Michael Watson's Blog, page 7

Cozumel Cruise - Part 2

The activities on board during the day were limited. There was always something going on, but not many were my thing. However, each evening in the theater there was entertainment of some sort, ranging from silly to musicals and magic shows. These were all good. After dinner, one could plan on going there and being entertained. There was one activity during the day that I did participate in, an art and sports memorabilia auction. If I had to do it over again, I'd probably pass, but instead I bought a large (18x24) autographed photo of a fight betwen Ken Norton and Muhammad Ali. The price was reasonable, but then s&h is added and then pressure was applied to have it properly framed. I declined andtold them to roll it up and mail it.

Our first stop on the cruise was Progresso. I already knew from reading reviews online that the water would be muddy and the beaches not very good, so we looked into excursions on land. We decided on a scheduled 6.5 hr one to the Uxmal Mayan ruins. It was through the Carnival site. The guides were waiting for us when we reached the end ofthe dock. It started with a 1.5 hour bus ride. It wasn't that bad. One of the guides talked to us about the Mayan culture, keeping it interesting. Itwasa nice tour bus with comfortable seats and A/C. Just before entering the site there was a small square with a few stores and a restaurant around the perimeter. That reminds me, when we got to on the bus we were given a bottle of water anda small brown bag containing a white bread and ham sandwith, package of tiny cookies and a banana. That was to help us make it through the day, until we could get back to theship. Yum! It was better than nothing. Ok, now back to the site guide. His name was Nacho. Not really, but after he pronounced his long real name (a mouthfull) he said that's what we could call him. He led us on a very informative walk through the ruins for about 45 minutes then turned us loose to explore on our own. I climbed to the top of one of the temples and took some fantastic pictures (enclosed). It was extremely hot while in the direct sun. The people in our group crowded into the shade whenever available. Everyone was quiet on the trip back to the ship. I'm pretty sure there were a few naps slipped in. It was a great experience though. Come back for Part 3. 

Cozumel Cruise - Part 1

My wife Sandra and I recently returned from our first cruise. If there are any potential 1st timers out there, maybe these experiences will help you prepare, by letting you know what to expect, at least based on our experiences. A local radio station was promoting the cruise. It was to be five days leaving from Galveston with stops at Progresso and Cozumel. Another 1st was the tour bus ride from Wichita, KS to Galveston. I wasn't looking forward to it. The positive side was that I could relax and not have to pay attention to the road or a map. It actually wasn't too bad. We stopped every 2-2.5 hrs for a break or to grab a bite. We were able to sleep, read or watch a movie on one of the multiple screen throughout the bus. The bus driver, Bruce, and his wife, Cindy, had the trip well planned. The first night we stayed at a Drury Inn near Houston. I was surprised to findout that they had a Happy Hour and Dinner right after we arrived and a hot breakfast in the morning. The next morning we had a 1.5 hour drive to the ship. From the time we pulled up, we were on the ship in approx. 30 minutes.

Once on ship we had to decide where to go and what to do first. Explore. Our room had a nice sized window in the belly of the beast on level 1. During the five days we continued to get turned around, except of course for the Lido Deck where the buffet lines, pools, hot tubs and large screen were located.  We tried breakfast at the buffet line, but found it to be more enjoyable and less hectic in the dining room. Lunch was usually at one of four choices on the Lido Deck and Dinner was always a nice relaxing meal at the dining room. We learned from an individual at our table, a regular cruiser, that it was OK to try more than one appetizer, entree or dessert. I'd like to note at this point that I did not gain one pound, even though I felt like it. Please check back for Part 2.

