week 6

maven on the port talks

Valentines Decorations

Eating and reading the things he does best

Half way across the Atlantic

Pat and myself soaking up the sun

Bill Napping

Dinner at the Pinnacle with Brad and Gloria

Cooking class with Shawn and Ray

WEEK SIX

“TRAVEL IS MORE THAN SEEING OF SIGHTS; IT IS A CHANGE THAT GOES ON, DEEP AND PERMANENT, IN THE IDEAS OF LIVING”

Miriam Beard

CRUISING SEA CAMP 8 DAYS

Day one, was full of activities. Slept in , met with the Cruise Critic group. Can you believe a new couple joined us in BA. He was born and raised on North Hill. Had fun talking old Akron. then I was off to Cooking Class. Lunch with Brad and Gloria. Sat out at the pool with Lotti and Peter. A beautiful weather day. Lots of sun and just enough breeze to keep you comfortable. Even went swimming. Felt good to move and be outside. Later In the Afternoon played dominois with Jack and Lois.

Worked on my pictures and transferred them to the computer. Dinner, a drink with Pat and Berry and we then ended the day with a stop in the Casino.

A very fun day at Camp. Not hard to be spoiled.

Day 2

Lecture this morning on Color. Speaker was Mary Ellen loapp. I could have done better. Lots of people walked out. I wonder what some of the speakers think about when they prepare there talks. They must think we are senile and they talk to us like kindergarten children. They better reevaluate if they want anyone to come back to their next one.

Lunch with Esther and John Dick. These are the neighbors of the Druckers in Ft .Myers. They are very nice and very friendly. From there , Bill went to read, and I went to Craft Class. Painted a T-shirt. Really silly stuff but fun doing it with new friends.

From there we went and played phase 10 with Lois and Jack. The weather today is cloudy and very humid. Dinner and the Show. Another day at camp

I have sort of given up on walking. Worried about falling. Unfortunately 2 people have had to leave the ship with broken hips and sholders. Not looking for trouble so I will have to wait until spring when we come home. Walking around the ship and cities we visit will have to do.

Day 3, packed with activities. Started my day with a cooking class. Ray Bear is the guest chef for the next week. Learned how to debone a oornish hen and make a wonderful apple dessert. Again we were served in the fancy Pinacle dining room. Very nice to sit at the table and eat and critique the food we prepared with the guest chef and the ship chef Shawn. They are both from Halifax, and I love their accents. While I was cooking, Bill went to a lecture on Africa. Dr. Robert Schrire, Director of the Policy Instutite of the University of Cape Town. He enjoyed that very much.

Back to arts and crafts to finish my T-shirt, turn our clocks ahead an hour and hurry off to book group. Started a new book, Cry, the Beloved Country, written in 1948. About Africa so its very pertinent to what we are seeing.

Of course its Friday so to Services we went. Our congregation is getting bigger. Met a friend of Anna Lee’s ,.Nadine and her significant other.. She is her party planner. Small world

Sat out side for awhile. To day the sun is out and not to much wind. FRESH AIR. Dinner and day is done. Whew, camp is very tiring…….

Fantastic Day 3

What a way to spend Sabbath. Travel guide Barbara gave a lecture on our next two ports, Walvis Bay and Luderitz. We are going to be in the Nimibia Desert in a few days.

At 11, we were invited to the 2 star Mariners lunch. Of course half the ship is a two star traveler. We expect to be 3 star before the end of our cruise. Still A long way from 4. one person has more days on Holland American Ships than the Captain. Big applause. Champagne in the morning. Bill was frowning at me of course.

Out to the pool with my book for a few hours The weather is warm and the sea calm. And most of all I need fresh air. I met Bill and we went for our hot stone massage. They heat stones, along with a lot of lotions and cremes and rub out every ache and pain. She had the perfect touch. One hour of pure bliss. .Even Bill enjoyed it. Who every thought this one up we thank them. We will have to go again in a few weeks

We turned our clocks forward this afternoon as we sail into a new time zone. We are now 6 hours ahead of Ohio and Florida. Think we have one more hour to forward before Cape Town. We are in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean, very deep and very far from land. Still no TV. Dinner and the Show tonight, that ends another day at Sea Camp.

DAY 4 HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY

Still busy going to Port lectures. Today was Cape Town. Barbara, port lecturer, makes the ports very exciting. Can hardly wait. My camera batteries are charged and I only hope I can do the scenery justice. If not I always can add a few of Brads.

In the afternoon I went to book group and Bill took a nap. He needs his beauty sleep for tonight. That is what is so nice about a cruise. We can each do our own thing.

