Landed at Cozumel for the day.  

Excursion took us to Dolphinaris for a VIP experience (one-on-one encounter with a dolphin named Maya).  

Area was incredibly clean, with excellent lockers and restrooms.

Dolphin time was an A+.  

Snorkeling was really decent but within a small area, I will give that an A.

Food afterward was an A+.  

Bus ride to and from location was very comfortable (air-conditioned), and short (5 - 10 minutes).

As with most excursions / adventures, if you want to enjoy yourself, you normally will.  This one made it very, very easy to like.

At Dophinaris with Maya

Arriving Port of Cozumel

Day at Sea aboard the Disney Magic with DL.

Early Morning boarding of the Disney Magic, scheduled for five-nights and four-days of adventure.

Today at Sea in the Gulf of Mexico.  We are heading towards Cozumel (An Island in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen. It is separated from the mainland by the Cozumel Channel and is close to the Yucatán Channel. The municipality is part of the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico.).

We will arrive mid-morning on Sunday at Cozumel Island.

Here are some pictures as we pulled out of Galvaston, Texas.

Vacation begins with a few flights (Bradley, Charlotte & Houston) to get us eventually into Galveston, Texas today.

Dinner out with M & D V.

Tomorrow, we get aboard the Disney Magic for sailing via Gulf of Mexico, to the Caribbean and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

Having been born in 1962, and liking and listening to music from the early sixties onward, I thought it might be fun to attempt a listing of my favorite albums each year since birth.

I didn't really begin to listen to a lot of music until the early '70's, and I began buying records around 1974 or 1975 I guess.  I can still recall many of those first albums I bought.  Many, I still enjoy.

Many of the early 1960's records I found later on in life, some just in the last few years.

I had a period of time from early '90's until the late 2000's that my listening was mostly jazz.  This means a couple of things...  (a) there will be a decent selection of jazz records in my list, and (b) many of the "rock" albums from this time I might have caught later on (a decade or more) from when they first came out.

So, this isn't really a list from any sort of time-machine, of what was #1 during that year.  It's looking at sixty years of music that I can say I enjoy or have enjoyed.  I  listen to each of these, even still.

I am sure I'll fine-tune my thoughts, but, that is for another day...

I present my favorite albums of 1963...

Albums released 1963

1.    John Coltrane                                      Impressions

2.    The Beatles                                         Please Please Me

3.    Bob Dylan                                           The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

4.    The Beatles                                         With the Beatles

5.    Charles Mingus                                   Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus

6.    Roy Orbison                                        In Dreams

7.    Rashaan Roland Kirk                          Reeds and Deeds

8.    Jackie McLean                                    Let Freedom Ring

9.    Link Wray                                            Jack the Ripper

10   Bo Diddley                                           Surfin' With Bo Diddley

Honorable Mentions

11.  Joe Henderson                                    Page One

12.  Charles Mingus                                   The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady

13.  Art Blakey                                            Caravan

14.  Ike & Tina Turner                                 It's Gonna Work Out Fine

15.  Dick Dale                                             Checkered Flag

16.  Ike & Tina Turner                                 Don't Play Me Cheap

17.  Dick Dale                                             King of the Surf Guitar

"Black Lizard / Vintage Crime #01 for 2024...

"The Seventh", a Parker Novel by Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake) published in 1966.

"High Points" along trails during December 2023... 

Still working on it....

• Sweetman Mountain, Granville, MA
• Holden Hill, Granville, MA
• Bartlett Tower Hill, Tariffville, CT
• Nicks Hill, Metacomet (NET), West Suffield, CT

On this day from the Archives:

Marathon Archives:

On this day in 1996 I participated in the annual "Fat Ass 50" in North Adams, Massachusetts.

This event consisted of many loops on the road, on a cold, gray day, and I believe there was a pretty bad snowstorm on the drive home.

I have a time listed of  5:32:35, and I think that was for 26.2 miles - not 50k.

This was my 8th marathon completed.

Damp and Cold this morning, yet K2 and I decided to continue our push towards fitness in 2024 with a trip to Granville.

We settled on 2.5-hrs and during that time I managed 8.5-miles.

At the end of the workday, I took a road-run around the Point for 3-miles. 

From the Marathon Archives:

This day in 1997... 

I completed my 14th marathon on this day in 1997.  It was the Grupa Dupa held at the Talcott Mountain State Park, home of the Heublein Tower. 

I believe Tony W and Janice K were the organizers of this "Fat Ass 50" type event.  It consisted of loops up and around the tower, but I do not recall how many.  It was 50k, and I recorded a time of 5:11:13.

What Played in Ed's Head -- 

Music listened to for the time-period December 1st through December 31st, 2023:

2024 Unsupported Trail Race Unofficial Challenge #02

Day After New Year's Day 20k (12.5-miles)

Began at the Bear Hole Reservoir Parking area with K2 early (8 a.m.) and cold (24-degrees).

We planned on 3-hours, and I hoped to get to the Trolley Trail north of Route 10/202 and the Ashley Reservoir.  I had been out there back in May of 2019, and it would be helpful for me to remake the connection to this group of trails.

Straight out north from Bear Hole, stuck to the old roads, and crossed the railroad-tracks onto the Ashley Reservoir gravel road in roughly 2.5-miles.  As I am still learning the roads around the reservoir, I erred and exited the property on a residential paved road for a half-mile or so, but it worked out to my advantage as it turned at the Holyoke Elks and the parking lot available for reservoir visiting.

Re-entered Ashley Reservoir, I knew where I was and what was necessary to find the exit at Route 10/202.  It happened, and I crossed the street at Doyle I believe, to run up the road toward Holyoke Community College.  It seemed like a long time, as I passed the trail-head at the daycare facility which I used back in 2019, but I found a good kiosk pointing me correctly into the woods across from the college.

Worked a bit of single-track, descended the ridge over a stream and I was on the Trolley Trail.  Followed it despite a few intersections pulling me (or trying to) and exited onto Route 10/202.  Plenty of space on the opposite side of the highway to run "inside" the guardrails, so safe.  Only about a quarter mile or so from the re-entrance to Ashley Reservoir.

Took the Adrenalize to the Cauldron Trails back to Prospect Ave, and then the New England Trail (Metacomet) back into Bear Hole.  Ended the day with 12.5-miles and 1000' climb at 4.9 mph, taking it slightly easy once on the old trails from Ashley south.

2024 Unsupported Trail Race Unofficial Challenge #01

New Year's Day 10k (6.2-miles)

To Northwest Park with K2 and J Evil.

I made the connection from Northwest Park to Farmington River Park in 6.2 total miles.

Excellent day, forty-degrees and very sunny.

Drove out to Adams to spend the afternoon with the folks, celebrating the upcoming "New Year".

Yearly running total for 2023 wasn't good, but at least ended decently...

611.7 Total Miles made up roughly as follows:

83.2 - January

70.7 - February

58.0 - March

42.7 - April

19.9 - May

00.0 - June

11.8 - July

62.2 - August

58.3 - September

27.4 - October

80.6 - November

97.9 - December