Celebrity Silhouette

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Last weekend we went on a short cruise. Don found a bargain for it two days before it sailed and we booked it. It was too late to purchase the Basic wifi which had to be done prior to the cruise but earlier than 2 days before it sailed. So, the only day I was disconnected was on Sunday when we were in Nassau and then at sea. We were not at an assigned dining room table but we were able to just go to the dining room and either get in line or make a reservation in advance.

The Celebrity Silhouette can hold 2850 passengers and 1246 crew. Our captain was George Iatrou, the hotel director was Nikola Moconja and our Cruise director was Luis from the UK. Our cabin was 9172 on deck 9 and our cabin steward was Alberto.

Day 1: 2/7/2025 Embarkation

We arrived at Ft. Lauderdale Terminal 25 at 10:45 and parked our car before taking our bag to the luggage drop-off. Then we went right in through security and checked in. We were on the ship by 11:30. We stopped by our cabin and dropped off stuff before lunch on the Lido deck. I thought the lunch offerings were really good. After lunch, we explored the ship. Around 3:30, we got back to our room but we didn’t have our suitcase. Don saw it in another hallway and we took it back to our room and unpacked it. Then we went and had dessert on the Lido deck before sitting on the back of the ship and watching us pull out of the port. I checked at the dining room to see how dinner works and she said that the dining room is scheduled to open at 5:30 but they usually open at 5:15 and we just needed to get in line. We got to the dining room around 5 pm and waited in line until 5:15 and they seated us right away. We had a nice dinner in the dining room. After dinner, we went to the show to watch the comedian – Spencer James. Then we watched the ship’s dancers in the atrium before going back to our cabin.

Day 2: 2/8/2025 Key West

We had breakfast at 6:30 and we got off the ship around 8:30. Our first stop was the Southernmost Point in the Continental US. Then we walked back towards Mallory Square/ We found a shop where everything was $5 so I bought a dress and a pair of shorts. Don bought 2 hats and 2 T-shirts. We also stopped at the Hard Rock Café shop. Around 12:30 we returned to the ship for lunch. After lunch, we relaxed until dinner time. When we got to the dining room around 5, we were the first in line and when they opened the doors, they called us by name. The sweet hostess, Glades, was joking and said we were like family and we were her “auntie and uncle.” We were seated at the same table as the night before and it was wonderful! The show featured the ship’s singers and dancers in On Broadway and it was entertaining. After the show, we walked around the ship before returning to our cabin.

Day 3: 2/9/2025 Nassau

After breakfast, we sat on the deck and relaxed. Don walked a few miles while I read my book and listened to podcasts. We had to move to a different area to get in the shade and then moved to the solarium where it was nice and cool. After lunch on the Lido deck, we went to the solarium and relaxed before dinner. Again, at dinner, they called us by name and seated us at the same table. We went back to the room, and I packed my stuff before dinner. After dinner, we packed the rest of the stuff and put our suitcase in the hallway.

Day 4: 2/10/2025 Disembarkation

We went to breakfast at 6:30 and since our tags were #15, our time to get off the ship was around 8:25. We got off the ship by 8:00 am and were on the interstate by 8:40. They were very organized, and leaving was very easy. We didn’t even have to show our passports because they did the face recognition machine.

Things I Learned:

• Always pack a dress just in case.
• Bring 2 water bottles.
• This ship only had 2 outlets in the cabin, so we had to be creative in recharging our stuff.
• Always bring an external battery! It was a necessity!
• Most places in Key West charge extra if you use a credit card so bring cash.
• We really enjoyed this Celebrity cruise. We didn’t expect much since it was such a short cruise but the service and the food were excellent!

1996 32c Endangered Species: Florida Manatee

In January, we visited the Manatee Lagoon in West Palm Beach (free admission and free parking). After seeing so many manatees in the lagoon, I started thinking about what stamp they might be on. Then I found that the 1996 Florida Manatee (US #3105o) is part of a set of 15 stamps picturing Endangered Species. The first day of issue was on October 2, 1996, at the San Diego Zoo in California. The zoo was celebrating its 80th birthday. The photographer, James Balog, went to the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa to photograph the pair of manatees used on this stamp.

