Mount Washington Cog Railway Photo Contest

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A couple of updates  to start: The first is that I didn’t hear from the bank today. I was told they would call me to pick up my new card and set up my password. Maybe it didn’t come yet. Or…maybe they forgot to call. I think I’ll drop in on the way to work in the morning.

The second update is the dinner. As always my friends Diane and Joe served up a wonderful meal along with great conversation. Diane was the chef of the day and since its soooo hot we had chicken salad… very excellent chicken salad but the crowning glory was her desert. It was a lemon pie that was like a chiffon with whipped cream. It was so smooth and light. As I said in the beginning, a wonderful meal but it’s really the company I enjoy. Diane and Joe are both warm friendly people with lots of interesting things to talk about. Last night topics ranged from consignment shops and thrift stores to gyms, spas and workouts, to blogs and vacations and travel.  The evening just flew by.

I was even honored with a visit from Maxine, their very pretty cat with lovely green eyes. I wish I had a photo of her but Max is a bit photo shy and only approached me when the camera was out of reach. Still I’m just honored that she was willing to come out to “say hello” as she usually hides or sleeps most of the time when I am there. Maybe she’s mellowing as she ages.

Now to the main point of the blog. This morning I had a few minutes before work so I was checking prices on the places I want to go in New Hampshire. The Mount Washington Cog Railway is definitely high on my list.

The Price of an adult ticket is $62.00 (gulp!) but of all the places I’m planning to visit, that is the most expensive so I guess that’s not too bad. I’ve certainly spent more on tours and trips but I guess I think it’s expensive because it’s close to home. I don’t think twice about something like that when I travel like we did to Sedona

 or South Dakota.

But as I was reviewing the web pages I spotted another Photo Contest.  At the end of the Season, a winning photo will be chosen and the photographer will receive a ride for two passengers in the cab of one of our new eco-friendly, biodiesel locomotives next year! Now that’s interesting and unlike a far away prize, I live close enough to be able to use it! So it looks like I have 2 photo contests to try now.

And lastly my travails with computers and money continue. Today as I went in to enter my time worked so I can have a paycheck waiting for me after vacation, the computer system locked me out. That was at 10:30 in the morning. When I left work at 9 pm  HR, payroll and IT were still working on it and I was still locked out. I have 1 more day of work before vacation so here’s hoping they get the problem resolved. At this point I can only shake my head and laugh. I have never in all my life, with all my ups and downs financially,  had so many little annoyances in such a short time in the money department. It feels like an obstacle course. As long as these money issues  stay small like this I can handle it!

Well, time to wrap up this post. Can’t wait to get back to the travel stuff! As you may have guessed , this is just “filler” til I have a chance to get “more places to go and things to see.” Thanks for hanging in with me during this interlude.

Cat Trees and other headaches

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The bank gave me my wake-up call. It seems that someone tried to put through a charge of  $85.00. It was a company that is marked on the bank’s security rolls as a fraudulent company. These people had tried to put through the charge 8 times and so far the bank had blocked it.

The security officer said that sooner or later it would slip through. Since I had never heard of the company and hadn’t ordered anything for $80 anywhere recently, they will have to cancel my card.

Why do things like this aways happen right before vacation?

Well the bank officer had a solution. She said she would Fedex my new card to my local branch and I could pick it up there. She said it should be there Wednesday.

So the bottom line is that it does not appear that I was “targeted” nor is there any relation to my blog. It’s all just a big coincidence.

I expect the bulk of my day will be taken up with more errands and housework although I have one project that I’ve been delaying that I want to to complete. The restoration of the CAT TREE.

Cat trees used to be fairly inexpensive but not anymore. A small one is easily in the $100-$200 range and can go up from there. My cats have a pretty good-sized cat tree that I got a few years ago for $45.00. The problem is that it’s been shredded to pieces. In many places it’s been scratched right down to the frame.

I have spent a couple of months looking for a replacement both in stores and online but anything in the $50.00 range is either way to fragile for my scratching fiend or very small.

 My solution is that I’m going to try to restore the cat tree. In theory it shouldn’t be a big job. In actuality I’ve found excuse after excuse to  avoid tackling the project but I think I  have everything  here just waiting so the time has come.

Well I just spent an hour trying to wrap the scratching post in sisal rope. I managed to get 1 post done..a small post. The staple gun won’t go through to the wood so I ended up strategically placing screws. I don’t want to use too many screws as that might hurt the cat. So I think I’ll wait and see if they use it and if so, will my amateur efforts hold up to kitty abuse.

