October ends.....November begins

October 29-November 10th

No trips to speak of but as always I have been busy. When I returned from the cruise, soon Halloween was here. I didn't even decorate this year. Sad no annual Halloween party either this year. I did get to celebrate the season with a costume contest at work. 

We all had fun for the day and some goodies too.

I was "raining men."

The following weekend was a sad but hopeful day. There was a benefit for my friends deceased son Adam. There were so many people who loved him. Everyone had shirts that stated Do it for Adam.

On a more positive note, Mark received another Cruise voucher. We had a nice cup of nacho's and a few cocktails before reviewing plans to sail off to Alaska on this trip. We are shooting for September 2019. 

One day at work we had PIE for lunch.

Not at all healthy, but much enjoyed.

We always seem to be eating. No wonder I am so LARGE! Here we are at a HUNNY conference having a lunch break.

I took a day off from work to take care of all things health related. I am Healthy and so is our pup.

One day during a slow day at work a few of us went out for burgers. YUM!

Nice way to start the fall season. TTFN

California/Mexican Vacation: Ensenada

Ensenada Mexico

October 25th 2018

We are finally in a Mexican City on our Mexican Cruise. Although it was not a city anyone of us would have chosen, we are here. So we soon deported and made our way out along the docks. We were greeted by a gentleman who offered a tour to the city with a roundtrip $5- fee. We jumped on and along the ride we were offered a tour of El Bufadora. It was much cheaper then the tickets on the ship and since we had no other plans we decided on the tour. 

The tour bus was about a 45 minute ride, like in my previous post I did have several more pictures but the blogger site refuses to upload my pictures anymore. (I still do not know why if anyone has a suggestion I thank you for input in the comments.) Below is a picture of the horses on the beach, which is also a tour I believe one can take.

While waiting for our tour to start several people approached us to purchase things. We instead decided to simply enjoy the warm weather. 

Soon we were loaded up and on our way

Our tour guide offered us information as we drove. These heads are of significant people of Ensenada.

Before long we were driving along the coast, these were some of the views out the window. Lovely....

Once we made it to La Bufadora we were greeted by shopping shopping and more shopping.

A few things to know before you go,
-Bathrooms are plentiful, but plan to PAY to use.
-Be ready to "haggle" or say "NO" often, even more then you would ever expect. Street vendors in this area are EXTREMELY aggressive.
-DO NOT attempt to take picture of the baby tigers, unless you are a paying customer.
-Do not swing on the bar stool swings unless you are getting a drink at the bar.
-Although you will be offered several Tequila drinks in a small try me cup, it will not get you drunk, and if you promise to hook up with them after you see the blow hole...they will remember you.
-You can get almost ANY prescription you need at the pharmacy, but 1-2 Xanax to help you on the plane ride home cannot be purchased unless you buy a whole 30 day supply.
-Cherro's  are yummy and the sample sizes given are enough to fill you up.
-DO not buy a $7- American magnet when you can get 3 for $5- down the way.
-Do not get suckered into paying $7- for a magnet just because the haggler has a sick father.
-DO DO DO Haggle! I found, after running away from most if you do offer a reasonable price for an item they will take it.
-Do stop and look at the beautifully hand painted shells at the end of the walkway near La Bufadora. Best Souvenir ever.
-Do allow yourself to enjoy the beauty of the cliff's and water.
-Buy any last minute purchases at the on site (soda/candy toiletries) store. The prices are EL CHEEPO!
- You do not need to know or speak Spanish.

A little entertainment.

and an amazing view!

La Bufadora is one of the largest blowholes in North America. As water enters into the caves below air is trapped sending a fountain of water shooting into the air.

The noise that the water makes is why the Le Bufadora got it's name. It sounds like a buffalo snorting. (Well maybe.)

It was quite impressive however.

Water certainly sprayed up high. (Unlike the blow hole we waited for in Arcadia a few summers back.)

We watched for some time. The blow never seemed to cease. Every few seconds another blow.

The views surrounding the area are truly beautiful. We searched for whales off the coast but didn't see any.

Photo opt. For a few dollars someone will take a picture of you and your family next to the Ensenada sign. We opted out. 

