Am I done yet?

So we're leaving shortly on our first-ever winter vacation. I have never been far south before but I know just from summers here in Manitoba that if I'm not very careful, I'll turn lobster-red before you know it.

So as part of the routine my wife and I are doing a bit of pre-tanning. Stepping out of the cold car and walking across the frozen parking lot before crawling into a warm tanning bed lets me know what a TV dinner feels like.

_________________

We're going on another cruise and we chose the Crown Princess again because we fell in love with it last time. We head down to Fort Lauderdale a day early and will stay in FLL for a couple of days afterward to unwind some more before heading back home to the tundra.

We like to cook so one of the places we're stoked about visiting is Sint Maarten/St. Martin a Caribbean island that's half Dutch/half French and seems to have the best of both worlds. They have a market there every Wednesday (the day we're there) where they sell cinnamon sticks the diameter of fat cigars, locally grown coffee, cumin, nutmeg and more. And for my wife - fabric and clothing.

They're also known for bringing in some of the best taste treats that their motherlands are famous for, like Edam cheese, fabulous wines, chocolate, pastry and more.

I guess you know you're old when food interests you more than the nude beaches on the French side or the casinos on the Dutch half.