Countdown: D-day - 4 to departure

Surprisingly we are essentially all packed.  This afternoon (Sunday 23 SEP) Paula and I pulled together everything on the "take to Australia" list, pulled out the suitcases, and packed them up.  It looks like we will be able to meet our goal of only one checked bag (less than 50 lb) and one carry-on bag each.  We even managed to fit Tyler's full-size camera tripod and Paula's two telescoping walking sticks.  And, of course, we have to carry 4 months worth of all of our many medicines, which means we had to make special arrangements with our Doc and our health insurance company to allow us to obtain the necessary quantity of the prescription meds in advance.

We've done this enough in the recent past that we're getting pretty good at choosing what we really need and leaving all of the "nice-to-haves".  My biggest regret is having to take a suit and tie.  It's not my fault - - blame Holland America cruise line.  The ship has a formal dress evening once or twice every week, and if you're not dressed appropriately, they will not allow you in to the main dining room.  You can still eat in the cafeteria, but you miss the dinner program and the fascinating guests at your table.  Oh, and also we have tickets for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in the famous Sydney Opera House complex on Nov. 24, and I suppose we are expected to dress up, even if we are Yanks.

It is starting to get cool here in Midland.  The leaves are just beginning to think about turning colors, and Paula's flower garden is winding down.  Here are some pictures of the garden as it is now.  The big fence is our statement against the number one enemy of botanists and the worst vandals of gardens in our area:  Bambi!  Go, deer hunters - - may you have a bountiful hunting season!

  DEATH TO CERVIDAE!

Introduction

In a few days we (Tyler and Paula) will embark on a 4-month adventure cruising through the Pacific Ocean to Australia, then circumnavigating it, then exploring the temperate parts of Australia on our own.  The first phase is a 55-day cruise aboard the Holland America cruise ship MS Volendam.  This is  the very same ship on which we took our first cruise to New Zealand in 2009, and the same ship again when we cruised to Alaska in summer of 2011.

Here is an iconic map of the cruise:

We will disembark in Sydney November 24, 2012, rent a car, and start exploring on our own.  We will remain in Australia until January 18, and then fly to Maui, Hawai'i to spend a couple of weeks reacclimatizing ourselves to the Northern Hemisphere.  We will return to Midland February 4, 2013.  Our kids, neighbors, and a few close friends have a detailed itinerary for the whole trip, since most of the destinations and accommodations are already arranged.

During the cruise our access to the internet will be very irregular and brief - - if we can find an internet cafe or something (and the time to use it) during our brief port calls - - so I will upload blog posts several at a time when I can.  The cruise ship actually does offer internet service:  75 cents per minute,  slow modem-type transmission speeds, with frequent crashes, disconnects, and other frustrations, so we won't be using their "service".

Until next time,
Tyler