Cruise- Day 3 (Havana, Cuba)! Part 1

Our third day we arrived in Havana, Cuba! This was the main reason my parents wanted to go on this particular cruise... a way to visit Cuba! 

Our first glimpse of Cuba!

And we've docked in Havana!

Plaza de San Francisco across the street from where we were docked.

Our parents did a bus tour in Havana while Heather and I went on a photography tour. Heather is an amateur photographer and found a photography tour for us to take while in Cuba. We didn't visit the touristy parts of Havana but went to the real Havana! It was an amazing experience!

We took a taxi ride to our first stop and got to ride in one of the old timey cars. :)

Our tour guides were Alfredo and Alonso and they were amazing!

I have to say that I did not have the nicest camera with me, so it was hard to get action shots. But I like the way some of the pictures turned out. Heather had a nicer camera and the tour was more for her.

Even without a nice camera, I still loved the tour! Our first stop was the Malpaso Dance Company rehearsal. This was such a unique and interesting experience. At first it was a little awkward taking pictures of them but the photographers told us not to be shy and that they were used to being photographed so just take pictures.

Most of these are candid shots.

There was no air conditioning in this building and it was hot and humid. They had the windows open and fans blowing but when you're moving like these dancers were, you're going to sweat a lot.

Heather and I were hot and we were just taking pictures.

There was a point during the rehearsal where they were dancing with the music and without stopping. I was mesmerized by their dancing and I just stood there and cried. Seriously. It was just so beautiful! (I didn't take any pictures during that time).

The flexibility of these dancers was impressive!

Watching this dance company rehearse was a beautiful and unique experience!

After we finished taking pictures at the dance company, we walked around a nearby neighborhood and saw the real Havana.

It was a common thing to see people with carts like this selling things.

This band was playing in a covered outdoor restaurant. The man playing the bass saw that I was taking a picture and he smiled for the camera. He was cute. :)

As part of the tour, our tour guides took us to an authentic Cuban restaurant. I don't remember what the restaurant was called but the food was delicious and the building was air conditioned. :) Heather got a dish called ropa vieja and she said it was delicious!

I got pollo princesa and it was really good!

Since I took so many pictures in Havana, I divided the day into two posts...

Cruise- Day 1 and Day 2 (And we're off... to Key West, Florida)!

I went on a cruise with my mom, dad, and sister, Heather! This was my first time on a cruise and it was a fun experience!

We embarked on our journey from Miami!

On the ship!

On the sixth level of the ship, walking 3-1/2 times around was a mile.

We arrived early in the morning of the second day to Key West.

We rented a golf cart to get around.

Our first stop was the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory. I really loved this place! A whole greenhouse of beautiful butterflies, birds, and plants. It's hard to convey in pictures how cool this place was.

Our second stop was Ernest Hemingway's house. Before our tour, the only thing I knew about Ernest Hemingway was that he was an author. I learned a lot about him during the tour.

Hemingway was a drunkard and a ladies man. He had nine confirmed concussions in his life most of them happening while he was drunk. He was married four times.

Hemingway was known for having many cats but not just any cats but polydactyl cats all named after famous people. There are still many descendants of his original cats roaming around the property. It was fun to see them walking around!

Can you tell what the water bowl is?

One day Hemingway came home with a urinal (I think while he was drunk). His wife didn't know what to do with it at first, so she cleaned it up, covered it with tile and made it a drinking bowl for the cats.

Hemingway was an amateur boxer and had a boxing ring put into his back yard. 

After learning that her husband was having an affair and while Hemingway was traveling, his second wife spent $20,000 to turn the boxing ring into a swimming pool just to spite him. As you can imagine Hemingway was not happy about that. 

It's a beautiful pool though! ;)

Where Hemingway did some of his writing!

The front of Hemingway's house!

I thought the name of this restaurant was funny. :)

I love these trees!

After Hemingway's house, Heather and I dropped Mom and Dad off at the ship and drove around a bit more. We found the West Martello Tower, Joe Allen Garden Center. We didn't have much time here but it was a pretty place.

The garden center was our last stop before having to get back on the ship.

It was hot and humid this day (and the whole trip) but I really liked Key West and had a lovely time there!

Names!

