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Along the Natchez Trace

Monday, October 20, 2014

Wrapping up... and Starting to Pack....

I read a lot of blogs...  love'em!   There are so many different life styles out there and everyone of them just fascinates me.  I don't know how to link stuff, but Kevin and  Ruth write about their trips to exotic places....  Africa, Korea...  heck... everywhere.  Recently they posted a blog about how they packed.  I read it...  read it again....  thought about the 6 week trip we'll soon be taking...  mentally checked my wardrobe...  no way in blue blazes could I ever do this trip (or any?) with 3 pairs of underwear and a couple pairs of shorts.  Okay, they had a lot more than that, but really...  not a whole lot and most of what they have is packable, non-wrinkling, dries fast etc.  Made me realize what a clotheshorse I am.

I rationalize...  hey... we're going on a cruise...  actually 5 weeks of living on a couple of ships with all the "la ti dah" formal dinners etc.  I won't lie...  I like those formal nights.  Bill can get by with the same suit...  sure, it's Western cut but damn! he looks really good wearing that with pearl button shirts a fancy bolo tie (belonged to his Grandpa) and all.  He used to take along his cowboy boots but I'll admit that the last couple of times his black New Balance sneakers have done him good.  I don't own a dress...  but I sure can accessorize a pair of black slacks with a few different jackets, a couple of scarfs...  and yes...  those infamous pearls.  (long story...  I gave my lovely pearls to my daughter when we started RVing...  where am I gonna wear 'em?  Well, we took all the kids that could go on a cruise one year...  she wore the pearls... I kept looking at them and finally just took them back... couldn't stand it anymore...  wanted to wear the again.  Pearls need worn as they will get brittle and deteriorate ...  so I still wear them to church and sometimes other places these days.  - Donna will get them back one of these days...  but not yet.)

So...  today I started sorting clothes....  I know I have to keep the checked luggage under a certain weight...  40 lbs?  50 lbs?  must check.  Sounds like a lot but by the time everything is packed it's not an easy task.

I checkout out the itinerary today...  hadn't done this before,,  I'm pretty much content to live each day as it comes...  but would kinda like to find a geocache in each of the 6 counties we'll be visiting.  I may have to break down and buy internet service on board the ship.  It's usually very bad service, unreliable and aggravating... as well as expensive.  We'll see....  but the reality of the trip is starting to penetrate my pea brain and I have only a couple of days to get my plans together.

This isn't the only thing going on...  Bill got a notice last week that he needed to have an updated physical to renew his CDL...  Even though his driver license doesn't expire, apparently he needs an annual physical to keep it current.  Well...  he flunked the eye test.  Bill's had several eye tests since 2011 (last time his prescription was changed), but because his cataracts aren't "quite" ready for surgery, the doctors (yes, more than one) says, "Let's not change your prescription yet because you'll soon have the surgery".  His cataracts have been very slow in maturing....  as a result, his vision really hasn't been taken care of properly.  So...  last week a quickie visit to the Wal-Mart vision center...  a prescription for new glasses..  and an overnight vision center that keeps correction lenses on hand.  YES!  New Glasses!

It's amazing what a person can get done when they have to....  today... back to the place that does the CDL physicals...  and of course he passed just fine.  AND they faxed the results to the DMV so he'd meet the deadline of Oct 23rd.

And while I'm talking about last minute stuff....
What should we get in the mail but our Absentee Ballots for the "off-year" election...
First time we'll vote in Texas....  but it's something everyone should do and we'll do our part.

Let's see...  what else?
Oh, I'm sure there's something I want to run on about...  but for now...
We'll see you down the road!

That's All For Today!


11 comments:

  1. I have to read their packing discussion again:) We have one more RV trip and then we are also off on a cruise. I am the guy at the other end of the formal evening opinion poll:) After retiring, I am firmly opposed to wearing a tie and jacket! Of course. I never wind that argument:( Otherwise, I can pack really light, which of course, leaves more room for my better half.

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  2. Many, many years ago when I moved to Texas, I threw all my ties away, although I still have a couple of bolo ties. The top button on my shirts never gets buttoned and all my shirts now have snaps instead of buttons. Enjoy your trip and keep us informed if and when you have internet service. I will hold down Texas until you get back. . .

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  3. I think lots of clean underwear are the most crucial. Like you said, all the rest can be accessorized.

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  4. My view is also anti-formal dressing. I bit the bullet and paid for the internet service on my one and only cruise. I cannot, like some other bloggers, relate things properly after weeks go by. I hope you'll be able to post your experiences as they happen.

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  5. I love to dress up, always have and I am a definite clothes horse. With that said, I also HATE to pay the airlines to check my bag so I've become a much better packer so I can take a small suitcase which I can lift into the overhead bins. You guys are sure busy--I hope you blog while on this trip, I love reading about your foreign adventures!!

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  6. Ah, I keep pairing down my outfits each time we travel; and yes, sticking to two basic colors does the trick, especially if scarfs and jewelry can add to the outfits. Enjoy.

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  7. Hi Sharon:
    I, too, am preparing for an extended vacation. I mean other than my life which is an extended vacation since I retired. In November, I'll fly from California to Cozumel to watch two of my 'kids' compete as a brother-sister team in the Cozumel Ironman on the 30th of November. From there I'll fly to Fort Lauderdale to jump on a cruise ship for a 16-day cruise to Chile, through the Panama Canal. From Chile I'm not sure where I might go - may even jump on another cruise ship in February and go around the Horn to Buenos Aires. I do know that from wherever in South America I go, I'll stop in Guatemala for a few weeks to visit my wonderful friends and one cousin there before heading back to California and my little kids, Lacy poodle and Eleanor kitty, who'll be staying with friends while I'm gone. Last time I went to Guatemala, I ended up sending for my dogs, who flew down there and lived with me for over a year! We'll see what happens this time. Now I've got to read Kevin and Ruth's words of wisdom on travel packing, but I agree with you. I love those dress-up dinners onboard; it's so historically significant!!!

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  8. Hahaaa you took your pearls back from your baby?! WHAT fun you two have and off on a cruise… wow… black sneakers for formal wear … I love it… I’m on my way back to Little Rock sometime this week to vote.

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  9. I envy Kevin and Ruth their style of packing. I might ... maybe ... a big maybe ... be able to pack light if our trips didn't consist of so many variety of styles bundled together ... expedition, road trip, cruise, city visits ... or if they didn't encompass different climates ... or if they didn't last several months. We dressed up on cruises for several years ... now not so much. We dress nice; we take advantage of alternative dining options ... but formal wear no more.

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  10. Now you have me worried. We're doing our very first cruise in January (Disney) and I'm starting to stress over what we need to bring. We got rid of all our fancy clothes went we went full time and hate the thought of having to buy new formal wear for the cruise. Maybe I can get buy with a new tie that matches both my shorts and flip flops? ;c)

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