A lot of people are affected with Seasonal Affective Disorder in Wisconsin.  We have many, many days without sun during the winter months.  This year, we've had a string of days with heavy fog and unseasonably warm temperatures in the 30's and 40's.   Personally, I can't claim that I've ever really felt the effects of SAD, but this year, knowing that we are likely moving west later next year, I've been very impatient and annoyed with Wisconsin weather.  

Sun trying to fight through the clouds

It hasn't helped that my daily routine involves looking at the weather in Fort Collins and Tucson.  Their weather has been spectacularly sunny and more pleasant this time of year.  

So, I haven't been blogging much because not much is going on. I've substituted indoor pickleball for hiking. The trails have been muddy and not much fun. For Christmas, we had my mother, Julia's brother and Allie here.  I went and retrieved my mother from Cedar Rapids and brought her here.  My brother was nice enough to take her back.  

Brother, mother, and me

Julia would like to take a trip somewhere warm in February or March, but it's too early to say whether that will work out.  We are busy getting the house ready for sale in the spring.  In fact, we had our first showing to a friend of a friend who  heard we will be listing it in the spring.  Things will work out one way or another.  

One thing we have decided upon is not to buy anything out west until the money is in the bank from our house sale.  At that point, we plan to put our remaining household belongings in storage and head west with the Scamp to Fort Collins.  I took the opportunity to give some family stuff to my mother and brother in anticipation of our downsizing.

Callie soaking up the heat

From a personal standpoint, Julia and I will be glad to put 2024 behind us.  It was a very tough year with the loss of Justin, our son.  It definitely took its toll.  My body and mind are slowly recovering, and I am sleeping much better after some very poor sleep for many months. 

I didn't include more details in the prior "The Cruise" post for two reasons.

1)  I didn't think anyone would be interested; and

2)  This trip didn't include much of the normal topics:  good beer, good coffee or John-style travel.

But there are details, which may be useful to some people contemplating how such a trip is put together.

On the first day of the trip, we drove three hours to pick up my mother in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  At 85, she isn't comfortable driving for long distances and hadn't flown for many years. We then drove 3 1/2 more hours to Chicago, where we checked into the Wyndham, where you can get a room that includes the cost of parking for up to 12 days.  

We were up early on the hotel shuttle to O'Hare, where we then boarded the a non-stop American Airlines flight to New Orleans. Here, we checked into a Hampton Inn near the port.  My mother was pretty tired, so Julia and I went out for a Cajun dinner and live music. 

Remembering Hurricane Katrina

On the third day, we walked to the port, managed some crowds and long lines, and boarded our ship, The Getaway.  Because this was my mother's first cruise, we booked separate balcony rooms. We learned that Norwegian gave my mother a free upgrade to an expanded balcony room. That allowed us all to sit on her balcony together with table and three chairs.  I don't know if Julia and I would ever cruise again, but if we do, we will get a balcony room.  It's a lovely way to escape the crowds and enjoy sunrises/sunsets.   On our only other cruise, we had an interior room with no windows.  

The ship left around 4 p.m., and we watched the sun go down, as we made our way down the Mississippi River and eventually out into the Gulf of Mexico.  

On the fourth day, we had rough seas.  The captain told us that we were going to be outrunning a hurricane, so we went pretty fast through the big waves.  The plan was evidently good, as the hurricane passed to our east without incident.  No one in our group got seasick.

On the next four days, we visited ports that were fairly close to each other.  The limited travel occurred at slower speeds and overnight.  The ports included (in order) Costa Maya (a small town on Mexico's Yucatan), Harvest Caye (a small Belizean island), Roatan (a Honduran island), and Cozumel (a Mexican island). I don't recommend cruising to get to know places.  Almost all of the business near the port are owned by the cruise lines.  Prices are inflated.  Food tends to be bland.

My two favorite ports were Roatan and Cozumel.  On Roatan, Julia took my mother on a wildlife tour and gave me the freedom to explore. 

I ended up in a bar where the cab drivers go, drank a few bottles of cheap, local beer, and met a bunch of interesting locals.  On Cozumel, Julia and I walked past the port area and had some great blue corn tacos with mole, a sauce made from scratch with many spices and chocolate.  Later we found a bar overlooking the gulf with cold beer and a very pleasant breeze.

There was one more sea day on the way home.  The weather was not great with gray skies and drizzle.  We arrived at the New Orleans port early the next morning and checked into the Embassy Suites for another day in New Orleans.  Mom was tired again, but joined us for a Cajun dinner and live music.  The Cajun food was too spicy for her Iowa taste buds, so she ordered onion rings to stave off her hunger.

The flight home was supposed to be simple and non-stop.  Spirit Airlines cancelled our non-stop flight and turned a three hour flight into eight hours of travel through Florida.  We made it to Chicago without further incident, picked up the car, drove Mom to Iowa, and drove back to Wisconsin, arriving at about 2 a.m.  

After all of that travel, it felt good to slip into a routine at home again.

The election didn't go the way that I was hoping but did go the way that I expected.  Our fragile democracy continues on--only because the big bully got his way and won.  The changes that are coming will hurt many of the people who voted for the president-elect, but it will take time for that recognition to kick in.  Laughter is my medicine; watching the Daily Show's commentary on YouTube has helped me to keep moving on.  

The cruise was a great success.  My mother loved every part of it, and we enjoyed being able to share that time with her.  

Sunrise

Mom and the monkeys

Piranha pedicure in Costa Maya

Cozumel port

Roatan,Honduras wildlife refuge

Bicycle Shuttle, Cozumel port

Harvest Caye

We are back to a Wisconsin gray November.  We've already completed some projects to get the house ready to sell in the spring.  We also have started sorting through what we will be taking to Colorado after we move.  We won't do any serious home searching until after our current one is sold.