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Post by doctork on Jul 15, 2011 13:55:54 GMT -5
Joe is right, we had a nice brunch and a great tour of Boston. Well for me anyway, since he already knows the area.
I had my cellphone camera, but forgot to use it - sending a sketch artist is a good idea. Did not get a chance to meet up with Kite though :-(
Oh well these things happen.
Way too busy to post much, but I have taken lots of notes, which I will use later to write about the cruise.
I did eat breakfast with Pat today however. Then Glee Club, then listened to Fred Newman tell sotires, kind of about how he got into telling stories and making funny noises. Some of the stories involved explosives, which he felt only boys got into.
Humph, he did not hear about me and the chemistry lab. Fortunately, neither did the teacher, as he was out of the room when it happened. Amazing - whole class of kids, no one else said anything about "who done it." No other students were injured though, and fortunately, they were able to rebuild that wing of the school.
GK said that they recorded our Glee Club this morning, and they will be brioadcast a week from this Saturday - I suppose that means that show will be an amalgamation of this cruise's event. All y'all can get it by osmosis!
Gotta go, too much to do, not enough time to do it!
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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 16, 2011 16:09:19 GMT -5
Nice recount, dock. Can't wait to hear the rest!
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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 17, 2011 10:05:58 GMT -5
Are you home today, dock? Stories, Please.
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Post by doctork on Jul 19, 2011 20:38:17 GMT -5
I flew from Montreal to North Carolina on Saturday and stayed at our house in Sparta until Monday morning, when I had some doctor appointments. The cable TV/phone/DSL internet access are turned off since there is not much point in paying a big bill when we are not there, so I was incommunicado for a while.
Last night I flew home to Arizona from Charlotte, getting in very late because a dust storm in the Phoenix area closed Sky Harbor Airport for a while, so we had to sit on the ground in Houston for a while until we were cleared for landing into PHX. Despite getting home at nearly 2 am I still had to show up at work today bright and shiny at 8 am.
I was quickly reminded of how I had promised at least 100 patients that I would see them at the Winslow clinic on July 19, since I am Leupp the rest of the week. Well maybe it wasn't quite that many (just felt like it), and most definitely I was not all that bright and shiny.
After I finish foraging for food (supper time), I will try to write about the first day of the cruise. I think I will do one day at a time, spread it out over a week just like the cruise.
Boy did I have a great time!
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Post by doctork on Jul 19, 2011 23:52:05 GMT -5
I think that Sail-Away on a Prairie Home Companion cruise is one of Life's Peak Experiences, especially on a warm and sunny day in Boston Harbor, with planes en route to Logan Airport less than a stone's throw over one's head, and Garrison Keillor and the GAS Band, plus Linda Williams (of Robin & Linda) helping out.
On all four APHC cruises I've been on, GK has started the Sail-Away singalong with "The Star Spangled Banner" in the key of G, followed by "American the Beautiful." Then a host of other tunes, most by audience request. All this on the aft deck around the swimming pool with servers coming by with a choice of champagne or wine - white or red. A big Bar-B-Que and dinner buffet served at the Lido Restaurant just inside the aft deck, in case all the singing and partying made you hungry. Followed by formal dinner in the Rotterdam Dining Room, should one choose to accept the assignment, which I did of course.
I had boarded the ship about 2 or 2:30 after brunch and the Boston tour with Joe. Although embarkation began at 11:30, I am not enthusiastic about crowds and long lines; when I boarded there were no lines at all. I found my ocean view cabin (that means it had a window, not a porthole or a balcony) and unpacked which took all of 5 minutes since I had just my backpack and carry-on suitcase. There was a "Welcome Aboard" letter from GK on the desk, suggesting we all "cast off gloom and gather up Inner Resources to resume the struggle."
Then I rested (wanted to be prepared for the evening events) until The Life Boat Drill at 4:15, where attendance was Mandatory. I'm not enthusiastic about "Mandatory" either, but hey, I saw that movie "Titanic" plus my dad was always having to rescue people at sea when he was in the Coast Guard, so I take that stuff serious. Thankfully they no longer make us wear the life jackets to the drill - people were tripping over the loose ends and getting injured, so they just had the stewards demonstrate to us how to put on a life jacket.
We cast off few minutes later at 4:39 pm with the weather "Moderate breeze, partly cloudy, 26*C/79*F. Sunrise was at 5:16 am, and sunset at 8:23 pm. I had Late Seating dinner which began at 7:45. At first I was alone at a table for four people, but when no one else showed up, I experienced a stroke of great luck and was moved to another table for four, joining Ulla and Andrew from Washington The State, and Andrea from Delaware. This was the beginning of a wonderful friendship...and a great cruise. Seeing as how they had starved us with all that champagne and dinner buffet at Sail-Away (NOT), we had to resort to a four course dinner. Life is tough on a cruise, but somebody's gotta do it.
