In a hot summer day/Carlos Pueblo

In a hot summer day/Carlos Pueblo

What do I do in a hot summer day in Houston, Texas? I must tell you that I always

hide inside the air conditioning house except a morning walk and a Saturday

morning tennis. Other than those outdoor activities, I have had plenty of Youtube

viewing and naps throughout of a day.

I walk and visit my pet dog friends in the morning and most of the time Amy is with

me except some days that she has engagement. Recently, a black color lab Samantha

joins my lists of favorite. She would answer my whistle and insists wait on me till I

come forward. She would like to join her walk which I must change my route routine.

She would sit and wait for me to say hallo to some other dogs inside the gate or come

to meet those others passing by. One day we met 4 red hawks down to an intersection

on Stoneford street. Two smaller birds were playing with a small squirrel up and down

while two bigger birds, obviously their parents were standing on two roof tops. Sam’s

lady owner told me they were at a hunt training. I find that friendship between pet dogs

friends in the neighbor and myself is very enjoyable.

I have been invited to play tennis at a neighbor’s club and their Captain would send me

the e-mail on Sunday for the coming Saturday. Since our own Captain moved to a

retirement facility and the Hurricane Harvey, we can barely maintain our Tuesday night

tennis. I need to have two days of tennis in a week to fill my needs of exercises. I must

constantly monitor my physical condition to see if I still can play tennis. I know the need

to exercises and also am aware of plenty rest afterward.

My tennis body Roger tells me that the invention of the air conditioning makes Houston

to become a big city and I notice that is also true to the American South. People can be

more tolerate to the heatwave of long summer. It makes Houston more comfortable in

the hot summer.

溽暑清晨/莊峻華

溽暑清晨/莊峻華

休士頓夏天真熱，週前網球局，朋友曰因為發明冷氣，始有休市

之成長，從一油井小鎮，成為美國第四大城市，夏日仍是炙熱無

比，只不過我已退休，一整日活動，僅於溽暑清晨，散步於社區

，幾乎是僅有活動，還有兩早晚網球局，其餘則是躲在室內，受

室內冷氣保護。

我有許多愛犬知己，社區鄰居，大多蓄養愛犬，也是早晚散步，

忙碌主人，偶令愛犬室外活動，愛犬亦喜交遊，常在車道鐵柵內

，觀看路人，我常心有旁思，抑或與愛美論事，忘記問後，柵內

愛犬，必也吠叫提醒，我有多隻愛犬知己，可以識別我之口哨，

老遠就停步等候，有的是加速前進，主人立悉熟人，最近認識一

愛犬曰，索曼莎，與我有緣，堅持隨行與我，於是我就更改散步

方向，經過柵內愛犬區，她就靜坐草皮，觀看我與他犬打招乎，

女主人也十分好奇，有時候遇見其他愛犬路過，她甚至露出嫉妒

吠叫，令人噴笑，我覺得這是老年生活之享受，每日清晨，我都

可以遇見十隻愛犬知己。

兩週前，我與索曼莎行走，路過一小街口，其女主人停下，觀看

一隻雕鷹與小松鼠嬉玩，樹上有另外三隻雕鷹，她認為是幼雕在

訓練狩獵，我們觀看些時，一直到四雕散去，有車過鄰居告知，

高樹頂有鳥巢，我一直未曾發現，後來我路過該交叉口，一直等

候再見，這四隻美麗之雕鷹，我不見明顯之鷹嘴，但是雕鷹無異

，今晨我又在同處發現兩隻，正與幾隻小松鼠戲玩，我不相信他

們在獵取食物，我在舊社區，看過小雕抓小班鳩當食物。

另外一溽暑清晨活動，則是週六網球局，去年開始，我已開始在

衛斯切斯特俱樂部打網球，週二夜，則在老俱樂部，網球運動已

經稍微吃力，但我希望能繼續活動，保持心臟活力。

Visiting three Universities in Birmingham, England/Carlos Pueblo

Visiting three Universities in Birmingham, England/Carlos Pueblo

One morning I was marching along the city canal and found a nice bank with

pretty garden and buildings. It is the campus of Ashton University, a complete

university with all kinds of colleges including the engineering, medical school,

and law school, etc. Upon entering the campus, I saw a sign of Birmingham

City University on the other end and a conservatory, Mathew Boulton Campus

of the Birmingham Metropolitan College. If I may, I can categorize the City

University is popular, Aston is selective, University of Birmingham is prestige,

while Mathew Boulton is specialized. I visited the UB last year and was very

impressed. The campus is outside of Birmingham city limit.

