Christmas In July Family Party

Christmas in July(ish) Family Party Photo

August 3, 2024

My place

By the time this photo was taken, five people had already left.  Six people cancelled at the last moment due to covid and seven people were not able to make it to the party.

 

Kamala

Kamala

I'm Speaking

I'm voting for her for a number of reason.  But in my male dominated career, I often found myself having to talk over men who were interrupting me.

 

I Love This Goofy Kid

 

My New Phone

My New Phone

IPhone 15 Pro Max

September 2024

There was really nothing wrong with my old phone. It was an iPhone 12 Mini and I loved the size.  But I am taking a big trip at the end of this month and I am in a dilemma about taking my large camera.  I just don't want to carry that much equipment anymore. But I really wanted the opportunity to use my zoom lens. So I looked at a special lens fro my iPhone and that was going to cost me a couple of hundred dollars.  Then I looked to upgrade and with the trade in of my phone, I was able to get this new phone for only $13/month foe two years.  I just couldnt pass it up.

And look at how damn great the zoom lens is. I am so excited.

 

2024-Road Trip #9- Maplewood, NJ- August

 2024-Road Trip #9- Maplewood, NJ

August 31- September 1

• I went to see Heather in her new home in Maplewood, NJ.  They left Philly in early summer and I miss them terribly.
• Peter and Elliot gave me a tour of the house and they were so excited to show me their playroom and sunroom and bedroom.
• The boys put on dreadful plays for us.  I remember subjecting my parents' friends to these moments. So I just sat and watched as they performed nonsensical skits.
• We packed up the car and drove an hour to a brewery in NY, Drowned Land Brewery.  The beers were delicious and the boys could run all over the wide lawn as we enjoyed pizzas, beers and pretzel,
• We went to an 8:15 PM drive in movie to see Despicable Me.  The kids loved it.  I loved their giggling.
• In the morning, I had a nose bleed which was annoying.
• We went to a vegan bakery for a pastry and a coffee (with oat milk).
• We spent about an hour at a nearby park where Peter picked up a few friends and Elliot tried to entertain himself.
• At one point, I asked Peter if he knew his friend's name which he didn't so I suggested that he ask this kid what was his name. Peter walked over the the kid and told him that "Bridget, Mom and Dad want to know your name."  He then pointed to us and told the kid, "They are really nice." I wanted to kiss him.
• We went back to the house and I was just about to leave when I got yet another nose bleed.  Heather sat with me in the back yard as I tried to get this thing under control. But it was a body mess.
• I got out of town just as soon as my nose stopped bleeding.

Greenland and iceland

Iceland and Greenland

Sept 17- Oct 4, 2023

Sept  17- SU- PA

So I am finally off. After a year of anticipation, I am finally on my way to Iceland and Greenland. i cant wait.

Sept 18- M- Iceland

I got in around 8 AM and got through immigration with no effort. I found the city bus to my hotel with no effort and I was at the hotel around 10:30. A big effort was made to get me in my room within the hour and I slept the rest of the day.

I wandered down to the bar in the lounge and had a delicious seafood chowder and a great beer.

I almost burnt down the hotel with my lack of understanding that an electronic adapter is not the same as an electronic convertor. So, after a very loud popping sound and the loss of all electricity in my room and a terrible smell of burning rubber, I went to the front desk and had to confess my sin. The fuse was reset. The smell permeated all night long, even with the window a but ajar. And I made plans to go find a converter tomorrow.

Sept 19- TU- Iceland

It was windy and cold and hard to walk as the wind pushed me to walk faster than I wanted. I was scurrying.

In the afternoon, I went looking for a particular brewery, found it and discovered that it was closed even though the website said it was open for business. So I called their phone number and got a woman on the line who assured me that they were open When I told her where I was, she agreed that this place wants open but there other taproom was. But I had lost interest in finding this place.

Then, I stumbled across the Bryggjan Brewery which was right by my hotel and open so I went in for a flight of an IPA, a pale ale and a white ale. I liked them all. And now I can add Iceland as a country where I have visited a brewery.

My fish lunch was delicious. I had a white fish kabob. Im not sure what kind of fish it was but it was light and tasty. I also had a lobster bisque and it was not worth eating. But truthfully, I have never had a good lobster soup anywhere.

My hotel had a sweet little restaurant and so I went there and had a delicious fish stew dinner and a great local IPA.

It was a good day and I am tired.

Sept 20- W- Iceland

I had a dreadful night of sleep. And I thought for sure I would just fall asleep because of my very active day of walking. But I tossed and turned and suffered from a hot room and a narrow bed. I finally got up and took a sleep aid around 5AM. And that was a mistake. I still struggled to fall asleep and then struggled to get up at a reasonable time to meet the Expedition team in the lobby.

I have no energy, a slight sore throat and drozieness. I don't feel like doing anything and I had a fun day planned of a new seafood place and two breweries. But I think I am going to hang low, drink plenty of liquids and placate this minor sore throat.

I had a lousy dinner. I was so damn full that I felt sick. And now I am nausea again. I will be so angry if I am sick the whole time I am on the trip.

Sept 21- TH- Iceland

 

I had another dreadful night of no sleep.  I didn’t take a sleeping pill last night because I had to be up early this morning. For one thing, I wanted to go to breakfast as it was free to me today and it usually costs $26.  But I didn’t make it there.  And then I had to drop my luggage off to the Quark clerk by 10:30 and I had to check out of my hotel.  But we were not reconvening to go on the ship until 4:30 so that left me with hours to fill. And I had no energy.  So, I checked out, found a spot in the hotel lounge, and curled up on a couch and fell asleep until 2:30.  If I had not been awakened by my own snoring, I would have slept soundly at this time. I had just enough energy to wander off and find lunch.  But I really couldn’t eat so I took most of my cake and sandwich with me as I headed to the ship.

 

Getting on the ship was easy and without incident.  My sweet little room is perfect. It’s right at the bottom of the main deck.  My porthole is a gift of a lifetime.  Now, I do not have to wake up in the dark.

 

There only seem to be about 60 people on the voyage.  It appears as if there are plenty of empty cabins which is why it was so easy for my scheduling mistake to be rectified so quickly. And it appears as if there are 100 crew and staff members here to make this trip great.  We have a bird expert, a photographer, a glacier ice expert, a biologist, a geologist, a native from Greenland, a man to translate the Mandarin for the Chinese, kayak guides, a medical doctor, 

 

I had dinner with the ship’s Bird Expert. He’s from Africa and described the beauty of Rwanda and the ecological progress it has made since its horrific genocide in the 1990’s.  We talked about the silverback gorillas, and he was so positive about this adventure that I am going to book a trip as soon as I get home.

 

Sometime in the night, we received an announcement that there were some visible, fainted Northern lights.  I was too tired to get up for faint lights, but I will be filled with regret if this is the best we get on this trip.

 

Sept 22- F- Iceland

 

OMG, I couldn’t sleep again last night.  I am afraid to take a sleeping pill because I felt so sick, and I was afraid I would be too sleepy to get up to vomit if I had to do so. So, instead, I tossed and turned and took a nausea pill and hoped for the best.

 

Motion sickness has struck the boat.  Many, many of us are throwing up everywhere.  Some of us find it to be shameful so we discretely slip over to a doorway or a corner for a bit of privacy.  But some people are just comfortable sitting in their chair amongst all of us, with their faces deep in the vomit bag, throwing up breakfast. A few people had to led out of the lounge by the staff. They looked ragged. It’s a rough day on the ship.

 

Amy is our group leader.  She looks too young to be our leader. She is enthusiastic and knowledgeable. And the rest of the crew look like great fun as well.

 

We had a mandatory briefing about our trip and what to expect:

• ·    We are not encouraged to touch any dead animals, especially the dogs as they may have rabies.
• ·    There is no expectation of encountering polar bears, but our guides will all carry rifles in the event we do encounter a bear.  And we were assured that all the guides have been thoroughly trained to carry and kill if necessary.
• ·    We were to use a sailor’s grip as we got off and on the zodiacs.
• ·     We must keep a hand on the rails of the boat at all times.
• ·     Every landing will be a wet landing.  Be prepared to get wet.

