Frosted Trees

Last year's snowy winter forced Myney and me to shovel our long sidewalk three times in 2 weeks. The memory of those three storms caused Myney to decide that her Christmas gift to Orlando and me would be a snowblower. We were happy to have it and eager to get to use it when a snow storm arrived the day after Christmas.

Sadly, that storm materialized only for areas north and east of DC and since then, we've had a relatively mild winter. That is until today, when a strong winter storm settled in over the region. It started as snow, then changed to rain, followed by sleet and ultimately heavy wet snow. The trees now look like they were dipped in frosting.



Snow is supposed to continue for another several hours. Anastasia's school and my work have already announce that they will open 2 hours late in the morning. And Orlando, who's home from work tomorrow, is looking forward to the inaugural snow blowing of our sidewalk.



Anastasia is just excited at the prospect of getting to use the sled she got for Christmas.

Texas Here We Come

On our second annual visit to Texas, Annie and I had what we thought was an excellent itinerary, with a flight that was scheduled to get us in at about 8:30. Unfortunately, a storm blanketed the East Coast, and we were pretty seriously delayed leaving Baltimore. This caused us to miss our connection in Charlotte. Luckily, there was a flight to Austin that evening that we could get onto. That flight was also delayed because our flight crew wasn't there. Anastasia was a trooper, but by about 10 pm, she was finished. She crashed on the floor of the terminal as we waited.



Finally, at about 11:15, it was time to get on the plane. The airline employees were wonderful, and helped me carry our bags to the plane while I carried her. She did not wake up, even when I put her down and made her walk the aisle on the plane.



I woke her up when we landed and she did a great job getting her suitcase out of the terminal to where Chris and Rob were waiting for us. I'm very lucky to have a brother and brother-in-law willing to drive more than an hour in the middle of the night to pick us up. We finally got to the house at almost 2:00 am. We crashed.

Next morning, it was time for the kids to open up the presents Annie and I had brought with us. By far the most popular of the presents was the Razor scooter that we'd brought for Andrew. All of the kids took turns on it over the course of the week. We had excellent weather so there was a lot of playing outside. Anastasia was in seventh heaven.



The Windcrest holiday lights competition was a fun diversion for us one evening. Anastasia was pretty excited to see the holiday lights, especially the house with it's lights synchronized to music they broadcast over the radio.



The still photo doesn't do it justice. Here's a video of the same house that gives a better look.



We spent the rest of the week relaxing and enjoying the family time. The week ended with the annual New Year's Eve party at the Osborne's, where once again, I came away with a booby prize in the white elephant gift exchange. Guess I have to go back next year to give it back again.

That was the end of our week in Texas. On New Year's Day, we were up very early and hopped on the early flight home. I won't lie, after a week away, I was ready to sleep in my own bed again.

Christmas Wishes Fulfilled

We altered the Christmas timeline a bit to accommodate Orlando's work schedule, so on what was just December 23rd to the rest of the world, we enjoyed our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of cheese and pate while presents got wrapped. I read Annie "The Night Before Christmas" and tucked her in so Orlando could work on assembling the big Santa presents (that she didn't technically ask for, but who's keeping track.)

Our Christmas morning (December 24) dawned with a very excited girl itching to go downstairs. She had promised to wake Orlando and me up first, but I'm pretty sure she peeked before coming to wake us. Once I was awake, Anastasia and I headed downstairs to see the Santa presents (which were all unwrapped), and start making our breakfast.

When the waffles were ready, Anastasia woke Orlando and we got down to the business of opening presents. Sadly, there were no cameras out for the present opening.

When the work was done, Anastasia dove right into playing with her new Barbie doll house and her new motorcycle. In the weeks that have followed, those remain her favorite toys. She's also taken a real liking to Connect 4, which makes Orlando very happy.

I've been pretty lazy in taking pictures of late, but they will come, I promise.

A letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

I want to see your reindeer. Santa Claus, I love you. Santa Claus, I want a teddy bear and the Hat in the Cat book. Dear Santa, I want some bubbles, too. Santa, I have a cow whose name is "Moo". I am a good girl. We have lots and lots of books. I have a new camera and I am taking it on the cruise.

