Dec. something - vacation Monday

It’s six thirty AM. I’m sitting on our cabin’s balcony wearing the fluffy white bathrobe the ship provides, watching a squall blow over us while we pull in to St. Thomas. I wish you could be here, because these dinky flat little pictures don’t carry the astounding feel of the warm moist air sliding over your skin like a lover’s breath. You are missing out on the hissing of the approaching squall, and the rapidly changing colors in the clouds. I love tropical clouds! They are voluptuous. And with the rising sun, they are blushing and blooming like giant pastel cauliflowers.

On the other hand, you are missing the sound of the guy on the next balcony, belching, snorting, and producing a symphony of disgusting early morning sounds. If he has a wife, I hope she loves him dearly, because only that would make him endurable. Talk about breaking the mood!

Last night, after the lifeboat drill, (When they use the time while we are all herded out to our lifeboat stations like a flock of querulous sheep, to check every hiding place and make absolutely sure there are no stowaways.) DH let me have first shot at the shower, and then I fell into bed like a sack of jelly. But when the first long roller slid under the ship, I roused enough to be happy, happy! I love sleeping on board. This is the quiet Caribbean, and the ship has big effective stabilizers, so most of the time all you feel is a somnolent steady rocking. “Cradle of the deep” indeed.

DH and I will be going to Magen’s Bay for snorkeling today, and then back to the dockside mall for some targeted shopping. St. Thomas is a duty-free port, so most of the three thousand people on board will be in the downtown shopping area, elbow to elbow with one another, grabbing up duty-free jewelry, perfume, electronics and designer clothing. I am looking for some nice table linens, and some perfume for Christmas gifts. DH is headed for the high-end deli to pick up some pate’ de fois gras.