Category Archives: 2017

We arrived in Waco close to noon and thought we would experience one of the food trucks mentioned in the website at the Silos.  After all, its Monday and its been raining all morning so the crowd  will probably be a lot smaller than normal.  Boy, did we underestimate the popularity of Chip and Joanna Gaines and their TV show.   We circled the area a few times before we found parking and then walked towards the two big unfinished silos signifying the location of this newly created destination.

I was so excited.  There were the silos with the newest refurbished bakery just in front.  It was one of my insomniac nights when I watched the episode where they came up with the idea to renovate this building and Joanna tested the recipes for the cupcakes on Chip and the kids.  We were so close, when we noticed a tent touting a city tour of Waco, including several of the houses remodeled on the show.  The company is founded by the single man who returned to Waco after a modeling career in New York.  His is the bachelor pad with the basketball court in the back if you remember the episode.  The grounds of the Silos was wall-to-wall people so we opted for the tour hoping the crowd would thin by the time we got back.

You could have knocked me over with a feather, when the tour guide said he wanted to say a short prayer before we started the tour.  He is a recent Baylor Graduate doing these tours part-time while he studies for the real estate exam.  Our driver was an artist and lifelong resident of Waco.  Both of our escorts attend the same church as Chip and Joanna and the young man who is part owner of the tour company.

Back in 2012 we were in Waco as part of our first big trip before the Magnolia phenomena hit the city, and we definitely see a difference it has made.  The Silos and the Magnolia Market are now one of the major employers in the city ranked up there with the hospital and a major energy company.  It is a destination place for people from all over the world and touts tens of thousands of visitors each week.  If you come to Waco to see the Silos, be sure to take this tour.  Not only did we see several of the houses remodeled on the show,

but we also had a chance to go into Clint’s Harp Design Co. (the woodworking shop on the show).

We also stopped for coffee and ice cream (homemade with all natural ingredients sourced from local providers) along the way.  Because Waco is half way between Austin and Dallas and a University town, big named entertainers often stop here and put on shows and this place becomes their venue holding about 500 in the back.

After 2 1/2 hours of our tour, we were brought back to the Silos where the crowds had diminished a bit and we had a chance to walk through the store and, of course, try the cupcakes and cookies.

The original Silos that stored cotton

Joanna Gaines retail store

M

Food trucks at the Silos

Nice day and worth the side trip.  Heading home tomorrow and looking forward to it.

After three days of doing the tourist thing, we were ready for some time at sea just being on the ship.  Cruise ships have so many activities planned, it’s easy to find something you like every minute of the day if that is what you want.

Unfortunately, that’s when you realize you are just one of 3,000 people on the ship.  The pool was like standing in a flooded elevator; shoulder to shoulder even if you didn’t want to be.

Adult Pool

There was a separate “Adult Pool” if you wanted to be away from the activity but it had its share of parents trying to separate themselves from kids for a few hours.  There was also a “quiet place” called Serenity for those who didn’t care about the action and just wanted peace and quiet.

Since we have such ready access to beaches and a pool, we felt no compulsion to take on the mass of Texans looking for sun and water.  We managed to amuse ourselves with lots of other onboard activities while still nursing our sensitive digestive system from the Honduran food.

Eventually, all good things must come to an end and so did our cruise.  We left the ship with lots of fond memories, a few souvenirs and lots of laundry to be done.  From Galveston we drove back to Houston to spend a few days with Debbie and her family.

Ryan & music teacher playing the Marimba at Church service on Sunday Aug 6th

Playing games at Debbie & Kerry’s place

Tomorrow morning, we leave for Waco, Texas to check out Magnolia Market and all the things we have seen on the HGTV show Fixer Upper.

We signed up for three excursions; one in each of our ports.  We first arrived in Cozumel, Mexico, which is an island off the mainland and famous for its diving.  We took Jeeps that had their soft roofs rolled back to tour parts of the island that included a Mayan ruin, a lighthouse and a beautiful beach complete with snorkeling.  The trip was a lot of fun but it was HOT.  I even enjoyed showing off my agility getting in an out of the back of the Jeep through the window like my teenage grandson.  It also included lunch and we were very careful to only eat things that were cooked  which did not include salad or fruit.

Mayan ruin, was a bunker used when bad weather came

Beach on the Caribbean where we snorkeled

View from Lighthouse

We stopped at a crocodile preserve and one of the kids lost their flip flop in the water.  No one was willing to even stick a hand down to pick it up with this guy swimming close by and not knowing what else was just under the walkway.  Before returning to the ship we stopped to get something to drink and Jim found this Kodak spot that reminded him of a commercial you see on TV.

The next day, we docked in Belize to tour the port city and visit a Mayan excavated site that had several structures and lots of interesting history.  Actually, the area is a national archive and highly protected, including the monkeys living in the trees.

Tour of Mayan ruins

High Temple

Jaguar Temple

My impression of Belize is it’s trying to develop into a major tourist destination to improve its economy.  What we saw was not unlike many other islands with extremes on both ends of the economic scale.  Given their independence was only secured in 1981, they seem to be making strides but are still in a fragile state.   More lunch provided including the national food of stewed chicken, rice and beans and potato salad.  Actually very tasty after walking uphill to various ruins and actually climbing to the top of one of the tallest.

