Back home ….

[Thumper]

We returned from our cruise yesterday and had a great time with my sister and bro-in-law. I’m afraid to get on a scale because I’m sure I gained at least 10-pounds. I’m terrible about not taking pics, but I did snap one of Lynn and my sister as we were heading out to explore Grand Caymen (or maybe Puerto Rico? Can’t remember).



But, when we returned home, we found our favorite cat had passed away. We have no idea what happened as she was in perfect health when we left. We’ve shed enough tears to refill a couple of California reservoirs over the past hours. We’ve had her for 33 years, and she was an adult when we adopted her as a stray, so we have no idea how old she was. At any rate, that’s pushing a world record for a cat. She LOVED to travel with us and was a huge daddy’s girl. She will be sorely missed and irreplaceable as a traveling companion.




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[BarryBobPosthole]

Glad to hear y’all had a big time! And sorry to hear about your kitty cat. 33 years? That’sgotta be a typo.
BKB

[DeputyDog]

Sorry to hear about your cat. It’s always hard to lose a pet.

We got back late Saturday night and am still trying to play catch-up with the job switch and being gone for a week. I will try to post some photos later.


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[Thumper]

Glad to hear y’all had a big time! And sorry to hear about your kitty cat. 33 years? That’sgotta be a typo.
BKB

Yessir, we were grilling on the pool deck 33 years ago (summer of 1990) and she appeared “out of nowhere”. (The average indoor cat lives about 15 years) We figured she was a neighbor’s cat. It was odd because we never saw where she came from, we’d just turn around and there she was. She’d disappear the same way she showed up, we’d turn around and she’d be gone. We never once saw where she was coming from or where she went when she left.

We always referred to her as the Grey Ghost because of that. Finally she never left and became a permanent fixture, then was eventually moved inside the house. Grey Ghost = GG and the name stuck. Out of the hundred cats we’ve probably rescued, she was the coolest cat we’ve ever had and we miss her terribly.

She was like a dog, my constant companion. If I were going somewhere, I’d say, “Come on GG, let’s go for a ride!” She’d run to my truck and jump in when I opened the door. We’re on an acre lot and if I had the truck in the back, she’d sit on the tailgate with Lynn as I drove around. When we bought the motorhome, she claimed it as her own. If we so much as took two steps toward the camper, she’d run over and sit in the steps until we opened the door to let her in. She had a small carpet on the dash that was her spot when we traveled.

Needless to say, there will never be another GG.

[BarryBobPosthole]

That has to be some kind of record. I’m sorry, I know myownself how pets are family members.

BKB

[Thumper]

Yessir, the world’s oldest cat lived to be 38, but anywhere remotely close to that is extremely rare. As stated, she was full grown when we adopted her, so who knows? She could have been a world’s record holder if we had age documentation, but we have no idea how old she was when she found us.

She was super healthy in her old age and got around like a kitten, but she went stone deaf a few years back. That was really her only issue before she died. We just wish we knew what killed her. When I found her, there were no visible signs of trauma, but she was bleeding from her mouth, nose and ear. She was locked in our master bedroom by herself, so there could not have been issues with any other cats. I suspect maybe she was on the bathroom counter top, jumped down and maybe hit her head on the tile floor. (?) To make matters worse, it appeared to have happened shortly before we got home. Rigor mortise had set in, but the blood had not coagulated and was still liquid. What really hurts is not knowing what happened, as well as not being there for her. It’s one of the saddest days we’ve had in a long time.

[Thumper]

Sorry to hear about your cat. It’s always hard to lose a pet.

We got back late Saturday night and am still trying to play catch-up with the job switch and being gone for a week. I will try to post some photos later.

Yeah Deppity, we just missed you! You returned on Saturday and we left on Sunday. My sis and BIL stayed aboard for another week. We did the Eastern Caribbean with them, then got off. They stayed on and are doing the Southern Caribbean this week, then will return next Sunday.

I really took very few pics as this was just a littie getaway for us. We’ve already done the Eastern Caribbean once or twice before. We had a medical emergency (heart attack) onboard while on the way back. We were headed for Half Moon Cay, but diverted back to Puerto Rico. An ambulance picked him up at the dock and transported him to the airport to be evacuated back to the States.

We watched the whole process while eating lunch. We sat dockside, saw the ambulance come in, then watched it head for the airport. There was some perfect timing as we also watched the plane land as the ambulance was headed to the airport, they loaded him up and immediately took off for Miami. The next day, the Captain made an announcement that he was going to be ok, but due to privacy issues, couldn’t say any more.

One thing it did for me is to consider travel insurance in the future. I’ve never purchased it before, but I ain’t getting any younger. I can’t image the expense to divert a whole cruise ship to an unscheduled port, have an ambulance transport you, then have a private medivac plane fly in to transport you Stateside.

We just stayed in Puerto Rico until about 9:00 pm before heading back to Lauderdale. We simply skipped Half Moon Cay, which was no biggie for us as we’ve been there before … a couple times.

[DeputyDog]

We had an awesome time. This was the fifth cruise for my wife and I but the first for the kids. We were scheduled to visit Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, St. Thomas USVI, Tortola BVI, and Great Stirrup Cay (NCL’s private Island in the Bahamas). We have done the eastern Caribbean a couple of times before but had never been to the DR or Tortola.

With the kids along we had to plan activities at all the ports, so we did zip lining and horseback riding in Puerto Plata,
a marine park with a dolphin encounter in St. Thomas, and took a boat from Tortola over to Virgin Gorda to go to The Baths.









They had to cancel the stop at Great Stirrup Cay due to the high winds and waves, but if stops had to be canceled, I’m glad it was that one.

The food and entertainment onboard were great and it was a successful trip.


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[BarryBobPosthole]

I love that part of the world. St John and the USVI and the BVI are amazing. Prettiest water I’ve ever seen except for maybe French Poly in the Pacific.
BKB

[quercus alba]

DD needs to weed-eat his back before he goes shirtless in public

[Thumper]

You hit the high spots DD. Have you gone to Stingray City yet? The kids would have loved it. It’s off of Grand Caymen.

I usually can’t do zip lines due to weight limits, but they have one in Puerto Rico that’ll keep my lard ass from crashing to the ground. I think it’s the second longest in the world, behind the one in Dubai I believe.

Nice pics. My bro-in-law just texted me and said the cruise hasn’t been as fun since we left. He’s been spending time in the casino and sent me a pic of a nice little jackpot he hit today. He’s up $850 so far, but I reminded him he’s still got over five days for them to get it back from him!

[Trav]

That’s not back hair, that’s a pelt.

[BarryBobPosthole]

He’s reaching silverback levels. Simian, even.

BKB

[DeputyDog]

Y’all can bite me!


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[Thumper]

Y’all can bite me!

No way! We’d be pulling hair out of our teeth for days!