Cozumel Cruise~The Ship

Today we headed out for our second cruise.  This one was a Carnival cruise and was leaving from Tampa.  We have an extra special bonus that some of our pickleball friends are taking the same cruise!  Rich and Dee and Dean and Margie are the ones going.  Rich and Dee's daughter is getting married which makes it even all the more special.

We spent the first little bit exploring the ship which was just as fun as the last time.  We came upon the reception for Rich and Dee's daughter and got to see some of the toasts that were taking place.  Their daughter is stunning so she made the wedding absolutely beautiful!

We found an outside deck by the food areas, and decided we would try to spend as much time as possible eating out there.

Nathan and I decided since we are now officially kid free, that we would truly spend time enjoying the kid free zone otherwise known as the Serenity Deck.

After heading out to sea, we spent the rest of this day and into the night with lots of food and watching the entertainment they provided.  It was a great day!

Dolphin Fun

 I just realized while catching up on reading blogs, that I never came back and posted the dolphin pictures.  I guess with all of my new computer fun and a visit from Aric, it completely left my mind to blog.  The completely leaving my mind seems to be happening more and more lately but that's a story for another day.  Back to the dolphins.  When we got to the pier, I could hear there was some hype over something in the water.  You can never tell just what that might mean with the ocean.  So it was a happy surprise to see that it was dolphins that were visiting.

This is one of those times that I'm so glad I am the weirdo that brings her big camera to the beach with her.  While everyone else was using their phones to get pictures, I got some decent shots with a real camera.

It was interesting to watch dolphins here vs somewhere like Sea World.  They were just doing their thing being dolphins instead of doing tricks to get treats.  Pretty cool.  The only downside is they didn't surface much so we couldn't see them that well.  Again, they were just being dolphins and weren't worried about us in the least so that is understandable.  Then someone went to wash their fish at the fish cleaning station and the water trickled down below.  

 

The dolphins seemed to love this and they fought to get underneath the water from that point on.  This is where the real life dolphin show became a blast for us humans that happened to be there.

 It turned this into one of my best beach days ever.

We stood there for a very long time.  I snapped hundreds of pictures.  I murmured things like this is so cool, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, this is awesome! over and over.  I told Nathan later that it was right up there with whale watching because we were so close to them.  He smiled at me in that way he does sometimes like he is amused at my simple mindedness. 

 That's ok.  He didn't read Island of the Blue Dolphins 433 times as a child like I did.  And he laughed non-stop at a movie recently that I am pretty sure was made for ten year old boys.  So we're even! 

 It was way awesome.  Just ask the dolphins!

If I Could Talk to the Animals

Since we were able to spend time in the zoo other people free today, it meant I could try to get video clips for our Reach the World articles.  I love it when I can sit and talk to the animals because it makes the whole zoo thing so much more fun.  Normally the animals just ignore humans.  Today they interacted with us some.

For example, I was talking to that big bear trying to talk him into swimming.  He was pretty stubborn.  After he sat up, he looked over at us like...yeah, this is all you're getting from me.

 The highlight of my day was when this lovely lady actually talked to me.  I was telling her how gorgeous she was and how she was the prettiest big cat I've ever seen in a zoo and she stopped, looked right at me and made a kitten like noise.  I talked back to her, and she responded again.  We went back and forth and had a little conversation.  Nathan tried to get it on video and she stopped.  As soon as he stops trying to record, she of course starts talking to me again.  It was pretty awesome!

Since my animal whisperer skills seemed to be in top form today, when we got to this guy, I tried again.  He was in the log, poking his head out.

I let him know that I would love it if he'd go and climb since the sign said he was a great climber.

Then I pleaded with him to get closer, so I could get a really good picture of him.  I told him if he'd come right in front of me on this log, that would be great.  I kid you not, he did it.  Then he looked at me with his oh so adorable face like, "is this good?".

In my next chapter of life, I'm going to work with animals.  I had no idea they were easier to work with than humans!  Seriously though, they made my day.  I went into the zoo in a complete funk and went out walking on air thanks to them.

Living the life in Pennsylvania where the animals speak human!

Niagara Falls

This is one of those things that I had on my Bucket List when we started traveling.  This is also one of those things that lived up to its hype.  It is also one of those things that is so incredible, that words can't even begin to describe it.

It is also one of those things that pictures can't truly capture it.  I still tried.  I wanted to post about a hundred of my shots from this wonderful day, but I forced myself to pare it down to a size I could actually upload using our connection.

To be up close and feel and hear the power was really something.  It reminded me of how much grander things found in nature are than things that man builds.

Not to mention, it was just beautiful.  Really, really take your breath away beautiful!

Living the life in the land of natural wonders!

Mackinac Island~The Island

Today we drove up to visit Mackinac Island.  I have wanted to visit here for years so I was very excited to be finally doing this trip!  The weather was just perfect and the island was just gorgeous.  This is definitely one of my favorite things we have done so far!  We had a great day and lots of fun together.

Mackinac Island is an island covering 3.8 square miles in land area, part of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was home to a Native American settlement before European exploration began in the 17th century. It served a strategic position amidst the commerce of the Great Lakes fur trade. This led to the establishment of Fort Mackinac on the island by the British during the American Revolutionary War. It was the scene of two battles during the War of 1812.

In the late 19th century, Mackinac Island became a popular tourist attraction and summer colony. Much of the island has undergone extensive historical preservation and restoration; as a result, the entire island is listed as a National Historic Landmark. It is well known for its numerous cultural events; its wide variety of architectural styles, including the famous Victorian Grand Hotel; its fudge; and its ban on almost all motor vehicles. More than 80 percent of the island is preserved as Mackinac Island State Park.

Fort Mackinac

Fort Mackinac was a military outpost garrisoned from the late 18th century to the late 19th century on Mackinac Island in the U.S. state of Michigan. Built by the British during the American Revolutionary War to control the strategic Straits of Mackinac between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron (and by extension the fur trade on the Great Lakes), it was not relinquished by the British until fifteen years after American independence. It later became the scene of two strategic battles for control of the Great Lakes during the War of 1812. During most of the 19th century, it served as an outpost of the United States Army. Closed in 1895, the fort is now a museum on the grounds of Mackinac Island State Park and has been designated a National Historic Landmark.

Eye to Eye With Nature

As I was editing more pictures of us feeding the elk, I noticed how often we were making eye contact with the animals.  I thought to myself that this is probably part of why it touched us so much to interact with them.  There is just something so profound about looking animals in the eye and having them return the favor.

Great Smoky Mountains NP-Grotto Falls

Crabtree Falls in North Carolina

Today we drove on the Blueridge Parkway, and got out to hike to Crabtree Falls.

 This was Aric's first waterfall, which was really special.  I think he was impressed.  Nathan and I were too!

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.  Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.  The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.  ~John Muir

The poetry of the earth is never dead.  ~John Keats

The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man.  ~Author Unknown

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.  ~Albert Einstein

I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.  ~e.e. cummings