Hiddenhearth
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 16, 2001
Firstly, to the woman who e-mailed questions about hand rails for handicapped persons, I tried e-mailing back, but the server was busy, and I tried and tried and then lost not only my return message but your name and address as well. Send again.
Now, what was I talking about.
Things we were supposed to need on the trip, maybe. How about 2-way radios? Yes, we brought a pair. Didn't use them but once. That was at Castaway Cay, when I hurried ashore for a place with shade, a place close to the walkway and eating areas, for the sake of parents and MIL. Mother-in-law waited until the masses exited the ship. DW remained behind as well, and then radioed me. I was to meet them with a Castaway wheelchair or sand wheelchair, if need be. The trooper that my mother-in-law was - well, she walked instead. But when she finally met me, waiting near the gift shop, she gladly accepted the sand wheelchair.
This type wheelchair turned out to be a blessing. When my mother-in-law decided she would like to go down to the water's edge, she realized she could only do so in this chair. So, my father and I wheeled her right down into the water! The wheels, at least. She remained in the chair, dangling her swollen feet and ankles in the water.
What else didn't we bring on the trip. Oh, the over-the-door shoe organizer. Sounded useful, from previous reports, but we didn't bring one and didn't miss it.
Post It Notes. Great idea. Would have used them daily, if they weren't sitting at home on the counter by the door...
Tuxes. Oh, go for it. Our family was the prime example of - When are we ever going to have a formal portrait like this? Never before, never again (no, no, no - I am bound and determined to convince my family to excursion westward within two years). A very special 8 x 12 already sits on our mantlepiece. One of our best shots ever - best for each one of us - all together so nicely dressed, me & DW looking elegant, D15S suddenly a young man, and D11S thankfully not looking like that yet but handsome to boot in garb he'll rarely get into - all of us looking so happy... Do you think this image isn't worth thousands of dollars to me? Bring the tux, rent one, tell the kids they're dressing up - no if ands or buts, they'll just have to understand some later time. Geez, I even had to coerce my father into dusting off the tux and bringing it along. At least he already understands.
My little flashlight did come in handy.
Back to St. Maarten. We had time after Pinel Island to walk into town and stroll the shops. Boy, aren't those prices cheap, for t-shirts and hats! After we'd have enough of these shops, we hopped in a taxi and went over the hills to Marigot. Guess what we did there?! No, not strolled the shops - we strolled through the open-air market. Yes, nearly the same stuff as in Phillipsburg. A little different. Nicer town. Glad we went.
After the day at St. Thomas, to the surprise of DW & I, my 15 y/o spoke (he does speak, once in a while), saying that he enjoyed St. Maarten better than St. Thomas. Why? (For those yet-to-go, you'll see that the latter is so much cleaner.) "Because," says he, "at St. Maarten I felt like I was in a different country."
At St. Thomas, after lunch at Topsiders and after the excursion to St. John, we took another cab ride. With the two excurions going down (into the water), we decided it was time to go up. To Mountain Top, that is. Eek, the cab was $8 pp, each way. Timely, conveniently, while we considered the $64, DS11 faded into irritability. No problem. No finer babysitter than the Magic.
We deposited him up the gangway and hopped into our cab. This type cab, like so many on the island, is actually a converted pickup truck. The bed of these trucks are lengthened, making room for about six rows of seats, with a roof for cover. The three of us had this cab to ourselves. Up, up, up the hills went this truck. Our elderly, well-fed driver narrated - by loudspeaker - along the way. We had no idea what he said. We didn't care. We were most content, quietly enjoying the ride. My son on one bench, my wife on the next, and I on another (all right, so it was hot). What a view from the upper reaches of these ridges! Far more spectacular than I could have imagined.
At Mountain Top (?), the driver stopped his truck. I started to pay when he said, "No, no. Pay later. I wait for you." We might be a few mintues, I warned. "You take your time. Enjoy the view. I wait. Just bring me back a fruit punch."
To our delight, the view from the balcony of this tourist trap overlooks Megan's Bay. It was clear and sunny. With my polarizing sunglasses the colors were nearly as spectacular as the fish on the snorkeling trails.
Also, to our surprise, of the few other tourists on this balcony, there were my parents, on a stop on the island tour excursion! After our fill of this view, I purchased a fruit punch. Returning to our cab, I found our driver sound asleep. I woke him, handing him the fruit punch, for which he was most grateful. Down the ridges he braked. Here and there was a vista of the harbor, the centerpiece of course being what other than the Magic. She is such a magnificant sight, even next to the even-bigger but much too glitzy Princess ship, or whatever it is. The Magic's got style, class, like no other.
I've got to stop and say here that since this trip of ours, I already went back to New York, to work for a stint. If you haven't read previous posts of this much-too-long reminiscence, I will tell you that I am a Docking Pilot. I dock ships. A few days ago I was about to move a tanker from anchorage just north of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to an oil terminal in the Kills, when the liner Queen Elizabeth II approached. I had to stop heaving anchor for her to pass, upon request of her pilot. As I waited for her to steam past (and close by), I couldn't get over how my impression of her had changed. I've seen the QEII many times and had always stopped to admire the sight of her. But she just didn't have it for me anymore.
I have a new love. I've fallen for the Magic. The QEII just isn't pretty to me anymore. Well, I mean she's still got a nice figure, I suppose - but next to the Magic - she's no match. The Magic is too stunning to compare with any other. If she were human, she'd turned the head of any guy, young or old, single or not.
