Nov 14

Just back from a day at Half Moon Cay -- an island in the Bahamas owned by Holland America.  We had a lovely time -- most of which was spent sitting in a clamshell sunshade we rented for we$15.  Each clamshell accommodates two people on lounge chairs.  We just pick up a big towel as we leave the ship -- this time in large tenders, carrying 300 or 150, depending on which one we rode in.

The sand on this little island is like white powder -- just as soft and fine as can be.  It was lovely to walk in the warm soft beach down to the water from our clamshell.  There was a bit of a surf, but not too much.  The water itself was a bit cool -- Mary Ann was slow to get wet --  but it was clear and really not all that chilly once we were submerged.  The wind blew, and there were clouds, so it wasn't all that hot -- just nice.

There was a great barbeque on shore for lunch. . . all kinds of salads, beef sausages, hamburgers, mahi- mahi, and wonderful ribs.  We washed that all down with iced tea and then looked around the little straw market.  We saw nothing at all that interested us, so we decided to come on back to the ship. As we waited for the tender, we were offered cool washcloths to use on our faces and little drinks of ice cold lemondade.  A pretty good wind made the trip back to the ship fun and making our way to the gang plank a bit treacherous.  We survived and got counted back on board ship.  Now we're in our room, showered and relaxing in the housecoats provided by Holland America.

Tonight is the first formal night in the dining room.  Last night we all had the special prime rib dinner.  It will be interestng to see what they have on the menu tonight.  We plan to go to the show after dinner and then get ready to go ashore at Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos tomorrow where we have a beach/snorkel excursion booked.  I'll try to report tomorrow.  I'm not sure I can send pictures because I don't think I have the correct cable to connect my iPhone to my computer or from Mary Ann's camera to this little computer.  Let the investigation begin!  It may have to wait till I can buy a card reader or something.

GRANK TURK ISLAND IN TURKS AND CAICOS

The main item on this island was that Mary Ann and I went snorkeling.  We weren't much good at all but it was fun.  We saw some interesting tropical fish.  The funny part was Mary Ann's technique for breathing through the mouthpiece.  She couldn't manage at first, so I told her to try making a noise as she exhaled through her mouth.  it worked, so after that, you could hear her through the water saying "Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo"!  What a lark!  Nita and Janet watched us, but didn't swim there because the shelf at the edge was a bit steep and the waves were a bit much.  They went to a pool and then to another beach where conditions were better .  The water was wonderfully warm and clear.

Today, we are in the Dominican Republic in the town of St. Margaret de Samana.  It is quite different from Grand Turk, for sure.  It is less flat, more lush vegetation, Spanish, and very touristy.  There were lots of little children hawking shells that they clearly did not get from the beach -- more likely from a local dollar store!  It's hot and getting back on the ship is welcome respite from the humidity.  Still, it's a fun experience.  I'll try to get on line now and try to send this all -- with some photos maybe.  I'm finding this little netbook VERY difficult to use:  the keyboard is cramped and if I'm not very careful, I hit the page up key rather than the shift key.   All of a sudden the cursor is up in the middle of the document or at the beginning of the line or somewhere invisible!  Ctrl-Z is my best friend.