ANZAC day, travel blogs, and one week from TODAY!

One week from today we actually leave our house and start heading west. First to San Diego to see my aunt Margie and cousin Daniel, although I think of them more as friends than relatives. Then we’ll go on to Aptos (go find THAT on a map!) to visit Marian & Alex, old friends of ours from when we lived in San Mateo. Then to San Francisco to be tourists and visit my sister and brother, Victoria and Lance. I am the oldest and they are next to youngest of the 9 children my mother had.

I am starting to panic. Especially when I discovered I had misplaced my immunization record. I don’t think I’ll need it, but it’s nice to have documented that my yellow fever immunization is still current.

Randy did a practice pack of one large suitcase but I’m going to have to have him unpack it. I am not happy unless I know exactly what is in my suitcase. And I don’t. Of course we still have stuff to pack and even to get. I have put off until today ordering an international phone from Go-Sim, as suggested by some Cruise Critic members. What would I do without CC?

Naturally I still have a few clothes to purchase. And I’m getting my haircut by my daughter’s hairdresser. You know, it’s really boring getting ready for even the most exotic trip! But all this stuff (mostly) has to be done.

I’m getting the three tours I’ve organized, organized. I’m in the process of sending out emails to make sure everybody still wants to go on the Mumbai Tour, the Papeete tour, and the Le Havre tour.

Meanwhile, Randy and I are up at our cabin on Mt. Lemmon (yes, it has two “m”s, named for the first woman to climb it) getting it ready for our friends who have rented it for the summer. We’re packing up all OUR clothes so our friends will have space for THEIR clothes. And cleaning the place. THAT is an exercise in futility as the windows are so leaky that dust is a constant presence. I can dust in the morning and by lunchtime there is a fine layer of grit on everything. Grrrrrrrrrr.

There is still fun stuff to do, such as still thinking about organizing a few tours. We only have tours organized for about 15–20 of the cities we will be docking at. And what souvenirs we are interested in. We have so much STUFF in our lives that I don’t want to get much, but it’s such fun to look at the souvenirs we have brought home that we’ll surely get more than we are planning right now.

And finally, I so enjoy reading others’ blogs about their travels. Whether it is by RV in http://warnerrvnews.blogspot.com/ (by another Pam & Randy) or by ship in http://curtandcindyworld2012.blogspot.com/ (the HAL Amsterdam’s world cruise), or quite possibly one of my favorite blogs, http://torontotoranana.blogspot.com/, which is not really a travel blog, but as he says, “Articles and information from a Torontonian living in Ra'anana, Israel.” And my daughter would not forgive me if I didn’t mention her blog http://thehorseandhound.blogspot.com/ about her fun, frivolity, and travails of owning a horse. Hers isn’t a travel blog, either, but an eclectic mix of stuff happening in her, her husband’s, and her dogs’ and horse’s life.

Still haven’t gotten around to doing anything with my video of the airshow. Bummer.

Lastly, today (in the US) is ANZAC day, an extremely important day for Australians. We remember our men and women who served in the military on Memorial Day. They remember theirs on ANZAC day, April 25. Lest we forget.

As soon as we start traveling I will do my best to post at least every other day, if not daily. Hasta la vista, baby!