We were at the Chankanaab National Park in Cozumel on the last stop of our Mexico Cruise. The ship’s bus had delivered us and would pick us up later. The guide told us that if we left early and took our own taxi back to the ship – and we were late – that we better learn Spanish because we would be stuck in Mexico. When you are on a cruise ship, you need to be back when they say to be … [Read more...]
Spam I Am
Most people today think of spam as unwanted e-mails in your in-box. But I got a can of Spam for Christmas. To eat, not to erase. I actually like Spam, and so do Hawaiians. As I understand it, Spam was first introduced to the natives of Hawaii when Americans established a base in Pearl Harbor. Our GIs ate Spam reluctantly, but the Hawaiians went nuts over the stuff. I suppose if you can eat poi, … [Read more...]
A Birthday Marlin
What do you want for your birthday this year? Let me see. How about a deep-sea fishing trip for blue marlin off the coast of Hawaii? Sometimes you get what you ask for. On November 30, my - uhm - 39th birthday, I went fishing out of Kona, Hawaii, the Blue Marlin Capitol of the World. Nancy had arranged my special trip through Norwegian and I joined 2 couples from Montreal aboard a 45-foot … [Read more...]
Hawaii Bound
We’re going again. As you read this edition of Cville Buzz, we will be on our way to Baltimore. Early, early Saturday morning we will fly the friendly skies to Salt Lake City, touch down, stretch our legs and head for Honolulu. Sometime that afternoon (who knows what time it will really be) we will board a Norwegian Cruise Ship and visit Maui, The Big Island and Kawaii. We have lots of exciting … [Read more...]
A Tragic Helicopter Accident
(Nancy with Paul Matero) The recent helicopter crash in Hawaii really struck home. It was the same chopper and the same pilot and the same tour Nancy and I took just two years ago. The pilot was Paul Matero. We had found him to be super professional, with safety front and center. He had years of experience and trained other chopper pilots in handling bad weather. Paul worked for … [Read more...]
Traveling Man
I guess I’m a traveling man. The call of the inky blue water lapping against the black lava rock shorelines was too tempting. The vision of giant sea turtles drifting gracefully with the tide and the warm tropical breeze flowing across the bow of our ship was too great to resist. So, we’re going again. Nancy and I are taking another cruise to Hawaii and we really owe it all to our … [Read more...]
We were sipping our first cup of coffee on our private deck at sunrise. Through the gray haze across the water, we could see three boats. They were fishing. With my binoculars, I could see men at the rear of the boat and outriggers. Soon, a fourth boat joined them. The boats huddled for a few minutes, and then the fourth boat sped away. I assumed that the three fishing boats had … [Read more...]
Hawaii, Hawaii
As you are reading this edition of CvilleBuzz, I will be in the air speeding across the country on my way to Hawaii. On March 3, Nancy and I will have been married 50 years and we will celebrate with a cruise of the Hawaiian Islands. We’ll fly from Baltimore to Houston, then on to Honolulu, where we will board a Norwegian Liner and tour the islands. We will also have several tours of … [Read more...]