PATTY STAHL ZIMMERMAN

Patty Z

PATTY STAHL ZIMMERMAN

Retirement plan has been excuted! I have been fully retired since April 12, 2017. I'm so glad I took the time to research and plan for the day I finally quit work. Every minute I spent on that endeavor was well worth it, as there have been no surprises either financially or how to use all the time I now have available. Jim and I "snowbird" it in the winter, and return to our lake home in MN each spring. We love being away from the snow and cold in the winter, the best part of the experience; meeting so many new friends. We've spent time in Gulf Shores, and Florida and will return to both until we're too old to pull our 5th wheel around behind us.
I had a hard time finding my blog, as I haven't been out here for a couple of years, but after a bit of searching here it is. We're planning a dive trip to Curacao in April, so I'll start posting again very soon. We are planning a cruise this fall (2018) and I'd like to hear from you "cruisers" what your likes and dislikes are as well as good experiences and trips vs- pitfalls, areas to avoid and even cruise companies you feel have the best service. Keep in mind we are casual people, not into fancy dinners or having to dress up everytime we leave our stateroom!

Days 3 and 4

Central America Caribbean » Curaçao April 19th 2018

Patty Z

I skipped diving on Tuesday because I thought it might be a good idea to give my knee a rest. Donna and I had a nice leisurely breakfast while Jim and Dave loaded onto the dive boat to go out for a couple of dives. We spent about 3 hours in the pool, and then went down to meet the dive boat when it came in and take a swim in the ocean. It was great, weather has been warm and sunny. In the afternoon we rested and stayed out of the sun as we had all had plenty of sun for one day. We then decided to do a little exploring and drive up to the north end of the island. Curacao is 45 miles long from tip to tail, and we are currently about ... read more

Curacao

Central America Caribbean » Curaçao April 16th 2018

Curacao 2018

Patty Z

It has been an interesting couple of days to say the very least. Originally our trip was going to begin Saturday morning 4/14, with a stay the night before in Minneapolis since we had a 5 a.m. flight. However, I'm sure you have all read about the huge storm, that barrelled across the plains slamming into central and southern Minnesota dropping over 2' of snow. American Airlines had the foresight to email passengers leaving on flights Saturday and Sunday allowing us to change our reservations at no cost. The second we received the email, I called and we managed to get out on a flight Friday night at 5 p.m. just ahead of the storm. So we arrived in Charlotte, NC Friday night to 79 degree temperatures, 12 hours earlier than originally planned. We met our ... read more

Akumal - Week #2

North America » Mexico » Quintana Roo » Akumal January 14th 2016

Inside of ferry stateroom

Patty Z

We left Cozumel Monday for the ferry ride back across the channel to Akumal. To my total and utter dismay it was raining and very windy which of course tranlasted to extremely rough seas. It was a tough 40 minutes, I sat in the middle of the ferry state room with a "blue bag" in one hand a kleenix in the other. Luckily I didn't have to use the "blue bag", but it was close, very close. We arrived in Playa del Carmen with 4 dive lockers and 4 backpacks, so had two pedicabs take our bags and we followed them on foot to the Hertz rental center. Two hours later and very frustrated, we finally had our rental car, and only then because the manager of the rental car center happened to come back into ... read more

Cozumel - January 2016 Days 5,6 and 7

North America » Mexico » Quintana Roo » Cozumel January 10th 2016

Patty and Julio (Dive Master)

Patty Z

We completed our last two dives today, but I will go back to where I left off and write about the high points over the last three days. Before I start, I'm sure it is evident that I haven't blogged about anything but diving. That's because this portion of the trip is only diving. Get up at 7:00, eat a light breakfast and gear up. On the boat by 8:30 or it leaves the dock without you, and it's an hour trip to almost ever dive site. Complete a dive (45-60 minutes) depending on air consumption, back on the boat to gas off, and in for the second dive. Another 45-60 minute dive and back on the boat for the hour ride back to shore. That's the first six hours of every day. We get back ... read more

Cozumel - 2016 Days 3-4

North America » Mexico January 7th 2016

Reef Diver

Patty Z

I'm Back!!! The weather finally improved Wednesday morning so we did a check out dive from shore to see what was working and what wasn't working, equipment wise. Unfortunately for me, my new fins I just bought were one of the things not working, they wouldn't stay clipped so I had to borrow a pair of fins from my friend for my check out dive and then go buy a pair. Other than having to add a little more weight to my new BCD, (vest that holds your tank on) things seemed pretty good. I ran across the street to the dive shop and bought a new pair of fins for the dive, boarded the boat and we left the dock at 1:30. We arrived at our first dive site about 2:30, geared up and jumped ... read more

Beautiful Aquamarine Waters of the Gulf.