 

We had two off boat trips today.  But my vomiting left me so drained that I didn’t join the others. I laid in bed and felt sorry for myself. I was worn out and achy and depleted.

 

 

Sept 23- SA- At Sea

 

I seem to have the motion sickness at bay, but the swells are so intense that walking around the ship is a treacherous challenge.  This moment reminded me of the time I erupted my eardrums as a teenager and that threw off my complete balance.  That’s how I felt today.  I thought for sure I was going to fall and really hurt myself.

 

We had a few lectures through the day and when it was announced that people could watch the lectures from their cabin, it appeared as its attendance in the lounge dropped significantly. Most of us were hunkered down and laying low from the claws of the rough seas.

 

I’ve met a few kooks on the ship.  

 

There is a woman from New Zealand, and she wants to talk to Americans about the political divide in our country   One gentleman suggested we not get started as it is only Day One of the voyage.  That response seemed to surprise her.  But when the South African man at the table asked us not to talk about politics, that seemed to quiet her for the moment.

 

Then one woman, DeDe, asked if she could sit near me even though there were 100 other open seats.  She is a retired educator and decided after a few minutes that I should run for president because she need women in office.  She high fived me every time I said something she seemed to like.  She wanted to know if I was a reader.  She told me that she just loves to read and then asked me to identify my favorite genre and authors and then tell her about the last two books I just read. She asked if I had ever been to Antarctica. She hadn’t been and wanted my opinion as to whether she should go there or not.  He husband joined us, and he suggested I write a book about my trips to Greenland and Antarctica.  I was happy to say goodnight to them.

 

Sept 24- SU- Greenland

 

Early in the morning, the ship left the sea and entered the channel and settled itself and the seas were no longer so rough.  We were finally on calmer water, and it felt reassuring to know that I could now roam the boat without fear of falling all over the place. And the sun was gleaming through every window and the heat of the sun felt great.

 

I had another terrible night of restlessness. I can’t believe that I can nap in the afternoon and fall asleep quickly and deeply and then struggle to get up but the minute I lay down for the night, I am painfully wide away. I have to start taking my sleeping pills.

 

We had a morning excursion.  I suited up and I think all my clothing added another 25 pounds of weight on me.  I moved like the Pillsbury dough boy. 

 

Getting off and on the zodiac was relatively easy.  But I think I have much more movement than I did in 2007, the last time I had to do this.  I’ve lost some weight, about 30 pounds, and breast weight and that seemed to make it easier on me. I was stunned at how difficult it was for me to walk today.  I think all this extra weight of the clothing wore me down and it reminded me of all that weight that I carried with me for all those years.

 

When we land on shore, we are broken in to 4 groups:  the challengers who want to travel fast and far, the medium fast people, the medium people and then the leisurely walkers.  I chose the last group.  And once we were all together, we broke in to two groups that even separated the two of us.  There were 7 of us in our Geritol group and we were pathetically slow. It was a sad statement of our laziness. But in my defense, I do not like to hike and there isn’t much more to do but to hike when you are in Greenland.

 

DeDe was in my group, and she introduced herself to me again.  I told her that we had met last night.  She didn’t remember.  But then she asked me if I had ever been to Antarctica.  I told her yes and must have made a face because she asked, “did we discuss this last night?”

 

I didn’t go on the afternoon trip because I was too tired and now, I am mad at myself.  I have got to get through this sleeplessness. It’s interfering with my energy and decisions.

 

Our afternoon recap session was so informative.  The photographer gave us a great tip about how to use live photos.  The geologist showed us the history behind the rock formation we saw today, and the biologist pointed out all the things I didn’t notice this morning.

 

I finally had a beer for dinner.  I’m off the nausea medicine and the sea swells are down so I broke out and ended my beer fast.  But the beer I wanted in not on the list of beers for free.  I got a Norwegian IPA and I had to buy 3 beers for $20.  My waiter felt so bad about this situation and asked me to consider a European lager instead.  I didn’t and my beer was delicious.

 

I’m sitting in one of the lounges and DeDe and her husband just walked by. She wanted to know how fast the internet was.  When I told her that I wasn’t on the internet, she asked if I was writing a book.  She is becoming a pest.

 

As I was heading to my cabin for the evening, someone shouted to us that there were some northern lights on the port side of the boat.  I went out to see them.  They weren’t great but now I can leave Greenland knowing I saw the lights at least once.

 

Sept 25- M- Greenland

 

It was two years ago today that Deirdre and Kevin got married. So, in two years, they married, bought a great house, and now have an adorable one year old boy.  It’s been a busy two years for them.

 

And on a positive note, I slept very well last night.  I just couldn’t believe it.  I went to bed at 11ish and the next thing I knew, the expedition leader was giving us our wake-up call.

 

I had two reoccurring school dreams.  In one of them, the new cafeteria staff was giving out beers for lunch as a morale booster for the teachers and I had to try to get her to see why it is not a good idea to distribute beers while high school kids were around. 

 

I got up for breakfast, determined to make both on shore trips today since I felt so damn great.  But then I talked myself out of the morning trip.  It was another hike on what looked like the same terrain.  I stayed behind and checked out the hot tubs. They were warm but not warm enough for my enjoyment. I like it hot. I was the first of all the guest to use the hot tub.  That’s a silly, small victory for me.

 

At lunch, two of the top guides joined me and wanted to know how I enjoyed the morning hike. I hated to tell them the truth as I was concerned, they would be disappointed in my laziness.  I didn’t have the heart to tell them that I hate to hike.

 

I was standing outside the dining room, reading the menu on the wall. DeDe walked by and asked, “what are you reading?” When I told her that it was the menu, she made her way in front of me and began reading as well. I can’t seem to get away from this woman.  I can’t remember if she remembers me.  I think she realizes she has had a conversation with me, but she may not remember what we discussed.  If she asks about Antarctica again, I think I will tell her that I’ve never been there before.

 

In the afternoon, I forfeited my kayaking excursion because I just thought I wouldn’t have the stamina needed to keep up with the group.  And I think I made the right decision as they were out there for over two hours, and it was 35F. I would have been exhausted and miserable and sore.  So instead, I went back to the hot tubs and found someone to turn on the jets. The water was still too low for me.  I think it was around 92F and I like it over 100F.  But I got in and had a soak and I think I am the first in the voyage to use the tubs.

 

It been five days without access to the news, the internet, social media, text messaging and other ways to stay connected to the world.  I feel isolated. To make matters worse, I deleted all 300 podcast episodes from my phone.  I didn’t download any movies or music in advance. I didn’t download any mindless video games. I didn’t bring any books or magazines. I did download two books from the library, and I thought they would suffice.  But the books are not interesting and so I am left with nothing to entertain me.

 

Sept 26- TU- Greenland

 

After a long journey south throughout the night, we arrived at the beach for our morning excursion. We were 200 nautical miles from yesterday’s destination. As the crew was scanning our landing site, they spotted a polar bear wandering round on the shore. His presence was greatly accepted by all of us.  But that meant we could not go on shore because of the potential danger he posed.  So, we anchored in place for two hours and stood on the port side decks and monitored his every move. He started walking away and then he would turn around and come back and finally, he just plopped down on a rock for a mid-morning rest.

 

So, our only excursion for the day was forfeited but I didn’t think anyone really minded. It was fun to see this magnificent mammal.  To compensated for the lost opportunity, Marla got up and gave a spontaneous one-hour presentation on the life of a polar bear.  And she had several photos of the bear on the beach. The staff photographer was able to grab some great photos of the bear.

 

Then the captain opened up the bridge and offered tours to everyone who was interested. I wasn’t interested.

 

It was colder today, and it snowed a little.  It really felt like winter, so I was OK with missing the excursion. As a matter of fact, I was a bit relieved.

 

In the afternoon, the glacier expert gave a presentation on sea ice that was admirable.  She spoke for an hour and never stammered or stumbled on any of her thoughts.  The topic was complex, and her graphics were clear.  And I had trouble staying up with the complexities of the situation.  I did understand the bottom line.  We are fucked if we don’t address the disappearance of sea ice.  We are already killing off the emperor penguins and are killing the food sources under the ice.  We are running out of time to recover.

