Falmouth, Jamaica

Good morning,

Happy Easter, Everyone!  If the Easter Bunny finds us, he'll have to be taking a cruise.  ;)

These images were taken in the Port of Falmouth, Jamaica.

This little village shopping area was built just for the cruise ship visits.

With so many more ships sailing in the Caribbean now, more ports are needed and this one is quite lovely now.

 At the same time we were in port aboard Freedom of the Seas, a sister ship, Navigator of the Seas, was also here. 

Enjoy,
Lois

Hanging on to a High Level Position

Good morning,

Today's images were taken while I was out taking a walk on deck 4 of Freedom of the Seas.  I looked up and saw a couple of men working toward the aft part of the ship.

And, here's the view without the zoom. 

I think I'll pass on this job.  *sigh*

;),
Lois

Rainbow at Sea

Good morning.

We are on board Freedom of the Seas once again. 

It is beautiful to be here, but as my regular readers know, my posts will be a few days behind real time for the next ten weeks. Although I am taking pictures and writing daily, I wait until we are in a US port to log on with my Verizon air card to upload images and posts from my laptop.  I'll be visiting your blogs as I can while we are in US ports, too.  I miss my high speed Internet connection at home, but it is worth it to be here so I am not complaining one little bit.  :)

I do have email 24/7 here, but it is slow and with little band width via satellite.

I hope you enjoy traveling with us.

All the best,
Lois

To the Port!

Good morning,

We left our hotel in Melbourne-Viera, Florida, early to drive to Port Canaveral to board Freedom of the Seas.

There was a beautiful layer of misty fog along the highway.

The morning felt crisp and fresh.

 Then it was up and over causeways to Port Canaveral.

 There she is!

More from Freedom of the Seas tomorrow.

All the best,
Lois

Views from Our Table - Bone Fish Willy's, Melbourne, Florida

Good morning,

Today we're back at Bone Fish Willy's in Melbourne, Florida, to enjoy lunch on their deck. 

What a view!

We have been here before and each visit is different.

This time some dolphins put on a show for us...

...as they teased a pelican who was just trying to spend a quiet afternoon drifting on the water.

 Wow, what wonderful weather!  It sure is a change from last week in Ohio!

 Tomorrow we'll be on the way to the port!

All the best,
Lois

Turtles - Viera Wetlands

Good morning,

We had excellent weather for our photo trip to Viera Wetlands.

The turtles seemed to like the sun, too.

We are still on a roll!  More tomorrow.  :)

All the best,
Lois

Osprey - Viera Wetlands

Good morning,

These aren't the best images because I had to use so much zoom to get them.

But, at least this fellow stayed around long enough so that I could get more than one shot.

Handsome bird.  :)

All the best,
Lois

Viera Wetlands at Melbourne, Florida

Good morning,

We have made it a practice to spend a day in Melbourne, Florida, on our way to Port Canaveral and to Freedom of the Seas. 

Today's images were taken at Viera Wetlands where we always find so many beautiful creatures to photograph.

 This fellow appeared to be on guard duty.  :)

We absolutely love this place.  I'll be sharing a few more images from here before we return to Freedom of the Seas.

All the best,
Lois

Ducks in South Carolina

Good morning,

We are on our way South again.  These wonderful ducks always greet us at the Hampton Inn in Columbia, South Carolina.  Papa duck was out strolling by himself...

...Mama Duck was carefully watching over her baby ducks...

...as she taught them how to look for yummy morsels in the grass.

 So cute!

 Since we are on the road, my blog posts and images will be a few days behind real time.

Soon, though, we will be back aboard Freedom of the Seas where I guarantee my posts and images will not include any snow!

All the best,
Lois

Update:  Mark just shared a really cool video of a banker saving some baby ducks from a ledge.  Check it out!

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video?id=7622622

Healthy Diet

Good morning,

My Honey and I have been dieting for the past three weeks or so.  No, no crazy on  line diet or liquids from cans or food delivered to our door.  We are doing very healthy things like eating light during the day, then  having a great big spinach salad with healthy toppings in the evening.  For evening snacks, we're having baby carrots.  We are careful to get foods containing important nutrients as we do all of this.  About twice a week we go out and have a good balanced dinner with plenty of protein, but very little fat or salt.

The good news is that it is working!  We have both lost quite a few pounds and are well on our way to our desired weight.  :)

It is all worth while when it works!

How do you diet when you realize it's time to take off a few pounds?

Lois  :)

Programming note:  

In real time we are on the road again.  We are traveling South to Port Canaveral to board Freedom of the Seas.  This blog will run a few days behind real time. 

Images from the Freedom of the Seas soon.  :)

LAE 

There's a Fungus Among Us!

Good morning,

There had been recent rain at the park where we found this fungus.

If you don't happen to see them as you're walking across the grass they feel really squishy and sandals aren't recommended.

;),
Lois

Captain Anthony Meldahl Locks and Dam - Felicity, Ohio

Good morning,

On a road trip East of Cincinnati last Fall we stopped to take a few pictures at the Captain Anthony Meldahl Locks and Dam on the mighty Ohio River.

I remember passing through these locks aboard the Delta Queen about twenty years ago.

This is also a park where you can use the grill provided, have plenty of room for the kids to run and play, and watch the river traffic pass by.  It was late in the afternoon in the middle of the week when we were here and had the place all to ourselves.  ;)

Enjoy,
Lois

More Ohio Barns

Good morning,

I'm going through some pictures from last Fall and came across some more Ohio barns.  What makes the one above is that is tobacco drying inside there.  The afternoon sun almost makes it glow.  Yes, this is another drive by image so the quality isn't too terrific, but I do like the image.

Here's another obviously still in use, but could use a little help itself.

And, finally, a shot at barn siding that will bring a pretty penny if reclaimed, trimmed, and offered for sale.

Ah, to see green grass again!  It will be soon!

All the best,
Lois

My Honey's Hand Made Wood Boxes

Good morning,

Those beautiful boxes were hand made by My Honey in his workshop while we have been home on vacation.  He made the box on the left for me and I have it displayed on the buffet in our dining room;  the box on the right is a special order.

I absolutely LOVE these!

Everything is wood including the closure and hinges.  There are no nails. 

Inside is a smaller box with a lid.  This smaller box can be slid from front to back.  The box on the left in the first image has a similar interior.

The box rests in this position when opened.

Beautiful!

Look for these to come in our Etsy Shop.  :)

Enjoy,
 Lois