Azores to Lisbon

It was another day at sea. So relaxing! There's always something to do, so we try to prioritize our workouts before the fun stuff. The daily time change is throwing me off a bit. Today, I attended a lecture on Bilbao: the Heart of Basque Country, before hopping on the treadmill. Mixing it up! It was like a jammie day, with four of us hanging around in gym clothes playing fiercely competitive Spades. So immersed in our game, we opted out of our formal dinner plans for a casual cafe meal. Finally, we changed into our "smart casual" cruising clothes and went to the theater event. A comedian, Steve Womack, is a seriously funny guy from the UK. Lots of laughs. And Patty Ann is in love with her butler.

São Miguel, Azores, Portugal

The Atlantic crossing was a wonderful experience. I thought I would be troubled by five days out to sea, but I was pleasantly surprised. The Edge docked at 8am Monday at Ponta Delgada, the capital city of the Azores located on the island of São Miguel, approximately 1,000 east of mainland Portugal. São Miguel is the largest of nine volcanic islands making up the archipelago of the Azores, Portugal.

We met our driver and tour guide with “Azores for All” at 9am and started the day’s adventure. Heading west in a comfortable van we were awestruck by the lush beauty and dramatic west coast views; reminding us all of Ireland. Sete Cidades was our first stop. The village of Sete Cidades occupies a large caldera. We stopped in the church of São Nicolas for a prayer and walked through the town to the lakeshore. Two large lakes, the Green and Blue lakes, are connected by a strip is land and make for a very scenic view from above.

We worked our way east to the beachfront restaurant Pé Na Areia in Povoacão. We enjoyed a local lunch buffet as we watched some windsurfers take on the wild weather. The fog in the higher altitudes prevented us from seeing other vistas, but we did enjoy Caldeira Velha. A Natural Monument with lush flora, waterfalls and hot springs. Our final stop had us tasting local liquors at Mulher de Capote in Ribeira Grande. We just had to buy the Arroz Doce and best selling Passion Fruit licor for some dinner party fun in Florida.

The best part our our fab day in São Miguel was spending time with our lovely humans and soulful guides, Raquel and Umberto. We’re off to Lisbon Tuesday. 

Cruising Along

Pat and Glenn have been going for acupuncture treatments on the boat and it has turned them into our new chill friends. Not a worry in the world.

Sunday marked our last day of this Atlantic crossing. It was a beautiful day on the boat with so many people taking in the sun on the deck. We arrive in the Azores at 8am Monday morning. For the rest of the trip we should be able to see land.

Meanwhile in LA, Will and Taylor are enjoying an extended weekend of sightseeing. They went for the BTS concert Saturday. I bet the travel bug will bite them hard! Here's a cute picture from my shinning star.

Star Wars Day

May the 4th be with you. Saturday was a busy day on the boat. It started with a Tai Chi class, some laps around the track, lunch with friends, wine tasting event, dinner with friends, theater event with friends and a nightcap with friends. Lots of friends on this trip! This beautiful display of orchids reminded me of a friend we left behind in Marco.

The Mystery of Time at Sea

Time keeps on slipping into the future. Each night we lose an hour as the boat heads northeast to Ponta Delgada. Cruisers seem to be getting their seas legs and I attended a sketching class on Friday. It's a simple life. 😊

Don’t Rock the Boat

Our first full day crossing the Atlantic was mildly obvious that we were in a boat crossing the Atlantic. Soft, gentle rocking encouraged extra caution and contributed to occasional dizziness throughout the day. While not enough to throw back a Dramamine, surely the medical center had some extra activity Thursday. The captain advised us of weather ahead. Bill's flight app shows the route we took to avoid the worst of a storm.

We made the most of our day with plenty to do onboard the Edge. It's nice to bump into Marco people all around the ship, too. Between meals, books, lectures and concerts the day flew by. It's a very relaxing mode of travel.

First Landing of the Cruise

The magnificent sunrise on Wednesday set the stage for a terrific day on land in Bermuda. What a beautiful island. I can’t recall seeing water colors so brilliant. Our foursome taxied to Port Royal golf course for a scenic and challenging 18 holes. Super hilly and super fun! Afterwards, the same driver picked us up for a two hour tour of Bermuda. The best part was a lunch stop at Seaside Grill for the freshest wahoo fish sandwiches on amazing raisin bread. A locals only sort of dive. We devoured our lunch at a picnic table on Flatts inlet. 

