A Practice Pack

We're heading for Seattle in a little more than a week, camping along the way and dropping by to visit family. By September 15th, we'll be in Renton at my friend Darcy's house. Then on the 16th, we board the Holland America Eurodam for a week long cruise to Alaska. Back to Seattle on the 23rd and then we'll camp along a different route back to Missouri, hopefully making our way through the Rockies before the first snow flies at the higher elevations!

So this is the perfect time to do a practice pack. The first thing I have to make sure I can pack well is all my medical equipment. When my kids were little, I used to say there are two classes of travel: First Class and With Children. Now I'll add a third: With Medical Equipment. 

I'll be bringing TWO portable oxygen concentrators (both of which are named Herkimer) with me. I know that seems like overkill, but I have had a POC stop dead with no warning on  me. Spending two days at home without supplemental O2 while I waited for the new unit to come by "overnight shipping" (Ha!) was bad enough. I'd seriously not want to be without a POC if I'm bobbing around in the Pacific. So Herkimer #1 will roll onto the plane in his little roller bag. (Oh! I learned that since he's considered medically necessary, he will not count as my personal carry on item!) Herkimer #2 will ride in his backpack on my DH's dependable back. The DH will also have a roller bag with a few of his things, plus all our electronics (2 computers, 2 tablets, all the cords and chargers). I'll carry my bipap machine and it's hoses and plugs in a shoulder strap bag lieu of a purse and still be able to have a small roller bag as my 2nd carry on.

A lot has to fit in this standard 22 X 14 X 9 inch carry on. We need to keep all our medications, and other valuables with us. And usually people like to pack a few extra things in case their checked baggage goes off on a jaunt of its own. Here's what's going in my carry on by layers:

Layer 1

3 camisole bras, 8 pairs of undies, 3 pairs of socks (black, white, fleshtone). I'll cover all with a pair of  winterwhite pants & a blue tunic. (Together with what I'll be wearing that day, I'll have at least 4 mix-and-match outfits)  

This first layer is important because it evens up the bottom of my carry on. Otherwise the stuff that goes on layer 2 would be banging against the metal tubing that the telescoping handle slides into. 

Layer 2

At right lower corner my So Clean will be lying on its side. This ingenious device cleans my bipap tubing each day. I'll use the void inside it to pack all the tubes that connect it to my bipap, spare nose pieces, face mask, electrical cord, and as many nasal cannulas as I can fit in. In the upper right quadrant, I'll pack additional cannulas to use with Herkimer. The upper left quadrant is where I'll put 3 bottles of a liquid medication I take and in the lower left, some pj's and a sleep cami.

Layer 3

90+ days worth of all the meds I take. Yeah, I know. I'm a walking pharmacy, but my lung condition is stable so the pills are my friends.

Layer 4

Jewelry in a plastic zipper bag goes on top (mostly costume stuff, but I'd still hate to lose any of it), one package of wipes (Don't leave home without them!), electrical cords on top of my pjs.

In computer compartment of my bag, I'll slip in my make up, toiletries, and OTC medications. If there's room, I'll try to slip in a swim suit. too. In the end, it'll look something like this:

So there you have it. My emergency must haves in one little space. 