 

I have been outside my cabin, in the lounge for much of the afternoon.  This is to allow Nate, my cabin assistant, to clean my cabin.  I am driving him crazy because I haven’t let him in yet. He’s going to change the sheets and that will be a nice treat.

 

We had afternoon tea and I am being silly about the stupid candy they put out with the sandwiches. Today they had Twix’s and I am a sucker for this damn candy. I hate that I get sucked in to eating this garbage.

 

After dinner, a young woman gave a talk on her time as a volunteer with Doctors Without Borders. Her team stayed in international waters and rescued refugees from Libya.  Her stories were overwhelmingly sad and left me feeling helpless and wondering what is wrong with society that we would be so passive about so many people in this world who are fleeing from their countries.  I have no clue what it must be like to be in so much danger that I would risk everything and get in a small boat and set out to sea in hopes of being rescued.

 

Sept 27- W- Greenland

 

We started the day with a visit to a remote village.  All of the houses are painted to denote their roles in the community.  The blue houses are the police.  The red houses are the store owners and residences. The green houses are involved in agriculture. And it seemed as if all of the residents were warned that we were coming because they seemed to be in hiding from us.

 

There was a neighborhood food store, but we were asked not to buy anything as supplies were limited and anything we purchased took away from the opportunities to buy things that they may need. A supply plane comes in so infrequently that supplies were limited for the locals.

 

There are no streets, so people get around on ATV and they roam the area with an unnecessary speed.  Where are they going in this community of so few people and so few places to visit.

 

There were very few people in the village. I wonder if they were told to hide while we were there.  Other than the three craft people, they were not to be found.

 

After lunch, we made it to our afternoon stop but the currents were too rough to stop there.  So, we moved on and around 5 PM, Amy announced that we were going to change plans and have a zodiac cruise around the glaciers.  I was so damn excited as this is what I was waiting for.  So, I bundled up and made my way to the gangway.  The swells were so rough that our launch platform was under water and caked with ice.  The swells proved to be a challenge as well.  But I go on the zodiac without incident and sat down and enjoyed the beauty of the glacier.  At one point, it calved, and we watched as this avalanche ran down two areas of the glacier.

 

We didn’t get back to the ship and off to dinner until almost 8 PM.  We were tired and cold and hungry.

 

We had a quick debriefing after dinner. Ria, the young woman from Greenland, gave a bar talk.  And most of us went to bed.

 

At some point, there was an announcement about some northern lights.  I got up from bed, got dressed and made it to the decks but I didn’t see any lights.

 

Sept 28- TH- Greenland

31F

 

Damn, damn, damn, I didn’t take a sleeping pill because I only have 4 more pills until I get home.  So, I tossed and turned all damn night.  And then Amy was on the PA to tell us that it was 730 and time for breakfast.

 

The shipboard newspaper indicated that Trump was found to be guilty of tax fraud and may no longer do business in the state of NY.  What a fucking disgrace.

 

I didn’t go on the morning excursion.  It was another hike and that doesn’t hold my interest. So, I slept and watch David Attenborough on the TV. As people came back from the excursion, I beat up on myself for throwing away an opportunity to explore Greenland.  When I was in Antarctica, I couldn’t believe that there were people who chose not to get off the ship.  I rarely missed that opportunity to get on land and hang with the penguins.  But I don’t feel that need here. The hiking opportunities just don’t hold me interest.  I think I will step up my walking level tomorrow to see if that helps my interest.

 

We had an afternoon zodiac tour, but I didn’t go on that either because it was so damn cold and the trip was going to be over 2 hours.  That was too long for me. I wanted to go out for only an hour.  That would have been plenty for me.

 

I spent the time on the decks, taking photo after photo of the icebergs.  Now I am going to have to spend the evening, deleting the multiple duplicates.

 

There is going to be a polar plunge sometime during the voyage, so people were asked to volunteer.  The Argentinians and the Aussies signed up.  So now we have 8 people.  I am not one of them.

 

We had a barbecue on the aft deck.  It was fun.  The air wasn’t too cold.  The sun was setting and the there was a beautiful red sky.  The food was good, and everyone seemed to enjoy the challenge of eating outside on this chilly night.  I sat with a group of Australians, and they talked of things that were of no interest or unfamiliar to me. But they were good company.

 

 

Sept 29- F- Greenland

 

We had a zodiac tour this afternoon.  I came prepared to keep warm.  I grabbed a blanket and a towel from my room to wrap around me.  But I didn’t need it.  Our guide took us to beautiful icebergs.  A few of the icebergs had tunnels through them.  But much to my chagrin, we didn’t go through them. Apparently it was way too dangerous.

 

Then he took us to a particular iceberg with an intense blue streak through it and we all tried to take a time lapse photo of it.  He zipped around the iceberg quickly, three times.  I lost my balance around the second time through, and my finger is showing up in the corner.  But I think I know how to take a time lapse photo now.

 

When I got back to my cabin, I could get one boot off, but the other boot just wouldn’t come the fuck off.  I had to limb out into the hallway and wait for some unsuspecting person to come by and help me.  An old woman came by.  She offered to help, and we struggled like hell to get that damn boot off.  I was so afraid that she was pulling so hard that she was going to lose her balance and seriously hurt herself.

 

We had a briefing before dinner. Rai, the young woman from Greenland, gave a talk on Greenlandic dogs.  She ended her speech with a statement that these dogs, after 10 years, are retired and/or eaten.  “I am sorry, but it’s the truth.”

 

DeDe was standing with the bartender, asking him what kinds of books he likes to read.

 

The Polar Bear Plunge was a huge success.  I think 17 kooks jumped in at some point. I took three videos for the first three plungers.  Thereafter, I had to go inside because it was too damn cold to stand out there. They all got a free tee shirt for their participation.  There is no prize anyone could give me that would be enough reward for doing that stupid plunge.

 

After dinner, we had a bar talk. Becs told the story of her daughter’s diagnosis with Spina Bifida.  She had major surgery while the fetus was still in the womb. This procedure was to reduce so many of the potential liabilities she would have if she went to full term with this dreadful disability.  She survived and now had autism, seizers, no bowel or bladder control, some motor skills problems, and multiple surgeries.  What a heartbreaking story. I see Becs differently now.  What courage on her part to handle all of this without a partner.

 

I have done something with my gum.  Its inflamed.  I think I have been grinding my teeth too much and now a cap is digging into my gums and causing bleeding.  When I brushed my teeth, I slit put a lot of blood.

 

Sept 30- SA- Greenland

34F

 

I didn’t go on the morning excursion because there was a chance that we would be going on an afternoon trip.  And the boots were only going on my feet once today.

 

I read the daily shipboard paper and learned that Diane Feinstein died.  What a shame that she stayed too long and went out with a cloud of disgrace.  Her dementia was an embarrassment to her and all who supported her.

 

In the afternoon, we had a ship excursion through the ice.  So, we didn’t go on the zodiacs. It was as if we were in an ice city with icebergs the size of buildings.  At one point, I took a photo of a string of icebergs off in the distance, and it looks like the NYC skyline.

 

Every iceberg looks like a sculpture and the blue ice strips that ran through them just added to their beauty.  I would take too many photos, go to my room to view them, delete many of them and then come back out to take more photos. I know I am going to struggle with which ones to delete later on because I do not need 300 iceberg photos.

 

At one point, we were all invited to the back deck to a cup of hot chocolate and the liquor of your choice.  I had Kailua and it was delicious. But it wasn’t enough to keep me outside for long as it quickly got cold.

 

As usual, we had a great briefing right before dinner.  Marla showed us her favorite 20 books in the library.  I found one or two that I would like to take home with me. Someone explained the physics of northern lights and it was over my head.  The historian told us of a Scotsman who explored Greenland and I never heard of him.  And Amy gave us an idea of what the next few days will be like.  Tomorrow morning is our last excursion and then we head back to Iceland. So, we will have 1 ½ days at sea before we disembark in Iceland on Oct 3. And we were warned that we may encounter some rough seas on the way back so we should start our motion sickness medicine as a precaution.

