On September 8, 2016, enthusiastic fans of the original Star Trek series celebrated the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking series’ premiere on NBC in 1966.

On September 11, 2016, Americans mourned on the solemn 15th anniversary of the 2001 heinous attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon perpetrated by Al Qaeda terrorists.

These two anniversaries presented a stark contrast. September 8 was a celebratory day of remembrance for the hopeful vision of the world’s future that Gene Roddenberry posited back in the second half of the 20th century. One hundred eighty degrees in the opposite direction, one of mourning, the September 11 memorial brought back the pain of loss but also served as a compelling reminder of American resiliency in the stark, depressing reality of early 21st century life in the shadow of terrorism.

If you’ve read some of my previous posts, you know that I’m a longtime devotee of science fiction and a fan of Star Trek. The original series captured my imagination not only because of its representation of future technology and space travel, but also because of its portrayal of a peaceful future in which all people are equal, tolerant of others and the beliefs of others, and in which Good always triumphs over Evil.

Members of the bridge crew of the starship Enterprise are a visible representation of Star Trek’s positive view of the future. They are of various races and nationalities working together as a team of equals. Communications officer Lt. Uhura is a black female in a position of authority, something virtually unknown for blacks and women on TV programs in 1966. It was the reason Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., urged Nichelle Nichols not to quit when she contemplated leaving the show. Helmsman Lt. Sulu is Japanese, an officer rather than a spy, ninja, or house boy as many asians were cast back then. Navigator Ensign Chekov is Russian, included in the cast despite America and Russia being opponents in a Cold War at the time the series was broadcast. Science officer Spock is a mixed race alien, human and Vulcan, at a time in our history when mixed race couples and their offspring were the targets of much intolerance.

In many of its episodes, Star Trek spat in the face of racism, politics, and militarism. The show and its writers got away with it because Star Trek was pitched as Wagon Train to the Stars, was set in the future, and because clueless network executives at that time thought the scripts had nothing to do with what was going on in the present day.

Flash forward to the reality of today. In the 21st century, Earth is in the infancy of space travel, but equality, tolerance, and peace are still beyond the reach of its people. Aside from being engaged in war after territorial war, and dealing with rogue nations such as North Korea and Iran that have acquired nuclear capability, the more civilized nations of the planet are increasingly under attack from several Islamic terrorist organizations, Al Qaeda and ISIS being chief among them. These fanatical terrorist organizations have carried out barbaric attacks against western civilization and on followers of religions other than Islam. They have zero tolerance for non-Muslims, they discriminate against and enslave women and refuse to allow them to be educated, and they persecute and execute those who practice alternative lifestyles such as homosexuality. They have no respect for life; they are a cult of death. They have formed a caliphate and mean to impose their perverted version of Islam and sharia on the rest of the world. None of the above could be farther from the positive vision of Star Trek.

On Saturday, I enjoyed watching a Star Trek 50th anniversary marathon on BBC America. I sat through episode after episode, each portraying a hopeful view of the future. On Sunday, I grieved as I observed the 9/11 memorial ceremonies at Ground Zero. I still remember my shock and disbelief when I watched the horrific events of that day unfold on live television, how I wept when the towers fell, and how I couldn’t stop weeping afterward. I will never forget that day.

Our world is a troubled and dangerous place at present. In the current battle between Good and Evil, it is possible that Evil may triumph because Good has grown weak and does not have the will to fight hard enough to win. Life under the tyranny of unrelenting Evil does not bode well for building a future of tolerance, equality, and peace. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Pity. It would be such a blessing if the world of today and the world of tomorrow were more like the world of Star Trek.

We had fits trying to think of a new and unusual getaway this year that was also romantic.  That is so embarrassing for a writer of romance to admit. Oh, the shame of it all.

Our first big anniversary getaway was a tour of Italy. Our anniversary falls in July, which is undisputedly the most wretchedly hot and humid month of summer. We traveled through Italy on a tour bus with inoperative air-conditioning, drowning in perspiration. Have you ever tried to bite into a semi-liquid chocolate bar from Perugia? Most of the hotel rooms were “naturally air-conditioned” too. It was so hot that summer in Italy I gave up wearing a bra. I gave up wearing makeup too because it melted and slid off my face.

