My Favorite Pictures

Florida Keys. Brenda suggested we stop on our way home and take a little walk here. Bryan wasn't feeling well but we still had to drive through Homestead and Miami and get to Fort Lauderdale then hang around the airport and 5 hours in the plane to get home so I thought a little walk in the lovely soft air and the friendship of my favorite birds would set us up well. We were so glad we stopped.  I love this guy, he is just a strutting along so purposefully.

What??? Such a friendly little chap. He met us on the path and was pretty curious about who we were. The pelicans here have been rescued from either fisherman's nets or animal runs in.  The people running the sanctuary put so much work and effort into their patients, some have chronic injuries that will keep them there forever and some have been released but are reluctant to leave because the grub is so good.

 

Okay, so my tale of the Caribbean is all out of order but I love this picture. I took it at the Bird Sanctuary in the Florida Keys on Tavernier Key. We stopped on Christmas Day and visited the pelicans and the herons.

 

 

 

 

 

My fans are demanding that I catch up

Cartegena after two full days at Sea
We arrived early in the morning onboard the Celebrity Equinox and disembarked into the glorious sunshine. We took a hair raising bus tour of the city accompanied by spanish speaking native Columbian tour guide who delivered in rapid fire spanish, a dissertation on all points of interest. All with his eyes closed and his hand out. He whizzed us through the Spanish Inquisition jail cells, past the rack and witch drowning tanks (did they burn witches in those days?) and pyres for burning those that didn't confess, the spike collar, the definitive collection of leg irons and onto the guillotine before any of us could stop him. Enough we moaned. He managed to get us to the ubiquitous coffee sellers on the main avenue and take his cut from our purchases before we were back on the bus and whirling around the square where we passed the court houses twice before we bullied our way through the traffic and onward past the emerald sellers with their inflated prices in the 'big hotels'.
Everything is just a little shabby in Cartegena, old and beautiful but moldy and desperate at the same time.  The beach unbrellas are 4 legged canvas shades driven into the sand, with garish beer ads for decoration. The pounding surf on the white sandy beaches are mere runways for the oiled southamerican holidaying bodies strutting up and down on them amongst serious looking games of soccer.
Back on the ship for a lovely dinner, and all thoughts of the 14th century out of our minds. Tomorrow I will add Panama and points north.


 

My first Day at the Board

I had to take this picture of myself by myself and there is a distinct lack of paparazzi following me around. This was my first morning as a director. I am still amazed that I got elected. What were they thinking? I have had placed before me the responsibility of steering this enormous ship of fellow realtors (over 5200) into safe and forward thinking waters. Well, me and 9 others.