Roatan…A Real Gem!

As we docked, by the dawn’s early light, at the small remote section of the island of Roatan known as Mahogany Bay…it looked eerily familiar. The neat, colorful and brand new looking shopping village alongside the lovely, carefully manicured and neatly organized tropical beach. Oh yes…Disney’s Castaway Cay! Evidently the people from Carnival visited Castaway Cay and said…”We need one of these”…and…voila…Mahogany Bay, Roatan. Even if that is only a theory, what has resulted is magnificent. It is exactly what you would expect a tropical Caribbean resort would be like. We spend a wonderful few hours under a “clam shell” covering our beach chairs on the pristine white sands that led down to the perfectly clear and delightful Caribbean cove. This was absolutely one of the highlights of the cruise. The people were delightful and even the shopping village proved to be an interesting visit. I just wish we had been able to get into an actual village to see how the islanders lived. Oh well, maybe next time. It is obvious that Roatan is a resort destination in the making and I am sure it is going to be popping up on a lot of radars in the near future.

Why Belize?

Without a doubt Belize was the strangest and most bizarre port-of-call that we have ever visited. First of all, the water around the harbor is so shallow that cruise ships have to anchor a great distance off shore and require a 15 minute, high speed boat ride to get to port. The ride was particularly rough and bumpy and very hard on those of us with bad backs. Then, when you get to the port you realize that you are in a fenced off area that is known as the “Shopping Village.” It is full of little shops selling birds, beads and island trinkets as well as bars and a couple of restaurants. That’s it! Unlike the other Caribbean ports we have visited, such as St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Nassau, you can’t just wander through the city and enjoy the uniqueness of each little village. In Belize you are warned that if you are not taking a tour booked on the ship not to venture beyond the gates of the “Village” where there are lots of security guards, many with guns. I guess it goes without saying that Belize is not our favorite spot to visit. As a matter of fact I seriously question why the cruise ships even bother to stop here. Oh well, like we used to say about our motorhome, the inside of the ship always looks the same…nice and safe.

The Amazing Mayans

During our stop in Cozumel we took an excursion over to the mainland and bussed our way to the ancient Mayan ruins at Tulum. What a trip! Our guide, Angel, was a native of the area and during the two or three hours we spent with him on the bus and touring the ruins I learned more history of Mexico and particularly the Mayans than I had ever known. The level of sophistication that they managed to attain over 1500 years ago staggers the imagination. Their astute knowledge of astronomy, building techniques and even sewer construction is truly amazing. The city of Tulum was built on a cliff overlooking the beautiful Caribbean…it was such a wonderful site for anyone to live and amazingly enough all of the stones that were used to build the city and the wall around it had to be carried on the backs of the people from quarries many miles through dense jungle. Quite a people! This has been a most relaxing trip and we are looking forward to spending a day exploring Belize…or at least some of the shops.

A First for Cruisin'

Even though we have only been on six cruises, we did experience something today that has never happened to us before...we were not able to enter one of the ports of call! We were supposed to be spending today on Grand Cayman Island, but instead we are enjoying another day at sea. Grand Cayman is one of two ports (Belize the other) where the water is too shallow to dock and we have to "tender" in to the port from the cruise ship. Today their was unusually high winds and swells in the harbour and we were unable to safely get the small tender boats up to the dock area...sooooo....off to sea we go. Actually, for Delinda and me it is no big deal as we have been to Cayman twice before. However, we do feel sorry for those who had never seen this beautiful tropical paradise and we were kind of looking forward to a little shopping. We will, instead, enjoy another restful and relaxing day reading, sleeping and best of all...eating entirely too much. The food so far has been fabulous. Last night was lobster and cherries jubilee!!!! Sunday night was steak and creme brulee!!! Can't wait to see what is on the menu tonight.

Return of the Tiger

When Tiger Woods announced that he was returning to competitive golf at the Masters in April it was if someone had fired the gun that started the race with every journalist and broadcaster in the blocks ready to speed down their own lane of opinion and comment.
It seems that it is not only sports writers who are obsessed with this revelation, but, it appears that everyone with access to a computer or microphone is trying to find space to voice an opinion. Even the national newscasts had to made mention of this momentous event.
You would think that we had just discovered a cure for Cancer with all of the hubbub that rippled through the world of so-called journalism. Never had so many spent so much time analyzing something of so little importance….the man is going back to work.
I have a tendency to give people the benefit of the doubt. Personally, I thought his public confession was very sincere and included two or three parts of a 12 step program. I also think that journalists and broadcasters who really know none of the true facts about how Tiger and Elin are working things out should keep their overblown criticism and judgment to themselves and deal only with verifiable facts.
Those who rush to judgment about him returning to golf too soon after the devastating revelations of the past four months should take a good hard look in the mirror. What is it about their perfect lives that gives them the right to dictate time, conditions and appropriate dues-paying to someone who has just gone through the most traumatic time of his life.
It is quite probable that returning to golf is part of his therapy and rehab. The worst thing that Tiger could do would be to sit around the house and get more and more despondent. As long as he is sincerely facing his demons and truly trying to turn his life around, then we do not need to condemn, we need to support.

