The Mexican Riviera

 My friend Leslie and I had planned our trip to a warmer climate and to celebrate her birthday the last week of January.  Going on a cruise to the sunny Mexican Riviera was very appealing.  Neither of us had ever been to the Baja California Peninsula or the western coast of Mexico.  Three ports were scheduled on our 7-day cruise.  We would be at sea for two days and our first stop was Puerto Vallarta.

Winter Storm Fern was determined to factor in on our plans, however, Southwest Airlines alerted us to change our flights headed to San Diego, and I was able to get a nonstop flight leaving early in the day. What a relief that I was missing the connecting flight in Dallas.  The storm ended up being brutal and many residents in Nashville suffered from downed trees and loss of electricity due to all the ice.

This picture was taken from my Southwest aircraft over Wnter Storm Fern. It lasted half of the flight. What a storm!

Norwegian Jade was a mid-sized ship with an overall length of 965’, guest capacity of 2352 and had a crew of 1037.  Although the ship, built in 2006 (refurbished in 2022) had experienced many voyages, the crew was extremely accommodating and provided wonderful service.  One evening I started to take a shower and unfortunately discovered there was no hot water.  After a call to the front office, there was an immediate knock at the door by the maintenance man.  Within a few minutes, I was able to bathe.

Day 4 was spent in Puerto Vallarta.  It is a vibrant resort city with beautiful beaches. We experienced a scrumptious Mexican lunch consisting of fish tacos, pico de gallo and guacamole prepared table side.  Although a margarita sounded appealing, it was too early in the day…

Puerto Vallarta port

This sculpture was made entirely of seed beads!

This was an interesting figure. The woman was painted gold. She looked like a statue!

Day 5 we docked at Mazatlan.  We did quite a bit of walking as we wanted to experience firsthand the vendors, shops, parks and the enormous church in El Centro.  Understandably the vendors were trying to sell their wares, but sometimes it was overwhelming.  I felt I needed a sign saying, “no, thank you!”

Despite my memory lapse of forgetting to tell the waitstaff it was Leslie’s birthday that evening at dinner, they came bearing a piece of cake with a lit candle and vocal cords ready!  The birthday cake was delicious but not as yummy as the 7-layer chocolate cake we had ordered.

Day 6 we took the tender from the ship to the shoreline of Cabo San Lucas.  We hired a man named Antonio to wheel us around the city.  I had thought he would be taking us to the old district but instead it was the commercial district.  We did a little bit of looking and again I wish I had had that “no, thank you”sign!

It was a wonderful escape especially from Winter Storm Fern.  The days were sunny and once we arrived at the ports of call, the temperatures were much warmer.  Leslie and I found comfort sitting in the lounge chairs with our jackets on the first few days when we at sea on the Pacific.  We were surprised at those individuals donning swimsuits and taking a dip in the pool!

With the current events occurring in Mexico and particularly Puerto Vallarta, my friend Leslie and I are thankful we are home.  God bless the USA.

ADIOS AMIGO 

Sewanee - The University of the South

 A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of going on my Senior Center bus trip to Sewanee.  It is known as the University of the South and reminded me so much of the Ivy League schools in the New England states.

It is an undergraduate College widely considered one of the top liberal arts colleges in the nation. In 1856 it was officially initiated by bishops of the Episcopal Church. It continues to be owned by 28 Episcopal dioceses, and since 1857 its Board of Trustees have met continuously.

The university is located on a 13,000 acre campus on the southern end of the Cumberland Plateau.  Approximately 1700 students are enrolled in the undergraduate liberal arts program and the School of Theology has approximately 170 students pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees.  We were told many of the professors have such a camaraderie with their students that they leave their porch lights on in the evening if the student needs extra instruction.

I was thoroughly enthralled by the All Saints’ Chapel.  Groundbreaking for the massive stone building was in 1904.  The liturgies are according to the usage of the Episcopal Church, but the ministry is ecumenical and the daily and Sunday services are open to everyone.

On our trip home we stopped at the Dutch Maid Bakery in Tracy City, Tennessee.  Every senior was treated to a Tennessee Mountain Moonshine Cake.  Of course, I chose chocolate.  Yummy!

I have tried many times to download some pictures but unfortunately can’t.  I will keep trying.

Blessings to you all and Happy Thanksgiving 🦃 

Frist Art Exhibit - Venice and the Ottoman Empire

 Having traveled to the Mediterranean Sea recently, this exhibit appealed to me greatly. It did not disappoint. The expedition took you to the Mediterranean Sea from the years 1400 to 1800. Venice was the crossroads of trade connecting Europe, Asia and Africa. Venice cultivated close ties with the Ottoman Empire, which was the wealthiest and most powerful in the eastern Mediterranean region after conquering Constantinople in 1453.

The exhibit provided the attendees with an enormous array of paintings, clothing, information regarding food and spices, glasswork, shoes and coins just to name a few. The description of some of the items follows the photo. Enjoy!

A pillow made using silk and leather