Photo Bubbles

I just came across this fantastic site.  It's video's from above many areas of British Columbia.   The pictures are awesome!   Enjoy the show!

http://www.photobubbles.com/

Happy Saturday

What a wonderful female career story

Kate McCue went on her first cruise at age 12. Now she's in charge of a ship traveling between the Eastern U.S. and the Caribbean.

When she was 12, Kate McCue went on her first cruise with her family. She thought it looked like fun to work on the ship, maybe as an event planner. Then her father gave her some encouragement that changed her life.

"My dad said, 'You can do anything you want in the world, including drive the thing.' My goal since then was to become a captain," she says.

Twenty-five years later, McCue, 37, has realized her dream. In July, she became the first American female captain of a megaton cruise ship. She's now midway through her first voyage aboard Celebrity Summit, traveling between the Eastern U.S. and the Caribbean.

McCue reveals what it's like to drive a floating hotel, how her 12-week stints at sea help her marriage, and why the middle of the ocean with nothing around is her happy place.

I grew up in San Francisco, and I began my career as a cadet at California Maritime Academy. It's part of the Cal State University system. Business administration was my major. Our maritime training included things like celestial navigation, advanced firefighting classes, medical first aid, and hands-on practice maneuvering ships.

Every summer the cadets [what undergrads are called at CMA] go on a training cruise to get hands-on experience for going to sea. This enabled me to go to places like Easter Island, Robinson Crusoe Island, Palmyra [in the Northern Pacific], and all over the South Pacific. These are places that most people will not see in their lifetimes. I started to get that wanderlust passion going on.

I also did an internship with Chiquita on cargo ships. We were bringing bananas from Ecuador to Long Beach, California. My job was to stand watch on the bridge and assist with cargo operations — whether it was loading the bananas, killing those giant spiders that come out of the bananas, ensuring temperatures were maintained in the cargo hold, or unloading bananas. Working on the cargo ships really solidified my desire to work on cruise ships. Instead of killing spiders, you can eat at the best restaurants, see shows that are just as good as we have in Vegas [where McCue now lives when on land], and go on amazing shore excursions, like looking for bears in Alaska, riding a hot air balloon over Tuscany, or driving a Ferrari down the Amalfi Coast. Everyone on the crew has time to explore and enjoy every port. We're always on call, but no one works 24 hours a day.

Upon graduation in 2000, I earned my third mate license, which meant that I could sail anything from a tugboat to the world's largest super tanker. I also got a BA in business administration, which comes in really handy for a captain, who is theoretically the CEO of the ship.

I had visited Maui on one of the training ships [during college], and I just fell in love. When I first graduated, I packed up all my stuff and moved to Maui, staying with my cousins. We all worked on the same catamaran that took people out to the crater Molokini. We were the deck hands, lifeguards, surf instructors, bartenders, and just general boat people. After about six months of sleeping on the couch, I thought, I have to get a real job where I could move up.

I went back to San Francisco, then I ended up in L.A. getting a job at Maersk Sealand as a logistics assistant manager. It's a shipping company that would take containers off the ships, put them on trains or trucks, and send them out across the states. I did that for about a year and a half. I was itching to get back to sea. I applied to every cruise company I could find. It took about nine months, and in the end, I was just about to send in my résumé for a bartender on a ship because I was so desperate to get my foot in the door.

I finally got a job with Disney Cruise Lines as a third mate. Basically, you have first officers who stand eight-hour watches on the bridge. I was assisting the [first] officer on the watch. I was also helping them in their extra duties — firefighting, life saving, navigation, updating charts, and maintaining radio equipment.

I was actively looking for positions to move up. At the time, Disney only had two ships and promotions were very hard to come by. I worked with Disney for about a year and a half before a position opened up at Royal Caribbean in 2003. I started as second officer. It was similar to third officer, assisting the first officer with the watch. Then I was promoted to first officer, so I was standing my own watch on the bridge. Then I moved up to chief officer safety. I did all the training for the crew and was in charge of safety on board. Then I was promoted to staff captain, which is second-in-command and deputy to the captain.

I received my promotion to captain from Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, the first female president and CEO of Celebrity Cruises [which is part of Royal Caribbean], which is extra special. She wrote me an amazing letter, which I got to give to my dad on Father's Day. He started reading it out loud, word by word, and about halfway through, he got real quiet. He looked at me, then at the letter, then back at me. He said, "Captain?" Then the waterworks just, whoa. It was pretty awesome.

I've been telling people that this is what I wanted for so long. I never had that sense of being treated differently because I'm a woman. I was always supported by my [all-male] captains. They were always pushing me to my goal. I was floored by the media and the attention that [becoming the first American woman to become captain] brought on.

As captain, you're in charge of the deck, crew, the technical aspects of the ship, as well as the hotel. I'm also in charge of the safety of the crew and passengers. I oversee it all. I'm on the bridge for all arrivals and departures. I'm on call 24/7. Any time the bridge team needs support — whether there are additional ships in traffic or we're close to land, or the weather changes — they call me.