 

I went to see the doctor tonight about my swollen gums.  Because I am on Prolia, he wanted to start me on an antibiotic right away.  And I think that’s a good idea.

 

After dinner, we had a trivia event in the lounge, and it was well received. I think most of the ship guests showed up.  I didn’t play but it was fun to hang with everyone. Meg was the MC and I think she was drunk.  At one point, teams won points just for bringing her a beer.

 Oct 1- SU - Leaving Greenland 

Our last expedition was a zodiac tour. Amy warned us that it is going to be cold so we should dress in layers.  Another expedition leader also got on the PA and suggested we layer up.  So, I stopped getting dressed and put my boots away. My trip was over. I didn’t need to see any more ice.

 

In the afternoon, Yvonne gave another talk on the ice sheet situation. It was over my head, but it is abundantly clear that we are in trouble as all this ice continues to melt away.  The melted ice is raising our sea levels and saturating our atmosphere.  So, our tropical storms are only going to be more intense.

 

After dinner, there was a bar talk about being a young, female pilot in Texas.

 

Around midnight, we hit the sea as the ship took one hit after other from ice blocks.  The port holes were closed for the rest of the trip.

 

I was awaken several times throughout the night from the bumps and knocks of the waves and ice knocking against the ship. It was intense. 

 

Oct 2-M- At Sea

 

We had a rocky day at sea.  Most of us hung in our cabins and tried to avoid vomiting. Walking in the hallways was tough.  I skipped breakfast.  For lunch, I made it to the dining hall but quickly grabbed a piece of chicken and went right back to my cabin.  By the time it was evening, we seemed to be out of the roughest seas, and I could sit and enjoy my meal.

Emergency meeting to tell us that we will be arriving hours off schedule.

 

At one point the waves were so high, it looked as if we could have gone surfing along side of the boat.  It was rough out there.

 

The Captain’s Farewell Reception was held right before dinner.  The expedition team showed up in various types of scarves and ties of the tartan plaid designed to show the polar seas.  They looked nice.

 

After dinner, the resident photographer showed us his photo slide show of our journey. I didn’t see the hare, the musk ox running, the Arctic fox or the piles of ox hair found on bushes along the way.  But I saw enough.  I saw a vast, cold, Arctic land that would be better off without us, homo sapiens.  We are destroying this corner of the world and that will have a devastating effect on the rest of the world. And it appears as if we are running out of time to fix this damage and the results will be irreversible.

 

I was able to secure a copy of the journey's photo slide show today so now I can show it to people when I return home. I just know everyone wants to see this 17 minute video.

 

Once the photo show was over, we all slithered down to our cabins and took cover, in hopes that we would soon be in the protected channel and out of these rough seas.

 

Oct 3- TU- Arriving in Iceland

 

Today was a day of hurry up and wait.

 

Our luggage had to be outside our cabins by 8 and we had to be out of our cabins by 10.  So, we all spent 3 hours in the lounge, waiting to arrive in Rejvakiv.  I sat with two women who were good company and I wish I had met them earlier in the trip.

 

Craig gave a lecture on the history of whaling.  I wonder how much more we can take from the sea. I don’t know how we haven’t depleted it yet with all of the fishing and whaling we have done for centuries.

 

DeDe is asking a few people about some of the recent books she’s read and enjoyed.

 

The crew is stressed out as they are trying to shut down the ship and yet, we still need to be feed at some point.  They quickly put together a little lite fair lunch which consisted mostly of cakes and candies and a few veggie wraps.

 

As we get closer to shore, the people with the afternoon flights are becoming more anxious.  If we get in around 1PM, there is a small likelihood that the 4PM flight people will make it.  But that seems unlikely at this moment, and I am so grateful that my flight doesn’t leave until tomorrow morning.  My only worry for the day is to secure a way to get to the airport tomorrow for 10 AM flight.

Oct 4- W- Iceland, Canada, PHL, West Chester 

Today was a day of travel.  I set my alarm for 5:30 AM to begin the day.  The param didn't go off but I really didn't sleep much at all.  And when I checked my phone, I had mistakenly put in a 5:30 PM alarm.

So I got up, made my way to the bus stop to go to the airport.  I took a flight to Toronto and then off to PHL and then got a very expensive taxi ride to West Chester and made my way to my apartment and as I dropped my things on the floor, my 5:30 PM alarm went off and I went off to bed.

 

 

The Curls

The Curls

They belong to my adorable nephew. His hair so so beautiful that my niece won't cut his hair and I agree with her.  He is beautiful and looks like an angel.  However, I want these curls when she does finally cut this hair.  I have an old printer's drawer and I will save these curls along with the other curls I have in my collection of beautiful baby curls.  I have cutting from two of my nephews who also had this great hair. And if I am lucky to have any more relatives with beautiful hair, I'll grab those curls as well.

 

My 400th Brewery

The Fat Lady Brewery

Philadelphia, PA

August 7, 2024

 As of today, I have visited 400 craft breweries around the world.  Most have been outstanding. A few have been uninteresting. Two have made such bad beer that I will never go back there again. As a matter of fact, one of these breweries was so bad that we poured our beers in to the potted plants that were near out table.

I picked this brewery for my 400th becausee I thought the name and the decor of the place had just the right character for my big moment. My sister and BIL joined me as did a college friend and a former co-worker.

This place makes very few beers so I only tried three of theirs and then I had to drink some of the guest beers. I asked the server if there was any food available.  He showed me a small bag of Cheetios and confessed that was all he had. 

We didn't stay long. And now it is on to #401.

September 2023

 September 2023

Slipping in to the Fall

But Not Without A Fight

From Me

PA, DE, NJ, Iceland, Greenland

1-F- PA

OMG, it's now officially the Fall.  Many schools are already back to school.  The days are shorter.  There is a chill in the air at night. I am wearing a light jacket today and it is 77F. 

It's gorgeous day so I drove up to Emmaus to grab a flight at the Funk Brewery (1).  It was a beautiful ride through all types of back roads which I think would be a challenge in the dark.  I grabbed a flight and I was able to buy a large can of their Pumpkin Beer to go.  So now, I am happy.

I listened to two documentaries about Catholic priests who impregnate nuns and abandon these women who are left to live a life of shame.  And then I followed up with a story about priests who have children and spend the rest of their lives denying their part in these children's lives.  The Catholic church has to dump these damn priests.  They can be despicable.

2- SA- PA

Joann invited Lauren, Mike and me over for dinner and the meal was delicious.  So I begged to take some home with me. I can't wait to eat this dinner again.

Penn State won the football game today.  It's the first game of the season. Let this be an omen for an exciting season.

I listened to a documentary about the Magdelene laundries in Ireland.  The Catholic Church really knows how to fuck up the well being of so many people.

3- SU- PA

Today was a nice day.  I just hung here and did very little but everything was satisfying.

I earned a $10 gift certificate from my Microsoft Rewards.  I think I am now up to $140 earned in a little more than a year.

I got up too late because I got sucked in to a podcast about Hurricane Katrina and all of it's royal fuck ups.  I listened to three episode and had to force myself to get out of bed.

Sharon called and we chatted for awhile. I think we may go on September 10 to a reading of the book at her friend's winery.

Sally wanted me to come to her friend's house and drink beer all afternoon.  But I didn't want to go as I didnt want to be in the heat and sun all day.  And I didn't want to over drink which is very easy to do when you are hanging with people who are drinking in the pool. So I passed on that offer.

The day was beautiful in spite of it being 91F.  It didn't feel that hot.  And I spent much of my afternoon, just sitting on my balcony, day dreaming, scrolling on my phone and listening in on people's conversations at the grill. 

The pool was crowded all day.  Usually by 3:30, the place is empty and I go there and have the pool to myself.  But people hung around way too late for me.  So, at 5PM, I suited up and made my way down there. And the water was lovely.  I was afraid that it would be too cold for me.  But it wasn't once I completely submerged myself. I floated around and loved it.

