Part II: Out to Sea - December 15th and Costa Maya, Mexico December 16th

Day at Sea December 15th

The best part of cruising is the sleep. I know, ya'll are thinking it is traveling and sight seeing, however as an insomniac, good sleep is worth its weight in gold. I actually slept in until 9:30 am!! The motion of the ship was gentle and the seas calm, so I felt absolutely no seasickness. Professor and I discussed whether we wanted a cabin with a balcony, stateroom, or just an inside cabin. I voted for an inside cabin because they are pitch black when the lights are out. I also felt for the $200 difference a day, the balcony was not really a worthwhile investment. With the quality of sleep I was getting, I was glad we chose the inside cabin. 

The cabin was cozy and comfortable. 

After getting up and moving, we headed up to get breakfast. One thing that is not lacking on a cruise is food. Oh my, the selection was incredible. I went with poached eggs and Canadian bacon on an English muffin, bacon, a small waffle, and black coffee. 

This first day in the Gulf of Mexico was "at sea" meaning we would not hit a port until the following day. Professor headed off to the Casino and I went to find the library as I am not a gambler. I brought along my laptop with the plan to spend a good deal of time writing, but when I got to the library I discovered I needed a 220 plug converter as all the plugs in the library all required one. Of course I did not bring one. In fact, I couldn't even buy one on the ship. I was disappointed, but used my laptop until it would run low, would take it to the cabin to charge, and go find something else to do. That was how I discovered I am a lousy shuffleboard player. 

The ship  offered plenty of entertainment. That evening we went to the Bliss Ultra Lounge which offered Karaoke. Professor is an accomplished classical singer, so he belted out his best tunes and ended with The Impossible Dream. It was a fun evening and there were some folks who really sang very well. This gal, however, is not one of them. Watching and listening was enough for me. 

We called it a night around midnight and headed back to our tiny cabin. My first night of great sleep was an anomaly. I couldn't sleep well, so I got up quietly, grabbed my laptop, and headed to O'Sheehan's Pub, which was open 24 hours. I parked myself in a booth with view of the ocean (which I really couldn't see because it was dark) and set to writing. Sometime during the night the winds had picked up and I could feel a gentle sway in the ship. 

As the sun rose in the east, which just happened to be on the side of the ship I was sitting on, I could see fat rain clouds in the sky. The affect of the suns rays passing through the clouds was just gorgeous. I headed back to the cabin to try to get some rest until it was time to head into port at Costa Maya. 

December 16th Costa Maya, Mexico

Costa Maya is a typical tourist port. The assorted shops offered all the typical goods such as sugar skulls, Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) figurines, knock off purses, and over-priced jewelry. I browsed through the shops while Professor tried to find an internet connection to check his email. I luckily had free international on my cell phone, so I was up to date at each port. I found him camped out at a Starbucks with 25 - 30 other folks doing the same. 

We chose not to participate in an excursion at Costa Maya. The only real excursion of interest to us were the Mayan ruins. The excursion would have taken the entire day. I really did not want to be limited to one activity as I would prefer to people watch and enjoy the beautiful climate. It was actually pretty warm this day and being out in the sun for hours at a shot was not on my list of fun activities. 

A tender on its way to port.

After browsing the shops we headed back to the ship and ate a nice leisurely lunch while enjoying the views. Because so many people were still in the port, we found the ship to be pleasantly under populated. We finally pulled out of port around 4pm towards our next destination, Grand Cayman. 

Costa Maya, Mexico as seen from the ship.

My Tiny Life on the High Seas - Part 1

December presented me with an unprecedented opportunity - a 9 day Western Caribbean Cruise!!

Let me fill you in since it has been a bit since I have updated the blog. I started dating a very nice man in the autumn of 2017. Of course the topic of Tiny House Homestead came up which inevitably led to the topic of my bucket list. Intrigued, my boyfriend who I shall call Professor to keep his identity private, asked what else was on my bucket list. Of course I rattled off a list a mile long, but on that list was travel to other countries which would require me to use a Passport, taking a cruise, and visiting New Orleans.

Professor enjoys travel and travels frequently. He has traveled to many of the places I wished to travel and has yet to travel to some of the other places I wish to visit. Jumping into action, Professor booked us a cruise to the Western Caribbean which left from the Port of New Orleans. I was speechless. What an opportunity!

