Back to the Caribbean!

And we'll be getting back on track with some photos from the cruise I took back in December.
Gosh, has it really been about two months?
Well, I know a bunch of my friends have been inundated with snow, so these might warm you up.

On we go!

The last stop we had on the cruise was the island of St. Maarten (if you're Dutch) or St. Martin (if you're French).

When we pulled in at 6:30 in the morning...it looked like we'd have some weather with us.

And we did get rained on, well, if you want to call a spritzing rain, while waiting to leave with our tour group. But then things cleared up a little.

And I fell in love with the houses on the island

We all hopped into a tour bus and away we went to explore the island that is divided between the Dutch and the French to this very day. At least they no longer fight each other.

We started out on the Dutch side. Just in case you were wondering.
I didn't know until we passed this guy.

Seeing Amsterdam cheese, I knew for a fact we were in Dutch territory.

I believe this is an Admiral's house here. 

The major export for the Dutch side was salt. This is a statue set in a roundabout demonstrating the history.

A nice resort

We got off the bus here to take a look at the scenery. So pretty!

The cacti were pretty neat too!

Then we all hopped back on the bus and made our way towards the French side.

Flowers were everywhere bordering the streets.

This one was one of my favorites.

We then crossed the divider (no line, just a monument where peace was established between the two) into the French territory.

The French side had better looking buildings, I must say.

And then we had a stop and got about an hour to stretch our legs and take in the scenery.

Boy, did we ever!

Sun maidens!

Saw a fort on the hill above the bay.
One day I'd love to go up and explore it.
But for now, I can just allow my imagination to go there.

After poking our heads into a few shops, Mom and I saw a really cool market across the street.
Had to check it out.

Everything was so colorful. They even had spices for sale. Reminded me a lot of France and the Antony market.
We couldn't stay long though, and I admit I worried when the bus would be leaving, but we managed to get on with a couple minutes to spare.

The driver then took us through windy roads, telling us about the culture and how iguanas are really a pest.

What he forgot to mention was that the reptiles are about as big as a cocker spaniel dog!

Ick! I get the creeps looking at them. But in some ways, they're really interesting.
And apparently, when in a pinch for chicken, these guys taste just the same.

We kept going, winding our way down the mountains and came across this statue at a round about.

Lady Liberty, St. Martin style.

Then low and behold to our left, an iguana, just hanging out in the tree.

On and on we went.
Over hill and dale. Past a nudist beach, and more resorts, until we came to the farmland of the island.

More of those really pretty flowers.

And got to see more of the plantation style homes. Apparently St. Martin is also known for it's sugar cane.

Now contrast that with this next picture.

Goats!

We made it back to the port and we had about an hour before the ship set sail. So we wandered and took in some of the sights. They even had a crêpe stand, though I'm spoiled, having lived two years in France.

Like this awesome tree!

Then it was time to head back to the ship. We had to leave by 12:30pm. A bit early, but not terrible.
Mom and I thought we had just enough time to get a taste.

Goodbye, St. Maarten!

Au revoir, St. Martin!

Well hello, Sir Monkey!

Oh yeah, forgot to say, it was FORMAL NIGHT! And Mom and I dolled ourselves up.

We wore the corresponding colors for the Christmas Cruise: green and red.

I say that cruises are great (but I don't think I'd like to go more than a week or 10 days tops).
By the last day I was ready to come home. And Mom was too. It's hard not having your own routine.

The only thing that would have made this trip better than the amazingness that it was would have been to have had the whole family there with us.

Hmmm...Do I see a family vacay in two years perhaps?

Until next time,
Bisous!

One last break...

The new Austen Authors site is up!

Sharing the link here: http://austenauthors.net/

Go check them out!

Their mission statement:
"Austen Authors is a collective of published novelists in the Jane Austen sub-genre of literary fiction. Our purpose is to share our multiple visions of Austen’s world through our posts, excerpts, and fun events, thus utilizing our blog platform to promote awareness of our genre to the broader reading audience."

Small Break to Share

So, I like Jane Austen.

Not sure if that was clear here. And I've been a fan of Austen Authors for a while.

So I have great news! They're re-opening their website and offering a fun giveaway.

But the catch? There are only three days left to enter.

So... check them out if you are just as into Austen as me. Even if you're not, you might find yourself becoming a HUGE fan soon.