Some great twin names and some funny names I've seen at work. :)

These are names of twins I've seen on U.S. census records between 1850 and 1940 at work:

Ila and Lila                                     Louisa and Louisiana

Evelyn and Edelyn                         Cleo and Leo

Letta and Letha                              George and Georgia

Vera and Sarah                               Pearl and Earl

Dessie and Essie                            Dela and Nela

Ronald and Donald                        Flora and Lora

Leo and Leola                                Gerald and Harold

Lillian and William                       Thelma Mae and Velma Fay

Louis and Louise                           Edwin and Elwin

Bernadine and Geraldine               Olive and Oliver

Bessie and Jessie                           Mary and Harry

Lawrence and Florence                 Beulah and Eulah

Hannah and Anna                          Eddie and Freddy

Alpha and Alva

James K Polk and George M Dallas (the President and Vice President of the U.S. the year these twins were born).                                              

Some funny names I've seen on U.S. census records. These are real first and last names. :)

Robber Young                                 Major Gross

Quash Bear                                     Green Brown

Cheesman Hughes                          Noah Ark

Israel Deverse                                 Moses Temple

Hannibal Warfield                          Green C Woods

Manly Crumbaker                          John DerBaptist

Happy Butler                                  Hilarious Shoeman

Christian Bible                               Pompey Butt

Dorcas Dippie                                 Temple Cutter

Large Ovens                                    Taffy Bird

Unezine Peelot                               Sipp Toodle

Wilburforce Toothacre                   Orange Lemon

Olive Branch                                   Ina Booth

Major Minor                                    Rosetta Stone Rose

Moses Prophet                                 Major Polite

Knott Ritten

Violet Flowers, Ferne Flowers, and Holly Flowers are siblings.

I love books!

I love to read! I don't read as often as I'd like to though. At the beginning of this year, I decided to make a goal of reading 30 books I've never read before between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018. I know to some that may not be a lot, but that is a stretch for me. I haven't reached my goal yet, but I think I will. :)

As of today (August 6) the books I've read so far this year are:

1. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
2. Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox
3. Dodger by Terry Pratchett
4. The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood
5. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
6. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
7. The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman
8. His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
9. Confessions of an Imaginary Friend by Michelle Cuevas
10. My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand
11. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
12. The Humans by Matt Haig
13. Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
14. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
15. The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
16. Fairest by Marissa Meyer
17. Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
18. Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier
19. Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier
20. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
21. The Paper Magician by Charlie N Holmberg (updated August 11)
22. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (updated August 22)
23. The Princess Bride by William Goldman (updated September 2)
24. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
25. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
26. Cress by Marissa Meyer
27. Winter by Marissa Meyer
28. Jackaby by William Ritter
29. Beastly Bones by William Ritter
30. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
31. The Selection by Kiera Class
32. The Elite by Kiera Class
33. The One by Kiera Class
34. Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter
35. The Dire King by William Ritter
36. Educated by Tara Westover

Do you have any book recommendations?

This is my final list of books that I read in 2018. I made my goal!

Randomness!

In June, I went to California to visit my sister, Kristina and her family. I got to meet these two cutie pies while I was there! Aren't they adorable?!

While I was in California, I went on a hike to the beach with my sister and one of her friends and it was awesome! It was an eight mile hike. I was tired and sore afterwards, but it was worth it. :)

 Part of the trail of the hike!

 We made it to the beach!

I love this picture of me and this cutie pie!

I'm thankful for the time I had to spend with Kristina and her family in California.

I like going on walks! I found this nicely landscaped median on a walk near my house.

One Sunday, I really needed to go on a long walk with a change of scenery. So I convinced my younger brother, Tim, to go to Lake Accotink with me and walk the trail around the lake.

It was hot outside, but I still enjoyed the walk and it helped me feel better!

One Saturday morning, my sister, Lara, my niece, Ellie, and I hiked from Carder Rock to Great Falls, which is 7 miles round trip. We also borrowed bikes at Great Falls and then biked for 4 miles round trip. The weather was quite nice that Saturday! It was still warm just not as warm as it had been up to that point.

I have the Wolf Trap calendar taped on my bedroom door. I'd been wanting to see Straight No Chaser (a men's a capella group) for quite a while. So I invited some friends and we went to their concert one Tuesday evening!

I love Wolf Trap! I love getting there early to save space on the lawn, bringing dinner or snacks to eat while there, a book to read (if I'm by myself), and just chatting with friends.

Straight No Chaser was awesome and very entertaining! They definitely had us laughing at times. :)