More Durango

I was looking back and I guess I forgot to mention some of the other things from our Durango trip. We rode on the Durango-Silverton coal fired train while we were there (pictures on site).  The main reason was it was the time of year when the aspens are turning into the bright yellow/golden colors. The ride left Durango at 8:30 AM. We rode in an enclosed car. We thought it might be too cool to be in one of the open air cars. All the cars were filled to capacity. The ride took approximately 3 hours one-way to Silverton. The aspen leaves progressively turned brighter the higher we went in altitude. It wasa great ride. We had a couple of hours to kill before the return trip. We ate at Grumpy's on Main Street, next to the Grand Imperial Hotel. We had a French onion soup that was fantastic. While eating we listened to a young lady, Lacey Black, play the piano. She didn't use sheet music and supposedly knows around 1,000 songs by memory. She was very good. The Main Street is only 2-3 blocks long. Before we knew it we were out of time and headed back to the train. Many of the older group on the train had been traveling together and went back to Durango by bus. This left many empty seats on the train. This made the return trip my favorite because I was able to move about, spending much of my time in an open air car. It wasn't cold at all and it was much better for taking pictures. Also, I was able to switch back and forth from one side of the car to the other . I highly recommend the open-air car versus the closed car. Being able to see an unobstructed view and being able to stick your head out the look down or up was incredible. The time flew by. If we do this again I will opt for the open air car. I think I would also just ride the train one direction, most likely ride the bus to Silverton and ride the train back to Durango. Some young couples had kids and six hours wasobviously too much.  There is one consideration one must keep in mind. The engine is coal-fired, so embers do fly back. You don't want to keep your head outside too long. Periodically, one of the employees would come along and sweep the black, dead embers from inside the car out onto the platform. Eye protection of some sort is a must. If you wear glasses or sunglasses, you should be fine. I recommend the train ride.
On the way back home we took a detour by way of Albuquerque. The balloon festival was going on. We had been there specifically for it a few years back and it was terrificseeing all the balloons in the air at one. We were there, right below, when the Smokey the Bear balloon ran into a radio tower and stuck. We watched as the old gentleman pilot and two small boys climbed all the way to the a point where they could be rescued, which was almost all the way to the ground. This year there were issues with the weather. We saw many balloons taking off from the motel, but when we went out to see them all but two were already on the ground. It was still a nice drive. On the way to Albuquerque we stopped at Chaco Canyon to see early ruins (pictures on site). A neat site in the middle of nowhere. These are not cliff-dwellings, but above ground dwellings. Kivas were here as seen at the cliff-dwellings though. We did spend a day at Mesa Verde Park just west of Durango (pictures on site). Half of the cliff-dwellings had closed acouple of weeks earlier for the season. I highly recommend the Four Corners area for a road trip or vacation.
Also, as a side note, we went to the historical museum in Durango. From a series of displays I got a terrific idea for another book, a western. The Sherriff 

Book Revisions

In response to reviews I received about THE NESTORIAN ALLIANCE  I have gone through the book again and believe it or not did find a few errors that needed fixing. Those items have been addressed. I sent the corrections to Guido Henkel, a professional ebook formatter, the same one who did the original formatting, for the revisions. Guido performed the revisions in record time. If anyone would like to contact Guido, here is his website: guidohenkel.com. He is fast and reasonable. I have now downloaded the revised books to amazon, B&N, and Smashwords. After a short review process they will be available again. The print copy should follow shortly from Createspace.