I have always admired the university in my life. Almost all nations pay attention

to their high education and the university produces leaders of their society. Almost

every place where I visit, I always put an effort to visit the university campus. I

have very much regret that I have not utilized my opportunity to study while at

school. Ashton campus is not as large as UB; however, it is very pretty and organized.

The medical school is not as big as I imagine; however, there is a brain center and

Dental school and pharmacy school, etc. The engineering academy is right by the canal.

After visiting the new student center, I walked toward the BCU. Last year, I met a

pretty Chinese young lady, Yang Ming of Cheng Chou city, Henan, on a train from

Oxford to Birmingham. I believed that she returned to BCU for graduation commencement

of her M.S. degree. I adopted her as my daughter. There are some Chinese students

studying at that campus.

A reception lady at Ashton student center introduced me about these three universities;

therefore, I had some ideas of the Ashton Triangle. It is on a higher ground and I can

see Birmingham downtown. I walked back to the canal through an old ruined area with

some brick buildings which the city intended to re-innovated. After just one exit, I got on

to streets of old quarter of the city to the New Street Interchange. The old quarter is like

some of the old town Houston with many Eastern European eateries.

Of course, I dropped by the Bull Ring Market for my supply.

參觀英國伯明罕市內三大學/莊峻華

參觀英國伯明罕市內三大學/莊峻華

一日行軍伯明罕市區運河，經過一環境幽雅河岸，有幾棟新潁建築

，原來是一座美麗之大學校園，阿許頓大學，因陰雨綿綿，打開折

傘，發現已折損，於是我入學生中心詢問，此大學校舍緊鄰，但也

有許多綠地校園，有工學院，有醫學院，有法學院等，十分規模，

旁鄰伯明罕市立大學，也甚具規模，另外有人介紹一音樂學院，伯

明罕市區學院，專門栽培音樂專才，這已接近鬧區，整個三校園，

都在伯明罕市之阿許頓三角洲區。

在一美麗校舍間花園旁，有一新學生中心，我和中心招待女士，談

起此校，這是公立大學，非常完整之好大學，她說城外之伯明罕大

學，則是全球排名，我喜歡參觀大學，也非常羨慕好大學，也甚心

儀好科系，畢業後找到好工作，去年我曾專程搭火車，參觀伯大，

確是雄偉壯觀，當地人甚引以為傲。

去年旅行英國，在火車上遇見中國河南愛女楊茗，她剛從鄭州回伯

明罕市大，領取碩士學位，此大學與阿許頓比鄰，我特別逛到該校

，也甚具規模，此校有些中國學生，課後就在校園內聚集，我從校

園按路標，走回運河，經過一兩棟古屋廢墟，大約正待改裝。這邁

瑟伯敦學院，就在市大另端，是一音樂學院，歐洲和美國，有此專

門栽培音樂專才學校。

進入運河，準備回新街火車站，然後到公牛圈市場購物，出運河後

，仍需走上一段街路，都是古老市區，顯然是有兩百餘年歷史，市

面餐廳，許多東歐口味。

Visiting Mazatlan, Mexico/Carlos Pueblo

Visiting Mazatlan, Mexico/Carlos Pueblo

Another two nights and one day sail from Acapulco, Mexico to Mazatlan,

Mexico on the Pacific Coast. We passed another famous resort city of

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, a city which was selected as one of my tennis

body as his retirement home. Another nice memory was that I did have

an opportunity to visit that city in 1981 as a guest of my late district manager

for a life sale promotion and fell to go due to a limit from Mexican Authority

of my Taiwan Passport and other reason. These three cities are very popular

in the U.S. and as a matter of fact that there are good size of American

Immigrant retirees communities. After the disembark, I marched to a residential

area near the port, the Old Mazatlan, and back to the other direct toward the

coast business area.

The city is very nice and lovely like our Houston Hispanic Area Heights and Montrose

and better than the Ship Channel Area. Single dwelling houses are located on a

very organized square subdivision. Some of the luxury dwelling with concrete wall

as a fence with broken bottle on the top to prevent vandalism that is very similar

to the old Taiwan scenery. The local provides English speaking guide on the street

corner to help to direct the tourists. I walked toward the old downtown quarter

passing through a Catholic Church and blooming mango trees along the way. Many

passengers selected the same interest to tour the old town to see a festival like

activity, artists show on the street and the music and dancers performing on the

Square, of course, there were many shopping stands outside the regular stores.

I marched towards opposite direction toward another part of the bay. I was released

when I found a portable toilet. some seafood restaurants were open for business

one with life band inside. There was a small restaurant with a staff to clean the oyster

for the menu and I watched the process. It was for raw eating oyster and I shied away

due to the cost. I saw a second one closed the port and walked away as well. I was

very impressed the street and subdivision kept very neat even with roaming chicken

sometimes disturbed by the community dogs.

