Anticipation

When we had “cruise only” travel agencies, I used to tell our staff that a cruise vacation had three equal parts:

Anticipation – Once you’ve booked you can begin dreaming about your dream vacation.  It’s what you think about when you should be working.  You see yourself walking the decks, dancing the night away, traipsing around exotic ports.  And the good travel agent will make sure to create realistic expectations of experience the client will have on board.  If the actual experience meets or exceeds the expectations, the client will have a great trip and come back for more!  I read www.CruiseCritic.com a lot and frequently throw in my two cents.  I am always amazed at the detail with which people anticipate their cruise.  They want to know everything, including stuff I wouldn’t think about asking even when I’m on the cruise!  There is no end to the minutia these folks find fascinating.

Experience – The actual trip itself.  Often we tend to think that the “event” is the thing, but it’s really only one third of the equation.

Memory – The memory of the event, reliving it, sharing your pictures, telling stories, trying the new recipes you discovered, and wondering why on earth you bought a particular thing and lugged it home only to put it in a garage sale . . . that’s another third.

I mention all of this because I just got assigned to lecture on the PRINSENDAM Europe Farewell cruise, leaving Athens October 30th.  And I am in the “anticipation” mode.  I have the “what to wear” down to a science, and I’ve been on the ship (and love it - less than 800 guests), but I’m thinking about lecture topics, and putting together presentations, but it’s fun.  It’s my kind of “anticipation.”

Now I’m not in the cruise sales business, and I don’t get anything out of this, but if you don’t have plans for the fall, this really is an awesome itinerary: Piraeus (Athens), Kusadasi (Ephesus), Santorini, Katakolon (Olympia), Sea Day, Civitavecchia (Rome), Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Cartagena, Gibraltar, Seville, Casablanca, Sea Day, Lanzarote(Canary Islands), Tenerife(Canary Islands), Crossing with six glorious Sea Days, Fort Lauderdale. If I’m going to go through the hassle of “crossing the pond” by air, I want to get my money’s worth! This is only one transatlantic flight and wonderful ports, plus relaxing sea days with lectures by you know who. I have no idea if there is any space or not, since this ship only holds 800 guests.

There’s already a busy CruiseCritic board about this cruise, and folks are planning independent shore excursion.

You Won’t Believe This

I’ve shared with you my frustrations in buying appliances for our new house, and my fantastic experience with Alex and Infox in David.  So, I ordered the appliances Saturday: he was there when the store opened (on Saturday morning!), took the order, no fuss, no muss.  Today I come home from 8 hours working on the house and get a call.  It’s Alex.  He wanted me to know that they have my appliances (all except the microwave convection oven which must be special ordered from the States) and do I want them to deliver tomorrow.  Tomorrow!!  I was speechless!  I caught my breath, sat down, stammered a bit, and said, “Well, do you think you could wait until Monday?”

So . . . if you’re building and looking for appliances, you’ve got to talk to this guy: Alex Sanchez, early 20’s, fluent English, understands business and the Internet and I got a great price.  INFOX David 775-1794.

“What do you do?”

 The folks who asked, “What do you do?”, should see me now!  I’m at the job site at 6:45AM, so I can nail the contractor when he drops off the 5 guys I’ve got to finish my job.  Find out he’s got 9 guys working for him, and including mine, 3 jobs: figures.    Now I knew he was a Panamanian contractor – more on that later – small time – more on that later, too – and low bidder, and I knew that he has trouble finishing, BUT I also knew he had a great reputation locally, has been building a few houses every year for years, and does work that is of higher quality than the high bidder.  So now I’m paying the price in frustration.  Anyway, I’m putting in the cabinets and putting in 8 hour days in construction, something I haven’t done since we remodeled our house in Ventura (Yeah, I’m a sucker for this kind of thing!).  So I come home, force myself to make something to eat, write my blog, lay on the couch with the dogs and listen to some music, and crash.  So it has been busy . . . but slowly we are making progress.

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This is for my wife, but you can look over her shoulder. She’s in Seattle with our amazing grandchild (who is already working on world peace, or at least peace of mind from having his diaper changed), and we’re in the final stages of our house . . . lots of decisions to be made long distance, and this has proved the best way to share images. Sorry to bore you.

Slate finished on the entrance, looking under the pergola to the garage.

Our hundred plus year old Egyptian front doors.

Color studies: