Cruise Pics 4 - Cabo San Lucas

Here we are in Cabo...in order to get to the dock, we had to "tender" in which meant the ship 'parked' a ways off and we took little shuttle boat to the into the marina. We really liked Cabo - it was a beautiful day and we just wandered around.

Derek REALLLLLLLY wanted to make a stop at Cabo Wabo - Sammy Hagar's famous bar and restaurant. It was a lot of fun and had great ambiance.

A Cabo critter

Making our way back to the ship.
I can't get over how gorgeous the water was!

Cruise Pics 3 - Mazatlan

After our hike the day before, Derek still wanted to go on his Mazatlan cross-country bike ride...I on the other hand didn't think there was any chance I could pull that off. Instead, I went to Los Moras Hacienda and Ranch for some relaxation and horseback riding.

Here is the little chapel on the hacienda grounds.

First glimpse of the hacienda

All sorts of creatures on the hacienda!

My horse was "Maria" and she had a baby colt about a couple of months old. He didn't have a name yet, but he followed us all the way on the trail. Very cute little guy!

Maria loved to snack along the way and hung on to this twig all the way back to the ranch.

Back at the ranch for lunch.

Cruise Pics 2 - Puerto Vallarta

A picture of our first port, Puerto Vallarta, from our balcony.

We decided to take a hiking tour and here we are on a short bus ride.

And we're off....beautiful and lush greenery all around us as we climbed up the foothills -- it was a VERY steep climb!

If you zoom in, there's a beautiful butterfly...in fact there were tons of different kinds of butterflies flitting about us -- it felt kind of like a fairy land (just really humid weather!)

This is an example of one of the trees that has many nasty thorns! It didn't take us long to learn to stay away from those!

Michelyn is waving in the distance

A hot mineral spring -- but we were so warm from the hike we just looked and waited for the cold small river coming up...

These turkeys don't know how lucky they are....their poor cousins north of the border are going to have a tough Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Michelyn kept her eyes open for unique birds...here's an egret in the river.

Cruise Pics 1 - The First Few Days

Derek & I set out on our cruise last weekend - a first for either of us. We were so excited and had a great time. Here we are in line, getting the initial glimpse of our ship...the Carnival Pride

We boarded the ship but had to wait a little bit for the rooms to get finished being cleaned. Everyone got to start wandering about the ship. First up for Derek was the Perfect Game Bar - a sports bar, but alas, no good football games :(

We got lunch right away -- our introduction to non-stop eating for the next week. Here is the Lido deck with the pools and casual dining area. "Conveniently" our stateroom was just one floor beneath it

The first few days were actually "Fun Days at Sea" as we headed to Mexican waters. As we got closer, the weather got warmer and warmer. There were lots of activities to keep us occupied...here is an ice-carving demonstration

Michelyn & Derek standing outside the FunShops after a "cruise elegant" evening.

Yay..... our first towel animal!!!! We were getting mighty spoiled with nightly turn-down service and mints on our pillows.

Derek sitting in the Rafael Lounge where many of the trivia and other games were held.

Our deck was awesome! We loved hearing and seeing the water so close by!

Carnival likes to party! Here is a dance fest on the Lido deck with live music and everyone having a great time.

More photos and memories to come!

I finally finished the dog house project. We got this dog house from some church friends and thought we could insulate it to add some warmth, for Shasta in particular. Last Saturday I cut and fit some styrofoam-looking insulation pieces using our hack saw -- no injuries but then it rained Sunday. So the attaching of plywood (so they wouldn't shred the insulation) was post-poned to this weekend. Derek did the major cutting of pieces with the circular saw but everything else I did. Everyone who knows me knows I don't really like "fixing" things or using tools, but I 'sucked it up' and made use of the drill, screwdriver, chisel and metal brackets. I even made a Home Depot run or two. Whew...glad it's done and over - now if we can only get Shasta to use it! At least I know that she doesn't have to be freezing if she doesn't want to be and she has a dry, warm place to go.

Wacky Weather

Well, I know that Tehachapi is the "Land of 4 Seasons" but I didn't realize it would all happen in 36 hours. Saturday afternoon I was cutting and fitting some styrofoam insulation for the doghouse and it was so hot we were in shorts and t-shirts. Sunday came and it was shivery cold with heavy rain and stormy clouds. This morning there were tiny little patches of snow on the tippy tops of the mountains! Fun, but dang if it isn't hard to keep up with wardrobe changes!

In Memory of Amelia

One of my precious piggies went to piggie heaven Monday. Amelia was the guinea pig that started it all for me. Here she is on the first day I brought her home. She was very skiddish at first (I even wrote a story about it) but she came out of her shell quite nicely and she was a very good pig! I named her Amelia after an audio book about Amelia Earhart I listened to on a road trip to Oakland for a wedding. The Sunday I came back into town I stopped at the Petsmart in Alhambra and brought her home. I had her for 4 1/2 years and I got her at a time in life when I was living alone in Pasadena and needed something small and furry to care for. She seemed to go quickly and gently and I knew something was wrong with her that morning - so I snuggled her and got to tell her how much I loved her. That night, Derek found her in the cage and she was just laying on her side. We buried her in the front under our big oak tree. I will miss her but I know she led a good piggie life.

Here Amelia is 'helping' Isabelle when the baby piggies were born!

I will miss you, Amelia!