R and R CruisinTogether

 Our port of call in Mooloolaba, Australia was cancelled due to weather conditions.  As a result, this is our third consecutive sea day before we dock in Townsville, Australia tomorrow.  We are currently above The Great Barrier Reef.  My most recent blog was a bit heavy so this blog will be on the lighter side.  Again, you might not want to spend your time here because it is not about the cruise.  Nonetheless, you may appreciate reading perhaps the most remarkable cat rescue story ever written or told.  Tomorrow is the 15th birthday for our cat, Chef.  Thank you Liz, Matt, Tawan and Annette for taking care of her while we are gone.      The Beginning of Chef   It was early Thursday morning, April 1 st , 2010- April Fool’s Day- and I was alone on my morning walk through the woods.     I had traveled the same trail where another cat, Wilco, found us six months ago.     I was on my return home along that trail ...

  This is a long one.  You might not want to spend your time here.  Nonetheless, you may receive hope from reading this blog.  Our ship has been pushing ahead of a cyclone on the coast of Australia.  The wind is hard, heavy and haunting.  Seeing what seems like never ending grey skies, grey ocean and particularly nasty weather outside our only window, makes me stop and think.  Many people on this ship from other countries, have asked us what is going on in the U,S,.  A man in French Polynesia stopped us on a sidewalk and asked us this same question when we affirmed we are from the U.S.  He went on to say he left the U.S. fifty years ago after serving in Viet Nam but has been reading about the chaos.   My thoughts have drifted to two songwriters during the stormy weather of these times, Linford Detweiler and Bob Dylan.   Linford, of the band, Over the Rhine, wrote in their March newsletter,  " Hello fellow travelers,...

 Kangaroos, wallabies, wombats and koalas were the featured animals at Blackbutt Reserve.  We hiked through a rainforest with giant trees and I just couldn't help myself, I had to hug an elegantly tall illawarra flame tree.  While on our hike, we encountered a flock of lyrebird echo high in the trees that look somewhat like blackbirds.  The remarkable quality about these birds is their ability to mimic the cry of a baby, which we heard numerous times when I mimicked them. Newcastle is an old (for Australia) steel and coal town.  With many new veins in the countryside, the Newcastle shipping port exports the largest amount of coal in the world.   After lunch at a Mexican restaurant, we walked through Newcastle by their scenic harbor to Artisanal Cellars where I enjoyed a wine tasting with Charle the shopkeeper and Edgar Vales, the vintner/owner of Vales Wines.  I enjoyed a new wine for me called fiano which is like sauvignon blanc only different....

 One more look at one of the most iconic buildings in the world- Sydney Opera House. Shopping in Sydney included this attractive arcade.  We were informed Australia is our last stop for purchasing personal items with descriptions written in English so we re-stocked our provisions.  Downtown Sydney reminded us of Manhattan.  The sidewalks were streaming with humans in every direction.  Light rail was common and easy to use which limited automobile and truck traffic.  Modern architecture was on display in various buildings with much of the old convict construction nearby.  Ruth Ann accomplished a shopping spree for new clothes and the shopkeeper was quite happy about it. Sydney is definitely a place we would love to visit again with more time to explore. “Actually, the best gift you could have given her was a lifetime of adventures” – Lewis Carroll

 Sydney Harbor is one of the most beautiful harbors in the world.  Only an aerial photograph could capture the expanse and attraction of this harbor. We toddled out looking for a pie shop.  Australians make small pies from nearly every popular food item.  We shared a pear pie and a cappuccino at this small takeaway shop. The Rocks tour showed us where the original European settlement of convicts began as a British penal colony in Australia.  This is a walk through a house with the stones made by the indentured servants (convicts) in the late 1800s.                                                         Lunch was fish and chips at Sydney's oldest pub. The Sydney Opera House was the site of the opera, Cinderella, which we attended last night.  The plot was very easy to follow ;)  Colorf...