The website: www.austenauthors.net

Until next time!
Bisous

The Islands of St. Thomas and St. John

Hi again,

Today is rather snowy and cold here in NM.
And I love it! I've been hoping for some more snow since New Year's Day. Getting my wish. We could get anywhere from 1 inch to 12. Currently it's that type of snow that resembles powdered sugar falling onto the world. So nice.

Don't know how cold or snowy it may be wherever you are. Hope it's beautiful and not a burden

With a small pup that can't stay out in the snow long, I thought we'd stay inside while I updated with lots of warm sunny photos.

Makes me warmer just thinking about it too.
So without further ado, here are the highlights from the one of the excursions from the amazing cruise with my mother.

About to board the Freedom of the Seas

Port Canaveral

As our ship pulled away, we saw this tugboat. I thought it so cool that it had a pi sign on it!

And the sunset on our first day, as we dined on French cheese and fruit on the balcony with a glass of wine. It was glorious!

The ship (not boat, mind you) was at sea for two days before we got to St. Thomas. Gave us plenty of time to explore our new environment, get used to the way things were done, and be ready to go snorkeling when we got there.

We didn't count on having to get up at 5:45am on the morning of the excursion to get dressed, have eaten breakfast, and be off the ship by 7:15am.
Yeesh!

I usually have no problem waking up early. In fact I was pretty used to it. Ever since high school, when I'd wake up at 5 to finish the rest of my homework or just be up with the dog. And then that whole thing of being a Division 1 rower...

But, on the ship, the rocking of the waves was just enough to keep me in the gentle fog of sleep that waking up that early was really hard.
But so worth it.

Got to see the sunrise!

Just glorious!

I think I like this next one the best because of the clouds!

 Le sigh. It is so pretty.

Anyway, mom and I got our breakfast and then headed out onto the deck to watch us coming in to St. Thomas port.

It was a beautiful day.

Part of St. Thomas

 And here's my Momma.

She's so cheerful!

 We finally docked and were allowed to get off!

 We waited at the set number for our excursion down below, watching lots of people walk past.

And waited.

And waited some more.

Then we were told that since the ship came into port late, we missed the boat to the island of St. John. But there would be another in 40 minutes and we would be free to go see the shops until then.

Mom and I shrugged and enjoyed the time to stretch our legs. Plus it gave me a chance to take some more photos.

It's the replica from Denmark of the Little Mermaid.

They were all decorated for Christmas

Though it was still only 7:30 in the morning, it was a lovely 75 degrees F (23C).

The flowers were pretty.

And off in the distance we could see our boat, er, ship.

Oh, but we weren't allowed to forget it was still morning. The rooster told us so. Numerous times.

Then we went back to our places. Mom got booted out of the shade because she wasn't technically waiting for a taxi. Poor Mom. We were ushered along the water line to the boats.

Once there, we were told to wait again. Our boat hadn't come in yet. It had stopped to get gas.

Fine by me. I would prefer that the boat has enough gas in it to get us all the way there, not just halfway and then have to stop and have us watch birds for the rest of the day.

Finally the boat came and we got to find seats on the top deck!
So exciting!

It wasn't a leisurely ride out to St. John, as they lulled us into falsely believing.

No.
It ended up being like a chase scene from a Bond movie, you know, where the bad guys are hot on your tail.

How I managed to get any pictures, is beyond me.

Typical style of the houses. Looks like it could fit right in along the St. Johns River in Orange Park, FL

By the time we got to St. John, my fingers may or may not have been temporarily formed into mini claws since I was holding on to my phone camera so tightly.

But I think it was worth it.

With my claw-mitts, I was still able to take a few, less jostled photos.

I love how green everything is!

Well, we got off the boat and immediately were whisked away in open style buses. Off we went on a mini tour of the island, as we made our way to Trunk Bay.

First look out point? Lind Point.

Second look out point? Hawksnest Bay

Then the driver took off like the devil!

Can we say windy?

Finally she slowed as we approached our destination: Trunk Bay

It was so lovely there. My mom and I spent basically all the time in the water.

We snorkeled and followed the underwater trail.

I saw sea urchins that had a 6 in body and 1 foot spines.
Struck fear into my heart, let me tell you.
Especially when the waves seemed to like pushing me in the direction of a whole slew of them.
Yikes!

I got followed by a school of fish and saw so many types of coral.
It was incredible.

We had maybe an hour's rest on the beach and then we had to return.
Well worth the excursion.

As we approached the ships I managed to get this shot.

I pulled my hand in to get my Mom's camera. And not a moment too soon either. Something yellow fell from above and landed exactly where I had just been. Found out a girl from the trip had gotten seasick, poor thing.

