Day 1 at Sea - Key West

We slept with the doors open so we could hear the ocean and feel the breezes.  And of course, peek out at all the stars in the sky.  As we docked in Key West the sun came up to greet us.  What a beautiful morning!!!

WSM Noah and I were among the first people off the ship.  We took the shuttle into downtown Key West.  We walked on Duval Street and approximately 12 blocks to Pirate Scooter Rentals where Dave hooked us up with  a 6 person electric cart. What a blast!!!    We took her for a spin and drove to Smathers Beach to soak up some sun. 

At 9:15 a.m., we returned to Mallory Square to pick up the Elders and the Great Aunties as they were disembarking from their shuttle.  We got everyone seated and seatbelted and away we went.

WSM Noah lived in Key West for seven years in his previous lifetime.  He drove and showed us points of interest like the Truman Annex, Hemingway's House and back to the Southernmost Point (sign that says that Cuba is 90 miles away).

We stopped to get some genuine Key Lime Pie - one huge serving and seven forks so we could all sample some sweetness before lunch.   The electric cart ride was breezy and comfy.  And then we stopped for bathroom breaks.  And then we went to find some conch.  We found a nice spot on the water called Dante's where we filled up on conch fritters and chowder.  Yum, yum, yum.

And then we cruised down Duval Street and dropped the Elders at the shuttle to go back to the cruise for a nap.  WSM Noah and I took our cart for another little spin and a walk through Key West' cemetery.  I met an awesome tree and we communed.  She allowed me to take a picture in her arms.

We then dropped off our cart and did some shopping before picking up the shuttle back to the boat.  At 2:00 p.m. the Century set sail again.  We napped and walked around the ship and set up massages for the next evening.  We turned on the 24 hour Cirque de Soleil channel and enjoyed one of the shows we had seen in person, La Nouba.  So nice to see it from so many angles after seeing it live.

And as the sun was descending, we got dressed all fancy for Formal Night in the main dining room.

For more pics of our adventure in Key west, check out Key West &  Cool Sights

1st Seltzer Family Reunion

I just came back from a lovely cruise with my Great-Aunties Sylvia and Maggie (the Seltzer sisters).  Great Auntie Sylvia decided to spoil her sister a/k/a Margaret for her 89th birthday, with a cruise adventure.  Auntie Maggie flew to Florida from California on Tuesday for the beginning of a splendid trip.  Soul Mama (Noah's Mom) booked tickets for all of us on Celebrity Cruise Lines' Century ship.  And what a lovely ship it was.  And with a most wonderful sailing itinerary as well.

Thursday at noon, WSM Noah and I went to Miami's Port to get registered and checked in.  The boarding process was simple and fun.  And 15 minutes later, luggage-free and with a Celebrity ID/credit card, we went to check out our room - a lovely stateroom on the 8th floor with a balcony overlooking the port.  We then went to meet & greet the rest of the members of the family and walk them through the registration and boarding process.

By 1:30 p.m. we met up at the Lounge on the 11th floor and had lunch - a smorgasbord of culinary choices and appetizing dishes to eat.  We ate and talked - happy for this adventure to begin.  At around 2:30 p.m., sated and slightly tired, we wheeled the Great Aunties and accompanied their caretakers to the StateRoom on the 5th Floor.   We parted ways so they could unpack and nap with a promise to return to escort them to the Dining Room for early seating dinner.

At 5:00 p.m., we sat on our balcony (with a table and two chairs) and watched as the Celebrity left the Port of Miami.  The ship turned around in Biscayne Bay and sailed right out of the Port into the open sea. 

     

We explored our stateroom and all the choices available to us on this ship.  The best part is that everything is interactive through the room's TV screen. 

At 6:00 p.m, we met for dinner and were blessed with our waiter Hector from the Phillipines and Irwin from Ecuador.  Two of the nicest people you could ever meet.  It seemed that no matter how difficult our request was (hot steaming soup that had to be carried out on another platter because the bowl was burning hot), they were ready to serve and please.

And what a  blessing to be with the Matriarchs of this family and to share their wisdom and observe their mannerisms.

Our adventure has just begun!!!

For more pics of our adventure at sea, check out Cruise

The Future of our World

ROUTINES and CHANGE

Being in this Sanctuary, I tried to keep up my routines - WAKE up and walk under the stars, followed by YOGA and BREATHING exercises, followed by BREAKFAST and writing in my journal. This is my preferred way to start the day. At home, with only WSM Noah and my three MEOWS, this is easy.

