It's been an intense time for me recently,
but as of today, everything has worked out!
In early May Terry discovered a repositioning cruise from Honolulu to Sydney,
and he asked me what I thought about going on it.
Duh! It's been my dream to see French Polynesia, New Zealand, and Australia,
but I never hoped that Terry would consider an eighteen-night cruise across the Pacific.
You can be together for forty years, and your spouse can still shock you!!!
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Mount Tohiea
Mo'orea, French Polynesia
Terry warned me that we wouldn't be able to see all the places I wanted to visit on this trip.
Royal Caribbean was moving the ship from the summer season in Alaska
to the summer season in the South Pacific,
and the Ovation of the Seas was only calling at a few ports.
But we would be able to see some of the places I longed to visit.
Something or nothing? Nothing hard about that choice!
Something is always better than nothing!!!
But he wouldn't book it.
He had a deal in his sights, and I couldn't budge him.
I was beside myself, while he calmly waited and waited,
until the price dropped to its lowest in late July, and he jumped on it.
On the final possible date in August, Terry paid the balance and said to me,
"There's no turning back now, because the money is unrefundable."
Whew! I could finally dare to believe that we were going!
My dreams of seeing the Southern Cross and the Magellanic Clouds,
crossing the equator, viewing the volcanic mountains of Mo'orea,
and standing on New Zealand and Australia were about to come true.
The Southern Cross
This wide-field image shows the Milky Way stretching across the southern sky. The beautiful Carina Nebula (NGC 3372) is seen at the right of the image glowing in red. It is within this spiral arm of our Milky Way that the bright star cluster NGC 3603 resides. At the centre of the image is the constellation of Crux (The Southern Cross). The bright yellow/white star at the left of the image is Alpha Centauri, in fact a system of three stars, at a distance of about 4.4 light-years from Earth. The star Alpha Centauri C, Proxima Centauri, is the closest star to the Solar System.
The Route: Honolulu to French Polynesia, to New Zealand, to Australia
When we tried to take a photo of me on my iPhone for my Australian visa,
the Australian government rejected it.
We tried to retake my photo dozens of times over the next several days,
but it was always rejected.
It had worked for my New Zealand visa. Why wouldn't it work for the Australian?
I thought it was my wonky eyes, because it's difficult for me to look at a camera.
Terry thought it was my awful passport photo which had been giving me difficulties
with TSA officials at airports and customs officers at borders.
Regardless, the computer program refused to match my face with my passport photo.
I referred to my photo as MushFace.
I have no idea how my passport came back with this barely recognizable photo when it was issued.
I have no idea how my passport came back with this barely recognizable photo when it was issued.
A wonderful government worker at the National Passport Agency
told me to call the Colorado Passport Agency early on September 19th
and to make sure the person understood I needed a visa as well as a new passport.
Otherwise, I'd have to wait to October 2nd to call.
The days leading up to the 19th crawled by.
I was lucky that the office was in Aurora.
The next nearest offices are in Phoenix and Chicago.
I landed an appointment last Friday and scrambled to get photos and documents together.
I was in at 10:00 am and out within an hour.
The officer took one look at MushFace and approved me for a new passport.
Overheard from an applicant explaining his lost passport:
"My dog ate it. He usually goes for my socks."
Believed no teacher ever, but it worked for the passport officer.
I picked up my new passport on Monday at 2:00 pm!
I'm recognizable, and you can't believe the security improvements
that have been made since my old passport was issued over five years ago!
We raced home, filled out the Australian visa application, and took my photo again.
It went through.
I dropped my head on the kitchen counter in relief, and then Ding!
My phone alerted me to a text message: Planned System Maintenance.
"You're cursed!" Terry said. "You have a black cloud hovering over you and following you around everywhere you go!"
It was only 7:00 a.m. in Australia, so we had to wait an anxious hour until we could call to find out what to do
because I had submitted my application during the blackout.
An hour and five minutes later, Ding!
My phone alerted me to a text message again.
My Australian visa application had been approved.
It had gone through anyway.
I was drenched with relief!
New Zealand had already granted me a visa,
but now I had to update it with my new passport.
Five minutes after submitting my update, my phone dinged again.
New Zealand had received my visa update
and would let me know if it was approved before we traveled.
Give me a break!
No time to sit around and worry though. It was Monday night.
We had an 8:10 am flight to Vegas on Tuesday morning, just overnight,
so we could earn a free pass for me from Denver to Honolulu and back early next year.
Terry wasn't going to pass up a deal like this!
Hurry Up Train! Heading to the Airport!
Aurora, Colorado, USA
September 26, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
We made our flight, had a delicious Thai dinner at 8 East, gambled a little,
and I watched a great cover band, Alter Ego, until it finished its third set at 1:00 am.
Terry had gone to bed.
He can barely tolerate standing with me at the barrier in front of the stage for one song,
let alone three hourlong sets.
Terry Drops Me Off Near the Stage
Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
September 26, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Thai Beef Jerky, a Scrumptious Appetizer
8 East, CIRCA, Downtown Las Vegas
September 26, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
When it was over I decompressed at American Coney Island at the D
with a classic hot dog smothered in chili, relish, mustard, and onions.
