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Nov.-Dec. 2006 Travel Tip: Make sure you have a CLEAR one quart zip-loc bag to put your liquid articles in for your trip through security. I did not have a bag and forgot that I had cologne in our carry-on. Thankfully, I don't buy expensive stuff because I lost it. A lady in front of us had a zippered plastic bag but because it wasn't completely clear (it was polka-dot), she lost all of her toiletries. The TSA website gives the 3-1-1 (3 oz. liquids in 1 clear bag for 1 person) on what is acceptable. There is also a description of what to expect going through security if you're traveling with small children or have a disability. On the World Wide Web: Writer's Wanderings Smiles: If you
have ever been on a cruise, you remember the first time you "flushed." It
is an unusual sound as the vacuum system goes to work. I was curious to
know what my grandson thought on his first cruise a few weeks ago. Ron
reported that Tyler flushed and then ran to the balcony to see if it came
out anywhere. Guess we need to explain about holding tanks. "Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks." Matthew 12:34 Karen is scheduling speaking engagements now for the spring. Check out some of her speaking topics at her website and listen to a sample.
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Greetings Family and
Friends! In the last edition of Journeys, I told you of our bargain cruise for $499 for 9 nights. We had a great time and got to do some new things along the way, including a segway tour in Cozumel and a tour of the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. We stopped in Key West and walked from the dock all the way to the other end of the town where the southernmost part of the US is marked with a red monument. Along the way back, we strolled in front of Hemingway's home. Since we toured it once before, I only took a few minutes to stand and dream and place my hand on the stone wall. Even if the dialogue in his books leaves much to be desired, he still won a Pulitzer. We also stopped for a Coke and soft pretzels in Sloppy Joe's bar. I figured that was probably what PaPa always had when he stopped there. No? Costa Maya was a bit of a culture shock. Most of the town of Majahual has been purchased by speculators who are somehow connected with the cruise industry. The port area is brand new and geared to cruisers but venture out from there, and you find yourself in a depressed area. We went diving and on our way back, stopped by the police station to see their "police car." They couldn't afford the whole car so they just set the blue/red flashing lights on a pole. When there's an emergency, they turn on the lights and siren and the village men run to the station, machetes in hand, to take care of business. One of the two officers who came out to greet us did carry a mean looking snub-nosed automatic something or other. Wish I would have had our camera. Wishing you all pleasant travels for the holidays and a blessed Christmas. May the New Year find you secure in the love of Christ. Thanks for letting me into your e-mail box once again! Smiles, Karen In A Pickle, my novel about a 70 year old widowed pickle entrepreneur who mistakenly puts marijuana in her pickle recipe is still awaiting a contract. If it doesn't come soon, Annie Pickels is going to turn 71. Another interested editor asked me to cut out 30,000 words to fit the format of their imprint. It was a daunting five week long task but I loved the challenge and learned along the way. Now I am waiting on yet another answer. The two books, The Bad Hair Day Book and Ho Ho Ho, to which I am a contributing author are now available on Amazon.com. Looking for a break from the winter doldrums? Check out some of the specials your local hotels with an indoor pool have to offer. In many areas, indoor water parks are becoming popular as well.
Note: If you've enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it on to a friend. They can subscribe at my website.
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Williamsburg Christmas One of the topics I do most when I speak around the holidays is A Williamsburg Christmas. I talk about the Grand Illumination and then demonstrate how to use natural materials and fresh fruits in your Christmas decorations. All of this comes from my husband giving me a lovely Christmas gift years ago--a trip to Williamsburg during the Christmas season. Throughout the years following, I decorated faithfully using all I learned from that trip. Then came the first Christmas after we adopted our two youngest children. They were five and six years old. I made my usual arrangement of fresh greens and fruit on the dining room table. The greens formed a gentle S shape radiating from a grouping of candles in the center. Along the greens, I placed apples, pears, oranges, pinecones, and mixed nuts. Halfway through the Christmas season, I would refresh the fruit and use the older pieces in a fruit salad. (We always ate healthy during the Christmas season and it kept my decorations looking fresh.) One night we were expecting guests for dinner. As I began to set the table, I noticed something different about the fruit in my arrangement. I blinked. Sure enough, someone had taken a bite out of each piece and placed it back on the table again! There was no time to replace the fruit so I just turned it over and hoped my guests wouldn't examine it closely. I was pretty sure I knew who the culprits were although there's no telling if my other three boys might have done it to be funny. Whoever did it, they created a wonderful Christmas memory--one that has brought many smiles throughout the years since. [More Christmas memories can be found at Writer's Wanderings.]
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