Is Jesse Ventura Really A Pinhead?

I was watching Bill O’Reilly last night and, as I usually do, was looking forward to the “Pinheads and Patriots” segment which last evening featured dear old, commonly used, Jesse Ventura. He is such an easy target for these kinds of things because he has to be the most politically incorrect person on the national scene. Almost everything he says upsets someone.
So, does that make him a “Pinhead.” Not really if you take a close look at who he really is. I have had the pleasure, and I mean that sincerely, of meeting Jesse and spending a few brief moments in conversation and longer moments watching him do what he does best…bask in the spotlight!
Our first encounter came during an event called “Goofy Games” at Walt Disney World. In a nutshell, “Goofy Games” brought together a team of a sportscaster, contest winner and two athletes from major markets to compete in silly contests with the winners getting money for a charity. It was a very fun event that generated money for needy causes…and…good publicity for Walt Disney World.
Without a doubt the most fun athletes to be around were the professional wrestlers. Jesse, along with Big John Studd and Sgt. Slaughter were big names in the wrestling world at that time…and they were wonderful. The kids loved them, and they loved kids. They would do anything to help out children. They would visit children’s hospitals, take time to sign autographs and talk to the constant hoard of kids that surrounded them.
Well, to make a long story short, Jesse Ventura was voted, by a landslide, the “Goofiest Athlete.” And for good reason. He was everywhere during the uplinks that the sportscasters would do to report on their activities of the day. He would go from one setup to another putting anchors in head holds and generally disrupting everything…and…everyone loved it and everyone loved him.
I later ran into him at a television convention and he mentioned that he was thinking of going into politics. What??? Who in the world would elect this “king of comedy?”
You know the rest of the story. Jesse Ventura was not only a wrestling star, he starred in a movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger, became Governor of Minnesota, and has written a book. How many of us can claim one of these on our resumes?
Does he often come” off the wall” with his thoughts and comments? Absolutely! But, let’s remember, Jess Ventura is an entertainer. He is a dancing bear in the circus of life. He cannot stand not being the center of attention and will do just about anything to remain there (see Goofy Games.)
Like the dancing elephant…don’t throw stones at his technique, just enjoy the show.

The Unbelievable Popularity of Sarah Palin

With the exception of Sarah Palin can you think of any other Vice Presidential candidate on the losing ticked that during the next year received so much attention and press coverage? One that also wrote a best-selling book that, so far, has sold over two million copies. Or, for that matter, can you even name a losing Vice Presidential candidate?
How about naming any other former governor of Alaska? Or…just name two people who actually live in Alaska. Interesting, isn’t it? Why is she so popular? Why does she garner so much media attention? Well…let’s see if we can figure this one out.
In my opinion it goes all the way back to the Republican convention when she gave her acceptance speech. Up until that time I don’t think more than a handful of people outside of Alaska had a clue who Sarah Palin was. But following that speech no one has been able to forget her.
The Democrats were dazed. Where in the world did John McCain dig up this backwoods hockey mom from Wasilla, Alaska. Furthermore, I would be willing to wager that 90% of all Americans had to rush for their atlas to even know where to begin looking for Wasilla, Alaska.
However, it didn’t take long for the Dems to figure out that this lady meant business. She absolutely captivated, and I must say, totally divided an entire voting population. The first assault was on her intelligence, a crusade that everyone in the elite media was more than willing to participate in. The interviews with Charles Gibson and Katy Couric were downright condescending and totally intended to embarrass this “pretender to the throne.”
No one stopped to look at the fact that as a former mayor and governor, she had more practical executive experience that Barack Obama and Joe Biden combined! It didn’t matter that the core of the American heartland had totally fallen in love with this straight talking, no holds barred, housewife who had the audacity to take on the “good old boys” and embarrass them at their own game.
There is no debate that her role was controversial and whether she helped or hurt John McCain’s chances at becoming president will forever be debated wherever political science majors gather to drink beer.
The amazing part is that even though she was on the losing side, her popularity today far exceeds that of McCain, Biden and especially Obama. Ratings on television shows on which she appears go through the roof. She is much sought after for speeches, book signings and appearances in general. Now, it is reported that she may even be the star of a reality TV series.
Can you take her political ambitions seriously? I don’t know. Does she even want to run for another public office? I don’t know. My personal opinion is that she is back and grabbing headlines for one reason only….to drive the Democrats crazy! I may be wrong, but the next time you see her on TV look closely and see in which cheek she has her tongue firmly planted.

