Author Archives: tbavendam

We are back in SF. waiting for our turn to disembark. Hopefully our pictures of Carol’s birth certificate and my passport will get us through customs. I will not truly feel “off duty” until I Carol drops me at airport tomorrow afternoon. I will hopefully have time in the morning to return some stuff toContinue reading “Looking a Golden Gate – waiting for our time to disembark”

Our last sea day. We only spent a few chilly hours at Encenada. Apparently cruise ships originating in the states have to stop somewhere outside of the states if their crew is going to be nonUS citizens – so that is the reason for the quick stop in Mexico. In general the crew are onContinue reading “Our bags need packed. I am ready to go…”

I used to be so embarrassed by this photo. Now I see it as a perfect snapshot in time. I would have been 9 and a half. I was desperate to get glasses when I was in third grade and I got them. I stopped wearing them in high school when I tired of glassesContinue reading “Easter 1965”

Freddie is the person who takes very good care of us in our cabin. With the electronic fobs, they can see if we are in our cabins or not so there is none of the annoying knocking from housekeeping trying to figure out if it is a good time to clean. Yesterday morning, Freddie knockedContinue reading “Another birthday surprise for Carol”

Grandma Iona and Grandpa Bill just after I was born in 1955 I asked Carol to talk about her father today. “He was a wonderful man. A good Christian. He planned ahead so he always had things he needed. He was also generous. A story she recalls is that Grandpa had was running out ofContinue reading “Grandpa Bill”

The answer is yes if you are on a cruise with mostly retirees and have me at your table. I do not every force it into a conversation but when there is a natural transition, I take it. People are very interested and often have questions that I am able to answer. it is fun.Continue reading “Is bladder health and menopause table talk?”

I have often thought about writing a book, a combination of a memoir and opinion about health care in general with emphasis on women. It would not be a regurgitation of the ever-changing evidence but rather putting anatomy, physiology and evidence in context. I truly have a love/hate relationship with evidence based practice of medicineContinue reading “Perhaps I am starting to write a book….”

A quiet sea day. Lovely temperature. A bit windy and of course a bit too much sun for me. Over the past few days I have been had 2 different health situations in members of extended family that I have been providing support from afar. Even as I pose the question, is good healthcare evenContinue reading “Is good healthcare even possible?”

We awoke anchored off the shore of Maui – a longer distance than Kona. We boarded the lifeboats to go to shore and then immediately on to the large boat for whale watching. I wasn’t sure what to expect but we did see a lot of whales – some up close; even a mother andContinue reading “Whales, postcards and laundry”

We had to be up and off the ship by 715 for the Pearl Harbor tour which was early. We did not get back until 1 PM and I was a bit “hangry” by this tie. We spent 3 hours a Pearl Harbor which was. a bit long for most of us and then hadContinue reading “A lovely day in Honolulu and beyond”