tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50044543800547781252024-02-22T11:46:42.756-05:00This and thatRather disjointed blog of all the various interests in my life with a focus on foster dogs and stitching projects.Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.comBlogger178125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-14638066907062973092017-03-25T11:57:00.000-04:002017-03-25T11:57:49.567-04:00New adventures and new blog linkHi! It's been a long time since I've updated this blog!<br />
<br />
Our adventures have changed slightly, so we've moved our musings over to <a href="http://liferebooted.net/" target="_blank">liferebooted</a>, our blog that talks about our new life traveling full-time in our RV!<br />
<br />
Come visit us there.Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-15364709692415428962013-09-06T17:41:00.003-04:002013-09-06T17:41:55.252-04:00Dragon*Con Monday<div>
<br />
We were able to sleep in a bit today, since we weren't expecting
our 10am event to be crowded. Unfortunately it was raining pretty
heavily so we had to huddle under our small umbrella for the walk to the
convention area but we managed to stay pretty dry. As expected, the
corridors and event rooms were pretty empty at 10am, partially because
some attendees skip the Monday sessions to get home, and partially
because 10am is pretty early for those who were up all night at the
parties.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheoPMMPWo5AjbrqZ7KrFI-RR6D6-3Dd91ga9Kr9ruZxbW4PuZsWr95uma280Ec6vhtJGmhD4AcnCYSGvAmc_FFR0HSXH2st4mYyP-4MUDWjhuHnyLUpreMR4Da4v7d8xOFyUbol7oGgzow/s1600/20130830-DSC_0051.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheoPMMPWo5AjbrqZ7KrFI-RR6D6-3Dd91ga9Kr9ruZxbW4PuZsWr95uma280Ec6vhtJGmhD4AcnCYSGvAmc_FFR0HSXH2st4mYyP-4MUDWjhuHnyLUpreMR4Da4v7d8xOFyUbol7oGgzow/s320/20130830-DSC_0051.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhq4WM475FxLWmLv2wZwJhsSlRNO6IyS-j_ymkzSx7mEZCclbYX_MINjhyZIv2fFoTRSBhQWmE9z4FfzLks1M0ISEnXsz-1AvHDPuBWpb_09230jSglFKrJoHXMttydpQQXvZTn_W_3eS_/s1600/20130830-DSC_0046.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhq4WM475FxLWmLv2wZwJhsSlRNO6IyS-j_ymkzSx7mEZCclbYX_MINjhyZIv2fFoTRSBhQWmE9z4FfzLks1M0ISEnXsz-1AvHDPuBWpb_09230jSglFKrJoHXMttydpQQXvZTn_W_3eS_/s320/20130830-DSC_0046.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Our first panel was "Drones:
Privacy and Local Enforcement", part of the Electronic Frontier Forum
track, and was in a small room in the Hilton. The panel explained what
modern law enforcement drones and personal hobbyist drones are capable
of, and then delved into the laws (or lack thereof) that may come into
play.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2iS0qoAJffctuMycBFnTxotFEpNekEaBvhXUCAV9no5DyTp78x5VGRuLRCyuZetfUkGiQGyqwUTvfcX4jVmfT2LMDSkpLzXxJT2bUlro4Ss72BNIY6eYwXdKjhpmBSTFMBr-xMbJ9mcP/s1600/20130830-DSC_0027.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2iS0qoAJffctuMycBFnTxotFEpNekEaBvhXUCAV9no5DyTp78x5VGRuLRCyuZetfUkGiQGyqwUTvfcX4jVmfT2LMDSkpLzXxJT2bUlro4Ss72BNIY6eYwXdKjhpmBSTFMBr-xMbJ9mcP/s320/20130830-DSC_0027.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
At 11am we wandered to the
Marriott and did some people watching, although there were decidely
fewer costumes out and about. We actually had nothing planned until the
"Battlestar Galactica: What Do You Hear?" panel at 1pm in the giant
Marriott Atrium Ballroom. When we scoped out the room, we saw that the
11:30 panel for that room, "Smallville: Metropolis and Beyond", was
about to start and the room was still mostly empty. The volunteer at the
door said they would NOT be clearing the room before events (since
Monday is pretty lightly attended) so we could find seats now and then
stay for the BSG panel.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEish2U_JJ2XNnUjKCDr9R-mRid4o0Ub_buLI-SZLxuyUkOi4-GxRj8Skq6CqadB5DPjtekDZdQj01yhpXFYEAAXTxfpdsW6Txnf7jqGpzs72WFyro6siUdrfFUWqwwXFG4B9kNSqX7-CC3C/s1600/20130902-DSC_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEish2U_JJ2XNnUjKCDr9R-mRid4o0Ub_buLI-SZLxuyUkOi4-GxRj8Skq6CqadB5DPjtekDZdQj01yhpXFYEAAXTxfpdsW6Txnf7jqGpzs72WFyro6siUdrfFUWqwwXFG4B9kNSqX7-CC3C/s320/20130902-DSC_0001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Marsters looking particularly menacing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Smallville
panel included James Marsters, John Glover, Allison Mack, and Laura
Vandervoort. Although Smallville wasn't something we cared much about,
some of the stories were entertaining, and James Marsters spoke a bit
about his voice acting for the Dresden audio books. When the Smallville
panel ended, some attendees left so we upgraded to slightly better seats
for BSG.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdcPQpsoFLslnTKAH6vjRm3_vVDaLThfgwEEcMgXtNkgIwmU5bdhguOQERcdEOutcl1toZRoMNeNPD1XVyA4wTsQU0hlnda3Al-Omw8mCUBxlI4JGByw5xeDGXA2Y4U7Gld3t7xu1NxHcq/s1600/20130902-DSC_0009.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdcPQpsoFLslnTKAH6vjRm3_vVDaLThfgwEEcMgXtNkgIwmU5bdhguOQERcdEOutcl1toZRoMNeNPD1XVyA4wTsQU0hlnda3Al-Omw8mCUBxlI4JGByw5xeDGXA2Y4U7Gld3t7xu1NxHcq/s320/20130902-DSC_0009.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We both really enjoyed the BSG panel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEish2U_JJ2XNnUjKCDr9R-mRid4o0Ub_buLI-SZLxuyUkOi4-GxRj8Skq6CqadB5DPjtekDZdQj01yhpXFYEAAXTxfpdsW6Txnf7jqGpzs72WFyro6siUdrfFUWqwwXFG4B9kNSqX7-CC3C/s1600/20130902-DSC_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
The BSG panel included Edward
James Olmos, Richard Hatch, Tahmoh Penikett, and Kandyse McClure. It
was a great panel, and many of the audience questions led the actors
back to talking about how amazing it was to work on BSG and how it was a
once-in-a-lifetime event. It was clear they were passionate about the
show, and Olmos ended the panel with a short speech followed by a packed
room of over a thousand attendees shouting "So say we all!".<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/a6bw9McuvZA?rel=0" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br clear="none" />
Although
DragonCon had a few hours to go, it was over for us. We make it quickly
back to our hotel, swapped out some supplies, and got in the car to
meet our old friends Eric and Sundee for an early dinner.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh01UdcOOHNfxqk4jesBCQKl3E7ddrt3YSJjR2BahFEXEeEKuZZvh4wmqm1jviU0LY273VUWk0UlYRipUAQqcFj7_Ne7f4lKm7LbIzW9HDGRfqHiYqG7eYEYegozsPlSVKujidNpH5R5CH9/s1600/20130830-DSC_0041.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh01UdcOOHNfxqk4jesBCQKl3E7ddrt3YSJjR2BahFEXEeEKuZZvh4wmqm1jviU0LY273VUWk0UlYRipUAQqcFj7_Ne7f4lKm7LbIzW9HDGRfqHiYqG7eYEYegozsPlSVKujidNpH5R5CH9/s320/20130830-DSC_0041.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Tomorrow we hit the road early!</div>
Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-52485689149321207682013-09-06T17:41:00.002-04:002013-09-06T17:41:34.408-04:00Dragon*Con Sunday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9Rg7yrc1LG_a8aRKPjrAqQp_1Ujz2t8BXj7pJORF3-jPHrzbI7P6-qOUV6_MrgG3b1A9Eep7FJEhFzGk65RdsVjmw__86GssZfD7X3mHaEZhxMcTb8zqhhZIFgq9dcW2-YnbMsIN8hss/s1600/20130831-DSC_0397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9Rg7yrc1LG_a8aRKPjrAqQp_1Ujz2t8BXj7pJORF3-jPHrzbI7P6-qOUV6_MrgG3b1A9Eep7FJEhFzGk65RdsVjmw__86GssZfD7X3mHaEZhxMcTb8zqhhZIFgq9dcW2-YnbMsIN8hss/s320/20130831-DSC_0397.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
Woke up a bit later today, definitely feeling more sluggish. We grabbed
breakfast at the hotel, packed up our backpacks full of goodies and electronics
and headed out. We decided that we weren't crazy about the idea of
sitting in line for 2 hours to see Shatner, so we decided to skip it and
check out the art, comics, and pop culture gallery instead. Lots off
great artwork, prints, sculpture, etc for sale and silent auction. Fun
to look at, bit too pricey to buy (for us).<br />
<br />
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<div>
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After
the gallery, we milled around waiting to line up for George Takei. The official rule at DC states lines for an upcoming panel doesn't start for 1 hr before the
panel but we've found that is not the case for large panels. Due to so many people milling around waiting for the big panel, to keep some semblance of control, as soon
as the previous panel line is seated and empty, the next panel is lined up (usually 1.5
hrs before the start). We knew Takei was popular so we started milling 2
hrs before the start, then got up and moved to the line area so we
could be part of the initial bum-rush to the front of the line. We were
within the first top 20 of the line, which got us pretty good seats. Takei
is a very passionate speaker and talked very quickly about Star Trek but
his speaking focused on Japanese internment during WW2 and LGBT rights.
Very charismatic, it is worth listening to him speak. It started pouring rain after the panel. We were prepared with umbrella so we got to
walk outside to avoid all the people traffic through the habitrails connecting the hotels.</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<div>
<br />
After Takei, we wanted to see "Creationism and Intelligent Design" another skeptics
panel about who keeps pushing these ideas and how to debunk them. We discovered an old friend was also at DC and she was leaving that
evening so we met up with her instead and chatted for a while. The panel
was so popular that there wasn't even standing room available so we
strolled down to the Walk of Fame where stars give out autographs and
photos. It was very novel to see actors in real life. We didn't get
autographs or pictures but we did a fair bit of gawking.</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<div>
<br />
After
saying bye to Kelly, we headed to the Weston for the Jim Butcher panel.
We didn't care if we got to the front, so we got there only about 45
minutes in advance and the line was already pretty long. We waited in line and ate our apples and cheese (Tip: DC doesn't always give you a chance to eat full meals, bring water, and portable snacks). As I was
coming back from the restroom, I ran into another person I knew from the AOL NOC. We chatted for a while and caught up. This is Donnie's sixth DC and
she does cosplay. It was nice see another familiar face and catch up. We got into
the panel and ended up near the back but that was ok. Jim Butcher seems like the typical geek, not like someone famous. He likes to game, larp,
and doesn't seem to take his writing too seriously. He just really seems
to enjoy it, and appears to be very down to earth.</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<div>
Stopped at
the food court after Butcher. Of course it was crowded, so decided on mediterranean
food (change from grease and it has its own sitting area). We sat next to a group who
were having a great time people watching. As cosplayers would pass by,
the group would catch their attention and wave scores at them. The
scores were always the same, they were doing this for everyone's
entertainment, not to hurt anyone's feelings. The cosplayers loved it
and seemed to be flattered (including poses, faces, and cheers), which then entertained the group (and us).
That group really made our dinner super-enjoyable.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/_EO8B5neKQg?rel=0" width="420"></iframe><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Gives an idea of how crowded it can get during DC.</div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After
dinner, we wanted to see Star Trek costume world record but we weren't
sure if non-costumes were allowed in so we people watched at the Marriott
for a few hours instead which ended up highly entertaining. There are
some great costumes, but there are also some really weird things out
there. Lots of steampunk, lots of Lady Capt Americas, but also a lot of My Little Pony! And we learned a new term this weekend, Brony, where a
male enjoys My Little Pony. Did lots of watching, tried to guess
costumes, and just enjoyed ourselves.</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<div>
<br />
One big difference we've noticed at DC are the attitudes of people vs normal crowded functions. People here are nice, considerate, and
helpful. It's easy to strike up a conversation with anyone near you but
there's no pressure if you just want to be isolated. Mike and I both
felt more comfortable in this crowd of 50k plus than we expected. Usually in crowded situations one (or both) of us feels the urgent need to find a quiet spot after a short time. Here, we really didn't feel the need to escape even with the huge crowds around us.</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
<div>
Our
last panel of the day was 10 Rules Dealing with Police Encounters, part of the electronic frontier forum track. Really good information, and a small panel. While it was packed, the q&a felt more informal and
comfortable.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We decided that we would really
enjoy DC next year and probably concentrate on more smaller panels. Audiences
are smaller, and the material is really good. We've done the big stars
this year so we're ready for the meaty material next year (with maybe a couple big stars thrown in there).</div>
Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-47697391644511691202013-09-06T17:41:00.000-04:002013-09-06T17:41:20.716-04:00Dragon*Con Saturday<div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone dresses up as an element.</td></tr>
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<br />
The big event for Saturday is the Dragon*Con Parade at 10am. We
decided to leave our hotel early to find a good spot to watch the
parade. Good thing we did! At 8:30 we got one of the last curbside spots
along the entire route (as far as we could tell). Unfortunately, by the
time the parade started, many thousands more people had arrived and
many were not considerate and stood in front of those who had arrived
early. The police had their hands full trying to keep the crowds out of
the parade path and weren't interested in helping with these disputes.
We managed to enjoy the parade anyway, and saw some amazing costumes and
vehicles. The parade was segmented into groups, with all the Star Wars
costumes together, all the Ghostbusters together etc. There were even a
few special guests in the parade, including Ernie Hudson (Winston) from
Ghostbusters, Billy Dee Williams (Lando) from Star Wars, and the author Larry Niven.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steampunk Tetris, way cool!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LOVED this minion costume!</td></tr>
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The
parade lasted almost an hour and a half, so there was no way we'd make
it to our 11:30 William Shatner panel. Mike says we can just watch some
Priceline commercials instead. Instead, we visited the Dealer Tables and
Exhibitor Booths to check out all the cool stuff for sale. From wigs to
light sabers to tee shirts, there was a LOT to see. We picked up a
couple tee shirts for tomorrow's con. The area was still PACKED with
people dispersing from the parade, and we had a gap in our schedule, so
we walked the two blocks back to our hotel, picked up some Quiznos, and
ate in our room. This also gave us a chance to get off our feet for a
bit and lighten up our backpacks (we tend to take way more than we need
to almost anything we do).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUPKyy8ktPLhXPE0eLvMKskAo9DloPrVqaWkQMugQhO4lDLtuH2yu4iNfbFEFqwiMz0vHWOv9X2CMpSZNTFj3rTSYIE1vIYY02g4faPivzD7Cmyv5ebBYTKYbFYoXGWbsnmK3z8NghiOn3/s1600/20130831-DSC_0590.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUPKyy8ktPLhXPE0eLvMKskAo9DloPrVqaWkQMugQhO4lDLtuH2yu4iNfbFEFqwiMz0vHWOv9X2CMpSZNTFj3rTSYIE1vIYY02g4faPivzD7Cmyv5ebBYTKYbFYoXGWbsnmK3z8NghiOn3/s320/20130831-DSC_0590.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were a lot of mashup costumes at DC this year</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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After lunch
we made our way to our first panel of the day, "Guests of the
Whedonverse", starting at 2:30. We got there an hour early, since that's
when the lines are officially allowed to start forming, and we wanted to get great
seats. It turns out that the line officially started quite a while
earlier and we were pretty far back (or so it seemed). Lesson learned!
