#155 Nomad Diary. 7-13 October 2023. Cruiseship Saturday to Sunday Overnight in San Pedro at the Port of L.A. Four Sea Days: Monday-Thursday. Friday in Honolulu, Hawaii.
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| Outside the Port Fence Walkway in San Pedro, CA |
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| Very Meaty Tacos and Very Delicious Too. |
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| Baked Alaska Dessert |
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| Painted Mural at Shipping Dock in San Pedro, LA Saturday. 7. We ported in L.A. next to the battleship Iowa and San Pedro. We are here until Sunday afternoon at 3pm. We walked off the ship thinking that we would take a shuttle to Long Beach, but when we saw that we were in San Pedro, we walked a few blocks into town. We passed a museum and the battleship on our way to find lunch tacos! We found some good ones and way over ordered and ate delicious food to our fill. We walked back to the ship. Darrell went to the Iowa and purchased the self-tour. I waited a couple of hours for him and then we went onto the ship together. We had dinner on the ship. Sunday. 8. Today Darrell had a plan to hire an Uber to reach a church to worship with. This didn’t go as planned and so we walked out to the street away from the ship. We found a city bus to get on quickly and take us in the direction we thought that we could get to the congregation. Turned out that we rode about 20 minutes, got off the bus and we then got an Uber to drive us to a closer congregation. The congregation was in a neighborhood in Long Beach. We enjoyed a bible class and worship and meeting the people afterwards. One of the couples offered to take us with them to lunch and then give us a ride back to the ship. We said yes and enjoyed our extra visiting together. Our ship set sail out of LA in the late afternoon. |
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| Show in the Theatre. Jared Freiburg & The Vagabonds Playing 50's Rock and Roll. Monday. 9. Sea Day. On the ship our schedule for a sea day is about the same. We wake up early and the time changes are scheduled by the ship to get us ready for upcoming ports. Darrell and I wake up before 5am and go to the gym or take our yoga mats to a nice deck or patio area and do our routine DDP yoga routine for the day. Then we go back to our room and dress for the day and go for breakfast either to the buffet or to the dining room. We get a good coffee at the International Cafe sometime before 9am. At 9am on this cruise is a Bible Study for 45 minutes on sea days. Darrell began in Vancouver to lead this study. There is a large attendance of people and it’s very encouraging to start the day with prayer, reading and discussing together. After the study we talk to others for a bit then head off to a lecture, a presentation, trivia, or to our room to read until lunchtime. I am participating in the afternoon in the chorus. We sing old pop songs with a staff director and then do a show together after several practices. Around 5:30 we go to a dining room to sit randomly with others and have dinner together. I keep a running list of people’s names and some fact about them usually where they are from. This is my way of enjoying and building on relationships with people during this cruise and possibly future cruises too. After dinner there is often a show that is live music or comedy. There is also a movie on the big screen on the main pool deck. During the day sometime we go swimming or to a hot tub to soak. Bedtime for us is usually between 9-10 pm. Tuesday. 10. Sea Day. I was in bed being seasick until dinner time. Wednesday. 11. Sea Day. Thursday. 12. Sea Day. |
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| Darrell's Dad's 90th Birthday on a Phone Call with Us |
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| Video Call with Grandson Owen (turned 2 in September) and His Dad Eric, |
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| Manoa Falls with Little Water |
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| On Manoa Falls Trail |
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| View From Our Stateroom Balcony |
Friday. 13. In Honolulu for the day. We walked off the ship and followed the main road to Ala Moana Center. It’s a very large shopping center. There we caught a bus to ride about 30 minutes into the mountain and uphill near to Manoa Falls Trail. We walked up the road and continued walking uphill for a mile or two through the shaded forest to Manoa Falls. The falls were running with minimal water. We enjoyed the walk with the quietness away from Honolulu traffic and the birdsongs from a variety of birds. We encountered a few mosquitos, but not too bad. After viewing the falls, we walked back downhill to the shop at the entrance and had a snack. We then walked on down to the bus stop and waited with a few other people to get the bus ride back to Ala Moana Center. The day turned out clear and sunny and hot. We found a sandwich and smoothie to eat at the shopping center. Then we walked back to the ship.
Nomad Notes. Q: Do you ever get homesick as a nomad? At dinner one night this was the question Gina asked me. I have had homesickness as a teen when I went to boarding school and when I went away to college. Maybe some as a young married woman living in Germany and having our first child. I have not had home sickness for a very long time. I continued to ponder on this experience, and I think that it is a memory of something I loved and was familiar with that is changing or no longer exists for me. For now, Darrell and I live our life where we are. There is no house to go back to. I long for time with family, especially with our grandchildren now who are ages 3, 2, and 2 months. As we are not with them, we have nice video calls, but it is not the same as being together daily. We have spent considerable time with them in the past year, but again there is saying goodbyes for a long time of our travels. At times I miss what no longer exists for me. That is my time with growing children and living our family life as it was through the past years. I have experienced the grief that comes with changes into new life arrangements and stages. Once the grief is acknowledged and flows through me, then I am very grateful for where I am now and where our children are now. When melancholy comes, I try to discover more about it and work through it. So far, my fixes have been to visit friends and family as I can, make new friends and enjoy these opportunities together. My fix is not about having a house in one location. I am ok with my current arrangement and any future changes that I am yet to discover about being in a fixed location.
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