It was issued as part of the USPS’s National Stamp Collecting Month and the theme was “Collect and Protect.” It was hoped that these stamps would catch the interest of children and encourage them to become stamp collectors. This month was co-sponsored by the USPS and the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.

The Florida manatee is a large, slow-moving mammal that lives in the warm waters of Florida and other parts of the southeastern United States. Manatees are often called "sea cows" because they graze on underwater plants, much like cows eat grass on land. They can grow to be about 10 to 13 feet long and weigh as much as 1,000 pounds or more. These gentle animals spend most of their time eating and swimming in shallow waters like rivers, bays, and coastal areas. Manatees have thick, wrinkled gray skin and a flat, paddle-shaped tail that helps them move through the water. They also have a very small number of teeth, which they replace throughout their lives as they wear them down from chewing plants. Manatees are herbivores, meaning they only eat plants, and they consume a lot of vegetation each day—up to 10% of their body weight. They are not aggressive animals and are known for their calm and friendly nature. However, their population is at risk because of threats like boat collisions, habitat loss, and pollution. Conservation efforts, such as creating manatee protection zones and reducing pollution, are helping to protect them. In recent years, manatee populations are slowly increasing, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service still considers them a vulnerable species.

References:
Photos by Pat Hensley
https://www.mysticstamp.com/3105o-1996-32c-endangered-species-florida-manatee/
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (2021). Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris). Retrieved from https://www.fws.gov.

Photo A Day Project - January

This year I work on the Photo a Day Project. It really helps me take better photos because I’m taking more photos and looking at different perspectives. I also look at other people’s photos and see what pictures I liked. Then I try to figure out what appealed to me about their photos. Once I know that, I try to apply that knowledge to my own photos. Here are the pictures that I took in January.

1. 1/1/2025 Early morning, 2. 1/2/2025 Orchids, 3. Untitled, 4. 1/4/2025 sign, 5. 1/5/2025 Iguana, 6. 1/6/2025 mailbox garden, 7. 1/7/2025 Sun, 8. 1/8/2025 Hummingbird Windchime, 9. 1/9/2025 Garden gnome, 10. 1/10/2025 Guitar, 11. 1/11/2025 Caboose., 12. 1/12/2025 Ghost Horses sweater, 13. 1/13/2025 Hawk, 14. 1/14/2025 Chicken ad, 15. 1/15/2025 Painting, 16. 1/16/2025 Jupiter Lighthouse, 17. 1/17/2025 Stainglass, 18. 1/18/2025 Sunflowers, 19. 1/19/2025 sleeping cat, 20. 1/20/2025 Work in Progress - Mosaic Crocheted Blanket, 21. 1/21/2025 Pitiful Cat, 22. 1/22/2025 Table Lamp, 23. 1/23/2025 Fishing Lures, 24. 1/24/2025 Cloudless Sulphuric caterpillar, 25. 1/25/2025 ladybug, 26. 1/26/2025 Preparing to Make a Cocoon, 27. 1/27/2025 Brown Basilisk, 28. 1/28/2025 Socks with stamps, 29. 1/29/2025 Colorful threads, 30. 1/30/2025 Enjoying the shade, 31. 1/31/2025 Nap time!

Meadowbrook Murders - Book Review

I recently read Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman. I read a review copy compliments of Netgalley and I am not being paid to give this review.

I enjoyed reading this book because I enjoy murder mysteries. It takes place at a boarding school, and Amy, a senior, finds her roommate and her roommate’s boyfriend dead in their dorm room. The story is told from two main viewpoints: Amy and Liz, the school newspaper's editor. I like the many twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat as you read. This book would be a great backdrop for discussions on dysfunctional families, peer relationships, loyalty, personal safety, and trust issues. I would recommend this book for a high school library.

Wakodahatchee Wetlands

This morning we went to Flakowitz for breakfast and then headed to the Wakodahatchee Wetlands. We got there around 9:30 and stayed for 2 hours. We walked along the boardwalk and saw 4 alligators, lots of iguanas, lots of birds, a raccoon, and a brown basilisk. By the time we left, it was getting hot and the there was a huge line coming in with cars waiting for a parking space to open. 

Iguanas

Wood Stork

Alligator

Brown Basilisk

Great Blue Heron

Original photos by Pat Hensley