December 12th we flew to New Orleans and stayed the night in a LaQuinta Hotel close to the airport in Kenner, LA. It was a nice enough hotel, but it could have been a dive and we wouldn't have cared because we were so tired from traveling.  Early the next morning we dodged the traffic and ran across the road to a small restaurant for breakfast. Fanny's was fantastic! The food was delicious and the waitress was delightful. If you get a chance, stop in for breakfast, you won't be disappointed.

With our bellies full, we trotted back across the street to catch a shuttle to the Port of New Orleans. We shared the shuttle with another couple who were taking the same cruise. They were from Canada and cruising was their retirement lifestyle. That is certainly something to aspire to!

We were scheduled for a 2 - 2:30 pm embarkation, so we got drinks and sat outside people watching and observing all the luggage being loaded into the ship. Our cruise was with Norwegian Cruise Lines and our ship was the Pearl. Being next to such a behemoth of a ship really is incredible. I know there are bigger ships out there, but the experience was something else. I had to use panorama settings on my camera just to try to get the ship in one picture!


Finally it was our time to go through customs and I pulled my passport out with pride. I was worried when I sent for my passport in November that I may not have had enough time for it to be processed before the cruise. I was elated when I found it in my mailbox just two weeks later. Now I was was finally able to cross off getting a passport AND using my passport off my bucket list.

We boarded the ship and found our cabin. After living so long in a tiny house, the small cabin did not seem small at all. The cabinetry and storage was clearly well thought out. After dropping off our carry on items, we headed down to our safety drill.

Breaking in my unlimited drink pass, I stopped at a bar and ordered a Bloody Mary to enjoy as we pulled out of port. Professor and I headed off to the deck which would allow us to watch the ship cast off, however cast off was delayed and we got bored. Heading inside we found a buffet and seating located on the back of the ship. We watched the sunset as we pulled out of the Port of New Orleans and traveled down the mighty Mississippi River.

Follow along on part 2

Traveling on Amtrak

I found a fantastic price on an airline ticket when I decided to go visit my folks. The only hitch in the giddy up was the departing airport was Dallas-Ft. Worth over 200 miles to my south. It can be expensive to fly out of Oklahoma City, but at less than $100 round trip, departing in Dallas Ft. Worth is well worth it! I could have driven the four hours to Dallas, fought the traffic, and paid to park my car for 8 days, but I decided to let someone else do the driving. I took the train to Dallas instead. If you live in big cities, traveling by subway or train is a convenient way to get from here to there, but in the more rural areas of the country it has become somewhat of a novelty.

www.heartlandflyer.com

The Amtrak  Heartland Flyer leaves for Dallas out of Oklahoma City and several other stops along the way. I chose to leave my car at a friend's house and she dropped me at the little depot in Norman.

The depot was quaint and historic. Built in 1909 by the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway, today it welcomes the Heartland Flyer outbound in the morning and inbound in the evening. There is only one platform at this small depot, but it is clean and comfortable while you await your train. I definitely felt a nod back to a different period in time when folks only traveled by train on rare or special occasions to visit loved ones who live far off. However, I used my cell phone to produce my ticket, something unthinkable when train travel was common.

The Heartland Flyer is a two story train and I had a seat on the second level. Climbing the narrow staircase with luggage was a no go for me, but the Conductor helped me out. I soon situated myself in a very comfortable seat next to an enormous window. Soon the train pulled gently out of the depot and I was on my way.

As we made out way south toward Dallas we wound through the Arbuckle Mountains and scenery I would never have been able to enjoy from the interstate. We made stops at several small depots like Norman's. We picked up and let off passengers at each stop, only stopping briefly.

I enjoyed the comfort of the train. The seat has an adjustable leg support and there was a foot rest, essentially turning your seat into a recliner. I leaned my seat back slightly and just watched out the window. I rarely am that relaxed. There was even an electric plug to charge my electronics and a drop down tray/desk to set my laptop up on.

Each of the stations I was in were clean and had security present. Clean restrooms and vending machines were in each station. Ft. Worth even had a Subway restaurant inside.