I was wired after Alter Ego's last set which featured heavy metal.
I could still feel the beat of the amplifiers thumping on my chest
and Metallica's "Enter Sandman" ringing in my ears.
Back in the room I found Terry wide awake under the covers.
"You don't need to worry about me!" I told him for at least the thousandth time.
But he does, because "Things happen to you!" he says.
Alter Ego Members: Johnny Douglas (Guitar) and KV, Kevin Vecchione, (Bass)
DC, Daniel Conway, (Drums) pictured on the screen
Main Street Stage, Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas
September 26, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
A Street Cleaner Gets into the Act and Revs Up the Crowd
Main Street Stage, Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas
September 26, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Riding SlotZilla's Super-Hero Zoomline
(Starting 11 Stories High)
Under the Canopy and above the Stage
September 26, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Alter Ego Member Rich Embry (Vocals)
Accompanying "Hotel California" Acoustically
Main Street Stage, Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas
September 26, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Me Enjoying the Show
Main Street Stage, Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas
September 26, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Johnny Douglas and KV, Kevin Vecchione
Main Street Stage, Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas
September 26, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
I Hate That I'm Going to Miss Teddy Swims' Concert!
Johnny and DC Getting Ready for the Next Set
Main Street Stage, Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas
September 26, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Up and at it early on Wednesday! We left for the airport at 1:30 pm.
Everything was tickety-boo, until I lost my purse on C Concourse.
I felt sick when I flashed on the contents of my purse: driver's license,
health insurance cards, medicare card, credit cards, boarding pass, iPhone, and money.
I could not believe it!
We hadn't stopped anywhere!
Where could I have lost it?
We ran back 23 gates to security.
Several professional and calm TSA agents searched the area for my purse,
while another scanned the security tapes looking for me.
There I was at the last bench slipping my purse over my shoulder and exiting the area.
Terry suddenly remembered that he had a locator for me on his iPhone,
but he didn't know where it was or how to use it.
A police officer, who was also helping us, took out his iPhone
and walked Terry through the process using his family's locators as an example.
Terry's iPhone spotted mine immediately and placed it in a map of the concourse.
It was stationary near a Burger King back beyond the 23 gates.
The police officer walked us back with a plan to scan the vicinity of the Burger King.
If we didn't find it, he and Terry would start asking people if they had seen it.
"Does this happen often?" I asked the police officer.
"All the time. People are traveling, hurrying, and distracted.
They put something down without realizing it, and they don't remember where."
I didn't have the heart to ask him how many things were actually found.
I just hoped my purse would be one of them.
"Well, at least I'm getting my steps in," I remarked, looking at my FitBit.
"So am I," the officer answered looking at his. Simpatico! ~ lol.
When we reached the end of the concourse, the officer told me to wait by a water fountain where Terry had filled his water bottle, then they left to search.
I couldn't handle standing still for more than a couple of minutes.
I realized that the restaurant we had entered for a meal
before our flight was by the Burger King.
I raced to the hostess stand at the entrance.
"One for lunch?" the hostess asked.
"No! Did you find a black purse?"
"Yes, we did. Let me go get it."
The gratitude I felt when I saw her walking toward me with my purse was profound.
Terry and the police officer entered the restaurant from the opposite side
just as I was tearing through my purse to grab my iPhone and call them.
They knew from the look on my beaming face that it was my purse.
Black purse, black seat, wonky eyes.
I couldn't see it when I had automatically slipped the purse
onto the chair where I was about to sit for lunch.
And when I realized that I didn't know where my purse was, I had panicked.
"Thank you!" didn't seem adequate when I thanked the police officer for his help.
I gave him a big hug and he disappeared into the crowds.
I hugged Terry too. He had been so kind and supportive.
He never once gave me The Look
or said, "I told you so! Things happen to you!"
We made it home, and I checked my email for something from New Zealand.
Nothing, after six days.
We rushed to see a recording of the "Survivor" premier for its 45th season.
We had seen every episode of all 44 previous seasons,
and we were not going to miss this one!
Afterwards I checked my email again.
My New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority Visa had been issued.
I managed to sleep before rolling out of bed yesterday for my latest blood draw at LabCorp.
Then a couple of hours later I was off to CVS Pharmacy for my Covid and flu shots.
Then time to write my post.
I have no idea where I found this 9 years ago.
I was too tired to stay up late into the night to finish it,
so here I am on Friday afternoon typing away.
My blood test results arrived today and are in the normal range.
If they hold for several months, I should be able to have my eyes operated on.
It looks like smooth sailing ahead!
I'm not cursed! I am Lucky Louise!
🙌🏼 🍀 🙌🏼 🍀 🙌🏼 🍀 🙌🏼 🍀 🙌🏼 🍀
I'm sending a shout out to all the dedicated government employees
and public servants who work hard for Americans every day.
The vast majority are wonderful and often work in difficult, essential jobs.
It's almost guaranteed that many will be required to work
in stressful situations without pay starting tomorrow.
Be kind to them, and they will be kind to you.
Our Congress will be paid however!
Have a great weekend!
Till next time ~
Fundy Blue
My next post will be soon! 🤞
On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
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