I really don’t have time to spend another hour right now so that will have to do for starters. I need to run down to a local insurance agent to get an insurance stamp for the DMV so I can renew my auto registration. Of course the agency is charging a $15.00 administrative fee for the 2 minutes it will take to stamp the registration form. No such thing as Professional Courtesy anymore. It doesn’t matter that I am insured with a company they represent. I didn’t buy the policy through them so that gives them the right to charge a fee for doing nothing. Makes me think of that Southwest Airlines commercial where the SW employees are  jurors and another airline is “on trial” for charging administrative fees to change a ticket.  Oh well, I guess that’s the world we live in today. I’m becoming very cynical. It just seems that everything you do today has “hidden fees”. We’re being nickel and  dimed to death.

It probably wouldn’t bother me except that I’m trying to hang onto my funds so I can have a little extra cash for vacation and it feels like everything is conspiring against that goal. It also bothered me because the other agency that I have used in the past wouldn’t take a fee even when I offered. I didn’t go there because this new one was much closer. Next time I may go back to driving to RI for my insurance stamp.

Well that about wraps up the day. Heading off to visit some friends for dinner. Until tomorrow, have a good day!

The Banks are at it again

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Busy day  running around with last-minute things that have to be done before I leave on vacation.

I started the day by stopping at the bank. I took out cash for the week and went to a teller to change  $20.00 for quarters for laundry. Then I headed over to Mastria Auto Dealers..GM, Buick Suzuki…you name it and Mastria probably sells it. They took over the Saturn Dealership when the auto industry was reorganized.

Last spring I got an email offering me free maintenance for 1 year. Basically 4 oil changes and tire rotation etc. At first I thought it was a scam. Nobody gives anybody something for nothing but I called and they honored the offer. That was right before the Sedona trip. I wanted to be sure the car was all set for the drive to meet my sister in New York.

It was time for another oil change so I called again and they got me right in.

I started out in the waiting room but they had the AC cranking to the point that I was freezing so I went outside to a bench they had by the door. It may have been warm but there was a nice breeze. As I was sitting there I was joined by a very pleasant man with a lilting accent. As we talked I tried to pin point where he was from by his accent..not Haitian, not Jamaican not Dominican…I was stumped. Finally the gentleman took pity on me. He was from Ecuador. He was an electrical engineer in his home country and that had given him the opportunity to travel all over. He’s been to China many times and said he loved it there. He also liked India. He says the people are very friendly. We laughed about the vagaries of language.

He learned English in school as a child but day-to-day use is much different than you learn in school. For example one day he was looking for the “Elevator”. He didn’t know what it was. He said he asked someone and they pointed it out to him. He laughed and said he knew it as a “Lift”. If he’s been in England he’d have been all set!

About then they brought my car around and it was time to move on to my next errand which was  at Ritz Camera in Hingham (37 miles away). I needed  to pick up some filters for the camera and some odds and ends I wanted for vacation. So far I had paid cash everywhere.

After I left Hingham I went to BJ’S Wholesale Club for cat food and kitty litter. I have to be sure that all is well stocked for my pet sitter while I’m away. This is the first time I used my debit card other than when I took out cash this morning.

I returned home and unloaded the car then ran back over to the grocery store to pick up some mushrooms, broccoli and chicken tenders for a stir fry for dinner. When I tried to use my debit card there, it was declined! I tried it twice..same thing. I handed over the cash and headed home. It was too late to do anything now as it was after 4pm.

Once in the house I logged onto my account. I had money in there. It showed my withdrawal  from the morning. The BJ’s charge hadn’t been posted but the amount had been “held”. I haven’t used that card anyplace I haven’t used it before.

As I puzzled over it I pulled my cell phone out. It had shut itself off..again. One of these days I really have to get a new phone. I  turned it back on and there was a message from the bank. They had suspended my card as they did not believe I had possession of it. They were”protecting” me from fraudulent usage and would I call them at my first opportunity.

Of course they weren’t there at 4pm either.

My friends at work are either pulling my leg or maybe they believe it, but they say I am a marked woman now. They are blaming these problems on my previous posting where I ranted about inflation and banks. I’m sure you remember the one. It was titled Really Federal Reserve, Really? They can’t wait to see if I get a hassle next time I fly. They are convinced this is all “government retaliations”. They are calling me a Terrorist! After all, they track terrorists by following the money. I guess that’ll teach me to keep my opinions to myself. What is that about freedom of speech?

I’m laughing now but we’ll see what the bank says tomorrow.

In the meantime I’m doing my laundry and spending a quiet night with my kitty cats!

Scout’s Tips forThe Perfect Cruise

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Scout

Dusty has friends that cruise. They really , really love it. Then she  has friends that would not be caught dead on a cruise ship. Dusty took a cruise… once, for 4 days.  I bet if she had a choice she probably would not make it her  first choice as a vacation destination. Some exceptions do apply.

For example, Alaska. I know Dusty thinks that Alaska  is made for a cruise what  with the Inside Passage and glaciers and all. So many of the sights are on the water or along the coast. Mix it up with a shore excursion or two and you’ll probably cover  a lot of the highlights. If she didn’t think it would be a good value or worthwhile she wouldn’t be trying to put together a cruise trip there for next year’s vacation with her sister.