Back at the boat around 4pm, we had time to relax before dinner at our usual venue: Cypress. The Celebrity Edge ventured out to sea as we were dining. Two very talented women provided the evenings entertainment with dueling cellos. So good! 

We bumped into Ann and Doug for a nightcap at the Martini Bar. Bermuda was a great port with plenty of picturesque memories!

Chugging to Bermuda

It’s was a bit windy on the scenic jogging track, but certainly where the action was Tuesday morning. The gym was bustling, too.  After another relaxing routine at sea consisting of exercise, eating, chatting and poolside reading, we docked in Bermuda around 6pm. Dinner on the ship was lovely and the four of us went for a stroll around the port. Well preserved buildings from the 1800s surrounded Kings Wharf. We all enjoyed the beautiful evening with our feet on the ground.  

A Full Day at Sea

It's a pleasure to experience a state of the art cruise ship. The Edge is only six months old, very modern, sleek, high tech and is thoughtfully designed with aesthetically pleasing notes everywhere.

Monday was off to a calm start at sea. I did ten laps on the rooftop track, which totaled just over a two mile interval jog. The stairs are also helping the calorie burn. I'm trying to avoid the elevators. Lots of good food and plenty to drink. I don't want to be that person who gains 10 pound a week on a cruise.

Our BFFs, Pat and Glenn, joined us for lunch and the rest of the day. Poolside games and Kindles, MMC cocktail party, dinner, after dinner theater and a night cap at the Martini Bar. Our liquor package is paying off in liters of Evian. 😉

Celebrity Edge out of Fort Lauderdale

This shot was on my IG feed last night. Can you see us on the 8th floor waving? A group of 139 travelers from The Marco Men's Club departed Sunday afternoon for South Hampton. It is a beautiful ship on a beautiful day. We're hoping for smooth sailing and lots of fun.

April in Marco

How lucky are we to be able to spend time with Chris and Devin twice in a month? Son the Elder joined us on Easter Saturday after challenging weather Good Friday cancelled his flight to RSW. He made it finally and joined us and Devin in Marco for some family time. It was a nice balance of activities, games, meals and togetherness. Will was able to make a few appearances, too. 

Sadly, Bill was bit by a dog on 4/17 and was in disabled mode all week. It's been quite a recovery from a wound infection, with two trips to the urgent care center, two shots in the butt and multiple prescriptions. 

Easter has come and gone. The island is clearing out and hints of summer weather are beginning to emerge. Life is good. Thanks be to my God. 

Will with Devin. The teen's first golf lesson and 18 holes

Chris and Bill

Super windy round after the storm blew out. Bill was my caddy.

Dinner at Fin

Sunday Funday with NJ Family

The only time I left the house on Sunday was to watch the Epp boys throw footballs in the yard, pump up tires, fly wooden airplanes and enjoy the balmy temps in the fifties. Two of the Shore Rogers family drove up for dinner. It was great to see Chris and Devin. We had fun cooking together and shooting some basement pool on our beautiful billiard table from the Vineyard house.

Devin, Bill, Kat, Ally Paul and Chris

*minor update, revisions and technical difficulties 5:17 pm*

Quality Family Time in NJ

An Uber picked us up at the Moxy Hotel on Ann St. for a schlepp-free, hour-plus journey to Allendale NJ. The boys were excited to take us to their favorite restaurant Friday night: Mt. Fuji Japanese Steak House in Hillburn. It was similar to Benihana, offering hibachi table dining with a silly-chef-sideshow. Lots of laughs. We had a fireside night cap back at the ranch and off to bed.

Saturday morning found us snug around the fire and at the beginning of a long round of Monopoly. We took a lunch break at The Shannon Rose in Ramsey for pub grub. Back to the sofa for fireside games. Saturday was sunny but cold outside. Ally and Paul made a delicious dinner and corked some awesome wine. After clean-up, the six of us watched "The Greatest Showman." The very entertaining 2017 musical drama inspired by the life of P.T. Barnum. No doubt we'll come back to take the family to the show when it's on Broadway. Great music and dancing. A full day of lazy family time. The best.

Springtime in NewYork

Early flight Thursday, NYC shopping for a warm raincoat, hanging out at the Moxy Hotel again...it’s good to be back in the greatest city in the world. Ally recommended Escala in Soho for dinner. Typical of her suggestions, it was an amazing dinner of exotic small plates in a very small, loud space. We paired our food selections with an Eastern European wine. It was unusual but a perfect complement to our meal.

