Tag Archives: Adventure

And Yet Another Cruise-Part 6

3 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

I’ve pretty well described Disney’s Cruise Line ship Wish for you, so I’ll move on to the things we did on the islands where we docked.

Our first port of call was Nassau, Bahamas.  Fred and I have been to Nassau many times, and weren’t too thrilled to be back.  However, the island has “cleaned up” quite a bit since the last hurricane that devastated the island.  We decided to take an excursion,  one we’ve done before but enjoy none-the-less.   It was a type of “glass bottom boat” ride…actually a semi-submarine.  There was the upper-deck, where the crew maintained the boat, and the passengers sat – on the way to the designated observation area, and also on the way back to the dock.  After climbing down a short ladder, the passengers went to the “below” deck, where there were fold-down stool seats situated in front of each port-hole window.  There we could look out and see everything under water.  The level of the water’s floor, where they took us to see the underwater life, varied from about six feet to 30 feet.  Lots of seaweed, fish and we saw two sharks who were “resting” or sleeping on the bottom of the sand.  Wow!

Our second port of call was Disney’s island – Castaway Cay (pronounced key – don’t ask me why). 

 All Disney ships going to the Bahamas stop at Castaway Cay for a day.  I have grown to love this island, even if we do nothing more than walk around, walk in the sand, sit or stretch out on lounge chairs in the sand and people-watch as they play in the water.  Since neither of us are “water” people, we just enjoy watching people enjoying themselves as they play in the water. 

Photo Credit Disney.com/Wherever I May Roam blog

 We have walked the island many times – out to the lookout tower,

 down the runway, and just around the activities Disney offers.  We have rented bicycles and ridden around the island.  I am not comfortable on a bicycle, so we don’t do that anymore.

However, we had planned to take advantage of some water bicycles and paddle out and around the protected area.  Unfortunately, the wind was up that day, quite a bit, and so they were going to cancel that excursion.  We did get a refund, but were disappointed that we didn’t get to do that.  Perhaps next Disney cruise to Castaway Cay we can do it.

We took the tram down to Serenity Bay – the adults only beach.  We walked along the water on the sand, sat in some lounge chairs in the shade, and just rested.  There is a bbq eatery in Serenity Bay, and we had our lunch there…including some of their soft-serve ice cream!  A really nice set-up.  Some of the ship’s restaurant servers go to the island and work the eateries on the island, so perhaps one will see the servers from our tables on the ship.  We didn’t, but it’s possible.

Fred in front of the food set-up

Back to the ship and prepare for our supper hour and the last night’s performance of Aladdin, which was excellent. 

Then the overnight sail back to Port Canaveral and disembark.  We always carry our own luggage, and so after a quick breakfast we just walk off the ship, through Customs, get into our car, and drive home. 

Another Disney cruise under our belt!  Now we need to book an 11th cruise, so we can take advantage of those extra perks!!

It was a great cruise!

~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~

*All photos are credited to Judy Wills, with the exception noted.

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

Colorado Adventures

22 Feb

My Take

DiVoran Lites

and

Patricia Franklin 

1

 

Patricia and I have been corresponding for years. We first met when she was in first grade, just before she was promoted to second and moved one aisle over to the second grade aisle where we five second graders sat. She got promoted because she was the only child in the first grade, and because she was smart. It was my first time in that school because my family had recently moved to town. This letter starts where my last blog, “Shelf Roads,” left off. I liked the extra details she shared so thought I would pass them on.

DiVoran

 The Altmans started coming to our school after the consolidation. (Before that they had gone to a small country school closer to their ranch. The consolidation was when all the students from valley schools were bussed to town.)

Marjorie and I were friends in high school, and we actually were roommates our first year in college in Gunnison.  They had a ranch at the foot of the range, near Alvarado, (a mountain meadow where the community had field days and picnics). We used to go horseback riding on the trails up there. That was so much fun.

One time we came upon this old cabin.  We looked inside a broken window and something white moved inside.  We screamed and ran, then went back to look again.  It was a white goat, and was inside standing in the middle of the bed. The cabin was old and still furnished.  The cupboards had been taken over by rats and any other creature that could get inside.  I guess it had been abandoned, as everything in it was a mess.  We never did find out who the owner was, or what happened after that.  Although, I remember my Dad had me write up an article for the Wet Mountain Tribune about the adventure, and it was on the front page of the paper.  We sure had some great, fun adventures in those times.

There is a shelf road between Canon City and Cripple Creek.  It is named the Shelf Road and is used a lot.  It has been closed various times, due to rock slides and erosion, but is still one of the main roads up there.  That and the Phantom Canyon Road are the two most used from Highway 50 to Cripple Creek I would say.  I have not been up those roads for a few years, but I love them.   After driving all over the “jeep roads” in the San Juan and Gunnison mountains, I do not mind them anymore.  We have been on some very narrow and scary roads, but I love it so much, I got over my worst fears.

I still do not like being on the edge and looking down though.  Once Frank and I had to pull way over to the side because some 4 wheelers were coming down and would not move over.  (As we were going up, we were supposed to have the right of way).  Our Jeep was so close to the edge, I could see the pebbles falling out from under the tires and rolling down the mountainside. And there was a pickup upside down about 1000 feet down.  Now, that was scary!!😕 One time we started up that road when it was raining. A lightning bolt hit a nearby mountain, and then some rocks started rolling down the side of the mountain above us.  Needless to say, we backed down and did not make the trip that day.

The Shelf Road from Canon City to Cripple Creek

 

I Am So Sorry

9 May

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

I would like to apologize to everyone who made their grand announcement “I just finished building my new website, come take a look” and I just yawned or if I was feeling generous I gave it a tweet. I had no idea what you were saying, how much work and creativity you had expended. I’m so sorry.Computer

I had no idea what building a website involved until I decided to give it a try. I am attempting to build a wonderful site to showcase the work of Rebekah Lyn and DiVoran Lites, both of whom are dear to me, one as daughter the other as Spiritual mentor and precious friend.  They are fine writers who tell great stories of faith adventure and hope.

I would still be stuck in Word Press tutorial 101 if God had not sprinkled Lynn into my life. We met in tenth grade and became life-long friends. Little did I know as we passed notes in class, giggled about boys and all those other things high school girls do, that she was going to be my life line for this website building adventure.

I think I might begin calling her my Philippians 4:19  friend,

Adventure

19 Nov

My Take

DiVoran Lites

 

Some sail the seven seas,

Others find it on their knees

They say, “God bless you,” when you sneeze.

How about a tropical breeze?

Should I climb mountains

Or scale high rocks?

Or run a-pulling up my socks.

Or go down in caves spelunking for free

What adventures are waiting for me

Where do I go and what do I wear?

Thank goodness I have some pretty good hair.

Will someone go with me

Or do I go alone

Incommunicado or take my cell phone

If I could ride horses in meadows so sweet

Or eat just the veggies eschewing all meat

If I got tea and scones with Devonshire cream

If silk saris and music were part of the dream

If I slept on soft sheets and read novels all day

Now that’s an adventure

I really might stay

So what do you think an adventure might be

For a little ole, stay at home lady like me?