The St Lucia Excess

There’s enough Kindle-ing on this ship to set the place on fire! I cannot image how the Bookbinders Guild of America, if there is such an animal, will make a profit this year. I think I am the only person on board who is actually reading a real book. Everyone else seems to have their nose firmly fixated seven inches from an electronic pad, pausing every few seconds to press a little button to “turn” the page.

Somehow, I still thoroughly enjoy actually holding a real book, balancing the weight of the hard cover heft, feeling the page between my thumb and forefinger. I have finished three books the past four days – The Commoner (Mom, you would like this one), a thinly veiled fictionalized account of the commoner who married into the Japanese royal family; The Help (Brenda, this one made me think of you), a thought-provoking story about privileged young white women and the “help” who actually raised them; and finally, “All We Ever Wanted Was Everything”, a novel about a wealthy woman whose husband divorces her the day of his IPO. Now I’ve started in on the serious reading, the first titled The End of Influence, What happens when other countries have all the money”. The prologue alone gives a pause for thought. Thank goodness I have Kurt in the family to explain the whole mess to me!

The ambassador hosts on board, there are three, absolutely remind me of those men from the movie Out To Sea! Most gratifying to watch, however, are those couples who have been married a while, who obviously love the music, and who engage in that quiet, calm, dance-of-a-lifetime-of-memories. Lovely. Inspiring. Wistful.

Speaking of dance, the ballet of the buffets continues each day. Yesterday was the Neptune Buffet – a compilation of every delicious food ever served on any cruise ship. The only think I’m ready to admit is that I have not stepped into an elevator, yet, but climb stairs every day (that hike from 5 to 11 is not getting any easier, why is that?). I am not ready to admit that I have exercised any part of my body except my jaw muscles. How is it that we become so lazy and care-less on board a cruise ship?

Caviar by the ton....

Sushi for every possible tiny taste bud....

Think of all the lobster scurry-ing around, tail-less.....

and of all those crab on crutches........

We are anchored off St Lucia today, three other ships already at the pier in Castries when we arrived at 8am this morning. I didn’t go into town today, I’m saving myself for next time I pass through here (in about 10 days). I can only look at so many island t-shirts or so many women offering to braid my hair or so many boxes of Authentic Caribbean Rum Cake. We have a day at sea tomorrow and I’ll be playing mah-jongg in the afternoon (no bridge yet – these folks take their bridge waaaay too seriously). Then comes Aruba – maybe I’ll price watches for Steve there, maybe not.....

Life on the lazy line continues…..