R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 140

Baja Test Kitchen Tour — Las Nubes & Vena Cava

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Valle de Guadalupe

Today we take one last look at Las Nubes winery, and then head off to our next rather unique destination — a winery built beneath the overturned hulls of large boats!  After that, on our return to the ship, we were met by some very tame sea lions.  That should keep you reading to the very end.

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Las Nubes window

On Monday I promised some exterior photos of the Las Nubes winery, including the Tuscan architecture.  Here you can see that, and the charming outdoor tasting patio:

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Baja Test Kitchen Tour — Cavas Camou & Las Nubes

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Las Nubes Winery and Vineyard

January of this year found Ursula and me taking a cruise we’ve done several times before, a short three- to four-day excursion from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara and Ensenada, Mexico.  This was actually the second of back-to-back cruises aboard the same ship, and it followed a ten-day cruise we’ve now done three times into the Sea of Cortez.  On this trip we did something a bit different, however, thanks to Joyce Verette.

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Joyce and Rod Verette

Joyce is a fellow me...

Fun Photo Friday — Papeete Favorites Part 2

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The Spears of Paradise

I hope you enjoyed this 28-day voyage around the Pacific.  During this series I’ve shown you various sights around the Hawai’ian Islands, Western and American Samoa, and three islands in French Polynesia.  Wrapping it all up is today’s Fun Photo Friday gallery of some more Papeete favorites:

Filed under: Fun Photo Friday, Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation Tagged: Crown Princess, cruise vacation, French Polynesia, Fun Photo Friday, Papeete, photography,...

Port Nine Papeete — Out Nanuu Bay and into the Pacific

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Sailing into the Sun

The Crown Princess continued through Nanuu Bay and into the South Pacific Ocean for the return home, but not before I managed to snag a few more photos.  From this vantage we saw the slopes leading up to Mont Orohena beyond Papeete:

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Protestant Church of Papeete

As noted on Monday we sailed past Pā’ōfa’i Gardens, and also had great views of Place Jacques Chirac:

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Outriggers for rent

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Pā’ōfa’i Gardens

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Place Jacques Chirac

Beyond this area, with which we were already familiar,...

Readers Beware! — A particularly clever Phishing Attack

Now here’s a nifty little phishing attack that targeted me over a two-day period, and this one is both unique and, if you’re not careful, very effective.

On Monday my iPad informed me that I needed to log into my Apple ID account, which I attempted using my Apple ID and password.  That attempt was rewarded with an admonition, “This Apple ID has been locked for security reasons,” or something similar to that wording.  Apparently, someone attempted multiple logins with my Apple ID and an incorr...

Port 9 Papeete — Sailing out of Nanuu Bay

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Papeete

On November 5, 2015, the Crown Princess left our last port of call for the long voyage back to Los Angeles.  The time of day was perfect, not only for the front-lighted views of Papeete and Nanuu Bay, but also for the magnificent sunset you’ll see on Wednesday, and again on Friday.

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Yachts of Nanuu Bay

Nanuu Bay’s marina offered up some really fun yachts to photograph, and the angle of the sun left shimmering reflections on those yachts dancing upon the water:

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Nanuu Bay

Looking back in...

Fun Photo Friday — Papeete Favorites Part 1

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Papeete Pilot Boat

We’ll conclude our tour of Papeete next week.  Until then, below is today’s Papeete gallery of some of my favorite photographs from this excursion.  Click on any of the images to enlarge and bring up today’s gallery slide show.

Filed under: Fun Photo Friday, Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation Tagged: Crown Princess, cruise vacation, French Polynesia, Fun Photo Friday, Papeete, photography, R. Doug Wicker, South Pacific, Tahiti, travel, travel photography,...

Port 9 Papeete — Around town and the Marché de Papeete

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Papeete Mairie (City Hall) — Modeled after the Royal Palace

Walking the streets of Papeete affords the photographer with much to capture.  The image above in the Mairie, or City Hall, and it was modeled after the old Royal Palace, which was demolished back in the 1960s.  Here’s a close-up of the tiled roof, cupola, and colonial-style dormers:

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Papeete Mairie (City Hall)

There were some pretty interesting automobiles about, as well.  Here’s a car barely larger than the diminutive scooter parked...

Port 9 Papeete — Along the shore at Pā’ōfa’i Gardens

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Outriggers and Mo’orea (in the background)

If you thought the distance from Bora Bora to Mo’orea was short, the trip from Mo’orea to Papeete was about the distance of a marathon race.  It’s less than 20 miles/17 nautical miles/32 kilometers as the seagull flies from anchorage to dock.  Yep, no tendering here.  In Papeete you walk straight off the ship into the heart of town.

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Nanuu Bay marina

Hang a right onto Boulevard de la Reine Pōmare IV and within a very short walk you reach first Place J...

Fun Photo Friday — Mo’orea Favorites Part 2

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Mount Tohivea

The most outstanding feature visible throughout much of the tour would simply have to be Mount Tohivea.  You’ll notice that I had a bit of an infatuation with capturing it with the ever-changing mist swirling around its features.  You’ll notice several more such shots in today’s Fun Photo Friday gallery below.  Many thanks to FranckyFranck Tours for making this such a wonderful outing.  Next week we hit our last stop before returning home on this 28-day cruise, Papeete.  Until t...