Dan Rather is my hero!

I usually only post travel photos on this site but I couldn't resist blogging about the Dan Rather interview with Larry King aired this evening. During the course of the interview, Dana Rather stated that there were "government officials in the newsroom." CBS's newsroom. His interview discussed how big corporations and the government interfered with investigative reporting. His lawsuit is based on this principle.
After watching the interview, I checked the transcripts on CNN's site. His comments were listed as inaudible. I know what I heard and I heard the man say "government officials in the newsroom."
As powerful as that statement is what was even more powerful was his implications that Viacom's head honcho, Sumner Redstone was "enraged", believed the story Rather did on Bush's military record had cost Viacom and CBS news big time and that Redstone wanted Dan Rather out along with everyone connected to the story.
If that is true, then the cost of a network outing any Bush administration wrongdoing or possible cover up means the loss of access to future stories. In essence, the media is totally compromised unless it follows the Bush agenda.
I am shocked by the revelations Rather made during the interview but I am also grateful. He said what many others wish they could say and I respect him even more for that.

Yankees/Kramer Tour

The guys stayed in New York and went to the Yankees game. Thenext day they took the Seinfeld "Kramers" tour of New York. They loved it and had a great time. We are home now relaxing and tryng to finish our living room remodel before we leave for Florida.

At Sea back to New York

After a hot morning in the sun, I took it easy. I even skipped dinner not feeling like my usual self.
The next day was better. I made it to breakfast but couldn't open the catsup. Someone was nice enough, a scrabble champ, to open it for me. Went to the pool, shooped in the onboard gift store and then did a little internet surfing. It's nice that you can access the Internet from the ship.
Dinner was great. Fresh turkey breast, stuffed to the rim with apple and sage and whipped baked potatoes in brown sauce. Paul had the sea food and prime rib. No matter what they put on the plate, everything was delicious. It was out last night on the ship so we lingered over dinner as our ship cruised slowly into harbor. A little casino time and then it was off to bed for some MVS.
In the morning, we crossed under the Verrazano bridge and while breakfasting on blueberry pancakes, baked ham and pineapples, we passed in front of the Statue of Liberty again. Docking was easy, departing even easier. I drove home that day but the boys stayed in New York for some baseball action.

Runner Up........Again!!!!

Put my husband on a cruise ship and suddenly he's too sexy for his shirt! Every cruise offers a sexy hairy beast contest and hubby joined right in, strutting his hairy chest and body while wearing his cap (Nothing under there) for all the bikini clad beauties. (It's his fantasy....remember). He shimmied and shook, did an improv pole dance to the cheers of the crowd and then came in second place to Uncle Sam. (Well, it was the fourth of July!)
He took his defeat well, everyone said he was robbed of the highly prized plastic "Ship on a stick" trophy.

More photo's of The Baths"

You can argue about where the most beautiful beach in the world is, after all everyone has different opinions about what makes a beach great, but "The Bath's" is truly a top ten spot. I've never seen water so crystal clear or had such huge fish swimming right underneath me in four feet of water. As long as I don't have to go through Tortula again, I am definitely going back. We spent about two hours snorkeling, Jake barely lifted his face out of the water and could have spent the whole day there. The climb back up was a little difficult for me, too much sun and when I got to the top I had a hard time breathing. Paul ain't the only one getting old! We tok the ferry back to the ship. We actually got on the wrong one but made it back in time and we didn't have to go back to Tortula (Yeah!).

The Bath's of Virgin Gorda

Unlike Tortula, the people of Gorda were friendly and informative. We arrived on the island and drove through a very small downtown area, mostly construction and businesses, no shopping. We arrived at "The Bath's" and I was completely unimpressed. My mood was sour and i was feeling a little pissy. We paid to get into the Park and then began the descent down the mountain to the actual beach.
It's a steep descent, but the path is well laid out and easy to navigate but strewn with huge truck sized boulders. About half way down you realize you have to climb back up. Oy-vey! Once you reach the bottom, the view is breathtaking. Rock pool formations line the beach of varying depth and are filled with marine fish of every type. Angels, damsels, barbs, you name it and you will see it while snorkeling at the Bath's.

Tortula, British Virgin Islands

Tortula

Downtown, St. Thomas

After a swim, Samuel tookus back to the center of town and the outdoor market. Jacob went for some cool beads, Keith chose a wooden flute. We headed back to the ship after that because the guys had a snorkeling excursion booked, a helmut head snorkeling trip. Will post photos later when they are developed.

Megan's Beach, St. Thomas

Megan's Beach is crystal clear blue water and white Sandy beaches. Some of the sweetest water I've even swam in. You can't see it but Paul is definitely sucking in his gut, I just missed the angle by half a step. He's having a hard time adjusting to middle age and has threatened to buy a Porsche. I told him that no matter what car he buys, it still won't put the hair back on his head.