We actually got decent seats and it was entertaining listening to
several of the stars from Joss Whedon's TV shows: Nicholas Brendon
(Xander), Eliza Dushku (Faith), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce), Jane
Espenson (writer for Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Battlestar, Game of Thrones,
and Once Upon a Time), and Miracle Laurie (three characters from
Dollhouse).<br />
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<br />
Our jam-packed Saturday
schedule called for us to exit the Westin Peachtree Ballroom and
immediately get back in line for the next panel in the same room:
"Spellbound: The Use of Magic in Urban Fantasy", with Jim Butcher and
five other writers, at 4:00. However, the line for "Spellbound" had
started forming as soon as we'd been let into the room for
"Whedonverse", so it was now enormous (line snaked the entire floor and two more floors above). Since we also planned to do the
next panel in the same room, it didn't seem logistically possible to do
all three without either getting terrible seats or risking not getting
in at all. We decided to skip "Spellbound" since we'd be seeing Jim
Butcher on Sunday. We stuck around until they cleared the room from
Whedonverse, filled it for Spellbound, and then started the line for
"SG-1 Reunion".</div>
<div>
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After a 90 minute wait
for Spellbound to start, finish, and the room to get emptied, we
entered and got seated for the 5:30 panel. The guests for this one were
Richard Dean Anderson (Jack), Christopher Judge (Teal'c), Teryl Rothery
(Dr. Fraiser), Dan Payne (played many aliens and creatures), and Alex Zahara (also played many aliens and creatures). Christopher and Teryl were great (and the
audience got an "Indeed" out of Christopher), but we have to say Richard
Dean Anderson seemed a bit weird. We're not sure if he was tired, distracted, or this is how he usually acts during panels.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MiYoZygD2RCdVZ5wI5yXoDpLkmng2a-9iFOhU9tBFGE6p3l2gk-tP-YVnhc0wAqMZwaFmXbahkd7QDoRhFYhRbFsqMhoPCG6SJv5IdUmpmUqYiCyftSsYWhLW7oCfj_124RiipsyqNoT/s1600/20130831-DSC_0635.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MiYoZygD2RCdVZ5wI5yXoDpLkmng2a-9iFOhU9tBFGE6p3l2gk-tP-YVnhc0wAqMZwaFmXbahkd7QDoRhFYhRbFsqMhoPCG6SJv5IdUmpmUqYiCyftSsYWhLW7oCfj_124RiipsyqNoT/s320/20130831-DSC_0635.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christopher Judge smiles and laughs a lot. It's great to watch him, he really seemed to enjoy the panel</td></tr>
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<br />
When
the panel ended at 7:00, we snacked on some apples and cheese we'd
packed for dinner, waited quite a while for the room to empty so we
could make our escape, then headed briskly from the Westin to the Hilton
a few blocks away for our 7:30 event. We got there just after it started, but
were able to get in and stand in the back of the room. This one was
part of the Skeptics track, and was called "Science, Pseudoscience, and
All That Jazz". Massimo Piglucci, professor of philosophy at the City
University of New York spoke about how science and pseudoscience are
defined and differentiated, and why it's important to keep pseudoscience
out of science. Although he spoke about all the expected topics like
evolution vs. creationism, global climate change, and homeopathy, his
explanation of how science came to be science and how its rules have
changed over time was particularly interesting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfDcdd3soF4K2Xl95k82klTqEr3fyEHZVIVfbIkCU_m5WfH1YfTV1bkW7krzk6TuKya2hS1RshHfBC1Hwp2vwxf7twGZ36LgeCQ5PvAxgdyTdiEIQlXsWQ3fu6yRCzz9xY29Z56n2BD4e/s1600/20130901-IMG_0007.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfDcdd3soF4K2Xl95k82klTqEr3fyEHZVIVfbIkCU_m5WfH1YfTV1bkW7krzk6TuKya2hS1RshHfBC1Hwp2vwxf7twGZ36LgeCQ5PvAxgdyTdiEIQlXsWQ3fu6yRCzz9xY29Z56n2BD4e/s320/20130901-IMG_0007.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have no idea how he can actually walk through the crowds!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We
had planned to attend "Brian Brushwood's Bizarre Magic", also in the
Skeptics track, at 8:30 but by the time we found the room, the line was
huge and had been capped. We'd toyed with the idea of staying out later
(there are plenty events that go to the wee hours of the morning) but we
were pretty exhausted so we headed back to the hotel to save our energy
for Sunday.<br />
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Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-68391749566279343792013-09-06T17:40:00.002-04:002013-09-06T17:40:46.637-04:00Dragon*Con Friday<div>
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<br />
Today was the first official day of DC. Good thing we got our badges yesterday, this morning, line was wrapped
around the block twice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUTT_wz4TVGi7Ye05eVBs9pjXJRaDpi61VWkQaSVLPtxMjjdvgRehC9kAx9yJyiLH_-33fO6KBrLHMJ1jLnf6IZorFHi2q509BAzlqdHj67ZzGvRQeJ7GtbN-Pc6v9oeFboIahxv8C8jYC/s1600/20130830-IMG_0017.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUTT_wz4TVGi7Ye05eVBs9pjXJRaDpi61VWkQaSVLPtxMjjdvgRehC9kAx9yJyiLH_-33fO6KBrLHMJ1jLnf6IZorFHi2q509BAzlqdHj67ZzGvRQeJ7GtbN-Pc6v9oeFboIahxv8C8jYC/s320/20130830-IMG_0017.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Didn't cosplay but we had on our geek shirts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
We noticed that everything starts a little later on the first day. There were a couple of panels that started at 9am but vendors, exhibitors, and art gallery didn't open until 1pm.</div>
<div>
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<div>
<br />
Since we're early risers, we were already in the hotel before 9am so we wandered around a bit getting our bearings and people watching. Not many costumes (or people) out this early.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This guy quietly walked right towards me till I looked up and nearly screamed</td></tr>
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We checked out the DC TV Late show panel at 9am which goes through some of the schedule of the day, cancellations, and advice/tidbits. We listened for a little while and decided to wander the halls a little more.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAd65EqLP7fR6pz5EdPXSkCzPfOWQYXZNku-nMbC-9cO_75nWunVg2dtIyV7RsYkR1_5ZD1cDODX6pIScvqMHyznzHJfUgCJ6uV-n2CzwZ1Ig8n9VcAtFg_Et4sDqdOLhzouO0zpWKXrv/s1600/20130830-DSC_0010.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAd65EqLP7fR6pz5EdPXSkCzPfOWQYXZNku-nMbC-9cO_75nWunVg2dtIyV7RsYkR1_5ZD1cDODX6pIScvqMHyznzHJfUgCJ6uV-n2CzwZ1Ig8n9VcAtFg_Et4sDqdOLhzouO0zpWKXrv/s320/20130830-DSC_0010.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>
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<div>
<br />
Our first panel started at 11:30,
" The Asgard, what a bunch of &#*!" Hosted by SGMT (Stargate Multiverse Track) volunteer, he led a discussion on whether Asgard really were good or if
they were deviously trying to keep our potential stifled. The purpose of the panel is to start a dialog
and see where it goes. This was very much a fan-based/audience panel with a lot of back and forth as people defended their positions. We found it meh,
but was interesting to hear all the fans in the audience politely
arguing with each other about the finer points of specific episodes. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc2N5s2P7tnXE4sD6jkjH_w13j__nGHIqK28lh57pmdTdTcB6x-5UN47PEE3n5vwaw4ZWvuB79ZxOaFCG4NSZ2k57LGYKqx5z-Jv3jT1v_s-BpMEsgUFBE7pA7e1QAI3OiaicQp742RE7p/s1600/20130830-DSC_0016.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc2N5s2P7tnXE4sD6jkjH_w13j__nGHIqK28lh57pmdTdTcB6x-5UN47PEE3n5vwaw4ZWvuB79ZxOaFCG4NSZ2k57LGYKqx5z-Jv3jT1v_s-BpMEsgUFBE7pA7e1QAI3OiaicQp742RE7p/s320/20130830-DSC_0016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying spaghetti monster!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
With hundreds of panels, it's hard to choose the ones to attend and there is the temptation to stuff as many into one day as possible. There's usually 30 minutes between each panel but with so many people, it's hard to maneuver through the crowds, the lines are often huge for each panel, and you miss out on people watching if you get so busy rushing from panel to panel.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaY_oLfO8CzL4AnGogrDQwScD2AFB8GJv_cbO0jHnClGQJW-T8xIPlbz2twYJNyxBt0iFiNFBz2lWq23BLhTTbJ_AqVstLKVldZ0n6tDRy4J5zdhokgGBErC8-X8N_bcsiSqZmL6-nrYi6/s1600/20130830-IMG_0014.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaY_oLfO8CzL4AnGogrDQwScD2AFB8GJv_cbO0jHnClGQJW-T8xIPlbz2twYJNyxBt0iFiNFBz2lWq23BLhTTbJ_AqVstLKVldZ0n6tDRy4J5zdhokgGBErC8-X8N_bcsiSqZmL6-nrYi6/s320/20130830-IMG_0014.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guy on the left had me doing a double-take</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We took the advice and scheduled our next panel for 2:30pm. We grabbed lunch at food court...when everyone
else decided to. Found a sheltered corner by the escalators and ate on
the ground, people watching. By this time, there were a lot more cosplayers. (Tip: definitely good to find
a high traffic spot, make yourself inconspicuous and just watch people-watch, it's truly entertaining)</div>
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<div>
<br />
We headed back to the host hotels, which by now were a lot more crowded. Gawked, took pictures, then lined up an
hour in advance for "I Play One on TV" with Adam Savage, Phil Plait, and
Veronica Belmont. They talked about sharing science to mass audiences,
scientific method, how to make science fun for tv. Fun panel, very relaxed, speakers were comfortable
and very very funny. Adam Savage really seems to enjoy himself up
there. Getting in line an hour early paid off, we got seats only a few
rows from the front. HUGE room, seats lots of people (1500+) but after a certain
distance, you can really only see the panel on the big screens in the room.</div>
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<div>
4pm was "It's not news, it's fark". Owner of <a data-mce-href="http://fark.com/" href="http://fark.com/">fark.com</a>
spoke about crap that media passes off for truth. This was part of the Skeptics track. The panel had a lot
of good material but he seemed to want to cover so much that he spoke
quickly and never really finished each thought completely.</div>
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<div>
We left a little early so we could catch ST:TNG Q&A panel at 5:30.
LOOOONG line. We got there about 40 min before the start and ended up pretty far
back in the room. John de Lancie (Q), Michael Dorn (Worf), Marina Sirtis (Troi), with Garret Wong (Harry Kim) moderating. It was a straight q&a
session so they answered questions from audiences and would sometimes
expand or add anecdotes. Marina Sirtis is cuttingly funny and very snarky.
Apparently this is how she always is. She mentioned that when acting as
Troi, she has to remember to leave Martina completely out of the
character. Fantastic and lots of fun, very glad to have experienced
this.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MjIUp7onm3WodUN_iaIkkxfl8cq4MGIhY1YllgB2h5gBsUz-hcr5EJoz2zOLJmqq8KpZNVUItgZZnekF9UYxnse2b5OutUd-bUNTfq_JR_OilP8Tma2honoCRKCc-WJ-UoZGVe-Khz9z/s1600/20130830-IMG_0027.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MjIUp7onm3WodUN_iaIkkxfl8cq4MGIhY1YllgB2h5gBsUz-hcr5EJoz2zOLJmqq8KpZNVUItgZZnekF9UYxnse2b5OutUd-bUNTfq_JR_OilP8Tma2honoCRKCc-WJ-UoZGVe-Khz9z/s320/20130830-IMG_0027.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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After TNG we stopped back at our hotel and dropped off some stuff. We walked to Fox Theater to see Behind Mythbusters tour. Jamie and Adam had timed their tour to hit Atlanta during the same time as DC, so we had bought tickets in advance. Two
hrs of MythBusters sharing experiences, some neat science (phone book
friction, energy conversion, paintball, high speed camera) and answering
questions from the audience. Again, Adam makes a great speaker. Very
enjoyable, funny, and the time flew by.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOtCav9kwIzkTOsujO4bSJZQf92EkiEDVhYiWPDLnmAUneVUy7kC32AZEGpoMGtLz5bKv6WDwedIJtX21iL70FcbL0cu6H_O0ImHUfOYbWRonF868P6APEL0jFyY9LtoCd8eJNT4DvCol/s1600/20130830-IMG_0026.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOtCav9kwIzkTOsujO4bSJZQf92EkiEDVhYiWPDLnmAUneVUy7kC32AZEGpoMGtLz5bKv6WDwedIJtX21iL70FcbL0cu6H_O0ImHUfOYbWRonF868P6APEL0jFyY9LtoCd8eJNT4DvCol/s320/20130830-IMG_0026.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alton Brown was in the audience, he came up during audience participation (on the right)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
Walked home. Ready for the parade tomorrow morning.</div>
Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-78719488511824278982013-09-06T17:40:00.001-04:002013-09-06T17:40:15.730-04:00Dragon*Con<br />
Mike and I enjoy sci-fi and fantasy in books and shows. In the past, I've made noises about visiting a scifi/trek convention but we've never gotten around to it. Mike has been to a couple when he was much younger but I've never experienced one before.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjizyN_hikdomqUYxztqvEVCYMuLtuJBvG0SwUuYEVTTZs_Lhc9blrrQW9F8impHsvgg6bU2cH2uNtTdKyE6aNwwM_-786pDjc81on3Vszs_R07TL28EUjpSxCDdtufVLpKqyT_0QX4PWib/s1600/20130829-IMG_0001a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjizyN_hikdomqUYxztqvEVCYMuLtuJBvG0SwUuYEVTTZs_Lhc9blrrQW9F8impHsvgg6bU2cH2uNtTdKyE6aNwwM_-786pDjc81on3Vszs_R07TL28EUjpSxCDdtufVLpKqyT_0QX4PWib/s320/20130829-IMG_0001a.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking up at the Marriott</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the summer, there were a lot of news articles about ComicCon in San Diego which fascinated me, and I found that a friend of mine was attending ComicCon. I decided then that Mike and I would attend either ComicCon or some other big convention next year. I started doing some research and found Dragon*Con in Atlanta, GA. It's one of the largest conventions not only for scifi/fantasy but also for skeptics, space nuts, gamers, writers, etc. Basically it has something for everyone. It happens during Labor Day weekend every year (Friday to Monday) with over 50,000+ attendees in 5 host hotels located in downtown Atlanta.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefiRe6Csv6cILLloAsiJ4quBqfBCqiij1tJC2w8q2H_ZQ2oZIUppGyFTQABMPDbNbMefpmWVtiEFViMM16LqGYh143AQk6-ioDvQFTqg7WvyVlddYcgEHojLFxe06s2eKnjMEjuoFc7hw/s1600/20130830-IMG_0002.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefiRe6Csv6cILLloAsiJ4quBqfBCqiij1tJC2w8q2H_ZQ2oZIUppGyFTQABMPDbNbMefpmWVtiEFViMM16LqGYh143AQk6-ioDvQFTqg7WvyVlddYcgEHojLFxe06s2eKnjMEjuoFc7hw/s320/20130830-IMG_0002.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not so crowded yet</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Dragon*Con sounded awesome! We immediately got tickets and looked for a hotel. Since we were so late signing up for DC, all the downtown hotels were booked; however we got crazy-lucky and must have snagged a cancellation. We were able to get a hotel at the Residence Inn only a few blocks from the host hotels for a pretty good rate.<br />
<br />
We started our drive on thursday at 4am and made it to Atlanta by 4pm with a couple of rest breaks. We checked into our hotel and made it to the Hyatt for a newbie tour given by regular DC attendees who wanted to help out all the first-timers attending this year. The newbie tour was definitely helpful since we walked through the habitrails connecting the Hyatt, Marriott, and Hilton. We also did some quick walkthroughs of each convention floor to be more familiar with the layouts.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHBq-mozYsXpnV5_CmGqC5txkpSwuupOOaj6MT95IRVLWj0P3ops7XmIn29Ku4Mk5oH67po1PUIbuRGQ-s8kcIuyp3JvOrR0xpxxThOWTio6zA_Xh4hlvDZBY6iHHLMjArVtJ3_AGNnza/s1600/20130830-DSC_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHBq-mozYsXpnV5_CmGqC5txkpSwuupOOaj6MT95IRVLWj0P3ops7XmIn29Ku4Mk5oH67po1PUIbuRGQ-s8kcIuyp3JvOrR0xpxxThOWTio6zA_Xh4hlvDZBY6iHHLMjArVtJ3_AGNnza/s320/20130830-DSC_0001.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After the walkthrough, we walked to the Sheraton to get our badges for the weekend. The line snaked around half a block but moved quickly (tip: bring your own lanyard, they only provide a clip for your badge. If you lose your badge, you are SOL).<br />
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Triumphant and with our badges in our sweaty little palms, we headed back to our hotel to unpack and get ready for the next morning.<br />
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<br />Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-36551294414398027522013-05-05T12:08:00.000-04:002013-05-05T12:19:05.642-04:00DIY Dog gate<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcM1LbtyfebfIIlawbFLafj4aV3QFwNnvL3-CuUGAA24EYrk9Pc68lBqn-9MG63_UbfCnx5VJOHG-kLXsH7_NvPlfd8pQypf_u1kaUWEckf7p0GOexbZKPrGzGo8hQJnGp37viqcsHA3h3/s1600/corner+braces.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> <br />
We're a dog-centric family (yeah, most of you know that already). In the past, the dogs have always slept with us in the bed. As we've moved from 1 dog to 2 dogs to 3 dogs, it's become a little more crowded on our bed over the years. At this point we've had 3 dogs for a few years now and I'm pretty sure we've haven't slept well in those years.<br />
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About a year ago we decided enough was enough and kicked them out of our room so we could sleep with more space. Unfortunately Opie (our youngest and still puppy-brain) decided that was unacceptable. So at night he would roam around the house, look out the windows and start barking maniacally whenever he saw something. So we'd wake up multiple times at night from the barking. After a few days we decided that was not the solution so the dogs made it back into our room and into our bed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSA2iSomdG9kgglGSrVTPSwBh7ggVm8Vx3KKalja1pS1GHDfbCEkb936q3cG5g3seRQsT1OYTdv5Lz0cCYPprdCd9Ashjkb9GSnJSwaprYN1DCp_tXO_lLuG8GBPRz7w1y1afdEfyNqdT/s1600/finished-1.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSA2iSomdG9kgglGSrVTPSwBh7ggVm8Vx3KKalja1pS1GHDfbCEkb936q3cG5g3seRQsT1OYTdv5Lz0cCYPprdCd9Ashjkb9GSnJSwaprYN1DCp_tXO_lLuG8GBPRz7w1y1afdEfyNqdT/s320/finished-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished gate</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After several more months, Mike and I noticed that while I started on our bed at night, I would often end up on the futon in the sitting room by morning because the dogs would take up so much space on the bed. We decided to restart the battle to gain bed independence again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNtjFX20N3h6fKtsQNCpKdh2vUgtBUaBQDJ9tLFtEPM5PVbXqe6VHLmd_x-ZwC3IEQLh7ytLjOURLt3dRo9iznWQHB0cEVEptYxO14TRzyPPfayNRl8Ab2cFS53wcgsVgalMDXU5Gntf52/s1600/human+side.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNtjFX20N3h6fKtsQNCpKdh2vUgtBUaBQDJ9tLFtEPM5PVbXqe6VHLmd_x-ZwC3IEQLh7ytLjOURLt3dRo9iznWQHB0cEVEptYxO14TRzyPPfayNRl8Ab2cFS53wcgsVgalMDXU5Gntf52/s320/human+side.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of our side of the bedroom</td></tr>