Traveling by train is relaxing and enjoyable, but there are some things you can do to help make your ride more pleasant:

1. Bring snacks and bottled water - food on the train is limited and expensive. Bring a variety of foods with you. 
2. Bring some disinfecting wipes to wipe the train tray and armrests down - I don't know how often the train trays are wiped down, but I do this on airplanes as well. 
3. Bring your electronics charger - some of the trains advertise they have on board wifi, but they don't. You electronics will need to be charged as they try to maintain their cellular connections. 
4. Bring a light sweater, sweatshirt, or light blanket - while I liked the cool air, several others around me pulled out blankets and sweaters. 

One more thing to keep in mind -  Amtrak trains share the tracks with cargo trains. It is not unusual to be running behind. My connection out of Dallas to Ft. Worth on the way home was delayed for more than an hour. Don't schedule connections via air too close or you may end up missing your flight.

I plan to take the train across the US at some point. How about you? Do you ever ride the train?

The Pioneer Woman Mercantile in Pawhuska, OK

Three good friends and I went to Kansas this past weekend to pick up a cedar chest from Wichita (more on that in another post to come.) We decided on the way back to visit The Pioneer Woman Mercantile in Pawhuska, OK. Pawhuska, is the county seat of Osage County. Pawhuska was an oil town and ranch land. Like most small towns in Oklahoma, Pawhuska has a population that has slowly shrunk. In its heyday the town boasted a population greater than 6,000, but today just over 3,500 reside there. Ree Drummond, aka Pioneer Woman, is one of these folks.

Ree Drummond (courtesy of Wikipedia)

Originally from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Ree married the owner of the Drummond Ranch. Ree has a great blog, best selling cookbooks, and a television show shot on her working ranch in Pawhuska. Ree and her husband purchased a building in downtown Pawhuska, renovated the space, and preserved much of the character of the vintage building which once housed the original mercantile. Now the building sports a store, restaurant, bakery, and office space. Ree has a way with the recipes and her food is delicious. It is reported over 5,000 people a day visit Pawhuska now to see the Mercantile and as many as 12,000 passed through during the holiday season when they first opened.

The items found inside the mercantile are bright, cheery, and have a homey vintage quality. I was able to picture many of the items being used here on my homestead, but my budget didn't allow for many of the things that caught my eye. Prices here cater to the tourist crowd for sure, so save your pennies if you wish to shop. I was drawn to a set of salt and pepper shakers that depict Marie Antoinette. Her head is a salt shaker and her body the pepper. The head connects to the body via a magnet. Highly entertaining for the historian in me. However, the set was $18 and since I live in a tiny house I just enjoyed looking at them, but didn't bring a set home.

Marie Antoinette Salt and Pepper Shakers

Another item I adored was a large pillow that is hand embroidered. The pillow depicts places and things in Oklahoma. I loved the look and understand them to be hand embroidered, however the $200 price tag made my breath catch. A girl can dream, but the price doesn't fit the budget so that bad boy cannot come live on the homestead.

Oklahoma Pillow by Catstudio

I settled on two kitchen towels that have a vintage style to tuck away in my granddaughter's hope chest. I thought they were very cute, and a just $6 each, they were budget friendly. I saved a copy of the menu which I fashioned an envolope out of to house the towels.

Vintage Style Kitchen Towels

The line to the restaurant was quite long, but the wait was well worth it. While waiting for our table, staff from the restaurant played some fun games with patrons to pass the time. One game had some plastic frogs and small cast iron frying pans. The goal was to get as many frogs into the pan as possible. It was quite windy this particular day and no frogs actually made it into the pan, but it was sure fun to watch.

Once inside we were seated at a table where two of the seats were part of a long couch along one wall. Assorted throw pillows supported our backs and frankly I could have sat there all day sipping lemonade and people-watching. Perusing the menu, I had a hard time deciding which of the delicious sounding dishes I was going to try. Prices were very reasonable. Eventually I settled on comfort food.

First I had the Caprese Salad. For those of you who haven't had a Caprese Salad, it consists of fresh basil leaves, mozzarella, and tomatoes drizzled with an amazing vinaigrette. It is a simple salad that is terrific for hot days. I cannot tell you how delicious it is, so I will just put some pictures up:

Then for a main course I had the Grilled Cheese (not just any grilled cheese, but 3 types of cheese) and a thick and rich Tomato Soup. The sandwich was cut into strips for easy eating. The soup was delectably thick, I dunked my grilled cheese into the soup! There were actually more than two pieces of the grilled cheese, but I forgot to take a picture before I began devouring it! Oh my, words again cannot describe, so here are a couple more pictures to tempt you with:

The drive home from Pawhuska was lovely as we passed through many of the small towns along Highway 99 we had never seen. It was a nice way to end a long day. If you get the chance to visit The Pioneer Woman Mercantile be sure you wear comfortable shoes and brings some extra cash. I am pretty certain you will not be disappointed.

