Sunday, April 14, 2024

April 14 - “Last day at sea”


We were back on the sea again for another whole day afloat. This one would ultimately end up in Galveston. There were lots of things planned onboard, but there were only a few that interested us. We ended up settling on the Captain’s Q & A Session. 


The ship’s captain joined the cruise director onstage. The captain started his portion by sharing some of his history as well as the ship’s. Then they opened the mic up to the crowd for questions. He handled them all with knowledge as well as a healthy splash of comedy. 


Following that session we garnered a spot to watch the ship’s special Salute to Veterans. They honored all the branches of service and even honed in to recognize participants of particular wars. Lots of love from the crowd, especially for the Vietnam vets. That was the part that brought tears to my eyes. Always does. After the military portion they also noted any first responders in the crowd. I was glad they added that one. I have met two or three firefighters this week. They deserve the recognition. They made a final mention of medical professionals and teachers, covering all the bases of those who have exerted key influence in the life and times of the USA. 


One of the stars of the on board  musical sang the National Anthem. She should be hired to sing before every professional sports event. Excellent job. Finally,  they served cupcakes arranged in the shape and colors of the flag. 


Dinner for me was lamb (Not a dish I usually care for, but this was amazingly tender and served with a mint jam that really accentuated the flavor.  Do I sound like a TV food critic yet?), seafood cake (like a crab ball, but with baby shrimp and clams in the mix) and apple crisp and ice cream for dessert. Chris had salmon again and the apple crisp and ice cream. It’s gonna be hard to get excited about Spam again when we get home. 


It was fun to have one last dinner with our new friends that we have had dinner with just about every night. Especially since we were able to treat the dinner as a victory celebration for the Astros over the Rangers (at least for me and another guy who was a big Astros fan). No … Diane wasn’t so happy about the celebration, but she was fairly gracious in defeat. 


After dinner Chris and I took a stroll around the ship’s running/walking track. It was actually kind of peaceful. There were a few joggers and some folks all dressed in white (that was the theme for the evening) taking their pictures with, well, water in the background. 


Back in the glorious Port of Galveston by sometime around 6 or 7 in the morning. Welcome home!


Leviticus‬ ‭20‬:‭26‬ says, You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.


Father, it has been good to get away for a while, but there’s always something special about getting home. Amen. 

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