First day aboard ship

---

First Day Aboard Ship

Here we are aboard the ship after a fun time in Tampa with Mark, Elizabeth, and Frank. We went to the Outback Bowl and, although Wisconsin didn’t win, we all had a great time - especially during the Fifth Quarter when the Wisconsin band took the field and awed the Tennessee band with our favorite tunes and antics. All their band knows is “Rocky Top”!
Then it was on to Ft. Lauderdale where Bruce saw some former colleagues, and I had lunch with many of my friends who still live there, and was so glad to see them. Our friends, Bruce and Brigid arrived on time from Seattle, and we nearly froze! The temp was down to freezing, and the wind blew making it even colder. Key West broke an all time record dating back more than 100 years with a temp of 45 degrees. However, on Friday it warmed up as we were boarding the ship. We made it and, luckily, so did our baggage. There was so much baggage and so much other “stuff” to load, that instead of leaving at 5, we didn’t depart until 8.
Now, here it is Saturday, and we are at sea on our way to the Cayman Islands. Boarding went smoothly, and we met many nice people in the process. Lots of them have been on world cruises before. I understand there is one woman on her 26th. Don’t know if that’s true, but it could very well be. Our stateroom is nice, and we seem to be able to fit everything in the closets, and get our suitcases under the beds. Last night we met our table companions who include our friends and two other couples - one from Vancouver, BC and the other from Melbourne, FL, although his wife is Lady Grundy, and has a different last name from her husband, and she is very British, indeed. They seem very nice, and I’m sure we will continue to have some interesting conversations since we were the last table to leave the dining room last night. Today we are finding our way around the ship and getting hooked up on the internet. We can get on in our room, which will be nice. We are going to play bridge this afternoon, and get together with B & B later before dinner.

---