Cookie Jar House Vacation

I recently planned a vacation to go see my granddaughter for her 6th birthday, however she got to go to New York to visit her maternal grandfather instead, so I regrouped and chose to go to Philadelphia, my original home town. Being of a limited budget, I dialed up a relative and asked if I could couch surf. My cousin and his wife live in the Cookie Jar house , a unique house located in Glendora, New Jersey. Now if you are not from the east coast, you may not know that parts of south Jersey are like suburbs for Philadelphian's. The Cookie Jar house is a unique landmark and it is not uncommon to see folks driving by to snap a picture or two.

The house is deceiving from the outside, but is actually quite roomy. There are three levels and a spiral staircase runs up the inside. It was really cute. Out of respect for my cousins I did not take pictures of the inside, but I can tell you it is really cute inside too. However it would hardly would qualify as a "tiny house." I invited two friends, Sharon and Destiny, to go along on this adventure too. Neither friend had been to Philadelphia or New Jersey, so we really had a great time.

We drove from Oklahoma the first day and stopped in Tennessee for the night. We planned to spend the night at Destiny's sister's house on her couch. Destiny hadn't seen her sister in a long time, so they were super excited to catch up. We stopped in Memphis to visit Graceland. It was closed by the time we arrived, but in true fan style we stood outside the gate and took some pictures. I stared in wonder at the private airplane that is now parked across the street. How the heck did they move that monstrosity into place in the middle of congested Memphis? While we were in Memphis we also took a tour of the giant pyramid that is actually a Bass Pro Shop. It was really cool inside with live fish in ponds and a restaurant on the top floor with an observation deck. We didn't have the time to go eat as there was quite a line, so we loaded back in the car and continued on our adventure.

We arrived at the Cookie Jar house around 3 am on Monday, February 20th. We immediately went to sleep and slept in until after 11 am! After finally getting up and about, our first day in Philadelphia we drove into the city and walked around. It was President's Day and a bunch of whiny ass bitches Trump protesters had the center city on lock down due to police presence. Police were everywhere. That meant we couldn't drive in to park close to City Hall, so we chose to park up by Elfreth's Alley and walk down to Market Street.

Side note, in case you did not know. Elfreth's Alley is the oldest continually owned block of houses in the United States. They were tiny row homes and every once in a while one or two will come up for sale. I used to dream of owning one someday. I just don't know if I could handle all the tourists trying to peak in my windows every day.

On Market Street we made a b-line for Campo's. Oh my goodness, Campo's makes the best hoagies!! A real Philadelphia Hoagie. And, just let me tell you, it was DELICIOUS! Located at 2nd and Market, you should definitely try them. Be sure to get cherry peppers on your hoagie too.

In addition to the hoagies, we ate delicious soft Philly Pretzels with dark, spicy mustard. There is no place in the world that makes a pretzel as good as Philadelphia. After some more site seeing the sun was setting so we headed back to the Cookie Jar.

Day two of our adventure,Tuesday the 21st, we discovered upon waking all the walking and the travel from the days prior had us quite bushed, so we hung around in New Jersey and hit a couple of Goodwill stores with my cousins. It is always fun to go to thrift stores in other states because the donated goods are often quite different. For example, I scored a whole set of Lenox spice jars ($20!!) and a diffuser shade needed for the vintage tole lamps I mentioned in a prior post. We also drove around and down to Riverton, NJ. There we saw the Riverton Yacht Club (first yacht club in the US ) and the century old mansions that line the Riverton River.

Day three, the 22nd, we drove out to Gettysburg National Military Park. This was another full day of walking, but you could not beat the weather. It was a beautiful clear day with a gentle breeze and warm temperatures in the 60's. We walked the battlefield and read the displays. It was sobering to read how many fell during this battle and understandable why President Lincoln felt it so important to visit. Destiny and my cousin chose to go to the top of one of the memorials which was accessible by a tall staircase. That's her at the top with her arms out. Yes, she is kinda nuts. That was way too high up for my comfort and my knee told me climbing those stairs was not going to happen.

