April 19 - At Sea

 Well, the weather has finally turned on us.  The seas have gotten rougher and the fog and clouds make it quite dreary.  And it is COLD.  Currently, the outside temperature is 37 degrees.  The good news is that there are plenty of loungers around the pool available.  The covered eating area by the pool is heated from above and some people ate lunch out there.  Brave souls.

We were lucky enough to have the clouds clear just as we passed by the southern tip of one of the Russian islands off the Kamchatka Peninsula as we turn east to head to the Aleutians.  I was able to get this picture.

We could see Russia from our front porch!

And up top the pool was sloshing around like the ocean.  Would have been fun if it was warmer.

On days like this, I'm always happy to return to our lower deck cabin towards the middle of the ship.  It amuses me that the most expensive and exclusive big suites are up top and towards the front.  I guess they pay extra for the ride.

We had two lectures today, the first by Terry Breen was Part Two of Alaska's Forgotten War.  She is an interesting speaker and was very informative about what went on up there in 1943.  I had really no idea about any of it, and never wondered why Dad was sent there as a doctor in the Army.

And the second was by Jeana Rogers titled Memoirs of a Secret Empire about Ninjas and Geishas.  She was also very clear on the differences between Ninjas and Samurai.  They existed at the same time but had very different roles.  Samurai were from "good families" and were bound by duty, honor, and ritual. They proudly wore elaborate clothing and were right out in the open.  Ninjas came from lower classes and basically did the dirty work with no rules except to get the job done to protect the Shogun. They were stealthy, always dressed in black, and were basically assassins.

She also talked about Geishas and their history and their status today.  There are very few left and they work in Kyoto.  Contrary to common misconception, they are not courtesans (sex workers), but more like entertainers and artists.  You can tell Geishas from those who provide "pleasure" by where their big bow is on their sash.  While they dress very similarly, Geisha's bow is in the back where they cannot remove it themselves; the courtesans wore theirs in the front for easy removal.  

The magician from the other night, Greg Moreland, gave a little magic class where we learned a few tricks to show the grandkids (if I can remember).  He was more fun at the class than at his show.

Trivia was another dismal 7/15.  The others were amazed that Michael and I knew how long the boat tour was supposed to last on the Gilligan's Island TV show. (3 hours)  But none of us could remember which planet's moons are named after Shakespeare characters, even though we'd had the question in the last segment.  (Uranus)

The seven of us had a lovely dinner at Pacific Rim and Sarah and I had a sake with our dessert.  It was served a little chilled, but I think I prefer it warm.  We've been there 3 times and only tonight noticed that all of the staff is women - not a man to be found.  Interesting.

The clocks go ahead again tonight - this is the third night in a row.