Monday, July 5, 2010

9 Day Explorer of the Seas Cruise to the Caribbean.....

We're back!
Here are some random photos of our cruise to Bermuda, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and San Juan, Puerto Rico, sailing off from Cape Liberty, New Jersey. This was our fourth cruise.
An absolutely wonderful, fun vacation celebrating our 35th Anniversary.

Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas.



Balcony Stateroom.


I think this is St. Maarten.....


Docked in Bermuda.


St. Maarten street....


A towel creature appeared every night.


St. Maarten



St. Thomas.


Sapphire Beach in St. Thomas.



The Solarium, an adult only pool on the ship.


San Juan, Puerto Rico.


A Caribbean sunset from the ship.


Looking down a staircase on the ship.


The Royal Promenade on the ship.


The hot tub in the gym on the ship.


The basketball court and rock climbing wall aft....


Mini golf on the ship.


The other two pools and three hot tubs. A band played here every afternoon.

A dream vacation. Thank you, Birdman, for more wonderful memories.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

I'm achieving my goals !

A pictorial update.....

First, a recap....my summer list....

Paint (actual paintings and latex around the house)

Read

Garden

Take day trips and one big trip

Eat

Sleep


Item number one....paint..


The beginnings of a painting of downtown Portland, Maine....Congress St.


A book I just started, to take along on the cruise.....


My gardens......one of them.....



I eat......coffee yogurt....my lunch of choice for over 30 years. (not much else, dieting for the cruise.)


And, of course, I sleep.

It's wonderful making a short list of things to do. Why didn't I think of this before??

Note: I can't get out of my head the comment that Empress Bee left on my last post....you know....the 'cake' part. Might have to add that to the list!

 Empress Bee (of the High Sea)said...

it's summer vacation honey, relax and enjoy, just do what you feel like doing. toss the list. have a little cake, you'll feel better.

smiles, bee
xoxoxoxoxoxox


Happy Father's Day, Daddy and Birdman! Love you both more than you'll ever know.




Friday, June 18, 2010

Summer Vacation.....


Today is the first day of Summer Vacation!! This day is golden in my book. This is the day I pen all my lists of what I’m going to do during the summer. Making a list is on my list.

Labor Day is when I throw them in the woodstove to ward off the chill in the air that arrives too soon here in Maine. MAYBE 2 things will be scratched off the list. Maybe.....


Oh well, I don’t know why I bother.


My pathetic goals for this summer: (and I actually don’t need to write them down)


Paint (actual paintings and latex around the house)

Read

Garden

Take day trips and one big trip

Eat

Sleep


That’s it. This is Vacationland officially, you know.


Update: It’s the end of the third day of summer vacation.


I worked in the garden.....only to discover something ate all my precious little baby carrot, basil, beet, spinach, stringbean, and zinnia seedlings. The garden is fenced in so it’s probably not a varmint. Probably bugs. God, I hate bugs.


Took a trip to North Conway, New Hampshire. Had lunch looking at Mount Washington.


I read.


I ate.


I slept.


So far so good,‘cept for the garden....and I did not paint anything.




Sunday, June 13, 2010

What to do, what to do...

In a few weeks we will be going on a cruise. I am trying to pick out an excursion for us to participate in on one of the Islands. 


There are so many exciting things to do like going to a place called Butterflies Galore or going on a high speed boat that will get you soaking wet making 180 degree turns thus making you puke. (really)


What to do....what to do.


So upon perusing all the choices, I came across this one....






ZT01 - Scuba Dive With Equipment

PRICE: ADULT: 119.00 / CHILD: 119.00 USD

DURATION: 4 Hours Approx.


OR



ZT02 - Scuba Dive Without Equipment

PRICE: ADULT: 109.00 / CHILD: 109.00 USD

DURATION: 4 Hours Approx.


Now I'm no diving expert, I can't even open my eyes under water, but I do know that in order to Scuba Dive YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOME SORT OF EQUIPMENT!!!


(Don't you?)


Monday, June 7, 2010

WD 40, 50 and 60....

My sister-in-law sent us a list of exactly what WD-40 can do for you. She says that the main ingredient in the stuff is fish oil! Fish oil plus other things, so don't go spraying it in your mouth everyday for extra Omega 3's in your system.

Check this out...

WD-40 uses:

1. Protects silver from tarnishing.

2. Removes road tar and grime from cars.

3. Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.

4. Gives floors that 'just-waxed' sheen without making them slippery.

5.. Keeps flies off cows.

