New SIMPLE SOLUTIONS for PLANET EARTH AND HUMANITY:
This blog site derives from the original version of Planet Earth & Humanity, but will be more WE than ME. The coverage will remain similar, but perhaps these postings will seem to come from a parallel universe, or maybe even Purgatory. But truth and reality will prevail, with dashes of whimsy and levity to help make your day.
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WE ARE ON THE OCEANIA RIVIERA
The highlight of Day 9 in Japan was lunch in my hotel room. Clouds still blocking a view of Mount Fuji. The Sheraton Yokohama Bay Hotel sits over a large underground shopping mall. A close-by market supplied chutoro and hirame sashimi and a bento of beef curry over rice. The hotel provided the hot green tea and cold beer.
Our final Club Lounge session was five hours and, below, last breakfast on Day 10.
Best croissant I've had in years. All in all, in consideration of price, this has become our favorite hotel in Japan.
Then off to the Oceania Riviera. Azaleas are in bloom.
Approaching our ship.
I've been on more than a dozen cruises, maybe two. Checking-in almost always involves standing in line, with long waits. Perhaps an hour or more. This time, a lot of personnel to get our luggage off the taxi and wheeled to the baggage check area. Then, maybe a five-minute processing period. We were on the ship ten minutes after we were dropped off by the cab. See the front of the Oceania Riviera? Our veranda is in the middle, second deck up, which is the 8th floor of this ship.
Docked next to us is our favorite cruise ship, the Diamond Princess.
Started with a late lunch. I'm going traditional today, starting with spaghetti bolognese and a salad, with Glenfiddich, beer and red wine.
Walked to our cabin and our suitcases were at the door. Unpacked and went for margaritas.
We then walked around before dinner and stopped by a performance of the Amadeus String Quartet playing baroque music. Had another Glenfiddich on rocks.
Moved to a piano bar. Then dinner at Polo Grill.
Started with New England Clam Chowder and Raymond Cabernet Sauvignon
Caesar Salad.
Ribeye Steak and onion rings.
We were exhauste and went back to our room. Walked 6188 steps today.
The story of the day is Hurricane Milton, now a Category 4 at 145 MPH, with a track that has moved further south and the eye projected to make landfall just south of Sarasota. Good news for Tampa, which is 73 miles north. Milton will crash into Florida as a Category 4, and is huge, so a lot of problems can still be expected in Tampa Bay with storm surge. If the eye had crossed into the state just north of Tampa, the damage would have been catastrophic. Milton is a fast-moving storm, currently at 17 MPH, so as bad as the rainfall will be over Florida, again, a blessing. The eye will make landfall around 10PM EDT today, and will move into the Atlantic Ocean north of Palm Bay Thursday morning. My first trip to Seattle was in June of 1962 just after I graduated from Stanford University. Caught a bus. Was called the Century 21 Exposition . Also the Seattle World's Fair. 10 million joined me on a six-month run. My first. These a...
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