Cozumel - January 3rd, 4th and 5th

North America » Mexico » Quintana Roo » Cozumel January 5th 2016

Scuba Club Cozumel

Patty Z

Here we are, third day on the road, and we still haven't put anything but our feet in the water!!! We arrived safe and sound in Cancun, on Sunday, January 3rd. Somehow =) and I'm not sure how, I managed to book myself in first class, while Jim was in Row 24!!! I flew on miles and we purchased Jim's ticket. I wasn't assigned a seat at the time we booked but found out the day before we left the airline assigned me a seat in first class!!! If I could fly first class every trip, I would fly every week. But for once United Airlines didn't disappoint us and we and our luggage arrived safely and on time to our destination. We met our friends Dave and Donna at the Comfort Inn, spent the night ... read more

Belize 2015 - Winding Down

Central America Caribbean » Belize » Stann Creek District » Placencia Village February 12th 2015

Breakfast at The Shak

Patty Z

I hate this part...................the end of a trip, so I'll recount the last couple of days and maybe have one more post after tonight's sunset cruise. One of the best parts of any trip are the people you meet from around the world who just like you, have decided to enjoy life by visiting other countries and sampling other cultures. This trip was no exception. Let me start with the people of Placencia Village. They are kind, helpful and very grateful you chose their village to visit. The vendors we have met and traded with on the beach are courteous and friendly, and are not that person in the U.S. you try not to look at when you pull up to a stop sign or stop light holding a sign asking you if you can spare ... read more

Belize - February 2015

Central America Caribbean » Belize » Stann Creek District » Placencia Village February 9th 2015

Mayan Chocolate Bar

Patty Z

It's been a few days so I have some catching up to do! I think the last time I posted, it was last Wednesday after our fishing/snorkeling tour and then our boat dive on Tuesday. Wednesday we took the day off and relaxed by the pool. It was somewhat cloudy and the locals said their was a "cool front" coming through from up north, so we stayed close to home. Thursday was another day of rest and lounging by the pool. Friday we decided to try our hand at being our own inland tour guides and to visit a chocolate factory and a spice farm. These tours are normally about $85 per person when using the local tour guides but since we have access to a vehicle we decided to try the tour on our own. ... read more

Placencia Belize Days 3 & 4

Central America Caribbean » Belize » Stann Creek District » Placencia February 5th 2015

Our Guide Alfred

Patty Z

It's been a busy couple of days! Tuesday we went on a dive trip (two tank) with Splash Dive Shop, and I cannot say enough good things about the dive operation. The boat was a 52' cabin cruiser set up for divers, with several crew members. We had about a 2:1 dive master to diver ratio which is unheard of! They did everything for us including setting up our BC's on our tanks, to helping put our fins on (nice but not necessary), assisted us in and out of the water, and took our fins off before we climbed back in the boat. We went to South Silk Caye which looked similar to something you would see on a postcard that says "Wish You Were Here". The entire island was maybe an acre with a few ... read more

Belize 2015 - Day 2

Central America Caribbean » Belize » Stann Creek District » Placencia February 2nd 2015

Jim and Patty

Patty Z

Today was a quiet day, one more day to shake the jet lag, and adjust to the heat and humidity. We drove to Splash Dive Shop today and set up our first dive trip for tomorrow, 2 tank boat dive, lunch and a snorkeling out on the Barrier Reef. We are all looking forward to the trip, me with trepidation because I don't like boats and our trip will start with a 40 - 60 minute boat ride to the reef. I've already started eating ginger pills to ward of sea sickness. I hope they work not only for my sake but for everyone else on the boat. We did do a little snorkeling today on our way back from the dive shop as it was hot and there is no air conditioning in the vehicle ... read more

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