When we got back to town from Gettysburg we went to Joe's Crab Shack to eat dinner. I had never been to one before. The food was good, but the drinks were divine. It was a fun evening, but my feet and knees hurt from all that walking and I was ready to go back to the Cookie Jar to hit the sack.

Thursday, the 23rd, we made our way back into the city via the train instead of driving. Sharon and Destiny had both taken public transportation in Germany, however they were interested to see what a Philly subway ride was like. I think both really enjoyed the ride. I was shocked at how little parking was available at the train station. We had to go all the way to the Lindenwald station to find parking. I guess most who work in the city are smart enough not to try to find parking or it is just too cost prohibitive. I know I wouldn't want that hassle.

Of course any time you are in Philadelphia you must visit the Liberty Bell. We had a great time taking pictures with this symbol of freedom. It is a shame you cannot touch it like you could when I was a kid, but you can still get up close and that is nice. We went and saw the first post office started by none other than Benjamin Franklin. We mailed postcards and letters home there because they still hand cancel at that Post Office. It is odd to consider it has been continuously operating since before our country became independent. You will notice no flag flies outside that office. It is the only Post Office in our country without a US flag flying in front.

We ate lunch across the street at the Common Wealth Restaurant. It was so good. I had a Smoked Turkey and Brie sandwich as well as Seared Scallops. I also had a really good local brew, but I cannot remember the name of it. All I can say is it was delicious.

After walking around seeing the sites, we headed to the Reading Terminal to get Canoli and a Tiramisu for desert after dinner on Friday. My cousin had been planning to cook a dinner of Braciole and Pasta for us and of course we had to get the desert from my family bakery. We made our way back to the train and headed home. We were bushed, so along the way we picked up Cheese Steaks for dinner. Are you following the food theme? Ooh ya. This is what vacations are made of, lol.

Day 5, Friday the 24th, we were sad to find out Sharon's brother-in-law had passed away and we needed to wrap up our trip sooner than planned. We spent our final day running errands, doing wash, and preparing to go home. We made final stops at places Sharon and Destiny may never have a chance to see again. We ate at a diner so Sharon and Destiny could try Scrapple. There is nothing as good as breakfast at the Penn Queen Diner on Route 130. We purchased foods we planned to bring home and foods we promised to bring back in order to get them in the freezer overnight. I bought Scrapple and Sharon and Destiny bought wonderful homemade chocolates from Bayards Chocolate House. By the time we got back to the Cookie Jar, Ed and Nancy had cooked us dinner of Baked Rigatoni and Braciole and we gorged ourselves. It was sad to have to leave, but by 9pm we were packed, showered, and in bed to get enough rest to leave early in the morning.

We were up by 5am and putting all our things in the car. At 7 am we headed across the Walt Whitman Bridge one last time and drove through the quiet Saturday streets of south Philly. We had one last stop to make before heading back, the Termini Bakery original location. Fresh Canoli and a cup of coffee were purchased and we were back on the road. We took a different route home so we could avoid tolls. We discovered tolls on the way to our trip had cost nearly $30. This time we knew we could skirt the toll booths and get to see West Virginia as well.

We passed through Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and on into West Virginia. We decided to detour, get out and stretch our legs at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. Harper's Ferry is a neat little town for a couple of reasons. First off, you can see Three states from there: Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland. Secondly, John Brown, a famous abolitionist, led a raid there. Thirdly, it is the home of the halfway point of the Appalachian Trail. I had dreamed of hiking the Appalachian Trail for many years prior to having broken my back in a car accident. It doesn't stop me from being green with envy for those that have completed the journey. We stopped in to see if Destiny could find some of her college pals who had made the journey and been photographed in the many volumes of hikers the Conservancy document each year. We explored Harper's Ferry a little bit, refueled, and were back on the road within an hour. I plan to go back at some point and really enjoy learning the history of the area more in depth.

Driving through some rain storms as we crossed Virginia, we made our way back to Tennessee and stayed the night once again with Destiny's sister. Reheating left overs of Braciole and Rigatoni, we ate and hit the sack. By 7 am the next morning we were back on the road. Tennessee, Arkansas, and finally Oklahoma zipped by quickly. We arrived back in Oklahoma before the sun set.

I was bummed for Sharon for the loss of her brother-in-law, and bummed our trip had to end, but I did manage to make some great memories and a couple of new charms for my bracelet.

Hmm, where to next?