The Cruise, Part II

The best laid of plans-
Sara Jean LOVES purses.
She has a collection of 'em hanging on the door of the guest bedroom...
Coach. Dooney and Burke. Kathy Van Zieland. Bruce Whatever'isname is.
When you open that door, it's heavy enough to make you look at what is causing the considerable effort to open it.
There's a LOT of money hanging back there.

I don't know which brand the purse she took with her on the cruise had placarded on its innards, but it was a BIG one. So, since I was pulling two fairly large suitcases as we departed our truck to get on the light rail system, I handed my NEW Nikon digital camera to her to put into her purse for safe-keeping. Obviously, we wanted to take LOTS of pics of Eagles, Whales, Bears, and interesting fellow travelers.
Protecting the camera was of utmost importance.
We boarded the train, sighed in relief, and sat back to relax and enjoy the ride to the airport.

About 10 minutes into the trip I noticed the sign:
"The weekend of 20-21 June, repairs will be underway at *********** station. Shuttle buses will be provided for passengers continuing to the airport."
And so it was. At the designated station we had to disembark the train and board the airport shuttle.

"UH-OH" I heard my beloved say.
(Uh-oh nearly ALWAYS costs me money.)
I turned to look at her. She held up her LARGE purse to show the line about two inches from the bottom where the water bottle she had also placed in the purse had leaked and soaked everything aboard...
My camera included.

ADVENTURE!
I LOVE traveling.
It's the getting to and from it that irritates me.
(The trials will continue in Part III.)

The Cruise, Part I

It was my first cruise, her second. Because of her previous experience we decided not to skimp.
The cost initially took my breath away. Then I looked at the big picture-
Great quarters with an AMAZING view.
Food. Food! FOOD!
Live performances nightly in the Princess Theater.
A chance to see Eagles, Whales, Bears, and Serbians up close. (Our waitress was an attractive Serb.)
Add to that the fact we'd be traveling over 2000 miles by a vehicle as nice as any hotel I've ever stayed in...
The reason for the cost came into clearer, less scary view.
Still, it was a chunkachange.

We were packed. All my stuff was in half a suitcase.
Her stuff occupied the other half of my bag and two more (larger) pieces of luggage. In our years together I've resigned myself to the fact that being beautiful takes work dedication, and artistry. She makes me proud.

The night before departure we carried Lucy to our friend's house where, for just over a week, she will be treated as well, maybe better, than she would be pampered at home.

I slept fitfully.
"Have I dotted all the I's and crossed all the "T's"?"
In order to get on the ship, several links in a chain have to hold strong:
-We have to get to the Light Rail Train on time.
-The Train has to get us to the airport on time.
-Our airplane(s) have to remain airworthy and our flight(s) have to depart and arrive reasonably on time. (We had a connection in Denver).
-The Hotel room I reserved for the night before departure has to be ready for occupation.
-A taxi then has to get us to the ship on time.
WOW.
That's a LOT of "ifs", isn't it?

But I had scheduled everything with ample time margins, and it all fell into place as planned.
Departure morning dawned clear and warmer than normal, and with a free "La Quinta" breakfast in our bellies we climbed into the ubiquitous Toyota Prius taxi for the 20 minute trip to Seattle's Pier 91.
Here we GO!