I came back to my apartment, grabbed my meal from Joann and sat on my balcony when I noticed what I thought might be a bat. but it turned out to be a hummingbird.  I was so damn excited that I wanted to tell someone.  But I didn't. That is a first for me here at CS.

I've ordered trekking poles for my trip to Greenland.  I know I have a set somewhere in my apartment.  But I can't find it and I wanted to get a pair ASAP so that I can try them out before I go.

Two weeks to my Greenland trip.  Can't wait.

4- M- PA

It's official.  It's Labor Day and the summer is over. I did make it to the pool and the water was refreshing and life was good. The pool is open for another week so I have to make it a point to get there a few more times.

I stayed up too late last night and I heard lots of helicopters in the sky for a long period of time. A murderer escaped from the local jail and he has been sighted four times. The police were looking for him in the nearby woods.

My trekking poles came in and they don't work so I have to send them back and I have to find new poles.  Or I have to find the poles that are lost somewhere in my apartment.

Speaking of apartments, a couple here was watching their daughter's dog and the dog accidentally jumped out of the 4th floor window. He landed on the pavement on Chestnut Street and didn't die right away. That's a sad, creepy story.

Pete's son and DIL came over to swim and they had a picnic dinner in the courtyard.  I joined them.  It was nice to hang out with them.

5-TU-PA

Today was a fun day.

I took a sleeping pill and slept soundly until 11AM which is always a great thing.

I returned my broken hiking poles to Amazon and went to Sierra to see if they had any pole which they didn't.  But I came home with shit I didn't need.

The pool is still open and it was 91F so that was welcomed relief to hang in there in the early evening. It was chilly to step in to the water but once it, it felt great and then after a while, it felt so cold.

And then, Pete, Kevin, Barbara, Sharon and I hung in the lounge and drank beers. I drank too many beers but that's OK.  I'm not driving anywhere tonight. 

Kevin has told Pete that he is not allowed to talk politics, religion and medical conditions when we get together. That's a tough order fro Pete as he doesn't hear himself talk sometimes.  But we were pretty good of staying off these topic tonight.

Barbara went to Camden Catholic High school which is were my cousins also went to school.  So I found a photo of my cousin, Denise, in Barbara's 1973 yearbook and sent it to her.  I really need to check in with her and go for a visit.

On to a different topic: it is day 6 that the escaped murderer is still loose and the loser is still in the area and has been sighted twice on people's videos. Two schools and Longwood Gardens remain closed as he is roaming around these areas.

And, on another topic, the leader of the Proud Boys got 22 years in jail today for his role in the January 6 insurrection.  Now, if only, Trump could get 22 years for his role in trying to overthrow an election.

6- W- PA

It was another hot day with temperatures over 90F in the afternoon.  I think this is the third day in a row that it's been this hot. And we have a few more days of this heat in the forecast.

I held my annual retire faculty meeting this afternoon at the Iron Hill Brewery (2) in Media.  Eight of us showed up.  Sue never made it because her grandson was sick. It was nice to see those guys.

I went to REI and got some great walking sticks.  But they did cost a very painful $140.  I better not lose them on this trip. But I think they will be perfect for what I need.

In the evening, I went to the pool and the water was just perfect.  I hung there for about an hour.  Pete was there so we chatted each other up for awhile. And several helicopters flew around our area, in search of the prisoner who escaped from jail about a week ago.

7- TH- PA

It was another swimming day.  The temperature is still above 90F and the water is a pleasant temperature at the moment.  I went in the mid afternoon which is unusual for me as I like to go after the sun is not so intense.  But I usher tonight so I had to go a little earlier than usual.

I ushered for the play, Tommy and Me and I loved, loved, loved it.

After the play, I came home and headed to the lounge and ended up hanging in the lounge with Kim and Pete.

8- F- PA/DE

John is 41 today.  How did he get to be so damn old.  That's middle age.  Most of my nieces and nephews are middle age now.  Damn.  That makes me old.

I had to set the alarm today so that I could meet Jaye for an 11:30 AM movie.  We went to see Golda, the story of Gold Mier's leadership during the 1978 war with Egypt. it seemed tome that the director purposely portrayed how ugly Golda was.  He showed her fat legs too many times.  He zoomed out of her wrinkled face on a regular occasion.  He showed her as a terrible chain smoker. He emphasized her grey hair.  And yet, he portrayed Henry Kissinger as a handsome man. 

We had lunch at Panera's and we had difficult moment- black man issue

The manhunt is still on for the escaped prisoner.  Apparently, there was a sighting of him yet again yesterday.  He is the dumbest, slippery convict in the world.

The pool called to me again this afternoon so I cited up and I had the whole pool to myself.  The last couple of days, kids have been playing while I was there. And they have been madly disrupted.  So it was nice to float without them.

In the evening, I was hanging in the lounge and the fire alarm went off.

Twitter: I wonder how many years it will be before trump isn’t relevant to anyone. I am so sick of him. #LockHimUp

9- SA- PA

It's Sharon's bday.  She's 67. Damn, that make me old.

I had a very rough night.  After I came home from the bar, I felt sick and I threw up 4 times throughout the night. I felt like shit. I couldn't sleep but I was afraid to take a sleeping aid for fear that I would not be able to get up if I had to vomit again.  So, every so often, I got up, vomited, panicked and went back to bed.  In the morning, my bathroom was a vomit mess.

I was so mad at myself for drinking to the point of getting ill.  I decided that I am not going to drink anything while I am on the boat next week in Greenland.  I can not afford to be this sloppy in such a potentially dangerous situation.  I am so damn disappointed in me.

Tricia and I were supposed to go to a 2PM movie but I just was not feeling well enough to go. Tricia suggested we go later in the day or postpone until next week.  So we decided to go to the 8PM show.  I rested the rest of the afternoon and I was still shaky about leaving the house. But I went because I wanted to push through this dreadful situation. When I gave Tricia the lowdown of my situation, she concluded that I had food poisoning.  She asked what I ate 12 hours prior to the onset of my vomiting.  I had been at Panera's and had a chicken sandwich the that is a likely culprit of my sudden illness.  For some reason, this idea came as a relief to me.  It wasnt my drinking and now I could go on living.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding, III was terrible and that is being kind.  I thought the movie was never going to end.  

10- SU- PA

The media informed us that the escapee stole a van and was hanging in Phoenixville last night. So were Tricia and I. Some asshole left his keys in a van and the escapee found them and got away.  What an idiot.  Ten days of searching and millions and millions of dollars were wasted becasue of the carelessness of one person.

Galer Winery Book Club

11- M- PA/NJ

We are meeting at Kathy's house in Avalon for a few days.  I am picking Helen up along the way and ally is meeting us there.  I think this time, fifty years ago, we all meet each tore at Brandywine College.

The clouds wandered away as we got to Avalon and the sun came out and it was a beautiful afternoon to lounge in the pool.   And that is just what we did.  The water was 85F and so was the air.  I picked up a 12 pack of beer and Sally and I had a few beers and Kathy made a delicious dinner and it was pleasant to be here.

12- TU- NJ

We had another sunny day and I spent most of it in the pool.  Sally left after lunch and I was sorry to see her go as she will hang in the pool with me. For some reason, Helen doesn't like to be wet. And Kathy was busy trying to organize care for her old mother.  So I floated mostly by myself.

We learned this morning that the escapee went in to someone's open garage and stole a rifle.  Now he is considered armed and dangerous. I cant believe that anyone left their garage open in the midst of this manhunt and tp make matters worse, left a loaded, unsecured gun right  out there in full view.

13- W- NJ/PA

I woke up to a wild thunder and lightening storm.  I wanted to get up end hang on the balcony, overlooking the bay but I couldn't get myself up. So I just laid there in admiration of the magnitude of the storm.

The escapee was captured this morning. That was a relief. He fought to escape again to the last minute.  At one point, before they took him away, many of the cops posed with him and took a photo.  Someone questioned the professionalism of these cops.  And I say to that comment, "Fuck you.  These guys deserved this moment of celebration."