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We knew we couldn't banish the dogs from the room since Opie would just bark at everything at night (which would set off Harley barking like mad). Our bedroom has an attached sitting room with a convenient futon for the dogs to sleep on, but to separate the bedroom and sitting room, we have to find an 8-ft gate. The available dog/baby gates that were that long were extremely expensive and very flimsy. Tried a 10-ft piece of lattice held to the bookshelves with clamps to separate the bedroom and sitting room as an option. That didn't work since the dogs learned to scramble through the non-clamped areas and still get into the bedroom.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53TeilRgALCWIvSXJ5Qoz727QGUTAmFGk0xL5kk6mRLEontqBpPPS6gRj0ooDKaCCuDC9SAsENlZnp9OwVm0ayQytboZvJEh0mO6LIMxWSzvpTzsmw_9ok_TkMLq0SbVSsazLjt6U6O9v/s1600/dogside.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53TeilRgALCWIvSXJ5Qoz727QGUTAmFGk0xL5kk6mRLEontqBpPPS6gRj0ooDKaCCuDC9SAsENlZnp9OwVm0ayQytboZvJEh0mO6LIMxWSzvpTzsmw_9ok_TkMLq0SbVSsazLjt6U6O9v/s320/dogside.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the dog's side of the room</td></tr>
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We finally ran into a solution that worked. We took two large dog crates and used them to block the entrance to the bedroom. We'd shift one of the crates to make enough room to get through (about 6-8 inches of space). This worked great....until about 2 weeks ago when I bruised my little toe pretty badly going between the two crates.<br />
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I decided this was not going to be our permanent solution. Did a little googling, little pinterest, and found <b><a href="http://tinyurl.com/c7x5eqv" target="_blank">this</a>. </b>PVC pipe was the perfect solution!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK1WXcZsfq9g_OlcmDE5CuSMhAQ-zmxKnin6CSwgXGDTMk5-CsN3sEIWZEqmu-VYOCk_ZoZtEX2azS3TqWZi-_y9Q4gZ6ZMEKKL_oMEp21k_L0LTlhELpXeZiprOR8o7MeXWwEFmJj3A-Q/s1600/gate+2sides.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK1WXcZsfq9g_OlcmDE5CuSMhAQ-zmxKnin6CSwgXGDTMk5-CsN3sEIWZEqmu-VYOCk_ZoZtEX2azS3TqWZi-_y9Q4gZ6ZMEKKL_oMEp21k_L0LTlhELpXeZiprOR8o7MeXWwEFmJj3A-Q/s320/gate+2sides.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two side sections completed</td></tr>
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I made some modifications because I didn't want to screw the gate into the ground and I wanted it to come apart easily when/if we no longer needed it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyg41XbfvwndE8tpfT9oSmMj6tKNpKKj7HLoYsYLRUy7oejS2NsqsbkYVhasPen0-j6Uz9s74VD7WMxt0ZBGY-aIHVOMIftMgKsTZiSWSGJcN9I1LI4rcDsIa_zcYvKm7NozVm8dNFhjky/s1600/gate-bar.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyg41XbfvwndE8tpfT9oSmMj6tKNpKKj7HLoYsYLRUy7oejS2NsqsbkYVhasPen0-j6Uz9s74VD7WMxt0ZBGY-aIHVOMIftMgKsTZiSWSGJcN9I1LI4rcDsIa_zcYvKm7NozVm8dNFhjky/s320/gate-bar.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bottom bar added for stability but not glued to make for easy removal in the future</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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For my gate, I used 1" PVC for the frames, and 3/8" wooden dowels for the spokes. I used elbows and T to attach the pipes to each other. The bottom bar is not glued to the rest of the gate so if we ever need to remove the gate, it'll be easy to take apart. I attached the sides to the bookshelves using corner braces.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcM1LbtyfebfIIlawbFLafj4aV3QFwNnvL3-CuUGAA24EYrk9Pc68lBqn-9MG63_UbfCnx5VJOHG-kLXsH7_NvPlfd8pQypf_u1kaUWEckf7p0GOexbZKPrGzGo8hQJnGp37viqcsHA3h3/s1600/corner+braces.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcM1LbtyfebfIIlawbFLafj4aV3QFwNnvL3-CuUGAA24EYrk9Pc68lBqn-9MG63_UbfCnx5VJOHG-kLXsH7_NvPlfd8pQypf_u1kaUWEckf7p0GOexbZKPrGzGo8hQJnGp37viqcsHA3h3/s320/corner+braces.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corner braces holding sides to bookshelves</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Since the pvc pipe is curved and doesn't have a lot of surface area, finding a decent lock for the gate became a problem. The best solution was to use velcro wrap. I wrapped the velcro around the pvc side gate, then when we want to lock the gate door, we wrap the velcro around the door to hold it shut.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg11iGDDJfEU6RiMEjxhYcEl1fpjxd40DqUqRGizk-mVHV3w3s-sWZM8nKE_zC6K9SMbxwYHrsgVudW074Bd_BBRF_d4qs0LBho7yTntKcQoTrnXMy6GSs0lnUqyQSRU9tEl850Ud3Y7Gkt/s1600/lock.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg11iGDDJfEU6RiMEjxhYcEl1fpjxd40DqUqRGizk-mVHV3w3s-sWZM8nKE_zC6K9SMbxwYHrsgVudW074Bd_BBRF_d4qs0LBho7yTntKcQoTrnXMy6GSs0lnUqyQSRU9tEl850Ud3Y7Gkt/s320/lock.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Velcro wrap as our door lock</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Gate works great! Keeps the dogs out, and the door opens wide enough that I can easily carry our laundry basket without all sorts of contortions. Cost me about $50 to build the gate, very happy with how it turned out.<span id="goog_783313868"></span><span id="goog_783313869"></span>Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-12984637777746574392013-03-17T18:25:00.000-04:002013-03-17T20:57:57.138-04:00Daytripper bag<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY0kfSfLHM86QAVNR-LlpWw3PyMUnhd3nnAYruUNVJ6HQx3JDhJqS7m5EowEUru9sXfrjcsRQ37JhuB4DC6KhjGQrICx7UiKEWAsravLPZdyo2I7ZlLtWl2ScaV5EjbxgVYy1oKBPrfNME/s1600/IMG_0582.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY0kfSfLHM86QAVNR-LlpWw3PyMUnhd3nnAYruUNVJ6HQx3JDhJqS7m5EowEUru9sXfrjcsRQ37JhuB4DC6KhjGQrICx7UiKEWAsravLPZdyo2I7ZlLtWl2ScaV5EjbxgVYy1oKBPrfNME/s320/IMG_0582.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front of bag (two large pockets)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsXRB5pjPbVKcglXcl6uUkVfElRuodU1ne75ppK6CnluqaXZJ0J4ucFKm7YCWvKrs6xu2c9H5N_megh3aggzNQ1Cpe6Y5EjbB_OO4e9LQltRcOeEipw2AgLCtu7QIMFwRC0hfejB5ttmo/s1600/IMG_0583.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsXRB5pjPbVKcglXcl6uUkVfElRuodU1ne75ppK6CnluqaXZJ0J4ucFKm7YCWvKrs6xu2c9H5N_megh3aggzNQ1Cpe6Y5EjbB_OO4e9LQltRcOeEipw2AgLCtu7QIMFwRC0hfejB5ttmo/s320/IMG_0583.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back of bag</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Still in my bag-making phase, so my next project was <a href="http://erinerickson.com/store/patterns/daytripper-pdf-pattern/" target="_blank">Daytripper Bag by Erin Erickson</a>. I've made her <a href="http://kathiefischer.blogspot.com/2013/01/twozip-hipster.html" target="_blank">Two-Hip Zipster</a> and I was really pleased with her designing skills and directions.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rgg77dlJZ7zHbHT6GNihDa9GtA6QQGcdEVTf_YnXBt3QSMD2iTzidYeiLrHNJ46q1A-7ihY-jFlepM5i5K0Q4Xq9Iz3X0uxfNzQgTxQFRtraulqML1Df2g13v3tpw8vwwm5kYkFzNIOV/s1600/IMG_0585.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rgg77dlJZ7zHbHT6GNihDa9GtA6QQGcdEVTf_YnXBt3QSMD2iTzidYeiLrHNJ46q1A-7ihY-jFlepM5i5K0Q4Xq9Iz3X0uxfNzQgTxQFRtraulqML1Df2g13v3tpw8vwwm5kYkFzNIOV/s320/IMG_0585.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior stuffed full of things</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I used Amy Butler Paradise Garden in Midnight (LOVE this fabric) for the exterior, and Pat Bravo Nature Elements in Lime for the interior. I had heard of ByAnnie's Soft & Stable as a good stabilizer for bags, so I wanted to try it for this bag.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEPaObr0Fzqar2-lc1dtgqd9hrP7BsXFVRi8SknZ8wAwYcc2IfGUgsajeSMny9QlH2eF4zAoYickZ2Zo8KA_pFnlCPAGGXnuszrq4fABWciOp_jTeI16bkuYHISO6bM9bLLeTgAOtEIi7/s1600/IMG_0587.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEPaObr0Fzqar2-lc1dtgqd9hrP7BsXFVRi8SknZ8wAwYcc2IfGUgsajeSMny9QlH2eF4zAoYickZ2Zo8KA_pFnlCPAGGXnuszrq4fABWciOp_jTeI16bkuYHISO6bM9bLLeTgAOtEIi7/s320/IMG_0587.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three pockets</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I spoke with Erin (the designer) about using Soft & Stable inside the bag. She had used it before and recommended that I substitute the batting and sew-in interfacing with the Soft & Stable. That is really a nice advantage when you buy a pattern from a small designer. It is often very easy to contact the designer and ask lots of questions. They tend to be incredibly friendly and helpful.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKb56U5oBohVXorSTDtLBuMKoeBlV13DKi_ZkF4SiSfRzA_XNo5RKsm14tqM_Tp1JmvqTnkcjiDWKjD3OuS3QeU2wfQdVwOaPsre53TxaZ7hJk-T_Fr9SpEhimO0zbE-yCqmgYs4Eb-X6f/s1600/IMG_0588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKb56U5oBohVXorSTDtLBuMKoeBlV13DKi_ZkF4SiSfRzA_XNo5RKsm14tqM_Tp1JmvqTnkcjiDWKjD3OuS3QeU2wfQdVwOaPsre53TxaZ7hJk-T_Fr9SpEhimO0zbE-yCqmgYs4Eb-X6f/s320/IMG_0588.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look, I remembered to add my label!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Loved the way the bag turned out. I think it's the best bag I've made so far. I think my ongoing experience is definitely starting to show now. I've realized that a good hot iron is really your friend and often fixes lots of mistakes, plus it makes sewing much easier. I'm also very happy with the Soft & Stable. I think I'd use this again in the bags I make.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2kk1UZqMEUm4dWnh6RQ15J6aJhBfFASHRPWki96uQJj4QXkTM31WXsTJZTuuEkoUrmdqIxZHDLofsaYRlw7naYpB-0gXYW2FSXqPtO08gG-iQJQ13iQX7MQOLZqp6MdqogtTRPMeP_gl/s1600/IMG_0584.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2kk1UZqMEUm4dWnh6RQ15J6aJhBfFASHRPWki96uQJj4QXkTM31WXsTJZTuuEkoUrmdqIxZHDLofsaYRlw7naYpB-0gXYW2FSXqPtO08gG-iQJQ13iQX7MQOLZqp6MdqogtTRPMeP_gl/s320/IMG_0584.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Added purse feet to the bottom of the bag</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I made a couple of small modifications. There are a line of pockets on one side of the bag, the other side is empty to be customized anyway you want. I added a smaller line of pockets and a shallow zipped interior pocket on that side. I also added purse feet to the bottom of the bag. If I made this bag again and wanted to make it slightly bigger, I would increase the width of the side gussets by 2-3 inches. It would add extra depth without any extra height.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtWIRNzKMFVEA26tWhTPTuzFZ8uFqwgTL56PS1ug_JgbGMMGZWlxllVIXHtY8O3rhsG7c9T57iTlplRl79sna_zmSuqK3-BWDdwWljqvxj01FX2YsPnxITx5-PUabXTyEdeuR5sXnvEtL/s1600/IMG_0586.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtWIRNzKMFVEA26tWhTPTuzFZ8uFqwgTL56PS1ug_JgbGMMGZWlxllVIXHtY8O3rhsG7c9T57iTlplRl79sna_zmSuqK3-BWDdwWljqvxj01FX2YsPnxITx5-PUabXTyEdeuR5sXnvEtL/s320/IMG_0586.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zippered pocket and shallow set of pockets</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidf-V6pAk8wfiPZHZeeOIJkQ7LccJ7Kg91oLGTU9cT7x7MYlPjmhvp0rsI5Bn7I8AxuAP2GgyaiqJhaj4p3VhiAywPlcSyRvEz0NhvDY5ZVZ0W3oiUZakq-kHc7j8eABFD8P_UsfIsPctr/s1600/IMG_0590.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidf-V6pAk8wfiPZHZeeOIJkQ7LccJ7Kg91oLGTU9cT7x7MYlPjmhvp0rsI5Bn7I8AxuAP2GgyaiqJhaj4p3VhiAywPlcSyRvEz0NhvDY5ZVZ0W3oiUZakq-kHc7j8eABFD8P_UsfIsPctr/s320/IMG_0590.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shallow zippered pocket perfect for usb stick and keys</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I am extremely happy with this bag and the bag size. It holds a fair bit of stuff and the back zippered pocket easily holds an ipad and/or kindle. the strap is nice and long (but adjustable) so I can wear it cross-body or as a shoulder strap.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXDeLIk8Z3Fj1DDv3joeNikGwxLfV79KULDaYRbbcpsDOazveYDWoqMqWhxZJzkfqQhMk8BA93c8gG_5hTXHREoT5DVbwocstFa064NK8QtgLpFl_6gZDwZAtYWeIoAJZFaFygKrahqVCm/s1600/IMG_0589.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXDeLIk8Z3Fj1DDv3joeNikGwxLfV79KULDaYRbbcpsDOazveYDWoqMqWhxZJzkfqQhMk8BA93c8gG_5hTXHREoT5DVbwocstFa064NK8QtgLpFl_6gZDwZAtYWeIoAJZFaFygKrahqVCm/s320/IMG_0589.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back zippered pocket easily holds iPad and Kindle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-16300642198551857332013-01-26T19:24:00.002-05:002013-01-26T19:24:26.759-05:00Diaper backpackObviously I'm currently in a bag phase, unfortunately I don't use too many bags, I tend to find one I like and stick with it for a while then rotate another in.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvgaAZ7r1Hfta-wGjziqfiVixfBqO6iT36cdxx7kMfBvbZx3pMXKICLDpyl5fpmcIz0cBZ-KWJpK4KBJNgxEgHVAgx04SVE-nsJmUgKYcakwGJ0Vco3Ua9ER7zyMrDEv_GBi2Vhgf-p5x/s1600/IMG_0495.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvgaAZ7r1Hfta-wGjziqfiVixfBqO6iT36cdxx7kMfBvbZx3pMXKICLDpyl5fpmcIz0cBZ-KWJpK4KBJNgxEgHVAgx04SVE-nsJmUgKYcakwGJ0Vco3Ua9ER7zyMrDEv_GBi2Vhgf-p5x/s320/IMG_0495.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front view with flap down</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_VICP8e0u85cHvNgza3mG7-TqtWvbSOIaqQtLPdSOuVG49f4HineGjR8KU-iCWdvLJgRULwvPpNGfTrgrokkCfaWJZzt4rd5_4G3VPhWbfW6Y_celUaQhEx5jdBwClP4SzneT1EHByeS/s1600/IMG_0498.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_VICP8e0u85cHvNgza3mG7-TqtWvbSOIaqQtLPdSOuVG49f4HineGjR8KU-iCWdvLJgRULwvPpNGfTrgrokkCfaWJZzt4rd5_4G3VPhWbfW6Y_celUaQhEx5jdBwClP4SzneT1EHByeS/s320/IMG_0498.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front view, zippered top, changing flap zipped up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Since I wanted to keep making bags I thought it would be fun to make something directly for someone else. I've made things in the past and just given them away but this time I made a bag specifically for a particular person/reason. A friend of my sister is pregnant with her second child but got rid of most of her baby stuffs a little while ago. She got a lot of stuff from my sister including a diaper bag but I thought it would be fun to make a diaper bag that could be converted to a backpack.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeSSTbRF9TwvAVfcGDhxs13BgXIai6MHyJ1B-lVmO1lr3XALgVC7RjOxQm2fSDhDMrXKIS69ZEzpS7AZnNqIqkc-H5Kj8erOBDO9jzZIlE99dQEoCDpzfWwuK1r3QNk5yeoD_NUV_Xy47/s1600/IMG_0496.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUTZWumrkv8euUyQ73Q8HnBw034w_2sD3uaumRW_Nlh4IZMY63x9bFBrnVhRBBLBIXUQc-RKvFXDkWX9HH0gd-ZAFYMneX8eJX1xA3x4CgWJPbfhCOGx45RrUXWqTYH5OvqJlodo0QyJw/s1600/IMG_0500.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUTZWumrkv8euUyQ73Q8HnBw034w_2sD3uaumRW_Nlh4IZMY63x9bFBrnVhRBBLBIXUQc-RKvFXDkWX9HH0gd-ZAFYMneX8eJX1xA3x4CgWJPbfhCOGx45RrUXWqTYH5OvqJlodo0QyJw/s320/IMG_0500.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of interior pockets. Laminate fabric used.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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My sister helped me pick out a fabric that we thought she would like. I found matching cotton laminate for the interior of the bag since having a water-resistant interior is probably helpful. The main fabric is Michael Miller Zoology Sea, contrast fabric Baby Play Stripe Sea, and lining Michael Miller (PUL) Dumb Dot Aqua. I do love the fabric, I think it is awfully cute without being over-the-top cute.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_VICP8e0u85cHvNgza3mG7-TqtWvbSOIaqQtLPdSOuVG49f4HineGjR8KU-iCWdvLJgRULwvPpNGfTrgrokkCfaWJZzt4rd5_4G3VPhWbfW6Y_celUaQhEx5jdBwClP4SzneT1EHByeS/s1600/IMG_0498.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxdKTKxiM7LIS0mhVimughLOXzvXWyM6kvM-oWfzf1BCaVPfs42mTUacJo_Qmi847th2x7ql71zrfG_XVkgX8-1INTJx321WMJGnmK7Lth7XsV6tYv0XO36w-K1cEWhv3Sqc_TIYrgD3h/s1600/IMG_0501.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxdKTKxiM7LIS0mhVimughLOXzvXWyM6kvM-oWfzf1BCaVPfs42mTUacJo_Qmi847th2x7ql71zrfG_XVkgX8-1INTJx321WMJGnmK7Lth7XsV6tYv0XO36w-K1cEWhv3Sqc_TIYrgD3h/s320/IMG_0501.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remembered to add my label to the bag!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbZ0KqSmUf6hahxXU4bj47e0tF_c3XVShKAfOHWP7hol9MoVAQikybEUG5BVlb6jKykt-LFXYFUW1sDuz8u4O3eAzMCbunQpCoEJ130XnEzIaUF_kpg11LO0x70BEDDdshQut4nkb7PWu/s1600/IMG_0497.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
I used <a href="http://www.wpcreek.com/HTML/general/detailsPay.htm?image=../images/totes/ClassicForMoms.jpg&name=Classic+For+Moms&priceCode=4&descCode=1206&pdfpricecode=2&return=www.wpcreek.com/HTML/totes/totes.htm" target="_blank">Classic for Mom</a> by wpcreek. It was one of the few backpack diaper bag patterns I could find. I also loved all the pockets it had (inside, side, and front pockets), and a changing flap. This came as a pdf pattern, which I really prefer because you get it almost immediately, and it's a lot easier to save it on the computer instead of hoping the pattern and directions don't wear down over time. The directions were well-written and since the pdf also had photo directions, it made making the bag very straightforward.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxdKTKxiM7LIS0mhVimughLOXzvXWyM6kvM-oWfzf1BCaVPfs42mTUacJo_Qmi847th2x7ql71zrfG_XVkgX8-1INTJx321WMJGnmK7Lth7XsV6tYv0XO36w-K1cEWhv3Sqc_TIYrgD3h/s1600/IMG_0501.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbZ0KqSmUf6hahxXU4bj47e0tF_c3XVShKAfOHWP7hol9MoVAQikybEUG5BVlb6jKykt-LFXYFUW1sDuz8u4O3eAzMCbunQpCoEJ130XnEzIaUF_kpg11LO0x70BEDDdshQut4nkb7PWu/s1600/IMG_0497.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbZ0KqSmUf6hahxXU4bj47e0tF_c3XVShKAfOHWP7hol9MoVAQikybEUG5BVlb6jKykt-LFXYFUW1sDuz8u4O3eAzMCbunQpCoEJ130XnEzIaUF_kpg11LO0x70BEDDdshQut4nkb7PWu/s320/IMG_0497.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side pockets: one small to hold cell phone/keys, larger pocket to hold bottles.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I did make some minor modifications: <br />
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For the changing flap, the design has you using one fabric for the outside and inside. Since it was a changing flap, I thought it more appropriate to make the changing side out of the polyurethane laminate (the polka dots fabric) and the outer side would be the main fabric. I also topstitched the flap to give it a nice decorative look.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPb9UwmwuIvC5dXQ7t5hHg96Y2_Xx-KBzpou-ZXbpkpduak4PjOqEIIQT4xtK_cfRbfEa2t43iADD1tYes3L0vgtaHLFoUqB3RBCH5WvH1_t-pIIKzNGukcv-2dGn8dAOgB6Bk-nNlfFA/s1600/IMG_0499.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPb9UwmwuIvC5dXQ7t5hHg96Y2_Xx-KBzpou-ZXbpkpduak4PjOqEIIQT4xtK_cfRbfEa2t43iADD1tYes3L0vgtaHLFoUqB3RBCH5WvH1_t-pIIKzNGukcv-2dGn8dAOgB6Bk-nNlfFA/s320/IMG_0499.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front with changing flap open. Even more pockets!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzMpFOFLOjOJyl57XCFd47snwmp_F1Pd-O9Mpr0DYqE17gpW7dK3ZTr9IUTZkLBjmaQZrbE5G1M9xdX9zzrF9-OjdHg_jPIPhTQx8_suCpwG8zc4BUcJPpLKawpQ4KZJdUSRXf4Awr5kK/s1600/IMG_0502.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzMpFOFLOjOJyl57XCFd47snwmp_F1Pd-O9Mpr0DYqE17gpW7dK3ZTr9IUTZkLBjmaQZrbE5G1M9xdX9zzrF9-OjdHg_jPIPhTQx8_suCpwG8zc4BUcJPpLKawpQ4KZJdUSRXf4Awr5kK/s320/IMG_0502.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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For the straps, I increased the width from 1.25" to 1.5". The main reason is because I have a stash of 1.5" swivel hooks but I also like the look of the increased width. To match the straps, I increased the connecting D-rings from 1" to 1.25". I also increased the length of the D-ring tabs from 2" to 3". I wanted to have a little more fabric to play around with when sewing it to the bag.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeSSTbRF9TwvAVfcGDhxs13BgXIai6MHyJ1B-lVmO1lr3XALgVC7RjOxQm2fSDhDMrXKIS69ZEzpS7AZnNqIqkc-H5Kj8erOBDO9jzZIlE99dQEoCDpzfWwuK1r3QNk5yeoD_NUV_Xy47/s1600/IMG_0496.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeSSTbRF9TwvAVfcGDhxs13BgXIai6MHyJ1B-lVmO1lr3XALgVC7RjOxQm2fSDhDMrXKIS69ZEzpS7AZnNqIqkc-H5Kj8erOBDO9jzZIlE99dQEoCDpzfWwuK1r3QNk5yeoD_NUV_Xy47/s1600/IMG_0496.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeSSTbRF9TwvAVfcGDhxs13BgXIai6MHyJ1B-lVmO1lr3XALgVC7RjOxQm2fSDhDMrXKIS69ZEzpS7AZnNqIqkc-H5Kj8erOBDO9jzZIlE99dQEoCDpzfWwuK1r3QNk5yeoD_NUV_Xy47/s320/IMG_0496.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Straps set in the backpack rings. Can also convert to shoulder bag or cross-body bag.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Lastly I reinforced the bottom of the bag by adding a double layer of double-sided decor bond fusible interfacing. it adds a bit of stability to the bottom.<br />
