We just spent a week on Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas. Our first stop was Cozumel, where we did the Dolphin Push, Pull, and Swim excursion. It was amazing. It was just the four of us with the trainer, and of course the beautiful Isabella (the dolphin).
Val was injured and couldn't walk, but they worked with us to get him in the water so he could do this. There will be more I want to say about our unexpected need for wheelchair assistance on this trip, and traveling with special needs, in another post. But for now, enjoy these photos of the fabulous day with Dolphins! Isabella was so well trained, so smart! And she seemed to be having fun with us.
Here, Val is being pushed by Isabella. She is so strong!
I left the ship and forgot my camera cords and card converters, so all we have are these photos of the dolphin park. There was also a sea lion show but all on my camera for now. May be able to add that in later. Would definitely recommend this activity for anyone visiting Cozumel!
We celebrated Val's birthday this year at Shambala Preserve. Shambala is a sanctuary for exotic felines who have been mistreated or neglected. Mostly big cats - lions, tigers, etc. We did their "Sunset Safari" and it was pretty amazing. They prefaced our tour with making sure we understood that these cats aren't there for entertaining us, which is good. These are not trained animals, they are wild animals who have been rescued from some bad situations, and who are being allowed to live their life as nicely as possible. The preserve just opens up very infrequently to allow small groups to walk through - under close supervision - and maybe see some of these stunning animals. Being an owner of housecats, I was not surprised to see that some of these amazing creatures wanted to ignore us (status quo for our housecats). But we were still amazed at what we did see of the majesty of these incredible animals. These are some shots of what we did see. It was a very hot day, even at dusk, and the cats were not very active in the heat. Still, you can see how stunning -
Just look at those paws!
A serval! I didn't even know what that was! Trinity the gorgeous Cougar
Pretty she-lion. The he-lion was there too, but dozing on the side. they said she is very protective of him. Good girl.
The Oxnard Salsa Festival was last weekend, and we checked it out. We are regulars at this festival, visiting most years. The main attraction for us is the Salsa Tasting Tent. This is a tent where various vendors display their unique salsas and we taste each and every one. In past years it was pretty impossible to get to them all, but this year the offerings were much fewer and we easily made our way through them in under an hour. Not sure why the event seems to be getting smaller. I hope it can revitalize itself. Still, a good time was had by all. We still had Georgia visiting us from Australia so got to introduce her to the hot, hot, hot of the festival, which was fun.
This past week we have had Georgia from Australia visiting. She has kept us on our toes and gotten us out of our usual routine. We had never been to SkySpace, but Georgia found it and off we went. This is a see-through slide, on the outside of a 70-story building. The slide just goes down one story, so it's not very long, but it is at the top of the building, at the 70th story. Eek!
I opted to forgo the slide, but Val and Georgia both had their turn and were glad they did. Val said " that's lame" - but only because it was so short (and only after he had finished his turn). Still, now they can both say they have done this. Photo proof --
This photo has the slide part of the building circled --
If you are ever in L.A. - it's a worthwhile place to visit. Even if you do not go on the slide, the views from there are stunning. There is even a little café where you can get a drink and a bite and just watch the view.
My brother’s wife passed away and I know a piece of his heart went with her. So many people loved Libby, and she was good for my brother. Just saying they are good together and knowing its truth are two different things, as you can imagine. But I can remember clearly the day I knew in my heart that she was with the right person for him.
I live far from them so only got to see Steve and Libby when I would visit every year or so. One such visit I was staying with them. Libby was working 2nd shift so got home late each night. My brother was waiting up for her even though he had to work himself the next morning. He said he waited up because she would be hungry and he would take her to get something to eat after she got home. Going to get food at midnight was just crazy in my mind but I went along.
We went through a drive thru, and I’m thinking we would get the food and go back home because it’s bed time right? Nope. They whipped out plastic plates that they kept in the car just for this and we drove around and ate our food. What an adventure.
I commented how prepared they were with the plates in the car, and they laughed and let me know they did this every day. EVERY DAY? And that’s when I knew that my brother was with someone he was having an adventure with every single day of his life.
It was a little thing, but still a glimpse at how they lived their lives intertwined like that. I hope my brother keeps that sense of adventure, though I know it won’t be the same without Libby.
And this also serves as a reminder to all of us that any day could be our last. Or our loved ones could be gone at any time. We take a lot for granted, it's hard not to, but I am reminded by this just how precious life is.
One of the things my sisters wanted to do when they visited was go to Hollywood, and of course see the Hollywood sign. I had recently seen this video that showed a great location to view the sign (that I did not know about before!). It took some effort driving the tiny, windy, roads of the Hollywood hills, but we made it and got some great photos!
