Yet, again, gray, misty, cold and windy. Welcome to the North Atlantic.
Breakfasted with Phil and Susan from Russell, "just up the lane from Blackpool."
Took my tea (I've developed a taste for Golden Darjeeling) into Carinthia to write and post blog entry. Tim, then Chris, sat down and we chatted for more than an hour. Enlivening. Conversation ranged from a potential on-line book club dedicated to re-reading the literary canon (Only possible in 15 months when Tim retires from U Penn) to My Mother, The Car and Spring Byington's career. Chris noted he'd seen Joel as he does look a lot like Stephen Root. Sheila joined us at the end. I headed out to a Battle of the Atlantic lecture.
Commander Jeff Tall must have been Hell on wheels during WWII if his passion for his subject is any indication. His PowerPoint was loaded with personal images, anecdotes and Royal Navy news clips that brought the U-boat vs surface ship contest into sharp relief. I had no idea how disastrous 1942 and early 1943 were for shipping until we Americans FINALLY decided to embrace the concept of convoy. How stupidly arrogant of the Navy C-in-C to refuse to allow "dammed Limeys" to tell him how to protect his ships...Imagine! They'd only been the greatest sea power of the planet for centuries. How could they possibly know what they were doing? His next talk is on submarines in the Pacific. I may hear him again.
I missed Sheila learning to tap dance as I wanted to hear Christine Roussel speak on the art of the Rockefeller Center. It was astounding. Later in the day, I introduced myself and shared how much I enjoyed but was mortified by her lecture. I have been to the Center more than once but must have been asleep to have missed the works she discussed. I mean, how did I not see an 80 foot mosaic depicting the oral and written transmission of ideas??? I was stunned to discover an enormous Diego Rivera mural was destroyed because the political artist inserted a tiny image of Lenin and refused to remove it! I want to see the Channel Gardens, so named as they are between the British and French collection buildings.
Sea Shanty singing was hysterical. None of us had better quit our day jobs. I knew more than I anticipated, undoubtedly a result of growing up near Boston, Salem, Gloucester and Rockport!
I went for the DixieLand Jazz lunch but the lounge was packed, so sat on a hallway bench with Tim and Chris chatting about passengers and making tacky remarks concerning their possible professions and avocations. I adore people watching.
Chatted for a bit with Dianne and Scott, discovering she has stage 4 melanoma and is not expected to live for very long, despite being in a clinical trial which seems to be successful. between she and Jackie (from previous crossing) my thoughts on socialized medicine are dimming rapidly. Our systems is break-your-bank expensive but we do receive superb care. I mentioned I was signing up for the Tall Ship Sail Away tour of Halifax Harbor when we reached Nova Scotia, hoping my jacket is sufficient clothing for the weather. Dianne and Scott are also on that tour. After the tour I hope to have enough time to take a cab to Frenchie's Used Clothing, just to see what's there. Sheila is taking the 4 hour walking tour/hike of McNab's Island.
The storm is arriving earlier than expected so Captain Wells just came on the intercom to alert us to much heavier than anticipated weather. He's slowing the ship from 23 to 14 knots to better ease us through 8-10 meter seas. I believe him as when I stopped by my cabin, all the glassware had fallen and most had broken! I went to the library to read while the steward cleaned the cabin carpet.Finishing my 3rd Flavia de Luce novel, I snapped a few pictures of the seas breaking over the bow of QM2, though I missed the couple that sprayed over the radio mast! Amazing! As always when this kind of weather happens, I am awed by the Vikings and later mariners who traversed this ocean in boats the size of this ship's propeller blades!
At tea, I met Diane and Carol, Sheila's long time friends from the QE2 days. Delightful and charming, no wonder she enjoys them so. We met again at the Britannia Cocktail party, which was so unattended due to sea-sickness that I had no wait for my ordered G&T.
Dinner was a similar experience with Irene and Aywood missing. As we descended the staircase to dinner, Shekti and Kendal waited to escort us to our table, giggling that our table mates had worries yesterday about our absence. Daniel and Joel were charming and amusing. I just have trouble looking Daniel in the eye due his coif, but that's my issue not his.
After dinner, Sheila and I heard Maria Friedman sing accompanied by Theo Jameson. The pair was marvelous and though the ship was rocking in the swells and the theater is in the bow and the audience was extremely sparse, they put on the entire 90 minute show! The longest ever given! They are heading to New York to cast her new revival of a Sondheim show. I've never seen a performer walk on stage, raise her gown saying, "Aren't my shoes gorgeous? Excellent! Now I can put on my Birkenstocks and go on with my show!"
While I enjoyed her tributes to Bernstein and Sondheim, I was forcibly reminded of my musical theater ignorance, especially sitting next to the Sheila. Factoid never known before - Sheila danced with Balanchine when she was a ballerina!!! I wish Mom had known that!!!
We never made it to meet Paul and Janet. I hope they had a good day and were untouched by the ship's movement.
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