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I am very happy with how it turned out and the best part? The recipient loves it too! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvGKB36P1M68bF8EuDYZKEazPKxBlSGU4Cm4oqPdWDJrCITKCGVdTWLvAC-c43T4bu4XhqpqRuotNRDsGxoU7DhYNQCf5XEU8Awn6O8jh7eD2Sa4b1pZNUFJD0XjAdNL1k_bJdZCZuexCj/s1600/photo.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvGKB36P1M68bF8EuDYZKEazPKxBlSGU4Cm4oqPdWDJrCITKCGVdTWLvAC-c43T4bu4XhqpqRuotNRDsGxoU7DhYNQCf5XEU8Awn6O8jh7eD2Sa4b1pZNUFJD0XjAdNL1k_bJdZCZuexCj/s320/photo.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-53755132813830413632013-01-20T09:17:00.000-05:002013-01-20T09:17:05.417-05:00TwoZip Hipster<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpaD_TLUlo7lD4hpBU10MrZn-K9TplFah9_KZzZHkulpcpQtpn2w2jxlWcu0it5eiQHCX5NhiQ6G4mQeatU9Rx4f2E2B0GFNbdSB25N0_Yy9TizBEU-ev3Lc0pC0z0acFNu983mGRPzhud/s1600/IMG_0428.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpaD_TLUlo7lD4hpBU10MrZn-K9TplFah9_KZzZHkulpcpQtpn2w2jxlWcu0it5eiQHCX5NhiQ6G4mQeatU9Rx4f2E2B0GFNbdSB25N0_Yy9TizBEU-ev3Lc0pC0z0acFNu983mGRPzhud/s320/IMG_0428.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TwoZip Hipster enlarged size</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I recently discovered <a href="http://erinerickson.com/" target="_blank">Dog Under My Desk</a> blog/designs. I used her free tutorial to make an <a href="http://erinerickson.com/2011/11/circle-zip-earbud-pouch-tutorial/" target="_blank">earbuds case</a> for Mike so he wouldn't lose them. While there, I saw some nice bag patterns so I bought the TwoZip Hipster and the Daytripper.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjofbotG_ifwDf1F-HH9PPq4yRhksPYQHmcHZTzEcM9-YqHlJJv147sKZbAMC5T_xovcamg7XZRZWEzYKHH5FyEl86KoKBAandl5LV5JqjzzZea2Y-Es73UXO_3JGgZd5bEwm6OBZZV0_fM/s1600/IMG_0432.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjofbotG_ifwDf1F-HH9PPq4yRhksPYQHmcHZTzEcM9-YqHlJJv147sKZbAMC5T_xovcamg7XZRZWEzYKHH5FyEl86KoKBAandl5LV5JqjzzZea2Y-Es73UXO_3JGgZd5bEwm6OBZZV0_fM/s320/IMG_0432.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front pocket is holding an iPad and Kindle Paperwhite</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Again I got to use some fabric that I bought a while back but didn't know what to use it on. Bought the fabric on spoonflower by designer studiofibonacci. We haven't been able to identify all the characters on the fabric but its fun to look at.<br />
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Since I prefer my bags to be larger, I went with Erin's <a href="http://erinerickson.com/2011/12/enlarged-two-zip-hipster-w-ipad-pocket/" target="_blank">larger bag modifications</a>. I also made the bottom of the bag wider to fit more inside.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bottom of the bag was modified to be wider</td></tr>
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The directions are well-written and very easy to follow. I would not hesitate to buy other patterns from her. I did make one modification. The inside of the bag has a pocket on one side so on the other side I added a zipped pocket. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two inner pockets, one zipped inner pocket</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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The bag turned out very well but I think it's just not the right regular bag for me. The bag is too tall and too narrow for my regular use. It would be a great way to carry around electronics like kindle, ipad, and a wallet but anything more than that and the bag starts to bulge outward a bit. I think I'm starting to realize that fat big-bottom bags are the way I need to go for my daily carry-all.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside is full with just my wallet and coupon holder</td></tr>
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I think this will be a sporadic bag for me to use when I want to just carry a few electronics and nothing more. <br />
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Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-90447758791107580082013-01-13T20:24:00.001-05:002013-01-13T20:24:55.333-05:00Multi-tasker tote<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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I finished this bag at the end of last year. I've noticed that as we carry more electronics around, my bags need to get larger and larger. Saw this <a href="http://store.annamariahorner.com/muto.html" target="_blank">multi-tasker tote by Anna Marie Horner</a> and thought it would be a great all-purpose bag to use. Plus it would make a great vacation bag when we want to lug a bunch of stuff around. This is a LARGE bag, apparently can be used easily as a diaper bag (so I've been told).<br />
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The directions are quite clear and the design comes with the pattern pieces, some of which you have to tape together. I used Betz White Stitch Organic fabrics for the bag. It did come together pretty quick. The outside pockets can be sewn as one large pocket (more than enough space for a water bottle) or sewn into two smaller pockets. On my bag, one side is one large pocket, the other side is two small pockets. The interior has one pocket you can sew into any set of sizes. I chose to just make two even-ish pockets.<br />
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Modifications I'd make next time. The bag does not have anything to close it, so I'd use a magnetic snap as closure. Instead of the interior pocket where it is now, I'd put two smaller ones on each short side of the bag. Where the pockets are now, I'd put in a zippered pocket instead.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior of tote</td></tr>
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This is a HUGE bag (have I mentioned that already?). While it holds a LOT of things, it's like Mary Poppins' carpet bag. It gets a bit tough to find anything in it. Before I can really use this as a purse, I plan to make a purse organizer that would help organize all the stuff to make it easier to reach a particular item without rooting all around the bag to find it. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some stuff in bag as reference. Black case is holding a kindle (for size reference)</td></tr>
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This would also make a really good beach/vacation bag if you want to stuff random stuff (towels, clothes) into it. <br />
<br />Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-77186175471379412862013-01-08T19:11:00.000-05:002013-01-08T19:11:37.272-05:00Seuss walletIn 2012 I started doing a lot more sewing. I got a great price on a basic Bernina sewing machine and since I've swapped to that machine, sewing has become a lot more fun. This year I decided to finally start blogging my finished projects. Mostly to keep notes on any issues or modifications I make to each pattern so that if I decide to make it again, I have that information.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wallet w/Seuss fabric</td></tr>
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I bought this <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/61288695/wallets-sewing-pattern-with-27-pockets">wallet sewing pattern from napkitten</a> a couple of years ago but only recently decided to make it. I love that it has so many pockets for cards, since I seem to horde rewards and gifts cards, plus all my other necessary cards. Separately, I had bought some fun Seuss fabric a little while ago but couldn't figure out what to make with it. This seemed like a good match.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left side of wallet</td></tr>
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The pattern is extremely clear with lots of pictures and very concise directions. I would not hesitate to buy another pattern from her, she makes it easy to put the project together.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYF4wSqG5rFJYlXLQuAE5zLGnClbKBRK7kUux8AN0_b3uuzyi_CqSa2kVH8cdbFIvSZrID2BsoGhK8Ajz7Y6r-_nwH6SzfaMe2GRfcHwooqLCQpQ-1EfDVeh6r-SWLjPn6y6izJhX1KrWc/s1600/Seuss-zipper.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYF4wSqG5rFJYlXLQuAE5zLGnClbKBRK7kUux8AN0_b3uuzyi_CqSa2kVH8cdbFIvSZrID2BsoGhK8Ajz7Y6r-_nwH6SzfaMe2GRfcHwooqLCQpQ-1EfDVeh6r-SWLjPn6y6izJhX1KrWc/s320/Seuss-zipper.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right side of wallet w/zippered pocket. The bills pocket is super deep.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While the pattern is easy to follow, it does get a bit tough once all the fabrics are joined together. Sewing multiple layers of fabric, plus interfacing, and duck canvas gets really hard for the machine. I had to use a jeans size 90 needle to sew the layers together and in some areas, I had to sew slowly so I wouldn't break the needle. It is doable as long as you have a good sharp large needle.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUB6LNB5LJBQLE-ZIiiHEnjx2vCh7dOwtLqPErCJqKdXRwxEzifQt-flCGLWz781GoixrkSdzKOMG4TA-dl3mw3en1gYE-adVqtP5N8ADL5R-CyVcOP-KjmrdvU2rZxcZUlZ1Vzyq14EWV/s1600/Seuss-middle.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUB6LNB5LJBQLE-ZIiiHEnjx2vCh7dOwtLqPErCJqKdXRwxEzifQt-flCGLWz781GoixrkSdzKOMG4TA-dl3mw3en1gYE-adVqtP5N8ADL5R-CyVcOP-KjmrdvU2rZxcZUlZ1Vzyq14EWV/s320/Seuss-middle.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of card slots</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The only modification I made was the binding on the outside borders. By the time the binding is added, there is just too much fabric. When I tried sewing the binding, it would slip and slide everywhere. I tried hand sewing to tack it down, and even fusing the binding first but it would still slide around while using the machine. So to keep the binding even and neat, I just hand-stitched it onto the wallet. To keep the fabric from getting dingy, I sprayed the wallet with Stain-Master fabric spray.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3J8GAfPgbP5RCvV5CXIlz1VcM0tCwWyijai2D6uF7ymrPmEeqQm-lMo_4wdPv0reCbDC-5wPVXGHSgrpgVFjPCRZo_dt5TdmJAALRgTZTP2FbyUE47RSrKJbk4j3SBvFTk7Xhrgs9RXH2/s1600/Seuss-topview.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3J8GAfPgbP5RCvV5CXIlz1VcM0tCwWyijai2D6uF7ymrPmEeqQm-lMo_4wdPv0reCbDC-5wPVXGHSgrpgVFjPCRZo_dt5TdmJAALRgTZTP2FbyUE47RSrKJbk4j3SBvFTk7Xhrgs9RXH2/s320/Seuss-topview.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top-down view</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
If I make this wallet again, I would use a magnetic snap instead of 2 no-sew snaps. It takes a little bit of coordination to get the snaps together. A magnetic snap tends to close without too much work.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNR7mPnvGcH0WGyqsN6gOUQYpoJeD4BTsUmq5NRj626no_E4sS8l03lbhCjobsg7_10h7o2IIXRn6p1ZCt79os4d3bs1HWz9bQguWTP9H4IOwdU6M0QGrr-0srjIUonSwhefVwjKN7MK3h/s1600/Seuss-back.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNR7mPnvGcH0WGyqsN6gOUQYpoJeD4BTsUmq5NRj626no_E4sS8l03lbhCjobsg7_10h7o2IIXRn6p1ZCt79os4d3bs1HWz9bQguWTP9H4IOwdU6M0QGrr-0srjIUonSwhefVwjKN7MK3h/s320/Seuss-back.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opened wallet</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I do love the wallet but it is big. I tend to carry around a large bag so it works out but be prepared. If you make the wallet, it does take up a bit of space.Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-79759232793840513262013-01-03T11:18:00.001-05:002013-01-03T11:18:20.784-05:00Allure last day & parting thoughtsToday is just waiting to head back home. I am looking forward to the
dogs and getting back to the routine. My jeans seem a bit tighter than
they did a week ago. :(<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">Got
up and headed to Windjammer for breakfast. Since everyone has to leave
much earlier, the buffet was packed this morning. We headed up to the Solarium for some quiet after breakfast. Since our flight is in the
afternoon, we chose to be the last group to leave the ship which is
about <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5004454380054778125" id="" target="_blank">10am.</a></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">Some
thoughts about the cruise. RCL really has it together on
moving/handling this many people at one time. The embarkation and disembarkation was extremely
smooth and easy, The
staff are helpful and friendly but that seems on par with all other
cruises we've been on. There are a lot of activities here if you are
interested in getting involved but it's also just as easy to keep to
yourself and relax as we did most of the time. There is definitely a
lot of space to roam around, with open chairs everywhere, </span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">The interior stateroom is very open and I don't feel like I'm navigating a maze when I
move around. I like that you can see your daily spending on the tv in
your room, with a scanned copy of the receipt. It's easier than waiting till the
end of the cruise for the bill and wondering "what the hell was that
cost?" </span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469);"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">You can also sign your waivers and shore excursions on your tv in the room.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469);"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469);"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">I
highly recommend reserving as much as possible before the cruise. My-time dining reservations are a must, even if you plan on any specialty
dining. Reserve for the shows but you can usually make it standby for most of them if you show up about 30 minutes in advance. If you want good
seats, make reservations and show up at least 30 minutes before the show starts. The shows are worth seeing, they are much
better than your typical cruise shows. We didn't try any specialty night
dining but since we're snooty about our food, we figured we'd enjoy our
food at home. The windjammer is fine for breakfast but we were very
disappointed by the lunch selection. Park Cafe, Johnny Rockets, Boardwalk Dogs, and
Rita's Cantina are much better options for lunch.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">Central Park is a great place to sit and relax but it doesn't feel like a
cruise ship at all. It really does feel like a park. The solarium is
also a great place to relax during the day. There are a lot of shady
areas, and sunny areas. It's a 16+ area so there are no kids, and it has
two hot tubs, a pool, and a bar.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">There
are a lot of great places to people watch. If you look at all
receptive, there are ALWAYS people willing to talk to you. I got trapped
for 30 min in the hot tub by a gentleman who wouldn't stop
talking. Mike had to come rescue me. Even I started a conversation with a
woman during lunch one day.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">The
ship is much warmer than other ships we've been on. I didn't have to
wear my sweaters in the evening at all. I did have a small wrap I wore
during formal nights but that's all I needed, I rarely wore my capris
during the day, it was either shorts or a swimsuit.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">This
is a damn big ship. After a week, I still haven't figured out where I
am. I know Central Park is on 8, and Boardwalk is on 6 but when I'm
standing somewhere, I can't remember which way is front or back. The touchscreens and maps by the elevators really come in handy. The
touchscreens are great because they show what's currently going on, and
how to get to various places. Apparently there are also days of the
week on the elevators which probably comes in handy.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">We
ended up taking the stairs the entire time which ended up getting
exhausting. We did take the elevator once so we could see what it was
like, especially since its a glass elevator,</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">The
flow rider is a lot of fun but you need to have a good shirt to wear
over your swimsuit, the water is chilly so if you plan to wait in line
more than once, having a swimshirt is good, most of the pros there were
wearing board shorts(including the girls) and swim shirt tops. A cotton
shirt ends up getting drenched, heavy, and cold. If I had known in
advance, I would have tried bringing the right top and tried the flow
rider more than once, course it is a bit intimidating since the same
pros were doing the flow rider over and over again.</span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">Allure of the Seas is a great ship to try out. It's huge and has so many various activities but a lot of space if you want privacy too. Turned out to be a fantastic vacation for both of us! </span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-77391612195120416762013-01-03T11:18:00.000-05:002013-01-03T11:18:20.782-05:00Allure Day 7Last day of the cruise and an at sea day. Got up at our usual time and
got breakfast at the Park Cafe. Found a couple of non wet chairs and
people watched. It rained briefly but since we were under shelter, it
didn't bother us. It only lasted for a few minutes anyways.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">After
breakfast, we looked into the Britto artwork gallery and the Coach
store. Didn't buy anything but the Britto artwork looked fun. The royal
canine struck a chord with both of us but the 3d artwork was $16K, not quite what we wanted to spend. I liked the Britto luggage, but again a bit
expensive.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUjK0i3y9LgD91MkHVJU9s_-gh2DYxCPAHn-arRUErUycRhiHqD_Tld9J9gLAamo9SZJWdq_4RiFM2RtxSS0NYwHOW5dg6hd2_QVKtbOBznMyKcHM8SwbbULR-2j8ZTVcFhaT61hXvCUxQ/s1600/IMG_0384.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUjK0i3y9LgD91MkHVJU9s_-gh2DYxCPAHn-arRUErUycRhiHqD_Tld9J9gLAamo9SZJWdq_4RiFM2RtxSS0NYwHOW5dg6hd2_QVKtbOBznMyKcHM8SwbbULR-2j8ZTVcFhaT61hXvCUxQ/s320/IMG_0384.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting psyched up to climb</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
We
moseyed over to the Boardwalk and grabbed a seat for the captain's
corner Q&A. It's a question and answer session with the captain, chief
engineer, hotel operations manager, and cruise director (have I
mentioned we really like our cruise director?). It was quite informative
and definitely fun to listen to. After the q&a, I had to try out
the climbing wall. It was both easier and harder than I expected. It
wasn't quite as hard to move up the wall as I anticipated, but it was
murder on my hands and forearms. I did make it to the top. Interestingly it was the most scary at the top just letting go of the wall and hoping the rope support me back down.
