Views From the Bridge

 Good morning,

These are views from the bridge of Mariner of the Seas. 

 We're still in port, but will set sail soon.  Interesting, isn't it that we say we'll "sail" when there isn't a sail in sight.  ;)  Yep, that's the way it is.

 This is the view from the Wing Bridge down the side of the ship.

The bridge extends across the front of the ship.

That's a helipad on the bow.  It's used for medical emergencies when we are at sea. 

When he was working, Chief Engineer Kjell would be in the Engine Control Room just about now, preparing to make engine power available to the Captain. Today, he's enjoying the view.  Retirement is good!

Time to release the lines!

Here's Captain Tor on the wing bridge as we pull away from the dock.  

While Kjell was working we sailed with Tor on different ships and he was our Best Man 25 years ago.  It's also fun that we all live near each other so can get together when we are on land.

What a lovely day to go to sea!

That beautiful white sand beach extends all the way to Miami's South Beach.

More to come....

All the best,

Lois

To the Port!

 Good morning,

We spent the night in Melbourne-Viera, then headed for the parking area to leave our car before taking the shuttle to the port.

 This is the same route we took for the last six years before Kjell's retirement when we were returning to the ship for a ten week tour of duty aboard Freedom of the Seas.  Those days we were driving at the crack of dawn for Kjell go to aboard very early so there was very little traffic.

This time we'll be boarding Mariner of the Seas for a cruise as guests to celebrate our anniversary.   It's going to be great fun!

 

My goodness, look at the traffic!  There are several ships in port today, so traffic is heavy.

Traffic is moving, though, so we'll be aboard Mariner soon....

:),

Lois

Too Many Accidents

 Good morning,

We saw way too many accidents on this trip.  This one was South of St. Pete, Florida.

 We were glad to see it didn't appear there were serious injuries here.

Later in the trip we saw one that had to be very bad. Had there not been a divider in the highway, a red pick up truck that was flying, spinning, and rolling in the air would have hit us from the other side of the highway.  I tried to find information about that accident afterward, but found nothing.  We sure hope the driver survived. 

Wherever you are, be safe.

Lois

Moving Right Along Through St. Pete, Florida

 Good morning,

We are passing St. Pete, Florida, in these images.

 It was tricky getting the skyline and My Handsome Honey in the image.  :)

Port Canaveral, here we come!

More to come....

Lois

Memorial Day - United States of America

Memorial Day - United States of America
Land of the Free Because of the Brave

 

Decisions, Decisions....

 Good morning,

The trick to getting through St. Petersburg is being in the right lane at the right time.  

It wasn't difficult this time because there was much less traffic than we experienced year after year when we were returning to the ships for Kjell to go back to work.

Moving on....

Lois

Concrete Spaghetti

 Good morning,

Driving through St. Pete makes us feel we are driving through a bowl of concrete spaghetti.  

But, LOOK, very little traffic!

:),

Lois

 

St. Petersburg Traffic

 Good morning,

Passing through St. Petersburg, Florida, has always been one of the most challenging of our road trips.

We were delighted to find most of the road work that was there for years has been completed.

 We were glad we were going South right now, not North.  The North bound traffic was almost at a standstill.

Not too bad so far....

Lois

Finally Florida!

 Good morning,

Finally, here we are in Florida!

The only hurdle left is to get through St. Petersburg traffic.  We think the only worse traffic is driving through Atlanta, but we didn't go that way this trip.

Onward!

:),

Lois

Lakes and Rivers

 Good morning,

We enjoy the beautiful scenery of road trips that you can't see from an airplane. 

 What a lovely place to spend your vacation.

 More tomorrow!

All the best,

Lois

 

Oh, My!

 Good morning,

We certainly did a double take on this one!

That's a unique way to advertise for drivers. Kjell said, "Get a picture!"

We got a chuckle out of this one.

Ah, yes, life on the road....

Lois

Welcome to Georgia

 Good Morning,

Welcome to The Peach State.  

Even with increasing traffic and much too much road work, we are making great progress on our way to Port Canaveral, Florida.

The weather has been consistently wonderful for us!  I told Kjell he must be living right.  ;)

Stay tuned - Florida here we come!

