Warming Up to 6 Below Zero

Last week I was in the Caribbean. Skies were blue and sunny, temperatures were in the mid 80s F, and I was warm and comfortable.

This week I am back home, and it is so cold that most schools in the whole state are closed, to protect the children from dangerous cold and wind-chills. Looking on the bright side, skies here in Minnesota are blue and sunny, just like in the Caribbean! No clouds = no insulation, so night temps really plunge. But I do like the sunshine.

Today, mid-afternoon, it has warmed all the way up to 6 below zero (F).

In an effort to be warm, I will post pictures of my fabulous vacation. What a blast! I went on a cruise with some quilters. I'm very lucky to have had this opportunity to escape the cold and be warm for a week, not to mention hanging out with quilters! FUN!

We sailed out of Miami. It was beautiful there.. palm trees are a good sign that I am no longer in Minnesota.

Flowers in January! Will never happen in Minnesota; I was enthralled.

our room, and my first-ever cruise meal.

This is me, being waited on by a hunky guy.... HAHAHA! Did you believe me for a minute? If I had a bod like that, I would have been showing off pictures of myself for a long time now... nope, that ain't me, but a gal can dream, right?

first shore excursion.. to St. Maarten...the real me is in the red hat, and the other two are quilter friends of mine.

une fleur a Marigot, St. Martin

beach at Philipsburg, St. Maarten
more flowers; we saw three iguanas sunning themselves in treetops; walking back to our ship which is the one on the right

the tell-tale red hat: that's me again. This is my favorite shore excursion: St. John Virgin Islands. I would love to go back there for more time to play and explore. It's a U.S. National Park - did you know that??

one of about three pools on board the ship, random head shot of me, quilts that other people made while out at sea (I didn't sew a stitch), third shore excursion was to Nassau, Bahamas where we also enjoyed a gorgeous sunset.

my final excursion was a bus tour after the cruise, back in Miami. I toured the South Beach area and got off to spend time on the beach. Enjoyed seeing the long line of art deco hotels on Ocean Drive and LOVED the waves at the beach.

waves, waves, waves - I cannot get enough of them!

Some randomness: the ship's wake, a band that entertained us on the ship, an art deco post office in Miami - it was beautiful!, a ship from Panama, and I'm pretty sure that guy in the last photo is just wearing his underpants. Well, why not? It was too hot for long pants anyway!


I've had my lucky bouts of travel - Europe in the fall, Caribbean in the winter. Now it's time to buckle down and put in more work hours. At least there's nothing else to do when it's 6 below zero.