In the evenings, there are different functions I get to attend. There's a reception for repeat guests. I have a captain's reception I host for the ship, which they do before the shows and the theater. Usually I'm in bed at a pretty decent time. Then I'll get up and be on the bridge and maneuver into port. Once we're at port, there are meetings with the executive committee or inspections around the ship. Routine is not a part of the job. Every day, we're in a different place and conditions are never the same.

Ponderisms

Why do peanuts float in a regular coke and sink in a diet coke? Go ahead and try it.

I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

Can you cry under water?

How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?

Why do you have to "put your two cents in"... but it’s only a "penny for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going? (taxes)

Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?

What disease did cured ham actually have?

How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like every two hours?

If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?

Why are you IN a movie, but you’re ON TV?

Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to see you naked anyway. 

Why is “bra" singular and "panties" plural?

Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?

Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane?   I've often wonder if your pregnant you can use the car pool lane?

If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can’t he fix a hole in a boat?

If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

Why do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?

Why did you just try singing the two songs above?
Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

How did the man who made the first clock, know what time it was?

I'm off to buy some peanuts!   Linda

Twitter

Reading Twitter this morning, this gal read my mind:

hayley tamaddon

@hayleysoraya

·

6h

Years ago twitter was fun to read, full of funny stories and mostly positive ... These days a lot of what I read is full of sadness. Anger. Bullying. Trolling. Abuse. And negativity. It has to change. We can do better than this. Be kind. Be compassionate. Give love. Please. X

Trash Justin Trudeau, Donald Trump and Theresa May.....spread the hate. So tired of reading it. I am addicted to Social Media and need help!

Spring flowers have arrived!

Magnolia in our back yard. 
It's just started but if I don't get a quick picture, the wind will take away the blossoms.

These blossoms are gorgeous

We have a lot of heather in our complex.
It doesn't photograph well, but looks lovely.

Now we wait and see what plants the rabbits have left for us to enjoy.  I thought the rabbits were cute until I see the many plants they've eaten.  We have a coyote or two in the area and many rabbits have disappeared. 

Girls night out!

Last night, Laurie, invited Alix and I to join her at the Legends Show.  They were performing at the Bell Centre for the Performing Arts in Surrey.  We went out out for dinner to Big Ridge and then off to the show.  Girls night and it was great.  There was more white in the theatre than on Grouse Mountain!   It was a "mature" crowd and everyone sang along. 

LEGENDS SHOW

Legends Show brings you some of the world’s most exciting performers live on stage. Accompanied by Toronto’s “Rockin’ Royals Band”, this show featured the most incredible Tributes to Roy Orbison, Connie Francis, Motown, and Elvis Presley.

Roy Orbison

Performing as Roy Orbison, Jesse Aron, who hails from the State of Wisconsin, is recognized as one of USA’s top Roy Orbison Tribute performers. With his effortless voice and uncanny resemblance to Roy, [his portrayal to ‘The Big O’ left us mesmerized]. Jesse took us back in time with such hits as ‘Crying’, ‘Pretty Woman’, ‘Only The Lonely’, ‘Running Scared’, and many more favourites.

Connie Francis

Canada’s Tribute Queen Amberley Beatty, gave an incredible performance paying tribute to American Pop Singing Icon, Connie Francis. Idolized by millions of fans around the world, Francis was best known for her hits such as ’Where the Boys Are’, ‘Whose Sorry Now’, ‘You’re Cheatin’ Heart’, ‘Stupid Cupid’, Lipstick on Your Collar’.

They sang as a group and also sang wonderful solos.
They sang Aretha Franklin, Etta James and more!

The Tonettes: Cathy, Marlene and Amoy are blessed with power, sensitivity, and vocal energy. This sensational trio performed a variety of songs dedicated to the great 50s and 60s musical eras.

Pete did a wonderful impression of Elvis, complete with moves

Pete Paquette is a World-class Elvis Tribute Artist and is highly regarded as one of the top Elvis performers in the business today. Known for captivating his audiences through his incredible voice, high energy, charisma, and playful spontaneity with his audiences.

The show was professional and and performers were very good impersonators.  They received a well deserved standing ovation.

Laurie, Alix and I worked at Pacific Western Airlines.  Laurie and Alix were in the Credit Department and I worked in Treasury in the late 70's and 80's.  Alix left to start a family.  I left before they laid me off and Laurie commuted every week to Calgary.  We've remained friends throughout the years and now we are all retired we see more of each other than before.

Alix is my friend who did the Yukon River Quest, July 2, 2017!  She paddled 715 KM/444 Miles down the Yukon River and went back in 2018 to do it again.  Last December 7th, she became a grandmother for the first time.  Her new granddaughter Maya is absolutely gorgeous!  Maya was a big baby, 10 lbs. at birth!

All childen love to be read a story.
Way to go Grandma Alix!

Laurie's husband passed away suddenly a few months ago.  She read about a woman that purchased a six bedroom house and calls it "The Golden Girls".  Each bedroom will have it's own bathroom and the "girls" will buy in and be "part owner".  Laurie thinks this is an awesome idea and is planning to do the same!  Alix told her instead of The Golden Girls, call it PWA, Party While Alive!  I look forward to see if she can actually find some "takers".  Sounds like a great idea to me!

Laurie and Maya!
I love Maya's hair.  Laurie's looks good too!

There is no April fools joke in this post!