Great Britain was the next big destination for a romantic anniversary getaway. This time, we decided July weather would be too uncomfortable for travel. MG prefers cooler temperatures, so we postponed the trip to October—when airfare and hotel rates were lower too. As we were leaving for the airport, MG chided me for choosing a London Fog jacket lined with Thinsulate. It isn’t winter yet so take something lighter, he said. You won’t need anything that heavy, he said. You’ll wish you’d taken something lighter when you have to lug that jacket all over the airport and all over England, he said. He made me doubt myself and I caved. I took a lightweight unlined jacket instead. Big, big, colossally big mistake. That year, England had its wettest and coldest October on record. In my attempt to stay warm and dry, I dressed in several layers—which is to say that each day in England I wore every item of clothing I packed for the trip, with the exception of two dressy evening outfits. Memo to Self: trust your own instincts.

We travelled with another couple on the Hawaiian anniversary getaway. They were also celebrating a big anniversary. The thing about travelling with other people is that sometimes you have to do the things they want to do that you would rather not do because you would sooner crawl naked through shards of broken glass, or have your wisdom teeth pulled without anesthesia, or exercise daily, than do those things that they want to do. Those two were avid golfers like MG. The three of them wanted to play golf on Maui. They played. I hacked—you really couldn’t call what I did golfing. One of the things I wanted to do was the helicopter tour of Maui with the flyby of the Haleakala volcano. I got to sit next to the pilot and literally had a bird’s eye view of the landscape below and of the volcano. The copter dove and wove as it flew over the island, none of which bothered me a bit. The others, well, they all got sick to some degree—headaches, dizziness, vomiting when we landed—even sicker than I got playing golf. Revenge can be so sweet.

The weather put a damper on the anniversary cruise to Alaska. It would have been a fairly romantic getaway if it weren’t so darn wet nearly all the time. It rained every day but two, the only days we got to use the veranda on the cabin we booked. We couldn’t see the coastal mountains for all the rain clouds. The waves were choppy from the wind and rain, and it wasn’t long before MG got seasick. That also put a damper on romance. Drat. While he languished in the cabin, I visited the spa and worked out. It almost felt like being single again.

We dared to plan another romantic cruise getaway for another big milestone anniversary. This time, we settled on the Mediterranean. In our excitement, we told MG’s family about our plans. It turned out that three of them had always wanted to do a Mediterranean cruise. Their eyes lit up. They thought it would be a great idea if we all went on the cruise together. O joy. The more the merrier. Doesn’t that sound romantic? MG could have told them that the cruise was to be a romantic anniversary celebration for just the two of us. No such luck. He couldn’t disappoint his older sister, who was recently widowed. So, when we all gathered around the computer to book the cruise, MG and I were in the minority. We didn’t get to book the cruise line and itinerary of our choice because we were outvoted. The others voted for Carnival, which caters to the party crowd and has less expensive fares than the cruise line of our choice. There was no opportunity for a romantic moonlight stroll on the promenade deck because there was an hours-long party on deck every night. The deck was lit up like Times Square and the band was louder than an H-Bomb blast. So much for romance. The cuisine wasn’t all that great either. ::sigh::

To mark our next big anniversary, we never left Michigan. We stayed at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island—just the two of us—on a three-day romantic getaway package. It was so lovely and elegant. They filmed Somewhere in Time there for good reason. It is definitely a very romantic setting. We had a large room with a king-size bed, a dining nook, and a sitting area. Our welcome package in the room included champagne, cheeses, crackers, fruit, Mackinac Island fudge [Yum!], and fresh cut flowers. We also received a romantic carriage ride up to the island’s bluffs, and high tea one afternoon while being entertained by a trio of musicians. The meals were exquisite, the service impeccable, and the views absolutely gorgeous. Love the rockers on the porch too. I would go back again in a heartbeat.

So, we finally decided that this year we would do Detroit—go to a Tigers game and then stay at one of the luxury hotels, maybe visit a casino and/or the Henry Ford Museum, do something to please each of us. Well, those Tigers foiled our plans by having away games scheduled this week and almost for the rest of July. If we stick with the plan, we’ll have to celebrate in August some time. I think we’ll work it out. MG is so pumped to finally go to a Tigers game that it should put him in a very good mood—if they win, of course. In the meantime, on the evening of our anniversary, we satisfied MG’s craving for a Bloomin’ Onion and had a casual dinner at The Outback. It wasn’t spectacular, but then I didn’t have to cook, so yay!

You would think that travelling to faraway places would be more romantic than your own backyard. Oddly enough, we had better luck in the romance department closer to home by staying at the Grand Hotel. It appears that Dorothy was right after all. There’s no place like home, because home is where the heart is—and the romance too it seems. #romanticgetaways #anniversaries #cruises #GrandHotel