The Arrogance of Barack Obama

It is getting to the point where I am no longer surprised nor amazed at the seemingly endless stream of biased information and downright misleading statements that come out of Washington. However, I have to admit that I had to do a double take last Thursday morning when Barack Obama, at the Health Care Summit, stopped the show with the profound announcement: “I am the President!”
Now, the last time I checked every single person in the room KNEW that he was the president! Half of them voted for him and the other half knew exactly why they voted against him. Then, why in the world would he have to remind everyone of exactly who he was? Very simple…pride and arrogance. Let not anyone in the room forget that I am the Grand High Poobah!
I don’t think I have ever seen a president with as much arrogance and disdain for anyone who dares think differently than he does than Barack Obama. But then, never in his public life has he ever been faced with dissent. He is so inexperienced, and has been so surrounded throughout his political life with a cadre of “yes men” and drooling sycophants that he has come to actually believe that he knows what he is talking about.
Pride…by definition…”inordinate self-esteem.” Boy, that sums it up!
To borrow an expression from Bill O’Reilly, I have never heard so much bloviating in my life. He had to comment on everything, like he was the Oracle from on high that always had to set everyone straight, particularly anyone who did not agree with his position. Arrogant…prideful…and…wrong! So out of touch with the American people.
This is explainable, though, as he continues to surround with “advice givers” who, themselves, lost touch with America years ago. This is a group of political hitmen who know no other way of governing except through fear and intimidation…just like they learned and practiced in Chicago.
One of these days they are going to wake up and realize that you can’t govern the freedom loving and honest people of this wonderful country with tactics designed to control, terrorize and intimidate. Or, maybe they won’t and in three years they will all sit around when they are back in Chicago unemployed trying to figure out just what went wrong.
I remind our president of the words of the wisest man who ever lived, King Solomon, who said in Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Tiger's Windermere

If you have watched any major golf tournament in the past few years quite likely you have heard the announcer on the first tee say: “From Windermere, Florida…Tiger Woods!” Why in the world, when he could live anywhere in the world, would Tiger Woods decide to live in one of the smallest communities in the state of Florida. What is so attractive about Windermere?
Well…since it is also my home, I will acknowledge my prejudice right up front by saying that it is a wonderfully private and all accepting community. Windermere is an isthmus surrounded by seven lakes known as the Windermere Chain. It is located about 12 miles southwest of downtown Orlando and at one time was a place for summer lake homes for those living in the surrounding area. No one paid particular notice to the area until two things happened: Walt Disney World and Arnold Palmer.
When Disney began to move California executives into the area they all seemed to immediately discover the quiet and secluded neighborhoods of Windermere. Not long after that Arnold and his partners thought the area would be just right for an upscale golf course and Bay Hill was built nearby and followed a few years later by the Isleworth community and golf course that attracted some of the greatest golfers in the world. Why? Well, to begin with, it was gated, patrolled by security, close to a world class airport and in the state of Florida which has no state income tax. Put all of this together with year around golfing weather and you have a natural athlete magnet.
In addition to golfers many other athletes, entertainers, business executives and just plain folks have decided that this is a pretty nice place to live. All of this to say that Windermere is a melting pot of old-line Floridians, newcomers, wealthy and the not so wealthy, and some just getting by. What makes the place so unique is that nobody cares how much you make or what you do…a neighbor is family and family overrules everything else. It is a true community, which is why when the media descended on the area after the Thanksgiving mishap of Tiger Woods, no one was enthralled. We couldn’t wait for the storm to blow over and these “media types” went away to smell out another carcass.
Tiger lives here. This is his home and those who live in the area respect his privacy and hope that his life and the lives of his wife and children have not been permanently scarred. This community wants to be a healing agent. We don’t throw stones, we offer security and peace.
Maybe that’s why once you move it here you don’t want to leave.