Sorry about the cold...

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Good morning to all of you suffering the way-below-zero temps at home. It is sunny and 80 degrees at 9:00 AM on the ship! I think we made the right decision by going on this trip. When I'm done here I'll put on my "swimming costume" and get some sun. Hee-hee-hee.

We are about half-way across the Atlantic. Although there are some sea swells, it is generally quite calm. Mom has worked her way up to a mile walk around the deck. I tease her that she'll be running it by April. Of course, all the great food gives us a good reason to walk. Here's another bit of info: when I asked why there weren't any scones at breakfast, our tablemates looked horrified. Those are only for tea or dessert (which they call pudding or sweet.) No, breakfast is porridge ("made with" oatmeal), eggs, baked beans (!), kippers, sausage, roasted tomatoes, and cold toast. Nothing even vaguely resembling an English muffin, so who knows where that came from? I tried their pancakes one morning just to see what they were like. One bit of fruit in the middle and a bottle of "artificially flavoured maple dessert sauce" to pour over them. I'll stick to porridge in the future.

We have become good friends with a fellow from Scotland. Every night we go to the onboard show with him and for a drink afterwards. Last night when we walked into the bar, the barmaid welcomed us with "Hello, Mrs. Marcia! Hello, Miss Suzanne!" I was dumbfounded, but decided that as two of only four Americans on board, we have become known. The shows, by the way, are quite good. Geared, of course, to the older generation, but I am quite happy with that.

Mom just went up to the gym to try out the rowing machines. I had a tour of all the equipment, but haven't tried anything yet. There's plenty of time. And it has been so nice just walking around the deck. The promenade is outside all the way around, so it can be very windy in the bow. And we don't often walk in a straight line because of the motion of the ship, but it definitely is the thing to do. It is so touching to see how many older couples walk together holding hands as they go round and around.

Hope you and your septic systems survive the cold. We are very glad we drained our houses and turned the heat off after hearing that Nisswa was out of power yesterday.

Time for some sun,
Suzy

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