But I was never so thankful that Mom pestered me to get a shot from her camera. Nor was I ever so excited to get off the boat.

We walked back to the ship and changed, then decided to head out again to see Charlotte Amalie in St. Thomas, the main center.

Rather than wait for a taxi, I told Mom we could just walk the 1.5 km. It wasn't that far. And I like walking.

It'd be pretty, I said.
It'd be faster, I said.
There's a breeze, I said.

Hah.

Pretty? Oh yes. Very much so. That much was true.

But faster to walk? No way.

And the breeze? Hah.

Hahahahaha.

How about walking with the sun full on you in 85 degree weather, no breeze, and the fumes of the car exhausts getting to you, because of course the path to the main center would be right next to the only road, and we'd be walking during their rush hour!

But it was worth it in the long run. We got our exercise and I got some lovely photos.

Plus we did find a few little trinkets and made a new friend, walking back with her to the ship.

Yes. We walked back too. Made me very happy.

All the boats waiting...

And the sunset was lovely.

We had dinner and came back to the room.  I took one more opportunity to go out on the patio and was so glad I did.

The night colors are just cool

And look what else I saw! Sky cabs lit up!

Then we shoved off.

Goodbye St. Thomas!

We went down for a little after dinner coffee and came back to a new cabin friend.

Mr. Elephant

And that brings us to a close on St. Thomas. Loved the island. Loved the views. Loved...everything.

Next up, St. Maarten/St. Martin, but that's another post.

Until next time,
Bisous!

Happy New Year!

Hi everyone!

Happy New Year! Sorry I've been MIA for a bit. It's been a little...busy at our place.

The second week of December, I went to FL, leaving Mr K at home cause he still had to work, to see my Mom, Grandma and Grandpa, and one Uncle. Uncle D and Aunt S and C we'll be seeing you the next time! It was kind of a whirlwind visit.

Doesn't she look great folks! She's a stroke survivor and I love her so much!

See the family resemblance?

Gave him a zerbet when we met up. He was so happy. 

This was before being taken on the best time of my life: a cruise to the Caribbean!
This is all thanks to Grandma and her great generosity that I will never be able to repay. I hadn't seen my mom in over a year, so it was a lot of fun catching up with her too.

Getting ready to board the Freedom of the Seas!

Don't worry, I'll be posting pictures of our travels soon! I just wanted to give an update. We went to St. Thomas and St. Maarten/ St. Martin. Fantastic!
Anyway, like I said, I'll have to post pics on a separate blog post

I got home from FL the 22nd, late due to our plane having to come to Denver from San Francisco, with lots of snow. Thankfully Mr K picked me up at the airport.

Blurry, yes. But snowy, oh yes. They didn't have any roads plowed and Rosa forgot to wear the right tires...

Main Street where we live. Deserted...

But, I love snow. Our home looked so cute.

Again, blurry, sorry. Mr. K was not happy that I opened the window to take the shot.

We had two nights home then we were off again on the 24th to Los Angeles to see the K family for Christmas.

At ABQ airport they had a gingerbread house exhibit. This was my favorite. The true meaning of "hangry."

Wonderful time once we got there. Went from 26 degrees F to 80 degrees F in a single day.
It was glorious.

Got to hold a baby, a second cousin, I think is her title. She's maybe 5 months old. And was wearing the cutest dress, EVER!

I love holding babies. Don't know if you all knew that.

And I'll never say no...
Well...
Maybe not if they have a full diaper and are ready to spew...I won't be so keen on holding the kiddo.

But any other time...yep!

Our copycat picture. My brother-in-law and his wife are the originals. 

 And then we came home. Well...sort of.

We ended up back in ABQ to go see about another addition to the family. An adoption...

From the Humane Society.

Meet Mochi, our hairy baby!

Her original name was X-ray. We thought about keeping it, but she liked Mochi better.

We couldn't take her home on New Year's Eve, like we thought. She still had to have her surgery before she could be let go from the shelter. It was a sad day for all of us.

But, today, we got to go get her and take her home!
Yay!
Thus begins the start of a new adventure in puppydom. And the loss of things to puppy teeth.
I'm already making sure my books and cords to computers and such are up, up and away.

But as I sit here and type up my blog, she sleeps. With her chew toy under her ear.
I love this pup.
She and I will be good friends, I feel.

Very good friends.

Signing off. Until next time!
Bisous