Once I got down, my hands and arms were so cramped I couldn't really use
them for about 30 minutes. It was definitely worth it though. </div>
<div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNJl-J3SvDQeN9FJ5Avur_t048Tbr7d5ZDI6OVfQZQTrauV2-DR_Ffbgpb7sZDSWUTL4c7CFVZ7JnNmN_ccmGokqrBvaxsgVj9N2RBxhfRzl7gnJNo1k-e_BuNCo5tenTGafu_0wfsc9C/s1600/IMG_0386.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNJl-J3SvDQeN9FJ5Avur_t048Tbr7d5ZDI6OVfQZQTrauV2-DR_Ffbgpb7sZDSWUTL4c7CFVZ7JnNmN_ccmGokqrBvaxsgVj9N2RBxhfRzl7gnJNo1k-e_BuNCo5tenTGafu_0wfsc9C/s320/IMG_0386.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Well, this isn't so bad...."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUjK0i3y9LgD91MkHVJU9s_-gh2DYxCPAHn-arRUErUycRhiHqD_Tld9J9gLAamo9SZJWdq_4RiFM2RtxSS0NYwHOW5dg6hd2_QVKtbOBznMyKcHM8SwbbULR-2j8ZTVcFhaT61hXvCUxQ/s1600/IMG_0384.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1DThtGzdtv3YzTV_Bro2MLBDSYU0_MWIFdlY2t9SFP2jlaKOUAlORyLFsoOiNPcUPoO7YwHZXbf1YWpoeV3yWIacfC41l1BZF7lsZkB61nGm8aAjhy9PzVSgbuzmxzUR5G8lpsuxO7HO/s1600/IMG_0393.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1DThtGzdtv3YzTV_Bro2MLBDSYU0_MWIFdlY2t9SFP2jlaKOUAlORyLFsoOiNPcUPoO7YwHZXbf1YWpoeV3yWIacfC41l1BZF7lsZkB61nGm8aAjhy9PzVSgbuzmxzUR5G8lpsuxO7HO/s320/IMG_0393.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost there....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyEy5cG6wRTg4ZaxWUUJvFz3zZogwlGnd65gtpfacsY8Qq7V2Q6wgcv07EnrGnCBQrV6Wwd38BdUqyqfui8XyKAl-gHYz5-x8KVSSe37VPDjSMx4vsJI9arcXyR-uRQASPInMemQ5ulTJK/s1600/IMG_0398.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyEy5cG6wRTg4ZaxWUUJvFz3zZogwlGnd65gtpfacsY8Qq7V2Q6wgcv07EnrGnCBQrV6Wwd38BdUqyqfui8XyKAl-gHYz5-x8KVSSe37VPDjSMx4vsJI9arcXyR-uRQASPInMemQ5ulTJK/s320/IMG_0398.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can't believe I made it!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-CDANnco8rO00gDIB_FW2c_vcRVpMV2hJCUHBnU4B7gGGuzS2mgH7E4MP30jLZXxjnyHmrkOjtSMOMTSNaqkrbLvq1H705RhNfsdJQvIhZO56AOLByGoeCUiRNkOWSZO-91hs8ts9_aG/s1600/IMG_0400.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-CDANnco8rO00gDIB_FW2c_vcRVpMV2hJCUHBnU4B7gGGuzS2mgH7E4MP30jLZXxjnyHmrkOjtSMOMTSNaqkrbLvq1H705RhNfsdJQvIhZO56AOLByGoeCUiRNkOWSZO-91hs8ts9_aG/s320/IMG_0400.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Letting go and depending on the rope was the scariest part!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">We
had lunch at Rita's Cantina, the Mexican restaurant on the ship. We
noticed that people definitely shift their food schedule on board. I
guess because they are awake so late, they don't have breakfast till
late, which means a later lunch. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5004454380054778125" id="" target="_blank">At 11:45</a>,
we were the only ones at the cantina for lunch. The food was good. Tip:
even the small dishes are pretty significant in amounts of food.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">After
we wandered a bit we made enough space in our stomachs for popcorn and
cotton candy with a Captains Bahama Mama drink. Cotton candy in ridiculous
humidity does not make for fun cotton candy. The first few bites were
great, but then the candy literally started to melt and compress. The
popcorn and drink was really good though. I think we both agreed the
drink was the best we had on the cruise.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">We
decided to vegetate in the solarium for a few hours (I'm pretty sure the solarium and central park were our favorite spots). While it was
crowded, it wasn't as crowded as I expected. We were able to find some
loungers in the shade. I am impressed at how well RCL manages space.
Even with all the passengers aboard the ship, there is always some
loungers and chairs available to catch some sun.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">I
wanted to watch the 60 second game show so we headed down to the
promenade. Various contestants have to accomplish things with typical
household items. One is to knock all the plastic cups off using rubber
bands, another is to catch increasing number of pencils from the back of
your hand into the front of your hand. The funniest one is where the
contestants had to bend over, put their nose into Vaseline, then move
one cotton ball at a time from one dish to another with their nose. We both
thought it was pretty hilarious to watch.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">There
was yet another watch sale on the promenade when we got out of the show
so we perused it along with about 300 other people. This was more a designer sale than mass market cheap sale. The Invicta
watches are humongous! They had all sorts of designer watches: Bulova, Fossil, Anne Klein, Michael Kors at apparently at 50-75% off msrp. It
amazes me how many people seemed to buy the watches as I thought watches
were going out of style. I wonder if it's because of the moment (being
on the ship, big sale, etc).</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">Since we knew we'd have a slightly later dinner, we grabbed a quick meal at the Park Cafe. </span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469);">We headed back to the room to change for the evening. We had reservations for the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5004454380054778125" id="" target="_blank">5pm</a>
showing of Blue Planet. Blue Planet was a bit of a
disappointment but that's because I was expecting a cirque-type show. It
was visually appealing but there wasn't much in the way of acrobatics.
Mostly a lot of dancing and singing, more along the lines of a typical
cruise show. I'd have to say I liked this show least of all, but
possibly due to higher expectations.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">We had our last dinner and headed back to the room to pack it all up. Called it an early night.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-CDANnco8rO00gDIB_FW2c_vcRVpMV2hJCUHBnU4B7gGGuzS2mgH7E4MP30jLZXxjnyHmrkOjtSMOMTSNaqkrbLvq1H705RhNfsdJQvIhZO56AOLByGoeCUiRNkOWSZO-91hs8ts9_aG/s1600/IMG_0400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">Random thoughts: If you do my time dining, reservations are highly recommended, especially if you eat late. If you eat <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5004454380054778125" id="" target="_blank">around 5:30-6</a>,
you won't have much of a wait. But every time we came out of the dining
room at about 7, there was always a large group of people waiting for
seats.</span></div>
Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-37303311248761139312013-01-03T11:17:00.006-05:002013-01-03T11:18:20.775-05:00Allure Day 6Today was Cozumel port. Since we've been there a few times, plus we
didn't feel like doing a shore excursion, we decided to take advantage
of the nice quiet ship today. Grabbed some breakfast at Windjammer this
morning, same old stuff, then headed straight to the solarium.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7PJh51rCAmHeVNydnHgnkpDJYh3g57xPU2qVQ12G2hBHT1s5IiQhK1xueV2xhIoESg9jfeG3G2mxy4irDHA5P_1yDrTd8xiiEj6cZPbn_dgtol_gDFSwhhwDqKOZRvXLznJhfdaolQ1gk/s1600/IMG_0374.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7PJh51rCAmHeVNydnHgnkpDJYh3g57xPU2qVQ12G2hBHT1s5IiQhK1xueV2xhIoESg9jfeG3G2mxy4irDHA5P_1yDrTd8xiiEj6cZPbn_dgtol_gDFSwhhwDqKOZRvXLznJhfdaolQ1gk/s320/IMG_0374.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watched the maintenance crews clean the tops of the solarium windows. Bit scary watching them work up there</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">Looks
like Cozumel is going to be a busy port today. When we pulled in, the Mariner of the seas (RCL) was already docked. Plus there was an NCL ship
at a pier further away. After we docked, Norwegian Dawn parked next to
us, and about 30 minutes later a Carnival ship parked next to the Dawn.
Another NCL shipped parked by the far pier, and it looked like a third
one parked there later. We ended up counting seven ships at port
(including ours) by mid-morning.</span></div>
<div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfayP7rDVj6BgJW5NjUHswvnYcVA88Eaq3noZ94OtJi6cVlYRrZcFjMeR-s6RDupqRLqfDhh0v9EUEkHjU07d4q3JsVw08TcUr7w45gyKMa7j8d93GJg47IteIsYYc6PSduKc4-0ybHKyv/s1600/IMG_0404.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfayP7rDVj6BgJW5NjUHswvnYcVA88Eaq3noZ94OtJi6cVlYRrZcFjMeR-s6RDupqRLqfDhh0v9EUEkHjU07d4q3JsVw08TcUr7w45gyKMa7j8d93GJg47IteIsYYc6PSduKc4-0ybHKyv/s320/IMG_0404.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Promenade behind us, we're on the Rising Tides bar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">The
solarium was very very empty so we had our choice of chairs. We soaked
up some sun, read, and relaxed for a few hours. Before we knew it, it
was lunchtime, we headed to Windjammer for lunch. I had some salad and a
hot dog but the food was rather unappetizing so we went down to Park Cafe so Mike could find something better. The food was definitely an
improvement, the roast beef sandwich was very good. Plus the drinks are
not diluted with ice so they taste more like what they're supposed to
taste like and less like water.</span></div>
<div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOKOVpa8SGDq7dTOIGkTD7hJXVqNziXqLj2vos2b5GxxZoKJo5hmWB5vUDO_PUDFQrH95PAF67Wmfw8txnNPyPyvMWz2aHz_DutnMgUH-4J2pt0RLtauOkNfXzv_-xnzDho03AheK_DVdV/s1600/IMG_0403.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOKOVpa8SGDq7dTOIGkTD7hJXVqNziXqLj2vos2b5GxxZoKJo5hmWB5vUDO_PUDFQrH95PAF67Wmfw8txnNPyPyvMWz2aHz_DutnMgUH-4J2pt0RLtauOkNfXzv_-xnzDho03AheK_DVdV/s320/IMG_0403.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rising Tides bar making its way up to the Central Park level</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">During
lunch, a woman sat next to us and we chatted for a bit. She's been on
130+ cruises just with RCL! She lives in CA but originally from Wales. When I asked why she came to FL instead of leaving from CA, she stated that RCL pulled most of their ships from the west coast so they
need to come to FL or Europe to take the ships. I'm not sure if Mike and
I will ever reach that number of cruises. We come on board to
completely unplug but once Mike retires, I don't think it'll be quite as
necessary to isolate and do nothing on our vacations.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ62bwGfrW_h8mvCPaEwZYgYKgJhB9PsUWj9MFQaRGm-_sIHCiSC0Vd4-yTamCO6jRy3Pigmy1UBMI9rknEHrXikA_93Akcb8AVbTLLfitCoppUA0BtfDQcIWXKbVDRmIBe5mZBjzR7KZS/s1600/IMG_0401.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ62bwGfrW_h8mvCPaEwZYgYKgJhB9PsUWj9MFQaRGm-_sIHCiSC0Vd4-yTamCO6jRy3Pigmy1UBMI9rknEHrXikA_93Akcb8AVbTLLfitCoppUA0BtfDQcIWXKbVDRmIBe5mZBjzR7KZS/s320/IMG_0401.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flash mob class on the Promenade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">After
lunch, we headed back to the still mostly empty solarium and found some
nice shady chairs to sit in. More relaxing and hot tubbing was
involved. After a few more hours, we headed back to the room (Mike's
iPad was almost empty of charge, plus it was almost time for dinner).</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7PJh51rCAmHeVNydnHgnkpDJYh3g57xPU2qVQ12G2hBHT1s5IiQhK1xueV2xhIoESg9jfeG3G2mxy4irDHA5P_1yDrTd8xiiEj6cZPbn_dgtol_gDFSwhhwDqKOZRvXLznJhfdaolQ1gk/s1600/IMG_0374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9imWBDZ9nOYy7skbYivfGPSiYGiv4xV1vhd5HQyiD0FCzcX8ZnzQUNcdV7n3mpNiittLg1MpuWHyGxOTNLK-vSUGxQ-lvZJo3kv29y2jQ7V7bObmOEY4OaasSv7XsdV4vdzzPRoheH61W/s1600/IMG_0377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9imWBDZ9nOYy7skbYivfGPSiYGiv4xV1vhd5HQyiD0FCzcX8ZnzQUNcdV7n3mpNiittLg1MpuWHyGxOTNLK-vSUGxQ-lvZJo3kv29y2jQ7V7bObmOEY4OaasSv7XsdV4vdzzPRoheH61W/s320/IMG_0377.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jogging track, nice surface. Not many people.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">After
dinner, we walked briefly through the promenade then headed back to the
room for an early night. My cold (thanks, Mike) was getting a bit
worse so early to bed.</span></div>
Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-65455931120482195892013-01-03T11:17:00.005-05:002013-01-03T11:18:20.779-05:00Allure Day 5Today is an at sea day. Slept in until <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5004454380054778125" id="" target="_blank">8am</a>
this morning! Got breakfast at the buffet and stopped at the sun deck
to see if it was a good place to spend the day. Looks like it was still
a bit early as the chairs were still stackd and tied down. There are
side platforms on the deck that lets you see the entire side of the
ship.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdw9ZgwI8aEjEmt4TYBg6WQqr89QULSaaIO37vdmsrzWheWq0W4fOztp_QcTIB7g08FwpR8GDwDiqKcubzHYVe1BnwopIXWqvuX_bvpN-SI7SsKgCFHxy72Uy6-2cGpV9UUANnLsrPCWb/s1600/IMG_0375.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdw9ZgwI8aEjEmt4TYBg6WQqr89QULSaaIO37vdmsrzWheWq0W4fOztp_QcTIB7g08FwpR8GDwDiqKcubzHYVe1BnwopIXWqvuX_bvpN-SI7SsKgCFHxy72Uy6-2cGpV9UUANnLsrPCWb/s320/IMG_0375.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Solarium, 16+ area only. Two hot tubs, one pool, lots of space</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7PJh51rCAmHeVNydnHgnkpDJYh3g57xPU2qVQ12G2hBHT1s5IiQhK1xueV2xhIoESg9jfeG3G2mxy4irDHA5P_1yDrTd8xiiEj6cZPbn_dgtol_gDFSwhhwDqKOZRvXLznJhfdaolQ1gk/s1600/IMG_0374.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">We headed to the solarium instead and found some nice loungers to relax in. Good thing we got there relatively early since by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5004454380054778125" id="" target="_blank">10:30</a>,
all the chairs had been taken. Mike found the shade immediately while I
attempted the sun for a little while until I started to broil. Once
the sun hit pretty high, we started to lose our shade so we headed out.