I took Helen to a friend's house in Havertown.  While we were on the Atlantic Expressway, a he bag of trash ended up right in front of me and I had no other recourse but to drive right over it.  It was frightening.  And I didn't see the bag in my rear view window so we had to pull over on the side of the highway and Helen had to pull the bag out from under my car. I was frightened.

When I got home, my new shoes for my Greenland trip arrived and I was so excited.  I am going to break them in for the next couple of days.  They have lots of reinforced rubber tips and I have decided that these shoes will save me from tripping and stubbing my toes. We'll see how effective they are.

Twitter: So the good guy with the gun couldn’t hit the escaped prisoner even after firing 7 shots. But the escapee was able to leave his property with one of his unsecured guns and then became armed and dangerous. #GunReformNow

14- TH- PA

I had a full agenda planned for today. I was going to pack, go to the bank, get my hair cut, print my agenda, clean my apartment, break in my new shoes, walk around town, complete my car registration, clean out my car, do laundry, etc.

All of that was derailed because I had a prolonged, painful bout of constipation. I am never constipated. But today I was and the episode beat me up physically and emotionally.

Last year at this time, my friend, Steve, had an obstructed bowel and ended up having surgery and spending two days in the host pail. And that is all that ran through my mind this morning. I could see my trip to Greenland slipping away from me as I used all my strength to resolve and eliminate my situation. "I don't give a shit" took on a whole new meaning for me today.

15- F- PA

I am back to my old self again. And I was able to begin my packing last night. And I watched the Eagles' game. And I got to the bank. And I located my passport. And I took a long walk with my new shoes. And I checked on the clothing drive that I am pushing here at CS for October. So I am moving on.

Kevin and Joanna wandered in to the lounge while I was there and we made plans to go to Jitters for hotdogs and Artillery Brewery (3) for a beer. It was a great night to walk through town as the temperature was crisp and there was no killer on the loose.

I walked 7600 steps today. Shame on me for not walking more steps.

16- SA- PA

I am ready to get my trip to Greenland started. I wish I could go right this minute. The anticipation is killing me.

Penn State won the football game.

Some of my neighbors hung in the courtyard well in to the night. The security guard forgot to shut down the yard at 10 and these people stayed well pass 1130 and they had such a great time that it was fun just to listen to them. They all had our stories and they seemed to really enjoy each otter's company. If I wasn't filled with so much anxiety about my trip, I may have just barged in and joined them. I am sure they wouldn't have minded.

17- SU- PA

So I am finally off. After a year of anticipation, I am finally on my way to Iceland and Greenland.

18- M- Iceland

I got in around 8 AM and got through immigration with no effort. I found the city bus to my hotel with no effort and I was at the hotel around 10:30. A big effort was made to get me in my room within the hour and I slept the rest of the day.

I wandered down to the bar in the lounge and had a delicious seafood chowder.

I almost burnt down the hotel with my lack of understanding that an electronic adapter is not the same as an electronic convertor. So, after a very loud popping sound and the loss of all electricity in my room and a terrible smell of burning rubber, I went to the front desk and had to confess my sin. The fuse was reset. The smell permeated all night long, even with the window a but ajar. And I made plans to go find a converter tomorrow.

19- TU- Iceland

It was windy and cold and hard to walk as the wind pushed me to walk faster than I wanted.

In the afternoon, I went looking for a particular brewery, found it and discovered that it was closed even though the website said it was open for business. So I called their phone number and got a woman on the line who assured me that they were open When I told her where I was, she agreed that this place wants open but there other taproom was. But I had lost interest in finding this place.

Then, I stumbled across the Bryggjan brewery which was right by my hotel and open so I went in for a flight of an IPA, a pale ale and a white ale. I liked them all. And now I can add Iceland as a country where I have visited a brewery.

My fish lunch was delicious. I had a white fish kabob. Im not sure what kind of fish it was but it was light and tasty. I also had a lobster bisque and it was not worth eating. But truthfully, I have never had a good lobster soup anywhere.

My hotel had a sweet little restaurant and so I went there and had a delicious fish stew dinner and a great local IPA.

It was a good day and I am tired.

10,000+ steps

20- W- Iceland

I had a dreadful night of sleep. And I thought for sure I would just fall asleep because of my very active day of walking. But I tossed and turned and suffered from a hot room and a narrow bed. I finally got up and took a sleep aid around 5AM. And that was a mistake. I still struggled to fall asleep and then struggled to get up at a reasonable time to meet the Expedition team in the lobby.

I have no energy, a slight sore throat and drozieness. I don't feel like doing anthing and I had a fun day planned of a new seafood place and two breweries. But I think I am going to hang low, drink plenty of liquids and placate this minor sore throat.

I had a lousy dinner. I was so damn full that I felt sick. And now I am nauseasagain. I will be so angry if I am sick the whole time I am on the trip.

21- TH- Iceland

 

I had another dreadful night of no sleep.  I didn’t take a sleeping pill last night because I had to be up early this morning. For one thing, I wanted to go to breakfast as it was free to me today and it usually costs $26.  But I didn’t make it there.  And then I had to drop my luggage off to the Quark clerk by 10:30 and I had to check out of my hotel.  But we were not reconvening to go on the ship until 4:30 so that left me with hours to fill. And I had no energy.  So, I checked out, found a spot in the hotel lounge, and curled up on a couch and fell asleep until 2:30.  If I had not been awakened by my own snoring, I would have slept soundly at this time. I had just enough energy to wander off and find lunch.  But I really couldn’t eat so I took most of my cake and sandwich with me as I headed to the ship.

 

Getting on the ship was easy and without incident.  My sweet little room is perfect. It’s right at the bottom of the main deck.  My porthole is a gift of a lifetime.  Now, I do not have to wake up in the dark.

 

There only seem to be about 60 people on the voyage.  It appears as if there are plenty of empty cabins which is why it was so easy for my scheduling mistake to be rectified so quickly. And it appears as if there are 100 crew and staff members here to make this trip great.  We have a bird expert, a photographer, a glacier ice expert, a biologist, a geologist, a native from Greenland, a man to translate the Mandarin for the Chinese, kayak guides, a medical doctor, 

 

I had dinner with the ship’s Bird Expert. He’s from Africa and described the beauty of Rwanda and the ecological progress it has made since its horrific genocide in the 1990’s.  We talked about the silverback gorillas, and he was so positive about this adventure that I am going to book a trip as soon as I get home.

 

Sometime in the night, we received an announcement that there were some visible, fainted Northern lights.  I was too tired to get up for faint lights, but I will be filled with regret if this is the best we get on this trip.

 

22- F- Iceland

 

OMG, I couldn’t sleep again last night.  I am afraid to take a sleeping pill because I felt so sick, and I was afraid I would be too sleepy to get up to vomit if I had to do so. So, instead, I tossed and turned and took a nausea pill and hoped for the best.

 

Motion sickness has struck the boat.  Many, many of us are throwing up everywhere.  Some of us find it to be shameful so we discretely slip over to a doorway or a corner for a bit of privacy.  But some people are just comfortable sitting in their chair amongst all of us, with their faces deep in the vomit bag, throwing up breakfast. A few people had to led out of the lounge by the staff. They looked ragged. It’s a rough day on the ship.

 

Amy is our group leader.  She looks too young to be our leader. She is enthusiastic and knowledgeable. And the rest of the crew look like great fun as well.

 

We had a mandatory briefing about our trip and what to expect:

·     We are not encouraged to touch any dead animals, especially the dogs as they may have rabies.

·      There is no expectation of encountering polar bears, but our guides will all carry rifles in the event we do encounter a bear.  And we were assured that all the guides have been thoroughly trained to carry and kill if necessary.

·      We were to use a sailor’s grip as we got off and on the zodiacs.

·      Keep a hand to the rails of the boat.

·      Every landing will be a wet landing.  Be prepared to get wet.

 

We had two off boat trips today.  But my vomiting left me so drained that I didn’t join the others. I laid in bed and felt sorry for myself. I was worn out and achy.

 

 

23- SA- At Sea

 

I seem to have the motion sickness at bay, but the swells are so intense that walking around the ship is a treacherous challenge.  This moment reminded me of the time I erupted my eardrums as a teenager and that threw off my complete balance.  That’s how I felt today.  I thought for sure I was going to fall and really hurt myself.