Here, I had to ADAPT and CHANGE and BE FLEXIBLE.

LITTLE MAN and SCOOBY came first. And they are not early risers. They made it clear that walking at 5:30 a.m. was a ridiculous idea, especially when I could stay cuddled under the blankets and squished between them in the bed. All that wonderful DOG-GOD energy. Just couldn't say NO. So, we slept in until almost 6:15 a.m. and then I threw on some clothes and we went for our morning stretch and pee and WALK as the sky was changing colors from dark blue to purple to pink. And SPOT came to meet us and saunter along behind us.

And then after the walk, I had maintenance - washing all the bowls and putting fresh food and clean water. And then letting the birds out so I could clean their cage and change their food and water bowls. And then the dogs want to go out again. LITTLE MAN has a ball in his mouth. Time to play FETCH. New routines and new ways of being. And finally, we join the birds outside on the patio for some yoga.

Now, I have three MEOWS at home. And while they love to be with me, they do not necessarily need to have physical contact to be with me. Not so with the dogs. LITTLE MAN is a lap dog - loves to be nestled in your lap and giving off his heat. And so is SCOOBY. For me, Yoga became an exercise in stretching and bending around their bodies. It gave me more focus and clarity while attempting my moves.














And in order to become friendly with the birds, I needed to be still and DO NO THING. Just sit and BE so that LEO and CLEO could be comfortable with me & my presence and check me out. Which is what CLEO eventually did - she landed on the back of my chair and proceeded to feel safe enough to watch me as she balanced on one foot and cleaned the other. LEO rewarded me by singing a melody - a tune I once knew that resonated with my heart.

Intentional Chocolate

SANCTUARY

This blessed house I am using - loving - healing - this SANCTUARY: a place of refuge, a holy space - a place for my soul to sigh and breathe and rest and replenish. No disruptions, interruptions, or noise.

This home is full of things that nourish my soul - art on the walls, books, music, clothes, cooking utensils, windows with magnificent views and QUIET and PEACEFUL - just me and my LITTLE PEEPS.


Today, I really got to know two of my companions, LEO and CLEO. I was not particularly fond of birds as pets. I would rather see them free, roaming the skies and healing from up above. However, LEO and CLEO seem to have an affinity for this home and choose to stay here.



The least I could do was let them out of their cage every day and onto the covered patio by the pool. And then I would clean the bottom of the cage and change the water bowls and dump the old seeds and put fresh seeds.

This earned me high esteem with LEO (grey parakeet) and CLEO (yellow parakeet) who rewarded me with fly-bys - synchronized circle flying at record speeds and in perfect formation. LEO landed on my shoulder for further inspection and communication.

Being extremely sensitive, I was slightly uncomfortable with his claws on my skin. Yet, I noticed how gentle he was being and how small he was in comparison to ME. So I endured the uncomfortableness and I made a friend. He bowed his head, inviting me to scratch and pet him, which I did. And in return, he twisted his little neck almost upside down to let me touch the softest parts of him. Thank you Leo!!!

Re-TREAT

I spent last week on Re-TREAT - my annual turning within - looking inside and taking stock of my experiences in 2007. It was also an opportunity to BE STILL and in SILENCE. And the gift of giving myself and WSM Noah the opportunity to be apart. "Everybody needs a little time away, I heard her say, from each other...." (Chicago)

I was blessed to have a sanctuary in Altamonte Springs, Florida - three hours from where I live now - and a world apart. Altamonte Springs is further up north in Florida - about 15 minutes from downtown Orlando and yet, so many trees and land and quiet. At night, you can see hundreds of stars.

And blessed to have companions - LITTLE PEEPS - mostly of the four legged kind - who accepted me unconditionally, with no other intention but to love me. The picture below is Little Man on the left and Scooby on the right.

My job was to make sure that their needs were met. And in doing that - we co-existed beautifully and created sweet love harmony.

The dogs - happy all the time - needed to be walked, groomed, hugged, scratched, fed and given space to run and release energy.

Spot the Meow - spent his nights outdoors protecting our home.

He would magically appear in the morning just in time for our morning, walking behind and with us but not "with us". And right about mid-morning, he would come in and dine on his Kibbles and inspect the premises and stretch. After sniffing out the other residents, he would be ready for meditation and naptime. We would find a comfortable spot to lay (the couch, the mat outside in the sun or the bed) and he would teach me the art of shiatsu. Our bodies, barely touching, would engage in vibration and exchange of body heat, as my wise Guru shared with me the secret of purr language, ear twitches and tail flicks.