Day 1 - It Was An Exciting Day! (Daily Diary)
We were up early and ready to go! Joe came by and picked us up around 10:30 am. We loaded up the car and headed to San Pedro. Nary a drop of rain was visible today!
Hang on, we are almost there!
We will make it right on time!
Stop!
The battle ship was amazing!
She got us through the lines in a flash!!!
We are officially on board.
"The Key" allowed us to go to lunch immediately upon boarding!! Lunch was provided for us in the dining room, and of course, we started the day with filer mignon… and a glass of vino. I opted for a gin martini to get into the mood, and it worked. Before lunch, I was already battening down the hatches and suggesting that certain people walk the plank. All I needed was an eye patch.
Using a new app, Jon checks the surrounding ships!
Big smiles!
A beautiful couple!
Eat heartily, mateys! We have a special dinner, and a comedian is performing in the theater. Deck the hulls with waves of laughter. We were dressed for the day; we got the memo about wearing red. Mary got many comments about her outfit as we strolled around the ship! I thought she was a standout for sure
We are dressed in red for the occasion!
We are already adjusting to cruise ship life!
Colorful? We is!!
"What is she laughing about??"
"OK, she is back under control"
Checking for texts!
Oh My! Someone is getting a Valentine's Day greeting!"
The TV rotates 180 degrees!
Goodbye San Pedro! See you in eight days!
The lighthouse is shining brightly.
Did You Know? - Los Angeles Harbor Light, also known as Angels Gate Light, is a lighthouse in California, United States, at San Pedro Breakwater in Los Angeles Harbor, California. The lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is listed as Los Angeles Light in the USCG Lights list
LOS ANGELES HARBOR LIGHT
Location: SAN PEDRO BREAKWATER - ANGELS GATE
Station Established: 1913
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1913
Operational? YES
Automated? YES 1971
Deactivated: n/a
Foundation Materials: ROCK BREAKWATER W/CONCRETE SLABS
Construction Materials: STEEL/CONCRETE
Tower Shape: CYLINDRICAL
Markings/Pattern: BLACK STRIPES (VERTICAL)
Relationship to Other Structure: INTEGRAL
Original Lens: FOURTH ORDER FRESNEL 1913
Historical Information:
Though battered by seasonal storms and an occasional passing ship, the U.S. Coast Guard's Los Angeles Harbor Light has faithfully guarded the port's busy gateway since 1913. As early as 1907, plans were being made to include a lighthouse in the Los Angeles Breakwater project. The light was to occupy a 40-foot-square concrete block at the end of the west breakwater. A temporary light was established on the block with the completion of the breakwater in 1910.
The present lighthouse was completed in 1913 at a cost of just under $36,000. Originally designed to be a dormered, square wooden building with the lens sprouting from the roof similar to Southampton Shoals and Oakland Harbor Lights on San Francisco Bay, the Los Angeles Light ended up looking more like a Roman fantasy. It is the only lighthouse ever built to this design. The light was firmly anchored to the concrete block and built of steel reinforced concrete.
Heavy construction proved to be a godsend when a furious five-day storm assaulted the light a few years after opening. The steel and concrete stood fast as angry seas broke against the walls. A wooden structure would probably have been carried away and the keepers killed. However, the light did not escape unscathed.
When the storm ended, keepers complained of difficulty walking one direction in the building. A plumb line dropped from the tower revealed that the concrete block had settled during the storm, giving the lighthouse a pronounced shoreward list. The lean could not be corrected and did no harm except to annoy the keepers.
Other scars were put on the lighthouse one dark night when a keeper was thrown to the floor by a tremendous blow to the tower. Running to the window, the amazed keeper saw the silhouette of a huge battleship which had blundered into the breakwater. The ship continued on its way with only scratches and the incident was marked "confidential" and buried deep in Navy files for many years.
The Navy again came into the history of Los Angeles Harbor Light during World War II. New construction added a degaussing station, a radio direction finding calibration unit and a barracks for the Navy personnel who worked this equipment.
More changes were made in 1959. The old deep-throated two-tone fog horn, affectionately known to locals as "Moaning Maggie", was replaced by a higher-pitched single-tone horn. The new horn was called "Blatting Betty" and was disliked by local mariners for years.
The saddest change for the Los Angeles Harbor Light came on February 1, 1973, when the station was automated and the keepers departed. Today, the 217,000 candle-power light is monitored and maintained by personnel from Coast Guard Base Terminal Island.
Looking good after 100 years!
As we sat in the Suite Lounge on the 12th floor, the ship began moving precisely at the predicted 4:00 p.m. departure time. The adventure really began! To the amazement of Mary, Jon, and Sarah, I jumped up and started singing "Yo Ho, Yo Ho—It's A Sailor's Life For Me" at the top of my lungs.
The reaction of the ship's security team was interesting. Did I mention that the brig has padded cells?
We headed to our room, hoping the bags would have arrived. We did have all but one, and we now know why! Mary took her heating pad, and it was a no-no. They kept searching for more contraband, delaying that bag's arrival for almost an hour.
At 5:36 p.m., the sun set over Catalina. You could almost hear the hissing of the boiling water!
Bye bye breakwater!
The sun is setting over Catalina
At 6:00 p.m., if you look carefully along the bottom, about 40% from the left-hand side, you can see the lights of the city of Avalon!
The lights of Avalon!!
We can almost see the Casino!!
See you in a week on our return!
There was a special dinner in the Chop House for us romantically inclined people!! We took advantage of the event and had a most wonderful dinner!
It tastes as beautiful as it looks!
Done to perfection! I thought to myself (always dangerous to do) that "Mary HAD a little lamb"; she really did!
Lamb chops to die for!!
Enjoying dinner.
Having a delightful dinner as we pass by San Diego!
Having fun!
We decorated for the event!
I was flashing!
It was a magnificent finish to an amazing meal!
The desserts were quite tempting; I had two. The key lime pie was quite interesting. I thought of Jeff, but it would not keep for a week. Sorry, Jeff!
The meringue was fantastic!
Apple pie a la mode???
We were so stuffed, we could not take any back to the cabin!
We will depart for the theater; one last gaze into her eyes! We sipped champagne all through dinner and didn't even order a drink.
The Swan's were doing their thing!!
