Dad's Diary. Personal diary of Dal Sanders

 9/30/87 Well, it was none of that; a buffet I could have had at the Golden Corral in Pineville and a much greater variety of food and more than one piece of dessert.  10/01/87 Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Yesterday we turned some of the island of Puerto Rico by bus. A beautiful trip into the mountains and rain forest. Climbed the observation tower at the peak; took photos and listened to the tour guide. The National Park Service maintains the forest and conducts experiments in forestry products and some wildlife research.  We haven't purchased any souvenirs yet as our budget is limited and we want to wait until we dock on St. Thomas tomorrow where we've been told prices are much better.  Today; that is about 8 am we docked in the port on Tortola where we are at this time. We made a chance decision on the tour that turned out to be the wise decision. Instead of taking one of the recommended tours of the island of Tortola, we elected to make our own arrangements, ...

 San Juan, Puerto Rico 9/27/1987 Never thought thirty six years ago, that I would ever see this spot in the Atlantic Ocean again. The year 1951. Became necessary, due to family problems, that I leave the U. S. S. Wright; CVL, subsequently resulting in my discharge from the United States Navy. That, however is another story.  Mom and I are here today as winners; one of hundreds, in a sales contest sponsored by McDonough Corp. (Snapper Lawn Mowers). Qualifications were not based so much on how many we sold as how many we purchased, in increase over last year; 1986. Anyway, it's a life long dream vacation for Mom. She's thrilled to have the chance to sail on a cruise ship. She's looking forward to all the great exotic food. Haven't seen any of that yet. We are staying the first night; after a long flight out of New Orleans via Miami, at the "exotic" Condado Plaza Hotel. We ate dinner this evening at one of San Juan's "finest" restaurants, next to th...