 

We had a few lectures through the day and when it was announced that people could watch the lectures from their cabin, it appeared as its attendance in the lounge dropped significantly. Most of us were hunkered down and laying low from the claws of the rough seas.

 

I’ve met a few kooks on the ship.  

 

There is a woman from New Zealand, and she wants to talk to Americans about the political divide in our country   One gentleman suggested we not get started as it is only Day One of the voyage.  That response seemed to surprise her.  But when the South African man at the table asked us not to talk about politics, that seemed to quiet her for the moment.

 

Then one woman, DeDe, asked if she could sit near me even though there were 100 other open seats.  She is a retired educator and decided after a few minutes that I should run for president because she need women in office.  She high fived me every time I said something she seemed to like.  She wanted to know if I was a reader.  She told me that she just loves to read and then asked me to identify my favorite genre and authors and then tell her about the last two books I just read. She asked if I had ever been to Antarctica. She hadn’t been and wanted my opinion as to whether she should go there or not.  He husband joined us, and he suggested I write a book about my trips to Greenland and Antarctica.  I was happy to say goodnight to them.

 

24- SU- Greenland

 

Early in the morning, the ship left the sea and entered the channel and settled itself and the seas were no longer so rough.  We were finally on calmer water, and it felt reassuring to know that I could now roam the boat without fear of falling all over the place. And the sun was gleaming through every window and the heat of the sun felt great.

 

I had another terrible night of restlessness. I can’t believe that I can nap in the afternoon and fall asleep quickly and deeply and then struggle to get up but the minute I lay down for the night, I am painfully wide away. I have to start taking my sleeping pills.

 

We had a morning excursion.  I suited up and I think all my clothing added another 25 pounds of weight on me.  I moved like the Pillsbury dough boy. 

 

Getting off and on the zodiac was relatively easy.  But I think I have much more movement than I did in 2007, the last time I had to do this.  I’ve lost some weight, about 30 pounds, and breast weight and that seemed to make it easier on me. I was stunned at how difficult it was for me to walk today.  I think all this extra weight of the clothing wore me down and it reminded me of all that weight that I carried with me for all those years.

 

When we land on shore, we are broken in to 4 groups:  the challengers who want to travel fast and far, the medium fast people, the medium people and then the leisurely walkers.  I chose the last group.  And once we were all together, we broke in to two groups that even separated the two of us.  There were 7 of us in our Geritol group and we were pathetically slow. It was a sad statement of our laziness. But in my defense, I do not like to hike and there isn’t much more to do but to hike when you are in Greenland.

 

DeDe was in my group, and she introduced herself to me again.  I told her that we had met last night.  She didn’t remember.  But then she asked me if I had ever been to Antarctica.  I told her yes and must have made a face because she asked, “did we discuss this last night?”

 

I didn’t go on the afternoon trip because I was too tired and now, I am mad at myself.  I have got to get through this sleeplessness. It’s interfering with my energy and decisions.

 

Our afternoon recap session was so informative.  The photographer gave us a great tip about how to use live photos.  The geologist showed us the history behind the rock formation we saw today, and the biologist pointed out all the things I didn’t notice this morning.

 

I finally had a beer for dinner.  I’m off the nausea medicine and the sea swells are down so I broke out and ended my beer fast.  But the beer I wanted in not on the list of beers for free.  I got a Norwegian IPA and I had to buy 3 beers for $20.  My waiter felt so bad about this situation and asked me to consider a European lager instead.  I didn’t and my beer was delicious.

 

I’m sitting in one of the lounges and DeDe and her husband just walked by. She wanted to know how fast the internet was.  When I told her that I wasn’t on the internet, she asked if I was writing a book.  She is becoming a pest.

 

As I was heading to my cabin for the evening, someone shouted to us that there were some northern lights on the port side of the boat.  I went out to see them.  They weren’t great but now I can leave Greenland knowing I saw the lights at least once.

 

25- M- Greenland

 

It was two years ago today that Deirdre and Kevin got married. So, in two years, they married, bought a great house, and now have an adorable one year old boy.  It’s been a busy two years for them.

 

And on a positive note, I slept very well last night.  I just couldn’t believe it.  I went to bed at 11ish and the next thing I knew, the expedition leader was giving us our wake-up call.

 

I had two reoccurring school dreams.  In one of them, the new cafeteria staff was giving out beers for lunch as a morale booster for the teachers and I had to try to get her to see why it is not a good idea to distribute beers while high school kids were around. 

 

I got up for breakfast, determined to make both on shore trips today since I felt so damn great.  But then I talked myself out of the morning trip.  It was another hike on what looked like the same terrain.  I stayed behind and checked out the hot tubs. They were warm but not warm enough for my enjoyment. I like it hot. I was the first of all the guest to use the hot tub.  That’s a silly, small victory for me.

 

At lunch, two of the top guides joined me and wanted to know how I enjoyed the morning hike. I hated to tell them the truth as I was concerned, they would be disappointed in my laziness.  I didn’t have the heart to tell them that I hate to hike.

 

I was standing outside the dining room, reading the menu on the wall. DeDe walked by and asked, “what are you reading?” When I told her that it was the menu, she made her way in front of me and began reading as well. I can’t seem to get away from this woman.  I can’t remember if she remembers me.  I think she realizes she has had a conversation with me, but she may not remember what we discussed.  If she asks about Antarctica again, I think I will tell her that I’ve never been there before.

 

In the afternoon, I forfeited my kayaking excursion because I just thought I wouldn’t have the stamina needed to keep up with the group.  And I think I made the right decision as they were out there for over two hours, and it was 35F. I would have been exhausted and miserable and sore.  So instead, I went back to the hot tubs and found someone to turn on the jets. The water was still too low for me.  I think it was around 92F and I like it over 100F.  But I got in and had a soak and I think I am the first in the voyage to use the tubs.

 

It been five days without access to the news, the internet, social media, text messaging and other ways to stay connected to the world.  I feel isolated. To make matters worse, I deleted all 300 podcast episodes from my phone.  I didn’t download any movies or music in advance. I didn’t download any mindless video games. I didn’t bring any books or magazines. I did download two books from the library, and I thought they would suffice.  But the books are not interesting and so I am left with nothing to entertain me.

 

26- TU- Greenland

 

After a long journey south throughout the night, we arrived at the beach for our morning excursion. We were 200 nautical miles from yesterday’s destination. As the crew was scanning our landing site, they spotted a polar bear wandering round on the shore. His presence was greatly accepted by all of us.  But that meant we could not go on shore because of the potential danger he posed.  So, we anchored in place for two hours and stood on the port side decks and monitored his every move. He started walking away and then he would turn around and come back and finally, he just plopped down on a rock for a mid-morning rest.

 

So, our only excursion for the day was forfeited but I didn’t think anyone really minded. It was fun to see this magnificent mammal.  To compensated for the lost opportunity, Marla got up and gave a spontaneous one-hour presentation on the life of a polar bear.  And she had several photos of the bear on the beach. The staff photographer was able to grab some great photos of the bear.

 

Then the captain opened up the bridge and offered tours to everyone who was interested. I wasn’t interested.

 

It was colder today, and it snowed a little.  It really felt like winter, so I was OK with missing the excursion. As a matter of fact, I was a bit relieved.

 

In the afternoon, the glacier expert gave a presentation on sea ice that was admirable.  She spoke for an hour and never stammered or stumbled on any of her thoughts.  The topic was complex, and her graphics were clear.  And I had trouble staying up with the complexities of the situation.  I did understand the bottom line.  We are fucked if we don’t address the disappearance of sea ice.  We are already killing off the emperor penguins and are killing the food sources under the ice.  We are running out of time to recover.

 

I have been outside my cabin, in the lounge for much of the afternoon.  This is to allow Nate, my cabin assistant, to clean my cabin.  I am driving him crazy because I haven’t let him in yet. He’s going to change the sheets and that will be a nice treat.