Since we had a late breakfast, we decided to skip lunch. We stopped at
the boardwalk to get a malt to go. Hung out at the aqua theater in the
shade to drink the shake, read, enjoy the quiet, and watch the rock
climbers.</span></div>
<div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqI8p9soe1qyXJDIlGUK2DBFcJdmP2zc80GtfwFDtOn53QovQx9y-HWN8LHqMYxe5IV75qikjohuKRUwpzB53ffwqy5xazJ9PmFCe28x5bk1liIDmd64asbJGPCwQFJXHYBu54OI2RwA_v/s1600/IMG_0379.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqI8p9soe1qyXJDIlGUK2DBFcJdmP2zc80GtfwFDtOn53QovQx9y-HWN8LHqMYxe5IV75qikjohuKRUwpzB53ffwqy5xazJ9PmFCe28x5bk1liIDmd64asbJGPCwQFJXHYBu54OI2RwA_v/s320/IMG_0379.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Aquatheater towards center of ship</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdw9ZgwI8aEjEmt4TYBg6WQqr89QULSaaIO37vdmsrzWheWq0W4fOztp_QcTIB7g08FwpR8GDwDiqKcubzHYVe1BnwopIXWqvuX_bvpN-SI7SsKgCFHxy72Uy6-2cGpV9UUANnLsrPCWb/s1600/IMG_0375.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">After
the malt, it was time for our daily nap/relaxation in our cabin.
Afterwards it was time for formal dinner. Dinner was prime rib and
lobster. We've definitely gotten snooty in our tastes. The food was
ok but definitely not up to our usual caliber.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEMvTmlmXI1X8n6unAtKZJvE-m1dYSgmTXGtTKdePNJiLr9ANye3r4Emen-229-vEyOVLSZ_L1JsZmhmpU10D4whM-gSi32bQmUkgBrEOAjfvpao5lkCu35uPopzJ1RqQCL7pfsrGr41K/s1600/IMG_0382.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEMvTmlmXI1X8n6unAtKZJvE-m1dYSgmTXGtTKdePNJiLr9ANye3r4Emen-229-vEyOVLSZ_L1JsZmhmpU10D4whM-gSi32bQmUkgBrEOAjfvpao5lkCu35uPopzJ1RqQCL7pfsrGr41K/s320/IMG_0382.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the Aquatheater. Blue stage floor sinks to form a deep pool for performances.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">We
caught the ice show after dinner. It was a monopoly theme (Ice Games). It's a small
rink but the show was pretty good. They would roll the dice and then do
a number based on the location (Giovanni Place, Casino Royale, arcade
place, jail, boardwalk). They started a bit slow with multiple falls for
triple axels but it did get better and was entertaining. We still liked
Chicago best so far.</span></div>
<div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie3Fy_tNvwtEoewtyOkq6V3ChQd0hB3K7PAQrSqFSsiXIJbqNN8VvtmijmO0W_PIbNDgSj30GGyzc8dq_Q4KrLYWbvVH_s1bj5zpObMswEEzYuicPU4eO8W6wa0ejsrOjsMK7w5Q-n98dO/s1600/IMG_0406.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie3Fy_tNvwtEoewtyOkq6V3ChQd0hB3K7PAQrSqFSsiXIJbqNN8VvtmijmO0W_PIbNDgSj30GGyzc8dq_Q4KrLYWbvVH_s1bj5zpObMswEEzYuicPU4eO8W6wa0ejsrOjsMK7w5Q-n98dO/s320/IMG_0406.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three floor dinner room. First two for fixed dining, top for my-time dining.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">Since we missed our reservations for the headliner show yesterday, we decided to get in via standby for <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5004454380054778125" id="" target="_blank">tonight</a>'s
show. While we didn't have the best seats, it was still fine. The Amber theater is large enough that there are good seats just about everywhere. The show
was Tony Tillman who sang various classics (rock, Motown, blues) and
had a bit of comedy involved in his show. It must take an immense amount
of energy to put a show together like that! He was definitely putting a
lot into his show. Again, started a bit slow but once warmed up, it
was a lot of fun.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">It
appears that the cruise director introduces and ends almost all shows. We'd be at one show and see him intro and end the show, then when we go to the next show, he'd be doing the same thing. The cruise director really gets around! We both liked our cruise director, he seems to have a great
sense of humor.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimwIl9dNciSIo9ttwUs7qlEeP2xyYLnZs8ITWpiMGHbeVnljPvH5HUKTm0s62hNjRFU-5kvNHF_3GDFz5EePV2RNtPLoawKWoMOGK-jim6bgFnve2Taut_XbblQUbxOPb6swqsI8aHhmSB/s1600/IMG_0383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimwIl9dNciSIo9ttwUs7qlEeP2xyYLnZs8ITWpiMGHbeVnljPvH5HUKTm0s62hNjRFU-5kvNHF_3GDFz5EePV2RNtPLoawKWoMOGK-jim6bgFnve2Taut_XbblQUbxOPb6swqsI8aHhmSB/s320/IMG_0383.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love the water in the Caribbean!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">Tomorrow
is Cozumel, but since we've been there a few times now, we're gonna
just stay on board and relax again. It's a tough life!</span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
Random thoughts:</div>
<div>
- Allure doesn't seem to feel the need to keep the indoor temperature at sub-arctic levels. It's a very nice change from other ships where you bake outside, then freeze inside. I've been comfortable walking around the ship in
shorts. It gets a little chilly in the venues during the evening but
that's to be expected with so many people at one show. Even in the evenings we haven't had needed our sweaters or sweatshirts when walking around.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-2094303146848315012013-01-03T11:17:00.004-05:002013-01-03T11:18:20.773-05:00Allure Day 4Today was Falmouth Jamaica. It looks like a relatively new port stop.
Basically the port is one big shopping area and if you want to do
anything on the island, you have to sign up for a shore excursion. Falmouth must be further away from civilization since all the shore
excursions are at least 5 hours+.<br />
<br />
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSXAm-81vxCUYowmFEsqILR_L8mD2V2Rs5YyeBBPtB9Oe_6P6IX-LEjp-9yPzHtYb3NNAutl4jAKPD5_0h5ZsVBeCtrFaymDN2zTjfAhWEcBoDjeIn92f65zVjDZhKkGwOxMeYC0RqFMm/s1600/IMG_0323.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSXAm-81vxCUYowmFEsqILR_L8mD2V2Rs5YyeBBPtB9Oe_6P6IX-LEjp-9yPzHtYb3NNAutl4jAKPD5_0h5ZsVBeCtrFaymDN2zTjfAhWEcBoDjeIn92f65zVjDZhKkGwOxMeYC0RqFMm/s320/IMG_0323.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View during our morning munching.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
Decided on Central Park for breakfast as I was craving a bagel instead off the usual
buffet fare. Did some people watching at the park after breakfast since
we didn't hit port till about 10ish. There is definitely something a
bit freaky about sitting in a park setting (with bird noises piped in)
that really screws with your sense of being on a ship. The nice thing
about getting up early on a ship is that it tends to be very quiet in
the morning. Once <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5004454380054778125" id="" target="_blank">9:30</a> hit, even the park area became a bit more crowded.</div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAY-XCUn3aX3NP5yrinJX2qqOCJVUGcDBSGzv12LGcQEo7KSwGdXux9-1ZGXT3n-XyiiogSRYS3zF3UmvM9Nvn2wARJLpgVsykKHIQe2t2LEg56RT1g0cMT69e2spqUPLuwl3_xAoTI74d/s1600/IMG_0324.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAY-XCUn3aX3NP5yrinJX2qqOCJVUGcDBSGzv12LGcQEo7KSwGdXux9-1ZGXT3n-XyiiogSRYS3zF3UmvM9Nvn2wARJLpgVsykKHIQe2t2LEg56RT1g0cMT69e2spqUPLuwl3_xAoTI74d/s320/IMG_0324.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another view of Central Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">We
decided to do our souvenir shopping in Falmouth and get it over with.
Definitely quite busy with everyone trying to get all the deals. After
about an hour, we finished and headed back on board. The ship seemed a
little more crowded than in Labadee. Probably because if you weren't
on an excursion, there wasn't much else to do after you finish shopping.</span></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDWyK6nDVUvVWbFkh8HzQUqV8d7Qj5M1bTiC6hS2UnbZw2a6-rAp3Hr8DS5OX6Y4s8Mx3n7rvep3j80emN096Ek1MpLQKGBRYmL1gzeDSmBJ2hulMC_bFBZs-VJMwo_rTda9fb3TzCsqb5/s1600/IMG_0329.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDWyK6nDVUvVWbFkh8HzQUqV8d7Qj5M1bTiC6hS2UnbZw2a6-rAp3Hr8DS5OX6Y4s8Mx3n7rvep3j80emN096Ek1MpLQKGBRYmL1gzeDSmBJ2hulMC_bFBZs-VJMwo_rTda9fb3TzCsqb5/s320/IMG_0329.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royal Promenade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">We
grabbed some lunch at the buffet and since Mike wasn't feeling so well
(sucks getting sick during vacation), we headed back to the room to
relax and try to nap.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">We had the headliner show reserved for 10:30pm but we already knew we weren't going to make that show <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5004454380054778125" id="" target="_blank">tonight</a>.
After dinner, I was intrigued about the 1 hour $19.99 watch sale happening on the promenade, so we headed there to people watch, and to procure some
cold drugs. Mike compared the sale to the yearly wedding dress sale.
There were a lot of people crowded around the area waiting for <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5004454380054778125" id="" target="_blank">7:30pm</a>
and when the lines opened, there was literally a surge of people
rushing to the watches. It did stay civilized and there didn't appear
to be any blood drawn. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAorwGCdlbPo7ixwIbtxM5L4IjvU_KqYGeKiK3vpQzxtuiBfJtDyMULlgz2_Jg9Fy8uZPfAn0e8bZ-ruC9p25NebTP2P_GYqI8p_KwM7dvDucdGdTZR2ghUCp647s7fwhc1fUkUnD3QYUY/s1600/IMG_0369.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAorwGCdlbPo7ixwIbtxM5L4IjvU_KqYGeKiK3vpQzxtuiBfJtDyMULlgz2_Jg9Fy8uZPfAn0e8bZ-ruC9p25NebTP2P_GYqI8p_KwM7dvDucdGdTZR2ghUCp647s7fwhc1fUkUnD3QYUY/s320/IMG_0369.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching surge of people during the $19.99 watch sale.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">Once we finished watching the mass of humanity, we headed upstairs, calling it an early night. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">Random
thoughts:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">-Really like the decorations on the ship. We found that Norwegian is extremely
gaudy and bright. Princess is very elegant but overly so, lots of marble and shiny surfaces. Royal Caribbean has a lot of wood and
photography as artwork on the walls. We've actually found ourselves
going up to the photos to get more information about them. The
decorating is understated but very nice.</span></div>
Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-76168086007015410172013-01-03T11:17:00.003-05:002013-01-03T11:18:20.780-05:00Allure Day 3<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinh60qiaHyXbHfTInYgXZXIGnQs-ZjFvCDGYS9sDvVMsZVkAR9N9DNDbWWNoxKVGayLhSmHd6ixG2TYweD2QufFlzzckG3806yQwgSqhDQMnQhKmBMjxa84Hz1w3liyNmSEFJsnT9DtZSj/s1600/IMG_0331.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinh60qiaHyXbHfTInYgXZXIGnQs-ZjFvCDGYS9sDvVMsZVkAR9N9DNDbWWNoxKVGayLhSmHd6ixG2TYweD2QufFlzzckG3806yQwgSqhDQMnQhKmBMjxa84Hz1w3liyNmSEFJsnT9DtZSj/s320/IMG_0331.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Labadee, Haiti - view from the ship</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">Today
was Labadee, Haiti. It's a private beach owned by RCL on a small part
of Haiti. It looks like they've done extensive work on it, it's a lot
more expansive than the other private beaches we've been on. It has zip
lines over the water, roller coaster, water slides, small kiddie water
park, watersports, and lots of beaches to relax. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHePqPODubUtCW83tO8INu2CzGEW23fNXnLqnkZffzT2rXQjXo0GoTqA84Bek6R85x_6mKyUzvcRBaJD6uOE_CyoK8SZtbfE1Jn_Wj3gvOyA2Js-FwWbd3p3upNWT9W7JMdsSaCQEuDyB-/s1600/IMG_0344.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHePqPODubUtCW83tO8INu2CzGEW23fNXnLqnkZffzT2rXQjXo0GoTqA84Bek6R85x_6mKyUzvcRBaJD6uOE_CyoK8SZtbfE1Jn_Wj3gvOyA2Js-FwWbd3p3upNWT9W7JMdsSaCQEuDyB-/s320/IMG_0344.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the ship docked at Labadee</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">We
grabbed breakfast at the buffet, which was definitely more crowded than
yesterday (due to early port), and headed off the ship. We walked
around a bit then headed towards the coaster. We got there early but as
there was no crowd, they let us on. It's a single car that you control
with brakes. It's quick but fun. It's no Cedar Point Park but there
are some nice views as you whip around the side of the hill. They don't
let you bring a bag onto the coaster so you have to store it in a
locker. It's an interesting concept. They give you an rf id tag that
will open any locker on the island. You can use it all day and it costs
$8. It's great for someone who is going to be on the island for hours
but we were only there for a short time, which made it a bit annoying.</span></div>
<div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIItDuQoHWRtFRATWLD2ttIvAP6x29oEPcgGs6ucv7dj6U7669yu-KvE2wRxP22BPuw4rD6T2w20DExiYuVjmh_cg_xhuT16zqAjmWIE5DsBzUjwjGNfsABrcWfuR_wfy51KEQy_jUK_w3/s1600/IMG_0350.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIItDuQoHWRtFRATWLD2ttIvAP6x29oEPcgGs6ucv7dj6U7669yu-KvE2wRxP22BPuw4rD6T2w20DExiYuVjmh_cg_xhuT16zqAjmWIE5DsBzUjwjGNfsABrcWfuR_wfy51KEQy_jUK_w3/s320/IMG_0350.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the top of the coaster</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhNJWIr4ZjT1P2OxBIYwkzELi07uHU8ed7mJY-lxjLfAqmHCvxjMdW2CSwqGo-GeL9OU-Soo3Y9PX0fAMc7Ishx_1Ftb1J7KCHOmE0hvi5YUqCxtYUhoPwmt5G7eDU1V09JaEvhEjoMK8/s1600/IMG_0312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div>
After
the coaster, we walked around the artisan marketplace where the locals
were hawking their wares. It's not quite as bad as some of the islands
we've been on, but they were definitely pushing their stuff. Of course I found a couple of random dogs on the beach to pet for a while. We watched the zipliners and sat in the shade for a little while then headed back to the ship. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">The
nice thing about port days is the ship is pretty empty. We changed
into our swimsuits and found a couple shady chaise loungers right next
to the pool. We cooled off in the pool, drank, read, puzzled, and
hot-tubed. There was even a bit of dozing it the chair. The majority of
those still on the ship appeared to be a much older crowd, we were
definitely in the minority. As it was quiet and empty, we didn't have anything to complain about.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhNJWIr4ZjT1P2OxBIYwkzELi07uHU8ed7mJY-lxjLfAqmHCvxjMdW2CSwqGo-GeL9OU-Soo3Y9PX0fAMc7Ishx_1Ftb1J7KCHOmE0hvi5YUqCxtYUhoPwmt5G7eDU1V09JaEvhEjoMK8/s1600/IMG_0312.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhNJWIr4ZjT1P2OxBIYwkzELi07uHU8ed7mJY-lxjLfAqmHCvxjMdW2CSwqGo-GeL9OU-Soo3Y9PX0fAMc7Ishx_1Ftb1J7KCHOmE0hvi5YUqCxtYUhoPwmt5G7eDU1V09JaEvhEjoMK8/s320/IMG_0312.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the pools, far side is the kids pool</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">I really wanted to try the flow rider, so after it opened, we headed up
there. There was a short line already. Basically you get to stay on the
board until you fall off. Women are required to wear shirts (which
makes sense since things can shift around when you fall). The guide there
gives some brief instructions and holds you up while you try to find some
balance. It's a lot harder than it seems, you need some good core
muscles to make it work. Both of us did not stay up very long
after the guide let go. I'd love to try it again but I don't quite have the right clothes to make it work. The water is pretty cold, and a cotton shirt just gets really heavy and cold. The ones who have done this before had on surfing tops and board shorts (the right swimwear for the flowriders). If we ever do this ship again, I'm definitely bringing the right clothes and doing this again! </span><br />
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/AqJS43TRuIs?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<div>
We
grabbed a hot dog and chocolate shake on the boardwalk for lunch.
They were pretty good. I got the coney island, Mike got a pork sausage with
spices on it. Then it was time for our daily nap.....BEST part of the
vacation.</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxWs5SBPfxUX23D1gCvSxPh0QpZPT00BCbf9qjRgZI0jD06tdsqPhYNAJXNKaQHNnF9z7k_pwXkJOegMt7BaW-PYpBaXivePspMxaEmsVSCv6bg6CLiu3daYeR2Gj2jvs9BavYUS1JfvK/s1600/IMG_0326.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxWs5SBPfxUX23D1gCvSxPh0QpZPT00BCbf9qjRgZI0jD06tdsqPhYNAJXNKaQHNnF9z7k_pwXkJOegMt7BaW-PYpBaXivePspMxaEmsVSCv6bg6CLiu3daYeR2Gj2jvs9BavYUS1JfvK/s320/IMG_0326.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to Boardwalk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
Headed to dinner and then to Chicago
broadway show. It's quite good and definitely much better than any ship
shows we're used to seeing. They did a very good job with the production.
