We have returned from our 10th annual Legacy Genealogy Cruise and had the time of our lives. Besides the genealogy classes, alone-time with my wife, and the yummy food, the highlight of our trip was probably our day in Costa Rica where we rode horses, saw monkies in the forest, got close to crocodiles, and zip-lined through the tree tops. I also enjoyed shuffleboard with Randy Seaver. I've also returned with:
- 6 additional pounds (I've lost 3 of them already…)
- many new genealogy friends
- hundreds of fun digital photos
- 1 less cell phone (borrowed/stolen in Columbia…)
- even greater enthusiasm for what we are doing here at Legacy Family Tree
So before I officially get back to work, I'll write a little more about our adventures below. Click here to read my first report.
October 2 was our day through the locks of the Panama Canal. I couldn't believe that this big ship…
…would fit through the locks of the canal:
It was an amazing experience. We also saw the construction of the new locks along the way.
The next day we explored the canal some more, this time off the ship. My wife and I, with others in our group, explored the lakes via a small boat. Midway into the lake, our boat's engine died. It reminded me of the Gilligan's Island theme song. After the spare battery was installed, we sailed near the shores of the many islands where we had an experience with a monkey I will never forget. We pulled up to some over-hanging trees where curious monkeys started appearing from nowhere. One monkey hopped into our boat and was appreciative of the grapes we had ready for him. Another swiped an empty plastic bag and took off with it into the trees. What happened next is hard to believe unless you were there and saw it happen….About a minute later the monkey came back – this time wearing the plastic bag as a diaper! I didn't get a great picture of it, but couldn't believe my eyes. He darted back for the trees. Again he returned, this time wearing the bag on his head like a hat.
I wrote about the zip-lining in the previous article, but here's one of the pictures:
Hundreds of feet up we sailed through the tops of the trees. Although I still retain my fear of heights, I would probably do it again.
On our last day of classes we had a couple of surprises for our group. The captain and the ship's executive staff surprised us with an impromptu cocktail party (yummy orange juice for me…) and thanked us for joining them. We ended the class as we always do by drawing more names for door prizes. Dave (Legacy's President) announced that the winners would get their choice of an annual webinar membership to www.familytreewebinars.com or a free Legacy 8 upgrade. After drawing a few winners, he announced that all cruise attendees would get the same choice.
Thanks again to Megan Smolenyak, Karen Clifford, Barbara Renick, Randy Seaver, Steve Salisbury, Dave Berdan, Ken McGinnis (and myself I suppose) for the great classes! Thanks to all of you who joined us! Thanks to the rest of our Legacy Family Tree staff who kept our Support, Customer Service, and Shipping departments open while we were away. And thanks to our cruise coodinator, Christy, for all she did for us too!
Next year's cruise to Asia
While we haven't officially announced it yet, it's not too early to begin thinking about next year's cruise (our 11th annual) to Asia. Click here for the details of where we're going.
Back to work
Now that I've officially announced our return, it's back to work! We're putting the final touches on Legacy 8 so we still expect to release it for you by the end of the year. I'm working hard on finalizing our 2014 webinar calendar and recording the last of the revised Legacy Family Tree training CDs.
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