I have a Cat in the Hat movie, but it is broken because Murphy ate it. Dear Santa, I want a new movie, too. Dear Santa, I love you.

Anastasia
Age 4, 2010

Tobago (or a visit with Queen Aunt Mary)

The final port on our cruise was a trip down memory lane for Myney and Orlando. More than 30 years ago, Myney met Mary on her first visit to Tobago, and they’ve been friends ever since. In preparing Anastasia for what was going to happen, Orlando told her she was going to meet a queen who was also her Aunt Mary. So, Anastasia called her "Queen Aunt Mary" the whole day.

Mary met us at the port terminal with hugs and a quick dart to the car as it was looking like rain.

Our first stop was a visit to the kids who had all assembled at the family business. As we pulled up to the parking lot, Orlando was drawn immediately to this sign:

When we got inside, it was clear the whole family had been waiting for us. Juliet, Rachel, and Philip were there with Juliet’s two boys, Matthew and Edward, who had been kept home from school for the morning so they could get to meet “Aunt Myney”. When the gifts came out, there was real excitement.

The boys took Anastasia on an adventure around the distribution center. Orlando and I never did see where she went, but when they came back they were the best of buddies. She was very excited to show Matthew her favorite game on the iPhone.

Meanwhile, the grown-ups were busy catching up. Orlando hasn’t seen them since he was about 8, but we all connected quickly. Orlando and Philip talked beer, Juliet and I chatted about life and school and kids. Myney, Mary and Rachel caught up on the the who’s who of Tobago and what’s happening in each other’s lives.

Before heading on to the rest of our day, we all posed for a picture in the store.

Our next stop was Mary’s house, for a drink a few more gifts. Orlando particularly loved that we could see the ship from her living room window, a view that came in handy when Mary’s husband Miles worked as a ship’s agent years ago. Anastasia’s favorite part, predictably, was the visit with the dogs and Mary’s parrot.

We left Mary’s heading for Sybil and “Bago” Bob’s old house, the place Myney and Pietr spent many evenings with friends during their visits the island. Though the house is kept locked, we were invited to go around the back to see the living room.

Then it was off to Black Rock and Chip Chip, the house that served as their base of operations during their visits to the island. This photo with black rock in the background is the only picture that Orlando felt was truly needed to make the trip worth while.

Next on the plan was Pigeon Point, a very calm place to swim. Unfortunately, the weather on this particular day was pretty rough, between the wind and the rain, swimming was pretty much out of the question. Anastasia and I got out for a short walk on the beach, and a quick romp on the little playground there.

After a very busy morning, it was time for lunch at one of Mary's favorite restaurants, Kariwak. The meal was lovely, the outdoor dining room was super relaxing and the cocktails yummy. We were all enchanted by the sugar birds that kept trying to take sips of my drink.

Lunch ended late, and Anastasia was running on fumes by that point. She fell asleep in the car, so I waited with her while the others went shopping for souvenirs. Then it was time to say goodbye to Mary. Not sure when we'll get back to Tobago, but I was very happy to finally get to put pictures to all the places that I've been hearing stories about for years now.

Dominica and Grenada

We'd no idea what to expect from Dominica, so the night before we arrived there, we spent some time perusing the cruise guide book we'd brought with us. I was drawn to the description of "Champagne Beach"; a place where swimmers feel as though they're swimming in warm champagne, thanks to the volcanic gasses bubbling up through cracks in the coral reef. It's a rocky beach, which meant no sandcastles for Anastasia. Rebecca joined us for the ride while Mark stayed on the ship relaxing by the pool.

Our taxi driver, Julia, started by giving us a short driving tour of Rosseau, including the Botanic Gardens that Myney really wanted to see. In the gardens, Julia told us the story of Hurricane David blowing down an African Baobab tree onto a school bus (which was empty at the time.) The tree continued to grow, now with two trunks and a bus underneath.



Julia took us on to Champagne Beach, where she waited for us while we enjoyed the water for more than an hour. It was a long walk down to the water, and Stasia was very excited.



While I donned flippers for my swim out to the reef, Anastasia took to rearranging the rocks on the beach.