Debut Reviews - Thin Skin

This last weekend I joined the bidding for a book review. High bidder would be moved to the head of the line to have their book reviewed right away. The winning bid was to be sent to Reading Is Fundamental and a receipt sent to the reviewer at Candy's Raves. I was the winning bidder. As a fund raiser, this was a great idea. Candy downloaded my book and then decided to gift the book to some of her friends so they could review it also. I had high expectations. I had proofread the manuscript over and over, hired an editor, and hired a formatter for the ebook. The result was I had reviews stating that it would have been better if I had had an editor, four of the reviewers hated my cover, and one stated that the lack of research concerning military matters showed. It took six years to write the book, around my real jobs, and researched constantly.  I actually enjoyed the research almost as much as the writing. The Navy and NATO forces are incorporated into some of the chapters. I had my son, who was in the Navy read it for authenticity and he didn't think I should change a thing. One effort of research involved purchasing and studying a National Geographic from 1952 that was directly related to Turkey/Russia relations. I also purchased and studied a DVD about Stalin since he is a main character. Research lacking? One reviewer seemed to be opposed to indie writers because of her comment that she read indie books since they were notorious for issues that a good editor, like her, would have eliminated. End of rant. 
 Besides the negative comments from some reviewers, they all seemed to find something positive to say about my book, which I am very grateful. You will see some of these in my tweets. Also many comments were made to advise me on how to be a better writer. I do plan to heed their advise on the next book in the series. Currently, I am proofreading this book again and revising where appropriate. I am grateful that none of the reviewers gave me less than 3 stars. Maybe there is still hope. If you wish to read the reviews in their entirety, please go to http://www.amazon.com/Nestorian-Alliance-Trader-Adventure-ebook/dp/B005KDNZJ0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319667615&sr=1-1.
In the end I do appreciate all the comments of the reviewers.

First Helicopter Ride

Saturday we went to the Haysville Fall Festival. We go every year, primarily for the car show and a little bit for the crafts. It seems that more and more the craft shows are less and less crafts but mostly cheap jewlry, candles, and other non manmade items. We usually walk through anyway. Sometimes there are some unique items that are worth it.
Of course then you have to make a walk through the food court area.
There was something new this year. We watched as a helicopter repeatedly came and went from the adjacent football field. I thought it would be pretty neat to take a ride but I knew it would be expensive. Then we heard the rides announced over the loudspeaker. I couldn't believe how cheap the ride was. I told my wife that we could afford that. We proceeded to the area and within 15 minutes we were in the air. It was a relatively small helicopter. I didn't get the make or model. I rode next to the pilot. It was a tight fit. My wife rode in the back seat. She had a door, I didn't. As we took off I looked for a handle but there wasn't any. I was okay until he banked, then I grabbed hold of the edge of the door opening with a death grip. The view over the town was spectacular. We saw things from the air that we had never noticed before. There was a little wind that day so we bounced around a little. Not enough to distract from the view. Sandra, my wife, took a good picture over the car show. The cars are lined up in the park next to the small city lake. We both enjoyed the ride and I'd do it again.   

Trip to Durango Plus

Last week we went on a road trip starting in the flatlands of Kansas with Durango, Colorado as our destination. The first night we stayed in the reportedly haunted historic St. James Hotel in Cimarron, New Mexico. It was a bit pricey for the room, but we got more than a nights stay and supper. By the way, the food was very good, but the service was lacking.  The patio area walls were covered with hand painted wildlife and outdoor scenes. The next morning I met and talked with the artist who was painting on the other side of the wall. Her name is Melinda Marlowe. I was surprised to learn that she does not place a sketch on the wall first, but freehands everything. I have included pictures in the Durango photo section. She is a local retired school teacher. I asked if she had been an art teacher. No, she was a science and math teacher. She informed me that she had completed several murals four miles down the road at the Philmont Boy Scout facility, approximately 1400 feet of walls are covered with her work. An example of that is also included in the photos. It is not normally open to the public, but since the artist had sent us, we were allowed to tour the building on our own. Amazing. When I find her website address I'll post it. Melinda was a friendly and talented local artist. I'm glad we had achance to visit. I will share other parts of the trip over the next few days. Please come back.

CreateSpace and Misc.

Today I submitted my novel to CreateSpace for review. I hope I did it right. I should know in a couple of days. I used their cover creator. I think it looks pretty good. I hope sales are better with the paperback. My eBook was available on September 1st from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords. Sales have been pathetic. Obviously I'm not advertising in the right places to reach the right people(buyers).
Leaving town on Saturday for Red River, NM and then on to Durango, CO. Probably check out Telluride too. Durango is the home base for the characters in my Jack Trader series. I desperately need to do some first-hand research. It will be good to get away. It's been a few years since we've been to the Durango area. The story in the current work in progress centers on Mesa Verde.