I was asked by my daughters on board about my venture outside when I returned.

I thought that they were available to go outside for a visit yet there was a limit for

the staff that only one third of them were allowed. One third on duty and another

one third on call in case. Actually, it is more comfortable in the ship than outside

according to my routine.  

船靠墨西哥瑪莎特蘭港/莊峻華

船靠墨西哥瑪莎特蘭港/莊峻華

瑪莎特蘭市，也在太平洋海岸，從阿卡波可港，一日兩夜航程，郵輪

經過另一箸名城市，巴拉塔港，三港都是觀光城市，有些退休美國人

，在此群居，連碼頭附近社區街頭，都有熱心美國人，提供問路服務

，我一下船，就為碼頭附近住宅區迷住，墨國美麗城市，就像我們德

州城市老社區一般，住區格式特別，有水泥圍牆，牆上砌有破碎玻璃

防盜，這又和古台灣鄉下富宅相似，較普通民宅，小街上有許多雞群

遊蕩，偶有街犬到來騷擾，引得雞飛狗跳。庭院上之芒果株，尚有開

花者，也有青實累累，顯然地居北端，尚未溽暑之故也。

我隨著步行乘客，走向老街中心，老街有一廣場，四周圍都是商店和

餐廳，類似西歐城市氣氛，有青年創藝活動，也有樂團演唱跳舞，很

是熱鬧，我繼續逛街，不知不覺又逛回原街，走向另一方向，我甚有

把握可以回到郵輪碼頭，十餘年西語自修，發揮功用，問到一活動廁

所，我就更無壓力逛街，我很仔細觀察兩海鮮餐廳之牡蠣菜單，因門

口有人在手工處理去殼，菜單上是食生蠔，而且也不便宜，剛好午餐

尚未開張，於是我就打道回船。

瑪莎特蘭也有美麗海灘，但需參加陸地團，我不是十分熱衷，而且也

不願花錢，我寧可省下此費用，留得下次旅行資本。

每次靠港日，船上愛女喜問下船否？都去何處？於是我介紹我之逛街

原理，多少年養成之習慣，滿足我之好奇心，旅行真令我增廣見聞，

很多事都想開矣。

Passing through the Georgia Straight, Canada/Carlos Pueblo

Passing through the Georgia Straight, Canada/Carlos Pueblo

The Jewel daily schedule pointed out Seymour Narrows, British Columbia

on the second day for its scenery. There is a 5 kilometers Discovery Passage

in British Columbia called  Seymour Narrows known for strong tidal current,

about 15 knots and about 750 meters wide. The Alaska cruise route is sailing

between the Vancouver Island and the Pacific Ranch of the Continent and I call

it the inland sea, south from Seattle or Olympia and north to the Alaska border.

I was not aware of the significance until after 5 Alaska Cruises. This journey

reminds me very much of my riding experience of trains yet it is much more

comfortable with exceptional beauty of the scene.

I stand on many location of the ship, at the rear of the Garden Café and the

observation ground on the top 13^th deck. I can sit on the atrium side or inside

the vacant big restaurant to view the passing through mountains on both sides.

It is better than Japanese Shinkansen and of course much better than any of my

previous transportation train experience. It was in early spring and there were

snow cap on some of the taller mountains in the area.

It was very nice to see some of my adopted daughters on board again in Jewel

while the cruise line transferred them from Dawn. I quickly asked my four dining

companions for the 2 weeks. Because of my platinum plus status, I can invite a

guest for my dinner free of charge under a certain amount. This time I invite

Jenny, Mary Ann, Gingle, and Stephanie who are all from the Dawn. In addition to

these four free dinners at paid restaurants, I also have two dine with officer dinners

at a restaurant with free of wine. This time, I have Alvina, the atrium guest service

manager and also my high ranking adopted daughter as our company. We also join

by our fellow platinum plus passengers on the table. Another two drinking parties

are for the repeated customers with silver and above.

There was a story of lost luggage on board to my old friends from Colorado. During

a transfer plane somewhere, their luggage were lost. The Jewel loaned them some

cloths and assigned Jenny to help them to recover the luggage. Michael received an

old mechanic uniform and Rebecca had some civilian cloths and of course, some of

the daily use items from the Trade Wind  Store. It was an error from the airline and

was nothing to do with the Jewel; however, the cruise did extend their service to

the customers on their best. Finally, the luggage were recovered at Juneau, the State

Capital on the 4^th day.