The swim to the reef was quite short, and once there, it was amazing. The reef itself was mostly dead, which was very sad, but there were a lot of fish, including a very large barracuda swimming around. We didn't have an underwater camera, with us, so here's a picture courtesy of dominica-weekly.com to give you an idea. When I came back, Orlando took a swim out to see it for himself.



Back on shore, Anastasia was busy finding crabs and lizards galore. When we'd had a nice relaxing time, we headed back up to Julia's van for a drive back to the ship. Julia recommended a local restaurant for our lunch where Anastasia took over photographer duties for a little while. She did a pretty nice job I think.



Back on the ship, Anastasia headed straight for the pool with Uncle Mark and Rebecca while Orlando and Myney napped. I took the opportunity to chill for a little while, and snap a few pictures as well.





The next morning, we were in Grenada, where we'd booked a 4 hour spice and waterfall excursion. First, we went to the largest nutmeg processing station on the island to learn how the spice is made. We bought several packages of nutmeg there and a few other items.



then it was off to the old spice plantation to learn a bit about the other spices that have been traditionally grown on the island, including cocoa, bay, and cloves. About this time, Anastasia started to get a little bored with the tour. Luckily, the plantation offered a good opportunity for her to go exploring by herself.



Then we spotted a teeny puppy, which also helped to entertain little girl for a while.



The final stop on our tour was a lovely waterfall at the top of a pretty scary road. We posed for a family photo, trying desparately to convince Annie that she'd have fun here.



We finally convinced her when we got down to the pool and took her shoes off. Then she decided that it was a fun place to be, and she was willing to smile again.



After a little time there, we headed back up to the van for the drive back to the ship. Unbeknownst to us, we passed Mark and Rebecca on the scary road heading down.

Both Grenada and Dominica were beautiful. Dominica seemed almost completely untouched, and amazing. Grenada seemed like the more developed sister of Dominica, major city to the small town that was Dominica.

St. Croix and St. Kitts

Our first stop was St. Croix. Since it was the first day of our vacation, we decided to play it by ear rather than booking a specific excursion. First thing in the morning, Anastasia asked me where her bathing suit was, and I realized immediately that I'd forgotten the most important article of clothing for any of us. So, we had a mission for ourselves in St. Croix.



The island was unlike every Caribbean island we've visited before. There was a more laid back culture, and a sense that they were pretty unconcerned with how much time or money the tourists spent.



We hopped from shop to shop and learned that temperatures in the high 80s were too cold for the locals to go swimming, so not many stores were carrying any bathing suits at this time of year. Anastasia had a good time shopping anyway, and exploring all the art in town.



We did manage to find a couple of shops with one or two suits in Anastasia's size. I was able to convince her that she would love to wear a blue bikini. She wasn't keen on having her stomach bare at first, but in the end, she loved it.



It was a casual day for us, and we started back for the ship in time for lunch. Then we saw some turtles swimming off the pier, then we spotted a brown pelican and some sandpipers looking for their lunch.





Dinner that night was in the ship's specialty restaurant, and as it was formal night, we dressed to impress. Mark was eager to show off his moves over a drink before dinner.



We ate in the wine cellar of the restaurant. It was a very nicely laid table, with chargers designed from a piece of art from the S.S. Normandie, the restaurant's namesake.



After a decadent dinner (foie gras anyone?) we posed for a photo before splitting up for drinks, gambling, and bed.



Next morning, we woke in St. Kitts, where we had booked a ride on the St. Kitts Scenic Railway, a pretty (if very long) tour around almost the complete circumference of the island. Anastasia was very excited to get on the train, and we brought her camera with us so she could capture the trip for herself.



We learned about the sugar industry on the island, where stone mills were used to process sugar at the plantations prior to the instalation of the railway.



Now, no sugar is produced on the island, and the sugar cane just grows wild across the island. So now, the sugar train, as it used to be called, is just used to show tourists like us the views of other islands. St. Kitt's sister island, Nevis and Monserat in the background.



As we made our way around the island, we saw the island of St. Eustasius, which the locals call "Stasia". Our little Stasia was very excited to take pictures of "her island".



Eventually, the tour ended. Anastasia napped for about 1/3 of the tour. We headed back to the ship to eat a lunch and take a siesta before dinner. We spent a little time learning about our next port and deciding what we'd be doing during our day in Dominica.