Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Delicious

Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.

Last Sunday we finally arrived home from a 14 day journey from Los Angeles that took us through the Panama Canal to Miami with plenty of stops in between. Those who have experienced time on a cruise ship know that the great food is one of the major attractions of this popular vacation mode. How fitting that it matches this week’s photo challenge. Patti Moed put together this week’s challenge where she shares some of her favorite “foodie pics”. You can read the entire challenge post here.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Around the Neighborhood

Norwegian Pearl.

This week Tina Schell chose Around the Neighborhood as the theme for this week’s challenge. She writes, “Wouldn’t it be nice if we all felt as FDR suggested, that the whole world is one neighborhood? Unfortunately, I’m afraid we’re not quite there yet. This week though, let’s take a step forward and celebrate the neighborhood – your own, that of a friend or loved one, or simply a place you’ve visited that had a sense of community and made you feel welcome.”  You can read her entire challenge post here.

Hello Dolly – Paddlewheel Cruiser on Canyon Lake

Apache Junction, Arizona.

In previous posts here, I’ve focused on Canyon Lake, a reservoir created by one of a string of four dams on the Salt River. In 1925, the Mormon Flat Dam was completed creating the smallest lake in the chain. The lake is about 50 miles (80 km) from Phoenix. Only about 15 miles (24 km) from the city of Apache Junction, the drive is scenic and winds through the Tonto National Forest and parts of the Superstition Mountains.

Grand Turk – Columbus’ First Landfall?

Grand Turk Island, Turks and Caicos.

Our last stop on our 2018 Caribbean Cruise brought us to the Island of Grand Turk, a British Territory. Of course, on our cruise, I didn’t learn that Grand Turk might have been the place where Columbus first “discovered America.” As usual, in research for this post, I found the tidbit of information on Wikipedia. Seems the outline of the island more closely fits descriptions of the landing location than other possibilities. You can read the details here if you are so inclined.

El Morro – San Juan’s Centuries-old Defense

San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Our family cruise brought us to San Juan, the second port on our itinerary. There was really only one place we wanted to visit on the island, Castillo San Felipe del Morro, known these days simply as El Morro. Strategically placed at the northeast entrance to the Bay of San Juan, this massive fort has protected the city for nearly 500 years.

Carnival Magic – A Family Cruise

Somewhere in the Caribbean Sea.

In late January, we departed for Florida on a family cruise arranged by one of my nephews and his wife. They have been on a few Carnival cruises and put together the ship with an itinerary. We would find ourselves on the Carnival Magic headed for the eastern Caribbean ports at Amber Cove, Charlotte Amalie, San Juan, and Grand Turk. Lynn and I have also enjoyed cruises over the years and though we prefer Norwegian Cruise Lines, we found little to complain about on the Magic. The opening image features the Magic and a British cruiser docked at Grand Turk. The ship, however, never made it to Amber Cove.

Weekly Photo Challenge – Smile

Somewhere in the Caribbean.

This week, I was reviewing images from a recent cruise to feature here on my Travel Tuesday series. I ran across this photo of my wife, (foreground), and my sister and her boyfriend, all enjoying conversation over dinner at sea. It made me smile and I couldn’t help but share the photo with my family and friends on Facebook on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday, Ben Huberman announced the weekly photo challenge and said, “…point your camera at something or someone that puts a smile on your face (or just show a smiling face.)”