Next stop, we fought the Saturday night crowds and the heat at the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Then...... the Hollywood Ghost Walk! We were so excited and we had booked our spots ages ahead of time. We were ready to learn all the scary ghost stories surrounding iconic Hollywood. Then......the tour company never showed! Seriously! They sent us a text an hour ahead saying be sure not to be late, then THEY never showed. They didn't respond to texts or calls or emails......Talk about frustrating! They FINALLY texted 4 hours later saying they had to cancel. Unacceptable people! Do not use Best Tours. Save your money and your frustrations. I am still trying to get through the red tape of getting a refund. BUT.....our consolation prize (so to speak)....... we went to the Hollywood Wax Museum! I had never been there. I had no idea it would be so much fun! As you can see for yourself in these pictures. These are just a small sampling of the fun shots we got........ (and yes, Val is the biggest Ham of them all, which is why most of the photos are of him LOL)
We loaded the 6 of us up and drove to Las Vegas. The 4 hour drive took closer to 5 hours after I followed Val's detour. (thanks Val). Once we got there it was go, go, go. So much to see!
Looking good ladies!
Our first night we saw the show Absinthe. This is the most hilarious show. A bit raunchy but isn't that how Vegas is supposed to be? I think even the boys blushed. If you haven't seen it ...... GO!
One of my most favorite photos! Christi & Wanda with Paris Hotel/Casino in background.
Night 2 we saw the David Copperfield show. He is pretty entertaining. The rest was just exploring and seeing what we could see. We exhausted ourselves in that heat!
We drove by the Hoover Dam on the way back to my place. For goodness sakes it was HOT. We only got out for a minute and hurried back to the van. When we passed Baker on the way home, the Baker thermometer said it was 119! I believe it too.
We recently played tour guide when three of my sisters and one brother-in-law visited. They fell victim to the whirlwind that is ME. When I travel I tend to cram in as much as I can and crash later. My visitors were subjected to my scheduling style when they spent a fun-filled week with me.
First stop - The Warner Brothers Studio Tour. It's a fun adventure and was a great way to start our week. Just a few of my favorite photos.
Sisters!
Honey, I shrunk Gary!
the next President & Chief of Staff ?
It's......So.....Heavy......
Cafe from La La Land
True Blood fans may recognize Merlotte's Bar
If you've never done the WB Studio Tour, do it. It is really a lot of fun.
They are family members, surrogate children so to speak. Fur babies. We are pretty good about staying on top of vet care and our cats are very well cared for. In my next life, I want to come back as one of my cats (not even joking).
We are not novices at taking care of old or ailing kitties. We survived a couple of ill, elderly cats and our next generation is already 13 years old. You name it, we have probably been through it with our cats at one point or another.
One of our current kitties, Smokey Jo-Ella, is a bit different. She was a feral kitten when she adopted us, wanting to be around us but not wanting to be touched. She has grown into a happy, pampered housecat and we love her, but from afar. I have had to cancel vet appointments because I just couldn't catch her at the designated time. Medicating her is something that better be a one-dose thing because once you do it once, you will not catch her again for several days at least.
Smokey Jo-Ella has needed to have a couple of fatty lumps removed for a while now, but because of her issues we had put this off. Then we had a conversation with our vet. I explained the reality of the situation and the problems I knew we would have. First, I knew we would not be able to medicate her at home after she returned from the operation. She would already be freaked out and I probably would not even see her for a couple days after. Second, I knew she would not wear a cone. Any other time she needed one it lasted on her for all of about 10 minutes before she expertly got out of it and hid for days. If by some miracle she did manage to keep it on, she hides in places where she could be stuck with the cone and I would not be able to get to her. So aside from her stress level, there would be considerable stress on us as we could do nothing to help her.
First, she was able to close Smokey Jo-Ella's incisions with sutures that were under the skin. Thus, nothing for her to bother if she were to get to the area. No cone, no problem! This is one of her 3 incisions, with no visible stitches.
Second, she was able to inject Smokey Jo-Ella with not only long acting anti-biotic, but long acting pain meds. No need for us to dose her at home!
The result - Smokey was acting normal within about a half hour of coming home. She looks funny with her shaved back and incisions, but was not stressed, and was not fearful of us trying to catch her again, and doesn't seem to be in pain.
This may seem like a little thing, but trust me, it is HUGE. This little fearful kitty not having to have days and days worth of stress and fear is a big BIG thing.
After we left San Gervasio, we made a stop at a relatively secluded beach. So... darn.... pretty..... Just let the photos speak for themselves.
This photo of my sister and her husband is like a postcard. (minus the photo bomb in the background LOL).
After the beach, we made it back to the pier in time to do some shopping before getting back on the ship. It was crowded on the pier - there were several cruise ships in at the same time. I can imagine it's probably like that all the time. Look at this -- our ships were parked directly next to each other. How in the world they do that is beyond me. I have a hard enough time parking my car LOL.