 Are we halfway gone or halfway home as we have reached day 76 of our 150 day world cruise?  We have logged more than 21,000 nautical miles.  From Kool and the Gang in Miami to Cape Kidnappers in New Zealand, it has been a wondrous journey of discovery in this big wide, wonderful world.  Our love continues to grow in new ways with so many different experiences.  We feel comforted by face time with our family, and our friends taking care of our cat and our home. Adjustment was essential as we sailed off to a five month vacation with five hundred fellow passengers.  Our travel consultant, Richard, figuratively held our hands in the beginning to help us transition from our customary private vacations and tours to sharing our adventures with others.  We are social and have enjoyed meeting and talking with other voyagers.  Nonetheless, we also like our solitude, privacy and couple time.  It is interesting to converse with those from different walk...

 Thursday, March 23, 1972 was our first date where we dined at Wally's Roast Beef in South Zanesville, Ohio.  We munched on roast beef sandwiches, deep fried mushrooms and milkshakes.  I was 19 and Ruth Ann was 18 years of age. This blog isn't about our world cruise so skip it if you're not interested in how Ruth Ann and I met. This is the view from behind my 1968 Rogers blue sparkle pearl drum set I was playing a couple weeks earlier at The Lounge on Maple Avenue in Zanesville, Ohio.  I was playing in a five piece rock-n-roll band called Crystal.                                                                                                 The Band At that time, drum solos were po...

  In a specialty 4WD vehicle, our guide drove us on a journey up the cape onto private property passing through deeply rolling hills, idyllic farmland, steep white cliffs on either side and a rugged coast.  This is one of the most beautiful places we've seen in this world. Marcus, our driver, had our lives in his hands as frequently alongside the road, there was no "alongside the road".  There was nothing but 400-600 feet drop-offs.  It was a bit hair-raising for me who doesn't favor heights with steep drops. This is an attempt to show a road that looked as though we might just plunge into the Pacific Ocean.  I couldn't force myself to look at the steep drops long enough from our vehicle to take a photo. I was happy to be standing on solid ground this side of the fence instead of the other side, where landslides can occur.  The scenery was spectacular as we were served a picnic lunch.  After finishing a cup of coffee while getting an eyeful of the pano...

New Zealanders love rugby, racing, sailing and wine. (horse racing)  This island nation is obsessed with renewable energy sources relying on solar, wind and especially geothermal.  Many fault lines cut through the ground's surface in New Zealand.  It covers many ancient volcanos which makes its terrain full of hills and dales, gulches, gullies and gorges and mountains and molehills.  The  photograph above was taken from our boat on Lake Taupo, a large crater lake of over 230 square miles. Huka Falls was one of our stops today with its bewitching turquoise color. Our guide, Greg, is a former restaurant owner and chef.  He entertained us with his clever sense of New Zealand humor. Before driving to Mission Bay Winery for dinner, we dropped our bags at the Masonic Hotel in Napier, NZ.  Napier was leveled and its coastline markedly altered by an earthquake in 1931.  The city was rebuilt in the 1930s Art Deco style.   Napier was considered on...

 Treetop Estates is perched on the rim of a an ancient volcano with the fertile crater valley below us.  We have a private cabin with this view from our back patio. We hoped we might see a hobbit as we walked this path to the lodge this morning for breakfast.                After breakfast, I went foraging with Ticki, one of the assistant chefs in the kitchen. We foraged Karamu berries which were added to the beet salad served at lunch. After lunch, we drove to Wai-o-Tapu, a secluded geothermal reserve.  With its bubbling mud pools, geysers and vibrant colored hot pools, it reminded us of Yellowstone National Park. This photo depicts more of the volcano rim. Tonight, we will walk to these falls to see glow worms. Released 50 years ago, here is part of You're My Best Friend by Queen; Ooh, you make me live Whatever this world can give to me It's you you're all I see Ooh, you make me live now, honey Ooh, you make me live Oh, you'r...