But we’re learning a lot about cruises as Dusty works on this so I thought I’d share some of what we’ve found out so far.

1.  The destination is important but don’t forget to consider the cruise line and even the particular ship. There is a big difference in atmosphere and facilities. Some lines  are known as party boats while others are geared toward families and children, still others  have seniors or singles  in mind and gear their activities accordingly. Some cruise lines have different ships within the same cruise line  designated for  the various demographics.

2. The best way to get a good deal on a cruise is to either book early or book last-minute. The early bookers get about the same  sale prices as the late “sale” bookers but they have more choices and options. Booking early avoids the chance of being disappointed by having the cruise of your choice sold out. . “Early” usually means three to six months before the cruise; the savings generally are 25 to 50 percent off the published brochure price per person.

3. Take care of business. Tape a to – do list to the fridge or someplace else that’s visible so you don’t forget to stop mail delivery or to pack your favorite shampoo. Make sure arrangements have been made for your pets whether they are staying at home or heading to a kennel. Shop for film,( does anyone still use film in this age of digital cameras?), travel size toiletries, sunscreen etc. They will be available  on the ship but will be more expensive.

4. Pack light, pack right. Be prepared for the off-chance your luggage will get misplaced. Even if your bag isn’t lost, it often takes hours before it gets to your cabin. So pack for survival: Put a little of everything you’ll want and need in  a carry-on bag. This includes undies, shirts, socks, a bathing suit , any medications and  something to wear to dinner. As added protection, buy travel insurance that covers you for lost, stolen, damaged or delayed luggage. As this is an expensive trip travel insurance should cover you if for some reason you have to cancel at the last-minute. After all, life happens!

5.  Explore the shore excursions and book as early as possible. Some cruises let you book the shore trips before boarding but many others do it after you board the ship. These excursions go fast so do not delay if there’s one you really want.

6. Then there’s that old nemesis, tipping… How much and to whom? Some cruises allow you to pre pay your tips but then if the service is bad, you’d be out of luck. If you choose to cover the tips on your own most cruise lines supply you with tip guidelines. It runs about $3.50 per day/per person  for the waiters and the cabin steward and $2.00 per day/per person  for the bus boy. Tipping the maitre’d is optional.

7. Last but not least on the learning curve..dining! It used to be that you”dressed for dinner” and had assigned seating in the dining room. Usually there were 2 dinner seatings. More and more cruises are beginning to use “open seating”. You can change tables or even your seating time. There’s also more options for restaurants outside of the main dining room. Check out your options carefully before you book so there are no pricey financial surprises. Also find out the dress code. Many are going casual or having only 1 formal “captain’s dinner”.

So that about wraps it up so far. I know Dusty’s head has been spinning. I think she is finding getting this cruise info together is much more involved than just heading off on vacation. Her friend Julie would disagree but that’s why everyone is different.

Well, she still hasn’t booked the cruise yet so I’m sure there will be more updates to come. Any cruisers out there that can offer advice? Let us know.

A bit of this and a bit of that

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More Great White sightings off Chathem, Ma on Cape Cod. Seems like there’s a new report of sightings every day. The most recent was 150 yards off Monemoy Island. That’s about 1 1/2 foot ball fields. I so want to see one!

The Barnstable Fair is this weekend. Traffic is going to be at a stand still on the Cape. I won’t go looking for Great Whites this week!

A friend of mine just got back from vacation and immediately was out sick for a week. I spoke to him today and asked if he was feeling better. He said yes, thankfully. He had food poisoning from eating lobster! I said where did you get the bad lobster so I don’t go there, of course  I was thinking it was local. His answer was not to worry because he was in New Hampshire. Oh Oh…I’m going to New Hampshire so I told him I was heading to Waterville Valley. His response was “WATERVILLE VALLEY! THAT’S WHERE I WAS!”

Well, he couldn’t remember the name of the restaurant but he gave me detailed directions to the restaurant not so I could find it but so I could avoid it and said do not eat the lobster there.

My co-worker Nick who went to Ireland has gone off on a Mediterranean cruise to Greece so I still haven’t hooked up with him to get his Ireland story for you.

I’m having dinner at Diane’s house on Tuesday. Diane told me about her trip to Mexico and let me share it with you. Maybe I can get her to tell me some more stories!

I tell everyone that I’m not interested in international travel but it did occur to me that there are certain areas that I would love to see.

Australia

Galapagos

Costa Rica

The Amazon

Alaska is domestic and I’m still working on that trip. Goal…2012 late August or early Sept.

I  miss my kitties when I travel. I don’t think they miss me. They like their pet sitter a lot.

So how scary was that? A glimpse into the way my mind works. As you can see my little brain jumps all over the place. Hopefully something with a bit more substance will pop into it before Monday rolls around. Maybe I should let “Scout” or “Rocky” do that post.

Have a good weekend everyone! 🙂