Instead we headed back towards the tour bus and had a few beers. Mark got his Cubans. We were really we not hungry, but we were told that some of the most incredibly taco's are sold here and for cheep. Check it out. 

Dogs were everywhere and this cutie even posed.  It was soon time to head back, Mark and I got the last of our gifts to bring home.
Once back in Ensenada we decided to walk back to the ship rather then wait for the tour bus back. We made our way along the main street where we watched a stringed band walk past us. (I wish we were around to see them play.) Down an ally-way we came upon some small shops and several fish markets.

We also saw this cute little pink pig, who was walking around like the family pet. He was adorable.

This Mexican Flag is the first thing you see at the Port. It is GIGANTIC. 

It was a lovely day in Mexico and a wonderful way to end our cruise. Two days later we were back in LA. -TTFN

California/Mexican Vacation:San Diego

San Diego CA

October  25, 2018

After our Cruise ship took a trip North then returned South our new port (rather then Mexico due to the Hurricane) we docked in San Diego CA.
This was another California city we were unfamiliar with, but excited to explore.
Just a few steps away we came upon the VD Kiss "The Kissing Sailor.". I was unaware that the statue of the Life magazine picture was placed in the San Diego  harbor, but enjoyed the opportunity to relish in taking in a picture. The kiss was "stolen" from a stranger in NY City after a victory over Japan in 1945 during WWII.

Everyone was so happy over the Japanese surrender, people were kissing anyone and everyone. I guess this picture started an iconic and memorable image.  Mark and I attempted at our our memorable kiss. (Not even close.)

San Diego has a strong presence with the military and we were docked right next to this monster of a ship.  The USS Midway.  Although we did not visit this vessel there are tours that one can take. $21- for non military adults. It is truly a site to see.

Instead we walked the pier enjoying the sights. The stretch of walkway leading to the shipping village and Gas Light District is full of military references. Statues, plaques and  memory walls line the pretty landscaped path. (I had taken more pictures, but my computer or this site is refusing to upload.)

San Diego is the second largest California city and known as the birthplace of the state. Founded by Europeans in 1542 by Spain. It is the closest major city to the Mexican border and became American territory in 1950 after the Mexican -American war. 
Some of the areas alluring attractions is the San Diego Zoo, the amazing beaches and the Botanical Garden referred to as the Smithsonian of the West.  Had Mark and I planned better (known we were going to be in San Diego port) we may have ventured off to one of these locations. All the more reason to come back and visit. 

 Adjacent to the VD Kiss is a a tribute to actor/comedian Bob Hope.

Bob Hope, for those who are unaware was an actor during the 40's+. He did several movies with Bing Cosby, as well as other big stars of the day like Micky Rooney and Lucille Ball. Many I remember as being comedic.

In addition to multiple movies Bob was also a big supporter of the war effort and often toured to locations where the soldiers were. The area of this dedication also pipes in music and sayings of the time. Pretty neat.

Further down there were many statues of art. Here is one of them.

We also got to see a Hummingbird.

We made it to Sea Port Village which is a charming area offering restaurants and shopping. We also got to see fishermen taking the fish (tuna) right off  the boats. I had a great picture of these large fish being pulled up for an amazing catch. 

After enjoying Sea Port village Mark and I made our way to the Gas Lamp Quarters. This area had several dining opportunities as well as clubs and shopping. It was not all that exciting, but I bet it is fun at night.

After some more exploring of the area we headed back noting that there were scooter rentals on nearly every block and often laying in the street. We also observed several policemen after people riding those scooters. Apparently there is some guidelines and one of them is NOT ride at a fast rate. On the far end of the port adjacent to our ship was an area being developed into a port experience. There were several blocks of walls along the pier preventing us from getting a view, but it looks like an exciting. Look for this in the future. Beyond this area was the Maritime museum with several boats you can board and look at. One of the ships docked was the Santa Maria (Which I saw and boarded in Oswego NY some time last summer).

Again I took many more pictures, which generally help me with my story line, but unfortunately I could not upload everything. 

Having had our fill of San Diego we returned to the ship for a calm afternoon. TTFN