Happy Birthday, Neal

In Gulf of Aden


Each of us woke up several times before and after dawn but we kept still and tried to get more sleep. Eventually Ed got up a little before 9 and I followed him. We wanted the morning show for the details about the Crew’s upcoming show which will be great fun. They did an advertising type video where they went to the work site or cabins of the participants to interview them. One poor fellow works at night and there was a “night worker” sign on his cabin door. He has the upper bunk and still had his cafeteria hat on. I was glad to see they have curtains around their bunks so they have some privacy. Of course all of this was arranged in advance but it is still cute and we are all interested in how they actually live in those rabbit warrens downstairs.
Computer audit: nobody showed up to take the class though there was another woman there to audit it along with me so I went to the lecture.
Port talk: Sharm El Sheik
This is a new place for us and the only way I know anything about it is because of the terrorist bombing there a while ago. Just think of the selling points: visit all the places where terrorists have set off bombs! This place appears to be mostly a snorkel and SCUBA site but they do have a few restaurants and it looks like, souks. The trip we’d like to take, to see Mt. Catherine, is too far away and too long to do on this brief port stop. Darn.
Trivia
We didn’t think we’d done well at all but we wound up in a tie breaker with another team. Since we both got the correct answer to the tie breaker question, the staff simply gave all 12 of us a ticket. In the afternoon, we came in second. Well, that is if you only count the 3 teams that tied as #1. Ha!
Lunch
Nothing scintillating at the luncheon table, at least nothing I can recall.
Repacking
Since we’re going to celebrate Ed’s 68th b’day tomorrow by treating our trivia team pals to port wine and dark chocolate, I needed to get out all those appertif glasses we’ve been getting at the wine tastings and wash them for tomorrow. Ed had wanted to pack at least one suitcase during these sea days anyway, so he packed the harder sided luggage and it weighed at 55 lbs. Since he can get up to 70 lbs on overseas, he still has some leeway for 15 more pounds.
Tutankhamun, Ancient Egypt’s boy king
This was a pleasant lecture by a professor of archeology from the University of New Orleans. Some of it we knew of course, and it was fun to see many of the photos of what Carter found when he first opened the tomb, but the lineages and names of those pharaohs eludes me. He debunked some of the stories the guides may tell you and added a little juicy historical gossip to the pot. He had the latest findings of the study of the body of the boy king to bring us up to date. The Egyptians are skittish about DNA testing I gather or there would be more ooohhs and aaaahhhs to report.
Dinner
JoAnn will be using one of the trekker sticks when they go to Luxor so we are still adjusting the height and such. Some days her ankle is better than others.
Tonite’s entertainment: Comedy Magician
We are all getting weary of this kind of entertainment so this guy has his job cut out for him. This was a guy we had seen before I think on the first leg of this cruise. They must have had a problem getting entertainers for this leg as they’ve been improvising in some creative ways. He was still enjoyable but so much of the show was predictable as the tricks are pretty standard.
Upcoming events
Riz, the librarian, was looking for a headpiece similar to the one I wore last evening so I lent her one of mine.
Ed’s 68th birthday
Is tomorrow and I can’t believe I’m married to such an OLD man. I’m sure there will be several fun things that we can arrange to make it a special event. I already have the tray with the chocolate and port ready for our post-trivia celebration tomorrow.
Convoys and such
First an update on the reaction to the banner on the side of the ship warning folks to stay 50 meters away from the ship. I haven’t actually been able to see the lettering since it is large and faces out from the ship. Folks are musing about whether or not the Somalis can read English. And why is it only on one side of the ship. I find all this hilarious.
We are travelling in a large convoy of ships. The coast of Somalia is 20 miles to our port side; Yemen is 60 miles to our port side when we first begin the transit into Bab El Mandeb Strait. The Captain came on to explain that the little boats (with oars ostensibly) we see around the ship (at some distance but still close enough to see the occupants) are merely fishing boats. Some folks are saying: Yeah, sure. Yesterday, we had helicopters around the ship for a while. Today we are followed by a warship which I can’t see because of my eyes but which folks tell me is out there. Many of us view this as a great adventure. I howl every time someone says: “now tell me, you know for sure these Somalis read English?” Others clearly are nervous including, I sometimes suspect, some of the staff.
In Memoriam
I have received news that my children’s father passed away last Friday after a long battle with two kinds of cancer. In those final weeks, the kids were able to see the good in their Dad through the eyes of his wife and her children. Nancy did yoeman’s work bringing his affairs into some semblance of order, and Lisa followed up by getting the proper papers signed and notarized. Pat, Sylvia and even Teddy, drove to Santa Fe to spend several days with Fred while he could still appreciate their presence and serve as a comfort to the family.
I am so proud of my children and their love and initiative in such trying times. Each made significant sacrifices to provide comfort, their talents, and support to their Dad and his family.
And may Alfredo Roberto Montoya finally rest in peace after all these years of suffering.