LAND! GLORIOUS LAND!!!

While indeed I am steeped in the culture of the sea, there was nothing more exciting than seeing land on our third day.

Land. Sweet, beautiful land. Woke up early, dawned my swimming gear in hopes to dive into the pool that was sure to be open now that the waters were calm, and hopped up to the Lido deck. The first thing I saw when windows reached my view was the tree lined landscape of the great North West.

Trees. Soooo many sky reaching evergreens. After the seas we'd been enduring, I was extremely grateful to see terra firma once more.

We girls were so excited to see something other than the white and blue chop. It was glorious. With eyes wide we watched the hills and coast roll by. The pool was FINALLY open, so Maggie went for a swim and I eventually hopped into the warmish Jacuzzi. It wasn't quite as warm as a hot tub should be, but it was the principle of being on a vacation getting in the Jacuzzi on my vacation. 

I may have enjoyed three rounds of breakfast that day, made my fellow Hobbits proud. 

Once all of our breakfasts were consumed, Carolyn and I strolled the great out doors.

Canadian Pilot!

The sea was calm, so we were able to go outside, which was also glorious. We went to the bow on the 10th floor platform and watched the Canadian Pilot boat lead us to our dock. Felt giddy to watch the Canadian Pilot with my connections to San Diego's 101 year old Pilot boat (that's an entirely different story.) 

While we watched our cruise boat dock, Carolyn and I spoke with a charming couple who lived in Victoria, our first port of call. They told us of their adventures and they gave us tips on things to do in Victoria. 

Once we were docked we went back to our rooms to gather our excursion gear. We met at "our table" on the Lido deck (yes, we had staked territory) to graze on lunch prior to leaving the ship. We packed sandwiches for the day, so that we wouldn't have to purchase lunch out and about.

Then it was we were land bound. The captain gave the okay for us to disembark, so we and 2,000 of our closest friends headed off into Victoria. Felicia and I felt compelled to kiss the ground after our trip up when we touched foot on the black asphalt, but we managed to resist the temptation. 

Maggie and I went off on our own adventure while Carolyn and Felicia hopped on a bus to go view the famous gardens. Throughout the day we saw our fellow cruisers, which was rather entertaining. You wouldn't think 2,000 strangers would become familiar, but we were all coupled up together for so long, maybe it shouldn't have been so surprising. 

If you aren't aware, let me tell you - Victoria is beautiful. It was like something out of a fairy tale. Maggie and I walked through the neighborhood suburb to the downtown area. The Parliament building was breathtaking. It looked too European to be on the American Continent, even in Canada. I was really impressed.

There were horse drawn carriages (of course).

A house boat village, and slips galore with a variety of schooners and clippers. To quote Felicia, "I could do this."

Maggie and Me

I imagine when cruise ships aren't in that Victoria is rather quiet, which would suit me just fine. (You know, I'm currently in the market for a house and the US dollar is worth more than the Canadian dollar...hmm....)

Anyway, Maggie and I went to the British Columbia Royal Museum. They put to shame almost every indoor museum I have yet seen. They have an ENORMOUS in depth Native Peoples exhibit and I spent a TON of time in that area. Did you know that British Columbia has the most languages of Natives in the World? I didn't know that. It was fantastic to learn of the efforts from the Natives to preserve their language. I must have read almost every plaque in the Native area and the Natural History exhibits.

The museum had a full size cannery, a gold mine, a dock and a SHIP on exhibit, INSIDE!!!!!! It was incredibly impressive.

There was one room that was particularly striking - it was like being inside a research submarine much like Captain Nemo's Nautilus. The port holes looked out to living kelp. There were all sorts of nautical 1800s artifacts, which were a lot of fun.

At the helm!

My favorite exhibit was of Native masks that told different stories from the Native Peoples. I am fascinated by cultural legends and tales. Be they Japanese, Irish, Russian, American, they are the stories that spark imagination, tradition and faith.

After we saw all there was to see in the museum, Maggie and I regrouped and crossed the street to look at the Empress, a famous Victorian hotel.

Unfortunately, she was undergoing MASSIVE renovations, so we were unable to enjoy her full grandeur. Carolyn told us later that the empress was originally built without bathrooms. Kinda nuts to think that a hotel that impressive would be lacking toilet amenities (yes, there are toilets now). But talk about a trivia topic!

We walked to a tea shop called Murchies where we used their WIFI and bought a ton of delightful goodies. We regrouped with Felicia and Carolyn at the little tea shoppe. We stayed there until closing time - 5pm - and walked into the tobacco shop next door to look at the interesting column in the center of the store. This proved to be an unexpected entertaining sideshow, rather, WE became a rather entertaining sideshow. Carolyn had told us that on their bus tour they were told that this tobacco shop had the oldest lighter in the world, so we had to investigate. Sure enough, there was the flames burning from a Mexican white Onyx pillar. The piece is priceless as it so happens as white onyx has been completely depleted.