Mountaintop, Saint Thomas

Mountaintop is a small shopping mall nestled between the TV tower and the satellite dish. It features alot of pirate themed items celebrating the homeland of Blackbeard, notorious bad boy and burier of treasure. Blackbeard's Castle is on the Island but we never got there. Keith enjoyed the lusty pirate babe in the lobby while Jake and Paul fell in love with this T-shirt.
"Hi, my name is Roger and I will be flogging you today."
The view from Mountaintop is spectacular and Samuel told us on a clear day you can see all the way to St. John. We could make out Tortula and several other British Virgin Islands. Samuel said that is was so hazy there because of dust kicked up in the Sahara Desert. I had no idea dust from the Sahara could travel so far and have such an impact on the Caribbean.

Saint Thomas

We got an early start in Saint Thomas. First we tried to rent a car for the day but they were sold out, so we hired a driver, Samuel who took us on a private two hour tour. Megan Beach was the only place we really wanted to go so we let Samuel choose our destinations. He took us up the mountain, stopping at various panoramic sites. St. Thomas is small compared to Puerto Rico, population under 70,000 and home to a U.S. submarine base that guards the Panama Canal. I was struck by the similarities to Jamaica, lush and tropical but also poor.

Puerto Rico

Our arrival in Puerto Rico was scenic. The ship docked just outside Fort El Moor, the impressive fortress visible from the deck as we pulled into the harbor. We were fortunate to hook up with a tour group outside of the pier and visited Fort Cristobal, a solid marble government building that was magnificent. Painted ceiling detailing the landing of Christopher Columbus, carved marble panels and a majestic solid marble intricately carved staircase. I'm weird, I flip out about stuff like that. I love craftsmanship and attention to detail. The pictures don't do it justice. Afterwards, we hit the stores for a little shopping. I scored some Coach and Chanel bags, gifts for friends back home and naturally, one for me! We only spent a few hours in port and wished we had more time. Puerto Rico is home to four million people and four million cars. Traffic and construction in the downtown area made it difficult to get out and we really didn't have enough time to do what we wanted on the island.

Day Two at sea

Saturday morning we woke up and checked into shore excursions while we were in port. We decided not to do anything in Puerto Rico as there was so little time. Often, in port, at the deck are tour operators who are cheaper than the cruise line excursions, so we figured we would just hire a driver for a few hours to give us a tour. More pool, more drinks and more dinner. The kids made friends although Keebie had a little difficulty (he always does!) Our cabin was nicely decorated, spacious and comfortable. The boys had their own cabin which made it nice, we had our own retreat during the day. The over theme of the Miracle is the Muses and great works of fiction. You could see a show in the Phantom of the Opera lounge, dine in Horatio's or Nick and Nora's Supper Club and unwind in the Casablanca Sam's Piano Bar. Each hallway is decorated with sketches of characters from fiction. My fav was Don Quixote.The afternoon was spent glued to the satellite television as news of the London bombing broke. I was surprised how little chatter about the attack occurred on the ship. People were intent on having a good time and nothing stopped that. Paul missed a giant jackpot because he got up from the table one hand too early. Needless to say, he hasn't stopped talking about it. After playing in the casino, I decide to get a piece of cake from the fancy pastry bar. For two dollars a slice you can get a fancy gourmet cake, I chose Strawberry Cheesecake. The slice was huge and as I walked through the ship carrying it, I was stopped at least four times by people who wanted my cake. I ended up sharing it with the girls at the pursers desk. It was too big a piece to eat alone (I am diabetic) and the girls admired the cake so I cut it in half and gave them the other half. It was creamy and rich, absolutely decadent.

At Sea

Each night the Carnival Capers Activity guide is placed in your cabin with complimentary mints and bed turn down service. There is something for everyone in the family. We registered the kids for Camp Carnival and received a separate list of activities for the boys. Disco dancing, sand art, painting, video game play time and more. We decided to spend some time by the pool while the kids went for water sports, sliding down the top deck water slides and playing volleyball. I prefer lounge chair sports like watching my husband suck in his gut every time a pretty bikini clad girl walked by. Carlos,our poolside cabana boy, kept the dirty bananas coming and conversation with the other guests was friendly and amicable.Dinner in the grape themed dining room was a real treat. The food was well prepared, well presented and delicious. The wait staff was attentive and memorized our first names that night. Juhanna and Harry, from Indonesia, took care of our every need.Afterwards, they had an on board liquor sale. We purchased a few bottles of Kahlua and Sheridan to bring back for his bosses. The Kahlua is for Dana and I when we go to Tampa. They also had a jewelry sale on cocktail rings and I picked up a few as gifts to bring home.The casino was spacious, well lit and the crap tables were hot. I headed there after staying even at roulette. Paul wanted to win at Caribbean stud again, so he mostly played there.Overall, it was a great first day and we settled in nicely, rocked to sleep by the motion of the ocean liner as we cruised to Puerto Rico.