In a rush withoutphotos

Bucky, our roving ramporter ,was such a good sheep that we agreed he could accompany us on our cruise to Hawaii.  He was very modest and self-effacing while on the train to Seattle and on the bus from Seattle to Vancouver.  He even kept a low profile while we were wandering around Vancouver.  But as soon as we got on the ship – in fact, as soon as we got in line to get on the ship, Bucky popped out of my knapsack and began charming everyone.  Waving at other folks in line.  Holding onto my boarding pass for me. Rudy, our room steward, scratched  Bucky behind the ears.  All of the ladies in the spa flirted with him, tickling his tummy and massaging his scalp.  I may take him into the beauty salon for a little trim around the fetlocks.  Bucky just makes people smile!

So now, DH is at a travel tips seminar, Bucky is ruminating, and I have unpacked all our luggage.  I LOVE moving into a cruise ship cabin.  Part of it is the joy of taking possession. This  is MY room.  This is the drawer for MY underwear.  Here is where MY t-shirts belong.  I have taken over this side of the sink.  If I were a tomcat, I would pee on every doorpost in the area.  Mine.  MINE!

It’s also a lot of fun to find the ingenious storage hidey holes.  There are drawers under the foot of the bed.  There are shelves under the bathroom sink.  There are shelves above the closet rods.  Suitcases fit under the bed.  There are shelves above the TV.  And there are lots and lots of hangers.  Carnival gives you about 6 hangers, but Holland America provides about 24 hangers.  Very accommodating!

4/29 

Yesterday, our first full day at sea was quite rough – 10 – 12ft swells -.  Kyle had taken one Meclizine, but when it came time for breakfast and we were seated clear in the stern, the motion was amplified, the light bouncing off the wake was intense, and there was a wait for the American breakfast Kyle had ordered because everyone wanted it.   It was too much and he took his slightly green self back to the room.  Now he knows that he should have 2 pills instead of one.

I had a Japanese breakfast, which always causes comment  but is so much easier on a queasy stomach. When I got back to the room, Kyle was wrapped in blankets and being brave.  I grabbed my knitting , pulled the drapes, and  left him to suffer in peace.  He slept most of the day except for a brief lunch foray to the Lido, and was feeling much  better for dinner.

He looked around and remarked that all the walkers and scooters lined up in the entry made him think of a Biker bar with motorcycles parked out front.  But with this group, all it will take is one swift kick to knock over all the riders, instead of all the bikes.  And they won’t get up and beat you to a pulp like bikers would.  You don’t want to try it though, because they don’t get to be octegenarians by being soft and stupid, so they will surely find a number of ways to get revenge.

Bucky also had a touch of mal-de-mer,  so stayed quietly in the cabin most of yesterday.  

But today is much calmer, so  Kyle and Bucky are both feeling more the thing.  I’ve gotten a number of photos of Bucky around the ship.  He’s quite the popular young ram and loves flirting with the girls.  When we get to Hawaii, I’m going to find an internet café and upload a bucket-o-blogging.

We are into our second full day at sea and still not halfway to Hawaii.  I adore this languid, leisurely pace.  I could almost swear my pulse has slowed to just about one beat a minute.  I think of my friends who are going through surgery right now, or fighting cancer, or facing other troubles, and I send them great armloads of peace and calmness.  I send an ocean empty of trouble from horizon to horizon. I send a sky full of fresh air and clean breezes.  I am sending them to you in particular and you know who you are.  I don’t want to share your name on the internet.

I have learned to be especially cautious because many of the staff are quite computer literate, and they come from terribly poor countries where they can make a buck just by providing name and nationality to scammers.  

4/ ?? Sunday , somewhere south of  the overcast.

Sleeping in, time changes give an extra hour every two days.  Eating.  Relaxing, eating, watching the ocean, eating, relaxing. Formal night last night.  I brought all my gowns and forgot all the jackets.  Crap!  But, one gown is purple, and Dave Daniels gave me a piece of hand-dyed silk in shades of purple, lavender and blue, and it made a stunning stole.  Dave, you saved my cupcakes!