a wake-up fall

This evening, I was trying to retrieve my coat from the back of the car after parking in our garage. To do that, I had to step over the lawnmower and open the car's back door. Somehow I got tangled up in the lawnmower handle and crashed to the ground, landing on both knees. No major damage, but I’m sure there will be magnificent bruises. What it points out to me is how different it is to fall now, instead of even 5 years ago. Age and weight are combining to make any tumble much more risky. Aspirin will take care of me now but it sure makes me aware of what I need to do. Eat less, stretch and exercise more, and work on balance. Call it a wake-up fall…


© Chrisharvey

Dreamstime.com

Will it snow?

The buzz around here right now is that we might have some snow tomorrow!  Houston doesn't get that much so this is exciting.  I imagine there will several people that don't show up at work - even though the prediction is for 1-2 inches, west of 59. We will see! 

Home again!

We are home again!  October 3rd to October 19 - a long time to be gone.  As always it is good to travel and good to come home.  Things are fine here at the house - the garden is a bit more overgrown than usual (looks like we had about 5 inches of rain while we were away).  We wondered how Mo would react to us.  She was a bit tentative at first but now won't let us out of her sight and has been purring more-or-less nonstop for the last 2 hours.  Now the washer is running, the rice cooker is steaming, the suitcases unpacked, and the mail sorted (but not read, yet).  Many pictures to edit, video to put together, and at some point I'll get started on the tripbook. 

 

Tomorrow will be a breathless day at work I'm sure.  But it will also be nice to get back into the groove of work. 

 

Amy

On land again, in Miami

We arrived in Miami early this morning...  absolutely no problem getting off the ship and on to the hotel.  We are sitting in the lobby waiting for the room now. 

 

Transiting the Panama Canal was an awesome experience... so glad we were able to do it.  Incredible to see how enormous ships are moved so easily and quickly up through the locks and then down again.  We could hardly tear ourselves away from the deck - just like everyone else on the ship!

 

Grand Cayman was hot hot hot and incredibly humid.  We walked down to Seven Mile Beach and sat on a small dock watching the fishes swim in impossibly transparent water.  Then we walked back and went on our Atlantis Submarine trip.  Forty people sitting back to back down the center of a small submarine, facing the portholes.  Crowded but light and bright enough to prevent claustrophobia.  We dived down and saw thousands of reef fish of all kinds, blue and yellow and black, striped and spotted, big and tiny.  The biggest creature we saw was a turtle (not sure what kind), munching on something.  We dove to 108 feet.  I'm sure this is the deepest I will ever go in the ocean and it was exhilarating. 

 

Will write more later.  And I'll start posting photos too (of which there are many!).

 

A&A 

Guatemala

We had an awesome trip inland to Antigua, formerly capital of Guatamala. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and I can see why. Between 2 volcanoes and high up, it has cobblestone streets and lots of charm. Tomorrow is at sea, then Costa Rica. We have seen turtles, dolphin, lots of sea birds and some interesting fish. Got into a huge rain storm on the way back down the mountain... One of the people in our van said that people pay good money to Disney for rides like that!

Sent from my iPhone
Amy Nicolai 713.301.0030

Finally sunny in Acapulco

It was raining when we got here this morning but now is sunny and hot. Walked around the town and the fort - nice textile exhibit. On to Huatulco tomorrow!

Sent from my iPhone
Amy Nicolai 713.301.0030