Breakfast on the ... no, not the barbie. We had breakfast on the buffet. Just Chris and me. Quiet meal by the window with nothing but the water to look at. Very romantic.
When we hooked up with the Winkle’s and Sprays Cary asked me if I had heard all the commotion from the night before. Nope. Seems he was awake for the changing of the pilots (or maybe the entertainers). He saw the pilot boat pull up and the transfer take effect. He said it made him think of my Dad doing that same thing every day at work. Sorry I missed that one. Very cool.
We went to a presentation by the ship’s naturalist about wildlife and how to see it. No idea how that went, but my nap went famously. Those theater seats were really comfortable.
Next we got suckered into staying for a presentation by the ship’s professional shopper. Sigh. Drawn in by the promise of freebies and a drawing for diamonds. And no, we didn’t win anything. I think this was a ruse to give us the same experience the early gold rush to Alaska guys had ...
For lunch we were back at the buffet with our cruise family. We saw a real treat there. As i was staring out the window into nothing but water, a fin broke the surface. Nope, not a shark. It was an actual orca in the wild. When i said it out loud the entire ship shifted as half the dining room raced over to the window to see it.
The treat of the day came as we entered a bay and approached Hubbard Glacier. From start to finish it was gorgeous ... and really cold. But I guess if you were a glacier you’d be cold too. It’s in your nature and all. On the approach we saw an otter and a harbor seal and a calf or two. Well, calving of the glacier. Not exactly the same as wild life, I guess, but impressive, nonetheless.
As we got closer and closer to the actual glacier, we could hear creaking and groaning and then a sudden rumbling like thunder, followed by the crashing to the water of immense amounts of ice. That’s calving. As we stood in the cold, utterly fascinated and rooted to our viewing spot (OK, part of it was interest, the other was the fact that we were just freezing), we heard a huge explosion of the thunder. It got louder and louder and continued on and on. We peered up and down the glacier for the crashing of ice, wondering where such an enormous calving could possibly be coming from. Louder and louder. Was this the very end of the word? Would such an explosion of ice cause a tidal wave, engulfing the ship and indeed beginning a new ice age? Louder and louder ... until finally someone realized ... the captain had turned on the ship’s engines. No Armageddon to see here today, folks. Everybody back inside and get warm.
So ... chunks of ice floating in the water. Walking down a grand staircase to the melodious strands of a string duet. Everyone dressed to the hilt in suits and even a tie. I felt like I was living a dream. No, not a dream ... a movie. That’s it. I saw that movie. Titanic. Not something you want to think about just now ...
So whaat was the purpose of all the fru-fru clothes? It was formal night. You had to get dressed up if you wanted to eat in the actual dining room at the big boy table. Chris was gorgeous, of course. I zipped up my tie and joined her for a dinner of ... something. First we had some crabmeat stuffed egg things. That was just to get us started. Then Chris had boiled shrimp and some other stuff. I had two hunks of meat and some grilled vegetables. Sheri ordered shredded duck. That one must have been particularly interesting, because the waiter clucked when he delivered it. No, really. As he sat the plate down he said, “Cluck, cluck.” Now, I know he’s from the Philippines. Maybe “cluck, cluck” translates to “quack, quack” over there. Dessert was a highlight, for sure, particularly for Cary. He ordered two of the five options. Then the waiter brought out a sample tray of five or six others. Cary polished off his two and drove in to check out the samples. He so impressed our waiter that the guy promised to bring him five desserts the next time he sees us.
After that KayLynn cut him off of sweets, but he ordered an espresso and some cheese at the coffee shop after we changed clothes. And Wayne joined him in his culinary quest this time, ordering two helpings os a new dessert of his own. I have to say Cary is truly my Cuisine Hero of the day. And Wayne follows a close second.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Father, thank you for the chance to see the awesome display of your nature. Amen.
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