Day 489 - At Sea

M&D2 are still recuperating from jetlag, so they enjoyed a nice lie in. I left them alone for the day & when I found them later on in the day, they had been outside for a while & started to find their way around. Dad2 went for a smoke & I showed Mom2 around the ship. She didn’t realize there was so much on the ship! They hadn’t explored too much! She was going to show Dad2 later on.

Our dinner reservation was for 1830. Jaco was later than I was, so we had a late start to our dinner. Jaco also had to do the wave tonight at the Captain’s Welcome Aboard party, so we left half-way through our dinner to watch Jaco be introduced by Captain Stenzil & take a photo of him on stage. We then returned to our table to have dessert. I think we may have had the longest dinner on record!

After our dinner, we went out into the atrium & had some portraits taken by Craig on the stairs & then by Larisa on the white background. M&D2 were so cute, as they started to take their own photo on the backdrop after the Photographer had finished. I gently shuffled them away & told them that is a big no-no in Photog territory!

I wore the Jennifer wig this evening & confused a few people along the way. Oh what fun! I’ve also lost a little more weight, as my pants were a lot looser than they were a week ago! Yay! Probably due to the fact that I haven’t been eating much, as I don’t have a blender! Jaco thought I could use one on board, but when I arrived, we discovered the extras are all in need of repair. Looks like I’m blender-less until Aruba.

Mom2 looked absolutely stunning in her navy velvet gown & of course, Dad2 looked handsome as ever in his Italian silk suit. And naturally, Jaco looked like a million bucks. I’m so lucky!

xxxxMaria

Jaco during the Captain's Welcome Speech

Trying to look smart in Mom2's new specs

Jaco looking smart in de specs

Awh! What a lovely couple!

Larisa taking some stunning portraits

Day 192 - Grenada

Today was a short port day. We sailed at 1400, which meant all crew & passengers had to be onboard by 1330. By the time I got myself organized & then Valentina organized, it was nearly noon when we exited the ship.

Today was Sunday, so no wig shopping for me. :o( I thought I might get lucky & find something in the terminal, but no. I took Valentina for a walk over to the water taxi station & on our way there, a local girl & her Mom stopped to visit with Valentina. They were very impressed with her. They wanted to know if she had puppies & when I said no, they told me I needed to come back & make sure she had puppies on the ship next time so they could get one! Yeesh, they really liked her! They were selling spice necklaces, so I bought one from them. I bought some last time I was here & they are delicious! The have nutmeg, cloves, lemongrass, cocoa beans, and saffron(?) on them. Grenada is known as the Spice Island.

I found a shirt for Eddie. He had been mentioning a particular pirate shirt he was after – ‘The beatings will continue until morale improves’ but he wanted a white t-shirt & they are generally in black. One of the shops in the terminal had white ones, so that would be his thank you gift for taking Jaco & I out during our visit.

I also met a security guard who was a pleasure to visit with. She has 5 children & offered one to Jaco & I if we can’t have our own. :o) I told her our story & she is going to pray for my health to return quickly.

I must say, the people in the Caribbean are incredibly helpful. I have been here many times before, but I don’t recall everyone being this hospitable. It’s wonderful!

I went back to the ship & headed upstairs for a bite to eat. I ended up sitting with 2 wonderful couples from eastern USA, Pennsylvania, I think! We had a great chat & I hope I’ll bump into them again throughout the rest of the trip. They are going to have a great time!

Tonight was also formal night and Jaco had to do his ‘wave’ when the Captain introduced the Senior Officers onboard. The Captain approached me after the introductions were finished & said hello. I worked the Captain Stenzel previously & he is a wonderful man. He would officiate the weddings & I always thought he put a little extra TLC into the ceremony that many others didn’t. Anyhow, he saw Valentina’s bag & clearly didn’t realize I had a dog inside. He asked me if I’d just arrived & had I been dropped off, luggage & all? I didn’t want to tell him, no, there’s actually a dog inside, so I just laughed along with him. He & Jaco will be leaving on the same day.

Jaco & I decided to go for pizza after the ‘wave’ & then a few portraits with Valentina & Eddie. Oh dear, we had quite the crowd! I’m sure I’ll be hearing about it tomorrow! NOTE TO SELF: Wear dark glasses & big hat!

Just another day in paradise! Here’s to a wonderful sleep & a fine day in Bonaire tomorrow! Lekker slaap!

Maria, Jaco & Valentina

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Look near the bottom of the shot - on the rocks...

Big building across the street from the terminal area

Jaco doing his 'wave'

Out for Pizza

Portraits

What a pair!

Happy girls!

Eddie joins the family!