Day 551 - Winter Clothes Anyone?

I have been freezing cold these past few days & seeing as I can't put enough layers on, Jaco & I headed to town for some sweaters & warm pants. We took the long way around - the scenic route. The winds were quite strong in Hermanus & that meant the waves were pretty spectacular. Of course, we didn't think of that while we were in Hermanus, but only realized it once we were already on the road. 


We decided to take the long route & stopped at the first little town we came to. Kleinmond was the name, I think! The waves were AMAZING. They were HUGE! They smashed into the rocks with a thunderous crack and rolled onto the sandy beach much further than usual. We dilly-dallyed for an hour just watching the waves & looking at the 'bamboo' as Jaco calls it. 


After our stop at the beach, we carried on down the road & the scenery was beautiful. The sun was sinking low in the day & we admired every kilometre of the drive. Well, that is until  Jaco accidentally hit a bird with the car. He was quite upset about it. I was finding it hard to keep a straight face - shame on me - bless the little birdie's soul - but I couldn't help but think how different the moment would have been had I married a country boy from back home. 'Damn birds! Eatin' my crops! Flyin' in front of the car (truck)! Probably took out my headlight! Gonna cost me another $80 to fix it! Serves 'im right for tryin' to fly across the highway when I'm drivin'!'


Jaco was genuinely upset! I was touched that he had so much compassion for an animal's life. One more reason why I love him so much! 


In any case, we pulled over at some point to take a photo of the pretty sky. Jaco got out to check the front of the car when he saw a feather. He approached the front of the car & saw, well, there's a photo below. Basically it was a scene of 2 feathers & a body part lodged in the grill of the car. We had a mournful moment & then carried on admiring the tranquil scenery. When we turned around to go back to the car, we spotted something a little further down the road. Lying on the side of the road in the direction we'd just come from was the bird. The poor thing was gone. I think it had been trapped on the grill of the car by the wind & the speed of the car. It only fell off when we slowed down to turn off. The poor, poor bird. Rest in peace, little buddy.


Shortly after our birdie memorial, I spotted DOLPHINS! Yay! There was a large pod of them just lazily swimming down the coastline. They very close to shore. It was a beautiful sight to see their dorsal fins surfacing on the pink water under the setting sun. What a magical  moment in life!


We drove into Cape Town & stopped at Cape Union Mart. Sigh. With the state of things I'm not fitting much. Thanks Malva Pudding! I love you, but I hate you! Jaco sat, ever so patiently, while I tried on sweater after sweater after fleece after pant until we finally had something that would work. We stopped at Wooly's for a bite to eat & then realized that we'd wasted what was left of the day. No shocker there!


We drove home & I was so excited to crawl into bed with my flannel p.j. pants & slippers! Life is GREAT!


xxxxCozy Maria

Nice old tree 

 In America - it's a lawsuit. In Africa - it is what it is.

 My Handsome Husband!

 Just the two of us... building castles in the sand...

 Footprints

 Kwaai Water

 Crazy Water

 This is the third photo. The first two he looked back at the last minute to make sure his feet weren't getting wet! Too cute.

 I LOVE this photo. It makes my heart smile!

 Water, rocks, sand

 'Bamboo'

 Look at the waves!

 BOOM!

 Smash!

 Awh!

 Beautiful drive!

 Oh dear. The birdie bits.

 Sunsetting

 The birdie. RIP.

 Sunset.

 Dolphins!

Old school gas station. Old school car.

Day 196 - Last Day At Sea

The packing is finally complete. The last of the deliveries has been made & I am exhausted. I spent the day running around & trying to fit every last thing into the suitcases & still keeping them underweight. If my new scale is correct, I'm 25 lbs over on one case & just under the wire on the other. 25 lbs gives me a $50 fee, whereas another bag is a $75 fee. One of these days I'll be underweight! 


Jaco was busy as ever, so it was a long day for him too. We hardly saw each other all day, which really bites, as it is our last day together for awhile. I will try to come back in a few weeks, but I'm not sure what lies ahead of me as far as treatments & such. Fingers crossed I will get to see him again soon!


Today was another stunning day outside. I made it a priority to get out on deck for a bit. I'm glad I did, as while I was out, a few dolphins were swimming alongside the ship & it was quite the sight! I've seen pods of dolphins before leaping out of the water, but these dolphins were AWESOME! They were flying out of the water, doing backflips & twists, they were really having a blast! It was fantastic to watch! I was excited! When I had dinner at the bar again & David was there, I asked him if he saw the dolphins. His reply: 'Dolphins? What's so exciting about dolphins? They're just gay sharks!' Okay. Never mind. I thought they were exciting!


Several people stopped by to see Valentina, as I had her tied to the lounger so we could both get some fresh air. One lady came by & visited for nearly an hour! She was a breast cancer survivor & filled me in on her experience. It was nice to visit with her. Another fellow stopped by to tell me of his neighbours sausage dog, Otto. Apparently Otto is quite the character!


I gave Eddie his photos, Johnny his edited ones from the shoot, collected my photos from the cruises & delivered thank you cards to all the appropriate parties! Jaco & I bought a Spa Certificate for Kirsty, the gal who organized all of Valentina's trips ashore. She was a real miracle worker, as I didn't expect Valentina to be allowed off much. 


I took Valentina around the ship to say farewell to the friends she had made throughout her 3 weeks onboard. We visited the Spa, the photo gallery & of course, the shops. I think she easily could have stayed onboard & become the ship's mascot! We'll have to go back again, as she never got to visit the Bridge. Next time! 


Finally, the day was through & it was only the three of us. We enjoyed our last evening together & dreaded the morning to come.


Sleep well & be grateful that you have the ones you love close by & if you don't, they're only a phone call away.


Maria, Jaco & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Tired of packing

My Man & my Tweet Pea

Snoozin' with Papa

Crap photo of a dolphin, but the best I could get with my Point & Shoot!

Goodbye kisses for Daniela!

Thanks Kirsty for the trips to the beach!

Thanks Melissa for keeping us safe @ sea!

More cuddles for the Security Team!

The sun sets on my holidays.

Goodbye kisses for Eddie

Upside down dreaming wiener dog

Do you mind? I'm trying to get a little shuteye before the flight?