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Post by doctork on May 27, 2011 15:17:22 GMT -5
Here is what was in my In-box, "Greetings from Garrison"
//Around our house, the word CRUISE is popping up on a daily basis since, as it turns out, the CRUISE is going to be my family’s sole vacation venture this summer. Daddy travels more than enough in his line of work to want to fly somewhere for fun, thank you very much, so July 9-16 is a big week for us, after which we return to St. Paul to listen to the water sprinkler and watch the sun set over the Mississippi.
The “Prairie Home” season winds up in Tanglewood in the Berkshires on July 2 so we have a whole week in which to wend our way across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to be in Boston in time to board the ms Maasdam with the Shoe Band and the Royal Academy of Radio Acting and Le Vent du Nord and Genticorum ----- the two Quebec bands joining us ---- and the humorist and lexicographer Roy Blount Jr. ---- plus Peter Ostroushko and Butch Thompson ----- AND the amazing close harmonies of Storyhill ----- PLUS the astonishing reunion of the old Hopeful Gospel Quartet. Plus our fine team of naturalists who are joined this cruise by the botanist Lytton Musselman of Old Dominion University, a man who actually LOVES PLANT LIFE though he is not himself in a vegetative state.
One of the beauties of cruising is the romance of the sea, especially to us Midwesterners, who look forward to some rain and fog off the rockbound coasts, and then there is the effortlessness of the whole thing. Backpacking is a fine thing and one should not let a lifetime go by without sleeping on the ground, but for a true Family Vacation, one that includes toddlers and geezers, a ship is a wonderful place. You progress slowly up the coast and up the St. Lawrence with time to sip your coffee, read a book, listen to music, converse with interesting strangers, and (if the mood strikes you) to sit and brood. There is no rule against brooding.
I look forward to seeing you on the top deck as the Maasdam pulls away from the pier and we all stand and sing the national anthem, America the Beautiful, My Country Tis Of Thee, Home on the Range, and any other songs you all mostly know. And if you have Pointed Comments to make about my so-called retirement in June, 2013, that is okay, I can take the ribbing.
My rationale ----- in case you’re interested ----- is that it’s better to step down while one is ambulatory and Compos Mentis, especially if one wants to have a say about one’s Successors, which I do. I want this old radio show to go on and on. The show started out in the summer of 1974, inspired by a visit to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and also by a number of fine parties at my house in St. Paul at which people gathered and made music for the fun of it. That spirit of collaborative light-heartedness is the heart of our show. And it’s also the spirit of this cruise.
See you in Boston in a few weeks.//
Looks like fun!
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Post by liriodendron on May 27, 2011 16:17:01 GMT -5
It does look like fun! We'll be waiting for your trip report!
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Post by joew on May 29, 2011 19:11:36 GMT -5
Yes, it looks pretty good, dock. Be sure to keep an eye peeled for icebergs in the North Atlantic. (Just kidding. It's not the season for them, and they pay people to do it anyway.)
It should be possible for me to find time to meet you in Boston before you embark.
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Post by doctork on Jun 4, 2011 8:34:54 GMT -5
I am planning on flying to Boston Friday, July 8, the day before sailing (sail away happens around 4 pm), though I haven't yet figured out where the cruise terminal is, or what hotel I should stay at.
All that information is probably in some emails I got from the cruise travel agent recently - the details of all the shore excursions arrived yesterday, cabin assignments & dinner seatings the day before. And there is probably a ton of info on the website.
And yeah, even though I watched "Titanic" on TV last night, I am not worried about icebergs. My dad spent a good portion of WWII on ice patrol in the north Atlantic, so I am confident indeed that others do a good job of helping ships avoid collisions.
I'll read through all the details over this weekend and then I will start getting excited, maybe even book my airfare, for which I will use points. With award bookings, you either book waaayyy in advance, which is not me, or at the "last minute" which is less than a month or two. More my style.
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Post by joew on Jun 5, 2011 21:56:01 GMT -5
Well, it happens that at the moment my calendar has nothing specific on it for the 8th or 9th, so I could probably pop into Boston on Friday evening or Saturday.
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Post by doctork on Jun 5, 2011 22:54:20 GMT -5
Sounds good. I haven't made my plane reservations yet, but I plan to arrive not-too-late on Friday afternoon/evening, and I have to check the ship boarding/embarkation/sail away details, which I will post shortly.