 

We had afternoon tea and I am being silly about the stupid candy they put out with the sandwiches. Today they had Twix’s and I am a sucker for this damn candy. I hate that I get sucked in to eating this garbage.

 

After dinner, a young woman gave a talk on her time as a volunteer with Doctors Without Borders. Her team stayed in international waters and rescued refugees from Libya.  Her stories were overwhelmingly sad and left me feeling helpless and wondering what is wrong with society that we would be so passive about so many people in this world who are fleeing from their countries.  I have no clue what it must be like to be in so much danger that I would risk everything and get in a small boat and set out to sea in hopes of being rescued.

 

27- W- Greenland

 

We started the day with a visit to a remote village.  All of the houses are painted to denote their roles in the community.  The blue houses are the police.  The red houses are the store owners and residences. The green houses are involved in agriculture. And it seemed as if all of the residents were warned that we were coming because they seemed to be in hiding from us.

 

There was a neighborhood food store, but we were asked not to buy anything as supplies were limited and anything we purchased took away from the opportunities to buy things that they may need. A supply plane comes in so infrequently that supplies were limited for the locals.

 

There are no streets, so people get around on ATV and they roam the area with an unnecessary speed.  Where are they going in this community of so few people and so few places to visit.

 

There were very few people in the village. I wonder if they were told to hide while we were there.  Other than the three craft people, they were not to be found.

 

After lunch, we made it to our afternoon stop but the currents were too rough to stop there.  So, we moved on and around 5 PM, Amy announced that we were going to change plans and have a zodiac cruise around the glaciers.  I was so damn excited as this is what I was waiting for.  So, I bundled up and made my way to the gangway.  The swells were so rough that our launch platform was under water and caked with ice.  The swells proved to be a challenge as well.  But I go on the zodiac without incident and sat down and enjoyed the beauty of the glacier.  At one point, it calved, and we watched as this avalanche ran down two areas of the glacier.

 

We didn’t get back to the ship and off to dinner until almost 8 PM.  We were tired and cold and hungry.

 

We had a quick debriefing after dinner. Ria, the young woman from Greenland, gave a bar talk.  And most of us went to bed.

 

At some point, there was an announcement about some northern lights.  I got up from bed, got dressed and made it to the decks but I didn’t see any lights.

 

28- TH- Greenland

31F

 

Damn, damn, damn, I didn’t take a sleeping pill because I only have 4 more pills until I get home.  So, I tossed and turned all damn night.  And then Amy was on the PA to tell us that it was 730 and time for breakfast.

 

The shipboard newspaper indicated that Trump was found to be guilty of tax fraud and may no longer do business in the state of NY.  What a fucking disgrace.

 

I didn’t go on the morning excursion.  It was another hike and that doesn’t hold my interest. So, I slept and watch David Attenborough on the TV. As people came back from the excursion, I beat up on myself for throwing away an opportunity to explore Greenland.  When I was in Antarctica, I couldn’t believe that there were people who chose not to get off the ship.  I rarely missed that opportunity to get on land and hang with the penguins.  But I don’t feel that need here. The hiking opportunities just don’t hold me interest.  I think I will step up my walking level tomorrow to see if that helps my interest.

 

We had an afternoon zodiac tour, but I didn’t go on that either because it was so damn cold and the trip was going to be over 2 hours.  That was too long for me. I wanted to go out for only an hour.  That would have been plenty for me.

 

I spent the time on the decks, taking photo after photo of the icebergs.  Now I am going to have to spend the evening, deleting the multiple duplicates.

 

There is going to be a polar plunge sometime during the voyage, so people were asked to volunteer.  The Argentinians and the Aussies signed up.  So now we have 8 people.  I am not one of them.

 

We had a barbeque on the aft deck.  It was fun.  The air wasn’t too cold.  The sun was setting and the there was a beautiful red sky.  The food was good, and everyone seemed to enjoy the challenge of eating outside on this chilly night.  I sat with a group of Australians, and they talked of things that were of no interest or unfamiliar to me. But they were good company.

 

 

29- F- Greenland

 

We had a zodiac tour this afternoon.  I came prepared to keep warm.  I grabbed a blanket and a towel from my room to wrap around me.  But I didn’t need it.  Our guide took us to beautiful icebergs.  A few of the icebergs had tunnels through them.  But much to my chagrin, we didn’t go through them.

 

Then he took us to a particular iceberg with an intense blue streak through it and we all tried to take a time lapse photo of it.  He zipped around the iceberg quickly, three times.  I lost my balance around the second time through, and my finger is showing up in the corner.  But I think I know how to take a time lapse photo now.

 

When I got back to my cabin, I could get one boot off, but the other boot just wouldn’t come the fuck off.  I had to limb out into the hallway and wait for some unsuspecting person to come by and help me.  An old woman came by.  She offered to help, and we struggled like hell to get that damn boot off.  I was so afraid that she was pulling so hard that she was going to lose her balance and seriously hurt herself.

 

We had a briefing before dinner. Rai, the young woman from Greenland, gave a talk on Greenlandic dogs.  She ended her speech with a statement that these dogs, after 10 years, are retired and/or eaten.  “I am sorry, but it’s the truth.”

 

DeDe was standing with the bartender, asking him what kinds of books he likes to read.

 

The Polar Bear Plunge was a huge success.  I think 17 kooks jumped in at some point. I took three videos for the first three plungers.  Thereafter, I had to go inside because it was too damn cold to stand out there. They all got a free tee shirt for their participation.  There is no prize anyone could give me that would be enough reward for doing that stupid plunge.

 

After dinner, we had a bar talk. Becs told the story of her daughter’s diagnosis with Spina Bifida.  She had major surgery while the fetus was still in the womb. This procedure was to reduce so many of the potential liabilities she would have if she went to full term with this dreadful disability.  She survived and now had autism, seizers, no bowel or bladder control, some motor skills problems, and multiple surgeries.  What a heartbreaking story. I see Becs differently now.  What courage on her part to handle all of this without a partner.

 

I have done something with my gum.  Its inflamed.  I think I have been grinding my teeth too much and now a cap is digging into my gums and causing bleeding.  When I brushed my teeth, I slit put a lot of blood.

 

30- SA- Greenland

34F

 

I didn’t go on the morning excursion because there was a chance that we would be going on an afternoon trip.  And the boots were only going on my feet once today.

 

I read the daily shipboard paper and learned that Diane Feinstein died.  What a shame that she stayed too long and went out with a cloud of disgrace.  Her dementia was an embarrassment to her and all who supported her.

 

In the afternoon, we had a ship excursion through the ice.  So, we didn’t go on the zodiacs. It was as if we were in an ice city with icebergs the size of buildings.  At one point, I took a photo of a string of icebergs off in the distance, and it looks like the NYC skyline.

 

Every iceberg looks like a sculpture and the blue ice strips that ran through them just added to their beauty.  I would take too many photos, go to my room to view them, delete many of them and then come back out to take more photos. I know I am going to struggle with which ones to delete later on because I do not need 300 iceberg photos.

 

At one point, we were all invited to the back deck to a cup of hot chocolate and the liquor of your choice.  I had kalua and it was delicious. But it wasn’t enough to keep me outside for long as it quickly got cold.

 

As usual, we had a great briefing right before dinner.  Marla showed us her favorite 20 books in the library.  I found one or two that I would like to take home with me. Someone explained the physics of northern lights and it was over my head.  The historian told us of a Scotsman who explored Greenland and I never heard of him.  And Amy gave us an idea of what the next few days will be like.  Tomorrow morning is our last excursion and then we head back to Iceland. So, we will have 1 ½ days at sea before we disembark in Iceland on Oct 3. And we were warned that we may encounter some rough seas on the way back so we should start our motion sickness medicine as a precaution.

 

I went to see the doctor tonight about my swollen gums.  Because I am on Prolia, he wanted to start me on an antibiotic right away.  And I think that’s a good idea.

 

After dinner, we had a trivia event in the lounge, and it was well received. I think most of the ship guests showed up.  I didn’t play but it was fun to hang with everyone. Meg was the MC and I think she was drunk.  At one point, teams won points just for bringing her a beer.