towel creations: a turn-down treat

While on the cruise ship, each night the staff would come in to do turn-down service. They'd also leave a little surprise in the form of a towel creation. I thought it would be fun to share them here.

This first guy is a little confusing. I think he's supposed to be a gorilla. Except that he seems to have big ears. (*shrug*)

A pig (he delivered our shore excursion tickets, dear thing).

A rabbit. Cause, you know, rabbits are always hopping around on ships.

One very cool elephant. Also very common on the Mexican Riviera. ;)

The terrifying brontosaurus...

A very cheeky seal

A lovely rose

And Jeff is now becoming a towel creation artist as well! Here is his first attempt: a deer.

ah...memories.

It's been a few days now since we returned home on Sunday. There has been time to run errands, work on the laundry, and get back into the swing of cooking again. (I must get out of the habit of sitting down at the table and expecting someone to bring me food!) We've made a much-anticipated trip to the new house. My eyes have turned from the dazzling sights to which they'd grown accustomed, and I'm growing adjusted to autumn weather as opposed to intense heat. We are getting back to normal, no doubt about it.

I'm not finished posting about our trip, but for now I thought I'd share a list for you....


~Memorable Moments~

• Wishing I had had LASIK done before we went snorkeling.
• Watching an elegant man in a tuxedo staking out seats in the ship's theater, while toting around an empty Gatorade bottle. Incongruous!
• On the beach at Mazatlan (see the photo above), every 40 seconds, if I wanted to buy a bracelet, hat, dress, toy, Corona Beer towel, etc.
• Men in a Mexican band where we were having lunch, performing the song "Brown-Eyed Girl" in Spanish.
• The novelty of being exposed to many of the 56 nationalities represented by the staff on our ship.
• The apparently great flexibility of traffic laws in Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta.
• Sitting on a hammock on a sunny beach while listening to my 4-year-old describe (via cell phone) all the different animals he'd just seen during a visit to the Oregon Zoo with his grandparents. "And...[aside] hey guys...did we see giraffes? Guys, did we see giraffes? [to me] and we didn't see any giraffes today..."

more "postcards"

Greetings, worthy readers!

We're still cruising, but I thought I'd share a few more shots.

Here is a photo of Jeff and I on Cruise Elegant night. All dressed up, finished with dinner, and waiting for the show to start. Jeff was a gentleman enough to offer me his jacket.

This boat brought us to Las Caletas, an hour from Puerto Vallarta. Check out that gorgeous water!

As two Oregon residents, swimming in warm ocean water was such a novelty!
Sadly, we didn't get any photos of Jeff and I in our snorkeling gear. And you know what? I'm okay with that. It was super cool, though!

Back in the city of Puerto Vallarta, the view from our restaurant's balcony. We dined and watched the sun set over the water.

if they could see me now

Greetings from somewhere on the Pacific Ocean!

Jeff and I are having a wonderful time, and I thought I'd sent you a few select photos (in lieu of a postcard of something) from our trip so far.

No, I didn't get a pedicure, or even paint my toenails before setting out on this trip. Yes, I am regretting it.

In happier news, this is a photo of my steak dinner from last night. Grilled flat iron steak, macaroni and cheese, creamed peas and vichy carrots. Yum.

The service staff on this ship is amazing. I can't remember the last time a man pulled out my chair for me. And the waiter shook out the napkin and placed it on my lap, for crying out loud.

Towel animals every night! So fun....

Until next time,