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Post by BoatBabe on Jun 9, 2011 21:45:36 GMT -5
Sounds like Great Fun! When are you going to learn to take and post pictures, DOCK?!?!?
;D
Keep us posted!
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Post by doctork on Jun 25, 2011 0:57:25 GMT -5
BB, I did find my camera in NC and brought it back to AZ with me, and i do plan to take it on the cruise. Now all I have to do is figure out how to post the pictures.
Joe, I booked a flight that gets into Boston late Friday night, so how about brunch or possibly early lunch on Saturday?
They start boarding the ship at 11:30 and IIRC everyone has to be on board by 3:30 for 5 pm sail away. I am not fond of standing in a long line, so the last two cruises I got on board shortly before sail away. In fact, in Copenhagen, I got on the ship just barely in time for sail away, thanks to some SAS issues with my luggage.
Can you tell me if the cruise terminal is far from the airport? The APHC travel agency is charging $26 for a transfer from the airport to the Westin Waterfront (or something like that). There is a nearby (I think) Renaissance I can get for points instead of cash, and it says taxi fare from the airport is $12.
When one is living at a Marriott property for a year or more, one becomes Super Platinum Lotta Points, and can use said points for vacations...
Boston is one of the few US cities I do not know at all. My impression is that Boston = airport in the middle of a large construction project.
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Post by BoatBabe on Jun 25, 2011 12:31:18 GMT -5
Pictures of dock with joe a MUST!!!
Sounds like great fun already.
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Post by joew on Jun 25, 2011 13:08:04 GMT -5
dock — brunch sounds good. I've had something come up for the late afternooon at home, so I've got to leave Boston by about 2:15, but I'm basically free until then.
I'm not familiar enough with the Boston hostelries to be able to say offhand where the Renaissance is, but I can try to figure out how nearby it is.
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Post by joew on Jun 25, 2011 13:19:23 GMT -5
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Post by doctork on Jun 27, 2011 0:24:21 GMT -5
I have some homework assignments, I can tell. I have been distracted this weekend, but hey, at least I bought my ticket to Boston. One-way, I do not have the return yet.
"And did he ever return, no he never returned, so his fate is still unlearned; he may ride forever neath the streets of Boston, he's the man who never returned."
I do not plan to join poor Charlie on the MTA, so I will get on the stick with this travel planning.
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Post by joew on Jul 6, 2011 17:52:59 GMT -5
So, dock, are you going to be at the Renaissance at 606 Congress St., the Westin at 425 Summer St., or somewhere else?
I figure I should be able to be in the lobby of whichever hostelry you name at about 11:00. You can recognize me by the straw hat I'll have in my hand (because I'll be indoors — unless there is an outdoor lobby, in which case said hat will be on my head), my balding head, and the slightly anxious look I'll probably have on my face, which someone here once described as having the map of Ireland on it.
I've realized my e-mail address is not available in my profile, but for anything you don't want to say publicly about place and time, you can PM me (although I can't imagine what would need that treatment).
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Post by doctork on Jul 6, 2011 22:56:18 GMT -5
I am having difficulty with such details. Work has been too hard lately. I shall go on line and make a hotel reservation in a few minutes. And buy a plane ticket for YUL-CLT.
I am not a procrastinator really, I call it "just in time" management. But 11 am on Saturday sounds good, I'll figure out the location shortly and let ya know!
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Post by joew on Jul 7, 2011 9:45:38 GMT -5
YUL-CLT?
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Post by gailkate on Jul 7, 2011 18:07:07 GMT -5
Obscure Kazakhstanian dialect.
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Post by jspnrvr on Jul 7, 2011 18:45:19 GMT -5
YUL=Montreal/Trudeau Airport... Montreal, Canada CLT=Charlotte/Douglas Airport...Charlotte, North Carolina
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Post by doctork on Jul 7, 2011 22:10:29 GMT -5
Jay cheated! I told him about the Star Mega DO 3, which is now going to involve Montreal instead of Sao Paulo due to some "issues." So he already knew YUL = Montreal's Trudeau Airport. All the major Canadian airport abbreviations have "Y" as their first letter. And Joe, I finally got the hotel issue settled - see you (straw hat in hand) at the Westin lobby at 425 Summer Street at 11 am on Saturday. As a long-term "Marriott girl" it was a jolt to book a Starwood property, but there were no free points reservations available at the Renaissance, and the cruise agency had a very favorable rate at the Westin, so there you go! It's the Westin.