Since we missed our Ocean Aria show last night (apparently due to the
high winds yesterday, they ended up canceling one of the night shows
anyways), we decided to try to see it via standby line. We were able to
get in but it was much more crowded than usual. We has to stand on the
rock climbing wall level and watch standing up.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsQSKS2t8oQ9Hi-exMQTEnah9hV7jOX0xwvNRygTAXo_0dqglxkpY1lIg5lNRQRdGI65hRwuAzojkYkivB_FRm4HYnDYU1FPTOr7pxmh-AF3hyphenhyphenf2-gwghq1QWgOxtMq8Fuuj9RVgKlK4-9/s1600/IMG_0327.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsQSKS2t8oQ9Hi-exMQTEnah9hV7jOX0xwvNRygTAXo_0dqglxkpY1lIg5lNRQRdGI65hRwuAzojkYkivB_FRm4HYnDYU1FPTOr7pxmh-AF3hyphenhyphenf2-gwghq1QWgOxtMq8Fuuj9RVgKlK4-9/s320/IMG_0327.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boardwalk - view towards center of ship</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">It's
basically a show of divers. While its not Olympic-par, I thought it was
fabulous, especially since they have to do this on a moving ship. There
were a couple of high divers which looked quite scary since the pool is
not that big to start with. It looked as if they ended up really close
to the side of the pool. Not a cirque show but very entertaining ship
show.</span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
Random thoughts:<br />
-Bathroom light never turns completely off, but stays
very dim. It ends up being very helpful in an interior stateroom when
trying to find your way to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
<br />
-Bringing a water bottle has been very handy. Refills of ice, water, and
juices available about everywhere, and we find we're drinking more
water because of the convenience.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-1020193367601436982013-01-03T11:17:00.002-05:002013-01-03T11:18:20.771-05:00Allure Day 2I got up early to go running. Now if I can just be this ambitious at home! Center opened <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5004454380054778125" id="" target="_blank">at 6am</a> but
there weren't too many there, maybe about 3 or so. By the time I left,
there were more people, maybe about a dozen with a few more trickling
into the entrance. Early definitely seems the way to go.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">After
cleaning up, we headed to Windjammer (main buffet area) for breakfast. Very typical
morning buffet so nothing remarkable to add. The layout does seem to be
a little tough for directing a lot of people when it's crowded. There
doesn't seem to be a lot of direction to the plan but it also allows for
more random roaming instead of waiting in a large line for something
halfway down the buffet. </span></div>
<div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIZwITHAgXKyAgKaQIidEBXU5y5k7SKq5la946TTJQvqGfaTPDa6zsjfj2xHJOPdfgeW6ZhWQ7ftS_s9g3G3xGoBKRrYbICHGuaREc3NEloEwnkb1_b9F5QO4yqTFf_lK3kJS7qhuWR6j/s1600/IMG_0316.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIZwITHAgXKyAgKaQIidEBXU5y5k7SKq5la946TTJQvqGfaTPDa6zsjfj2xHJOPdfgeW6ZhWQ7ftS_s9g3G3xGoBKRrYbICHGuaREc3NEloEwnkb1_b9F5QO4yqTFf_lK3kJS7qhuWR6j/s320/IMG_0316.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Windjammer Cafe. Below is Boardwalk, Flowriders are located behind mini-golf and basketball courts.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">We watched Flowrider lessons out the window. Flow rider is basically a surf simulator that lets you either try surfing or boogie boarding. </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">We also watched
two men miniature golfing in gusts of 20-30mph winds which made the game really fun. </span></div>
<div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1ifNSJXo8Fez9Xyxa71S9hmQDzsDGmvsFgbMXMCHWVuTTFhi-GSeadAjRE3Py4njh8Zj7XAyyb_geLHqdhtgDK8sF0ewlcj6gdBuJ6crAaQkYzBnbCosTjCOY2LVLT_NUD2-VSMtRnMu/s1600/IMG_0320.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1ifNSJXo8Fez9Xyxa71S9hmQDzsDGmvsFgbMXMCHWVuTTFhi-GSeadAjRE3Py4njh8Zj7XAyyb_geLHqdhtgDK8sF0ewlcj6gdBuJ6crAaQkYzBnbCosTjCOY2LVLT_NUD2-VSMtRnMu/s320/IMG_0320.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Central Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">Headed
to Central Park to relax and people watch. This actually seems like a
fantastic spot to have breakfast in the morning. It's so quiet and feels
isolated. Park Cafe has some good-looking breakfast. We may have to try
it later this week.</span></div>
<div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwQi2s27jU7PAGJw-8NzTQ6TKiqHVIru7WiGdnac6kjkFbkVuM_2zShxJfFP6uKG-YSfF52OsNAIjThRvIP_kAkN_zeoOQtXvKsenMexGh8k6XB_R-CmuAj3PHhjIaSjy1Y22JXQ-vC_-/s1600/IMG_0322.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwQi2s27jU7PAGJw-8NzTQ6TKiqHVIru7WiGdnac6kjkFbkVuM_2zShxJfFP6uKG-YSfF52OsNAIjThRvIP_kAkN_zeoOQtXvKsenMexGh8k6XB_R-CmuAj3PHhjIaSjy1Y22JXQ-vC_-/s320/IMG_0322.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Behind Mike is the Rising Tides Bar. Moves from Central Park to Boardwalk level every 30 minutes</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
I wanted to try the rock climbing this morning but due to a private
party, the area was closed. Since the wall doesn't look that crowded,
I'll probably get lots of chances this week to try it without a wait. The
flow rider is probably more busy so the best time is when there's a port
call. Hopefully we'll do Labadee, Haiti tomorrow early and come back to try
the flow rider.</div>
<div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_Xj1l1SPVvwNcSB5_Gw7dXhcFP3tsSOxGKVES2Nm6dNTFxAKqMGFL145iwN3wOiNIwrIv3WmTJ2oRQnLb6a_Ui71BA3VDe5LAhGHlDMH88MYbeW552Fq6l8y07athyphenhyphenrMwN9ATky-oiQZ/s1600/IMG_0370.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_Xj1l1SPVvwNcSB5_Gw7dXhcFP3tsSOxGKVES2Nm6dNTFxAKqMGFL145iwN3wOiNIwrIv3WmTJ2oRQnLb6a_Ui71BA3VDe5LAhGHlDMH88MYbeW552Fq6l8y07athyphenhyphenrMwN9ATky-oiQZ/s320/IMG_0370.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cantilevered spa - the bump off the side top of the ship</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHM9XV6pX-6pijCzFm3DI8FdecMwSYnU-ePdIJROF3Qjj4Dx_5QkfswifHkkaIcLnRvCqt_b7oqa8aRU6HU1rJ2HOY0PibotBDsob3Zax-e_PfimSFU9PPhbIertkUkkaHU5uuNIKB2yUW/s1600/IMG_0309.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHM9XV6pX-6pijCzFm3DI8FdecMwSYnU-ePdIJROF3Qjj4Dx_5QkfswifHkkaIcLnRvCqt_b7oqa8aRU6HU1rJ2HOY0PibotBDsob3Zax-e_PfimSFU9PPhbIertkUkkaHU5uuNIKB2yUW/s320/IMG_0309.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the cantilevered spa from the top.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">I went for her spa treatment this morning while Mike headed back to the
cabin to relax, aka nap. Afterwards, we headed to the cantilevered hot tub
(pretty darn huge) to soak for a while. Then off to Johnny Rockets for a
malt and burger for lunch (pretty good). Had a very fun waiter (from Trinidad) who
made the dining experience pretty fun. At one point, all the wait staff
danced in the middle of the boardwalk.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">Right
after lunch was the belly flop competition which was pretty hilarious,
mostly due to the cruise director's sense of humor. Took our afternoon
nap after that (I LOVE vacation!)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">Got
dressed for formal night and headed to 80s music trivia where we got
10/20 with an extra point for Mike dancing to footloose. I damn myself
for not having a camera to capture that awesome moment. Thank goodness Mike had a drink before that or he may have never danced.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">After
dinner was the 18+ comedy show. With no reservations, we waited in stand-by line which wasn't too bad. Two comedians were pretty funny but they
both did complain that it was hard to find the "sweet spot" for the
audience. Some would laugh but rarely would one joke get the whole crowd
going.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">We had reservations for Ocean Aria but since it's <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5004454380054778125" id="" target="_blank">at 10:45</a>, we just couldn't wait that long. We have dragon coaster tickets for <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5004454380054778125" id="" target="_blank">9:30am tomorrow</a> in Labadee and I was going to run at 6am the next morning so we decided to try Ocean Aria another day.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">Lots and lots of stairs today as we continued to explore various parts of the ship. On all our cruises, we never take the elevators, we always take the stairs. For the obvious reason, it's about the only exercise we get on our vacation, but also due to the number of people and floors, elevators take a LONG time to get to where you want to go so taking stairs is just faster. Rough seas today, lots of rocking.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
Random
thoughts: </div>
<div>
-Elevator doors are pretty cool, they are see-through so you
can look into them and look down/up for cool views. The elevators don't
seem that crowded. There are a lot of them but the hardest part seems
like the wait. Since there are so many floors, people seems to have to
wait a while before the car makes it to them. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIZwITHAgXKyAgKaQIidEBXU5y5k7SKq5la946TTJQvqGfaTPDa6zsjfj2xHJOPdfgeW6ZhWQ7ftS_s9g3G3xGoBKRrYbICHGuaREc3NEloEwnkb1_b9F5QO4yqTFf_lK3kJS7qhuWR6j/s1600/IMG_0316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEskUTrTHKCKI-mV2ecSw_12aHr5xx6CnDlqNssl2U6YIiELMPhizwt3zh04MYQyE4_TlHIM0Dn2nETv0EDZyIFiwcfNCsvIU1iQN4QPyJxKgpodj1-zYlUGTInYXPTf0QstzHGTjbTKqm/s1600/IMG_0330.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEskUTrTHKCKI-mV2ecSw_12aHr5xx6CnDlqNssl2U6YIiELMPhizwt3zh04MYQyE4_TlHIM0Dn2nETv0EDZyIFiwcfNCsvIU1iQN4QPyJxKgpodj1-zYlUGTInYXPTf0QstzHGTjbTKqm/s320/IMG_0330.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See-through elevator doors</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
-The stairs are a bit
tough. Things are more spread out here. Our past ships had all the public
areas on the top floors and most cabins on the lower floors. Here,
there are public area from level 4 all the way to level 16 with cabins
scattered throughout. We've been doing a lot more stairs than our other
ships. </div>
<div>
-Reservations really seem like a must, not only for the shows but
for dinner. By the time we left dinner on the first night (7ish),
there was quite a wait for my-time dining. So far, Mike prefers the
food on our other cruise ships. I feels the food is about on par with
the other ships, not any better or worse. </div>
<div>
-With so many on board, they do a good
job of keeping things spread out. So far we haven't felt very crowded
but we seem to do things a little more off hours. Earlier breakfast,
later lunch, and early dinner kept the crowds away. </div>
<div>
-So much space on
deck for chairs that we can easily find two to relax in. Plenty of hot
tubs (and all were working, unlike some of our other cruises) so not many are crowded. Lot more photographers on board this ship
taking various shots throughout the day.</div>
Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-53593386807303571952013-01-03T11:17:00.001-05:002013-01-03T11:18:20.777-05:00Allure Day 1<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">Close
call with our flight this morning. It was a while ago when Mike made
the reservations so we both assumed Dulles airport departure which is our usual
airport. I was writing down our flight info for parents to pick us up
and noticed dca instead of our usual iad. Freaked us out but since we
had gotten up earlier than expected, we still had enough time to head to
dca. Plus traffic on 66 <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5004454380054778125" id="" target="_blank">at 6:40am on Sunday</a> isn't too bad. Made it with lots of time to spare.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">No problems with the flight and since the cruise terminal is so close to the airport, we got there with no issues. We saw two Holland America ships, one Princess ship and our ship in port.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">I have to hand it to RCL, the
embarkation process was very very fast. From the time we got to the terminal to the time we made it on board took no more than 30 minutes. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">Made
it onboard and decided to make our way out of the herd and veered to Central Park for lunch (instead of the buffet). We did catch a view of the Royal Promenade on
our way in. WOW! Looks like a mall, not a ship. Park Cafe line was
pretty crowded (apparently not such a secret anymore) but we made it
through and shared a table with another couple who cruised a lot. They
gave us some good advice about the ship and food. After lunch, we did a
fair bit of exploring. I had to find the fitness center, it is
huge! On a ship this size, I guess that's to be expected. Definitely
the largest we've seen on any cruise ship. Mike remarked it looked more
like a Bally's than a ship's fitness center.</span></div>
<div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7w_ICGAn84TRQSPNbsPhpo9VUoORJzDt8SS8YvjIGSmrtKLAoTe3v-5UuLAdy4A9sYXsjMcv2PfSwg6P6PnW-4800YK9CU5KE_XoIyDis1hiiT4eHAv8no2owNhPVQgMOaRV9tLkc2NpB/s1600/IMG_0307.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7w_ICGAn84TRQSPNbsPhpo9VUoORJzDt8SS8YvjIGSmrtKLAoTe3v-5UuLAdy4A9sYXsjMcv2PfSwg6P6PnW-4800YK9CU5KE_XoIyDis1hiiT4eHAv8no2owNhPVQgMOaRV9tLkc2NpB/s320/IMG_0307.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Central Park from Pool deck</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">Rooms were ready by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5004454380054778125" id="" target="_blank">1 pm</a>
so we went to check them out. We signed up for an interior stateroom. </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">We
actually prefer interior staterooms in general. First, it's always
dark, so it's easy to take naps in the middle of the day. Second,
interior is usually away from most of the activity which keeps it pretty
quiet. Third, we spend most of our time outside the cabin so we don't
need a lot of extra amenities.</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"> </span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">There are very few interior staterooms available on
this ship. Most are balconies (garden or ocean) or view (boardwalk or
ocean). Both of us were pleased with our cabin. While its only 150 sq
ft, RCL did a nice job of layout. It's very open and feels like there is
more space to walk around without feeling cramped. There are a fair
number of storage cubbies and the closet has bi-level hanging poles. No
life vests so theres a little extra shelf space too. The bathroom and
shower feel smaller than other cruises though. The sink is definitely
much smaller. It's near impossible to wash your face without getting
the floor completely soaked.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPa1ATqtAzOG6TWMeWqRZ6Ax2z17C9yC5ENP35V6lUOmjVMDbUCecJhfCN8VULQk2axU_5aQND1E4azcY8Rr3ViWWuRoAGAH4h4P3rkIh1-aC6z6H00u1xp3de6Lz3xlAkXkayyYQEHVmc/s1600/IMG_0339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPa1ATqtAzOG6TWMeWqRZ6Ax2z17C9yC5ENP35V6lUOmjVMDbUCecJhfCN8VULQk2axU_5aQND1E4azcY8Rr3ViWWuRoAGAH4h4P3rkIh1-aC6z6H00u1xp3de6Lz3xlAkXkayyYQEHVmc/s320/IMG_0339.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior cabin from door</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5ZnMOcEuPouCbs1MMbmg2cf2WX6r5bQumEgJea-h1zQT3fM2ZpKs9NnU0yfajis3SGWKEKO109dLf8ayWlOlnecy6LFATfTtexqc9u2qilx63-m_sQU6fEiHDg6_53tjvYF_RKd3S3Vl/s1600/IMG_0340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5ZnMOcEuPouCbs1MMbmg2cf2WX6r5bQumEgJea-h1zQT3fM2ZpKs9NnU0yfajis3SGWKEKO109dLf8ayWlOlnecy6LFATfTtexqc9u2qilx63-m_sQU6fEiHDg6_53tjvYF_RKd3S3Vl/s320/IMG_0340.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from couch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpsOpSGDiCrcXxnH0SN6A32Aj7sBK5Y6xLHAytsfj_lLqFd9Y8CuN8Of9TWyQYOhSl0K7Ica4AQ1WQAsKyDEhFiVjOItQ5sNYSTUBzmq4tMkW2Mw0ApNQohQzRaZ5CpbIPSfHCpch5JXp/s1600/IMG_0341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpsOpSGDiCrcXxnH0SN6A32Aj7sBK5Y6xLHAytsfj_lLqFd9Y8CuN8Of9TWyQYOhSl0K7Ica4AQ1WQAsKyDEhFiVjOItQ5sNYSTUBzmq4tMkW2Mw0ApNQohQzRaZ5CpbIPSfHCpch5JXp/s320/IMG_0341.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">Watched
the port departure from a very windy starboard side. Grabbed dinner at
the dining room which was pretty good (Kat) and meh (Mike). Called it
and early night after a tough game of trivia. Joined a very extroverted
group of cruisers in the game but it was fun.</span></div>
<div>
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9tE64CGXeO4nwghWyDZEZ0U1zm3c-Rtf8CSmWZ3FbKGnzBav4OURb2PCYWnlDbJa2hkeO2vY91GnorNyijTUfNB4y8q9htQjfhKNHUugLsjt1B0RYwNUw1k4YRZUfAaWhyb15_9jkPGH/s1600/IMG_0313.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9tE64CGXeO4nwghWyDZEZ0U1zm3c-Rtf8CSmWZ3FbKGnzBav4OURb2PCYWnlDbJa2hkeO2vY91GnorNyijTUfNB4y8q9htQjfhKNHUugLsjt1B0RYwNUw1k4YRZUfAaWhyb15_9jkPGH/s320/IMG_0313.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching HAL ship leaving port</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);"> </span></div>
Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-23165259388032114562013-01-03T09:07:00.001-05:002013-01-03T09:09:10.619-05:00Allure of the SeasMike and I are big fans of cruises. We've probably been on about 7
or 8 so far with Princess, Norwegian, Carnival, and Celebrity. At this
point, our favorite has been Princess with Norwegian a close second.<br />
<br />
We
like cruises because it gives us a chance to completely decompress. No
internet (unless you want to pay a hefty fee), no dogs, no work, and no
other people. I know, it sounds strange to say "no people" but that's
why we do cruises. While you're confined on a boat with thousands of
others, it's often easy to find quiet places with little to no other
people around. We tend to avoid most of the other people on board while
we spend most of the time reading, playing games, doing puzzles,
napping, and eating. It's the perfect way for the two of us to
recharge.<br />
<br />
The last year of vacations have been a bit
rough. While we had some fantastic vacations (Korea w/parents, Aspen
w/friends), none of those gave us the time alone we needed to recharge
so we were getting a bit frazzled around the edges (especially Mike).
