Blue Planet Journey

 I've written previously about puncturevine (aka goathead), Tribulus terrestris . Those "caltrop" shaped seeds are the bane of bare feet, dog paws, and bicycle tires.  Pulling a single puncturevine plant off a sidewalk in Denver. Puncturevine leaves and flowers. The University of California IPM program describes the plant as follows: Mature plant Plants grow prostrate over open ground, but when shaded or competing with other plants they can grow nearly erect. Stems occasionally grow over 3 feet (1 m) long, have many branches, are green to reddish brown, and spread radially from the crown. Stems and leaves are covered with hairs. Leaves are mostly 2/17 to 1/5 of an inch (3–5 cm) long, finely divided into three to seven pairs of leaflets, and opposite to one another along the stem. Flowers Flowering takes place from March through October. Flowers are bright yellow, about 1/5 to 3/5 of an inch (5–15 mm) in diameter, and are produced singly where the stem and leaf stalk ...

The Explorer of the Seas in ‎⁨Argostoli⁩, ⁨Ionian Islands⁩, ⁨Greece⁩. Another successful trip planned by Caroline! We sailed from Miami to Barcelona, then Croatia, and finally Greece. A transatlantic, by definition, consists of many days at sea, so you have to be prepared to entertain yourself on a cruise ship. For many, this involves drinking, eating, gambling, more eating, more drinking, and sleeping by the pool. That's not what Caroline and I do. Every morning, we started the day at the gym: treadmill, stationary bike, weights, stretch class, or the abs class. Sometimes I'd run on the outdoor track, but the wind on deck 12 often was brutal. Once, when the instructor was sick, Caroline even led the stretch class! After a quick breakfast in the Windjammer, I'd either visit the stateroom for a shower, or I'd head over to the Sports Court on Deck 13 for an hour of... Wind Pickleball!   Notice the wind speed... 25 mph. That is guaranteed to make a pickleball lob act erra...