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Post by joew on Jul 7, 2011 22:30:36 GMT -5
Okay. See you Saturday at the Westin.
Other clues: I'll probably be wearing a blue blazer and a white or blue dress shirt with open collar.
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Post by doctork on Jul 7, 2011 23:03:04 GMT -5
I have no idea what I will be wearing. Probably blue jeans and possibly a long sleeve orange Beatles "Love" tee shirt. Unless it is real hot, then it'll be jeans and a turquoise blue short sleeve tee shirt. Possibly turqoise jewelry, as I seem to have acquired quite a bit since being in Arizona.
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Post by liriodendron on Jul 8, 2011 0:29:36 GMT -5
Pictures of dock with joe a MUST!!! Sounds like great fun already. I agree, on both the pictures and the fun! Bon Voyage, K!
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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 9, 2011 10:16:53 GMT -5
Oh, MY! It's Saturday, 8:18 a.m. PDT, which means that dock and joe met 15 minutes ago on the east coast in the Westin's lobby.
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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 9, 2011 10:20:39 GMT -5
Honestly, our only hope of pictures is if joe brought his camera and hands it to the waiter at brunch.
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Post by liriodendron on Jul 9, 2011 13:15:01 GMT -5
If not, perhaps one of these is nearby. Joe probably knows how to scan.
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Post by joew on Jul 9, 2011 17:10:23 GMT -5
Dang! I even remembered to bring my camera, but I never thought to use it.
Well, it was a quiet midday in Boston, my state's capital city. Karen and I met, as scheduled. We had our brunch at the hotel. Then we went for a ride. I showed her Beacon Hill (including State House, Mt. Vernon St., Louisburg Square, and the Harvard Musical Association), Back Bay, Fenway Park (glimpses), the Back Bay Fens, Beth Israel-Deaconess, and Brigham & Women's Hospitals, Museum of Fine Arts, Symphony Hall and a few other spots along the way — all drive-by. We had enjoyable conversation about ancestors, among other topics. I dropped her off at the ship, so I assume by now she's enjoying the cruise.
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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 9, 2011 19:15:41 GMT -5
Dang! I even remembered to bring my camera, but I never thought to use it. Well, it was a quiet midday in Boston, my state's capital city. Karen and I met, as scheduled. We had our brunch at the hotel. Then we went for a ride. I showed her Beacon Hill (including State House, Mt. Vernon St., Louisburg Square, and the Harvard Musical Association), Back Bay, Fenway Park (glimpses), the Back Bay Fens, Beth Israel-Deaconess, and Brigham & Women's Hospitals, Museum of Fine Arts, Symphony Hall and a few other spots along the way — all drive-by. We had enjoyable conversation about ancestors, among other topics. I dropped her off at the ship, so I assume by now she's enjoying the cruise. ARE. YOU. KIDDING?!? NO. PICTURES?!?! A-hem. Clearly not. I worked at Brigham & Women's Hospital the first year they were open in 1981. I worked on the 15th floor. The 16th floor is where they built the pool. SHEESH. I am so glad you two had a good time, Joe.
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Post by jspnrvr on Jul 9, 2011 21:15:48 GMT -5
Thanks for getting her to the boat, Joe. Doc is a very experienced traveler, but sometimes things just happen! I'm glad you guys enjoyed your time together.
Now, maybe she can get together with Kite tomorrow.
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Post by liriodendron on Jul 9, 2011 23:52:45 GMT -5
Clearly we should have sent one of those sketch artists to the brunch with them. Hopefully Kite has a camera.
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Post by joew on Jul 10, 2011 11:17:43 GMT -5
Sketch artist: remember that for next time.
Part of my training for diaconate was at Brigham and Women's. Several of my classmates and I went every week over a summer to make pastoral visits to patients, write up "verbatims" of our visits, and discuss them with one of the chaplains on staff.
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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 10, 2011 11:32:09 GMT -5
Clearly we should have sent one of those sketch artists to the brunch with them. Hopefully Kite has a camera. ;D We'll take up a collection next time and hire a local sketch artist; one that works with pastels so we can get the new-fangled "color."
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