Had an intriguing conversation in Sir Samuel's this morning with a guy whose girlfriend is from Jax Beach. He is an amateur mountaineer who plans to climb Everest! He and his best friend from grade school were going to celebrate their 50th birthdays by making the climb in 2021, but the council that controls the climbs has announced that as of 2020, any climber must document successful climbs, including at minimum, the other 6 Seven Summits. These guys don't plan to do that, "too time consuming and expensive" so they're going to beat the new requirements. He opined a huge rise in Everest climbers in the next few years. This lead to a lively discussion of other "tourist endangered" sites that were taking steps to minimize erosion: the Galapagos, Macchu Picchu, Chichen Itza, Stonehenge, Angkor Wat. Are these good actions or man's ongoing attempts to "control" the natural cycle of things?
Saw a wonderful jacket - it's a map of the world! Reminded me of those envelopes I bought a few years ago that were made from discarded maps.
Malcolm Nelson is a delightful speaker. I hope HM Customs sends him out to schools to speak. He even made the topic of swallowers palatable and not too gross. One thought did arise while listening to him: my students really had a marvelously varied exposure during those years I invited diverse professionals to share their expertise. The information Malcolm delivered echoed that of the DEA agent who spoke to my kids. Plus, he cited one of my favorite Sir Winston quotes:
I knew I did not bring enough formal wear when this was delivered:
At the cocktail party, I met Judy from Washington, DC who wants to visit St. Augustine and Eva who
lived in Wenham until her husband died and she bought a condo in Rowley. We traded stories of restaurants and beaches and shops. We even had our picture taken as Three Singles in Black. I'll try to find it tomorrow, but I am not paying $25 for a copy!!
The Lobby theme reflects Wind in the Willows and tomorrow night passengers are singing carols round the tree. 
The knitting group is fun. Here are Judy from Nova Scotia, she of potato chip pattern, and Ellen of The New Forest, who is finishing her Twiddle Muff for dementia patients. 
I'm tired and tomorrow is our last day at sea before Southampton, where I believe several of us knitters plan to explore the wool/yarn section of John Lewis at West Quay Mall. Sheila is going to be a "real tourist" and take the tour to Windsor. It's so gorgeous there, I know she's going to have a great time.
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