No, I am not a Disney employee.
Am I talking into the wind? Anyone still with me??
Steve
Now, what was I talking about.
Things we were supposed to need on the trip, maybe. How about 2-way radios? Yes, we brought a pair. Didn't use them but once. That was at Castaway Cay, when I hurried ashore for a place with shade, a place close to the walkway and eating areas, for the sake of parents and MIL. Mother-in-law waited until the masses exited the ship. DW remained behind as well, and then radioed me. I was to meet them with a Castaway wheelchair or sand wheelchair, if need be. The trooper that my mother-in-law was - well, she walked instead. But when she finally met me, waiting near the gift shop, she gladly accepted the sand wheelchair.
This type wheelchair turned out to be a blessing. When my mother-in-law decided she would like to go down to the water's edge, she realized she could only do so in this chair. So, my father and I wheeled her right down into the water! The wheels, at least. She remained in the chair, dangling her swollen feet and ankles in the water.
What else didn't we bring on the trip. Oh, the over-the-door shoe organizer. Sounded useful, from previous reports, but we didn't bring one and didn't miss it.
Post It Notes. Great idea. Would have used them daily, if they weren't sitting at home on the counter by the door...
Tuxes. Oh, go for it. Our family was the prime example of - When are we ever going to have a formal portrait like this? Never before, never again (no, no, no - I am bound and determined to convince my family to excursion westward within two years). A very special 8 x 12 already sits on our mantlepiece. One of our best shots ever - best for each one of us - all together so nicely dressed, me & DW looking elegant, D15S suddenly a young man, and D11S thankfully not looking like that yet but handsome to boot in garb he'll rarely get into - all of us looking so happy... Do you think this image isn't worth thousands of dollars to me? Bring the tux, rent one, tell the kids they're dressing up - no if ands or buts, they'll just have to understand some later time. Geez, I even had to coerce my father into dusting off the tux and bringing it along. At least he already understands.
My little flashlight did come in handy.
Back to St. Maarten. We had time after Pinel Island to walk into town and stroll the shops. Boy, aren't those prices cheap, for t-shirts and hats! After we'd have enough of these shops, we hopped in a taxi and went over the hills to Marigot. Guess what we did there?! No, not strolled the shops - we strolled through the open-air market. Yes, nearly the same stuff as in Phillipsburg. A little different. Nicer town. Glad we went.
After the day at St. Thomas, to the surprise of DW & I, my 15 y/o spoke (he does speak, once in a while), saying that he enjoyed St. Maarten better than St. Thomas. Why? (For those yet-to-go, you'll see that the latter is so much cleaner.) "Because," says he, "at St. Maarten I felt like I was in a different country."
At St. Thomas, after lunch at Topsiders and after the excursion to St. John, we took another cab ride. With the two excurions going down (into the water), we decided it was time to go up. To Mountain Top, that is. Eek, the cab was $8 pp, each way. Timely, conveniently, while we considered the $64, DS11 faded into irritability. No problem. No finer babysitter than the Magic.
We deposited him up the gangway and hopped into our cab. This type cab, like so many on the island, is actually a converted pickup truck. The bed of these trucks are lengthened, making room for about six rows of seats, with a roof for cover. The three of us had this cab to ourselves. Up, up, up the hills went this truck. Our elderly, well-fed driver narrated - by loudspeaker - along the way. We had no idea what he said. We didn't care. We were most content, quietly enjoying the ride. My son on one bench, my wife on the next, and I on another (all right, so it was hot). What a view from the upper reaches of these ridges! Far more spectacular than I could have imagined.
At Mountain Top (?), the driver stopped his truck. I started to pay when he said, "No, no. Pay later. I wait for you." We might be a few mintues, I warned. "You take your time. Enjoy the view. I wait. Just bring me back a fruit punch."
To our delight, the view from the balcony of this tourist trap overlooks Megan's Bay. It was clear and sunny. With my polarizing sunglasses the colors were nearly as spectacular as the fish on the snorkeling trails.
Also, to our surprise, of the few other tourists on this balcony, there were my parents, on a stop on the island tour excursion! After our fill of this view, I purchased a fruit punch. Returning to our cab, I found our driver sound asleep. I woke him, handing him the fruit punch, for which he was most grateful. Down the ridges he braked. Here and there was a vista of the harbor, the centerpiece of course being what other than the Magic. She is such a magnificant sight, even next to the even-bigger but much too glitzy Princess ship, or whatever it is. The Magic's got style, class, like no other.
I've got to stop and say here that since this trip of ours, I already went back to New York, to work for a stint. If you haven't read previous posts of this much-too-long reminiscence, I will tell you that I am a Docking Pilot. I dock ships. A few days ago I was about to move a tanker from anchorage just north of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to an oil terminal in the Kills, when the liner Queen Elizabeth II approached. I had to stop heaving anchor for her to pass, upon request of her pilot. As I waited for her to steam past (and close by), I couldn't get over how my impression of her had changed. I've seen the QEII many times and had always stopped to admire the sight of her. But she just didn't have it for me anymore.
I have a new love. I've fallen for the Magic. The QEII just isn't pretty to me anymore. Well, I mean she's still got a nice figure, I suppose - but next to the Magic - she's no match. The Magic is too stunning to compare with any other. If she were human, she'd turned the head of any guy, young or old, single or not.
No, I am not a Disney employee.
Am I talking into the wind? Anyone still with me??
Steve