We did a cruise in July for four days but it was right after derecho hit
our area, and we ended up having terrible poison ivy (from chopping up
the fallen trees), which made for a rather miserable itchy vacation.<br />
<br />
So
we decided to call a mulligan and try another vacation. We compared an
all-inclusive resort to a cruise and found the cruise to be more
cost-effective for us. While perusing the cruises, we found the Allure
of the Seas by Royal Caribbean. It's currently the largest ship in the
world and has its own aqua theater, central park, boardwalk, and
promenade. Since we've done so many Caribbean cruises, the idea of the ship itself as the vacation intrigued us. We signed up for a week vacation in December leaving from Ft. Lauderdale.<br />
<br />
The following blog posts are our daily adventures on our cruise. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_laMCZNX8-VmPtNI2aVURtvoF-F-3lHs-bC-fch-VaipNgwEBtv6SuL_peymXPVoDMkx9Qwa0vkYZcuShoxbhZqs0EWL9IaR8gQEAXNbsa4gYKcJfyBvrIWR3VlL3_8R_BrhfoKTrb1U/s1600/allurevsfreedom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_laMCZNX8-VmPtNI2aVURtvoF-F-3lHs-bC-fch-VaipNgwEBtv6SuL_peymXPVoDMkx9Qwa0vkYZcuShoxbhZqs0EWL9IaR8gQEAXNbsa4gYKcJfyBvrIWR3VlL3_8R_BrhfoKTrb1U/s320/allurevsfreedom.jpg" width="201" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allure on the right, Freedom (previously largest ship) on left.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-33751815115565481412011-08-30T10:49:00.000-04:002011-08-30T10:49:17.454-04:00Fun and yummy at the same timeI've gotten hooked on dealnews.com, a site reports on great deals from all the web. There are a lot of other similar sites but since Mike introduced me to dealnews, that's where I go for the deals. A couple of weeks ago, there was a 50% off sale on Williams-Sonoma <a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/wsimgs/ab/images/dp/wcm/201123/0002/img71l.jpg">Star Wars vehicles cookie cutters</a>. The cookie cutters not only cut the shape, but then you can stamp the imprint on the cookie, making it easier to decorate. While I was on the site, I noticed they also have <a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/wsimgs/ab/images/dp/wcm/201130/0003/img32l.jpg">Star Wars Heroes and Villains </a>cutters so I had to buy that set also.<br />
<br />
Once I got the cutters, I decided to start with Heroes and Villains since they seemed easier to decorate. I made the sugar cookie recipe suggested on the box (less rising during baking means better imprints) and made about 5 cups of royal icing.<br />
<br />
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<br />
The cookies came out great even without any icing. The imprints stay strong so you don't actually need to use icing. Note: since Yoda has less mass and more pointy corners, he does cook a lot faster in the oven than the other ones so keep an eye out for browning.<br />
<br />
Once the cookies were cooled, it was time to make the mess. A fair bit of the cookies require flooding (cover the entire cookie) so you do have to wait until the first layer dries before making any further decorations. Plus anytime you change colors, you have to wait for the layers to dry so they don't bleed into each other. The good news is since there were about 4 dozen cookies total, by the time I finished the first layer of colors, cleaned up all the piping tips and made new colors, the first set of cookies were dried and I could work on them. As long as I continued to rotate the cookies in the right order, it worked out ok. It did take me about 1.5 days total to finish everything (baking and decorating). The cleanup wasn't as bad as I imagined but that's because I would clean up between each color change. It definitely made the mess a lot easier to handle.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mRU_SUc6BD5_yj33uY0vUSTjvFRMUJRgU7UWK85IMoC0gMgHMhc1fnZ38xMos7XEJL8isVj2RKSNWBHUu7jg3zzwH3QF9zfK26HRmbO_mWC0C-2y4RIjzOmFh7fM3KORrFBSGI6RaS6L/s1600/P1030523.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mRU_SUc6BD5_yj33uY0vUSTjvFRMUJRgU7UWK85IMoC0gMgHMhc1fnZ38xMos7XEJL8isVj2RKSNWBHUu7jg3zzwH3QF9zfK26HRmbO_mWC0C-2y4RIjzOmFh7fM3KORrFBSGI6RaS6L/s320/P1030523.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last of the mess to clean up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I love the way they turned out. I also figure it was a good practice session for me for the upcoming Christmas baking season. There is obviously room for improvement but still really pleased with the results. I did take notes so next time they will look even better! Mike did suggest that I flavor the cookies next time (chocolate for Darth, mint for Yoda).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJc8cEJeppz9SH49rnT0oNS8dRdmXVk8TIbodQKawFsrfNOM-sBlaiDZ9xGHhWSdaEq2rSL32-xQDqOgJZZLHRrALcu6Bl9TUQ2PjWyZpBNQBpZ4qrR4TT39j9boky0TpmSDmobjBTqCjd/s1600/P1030518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJc8cEJeppz9SH49rnT0oNS8dRdmXVk8TIbodQKawFsrfNOM-sBlaiDZ9xGHhWSdaEq2rSL32-xQDqOgJZZLHRrALcu6Bl9TUQ2PjWyZpBNQBpZ4qrR4TT39j9boky0TpmSDmobjBTqCjd/s320/P1030518.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Next up is to try the Star Wars vehicles.Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-26095369275623305142011-08-28T12:51:00.001-04:002011-08-30T10:49:46.097-04:00Yet another new skill<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_7sAd1Af2G1UiHYsnkD3QNySToydEk6sZgkYSIiBsovoCFGmyypStZcEb1wFEw3jRrEWGhl1w_H0JIVD9hOUaoC7p1A6Peps7LQFcTw6LcrMkvRvgbdvz12OUHeksxtmf2pkIYhS1T5Zz/s1600/P1030490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> A few weeks ago, we attended a friend's BBQ/Housewarming party at his new home. They had custom-built the home and it had a lot of really great features, including huge picture windows, wire cabling for stair rails, a very open first floor plan, and a single basin kitchen sink.<br />
<br />
The sink really caught my attention and I thought it was the coolest thing. We have a double basin sink which probably comes in handy for those who like to have a soapy area and clean water area but we usually soap and rinse at the same time. If anything, the double basin is more annoying than helpful since the divider makes it difficult to fill large pots, clean baking sheets, and often causes me to spill water everywhere if I'm washing large items.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_7sAd1Af2G1UiHYsnkD3QNySToydEk6sZgkYSIiBsovoCFGmyypStZcEb1wFEw3jRrEWGhl1w_H0JIVD9hOUaoC7p1A6Peps7LQFcTw6LcrMkvRvgbdvz12OUHeksxtmf2pkIYhS1T5Zz/s320/P1030490.JPG" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our old kitchen sink</td></tr>
</tbody> </table>Mike and I talked about it and decided since we needed to replace the kitchen faucet (it had been leaking for a while and replacing the washer and o-ring didn't seem to help), we decided to indulge in a new kitchen sink too. I found a great looking single basin sink at Lowes that got some very good reviews. It's made of composite granite and many reviewers stated it didn't chip, stain, or scratch.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjZo_nZVztOf0mQyTmj5jBWNmBeVZcv5Z6kGGUfzHpo5bAKhHshY37xpcI77fKmeLS8sP1Cepa9MjCmdZfhru-uZXQE_9Aon97EmsmqI1E-lQx2VWxA536iWiqQXKp0Mt1o5mVqjqWd-l/s1600/P1030493.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjZo_nZVztOf0mQyTmj5jBWNmBeVZcv5Z6kGGUfzHpo5bAKhHshY37xpcI77fKmeLS8sP1Cepa9MjCmdZfhru-uZXQE_9Aon97EmsmqI1E-lQx2VWxA536iWiqQXKp0Mt1o5mVqjqWd-l/s320/P1030493.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After removing the sink</td></tr>
</tbody> </table>We bought the sink and faucet and decided to install it ourselves that upcoming weekend. The internet (the Google is great) stated it's much easier to install the faucet before placing the sink into the counter so on friday morning I decided to at least attach the new faucet before saturday. That only took about ten minutes. Once finished, I got really antsy and decided to just finish the install completely.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHN69wmBkBAkWkRp8xFzD0QIxGGcMmtaUt-eSv_7s6Aoeu6tHJmlhv_pTAtJ7Bd9t5Fu4KjA_ZkhgFMSS76DdWXD53HYG3TJj_u3i3e0r33nvF1sxSq6HgLif3GFvBz2HUsHUmJ3vVs8T/s1600/P1030502.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHN69wmBkBAkWkRp8xFzD0QIxGGcMmtaUt-eSv_7s6Aoeu6tHJmlhv_pTAtJ7Bd9t5Fu4KjA_ZkhgFMSS76DdWXD53HYG3TJj_u3i3e0r33nvF1sxSq6HgLif3GFvBz2HUsHUmJ3vVs8T/s320/P1030502.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New sink sitting on top of the drain loop</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody> </table>I unhooked all the plumbing, removed the old sink (hardest part of the job since it was cast-iron), and placed the new sink into the countertop. Then I ran into a snag. The new sink is about an inch deeper than the old sink. That meant the drain loop was too high and the sink wouldn't sit flush. I had to make another trip to Lowes and pick up some pvc and cement. Hack-sawed the old pipe, fitted the correct new length and cemented it all together. The rest of the work was cake. I had to buy new piping since we were going from two drains to one and the location of the new drain was different but that was relatively simple. Putting the garbage disposal back and reattaching the dishwasher drain was also quite simple. Caulked everything and crossed my fingers.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQwBbwf3-SgXtj0YEhqi5AojjoqzVEksi5CA0IQ1dqaDuZ7iuYTclPrrNInfmNDW1WCCGlpasoE-nDke5YeRgGKeA0Q5GOkmQR81RJi4E2oFT0hBJuQKmM6zyG57dRMuzPBUncegLwG9E/s1600/P1030499.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHN69wmBkBAkWkRp8xFzD0QIxGGcMmtaUt-eSv_7s6Aoeu6tHJmlhv_pTAtJ7Bd9t5Fu4KjA_ZkhgFMSS76DdWXD53HYG3TJj_u3i3e0r33nvF1sxSq6HgLif3GFvBz2HUsHUmJ3vVs8T/s1600/P1030502.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQwBbwf3-SgXtj0YEhqi5AojjoqzVEksi5CA0IQ1dqaDuZ7iuYTclPrrNInfmNDW1WCCGlpasoE-nDke5YeRgGKeA0Q5GOkmQR81RJi4E2oFT0hBJuQKmM6zyG57dRMuzPBUncegLwG9E/s1600/P1030499.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQwBbwf3-SgXtj0YEhqi5AojjoqzVEksi5CA0IQ1dqaDuZ7iuYTclPrrNInfmNDW1WCCGlpasoE-nDke5YeRgGKeA0Q5GOkmQR81RJi4E2oFT0hBJuQKmM6zyG57dRMuzPBUncegLwG9E/s320/P1030499.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is when naughty words came out of my mouth</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody> </table>Once the caulk dried, I ran the sink and there didn't appear to be any leaks. It's now been two weeks, the dishwasher and disposal has run successfully, the drain doesn't leak, and I am absolutely thrilled with the new sink and faucet.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL90rKxUawwx7Hm1W1W1QkcddMrPXQfN99B3RY5AeDtgYkjdNfnKfadRea7jKu3G_n02JEZXXhD9IJqkse2K67FrEYzbkNER_5BKijJfpgw1gx6Awmm0I52_W3YrKDmhs3jodSp4c0kpZi/s1600/P1030505.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL90rKxUawwx7Hm1W1W1QkcddMrPXQfN99B3RY5AeDtgYkjdNfnKfadRea7jKu3G_n02JEZXXhD9IJqkse2K67FrEYzbkNER_5BKijJfpgw1gx6Awmm0I52_W3YrKDmhs3jodSp4c0kpZi/s320/P1030505.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-78481588102281287712011-07-31T09:33:00.001-04:002011-07-31T09:55:23.878-04:00Neato XV-11 ReviewDog hair is the bane of my existence. In a house of 3 labs and a revolving door of fosters, the house is constantly full of dog hair and dirt trekked in by paws. To keep up with the dirt and hair, I have to vacuum every other day. We could get away with not vacuuming as often but the hair and dirt drives us both a bit bonkers.<br />
<br />
A few years ago, we heard of the Roomba but just didn't think it was right for us due to the openness of our house and because of the amount of dog hair it would have to pick up. Recently we started talking about the Roomba again and a friend of ours lent us their Roomba to try out. Unfortunately the battery didn't hold a charge longer than 10 minutes but it gave us a really good idea of how the Roomba worked. It has a spin brush similar to a vacuum but it has no actual suction. So it wanders around the room and sometimes the brush will just move the hair around and sometimes the hair goes into the Roomba. Unfortunately since there isn't suction, most of the dog hair just stayed around the bristles and didn't make it into the dirt tray. However we were both intrigued by how it worked and researched reviews of Roomba's competitor, the Neato XV-11.<br />
<br />
Since costco.com sold the Neato, we decided to give it a try. Costco has free shipping and a really generous return policy so that would allow us to try the Neato and return it to the warehouse if we didn't like it. We liked it...a lot.<br />
<br />
Instead of rotating bristles, the Neato has rotating rubber squeegees and suction. Some reviews state that this makes the Roomba far better for carpets; however we have a small rug in our kitchen table and the Neato does a good job grabbing dog hair and dirt on both the carpet and hardwood. Since the Neato also has suction, it is MUCH louder than the Roomba but all the dirt/hair make it into the dirt bin instead of getting swirled around the floor.<br />
<br />
The Neato uses lidar to map each section of the room. Once mapped, it will follow the edges of that section then methodically move back and forth in rows until that section is complete. Then the Neato will move to the next section of the room and do the same thing. It has magnetic strips you lay down across the floors to act as boundaries which works great. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UlRSB-xRAA0?rel=0" width="640"></iframe><br />
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We have the Neato programmed to vacuum at 8pm every night and it takes 50 minutes to complete our entire kitchen. Originally we left our chairs in place around the tables and counters. While the Neato was mostly able to maneuver around and through the chairs, it just couldn't clean as well in those areas because of the tight spaces. So every night we put up all the chairs, dog toys, and dog towels.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoI-IF7MVLHQCk4MBdn8G3ATr7vGcnModpm7720APvbZtkKPPwCPVt_MR33qay3kbIwznMqi5aJ3ByrRUGFIu-eehlC7ccwLSS1sWOcZDrmzwwxa2Vt5LaLIJBj7-zXvlPRSdIq77jxbC/s1600/Kitchen.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoI-IF7MVLHQCk4MBdn8G3ATr7vGcnModpm7720APvbZtkKPPwCPVt_MR33qay3kbIwznMqi5aJ3ByrRUGFIu-eehlC7ccwLSS1sWOcZDrmzwwxa2Vt5LaLIJBj7-zXvlPRSdIq77jxbC/s320/Kitchen.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prepping the kitchen for a Neato run</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I clean out the bin and put in a clean filter after every cycle (It only takes me 2-3 minutes to rinse/wash the filter every night). I only need to rotate out two filters since one is washed and drying, the other is placed into the robot. I am surprised at how much dirt/dust/hair ends up in the bin every time.<br />
<br />
I haven't had to vacuum the kitchen since we've gotten the Neato. It does a really good job getting into the edges and handling our oddly shaped kitchen overall. I've also noticed when mopping that there is a lot less dirt on the cloth than in the past.<br />
<br />
The Neato is loud and can be distracting so running it when you're not in the same area is preferable. It's very convenient and keeps our high-trafficked hardwood floors cleaner. Unfortunately it is a bit pricey so you'd have to decide whether the trade-off of less manual labor is worth the cost. It took us less than a week to decide that it was worth it.<br />
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The interface is intuitive and needs little directions to get it working; cleaning out the dirt bin is simple; it gets into tight spaces easily; and it requires little maintenance. Definitely a fun little household toy and helper for us.Kathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00669836398123036767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004454380054778125.post-14352457263464019092011-02-16T14:30:00.001-05:002011-02-16T14:42:38.285-05:00Costa Rica Day 8Our plane wasn't due to take-off until about 3pm but since the airport was in San Jose and we were on the west coast, we planned to spend our last day driving from Playa Flamingto to San Jose. From the research Kathie did, the drive would be anywhere between 4.5-6 hrs depending on the traffic and conditions of the road.<br />
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To be safe, we decided to leave by 7am to give us enough time in case we ran into any delays. We munched on our supermarket food while making sure we packed everything up (we've forgotten our phone chargers in the past).<br />
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The roads ended up being pretty good. Most of the roads weren't too crowded and when we did get stuck behind trucks, we simply followed the customs of Ticans and passed in the other lane when it was safe. We were on Rt 27, one of the new paved double-laned roads near San Jose, making fantastic time when it ended up completely closed. We think it was due to the earthquake from the night before but we had to detour and that road took us on VERY twisty one-lane roads up mountains. We couldn't pass simply due to too much traffic in front of us so we just relaxed and followed the rest of the cars. We finally made it to San Jose with more than enough time for our flight.<br />
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Costa Rica requires everyone to pay an exit fee, so we took care of that, got our boarding pass and got on our plane home. It was nice to finally get home although the temperature difference was a bit of a disappointment.<br />
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Costa Rica was definitely a fantastic place to visit. The people are super-friendly, the country is beautiful, and most speak English so we didn't feel too out of our depth. This would definitely be a country worth visiting again in the future.<br />
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