So Sorry about that... (((( HUG ))))

Thanks for asking! 8 days total, including one nite in Miami, to make sure I don't miss the ship this time! Using my credit that Carnival was holding, from failed cruise last year, so the only the only amt I had to dish out was for insurance. Going on Carnival Triumph (newly renovated), from Miami, to San Juan, St Thomas (Christmas Eve), St Maarten (Christmas Day). With a balcony, on the top deck, close to pools, activities and FOOD :o) And YES, I heard from Ginger and we are going to meet for tea before the ship leaves Christmas Eve. Yea!

I can't tell that I have been to the race in person- but I have 2 friends who are experienced in one way or another with the race. First person is a friend- she was my surgery partner. She is a dog lover- takes correct care of her animals. Her brother was either the boyfriend or was engaged to the winner of several years ago-4 times- Susan Butcher. My friend was up there several times, and was amazed at the absolute devotion and care that Susan gave her animals. The second friend is also a fellow nurse- she and her husband raced dogs here in Wyoming- then moved to Anchorage because she and her husband wanted to race more intensely. I knew exactly how this friend and husband took care of their dogs- they were good friends, and were did alot together with the dogs. After they moved to Alaska, they told me how dedicated almost all of the mushers are- thier dogs come first. There will always be a bad apple in any group. Do you believe that the Olympics are bad? There have been horses lost in the Olympics- the compitition is extremely strenuous, and sometimes injuries happen or a cardiac abnormalty will cause death that the very well taken care of horses had that the Team was not aware of. I do agree that maybe the Olympic course could be less strenuous. PETA is not a group that makes much sense. They don't think that ANY animal should be a pet- they don't even think that a dog or cat should be on a leash, be owned by a human- NOTHING. I guess they would rather have dogs and cats run wild, getting hit by cars, starving, reproducing at will. They are overboard. I agree with not using animals for testing if possible- especially for cosmetic makeup. Anyway- from what I have learned from both of my friends, the race is well monitored- there are mandatory rests, vet checks, and a van that follows them to take a dog out of the race if it appears too tired or ill to race. If mushers treat thier dogs badly at home, that is a reflection of the owner/musher- not the ideals of the race. Did you know that the Iditerod is the only race that having the dogs wear leather booties is mandatory? Being in the atmoshere of the race, and being able to follow the race would be great. If you are dressed right, you are warm. I just went through 2 weeks of temps down to -19 below, and was never cold, as we are dressed for it. Either place you choose to go will be a wonderful adventure- why can you go to the get-together in Italy this year and go to Alaska next year? I would not want to miss either.

On a Mac open the PDF file; right-click and choose "Open With"; select "Preview.app"; pull down the File menu and select "Export"; change the Format to JPG and select the desired quality to Best and 150 dpi. There are many free online PDF to JPG converters that allow you to choose the size/quality of the final JPG file. Here is a simple one Here is an example of PDF converted in Preview. If these methods don't work it may be because the PDF file was created at a low resolution (e.g. 72 dpi for screen viewing rather than printing).