How about you? What essentials do you want to keep with you at all times when you travel? 

 ~~~

OH! I just found out my publisher is running sale of THE COLDWATER WARM HEARTS CLUB! You can snag Book 1 in the Coldwater Cove series for just $2.99 for a limited time.

Kindle | Nook | Kobo | iBooks

I don't know how long this sale will last. If you'd like to visit my fictional world that's a cross between Mayberry & Lake Wobegone, hope you'll hurry! 

An Adventure on our Doorstep

The heavens are telling of the glory of God;

Psalm 19:1

A total eclipse of the sun rolled through Missouri yesterday. We live only a little way out of the path of totality, so with our friends, Joy and Mike, we drove a couple of hours toward St, Louis. After a very early start (Oh!dark six:thirty!) we reached a rest area just outside of the town of St. Clair, which was in the direct path.

It was perfect. The stop offered shaded seating areas, a place to picnic, and, most importantly, access to rest rooms. Since we had about three hours to wait, this last point was very important! At around eleven AM, we started to notice that the sunlight that appeared through the trees was morphing into definite sickle-shapes.

The temperature dropped noticeably, but the sun still threw off a great deal of light. We didn't stare at the sun constantly. Even though my friend  Joy had used these glasses at a previous eclipse, I'm the careful sort. We checked the eclipse's progress about every ten minutes.

Then when the totality was about five minutes away, we took our position so we could watch the last sliver of the sun disappear. Darkness gathered. The street lights came on. Venus became visible in the southeastern sky. Cicadas, thinking night had fallen, began their eerie song of fading summer.

Then between one breath and the next, the sun was completely thrown into the shadow of the moon.

I've been blessed to see some amazing things in my lifetime. I've flown over the polar region and seen the way the ice cap resembles a cracked egg. I've seen the masterpieces of Da Vinci and Vermeer, Van Gough and Renoir. I've watched with awe as my children took their first steps.

Nothing prepared me for the wonder of seeing the sun completely blocked out. I've known since I was a child that the earth rotates on its axis and the moon revolves around us. And in that eternal do-si-do, we sashay together around the sun. But I'd never seen evidence of that cosmic dance with my own eyes until that instant.

This is not my photo, but this is what I saw.

In those few moments (read: over 2, almost 3 minutes of totality where we were) I had a flash of what Jung would call collective memory, imagining the terror an eclipse must have caused before the reason for the phenomenon was known. The sun was conquered, swallowed up by dark shadow. All light, all joy, all life was being snuffed out.

Then the moon's disc shifted and a flash of Bailey's beads appeared. It was time to don our protective glasses again as the sun re-emerged.

Did you know that Earth is the only planet in our solar system that has a moon of the correct size and correct distance from us to create an eclipse? What an elegant system we've been given.

After this experience, I feel very proprietary about our sun. It's special. And it hurts me to hear people say we circle an ordinary star located in a relative backwater of our galaxy. We have a spectacular sun. It's perfect for us. In fact, the whole arrangement couldn't have been more perfect if it had been designed especially for us.

Hmm... could Someone be trying to tell us something?

Maybe it's "Take those stupid glasses off. You look ridiculous!"

Anyway, we're still crazy excited about our world cruise and are looking forward to all the wonders we'll discover while we're traveling around the globe. But I just thought I'd share the adventure we had close to home this week.

Wonders really are everywhere.

~

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The CDC Says...

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
~ Benjamin Franklin

If the sad events in Spain recently have taught us anything, it's that it's a big scary world out there. But there are things that can be done to make travel safer. At least from threats on a microscopic level.

There's a rather ominous warning on the Princess website that says:

Because governmental and medical vaccination requirements and recommendations change periodically you must check with your travel agent, government authorities for the countries you will visit and/or medical professionals to determine or verify the actual requirements and recommendations at the time of sailing. Princess assumes no liability for the passenger's failure to do so. Failure to present required travel documents, visas, or vaccination certificates at cruise check-in will result in denial of boarding without refund of the cruise or cruise tour fare. 

Well, wouldn't that just ruin our whole day?

So I found the Center for Disease Control website and went through each of our ports of call to discover which nasty bugs we need vaccination for.  As it turns out, there are no countries on our itinerary which require a vaccination certificate.That seems to be limited to ports where yellow fever is a risk. However, Hepatitis A and Typhoid vaccines were recommended for almost all our ports of call.

So yesterday, the DH and I went to our local Health Department and were vaccinated for both diseases. Next Wednesday, I'll go back to have a tetanus shot. I was due for one anyway, but the nurse didn't want to give me three inoculations at once. The DH had his blood drawn to see if he needs to be vaccinated against MMR. Unlike me, he didn't have measles, mumps or rubella as a child.

