On My Way to Paradise

No, I'm not dying; far from it. My husband and I are leaving next week for the longest vacation we've been on together -- three weeks in the Caribbean and I can't wait. It hasn't been much of a winter here at home, but today it is rainy and cold with nothing but the same in sight for several more days. Come Tuesday I'll be boarding the plane for San Juan, Puerto Rico where we'll stay the rest of the week. Then we board a cruise ship for two weeks. The first of those we'll stop at Grenada, St. Lucia, Antigua, St Croix and St. Thomas. The second week we'll see Tortola, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Dominica and Barbados. 

We have been to Puerto Rico before and really enjoyed it. That's why we scheduled almost a week there prior to the cruise. We'll be staying at a hotel on Isla Verde beach, which is the beach you see in your mind when you think Caribbean. Here are a couple of photos from the last time we were there.

Isla Verde Beach viewed from our hotel room.

Rain storm approaching the beach.

 We also hope to make another visit to the only rain forest in the the U.S. National Forest system -- El Yonque, located in the mountains of Puerto Rico, north of San Juan. I have a better camera now than I did then, so I'll come home with much better photos. Here are some shots from the first visit. 

Our guide made his hat from one giant leaf, secured with the stem.

One of the waterfalls in El Yonque.

 As for the stops we'll make on the cruise, of the list, I've only seen St. Thomas and Dominica before. The rest will be surprises for us. The ship travels at night and docks while everyone is asleep. So every morning when you open your curtains, the view is new and spectacular. 

The soundtrack in my head has been playing the Alison Krauss tune "Oh, Atlanta" all week. Not because I'm thinking about Atlanta, but because of the line that says, "I-I'm on my way-a back to-oo Georgia."   Except, when I sing it, it comes out "back to paradise." Either way, hope you enjoy it. . . .

So stayed tuned; I'll be back with photos and stories in a few weeks. For those of you who may be worried that I have, with this post, told the "thousands" of criminals that scan the internet that I'll be gone for three weeks, don't worry. I have a house-sitter who will be here all the time. She's armed and will have three ferocious dogs helping her protect the house. 

Wouldn't you be scared?

Thanks for stopping by today. Until the first week of April, when you think of me, if you think of me, picture me like this....

What I'm Doing Instead of Writing My Novel

I've had a great big dose of self-realization lately about how undisciplined I have become. Remember that I took the NaNiWriMo challenge, to write 50,000 words of my novel during the month of November? Well, it's not going so well. Here's what I've been up to instead of writing.

Jigsaw Puzzle: Scott and I bought a great puzzle at the gift shop at Mammoth Cave during our October RV adventure. It shows a collage of post cards from many of the country's national parks. Here is the poster that came with the puzzle.

Even though it was a 1000 pieces, we thought, "This shouldn't be too bad; look at all the words and small images. They will be easy." So we started off on a quiet Sunday morning. Scott put the pieces on the spare poker table, which made a really good puzzle venue. You could lean on the padded railing and contemplate without having stray pieces stick to your arm and fall on the floor and get chewed up by the dog. We quickly put the border together, congratulating each other on our prowess.

Then came the word pieces, like "Hot Springs," some of which really were easy to find. 

Lucy sat nearby, fascinated by all the activity.
 

  
Seven hours later it looked like this. Not as much progress as we had hoped for almost a whole day. 

  
Little did we know that we had done the easiest part. The middle of the puzzle was a killer, which we worked on for at least three more days over the next two weeks. Those big letters that said, "America's National Parks?" Those were the worst and had to be assembled using puzzle shape alone, which is not my forte. I'm better at color. Scottie saved the day and got them done. Ta dah!

Another RV Adventure: Around the second week of November, we discovered the moon would be full and the temperature cool after a cold front had blown in, so, like all normal people, we headed for the beach. Seriously, Scott and I love to go to the beach in the fall and decided, since we still had Maureen's RV, to drive down to Mustang Island for a couple of days. There were a few people at the campground, but the beach was almost deserted. As promised, the moon was full. Here it is, just beginning to rise in the east ...

 ... while behind me, the sun is setting in the west. 

 I spotted these tracks and found the little guy not far away.

  
He did not cooperate by staying still for his photo. After many attempts, this is the least blurred one I got.

  
We spent most of the next day walking on the beach and reading. I went in the water for a little while, but it was too cold for Scott. The dogs would have nothing to do with it either.

We kept them tethered at the campsite, but they still had a good time. Lucy may be sitting on a pillow outside, but she's still on guard duty!

Grandparent's Day: Last week my girl's school sponsored Grandparent's Day and a Thanksgiving lunch. Her grandparents were not able to come until lunch time, so she asked me to come spend the morning at her school and attend the music program as well as the lunch. I jumped at the chance and had a wonderful day.

Did I wish I were home, writing that novel? Not for a minute. It will get done someday, when there aren't any more days like this one. I've learned to grab those moments of joy and hold on as long as I can, for they are few and fleeting. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, and thanks for stopping by.