POLITICAL CORRECTNESS

Written by Captain Mary on Tuesday, December 15, 2015

I am so sick of hearing about who's feelings are going to get hurt, by banning or even talking about a certain group of individuals. Lets start with your civil rights, if you are not an American then these rights don't apply to you, you simply have no rights in this country. End of story!

 When I was a young girl growing up in South Florida, I was discriminated against. The fact that I had an amazing chocolate tan from spending all my time outdoors, led me to the back of the bus each time my grandmother wanted to take us shopping. As a child in the 60's it didn't dawn on me that I was being grouped as a black person, because it just didn't matter to me. I didn't care nor did my grandmother, because the seats at the back of the bus weren't any different than the ones at the front, nor were the people. Plus, I just didn't know of prejudice, I wasn't taught such things.

Why is it every time a person speaks they have to consider the feelings of the masses, are you kidding, seriously no comment can make every person happy. That would be absurd to think what any one person says has so much impact on me. I am an American and my family background is that of Italian. As soon as I mention to anyone that I have Italian heritage, you should see their faces, as if they were standing in front of the "God Father" himself. Like any group of people there is a stigma, do I take this seriously, no, because it has nothing to do with me. I think of it as a group of people who's most important attributes are familia, (family).  I happily quote, " I maka you an offer you can nota refuse".

 All of our backgrounds came from somewhere else, when my great grandparents came to this country, legally, they were so happy, because their goal was to become American. I remember them very clearly, studying English, and smiling each time they would communicate with someone successfully. They traveled all those miles because being here and being an American and having all the rights this country afforded was worth all their sacrifices. They were no longer part of Italy, they were Americans, their heritage strong in culture and pride only made them better Americans.

When a person chooses to come to this country there are rules and processes that everyone should go through. It should be thorough and these people should be future contributors for this country. I have traveled all over the world and sometimes it was not easy to simply visit. I have had to prove financial responsibilities for my stay and return tickets to leave. Why don't we follow some of these simple rules. I can go on for hours and it all comes down to common sense.

THANKSGIVING 2015

Written by Captain Mary on Wednesday, December 09, 2015

My favorite holiday of the year. Even though I only get to cook once every 5 years, the food is always amazing. We rotate who hosts this wonderful event, giving us opportunity to travel to destinations for the holiday.

The weather was amazing, most of the time family and friends spent their time outdoors. The time was full of laughter and stories from the past, hopes for the future and the snickers of children looking forward to the time that the treats come out. Hours past as we enjoyed the food, fun, and friendship.

I look back now and it seems so far away as Christmas approaches. I wish that their was more time spent on this most amazing, free from commercialism, holiday. I have only a small wish for everyone out there, I wish that you enjoy your family and friends all year round as much as I do today and every Thanksgiving Day.

Costa Rica

Written by Captain Mary on Monday, August 10, 2015

Costa Rica mother and daughter trip. My last trip for the summer the last of three that is, and I thought it would be great for a mother and daughter to go on a trip and adventure. We started out by renting a car and heading out towards the big Blacksand beaches of  Costa Rica.  It took us forever just to find our little hotel but it was worth it, a cute little bungalow nestled in the back of town.  It was great to have our own car, we explored on our own and pretty much did whatever we wanted to.  From wandering around the beautiful beaches to standing atop cliffs just enjoying the view to an evening out ladies night only.   We zip lined in the forest we repelled waterfalls and enjoyed ourselves even though the rain began to come  and the river began to swell.  We made it back to camp just in time.
 We took a great excursion to the Hot Springs that were heated by volcanoes amazing is the only thing I can say to describe it.

AMAZING ALASKA

Written by Captain Mary on Monday, August 10, 2015

I started this post a couple of years ago on my first trip to Alaska, and never finished it. Even though I only scratched the surface of our 49th state, Alaska was the most amazing place in the USA. I have seen the other 48 by the way. July 20th, 2013, I set off on yet another adventure. First our non-stop flight to Seattle, Washington where our ship the Star Princess was moored.
After shuffling through lines and security we finally made it to our state room. A room for four, yet we were only three. The first thing we did was thank Margo, my sister-in-law, for this great idea, that unfortunately she could not attend. My sister, Cheryl and my son, Jason would be my companions for this once in a life time adventure.
The weather was good, yet a bit chilly for what I am accustomed to. We viewed the city of Seattle from the port, in the distance was mountains just visible through the mist, covered in snow, just beyond the city, so it seemed.
The excitement mounted as I anticipated what I was about to see. We would have to wait as our journey would take us over 1,000 miles to our first destination. We did not have to wait as long as we though before seeing land. The sea was mostly calm and that feeling and the smell of being on the water never changes for me, it is always like my first time. The first glimpse was distant snow capped mountains, in the middle of summer no less. We all stood on deck bundled up, looking out in the distance for a glimpse of what may be lurking inside the waters of the North Pacific. We could see, spray from porposie and whales, yet we could hardly make out what it was. The longer we watched in the chilling winds on the top decks, we finally got a good glimpse of a Humpback Whale taking a breath right next to the hull of the ship. We all screamed out, "Whale", but only a fraction of a second had passed and the whale too had dissappeared into the depths. Schools of doll porposie followed the ship as if they could not pass up an opportunity to play.
 That was a couple years ago and now the anticipation was still great.  This time my friend Margo would attend  for her trip of a lifetime, the 14 of us began our adventure.  Not unlike our previous trip we departed Seattle and the scenery began to change, yet the beautiful weather that we had experienced on our prior trip was not the same. A annoying mist traveled with us almost the entire time. We wouldn't let that ruin our trip though.
 Our beautiful trip was not without drama, I  guess that's what comes with traveling with different personalities.  The clouds obstructed our views to a certain extent it was like traveling in a black-and-white movie without the sun shining down on us.  Although our photographs would not show the colors from the previous trip I had the memories.  Glimpses of humpback whales were  abundant and made  me smile each time I saw them take a breath, we saw sea lions, otters and bald eagles  which were  also in abundance.
 Our excursions off the ship were helicopter rides, whale watching tours, hikes in the woods, train rides,  salmon fishing, there is so many things to do in Alaska.  I could talk endlessly about our journey, I do want to say that this is a trip that every person should go on.  Exploring our 49th state is something every person should indulge in.