While I was resting in my cabin right after boarding, I could have been at the meeting of the Knitting Group, or at the Naturalist Meet & Greet. Entertainment available after dinner, which we didn't finish until nearly 10 pm what with all our gabbing and wine drinking:
Crow's Nest at 9:30 - Le Vent du Nord (Quebecois folk group) Ocean Bar at 9:30 - Genticorum (also a Quebecois folk group) The Mix (another bar) at 10 pm - Butch Thompson Atrium at 10 pm - Prayer Service Crow's Nest at 11 pm - GK and pretty much the whole gang
I strolled around catching bits of all of the above, then I decided I was tired and headed for bed. Plenty more tomorrow in Bar Harbor!
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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 20, 2011 8:28:56 GMT -5
Welcome home, dock!
Oh boy, oh boy! Ship Stories.
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Post by gailkate on Jul 20, 2011 10:05:29 GMT -5
Prayer Service? Is that singing hymns?
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Post by rogesgallery on Jul 20, 2011 13:20:40 GMT -5
Great you got to show Kristin the town Joe. I hope you were as surprised and delighted as I by the inviting smile and little girl giggle of our somewhat stoic (in print) Doc.
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Post by doctork on Jul 20, 2011 21:19:40 GMT -5
Prayer Service? Is that singing hymns? No, the event involving singing hymns was "Choir Practice." Though I did not personally attend any of the prayer services, I didn't hear any singing from them, and the service lasted only 15 minutes. There were all sorts of miscellaneous events occurring all the time during the cruise - not only prayer service, but also daily mass and Friends of Bill W. Knitting group was so popular they had to separate it into three levels (beginning, intermediate and advanced) and move to a larger venue. Then there was the Passengers Musical Group, and the Scotch Tasting, a writing group, more that I can't remember.
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Post by joew on Jul 21, 2011 20:50:16 GMT -5
Great you got to show Kristin the town Joe. I hope you were as surprised and delighted as I by the inviting smile and little girl giggle of our somewhat stoic (in print) Doc. Yeah. She's even more enjoyable to be with in person than over the internet. I was sorry I had to leave so early to get back home. The departure and first evening at see sound good. I'm looking forward to the rest of the story.
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Post by doctork on Jul 22, 2011 0:52:30 GMT -5
OK, here we go with day #2 of the cruise, as I was too tired to post last night.
We anchored at 6:47 am "at anchorage" which I think means "not at the dock or pier." That is, this was a tender port where we had to get off the ship into smaller tender boats which then ferried us over to the actual pier.
Though I spent 3 months in Maine last summer, I had never gotten over to visit Bar Harbor, so this was new for me. Because I was a little discombobulated I could not coordinate my email communications with kite, so we did not get to meet in Bar Harbor, though she did get to see the ship, and even some of the other passengers and they made their way through town. For the cruise, Holland America Lines (henceforth referred to as "HAL") issues credit-card sized plastic ID cards that also serve as your room key. Most people wear these on lanyards around their necks all day, a good idea for someone like me who might otherwise lose hers. Therefore, HAL pax are readily identifiable everywhere they go.
The cards are scanned when one gets off and on the ship, a picture of you comes up, and the crew can be certain you are not a stowaway. They can also tell who left the ship and when, and if everybody is back at the time we set sail again. But no, they won't wait for you if you are late. So I bought a watch in Bar Harbor just to be sure I didn't "miss the boat" so to speak. The ship also operates as a "cashless society" so you use your card any time you buy something on the ship, then settle up at the end of the cruise. Of course you also ante up a hefty deposit at check in. If you overspend, as Bill Harley would say, "You're in trouble." They start calling names over the loudspeaker "Would so & so please come to the Front Desk." Though come to think of it, I did not hear any of that on this cruise. Maybe they hired Guido and friends to enhance compliance, I dunno; I did not overspend.
So, although I am not generally fond of bus tours, I signed up for 2+ hours of "Acadia National Park." What was I thinking?! This tour started at 7:45 in the morning, so I had to be on a tender at 7:25! Still it was worth it, as we drove through town with our tour guide keeping up a lively patter about the history, the local scenery, the gossip about rich people who have lived there. We drove about 40 miles, a partial circumnavigation of the island, then headed up to the top of Cadillac Mountain, at 1500 feet, the "highest point on the eastern seaboard." We were lucky, as it was a beautiful clear day ("light airs,clear skies, 79*F) so the views were terrific. Often it is too foggy to see anything.