Lois

Back on the Road - Traffic

 Good morning,

There was plenty of traffic on our way South to Florida.  Our side of the highway here in North Carolina wasn't very crowded right here, but traffic in the opposite direction was quite heavy.

 There were so many trucks on the road.  

We're on a roll again, and hope to make our next stop without too many traffic delays.  

So far, so good.

Lois

North Carolina Rest Stop

 Good morning,

This is one of our favorite rest stops. 

 The facilities are large and there is plenty of room to stretch our legs outside.  

I didn't take images of it this time, but behind where I was standing to take the above image is a landscaped valley area with walkways to explore.  There is an overlook into the beautiful valley.  We didn't walk that way this time since my back just isn't what it used to be.

 Out in front of the rest stop building, though is this lovely fountain...

...with a waterfall and flowers.  

Just lovely!

More to come....

Lois

Norwegian Independence Day

 Good morning,

Today is Norway's Independence Day so the image I chose to celebrate is of the model of the Christian Radich that is in our living room.

As many of you know, Kjell was born in Norway and is now an American by choice.  The Christian Radich was his first training ship at the beginning of his career of 50 years at sea.

I gave this large model to Kjell for our anniversary many, many years ago.

Happy Birthday, Norway!  We are celebrating here on the South Coast of Ohio!

All the best,

Lois

Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?

 Good morning,

Here we are in a tunnel in the Smoky Mountains.

 I remember going through tunnels in this area with my parents (more years than I want to say ago) when the tunnels were still somewhat primitive.  There were no lights except headlights on cars and the tunnel sides were rock, not concrete.

 Ah, yes...

 ...there is a light at the end of the tunnel. 

:),

Lois

Foothills of the Smoky Mountains

 Good morning,

The weather remained beautiful throughout our trip South to Florida.

Here we are entering the foothills of the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. 

We traveled this route for many years before our retirement in 2016.  It is so much fun to be seeing these sights again!

Stay tuned. 

All the best,

Lois

Road Trip Crochet - Lap Blanket

 Good morning,

Of course, I bring a crochet or knit project along when we have a road trip.  

This is a lap blanket that will be useful for people of all ages.  I love blues, so that makes it even more enjoyable to make.  

The stitch is one that I can do while watching the scenery go by.

All the best,

Lois

Rolling Hills of the Blue Grass State

 Good morning,

As we continue our journey, we are traveling through the rolling hills of Kentucky, the Blue Grass State.

 As we rolled along, I took these two images just a couple of seconds apart.  

We were blessed with gorgeous weather on our journey to the Port of Canveral.  Tonight, though we will be in Columbia, SC.

Tune in tomorrow!

All the best,

Lois

Happy Mother's Day!

 Good morning, 

Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers!

The weather is beautiful in Northern Kentucky and traffic isn't too heavy.

 For years we drove these roads to and from ports for Kjell to go back to work on ships.  Now that we are retired, we are driving the same route to Port Canaveral for a cruise to celebrate our anniversary.

This is fun!  It's just like old times except for the work part.  ;) 

More to come....

Lois

Crossing the Mighty Ohio River

 Good morning,

Here we are crossing the Mighty Ohio River from Ohio to Kentucky.  

That round building on the left of the bridge is a hotel with a revolving restaurant on the top.  It has been there for at least fifty years.  It provides beautiful views of the Cincinnati skyline as you enjoy your dinner.

This is the I-75 Brent Spence Bridge that has been the subject of much conversation in congress.  Presidents have managed to stand below with it in the background as they have promised to replace it.  I get a kick out of it being a "shovel ready project" that never got done - or even started for that matter.

Oh, well, as long as it is safe....

We are moving on with our road trip!  

Watch this space tomorrow for the next edition!

Lois

Here We Go Again!

 Good morning,

We are on the road again!

We're on our way to Port Canaveral, Florida, to board Mariner of the Seas to celebrate our 25th Anniversary.

I hope you'll enjoy traveling with us for the next few posts.  

Come along!

Lois

Purple Iris

 Good morning,

Our Purple Iris are some of our favorite flowers.

 Years ago I planted quite a few different colors of iris, but these are the old faithful that have returned year after year.  I'm not able to do much gardening anymore, but I sure do enjoy the flowers I planted years ago that keep returning.

Happy Spring!

Lois