Jackie Sheckler Finch

“People will come, Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball.”                                                      James Earl Jones’ character in “Field of Dreams” Hearing the number of runs that Pete Rose hit during his baseball career is impressive. Seeing them is mind boggling. A 50-foot-tall “wall of balls” at the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum brings home that staggering fact. Arranged in rows, the three-story wall has 4,256 baseballs for the record set by …

Read moreHome of baseball’s first professional team–Cincinnati Reds

Part of the joy of cruising is the entertainment. A popular entertainer on American Cruise Lines is pianist Jon England and his “Velvet Virtuosity.” Although he has been docked at home as part of the COVID-19 shutdown, Jon is scheduled to cruise again in July. As though he knew I might be a bit homesick for cruising on the mighty Mississippi, Jon sent me an email today with a link to a half-hour program that’s going out …

Read moreCruise pianist Jon England shares music during this “quiet” time

On Oct. 15, 1868, the light beamed from the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse tower for the first time. Located in Fish Creek, Wisconsin, the lovely lighthouse honorably served sailors and ships as they navigated the treacherous waters of the Great Lakes. When modern technology made the lighthouse obsolete, it shut down in 1926. For decades, the lighthouse sat empty and neglected. Then a strange thing happened. In 1960, The Door County Historical Society received permission to restore and …

Read moreHistoric Door County lighthouse now a museum

A half-acre of luxuriant green grass. A glass furnace where visitors are taught to make their own unique souvenirs. A 3D dining experience where four teeny chefs create special dishes on each tabletop and dinner plate. Can all of this be on a beautiful cruise ship? Yep, these and other attractions are drawing compliments for the recently renovated Celebrity Equinox. Although I had cruised on other Celebrity ships, including the celebrated Celebrity Edge, I had never been …

Read moreCelebrity Equinox wows after extensive refurbishment

With its glistening white and shiny glass, it looks like the legendary city of Atlantis floating on a sea of blue. Or it might be a gigantic eyeball in a basin of water. Or a flying saucer that has landed in the midst of a city pool. It could even be a helmet that some mammoth warrior dropped. The City of Arts and Sciences is a work of art itself and can make the imagination soar just …

Read moreValencia, Spain: Hometown of famed architect Calatrava

With cameras and cellphones in their hands, people on shore watched as the new American Harmony cruise ship docked along the Louisiana shore at St. Francisville. And they weren’t disappointed. The ship’s unique bow opens like some mythical creature’s jaws from which a retractable gangway can be extended for bow landings virtually anywhere. Passengers then walk comfortably down the extended gangway. Standing ashore, I admired how the sleek ship with its eye-catching bow looks like something from …

Read moreRollin’ on the river … new American Harmony draws admiring looks on river voyage

Never know who you might meet on a cruise ship. Since seats aren’t assigned in the Astoria dining room, I was invited to sit next to a woman at dinner one evening. After introducing ourselves, I reached for the olive oil and fresh bread before our dinner menus arrived. The olive oil is delicious and I have been starting every dining room meal enjoying that tasty oil with the unusual name – ACAIA. The woman sitting next …

Read moreAstoria Cruise: Learning about special olive oil on Astoria cruise ship

Like little kids with our noses pressed up against a confectionary window, we are visiting the century-old El Boleo bakery in Santa Rosalia, northern Baja California Sur, Mexico. As passengers on the Astoria, we have been fed to the gills with delicious food throughout our cruise. So you know we aren’t the least bit hungry. But smelling that delicious bread and pastries made us pull out pesos to buy some. Well worth it. No wonder El Boleo …

Read moreAstoria Cruise: Santa Rosalia is home to ‘World Famous’ bakery

At 72 years old, she is still an elegant beauty. Long after many cruise ships have ceased sailing the world’s oceans, the Astoria continues to entertain guests in comfortable fashion. As the world’s oldest cruise ship still sailing, the Astoria has cruised under many different names. Her original name, of course, was the Stockholm. Launched in 1948, the Stockholm has gone down in history as the ship that accidentally collided with the Andrea Doria on July 25, …

Read moreAstoria Cruise: Exploring the Ship

Thanks to my high school English teacher Miss Frances Cappel, I knew the significance of the pearl sculpture on the beautiful malecon in La Paz, Mexico. I also knew a bit of the history of this Baja California Sur capital whose name means “The Peace.” For my first shore excursion stop on my Astoria cruise, I was looking forward to actually stepping foot in La Paz. My high school years are some decades in the past but …

Read moreAstoria Cruise: Visiting La Paz, the city of peace