Don't Panic

Don’t panic.

Who remembers FedEx’s first tag line- way back in the 80’s?

Well, it applies today, to all sorts of situations.

Like when one gets left at a restaurant an hour away from home.  

But more on that later….

We arrived in the early morning into Maui- our first sight of land in 6 days.

I was all set to head out for a little walk about- and I needed to find something to wear to the Crystal “white dress” gala coming  up in Sydney.

Well, when I got to the tender area, who was there but my collection of gal pals.  Barbara had organized several vans to take the crowd to the North Shore to have lunch at one of her favorite restaurants- Mama’s Fish House.  Come on along, they said.  Of course, it took me all of 20 seconds to realize this sounded like a fun adventure, so- I’m in!!

Once we tender in…and are greeted in traditional Hawaiian way...

We-14 of us- pile into 3 vans, for the trip to the other side of the island.  A beautiful, but uneventful ride of 45 minutes, and we arrived at Mama’s.

What a wonderful meal in a breathtaking setting.

We had a little time for photos before our reservation. Che tried out the war canoe...

Part of the group--Elisabeth-with-an-S, Elizabeth-with-a-Z, Jim, Karen and Stacey.

My kiddos know I love MC Esher.  So this gecko pathway inspired by him was a real hit.

Opakapaka steamed with Hana ginger.

 Kalua pork rice....YUM!

Well, a girl has to celebrate with a Mai Tai, right?

Sea turtles and surfers attracted my attention.  You know I love to venture forth to grab a photo, right?  So when we finished lunch and had an hour to kill, I took off down the beach  to look for magic….

Unbeknownst to me, the cars arrived early.  Everyone piled in…. car A thinking that “Elizabeth with a Z” (to differentiate me from “Elisabeth with an S” who is also a part of this merry band) was in car  B and car B thinking I was in car A…. When all the time, I’m down at the beach checking out Mr. Sea Turtle.

40 minutes later, and I get a text—“Where are you?”

 Still at Mama’s.

Which is where the FedEx tag line comes in.

 Don’t Panic.

No sweat- taxi got me back to Lahaina tout suite.  And I had a delightful chat with my 72-years-young-cab-driver-and-daily-golf-player-originally-from-Kansas Ken.

It’s all about an adventure….and how you handle Plan B.

Just a few more pics from around Lahaina…

The banyan tree planted in 1873…

it was 8 ft tall when planted, and now, 143 later, covers one acre.

 All in all, a fun, and ADVENTUROUS day.

If you Don’t Panic.

Truly the Middle of Nowhere

Greetings, my dears, from halfway in between Los Angeles and Maui. 

There isn't much to report--and just a few things to see - out here.

Some pretty sunrises...

...some Celebrity Olympian Sightings....

(that's John Naber , five-time Olympic medalist.  Dwight Stones and Wyomia Tyus  are somewhere around...which can only mean one thing...the 2018 World Cruise Games  are about to commence!)

...there's also lots of awesome lectures...

...new experiences like Tai Chi (there were about 60 cruisers trying it out!)...

... the chance to start my day off right, with lemon water, V-8 and coffee delivered to my room at 6:30 each morning...

(the hour of delivery is MY choice....I find I get so much more out of the day if it starts early. I guess Ben was onto something...)

Stacey's afternoon Zumba classes are dragging me, kicking and screaming, toward a stronger body...

(not about to share photos of what my bedraggled self looks like after 45 minutes of Latin-inspired aerobic dance- let's just say I look like I just stepped out of the shower)

I loved the inspiration from a fellow cruiser..

...and when you look out in the morning and see this....well- no words are necessary!

Maui on Monday, peeps!  Have a GREAT weekend!

Sheer and Utter Insanity

I tossed and I turned all night long.

It’s probably because Susanna, my CPAP (named for the Countess’ good and faithful lady’s maid in Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro) was packed.

But I digress…. (quelle surprise)

Let’s start over.

I tossed and I turned all night long.  But I must have finally slept because I heard the alarm go off at 6 o’clock, sat bolt upright in bed and said to myself “Elizabeth, what the hell are you doing?”

What I am doing, my dears, is abandoning Hooterville-on-Red for the next 112 days.

I’m going cruising.

(Another surprise there…..)

So as I type this, I am sitting in my room in the Westin in Los Angeles, overlooking the glaring twinkling approach lights of LAX.  

My bags are packed and I’m ready to go.

Yep, 112 days.

It’s sheer and utter insanity.

Oh, I won’t be alone.  I have lots of gal pals who are regular world cruisers, and Laird is joining me in Singapore for the run to Mumbai.

I’m hitting almost all the places that have been 1) very meaningful to me in the past (Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia) or 2) I’ve always wanted to visit (Middle East, Great Barrier Reef).  We were originally supposed to go to Egypt, and I was really psyched about that, but due to the political climate, that was cancelled, and extra days in Israel substituted.  

It’s something Jane always wanted to do. 

A whole Crystal Cruises' World Cruise. 

So I’m going.  I’m doing it for Mama.  

Ok, I’m doing it for myself, too.  Gonna get it off the bucket list.  

Los Angeles to Rome.  

Ok, so it’s really a ¾ world cruise.  That’s good enough.

I hope you’ll come along with me whilst in the comfort of your armchair, couch, or favorite floor mat.  Look at it like traveling with me —without the packing.

Welcome to E’s “Sheer and Utter Insanity ¾ of the World Tour”

Here’s where we are going….

ps- It was such a beautiful day to fly....just had to share..

What's that bright light in the distance?  It stayed there and stayed there shimmering as we flew over Arizona.

No, the Captain told us....no UFO.  That's the mirrored glass of the buildings in Las Vegas.......we caught it at just the right time.......

Maddie Jane in the Snow

Well, my dears, if you follow Anna-Grace's blog , you know the kiddos bought a house the first week in December.

And they moved the Friday of the first week in December. 

The day that Atlanta got a mini-snowmaggedon.

But I'm glad I was there to help--because I got these pics of Maddie Jane playing in the white stuff for the first time.  Strange thing, snow, for a Cali-born girl.

Honey's Snow Bunny!