One of our colleagues was a brand new daddy, so we purchased him a cigar that is difficult to purchase in the U.S. of A. Our adventure within this store was one of no-shame and we had the attendant Alex laughing like crazy right along with us. I had to ask the gentlemen working there if we were the most entertaining customers that had ever strolled through and they all agreed that we were "without doubt." And we ended up going back in a second time, which only further proved that claim.

We wandered in through a few other shops and we supported the First People (Canadian Natives) with our purchases. 

The walk back to the ship was gorgeous, but gusty. Maggie and Felicia were freezing, so they bolted back to the ship. Carolyn and I stopped to admire the flora and fauna along the way while fighting the intense wind that had picked up dramatically. It had been warm throughout the day until the sun began to go down and in came the wind. We all ended up with light wind burns on our cheeks.  

The sun setting behind the cruise boat was beautiful. Took some fun photos prior to going back on board, not before taking the a-typical tourist shots.

Once we were on our floating hotel, we freshened up and ate again. We ended up ordering an extra dessert because on a cruise boat there is no shame. 

After dinner, Maggie led us to the bow where we watched a sweet movie entitled, "Brooklyn." The film was wonderful and I proudly stayed awake through the whole thing. Luckily enough, just after, it was time to go to sleep. We had to get ready for the next day when we would see Seattle. And my Aunties!!!!

It was time for us to return to the sea. 

Speaking of the sea - if you haven't noticed, being on or around the water is a passion of mine. One may even call it a lifestyle. Even though I have light crew experience on tall ships, I've recently signed up for a basic sailing class. I hope to be a captain someday and am well on my way, but sailing is a bit of a mystery that I'd like to better understand. 

If anyone knows what it's like to have a dream of doing what you love, you know how it feels. If you'd like to help sponsor my dream, all you have to do is put down $4.99 towards my book, which you may purchase here or here. Already bought it? Not interested in reading it? E-books make great gifts and it's the same price as a cup of Starbucks. (On second thought, it's less than most drinks at Starbucks.) It may not seem like much, but these clicks add up! 

Thank you for reading as always, my dear Readers, and thank you for helping me pursue my dreams. Until next week when we go together to Seattle!

Your humble author,

S. Faxon

Boarding, Party of 4

"Who wants to go on a cruise?"

The sentence that hooked me. I had never before been on a cruise. Never thought of it, not seriously. Living in a major tourist destination and working near a cruise terminal brings the Dam ships near my front door frequently. No, I did not curse. That is what they are called - at least, that's what the Amsterdam line is called. That would be the one that called my name. 

My colleague, Maggie, stuck her head in my office one morning and said, "Hey, Sarah, want to go on a cruise?"

I considered it for one small moment and said, "Sure." Gave her my budget and Maggie was off. 

Every few days I'd receive updates on prices and dates until one day - it happened. We found the north bound cruise to Canada on the Nieuw Amsterdam that had our names on it. One of our good friends at work was also in need of a cruise, so we did everything we could until the stars were aligned - we recruited our friend, Carolyn and her friend Felicia, to come along. 

The Ship

From left to right: Felicia, me, Carolyn, and Maggie from atop the ship

Our adventure began on a Monday afternoon. When we ladies met at Anthony's Fish Grotto, we laughed at the amount luggage we each had and pinned on the flours I had brought for each of us. It was Maggie's birthday, so we gave her a birthday sash, had a few laughs, then headed to the terminal. 

We went through the rigmarole of pre-boarding check-in in the enormous B Street Pier. Before we boarded, a photographer pulled us over and took all of our photos. We laughed and posed, all proudly wearing our lovely flowers, which we wore all day, even to dinner.

Second balcony up, us waving to my folks.

My folks came down to the dock to watch us depart. From the balcony of Carolyn and Felicia's room, we waved good bye to them and to the Maritime Museum of San Diego's 101 year old Pilot boat, which floated on by.

The Maritime Museum Pilot Boat on her bay cruise.

Once our boat began to move, we explored the ship. We found the cafe in the Crow's Nest up on the top floor. It was an incredible viewing area. I took some fantastic photos of our city and gave an abbreviated small tour about San Diego to the Canadians and Zonies (what we call people from Arizona) who were listening. All was well until...

I knew ahead of time that gale strength winds awaited us out on the Pacific, but I had no idea how intense it would be. Once we cleared the 400 foot peninsula of Point Loma, the wind broad sided us and the ship began to sway. Being high up on top, we were quite aware of the extra movement, so we booked it out of there and headed back to our rooms to get ready for dinner. 

Made this observation on my way down: a cruise is like a beehive. It seems like chaos at first, but there is order and direction. Every bee has his or her own itinerary and the hive is subject to the whims of nature. Just like those beehives, our boat rocked. Literally and a lot. 

