Ready to Cruise

Early this year, we received an Oceania Cruise brochure and were intrigued by a cruise from Dubai to Cape Town.  We had never visited any of the ports on the itinerary, so it would be a real adventure!  We are now just a couple days away from flying to Dubai.  We've been packing and repacking, because of our determination to travel with one carry on bag each.  We've had shots and taken pills for all kinds of diseases.  We're taking more pills "just in case."  We've applied and received Visas to visit India, Tanzania, Kenya, and Mozambique.  We have reservations for tours in almost every port we'll visit.  We'll stay three extra days at the end of the cruise for a land tour in South Africa.  Preparations for this trip have been a bit more complicated than for any other trip we've ever taken.  Off we go!

Itinerary = Anchor Port

DAY	PORT
Nov 6 Mon	Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Nov 7 Tue	Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Nov 8 Wed	Fujairah, United Arab Emirates
Nov 9 Thu	Muscat, Oman
Nov 10 Fri	Cruise the Arabian Sea
Nov 11 Sat	Cruise the Arabian Sea
Nov 12 Sun	Mumbai, India
Nov 13 Mon	Mumbai, India
Nov 14 Tue	Goa (Mormugao), India
Nov 15 Wed	Mangalore, India
Nov 16 Thu	Cochin (Kochi), India
Nov 17 Fri	Male, Maldives
Nov 18 Sat	Male, Maldives
Nov 19 Sun	Cruising the Indian Ocean
Nov 20 Mon	Cruising the Indian Ocean
Nov 21 Tue	Mahe, Seychelles
Nov 22 Wed	Mahe, Seychelles
Nov 22 Wed	Praslin, Seychelles
Nov 23 Thu	Cruising the Indian Ocean
Nov 24 Fri	Cruising the Indian Ocean
Nov 25 Sat	Mombasa, Kenya
Nov 26 Sun	Zanzibar, Tanzania
Nov 27 Mon	Cruising the Indian Ocean
Nov 28 Tue	Nosy Be, Madagascar
Nov 29 Wed	Cruising the Mozambique Channel
Nov 30 Thu	Cruising the Mozambique Channel
Dec 1 Fri	Maputo, Mozambique
Dec 2 Sat	Richards Bay, South Africa
Dec 3 Sun	Durban, South Africa
Dec 4 Mon	Cruising the Indian Ocean
Dec 5 Tue	Cape Town, South Africa
Dec 6 Wed	Cape Town, South Africa

Tumacoc Hill

Papa and I were up early this morning, to hike up Tumacoc Hill, about 3 miles round trip, with a 700' rise in elevation.  

"Tumamoc Hill is an 860-acre ecological reserve at the edge of downtown Tucson, Arizona, owned and operated by the University of Arizona College of Science in partnership with Pima County. A large swath of beautiful Sonoran Desert in the heart of a city with over 100 years of intensive ecological science; a site of community gathering; conservation; art; archaeology; history. Tumamoc is an active research center where multiple approaches come together to better understand the Sonoran Desert and arid environments.  With over 2,500 years of human use, over 100 years of science, and more visitation today than at any time of its history – Tumamoc Hill is a living laboratory, a refuge for exercise, health, and reflection."  

"The chief botanist of the Department of Agriculture, in 1903, convinced the Carnegie Institute to fund the creation of a Desert Laboratory near Tucson.  The goal was to study desert adaptations of plants in hopes of increasing agricultural output of the desert. This research continued until the 1940's, during which time the scientists were instrumental in the development of the field of ecology in the United States. They began publishing a journal, Plant World, which later became the major journal Ecology."  The Carnegie Institute erected three buildings between 1906-1914 to support the research.  The Desert Laboratory was named a National Historic Landmark in 1975.  The University of Arizona has ongoing research on the site today.

"Tumacoc Hill and the surrounding area was the home to the ancient Hohokam people.  It is the site of the earliest known trincheras village, consisting of 160 foundations of round stone structures.  Over 460 petroglyphs and a prehistoric garden beside the hill provides evidence of some of the earliest known food gardening in North America."

Besides all the history and research that has happened on Tumacoc Hill, it has spectacular views of Tucson, in every direction.  We enjoyed our hike.

Wooden Bowls

I love wooden bowls!  I love the grains of various woods, the art and craftsmanship that goes into making the bowls, and using the bowls for various purposes.  I have wooden bowls all over our home, in the kitchen - for fruit and napkins, in the dining room - for entertaining, in the living room - for rocks, in the pantry - ready to go! 

Basketball Game

We met with six high school students at the Steve Daru Boys and Girls Club late yesterday afternoon.  Two of the boys we met with play basketball on a Boys and Girls Club team.  They had an away game and the coach left with the rest of the team, while we were meeting.  Papa and I offered to drive the boys, Jackson and Freddy, to their game.  We enjoy watching basketball, so we stayed a bit to watch the game.  There was a girl playing with all the boys.  She held her own just fine.  It was an action packed game!

Unrest

In the spring of 2013, I planned a girls weekend in Princeton, NJ, for my daughters, grandchildren, Mom, and sister-in-law.  I found a house on Airbnb and off we went.  When I arrived,in April 2013,  I recognized the couple that owned the house, Omar and Jen, and within a couple of days remembered I had seen their photograph in the NYTimes Wedding section a couple years prior.  After our girls weekend, I stayed several more days, visiting with Whitney in the afternoons after she left work.  During those days, I got to know Omar and Jen over breakfasts and puttering in their garden.  Jen asked me to write a remodeling plan for them, which I did on the flight home.  Their old farmhouse needed updating.

On Saturday night, after not being in touch with Omar and Jen for four years, they flitted through my mind and I googled them.  It turns out Omar is still a professor at Princeton and Jen has been busy making a film, https://www.unrest.film/, about her health condition, myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), commonly known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  The film chronicles Jen’s journey over several years, living with ME, along with many others she gets to know along the way.  

The unusual thing about my timing to google Omar and Jen on Saturday night, was the film was to be shown, in a one time showing in Tucson, on Sunday afternoon at 2 PM at the LOFT Theater.  Papa and I went to see the film.  It is very well done and shines a light on a disease that affects millions and we know little about. 

Tucson Museum of Art

The Tucson Museum of Art was closed all summer for remodeling.  This weekend is the grand re-opening.  We spent a couple of hours there, seeing the exhibits and enjoying the 5000 new square feet of exhibit space.  We particularly liked the western art, from cowboy paintings to bronzes to Navajo rugs.  I love realistic paintings and photography of western mountains with light coming through big clouds.  There were even a few of those!  We love the "new" Tucson Museum of Art.

Walk Through Snob Hollow

 
Papa and I went downtown Tucson this morning and walked through Snob Hollow.  Most of the homes in the area were built in the late 1800's and early 1900's.  The area attracted some of the wealthiest people in Tucson for many years.  Each home was custom built and the architecture is quite varied.  Some continue to be used as homes and others serve various purposes, as attorney's offices, museum, bed & breakfast, club, and more.  It was nice to see the neighborhood is tidy, overall in good repair, and clearly loved.

Audrey's Bag

A few weeks ago, Audrey sent a photo of a bag she wanted Papa to make.  She wants to use the bag to take to the library.  I went with Papa to choose and buy leather.  This is the first project Papa has made in his new leather workshop.  He finished Audrey's bag yesterday afternoon.  It is 100% handstitched  by Papa.  He enjoyed making it for Audrey.  We hope she likes it!