6. Restores and cleans chalkboards.

7. Removes lipstick stains.

8.. Loosens stubborn zippers.

9. Untangles jewelry chains.

10. Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.

11. Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.

12. Keeps ceramic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing.

13. Removes tomato stains from clothing.

14. Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots.

15. Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.

16. Keeps scissors working smoothly..

17. Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes.

18. It removes black scuff marks from the kitchen floor! Use WD-40 for those nasty tar and scuff marks on flooring. It doesn't seem to harm the finish and you won't have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off. Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks.

19. Bug guts will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly! Use WD-40!

20. Gives a children's playground gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.

21. Lubricates gear shift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers...

22.. Rids kids rocking chairs and swings of squeaky noises.

23. Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open..

24. Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.

25. Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.

26. Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.

27. Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans

28. Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.

29. Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly.

30. Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.

31. Removes splattered grease on stove.

32. Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging.

33. Lubricates prosthetic limbs.

34. Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).

35. Removes all traces of duct tape.

36. Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain.

37. Florida ’s favorite use is: 'cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers.'

38. The favorite use in the state of New York , WD-40 protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.

39. WD-40 attracts fish. Spray a little on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time. Also, it's a lot cheaper than the chemical attractants that are made for just that purpose. Keep in mind though, using some chemical laced baits or lures for fishing are not allowed in some states.

40. Use it for fire ant bites.. It takes the sting away immediately and stops the itch.

41. WD-40 is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray on the mark and wipe with a clean rag.

42. Also, if you've discovered that your teenage daughter has washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, satur ate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and rewash. Presto! The lipstick is gone!

43. If you sprayed WD-40 on the distributor cap, it would displace the moisture and allow the car to start.



Pretty cool, huh. Who knew?
Anyway, after perusing the list, I find that there were some things missing, or maybe things that 'I' think are missing.
Such as....

1. Spray WD-40 on a sink full of dishes and they will wash themselves and dry themselves in 45 seconds or less.




2. Spray it on your tax returns and you will get a larger refund.




3. Use a few spritz's for hairspray and your hair will never frizz up when it's raining out.




4. Spray it around yourself when you are walking in the rain and you will stay dry and not get pissed off.



5. Spray it on your tummy and it will tighten up flat a a board. (or not...)




6. Spray it under your beds and couches and it will keep the dust bunnies out.




7. Spray it on your birth certificate and it will subtract 15 years or so from your birthdate.



And in my book, the best one....8. Spray it on a Dairy Queen Peanut Buster Parfait and all the calories will be removed.

But of course, they'd have to rename the stuff to be WD 50 or 60 ....probably.


Sunday, May 30, 2010

More Kids' work.....


My blogger friend, Jan, over at Snippetygibbet has inspired me to create this project for my 7th graders. We studied using tempera paint including making color wheels and doing a whole sheet practicing 6 different painting techniques.
We the studied the colors that you find in sunsets or sunrises and used our blending techniques to create some sunsets/sunrises of our own.
Then we studied atmospheric haze and then combined all these skills to create these fabulous cut paper silhouettes. Thank you Jan!













I love my kids!!!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

The Magic Kingdom.....follows me everywhere......



I'm not too good at this new camera stuff. When I read directions, they should say, "press button to turn on......press same button to turn off....and it will turn off......if you are lucky."

Right now, Mr. Downeastdoingstuff and I are having a cosmopolitan on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. HE makes the best. (we use 'light' cranberry juice.) (Makes it much healthier.)

So, I did manage to load some photos. Finally, through some technical 'miracle'. (Right? CAM?) About 4,000 photos of Junior Downeastdoingstuff, and a couple of the Disneyworld castle. Since Junior doesn't want his mug on this blog, you are looking at Cinderella's castle.

He and I had the BEST time. It IS the "happiest place in the world." I JUST LOVE IT THERE.

I want to live there.  Heck, I'll even live in the Haunted Mansion, I don't care.
(Actually, truth be told, I wouldn't want to live in the friggin' tea-cups. Vertigo issues.)

Junior loves it there, too.

Mr. Downeast........ stayed home with his mother/father in-law.  (He doesn't quite have the stamina needed, yet, to keep up with Junior and me. Actually, he never will. We are nuts when we get there, what with that Fast Pass stuff and all.)

Lord Bless Him. 

Actually, with 92 degree temps, a Corona or two at the ready, he claimed to be in his own 'Magic Kingdom'. 

Which is usually where you can find him.