Rabbi Mintz asked us to make a minyon this week for a passanger that lost her sister today. Real Life goes on even if we don’t want it to, and everyone has come together and helped to make it easier. Sitting chiva in the middle of the ocean not knowing anyone yet a jewish community on board. Says a lot about our traditions

Tonight the Valentine‘s Day Ball. We watched from the balcony and critique everyones outfits including the men. You wouldn’t believe some of the get-ups. Tonight they also are offering $1.00 blackjack tables. You know I couldn’t miss that. Played for awhile and came away with most of my money. For a buck you can really enjoy playing. From there we went up to the crow s nest for people watching and a coke. That is where the 50 and 60 year olds gather late at night. On ball nights the crew has to show up and dance with the singles. People watching couldn’t be better than here. Outfits, jewelry and how much everyone drinks. I would like to have the total in cash of the bar bill from the ship when we dock in Seattle. The amount of drinking that goes on is amazing and that is what you see. What about all the booze bought on shore and consumed in the cabins. I bet the amount is staggering. Gave up around midnight. Thus ends 40 days cruising.

DAY 5

Decided to take a day and try and catch up on my reading. So far all we have done is kibbitz with everyone that walks by.

Invited to lunch with Bert and Ernie, the Vertuoso cruise directors on board. To our surprise they also invited the guest lecture Dr. Robert Schrire and his wife. Also another couple now living in Vancouver. Originally they are from Denmark and England. Both worked in the diplomatic core. Makes one feel so infirior to everything everyone has accomplished. A whole ship of rich educated people. He was wonderful company and told us all about Cape Town and his economic out look for South Africa. His wife looks like Phyliss Diller.and has a wolf for pat. Enough said.

Tonight dinner and another day ends. Will have to come back home early tonight so I can read. Lost another hour today, so we are now 7 hours ahead of home. That’s why I am behind. Lost 7 hours.

DAY 6

Lecture this morning on Port Elizabeth and Durban. Meeting with Cruise Critic to plan our 4 x 4 truck ride through the dessert in Namibia.

We are in a new time zone. Crossed the Greenwich Meridian Line. We have sailed 12,939.02 nautical miles from Ft Lauderdale. 800 more to Wavis Bay on Thursday. Sunrise is 7:30 and sunset 8:30. The stars are clear and sparkling each night. we come back to the cabin at night and go outside and watch the starts. Black, black night, black, black sea, the stars just twinkle. This is fairy land.

Listened to the lecture by Howard Walker on South Aftrica: Africa’s Great Power in the morning and then Robert Schrire in the afternoon. One minute they give you hope and the next minute despair. Unemployment is 30% or more. How can they solve such great problems. Schrire has hope and encouraged us to invest in South Africa.

Book group to wrap up the story on Africa. Minyan after that and the afternoon is finished, time for dinner and Mardi Gras. Everyone went up to the Crows Nest and had a blast. The innies tell me it was the best party ever on any cruise ship they have been on..

Had dinner in the Pinnacle Dining room with Brad and Gloria. They are wonderful company and we ate for two hours. To much food and wine. They serve many courses on beautiful china dishes and linen tablecloths. I have been taking cooking lessons with the head chef of the Pinnacle,Shawn. Makes looking at his presentations a much more critical. They do a nice job trying to please everyone.

After dinner went to the Casino and met up with Lois and Lottie. Dollar night at the Blackjack table. I am doing better playing blackjack then the slots. Broke even for a few hours play, not back for a beginner. Bill went to the show and enjoyed his evening and then we both went to bed. Another great day at Sea.

All in all crossing the ocean has not been bad at all. I am sure some people are bored but that is their fault. Plenty to do if you go and do it. People seem very friendly and you can do as much or as little as you like. For me, I have been kept quite busy and if I don’t think about it , I forget I am at sea. The biggest plus is that the sea has been pretty calm. Only miss TV in the middle of the night, so I have been listening to music and reading. Most multi-cruisers really enjoy the sea days. They play bridge all day and also have classes. The readers are in the Library, with books, computers, jigsaw puzzles and of course coffee and all the sweets you can imagine. People talking in groups, not a quite zone but lots of fun to be there. Tomorrow is the last day of Camp Sea. Should be very busy with special invitations to parties. 40 days and 40 nights across the great oceans. What a treat and joy it has been. I hope you all enjoy the pictures of our activities. Please notice how long my hair is getting. I am not going to cut it untill I come home. Can’t lose my power, but I am not as tired as the pictures show. Sitting in the sun I have a suntan started. We are just having a great time.