Water, Water, Everywhere!
November 12, 2013
We understand that today (11/12/13) is supposed to be a lucky day. With that notion in mind, we went to the casino and returned empty handed. Do you think that is because we are not in the US and here perhaps the date is as in Europe, the day first, thus it is really 12/11/13? That is our explanation anyway. We did find an interesting slot machine entitle Happy Camper and are wondering if that should be an addition to Smoky Mountain Adventure Camp. If one gets 5 campfires or s’mores or flashlights on one line, the jackpot is yours!
“So, how do you spend your time out in the middle of the Atlantic for six days?” you might ask. Well, there is the usual cruise activities. We won’t discuss those in detail. But, yes, to be perfectly honest, we did our share of sun worshipping, reading, eating, gambling (as already mentioned) and checking out the cruise entertainment and activities.
Not everyone can boast a gold medal though. George can. He won the ship wide FOOSBALL contest. Yep, #1! That’s our George. All those years at NGC paid off in more ways than one can imagine. Whatever else he learned or didn’t learn at NGC, he did learn how to play foosball. The two young staff members hosting the event were appalled that they couldn’t beat George and his partner. His partner was an older lady from California who said she hadn’t played in 30 years. She was good then, or so she said. As George says, “She was good enough.”
I enrolled in a Pilates class and will confess that I would not have returned to Class #2 if I hadn’t paid good money up front. Class 2 and the following classes were great but tough. I felt pretty proud until the lady next to me told me she was celebrating her 52nd wedding anniversary. So, how old does that make her? Seriously, a great group and some good friends.
Shelly and Rey have been so good about walking their 30 laps everyday on the Sports Deck. George and I do it most days and visit the gym semi regularly. We’ve all elected relatively healthy food choices and have avoided the megabars. But, OK, sometimes the desserts are just too tempting. Ask George about the melting cake!
There is mini-golf, shuffleboard, bean bag toss, pool, basketball, Twister, and larger than life checkers/chess. We’ve tried most of those. Determined to do the high ropes course before we reach New Orleans.
The ridiculous priced wifi has allowed us contact with family. It seems that grandchildren wait on no one. Asa is walking and Hayden is crawling. Skype calling is the next best thing to being there. We’ll be home before long, kiddos. Save the next big feat until then, please!
Sorry, Carnival but the entertainment still stinks. We went to the family-friendly comedian a few days ago. It wasn’t my definition of family friendly so decided to skip the R rated version later in the night. We have had two wonderful surprises in the entertainment field, though.
First, there is Seth Gibson. He is an awesome piano player appearing nightly in Sam’s Piano Bar so we hear the Cheers jingle quite often. He is probably one of the most talented pianist I’ve heard. He looks a cross between Korby and Everett (if anyone reading this knows who they are) and quite entertaining. He can play Jerry Lee Lewis almost as good as my daddy could and he could perform A Boy Named Sue just like George, oh , and Johnny Cash. He did a whole concert featuring Billy Joel. He jumps from one cruise line to another. See him if you can. Oh, and back to Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis…..he tells a story of working with someone in a recording studio who knew both. He asked about them and their work. His friend replied, “Both were talented. Everybody loved Elvis and that Jerry Lee, he was just nuts!”
Then, there is the singing maître d’, Ken. He, an Irish gentlemen, performs nightly in the dining room. I guess everyone was tired of the comedians and he agreed, according to him, the only time in his 20 years in the cruise business, to hold a concert one afternoon. AWESOME. He performed only Frank Sinatra songs and it was wonderful. Wish I could take home a CD of both he and Seth!
We’ve read, and read, and read. The last three books I read, without planning it this way, have all been about immigration. Hmmm. One was humorous (Sedaris), one was entertaining and thought provoking (Kingsolver) and one was troubling (Boyle), and even more so for me because the story was so much like real stories my students have told me in the past. Looking for a light read now.
It is Day Six at Sea. Tomorrow we reach Grand Turk. I am looking forward to setting foot on land. This has been great and it sure beats flying, in my book, but land will be a nice thing to see. We’ve seen no ships in the distance, nothing, for days. Calm seas and smooth sailing, and for that we are thankful!