Friday found us out in the cold rain again. We took the #7 subway to the all new and ritzy Hudson Yards at 30th & 10th. A state of the art mall and lifestyle community in NYC; home to the city’s first Neiman Marcus store. It was over the top! 

St. Patrick's Day 2019

St. Paddy's Day was always a busy weekend for my large Irish family. Back in the day, there was Irish dancing, bagpiping, drumming, an iconic green river, parade appearances and plenty of eating and drinking with family and friends over the course of many local celebrations in Chicago. Our parents and grandparents instilled a great pride in our heritage and we pursued lessons in Irish music and dance for most of our young lives, with St. Paddy's Day presenting some of the best opportunities for showcasing our talents. That was many years ago. Now, I liken St. Patrick's Day to New Year's Eve: festive and preferably enjoyed at home.

I was folding clothes this week on my bed and when I put the last of the laundry away, a lone shamrock was left under the pile. It had been an unusually sad day for me, and the sight of this green clover made me believe in miracles. I was overwhelmed with comfort and at a complete loss to understand where this may have come from. Although, as an intuitive Irish lass, I have my suspicions. May you find something special to cuddle your soul today and bring you outright awe and joy.

Unexplainable shamrock on my bed

Florida: A Big State with Lots to Do

This is the year of exploring the state of Florida. From Miami to Jacksonville, Key West to West Palm and Port St. Lucie (PSL), I've covered some territory over the last couple of months. A few NJ friends met in PSL for a spontaneous sleepover Sunday and round of golf Monday at St. Lucie Trail Golf Club. A nice public course, well maintained and challenging. And then there's the food. We enjoyed fine dining at Tutto Fresco at PGA Village in PSL after much needed showers. It was unseasonably hot and humid on the course. We're not used to that weather in late winter. The girls worked off some calories on a bike tour Tuesday morning. It included a couple of detours: First Data Field, home of the NY Mets spring training, and the beautiful St. Bernadette Church. A sunny lunch followed at the lovely RH Rooftop Restaurant in West Palm. Super fun getaway with the girls.

Jill, Pat, Lauren and Kat

Love your neighbor. No exceptions.

RH Rooftop Restaurant

Kathryn's famed selfie

Anna Maria Oyster Bar Restaurant

Make note of this popular luncheon restaurant at exit 224 off of I-75. It was jumpin' on Ash Wednesday with plenty of folks proudly displaying their smudged foreheads. Please God don't strike me with lightening, but I was wondering, in this day and age of intolerance, what's worse...Catholics in ashes or zealots in MAGA caps? And yes, it really is the start of Lent today.

Pink Concert in J Action Ville

The family is crouching down to accommodate the selfie stick at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena after Pink's Beautiful Trauma World Tour performance. What an amazing show! Pink is a high energy artist, with a high energy band, dancers, visuals, pyrotechnics and aerial acrobatics. I don't really know a lot about her music outside of her big hits, but the kids asked for Christmas tickets and we joined in on the fun. We had to cancel our flight plan because of weather so we drove. Was it worth the 12 hour round trip drive? Yes! It's been a while since a little road trip.

Pink

This just in ... the girls are getting ready for our Pink concert in Jacksonville next week. Click on that barely visible arrow in the center of the picture for some video action. 💕
📹credit: Steph

Global and Emotional Footprints

The global carbon footprint is a huge topic of political and social discourse. We are all guilty of perpetuating the need for logistics companies to deliver our online purchases. How bad is e-commerce for the environment? Reducing emissions, clean energy, carbon offsets, carbon neutral...ugh, Amazon we all have some thinking to do.

And then there's our emotional footprint. Defined by studies in neuroscience, our emotional footprint is gaining more traction in sociology. It has a very real impact on social well being and goodwill. It's not about how much cow you are eating, motors you are operating or electrical gadgets you enjoy. It's about actions and reactions causing a ripple effect, which intentional on not, determines the trajectory of reciprocal human behavior. Simply put, a temper tantrum will put onlookers in a bad mood and an act of kindness naturally brings joy to observers. The emotional footprint is all about that term we hear so often: mindfulness. Are you fully aware of how your behaviors affect others? What do you radiate? Goodwill or impetuousness? Have a think. Just a couple random discussion topics for your happy hour tonight.
 

March 1st Quotation

This is arguably a ridiculously insulting quote about the Irish... or not.

"It's not that the Irish are cynical. It's simply that they have a wonderful lack of respect for everything and everybody." -- Brendan Behan

Happy March! ☘