The third day was to Mahogany Bay, Honduras which is leased by Carnival.  The terminal is definitely designed and maintained using U.S. standards.  Actually it looked like something you would see on Maui.

This excursion took us to a nature preserve founded by the family of the one-time only  doctor on the island called Gumbalimba.  This place is definitely a Disney want-to-be.  It is beautiful and home to many species of plants and animals with no restrictions on their comings and goings.  As we walked by this huge yellow and green plant, it reminded me of something I had seen before.  When I asked our  guide, he informed me it was a spider plant, but its U.S. cousin must not grow this big.

Gumbalimba is home to many Macaws (National bird) free to come and go at will, but dependent on the food supply provided, so they don’t go far.  They do let you take pictures with them sitting on your shoulders or head.  I opted out when they told me they go to the bathroom every 20 minutes.  That would not mean good luck to me.

The preserve is also home to the black iguana and protected by the country because it is only found in Honduras, as well as other species of iguana more common to the area.  The highlight was the monkeys, who we were warned, had total control if you chose to let them sit on your shoulder.  If they take your hat or glasses, they then belong to the monkey.  Do not try to touch them or pet them.  But no one said anything about them going to the bathroom and both Kerry and Debbie learned that lesson the hard way.

From the preserve, we had access to a beautiful beach with more snorkeling.  No lunch included this time, but a restaurant available if you were hungry.  We were!  We ate, not taking our own advice from previous days, only to regret it the next day.  Oh how quickly we Americans fall into a false sense of security.

Anyone who says it’s always cooler by the water has never been to Galveston, Texas. I could not believe the heat and the humidity! But Galveston is the departure point for our celebration cruise with Debbie and her family and closest friends, so here we are. Ironically, today is the one-year anniversary of her cancer diagnosis which makes it even more important knowing all that has transpired in this one short year. Probably enough scare and trauma for a lifetime.

Our ship is the Carnival Freedom rumored to house over 3,000 people.

Anyway, it was stifling hot checking in and then once on board, we had to go through the lifeboat drill which meant we had to stand in the heat again at the assigned lifeboat area. No breeze, no wind, outdoors with 30 strangers who would be your survival partners should the unthinkable happen. It brought all the Titanic and World War II lifeboat movies I have ever seen flashing back into my mind. Could I really live in a lifeboat with these people if I had to for days or maybe a month? Which one would be the bad guy secretly stealing the water? Oops, drill over. Get back to reality and inside to the air conditioning.
Next order of business was to scope out the ship and try to find the important places. Before arriving, we agreed we would use the stairs most of the time and not the elevators to try to minimize the effects of non-stop food. Most ships housing 3,000 passengers are huge and we were positive it would be 7 days from now before we understood the ship’s layout. Within an hour we had reached and exceeded our Fitbit step and stair goals. We kept running into sections of the center of the ship you could not go from aft to stern and would have to climb or descend stairs to try to get around it. This is the kind of situation the phrase, “you can’t get there from here” is meant to describe.  Here are some pictures around the ship to give you an idea of the size.

Family Pool

Fitness Center

Main Auditorium

Promenade Deck

Dinner was casual dress by necessity because most luggage was not delivered yet and it was the first opportunity to meet all of Debbie and Kerry’s friends who were on the trip. There are four families with children and lots of adults. We filled up three tables; 2 seating 10 and one seating 7.   After dinner, Kerry asked us all to step into a room off the dining room for a moment where he gave a very heartfelt thank you to each of us for the love and support during their trial. Seeing that big strong police officer who has seen countless tragedies fighting to compose himself and keep from breaking down was almost more than we could bear. They presented each of us with a picture frame individualized to each of our interests as a thank you. What a nice gesture on their part and meaningful to each of us.
We roamed around the ship a little more, finding most places with lots of young adults and loud music and called it quits for the day. Our balcony room was very welcoming after our first big day. Besides, we need to get to the fitness center tomorrow morning before all these young whippersnappers get up at noon.

While walking this morning, I was surprised by two giant Green Sea Turtles resting on the beach.  They seemed so relaxed and unimpressed with the people watching them.  In Florida, they wouldn’t rest on the beach.  They just come on shore to lay their eggs and then go back into the water.

 Today was our day to explore the western side of the island that included Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of Hawaii.  We passed through several small towns on the way which confirmed everything we saw on the helicopter ride the other day; the coastal towns are where all the 70,000 inhabitants and who knows how many tourists live and play. 

 When we finally arrived at Waimea Canyon, we got so much more than we expected.  A local resident has taken it upon himself to dress in the traditional style of his people and give information about the Hawaiian Polynesians. 

Demo of Shell Horn

One of the first things we learned was that just like our Indians are all called Indians, all the peoples from the pacific islands are called Polynesians and like the various tribes of Indians, there are various “tribes” like Hawaiians, Tahitians, Samoans, etc.  Interesting.

He explained a few things about the culture and language.  Hawaiians believed they were put on earth to take care of their plant brother the Taro and that the three things most important to a Hawaiian is the breath of life (ha), fresh water (wai), and God (i).  Get it, Hawaii?

 After lunch at the Kalaheo Café, we retreated to our resort to soak up some rays.  It would not be good to be in Hawaii for a week and come back without a tan.