We have been at sea for several days and it has been amazingly calm. (Knock on wood) It is amazing how you can adjust to almost anything. The fact that we hear the shows 3 times a day is getting less and less apparent. I do still wake up to the curtain being moved up and down, if I have just fallen asleep, but otherwise, I don’t hear much. Carter, of course, sleeps thru everything!
I spent almost one whole day trying to get the laundry done. I think I will have to find a better time. I started at 8am, when they allow the laundry to start, but it was full. I walked up and down those stairs with my bags of laundry at least 10 times before I found the machine available. Then when I went in to change stuff over to the dryer, I found that the entire floor was flooded. That didn’t affect the dryer, but it was just an added irritation.
We continue to have internet problems, but I am worried that I might have something on my computer. Whenever I put in the thumb drive, there is a pop up that asks if I want to renew my alcohol license. It must have popped up 6 times in one day. Weird. Carter wanted to check “Yes” just to see what would happen.
Well, the Captain’s dinner that I alluded to ended up being quite pleasant. There was a huge rectangular table with the captain and his wife in the middle, opposite each other and then Carter and me on the opposite ends of the long side. I could just see him with my glasses on. There were about 14-16 guests and although it started out awkward, it became quite fun. There are the suite people who have traveled on Holland America for over 1000 days. I just tried to remember all of my Southern teachings and asked questions and got them talking. Of course, I was seated between 2 men, but was able to easily speak and hear with several more people down the line.
One of the couples was recently married (must be in their 70’s) and he had a son just like ours. What adventures we could talk about. The other couple next to me had lived a very quiet life in Dallas, very Christian, involved in missionary works in Africa. He was a real estate developer, buying the land and then selling it. He didn’t do the building on the land. They had drawn back right before this bubble burst. There were 2 other couples also involved in real estate. One in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the other in Houston. The one was Houston was worried that they might not have stopped soon enough. Very interesting.
The food was fantastic at the dinner. I had wished Lisa could have been there to sample it. My favorite was a duck in a crispy croissant, with a blackberry and orange sauce and tiny, tiny vegetables. Everything was small, thank goodness, but there seemed to be course after course. The soup was also interesting and most flavorful, a salmon one. I have never been a fan of fish soup, but this was fantastic.
The table decorations were red roses in shallow bowls, swimming among small pieces of what looked like drift wood. I doubt that I have ever noticed table decorations unless they have been pointed out to me, so these were impressive. Then from the ceiling were more of the same, hanging down in a dramatic presentation. The florists are so much fun to follow. They love the exotic flowers they are working with – all the flowers are ordered thru the Holland office, so it always a surprise, as well as a challenge. They have to make it work.
Last night was another cocktail party. We get invited to every one of them and are expected to attend, if only for a shot time. Of course, Carter gets cornered and we stay the entire time. If I were to drink at each of the functions, I would be drunk as a skunk and growing bigger and bigger. I have found that Perrier works fine, and I avoid the appetizers. Last night we ate before we went, which was a great help in decreasing the temptations.
posted by Hills @ 9:09 AM
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