The jury is still out whether any of these vaccines will work for me. Because of my lung condition, I take a couple of medications which suppress my immune system, so I may not build up many antibodies.

That means I need to travel safely in other ways. This involves:

1. Taking precautions to avoid mosquito bites.
2. Avoiding eating or drinking anything when in port. That means no culinary adventures beyond the ones offered on board the Pacific Princess. I plan to make an exception in the few cases when a ship-sponsored excursion includes a meal. I'm counting on Princess to have vetted their partners thoroughly.
3. Scrupulous hand washing whenever possible. 
4. Carrying hand sanitizer with me off the ship.

Sometimes people become ill when they travel because of their own poor choices. I read on another traveler's blog that she felt she became ill because she had her hands full with bags and such and held her ship card between her teeth while she returned up the gangway to the ship. Once she thought about it, she realized that her ship card would be germy in the extreme since it passed through several pairs of hands and into many different card readers that also might be infected from other cards being inserted into it.

So at the risk of seeming a little paranoid, I plan to be as germophobic as Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory. (Love my geeky boys!) He goes to great lengths to avoid touching door handles and rails. I have been known to pull my sleeve down over my hands to open a door.

If the general air quality is poor at any of our ports of call, as I've heard it may be in Mumbai, I'll wear a disposable mask to protect my lungs from particulates. 

This is a common practice in Tokyo. I always wondered if the person wearing the mask was being considerate of others because they were ill or if they were trying to avoid catching something themselves. Either way, I'll be prepared to do likewise.

So I won't be eating anything from a street vendor. I'll steer clear of door handles. If there are mosquitoes in the area, I'll slather myself with repellent. And I'll always have a small bottle of hand sanitizer with me. It's the best plan for me.

Any other suggestions for traveling in good health? 

It's All About the Shoes!

The journey of a thousand miles starts with a fabulous pair of shoes.

~ Hudson & Bleecker

Shoes are heavy. Even if we stuff them with socks, they take up a lot of valuable real estate in a suitcase. And since we will only be able to take two suitcases a piece, choosing just a few pieces of footwear for our cruise is pretty important. I'm assigning myself a random limit of 5 pairs, not counting the pair I'll wear on the plane. (And a pair of flip flops that don't really count as shoes since they weigh virtually nothing, but are something I'll desperately need.)

Of course, despite the quote at the beginning of this post, I do not own a fabulous pair of shoes. This is not for lack of trying. I wear a difficult size--8.5 wide. But I'm not the sort to give up. One year for my birthday, I went to DSW with the express purpose of buying a wildly impractical pair of the highest heels I could stand.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any in my size. When I asked a clerk if they had any wide sizes, he said "Sure. They're in a special section."

I followed him with hope in my heart. He led me to a small shelf filled with the butt-ugliest shoes on the planet.

Even my great-great-grandmother wouldn't have worn them.

"Do these come with a complimentary walker?" I asked.

Being a Millennial, he had no idea what I was talking about, which made me feel even worse.

Did I mention it was my birthday?

Anyway, since that day, I've adhered to the Frank Lloyd Wright philosophy of footwear.

FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION.

  

So, with that in mind, while we're on the cruise, I will need shoes that function for the following activities:

Casual shipboard--These shoes need to be comfy, have non-slip soles and go with most of my casual clothing. I have a pair of red leather loafers whose sole tread will keep me from sliding along the teak decking. On hot days, I'll wear my light blue sandals. They also double as comfortable walking shoes, so I could wear them on excursions, too.

Formal Nights--Here's where it gets funky. My hot pink ballerina flats are fun, comfy and make a nice splash of color when I wear all black. But I'm not planning to wear black all the time.

If I wanted to be really dressy, I'd borrow these sparkly silver strappy thingies from #2 Daughter's closet. But if I wear my black jacket shot with gold threads, they won't work.

Which is why I should probably also bring a pair of black sandals or flats. They aren't blingy, but they'll do. Plus if the ship is rocking, I'm less likely to turn an ankle if I'm wearing no appreciable heel.

Excursion footwear--My slip-on sneaker/clogs will be perfect. I'll wear these to travel, so I'm not worried about fitting them into the suitcase. They're super-comfy, almost as good as my Uggs house shoes. (Speaking of my Uggs, I actually wore them to travel when we flew to Tokyo a few years ago. If I was going to be in an airplane for 14 hours, I figured at least my feet should be comfortable!)   

So I think I should be okay with just five pairs of shoes. Of course, if you count the flip-flops and clogs, it'll be seven. And I may decide I need my navy sandals. And maybe my red heels. And...

