Adventure Logan

Small Emergency

Today started out with a great red hat lunch but went down hill after that! After I arrived home from lunch, I started putting all the items back into the newly renovated kitchen. Dave headed out on the front patio to cut up the large box that held the new sink. Within a few minutes he hollered for me and I flew out to door to be met by him clasping his finger and telling me he may have cut it off.  Because he had such a tight hold on it, he wasn’t sure how bad it was. We both went into over gear – I wrapped it tightly in a decorative tea towel and we headed for the emergency which is basically around the corner from our place.

Luckily he only had a deep cut across his left index finger which required 5 stitches and a tetanus shot. So $1002.19 (US) later we headed home.  It is amazing how you can feel lucky when you think about how much worse this could have been. He did finish cutting up the box but I was sure that he was more than careful when doing so.

Annual Project

For those of you who have followed this blog for several years, you know we usually do a major project each year. Well, this year was no different! Our final major project has been the kitchen. I am not sure how I have lived with pale pink kitchen counters and the matching floral wallpaper for the last 7 years. When I look at the other projects we have completed, I wonder how that kitchen was left for last.

 The transformation from ugly took several days. The counters were cleaned and then painted with a 5 step kit. Coat one was painting all countertops flat black with a roller, followed by three layers of metallic paint (silver, black, bronze) each applied with a large natural sea sponge. I daubed the entire surface with splashes of the silver first then the others. The last step was 3 layers of sealant. The finish is quite good – supposed to look like granite.The awful wallpaper got covered with a white tile board that is very easy to clean. It actually made the space look larger.

The finishing touch was a new sink. Of course, you know it all couldn’t go smoothly – so this is where the project hit some road blocks. Just as Dave lowered the new sink into its space we noticed a hairline crack on the front – so out it came and off he went to Lowes. It was the only one in stock and even the sample sink had a dent in it so we had to head to Sarasota to get one they had on hold for us. I went with Dave and we asked that we see the sink before buying and low and behold it too had a hairline crack in the exact spot the first one did. We ended up getting a different sink (more expensive) with a 10% discount.

Then the fun really began and by 8PM and several trips to Lowes for fittings we called it a day and called Larry the plumber to finish the job.

We are more than pleased with the results – and happy that all the major projects are completed (patio, bedroom, bathroom, living/dining) and now kitchen. I guess we can rest now and enjoy – or maybe it is almost time for the first project to get a tweak. LOL

Georgetown, Grand Cayman

Although we have been home for a week, I thought you might like to see the pics from our last port of call – Georgetown, Grand Cayman. It was a first time visit for both of us and also the first port where we had to go ashore on the tender.

When we arrived in port, there were 4 other large cruise ships already moored  – what a sight!

We opted to take a cab to the beach rather than go on an organized excursion. Seven mile beach is narrow but the water was marvelous so it was worth the effort.  Dave rented us 2 lounge chairs and we settled in for a swim and some sunbathing. Since there were no beach stops on the cruise so far, we needed to have at least one.

You know that the water is warm if I am up to my neck in it within minutes!

The sand was very soft and on the yellowish side in colour. I couldn’t resist this picture of my feet in their favourite substance!

When we got back to the town, we did some shopping and looking around.

Cartagena, Columbia

Our trip to Columbia was a return trip for David. For 35 years he has told the story of arriving in Cartagena on the HMCS Saguenay in 1979 and visiting for 5 or 6 days.  While there, the ship replenished as is very common. However, when they ordered 6 sides of beef, the beef that was brought to the jetty was still walking. The cows were sent away and when they returned they were freshly butchered and now in baskets with dripping blood all along the way to the ship. Dave (who is generally not too queasy) was so turned off that he ate peanut butter for the rest of the trip. So it was quite interesting to visit with him. The population then was 300,000 and today is 1.3 million so not much looked the same to Dave.

We booked ourselves on a tour that included a bus portion and a ride on a carriage.

Since it was New Year’s Eve day the old town was very busy. They were setting up for parties on every corner. Our bus stopped us outside the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas but we weren’t given enough time to climb to the top (yippee). The couple from Arizona who were at our dinner table each night were on a different tour and they walked (climbed to the top) expecting to look down into the centre – but there wasn’t one so all they got was a view down to the base.

We toured inside the walls of the old town via horse and buggy over very narrow cobblestone streets. The architecture was very interesting – a lot of it called colonial.

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a 77.1 km (48-mile) -long canal bisecting the Isthmus of Panama. It connects the Pacific Ocean with the Caribbean Sea. There are locks at each end to lift ships up to Gatun Lake, an artificial lake created to reduce the amount of excavation work required for the canal, 26 metres (85 ft) above sea level. The current locks are 33.5 metres (110 ft) wide. A third, wider lane of locks is currently under construction and is due to open in 2015. Ships taking this canal can avoid the long journey that was once necessary for getting from one side of the Americas to the other — a route that went all the way around the southern tip of South America.

Our trip through the Panama Canal was fantastic! It was a long and hot day but the sights were worth all the effort. At 6AM we went to the bow of the ship to watch our entrance into the first locks. The staff served Panama Rolls and coffee! It was still dark and a huge line of tankers waited along the coast for their turn to go through the locks.

All ships have to book but ours was for a specific time so we did not wait. The fee for our passage through the canal was $350,000 – makes that bridge toll in Halifax look puny!

We entered the first locks at Panama City. (seen in the background)Sailing under the Bridge of the Americas. This road bridge spans the Pacific entrance to the canal.

The first three locks on the Pacific side (Miraflores) took the ship up 85 feet to the maximum height (Gatún Lake) and the last three locks (Gatún Locks) took the ship back down the 85 feet to sea level on the Atlantic side. The locks are fascinating  to watch when in action and it is almost hard to believe that they fill up so quickly (28 feet of water height in 8 minutes).

These locomotives called mules are attached to the ship and the tension of the lines keeps the ship in the center of the lock and away from the sides.  We only had about 1 meter of spare room on each side.

Since we couldn’t see ourselves I photographed the car carrier that travelled in the lane next to us. Notice in the second picture that it has risen to the second lock height and the doors are opening for the next lock.

The scenery through the canal is breathtaking and we spent the day moving from location to location on the ship to see things from different vantage points.

Dave watching the movement in the lock.

Gatún Dam

Exposed rock along the canal that was cut in steps. Sadly, it made me think of the over 30,000 people who died making this path through the rock.

Prison where General Noriega is now living

Centennial Bridge

The long day was worth every sweaty moment. By moving around the ship and finding various vantage points we saw lots and enjoyed the whole day. When we finally made it through the canal at about 4PM, we headed toward Columbia, South America.

Happy New Year

We are off the coast of Cuba sailing towards Florida – arrive in Port Lauderdale in the morning. The Internet on board has been iffy and posting didn’t go well. I will post the pictures from the trip when we get home (Venice) tomorrow. Tonight though we wanted to wish you all well. The news digest which David reads religiously every morning tells us that the weather in the east has been nasty for some. We are hoping that you all have power and aren’t too cold.