Originally the Park was named "Lafayette Park" but when the founders needed some money they went to donors who weren't all that fond of the French, or the name Lafayette. So it was changed to "Acadia National Park," which went over much better, and they got their money for developing the park. I have my "America the Beautiful" National Park Pass, but didn't need it having already paid for the bus tour, admission included.
Since I left the ship so early, I had to pass up Tai Chi with Lifestyle Lance at 8 am, as well as Aqua Aerobics at 9 am. I had lunch in the Rotterdam dining room and could have made it to the 2 pm "Cellar Master's Navigator Wine Tasting" but I needed a nap, so I took one. That's the nice thing about a vacation, especially one on a ship, and especially if one is traveling alone and has the whole cabin to oneself. Any time is nap time! But I did miss Choir Practice at 3 pm with GK, Rev, Keely Franke, Kate (McKenzie, the 4th member of Hopeful Gospel Quartet, or HGQ) and Robin & Linda. Also missed the naturalists who were doing "Coastal Commentary" on deck at 3 pm just as we set sail for Halifax at 3:14. Those naturalists were out on deck every morning at 5:30 am too. I had a perfect attendance record for this on all 4 cruises. I did not attend one single 5:30 am naturalist lecture!
The show that night was the "Welcome Aboard Show," excellent as always. It is about 90+ minutes long, and I went to the early show at 6 pm while the early diners were having their dinner. At 7:45, the early show people have dinner while the late show people are at the show beginning at 8:30. The dining room and the main theater can each accommodate about half of the passengers.
GK opened with a monologue about how he met Steven Sondheim recently at some awards event when they were seated next to each other. Apparently he made some personal remarks to GK that were just shy of rude and insulting, so GK had some songs he dedicated to Mr. Sondheim. One of them was "I Get No Kick From Cocaine." You get the drift... Then HGQ came in for "Life is a Ball Game" and "All God's Children" though GK remarked that anyone talking with smug certainty about Heaven ain't going there.
The RA! RA! did a "phone call to mom" from the cruise involving comments that the cruise seemed to be aimed at recovering gamblers, as the casino was totally empty! True, APHC crowd isn't likely known for gambling tendencies, but really, if you had all that entertainment available, would you be in the casino? Sue Scott said that if only the CIA would do to terrorists what the TSA did to her, then everyone would just answer the questions. A woman after my own heart!
Still at late dinner when Robin & Linda did a performance with Peter Ostroushko at the Ocean Bar at 9:30, though I did catch the end of it. Lacking talent, I did not attend the talent show auditions at 10:30 pm, though I did listen a bit to Le Vent du Nord in the Crow's Nest at 11 pm before turning in for the night. Also missed the movie "The Adjustment Bureau" (who wants to watch a movie you could see any time when you are on the Maasdam?) at 8 pm and the RA! RA! doing "I Want Your Job." And I haven't mentioned even half of that Sunday's activities; deciding which to attend was sometimes painful, since you can't see everything.
On to Halifax!
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Post by joew on Jul 22, 2011 8:48:53 GMT -5
…Originally the Park was named "Lafayette Park" but when the founders needed some money they went to donors who weren't all that fond of the French, or the name Lafayette. So it was changed to "Acadia National Park," which went over much better, and they got their money for developing the park. … On to Halifax! LOL at the fundraising. Of course, you can't blame the potential donors for disliking the French (or the Freedom People, as we now call them, by analogy to "freedom fries") after — or was it before? — the way they refused to support us on Iraq. But there's no excuse for not liking Lafayette. He and Tocqueville were the good Frenchmen. But the last laugh is on the donors because, as everybody else knows, Acadia is what the French called their settlements in the Maritimes. All in all it sounds like a pretty good day. I "must" get to Halifax sometime.
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Post by doctork on Jul 22, 2011 9:11:01 GMT -5
The fundraising went on in the early 1900's, but I guess memories are short. The French helped us fight our revolution back circa 1776, and they donated the Statue of Liberty in 1876 in honor of the centennial.
And yes, Acadia/Acadie is what that area is still called, and those who migrated to Louisiana morphed into Cahuns.
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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 22, 2011 23:27:07 GMT -5
Grand story telling there, dock!
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Post by doctork on Aug 23, 2011 20:58:21 GMT -5
I am not so good at timing. Good intentions but not always timely moved into action. But here is Day #3.
We arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia at 8:16 am, where allegedly we were greeted by a bagpiper ("Nova Scotia" = "New Scotland") on the Promenade Deck. The Promenade Deck is the 6th "floor" on most HAL ships, and you can walk around the whole ship on that deck. The other decks either do not have an outside area (lower decks) or they do not offer the opportunity to walk all the way around even if they do have outside areas.