~~~

If you had to narrow your shoe choices to just five, could you do it? 

~~~

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Needful Things

I have a great list of things I want to get done this year. I wonder where it is...
~ Anonymous

I'm still in the planning stages of packing for this trip, but I've realized it's not just about packing our clothes. That will take several more posts to cover, I'm sure. And I'm not blogging about the all important prescription meds and toiletry items today. This post is about the little things we take for granted that make our life comfortable and pleasant. I don't want to leave these niceties behind just because I'm leaving land for a while.

Here's my list so far:

• Umbrellas--I've read on some of the Cruise Critic message boards that often the cruise line gives world cruise passengers umbrellas with the ship's logo as a pillow gift. However, I'm not taking any chances. I'll pack the matching "hurt-your-eyes" yellow ones my publisher Kensington gave us. They're good for excessive sun as well as for rain. And in the unlikely event that we become separated, the vibrant color insures we'll find it easy to spot each other! 
  
• Sewing Kit--You never know when you'll need to tack up a hem or mend a tear. My dear friend Marcy gave me a pretty handy-dandy kit and every time I use it, I'll think of her! (This picture is not of the one Marcy gave me. That sewing kit is already in our camper which is at the shop getting its wheels repacked before we head over the mountains next month. But when we put the camper to bed this fall, Marcy's sewing kit is coming in and going into the cruise pack pile!) 
  
• Collapsible Laundry hamper, over the door hanger, & clothes pins--pretty self-explanatory. We'll probably try to buy laundry detergent in LA before we board, but I expect to find room for these items in our suitcases along with a bleach pen and stain stick.
• 
• Binoculars--We normally keep them near the window that looks out on the pasture behind our house so we can watch deer and other wildlife. We forgot to pack them on our 30 day cruise to the South Pacific and wished for them several times.
  
• Power strip and EU adapter--Cruise cabins are notoriously light on the number of outlets provided. A power strip will maximize our existing outlet and the adapter will allow us to make use of the plug that normally serves European-style electronics.
  
• Assorted magnets and magnetic clips--We've only just discovered that under a thin sheet of wallpaper, the walls of a cruise ship cabin are metal! We can use magnetic clips to keep excursion tickets and other paper clutter in organized spots on the wall. I'm also on the look out for some magnetic hooks.
  
    
• Plastic bags, assorted sizes--You never know when you'll need to put something that might leak into one. Erin Erkun (TwoToTravel) recommended carrying wet wipes in a plastic bag on excursions in case you need to clean your feet before putting your shoes back on after visiting a holy site that requires you to go barefoot!
  
• Water Bottles--I have a drinking problem. Fortunately, my beverage of choice is water and I like to keep a glass with me all day. Packing our Nalgens will remind us to stay hydrated. 
  
• Storage Bins--Okay, I'll admit it. These collapsible cloth boxes are totally on the "only if there's room" list, but it would be so nice to have them along. We use them in our camper to organize undies and socks, and foldable clothes like t-shirts and jeans. There are never enough drawers in a cruise cabin. These would be especially useful for high closet shelves. (In case you're wondering, I'm a bit vertically-challenged. When we go shopping, the DH gets to reach for everything that's up high!) 
  
   
• Lastly, I'll pack an empty, collapsible, zippable bag in one of our suitcases. We'll use it to stock up on toiletries, first aid/OTC meds, mosquito repellent, sun screen, and such in LA before we board. As we use up our supplies, it'll do nicely to bring home any souvenirs we accumulate in our travels. It can also double as a port excursion bag.
  

Okay, I'm sure I've forgotten something. Probably a lot of somethings that will become painfully important to have remembered, but once the deck is swaying beneath my feet, it'll be too late! 

So help me out. What needful things would YOU want to take with you for 94 days?

A Spicy Tale

A people without knowledge of their history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.

~ Marcus Garvey

I'm a bit of a history buff. It comes in handy since some of my Mia Marlowe novels are set in other time periods. When I travel, I not only visit the places to which we go, I usually half-close my eyes and imagine them in another century as well.

Lately, I've been thinking about Ferdinand Magellan. It's only natural since we'll also be circumnavigating the world. (Oh, all right. For you purists out there, our point of origin is Missouri, and we'll be embarking the Pacific Princess in LA and disembarking in Ft. Lauderdale. But if you count driving, flying and cruising, we'll still be going all the way around the earth. We just aren't making the trip solely by water.)

Our itineraries aren't quite the same though. Here's the route Magellan's small fleet took:

That's right. He commanded a fleet of five vessels, the largest of which was the Trinidad. It was a 110 ton square-sailed ship. (By comparison, the Pacific Princess, which is rather petite for a cruise ship, weighs in at 30,277 tons!) Between the five ships, there were about 270 crewmen from several different countries.

Magellan left Spain hoping to find a westward route to the Spice Islands. The point was to avoid going around the Cape of Good Hope. Instead, he encountered the more treacherous waters of Cape Horn, where the Pacific and Atlantic meet with fury, icebergs and strong currents. He became the first European to navigate the strait that was later named for him, but not the first to map it. On older charts, the Strait's opening was noted. It was labeled the Dragon's Tail.

Magellan's voyage was plagued by mutiny, storms that resulted in the loss of ships and crew, starvation, and unfriendly natives. Magellan himself was killed in the Philippines. Of the 270 sailors who began the journey, only 18 limped home almost three years after the voyage started in the Victoria, the smallest ship of the fleet.

Why did they go to all that trouble? For saffron, nutmeg, ginger and mace. The irony of it is that once stable trade routes were established to reach the source of those spices, the prices of the commodity fell. Spices were desirable and therefore wickedly expensive because they were rare and exotic. It is the perversity of human nature to want what we don't have, and to reject those things easily within our reach.  

Had Magellan survived the voyage, and had he proven that a westward route to the Spice Islands was more cost effective than going around Africa, King Charles I would have granted him:

• Monopoly of the discovered route for 10 years
• Appointment as governor of the lands and islands found, with 5% of the net gains
• A fifth of the gains of the voyage
• The right to levy 1000 ducats on upcoming trips
• Granting of an island, apart from the 6 richest, from which he'd receive 15%

Magellan certainly set out to enrich himself when he embarked on circumnavigation of the globe. And that's kind of our goal for the trip, too, but my version of enrichment is much different from his. 

Experience is the spice I'm after.

I want to revel in the beauty and raw power of the oceans of this earth. I want to watch the southern stars wheel overhead in an inky sky. I want to immerse myself in other cultures, and learn how peoples of other lands think, how they live, what they believe. I want to meet my fellow travelers on board in the hope that they'll become our friends and share in our adventures.

That's what I call enrichment. And I can't wait!