11/30

It's a beautiful day on the gulf! We are in Long Beach MS, just west of Gulfport and Biloxi. Mon night we were in Scott/Lafayette LA: oysters for dinner and beignets for breakfast. One of J's friends wanted to know what the deal is with us and oysters. Simple. We love them, can't get good ones in Mich, and love taking advantage of Nature's Bounty when we can. Whitecaps, our favorite local restaurant, was closed last night, so we will return for lunch and dinner today. Tomorrow, we head toward the Fla Panhandle.

Forgot to mention that I met a gentleman on the cruise who asked his waitress for salsa for his eggs. Her response: I don't dance.

11/26

Quiet Thanksgiving with the kids. Randy works for a company with HQ in Paris and he is working on a deal with Shell (Netherlands), so he spent several hours at home on the computer and phone tying up loose ends to meet a deadline. Then he worked his magic on another "5 pound turkey." (Last year we asked how big the turkey was going to be and he responded: I don't know - maybe about 5 pounds. When we finished laughing, he discovered it was 15. We will not let him forget about that anytime soon.). Emily hit the stores at Midnight. J and I passed on that opportunity.

11/24/11

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all. Always a little bitter-sweet for me: Dad died on the 24th, which was Thanksgiving that year. O well.

We are back in Sugarland and will stay the weekend. On the 10th, we checked into the Hotel Galvasz - 100 years old. We were standing out front on Fri the 11th waiting for the bus to take us to the ship, when a bride (40 years old +/-) was primping and being attended to. She was boobs-a-poppin', carrying red roses and a large red and white lollipop or sucker - draw your own conclusions. Around 10:30 she loudly announced that she needed a shot, and went into the hotel. I doubt that her shot involved prescription drugs. The ship (Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas) sailed for 2 days, then stopped in 4 ports in 4 days: Roatan (Honduras), Belize, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman. Then sailed for 2 days back to Galveston. J and I took bus tours at the first 2 stops - waste of time and money. I didn't leave the ship again until Galveston. Emily and Randy, being younger, learned to "snuba", then did tubing through caves and tried the zip line. I told J I wanted to try the zip, but she said I needed much more life insurance. J and the kids crewed on a 12 metre sailing ship in a race against Stars and Stripes. The kids actively participated, while J was cheerleader/beer bitch (she prefers "cooler queen"). The kids also swam with sting rays. To me, the best part of the cruise was sitting on my balcony, listening to the water, enjoying the fresh air and sun, reading a good book - Last Call, The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. A cruise is a good place for people watching. J often asked: don't these people have mirrors? And Randy and I enjoyed the cigar bar, where we chatted with some nice folks, while the girls went to the shows. I was surprised at the number of crew members from India, and an Indian dish on the menu each night. I can remember when French was the other international language. All the announcements on the ship were in English and Spanish. Is Chinese next? Even in calm waters, the ship swayed and rocked (the power of the sea), so I looked like I was walking after too many martinis, even though I had not imbibed. J quickly found the champagne lounge, which served Spanish caviar with her drink. After leaving the ship, we spent 2 nights at the Hotel Galvaz before returning to Sugarland.

11/9

We arrived in Sugarland yesterday, after driving through a terrible rain storm on the outskirts of Houston. Learned later that a tornado touched down in the area. Tomorrow we leave for Galveston and board the ship on Friday - 11/11/11. We will leave the computer here at Emily and Randy's house, and we will turn off the cell phones before we leave the dock. So we will be totally out of touch until a day or two before Thanksgiving.

11/7

We depart Lafayette tomorrow. We had lunch and dinner at Fezzo's: 2 dozen raw oysters at lunch + a bisque, and another 2 doz + grilled crawfish salad for dinner. J had a dozen grilled at lunch and another dozen at dinner.

Walking around downtown today, an older man on a bicycle offered me a "brand new Dell computer." I resisted the temptation to ask a price. We passed a restaurant advertising Greek and Lebanese food "all Kosher". OK.

11/6/11

We are in Lafayette LA, having departed from Memphis yesterday. On the way out of town, we passed a sign for Graceland, so the Boss insisted we check it out. From the street, only 2 airplanes were visible. Sorry, but I refused to pay $10 to park and $31 apiece to view the "mansion".

Today we had lunch at Don's in Hammond LA. A dozen oysters on the half shell + crawfish bisque for me, and 12 grilled oysters + crab au gratin + a bloody Mary for J. She liked the drink so well, she asked about one to go. No problem, so long as she doesn't put the straw in it until she leaves the building. Is this a great state or what!!

A sign at a gas station in town: Beer. Because it's still election season.

Sampled some boudin balls and cracklins here in Lafayette. Terrific!

11/4/11

She Who Must Be Obeyed celebrated her natal anniversary in grand style. She started with a facial at the hotel spa, enjoyed high tea at 2:30, and a terrific dinner with her favorite wine from Oregon at 7. The only hitch was after a few glasses of champagne, she entered the men's room, used it and wondered why it had urinals.

11.3.11

Greetings from the Peabody Hotel in Memphis TN, where the ducks march through the lobby and go into and out of the fountain in the middle of the lobby. J has a milestone anniversary of her nativity tomorrow (clue: she can now use a medicare card) and she wanted to celebrate somewhere fancier than a Holiday Inn. This is a great old hotel with all the modern amenities. We will leave Saturday, but it may be a reluctant departure.

We left A2 on Tuesday and stayed in Terre Haute, where we joined our friends Gary and Sharon for a nice dinner. I used to do that often when I was going to and coming from Kansas. Gary is CEO of Clabber Girl, and he gave us a guided tour of the HQ on Wed morning. Beautiful old building that Gary has renovated and turned into a local attraction with artifacts and photographs dating back to the mid-1800s when the Hulman family emigrated from Germany and started the company. A very nice museum, that includes a cafe and kitchen designed for demonstrations.

Wed we drove to Murray KY to visit J's Aunt and Uncle who live in nearby Mayfield. Nice visit.

11.3.11

Greetings from the Peabody Hotel in Memphis TN, where the ducks march through the lobby and go into and out of the fountain in the middle of the lobby. J has a milestone anniversary of her nativity tomorrow (clue: she can now use a medicare card) and she wanted to celebrate somewhere fancier than a Holiday Inn. This is a great old hotel with all the modern amenities. We will leave Saturday, but it may be a reluctant departure.

We left A2 on Tuesday and stayed in Terre Haute, where we joined our friends Gary and Sharon for a nice dinner. I used to do that often when I was going to and coming from Kansas. Gary is CEO of Clabber Girl, and he gave us a guided tour of the HQ on Wed morning. Beautiful old building that Gary has renovated and turned into a local attraction with artifacts and photographs dating back to the mid-1800s when the Hulman family emigrated from Germany and started the company. A very nice museum, that includes a cafe and kitchen designed for demonstrations.

Wed we drove to Murray KY to visit J's Aunt and Uncle who live in nearby Mayfield. Nice visit.