Anyway, I was eating breakfast before my 8:30 tour of "Peggy's Cove and the Titanic Cemetery," so I did not hear the bagpiper. Halifax was the nearest large city to the Titanic's sinking, so many of the bodies were brought there, and the Fairview Lawn Cemetery has 121 victims buried there, several of whom were women and children, despite the theory of "women and children first" in loading the lifeboats.
Wealthy magnate John Jacob Astor tried to board a lifeboat but the captain caught him and made him remain on the boat, where they both went down with the ship and perished. Still, a disproportionately large share of third class passengers went down, compared to first class. One of the crew members buried at Fairview put himself at risk by going down to the third class area and leading three families, one at a time, up to the lifeboats, as it wasn't easy to find your way up from the depths in the dark. He was last seen alive going back down to the third class cabin area to rescue another family.
One grave was that of a band member who drowned in the sinking. His family was shocked to receive a bill for $3.25 along with his salvaged belongings. The bill was from his contractor employer (not the White Star Line) for not returning his uniform. Bad enough White Star did not pay for his burial, but to let their vendor charge his family for the dead man's uniform that he went down in was quite shocking. Our tour guide told us that the week before on a tour, one of the tourists left a bouquet at the musician's grave. The tour guide asked him privately would him mind telling her why he left the bouquet. "Because the victim was a musician and so am I." Global capitalism that enriches the wealthy at the expense of the poor is not just a recent phenomenon.
Our tour also took in Peggy's Cove after a lovely drive part way around the island. It's a very small fishing village, but quite picturesque, so it is a popular tourist site for that reason. A rocky shore, waves breaking, a bagpiper or two - very pretty. I returned to the ship in time for a late lunch and an ice cream cone, and watched as we set sail at 4:43 pm.
Because I went on the tour, I passed up Glee Club at 8 am, as well as a host of crafts and athletic activities, a lecture by one of the naturalists about Birds of the Northwest Atlantic, and the Talent Show auditions. But I was ready for The Show, which was "1905 Show/Duet Show."
GK introduced all the naturalists, as well as the two Quebecois folk bands. In addition to duets, we saw a lot of the Hopeful Gospel Quartet, which is GK, Robin & Linda, and Kate McKenzie who had been pulled out of retirement in Oregon for the occasion. They were great. GK and Vern Sutton did "In the Dear Days of Old" and "Just a Song at Twilight" both of which were also wonderful. But maybe my favorite duet was GK and Peter Oshtrousko singing/playing "You Were Always On My Mind."
Roy Blount also did an entertaining and amusing monologue/chat with GK but I didn't take very good notes on that. I did note that in his intro, GK said that "Canada is like America in the 1950's."
After the show and the late dinner, I just had to stay up even later for the Special Dessert Buffet with the Shoes, up on the Lido Deck. Lots of rock & roll with Pat, and an endless supply of chocolate and other desserts!! Who could ask for anything more? Sometime well after midnight, and well after dancing and chocolate, I did get back to my cabin and into my bed. I think I must have taken an afternoon nap that day too or I probably would not have stayed up that late.
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Post by doctork on Aug 23, 2011 22:09:09 GMT -5
I found some more notes about the Duet Show, reminded me of just how wonderful that show really was. There was a "Duet Show" last year on the Caribbean Cruise, and I surmise it was so popular, GK decided to do another one this year.
"Hello Love" was the opener, and it was so nice - nostalgic really - to hear that again. The Garrison and Andra Suchy sang "Under African Skies" together. They had song that before the start of the show in Flag, and were both about 10 feet away from me when they sang it.
StoryHill (yes they are a duo) was next with a marvelous melange: Wake Up Little Susie (old Everly Brothers tune), then An American Tune (Simon & Garfunkel) and they closed with Ian & Sylvia's Four Strong Winds, always my favorite Ian & Sylvia song.
Robin and Linda were between GK/AS and StoryHill: For Better or For Worse, That's The Way Love Goes, and Visions of Mom and Dad.
GK and Vern sang "Let the Rest of the World Go By." Then GK & Kate sang a song or two, but I did not note (really I didn't write it down, of course I noted it!) what they sang.
Richie D. and Butch Thompson then did "Lady Be Good" (Gershwin by gosh!), followed by (do you see a theme here?) Pat Donohue and Butch with "How Long."
They closed with a sing-along for everyone, the Everly's "Bye Bye Love" which GK often uses to close a live show, or if not then, it's part of the encores which can go on long after the show ends.
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Post by joew on Aug 24, 2011 13:07:10 GMT -5
It's beginning to sound as if meeting me and riding around Boston may not have been the best part of your trip after all! LOL
Your accounts make me wish I could have been along for the ride.
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Post by BoatBabe on Sept 8, 2011 23:25:46 GMT -5
Me, too, Joe! What a cruise, doc.
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