11/24/11

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all. Always a little bitter-sweet for me: Dad died on the 24th, which was Thanksgiving that year. O well.

We are back in Sugarland and will stay the weekend. On the 10th, we checked into the Hotel Galvasz - 100 years old. We were standing out front on Fri the 11th waiting for the bus to take us to the ship, when a bride (40 years old +/-) was primping and being attended to. She was boobs-a-poppin', carrying red roses and a large red and white lollipop or sucker - draw your own conclusions. Around 10:30 she loudly announced that she needed a shot, and went into the hotel. I doubt that her shot involved prescription drugs. The ship (Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas) sailed for 2 days, then stopped in 4 ports in 4 days: Roatan (Honduras), Belize, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman. Then sailed for 2 days back to Galveston. J and I took bus tours at the first 2 stops - waste of time and money. I didn't leave the ship again until Galveston. Emily and Randy, being younger, learned to "snuba", then did tubing through caves and tried the zip line. I told J I wanted to try the zip, but she said I needed much more life insurance. J and the kids crewed on a 12 metre sailing ship in a race against Stars and Stripes. The kids actively participated, while J was cheerleader/beer bitch (she prefers "cooler queen"). The kids also swam with sting rays. To me, the best part of the cruise was sitting on my balcony, listening to the water, enjoying the fresh air and sun, reading a good book - Last Call, The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. A cruise is a good place for people watching. J often asked: don't these people have mirrors? And Randy and I enjoyed the cigar bar, where we chatted with some nice folks, while the girls went to the shows. I was surprised at the number of crew members from India, and an Indian dish on the menu each night. I can remember when French was the other international language. All the announcements on the ship were in English and Spanish. Is Chinese next? Even in calm waters, the ship swayed and rocked (the power of the sea), so I looked like I was walking after too many martinis, even though I had not imbibed. J quickly found the champagne lounge, which served Spanish caviar with her drink. After leaving the ship, we spent 2 nights at the Hotel Galvaz before returning to Sugarland.