, warm brown undertone.  It is part of their luxe line.

 

 

So now I get to figure out what I want to bring on Florida trip, in case we swim.  and I need to figure out which one will become the hot tub suit.  Honestly, after having these out, I have a feeling I am going to start planning little trips to Florida more regularly, and I will be able to use these without necessarily ruining them, so maybe I need to focus on a chlorine resistant one.  I just didn't want to buy a new one.

 

With the exception of the last one, they were all sale deals.  The last one was also a gift from my husband.

[MJC]

Laurie it's just really difficult to take accurate pictures of spandex. It bounces the light around and the color never quite looks right. Even so, I think you did a good job. I love your suits and coverups!

 

Thanks for posting pics of the scarves. I had that one with the turquoise in my cart and then learned it wasn't in the sale, so I didn't buy it. You know, you think you're getting a deal, but then you don't, and you feel differently about the item? But I think I will get that one too, sale or no sale. It will go nicely with a new handbag I have, and I like when my accessories pull a look together when I'm wearing a coat. I get so sick of my coats.

 

More new jjill stuff. This is the weird rust/blush color I love. I think it would be great on my skinnier self but might be bag-like if I wore it now:

 

https://www.jjill.com/product/mixed-florals-flared-sleve-dress?color=33Z

 

This color called Pottery is nice:

https://www.jjill.com/SearchDisplay?storeId=10101&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&sType=SimpleSearch&resultCatEntryType=2&showResultsPage=true&searchSource=Q&pageView=grid&beginIndex=0&pageSize=36&searchTerm=pottery&facet=&facetLimit=&orderBy=&facetApplied=&productBeginIndex=

 

Love this watercolor top:

 

https://www.jjill.com/product/boat-neck-floral-knit-top?color=33L

 

 

 

 

[MJC]

So here's an example of how disjointed my wardrobe has become. This scarf is the only gray thing I own, but the other colors go nicely with my green coat, and I like the peachy orange in it. On it's own with the green leaves in it, with a green top, it looks better. But, I wear this wool hat all winter, it's one of my favorites, and the orangey coral top is a good color for me... yet this whole look is off in the picture. The cool scarf makes the top look too bright, grays up my eyes, and doesn't match the hat even though IRL I think it should.

 

Laurie, I think the scarf with the green and orange and little birds is the scarf for this outfit! The gray one has to go.

 

[MJC]

Periwinkle... is this EARTH? I can't tell.

 

https://www.soma.com/store/product/ruffle+vneck+short+dress+periwinkle/570260522?color=5649&catId=sale#BVRRContainer

[MJC]

I have been writing a lot today. I am drafting the STR policy for our lake association because even though it's a private lake, some people are doing Airbnb and their customers do some really stupid things. When I write I need to take a break now and then and surf!

 

I really love some of these, but I have never bought a swimsuit from Soma before. I wonder about the fit. They are pricey.

 

https://www.soma.com/store/product/amoressa+borneo+lauren+tankini+swim+top/570280164?color=6341&catId=cat2060003

 

https://www.soma.com/store/product/miraclesuit+basilisk+plunge+bikini+swim+top/570280143?color=959&catId=cat2060003

 

https://www.soma.com/store/product/miraclesuit+byzantium+myrra+tankini+swim+top/570280145?color=5808&catId=cat2060003

Edited February 23, 2020 by MJC
add item

[laurspag]

Margaret, Soma carries different brands.  Two of thos are Miracle Suits. They tend to be a bit constricting, in order to create a nice shape.  But they are very well made. 

 

That blue suit I have is from Soma.  I would have to check the brand but I had ordered it in olive on clearance and it didnt fit so I sent it back.  I really liked it though, so I went ahead and ordered the blue.

 

I love the colors on the bikini top!  The tankini called bronze looks like a good earth color, possibly?  I can't enlarge it on my phone so I will have to check it on my  computer.  If it is, I would love it...but I have to come up with a good excuse to buy it because I have enough suits.  

 

Periwinkle is supposed to be a good earth color.  It is not my best.  Maybe it is just me, but I always felt it walked the line between cool and warm.