On March 5, 2010, we left on a 10 day cruise on the Jewel of the Seas to the Caribbean for a restful, relaxing vacation.



Our first stop was at Labadee, Haiti which is a private island owned by several cruise ships. Our ship brought several skids of supplies to earthquake ravaged Haiti though this island was not touched by the quake. The average Haitian earns about $500 per year. Haitians who work for the cruise lines as they arrive each day earn about $600 per month.

In Cartegena, Columbia we toured the fortress overlooking the city. We stopped at shops that served as prisons at the Inquistion and a museum. The day was hot - it was the first day in four months that the sun shone.

In Costa Rica, a little iguana posed as I took a picture of him. His mother was nearby watching over her young one.

This is a banana pod taken from a tree. Each of the yellow hair like extensions eventually becomes a banana. Each plant grows one bunch of bananas and then is cut down. Another plant grows out of the mother plant producing another bunch of bananas. For lunch we were served plantains which is considered to be a poor man's banana. They are always cooked as they do not taste good raw.

Panama City is a thriving metropolis with lots of construction. Donald Trump just built a 100 story building and sold all of the units before construction even started.

Our ship docked in Colon, Panama. We were bused about half way across the isthmus to a docking point where we were loaded onto a ferry that took us through three sets of locks allowing us to disembark in Panama City. We were surprised to learn that the canal goes in a north to south direction rather than east to west.

We were standing on our ferry while it travels down the Panama Canal.

This is a cashew plant. They grow on trees about the size of apple trees. The bottom part is soft, but not good to eat as is. It is used in some jellies.





We took a tour on gondola system over the canopy of the rainforest in Costa Rica. The views are breathtaking with many unusual plants. The day was beautiful. The area has rain 200 days per year.

Trees and plants fight to be the tallest as they reach for the sunlight that helps them grow. Many trees are up to 300 years old. When one falls, it destroys the vegetation around it, but within 5 years everything around it has grown up again.

There are many unusual trees and plants in the rainforest.

We were supposed to stop in Grand Cayman, however the weather was stormy so the ship bypassed the island. We did stop in Key West to make up for the lost day at Grand Cayman.

On February 21, we left to do some business in Kansas, Tennessee and Georgia for Mix-Head Repair. While in Georgia, we decided to head for Florida again spending a few days in Fort Myers. We also drove through the Everglades looking at some of the rare plants and animals found only in this area of the World.

At the Shark Valley State Park, we saw this alligator with her three babies.

Birds and alligators live peacefully together while visitors stroll along the path nearby.

The last three weeks of October, 2009, we served with CRWRC in Cedar Rapids, Iowa helping flood victims restore their homes after the 2008 summer floods from the Cedar River. Denny built several decks that were damaged in the flood while Judy helped restored a home for a local family. The team came from several Canadian provinces, Michigan, Iowa, Washington and Ohio.

In January 2010, we decided to take a trip south with friends, Jim and Magda Kos to the state of Florida. We found the area to be very cold and cloudy so we decided to head south from Florida. Through Priceline, we booked a cruise to Key West, Florida and Grand Cayman on the Celebrity Century. The weather improved nicely once we sailed further south.

Sunrises and sunsets were beauiful each day.

In Grand Cayman, we visited a turtle farm where Green and Hawksbill turtles are bred and raised. Many are sold for food and others are raised to be released back into the sea. Grand Cayman is known for the blue iguana, however, very few are left so one rarely sees this specimum.

We also took a ride on a glass bottom boat that allowed us to see the reef near the island along with shipwrecks and many beautiful fish. We stopped in Hell named for the unusual rock formations in that area. Then we went to the Rum factory where we sampled rum and the delicious rum cakes made at the factory.


While in Florida, we were had dinner on Anna Maria Island where we dined while the sun was setting. It was truly a beautiful vision of God's creation.