Decompressing

Hear that big sigh? That's me, letting myself unwind. We are comfortably settled in here at the condo. The captain is currently doing a power-walk on the beach and I am sitting by a glass balcony door I have slid open, listening to the pounding of the surf and looking out at palm trees, a sandy beach, ocean waves, blue skies and sunshine. I took some photos earlier today; this palm tree is one of many that we see as we walk up to our unit (which is on the third floor, facing directly east, at the ocean). I am so happy I found this place last year. The owners are delightful and the place is just about perfect.

Every day that goes by, every hour ... I feel the stress leave my body. I highly recommend a beach vacation for anyone who needs to forget their cares and get back on track. You don't have to laze around in the sun (but you can if you want, of course!) to enjoy the beach; it's also a beautiful place just to BE.

But we can't stay forever of course. We have a cruise on Saturday!

We made it!

Hello from sunny, hot Florida! It is SO good to be here; I've been looking forward to this trip for a long time and I'm tickled that our vacation has begun!

We left Toronto Tuesday morning, the 14th, and spent the first night in Kentucky and the second night in Georgia, then arrived here at our hotel late Thursday afternoon. I have always loved a road trip and this one did nothing to change that opinion. Put me in a car, put me on a journey, and I'm a happy soul.

The photo above is looking north, taken while outside on our balcony here at our hotel in Melbourne, right on the ocean. And tomorrow we move into "our" condo for the week prior to our 30th anniversary cruise. It's not our very own Florida condo -- I wish -- it's just one we've stayed at before. It's on the ocean too, only not as high up as we are here at the hotel; we're on the 14th floor here. Very high! We've already spotted dolphins out in the ocean not far from shore and I know we'll see lots of dolphins from our condo balcony too.

Off now for a relaxing bath. They upgraded us at check-in because our room wasn't ready and so we have a room with a soaker jacuzzi tub. Heaven!

Nigel, we will miss you

It was only a few short weeks ago that my sister-in-law's family in Indiana lost one of their precious cats, Tuxedo. I'm afraid there's more sad news: this morning, their Nigel was killed by some sort of wild animal while protecting another of their kitties. This is completely his nature -- if he had been a person, he'd be that big brother who would always protect you, no matter what. Nigel died a hero's death but that is little consolation when you lose a beloved pet. Above is a photo of both Nigel, on the left, and Tux on the right. They were the two black cats at my sister-in-law's home and I was delighted this spring when I was able to capture a photo of both of them, sitting still and beside eachother. It is now a very precious photograph.

what I've been up to...

I just don't know where the hours and days are going. Why is it that when you're planning for a vacation it always seems so far away and then ALL OF A SUDDEN, wham! It's almost time to leave and you discover that you're not ready! This is my life right now.

But I have been working on something else besides packing and planning. That's why there's no photo along with this blog post. You want photos? Then check out Project 5x5. You'll find me there. This new site is the brainchild of the multi-talented Krysta of Evil Chef Mom fame. I was so pleased to be able to take part in the first project ... Five photos, taken five days in a row, each taken anywhere between 5:00-5:59 pm. You'll find all the photos for the project at the site, or if you want to check out mine then click here. It was much more challenging than I anticipated; I didn't know whether to pick a theme, take my pictures only inside or out, photoshop the heck out of them or leave them alone, stick around the house or go for a walk. Decisions! But I completed my assignment and am very pleased with how the project turned out!