The little TVs said that we were experiencing eight mile per hour winds. The fifteen to twenty foot swells assailing us said otherwise. Let me put that in perspective; in San Diego bay, when we have 12 - 15 knot winds, we see white caps, which are basically the result of one-ish foot swells and it makes for an interesting boat ride, but still comfortable....TWENTY foot swells are the height of two story buildings, and hot-dang do they crash against your 964 foot boat with a BANG. The waves were pounding against our boat. And yes, it was a little nerve wracking. BUT we were all boat people, so surely we would be fine! (I was prepared to the max - I had ginger candies and acupressure bracelets on because I hadn't yet been out on the high seas, so I had no idea how I would do.) 

On my way to my room, I was ping-ponging against the walls from the boat moving. Eventually, I developed better sea legs, but the boat was slamming around so much that the walls were shaking heavily.

Regardless, we all had plans to meet. I had reservations at the Pinnacle Grille, one of the fancy restaurants. I didn't realize at the time how early my reservation was, so when I made it to the room, I flash changed and ran in flip flops in a pitching ship to the restaurant where I changed into heels. The restaurant was lovely and the food was fantastic. I enjoyed a pumpkin sauce scallop, Caesar salad, crab legs, asparagus, and Baked Alaska with Cherry Jerry ice cream. SOOOO good. However, I didn't eat as much as I normally would; the boat was moving so violently that I was going green around the gills. My waitress Anca from South Africa was very kind and helped to keep me distracted. Although it was tough to be distracted when at one point, one lady who had the view of the sea said, "Oh, that's a good one." And then BOOM! A powerful wake struck.

Good times.

The entertainment hall.

After dinner, I went to find the girls and as fate would have it, they were no more than ten feet away in the first hall I searched. We went to find the entertainment for the evening and watched the comedian on board whose name was Russ. He was hilarious. It helped that we had a good crowd of people who were interacting with him. The show room was enormous. The cruise had well over 1,000 passengers, so it's not surprising that the entertainment hall would have the space to accommodate all of us. 

Once the comedy show was over, we went to watch the B.B. King jazz band. The two singers had lovely and incredible voices. We listened to them for some time, then Maggie adjourned from the activities. Carolyn, Felicia and I walked around a bit before also calling it a day. 

The main lobby.

Walking around on a pitching cruise boat was a lot of effort and it was time to rest!

Prior to boarding, we had vowed together to take the stairs and only the glass elevators on occasion, so that we could eat what we wanted guilt free...mostly. I have a Garmin step counter, so I told the girls I'd keep track of our walking adventures. For day one, we reached 11,606 steps.

Until next time when you get to hear about our first full day aboard trapped inside at sea!

Your humble author,

S. Faxon

The Golden Beginning

Starting this project about the Golden Girls was as easy as breathing and has been an absolute delight to produce. Wrapping up this project has become an interesting challenge. There are countless subjects yet to be covered and with any luck someday they will arise. These last few posts were of course to provide you an escape, but also (selfishly) to see if indeed there's a full-length book to be made of this, and do you know what? There is. (Surprise, surprise.)

Research for this project has further instilled and gilded my respect and appreciation for the actresses and the production team. The lessons that they taught us of endurance, family, hardships, and the value of friendship are timeless and everlasting. They'll fortify our capacity to live and to love if we heed the lessons and apply them to our daily lives.

In their own lives, the actresses applied the lessons of strength and friendship. Estelle Getty was referred to as every "gay person's" mother, being an ENORMOUS advocate for gay rights and for AIDS research. Betty White has done more for animal rights than most could boast, let alone imagine. Bea Arthur too was active in animal rights, but she was regarded as a loving mother and a wonderful friend. And Rue McLanahan returned her gifts of performing to students throughout her life. These women are not just heroes because of the women the portrayed on television, they are heroes because they were and remain to be, some of the most wonderful contributors to society that our last century produced.

If you're interested in learning a bit more about the girls and the show, I highly recommend watching the Golden Girls Reunion documentary: 

Since the end of the documentary, we have lost Estelle, Bea, and Rue. The documentary was made shortly after Estelle's death. Sophia was regarded as everyone's favorite girl and dear Estelle, she truly was a beautiful soul. Her fellow actresses held her in the most wonderful regards and she was will be remembered not as a "mean old lady," but as Betty White said, "The only comfort at this moment is that although Estelle has moved on, Sophia will always be with us." (LA Times) I'd like to add, that so too will be Dorothy, Blanche, and Rose. The girls will live on forever. We will always hold them in our hearts, and thank them for being our friends. 

Writing about the Golden Girls in these last few weeks has been an absolute delight. It's been quite fun to blend my favorite pass times to share with you. As it turns out, and probably not surprisingly, there's still an awful lot to say. If you're interested in reading more about the Girls and how they impacted society, PLEASE let me know. There's a decent project awaiting to be written here, but I have to know that there is interest before I begin. Whether you choose to leave me a note below or if you share this blog with your friends via your social media, I will be most grateful. This truly is a treat for me to write to you, and regardless what you choose to do, of course, this is not the end. There's plenty more stories where the last few years have come from and you better believe, you'll see more words a'comin' next week!

Until next week, Dear Readers.

Your Humble Author,
S. Faxon