The cruise leaves

I often wondered, well maybe not that often, where embark and debark came from. I have to stop an think which is which, and even after I think about it, I'm never sure I have it right. We spent a very leisurely morning in Boston getting ready to leave. Our hotel had a wonderful observation deck and where we had a great view of the city.

The green strip in this picture was at one time an ugly, stacked freeway. The $15B "Big Dig" project turned it into an underground freeway and a very nice green park. As you can see it was a beautiful day for sailing on a cruise.


At the cruise terminal, we were greeted by a young black man who told us how much he loved Prairie Home Companion and Garrison Keillor. He said Garrison's story telling expertise had led him to want to become an opera singer so he could tell stories in that way. I (Chuck) told him that I had grown up in a small midwestern town and that I really resonated with GK's stories. He said he was meant for a small town but was in the city for now. He had wanted to meet GK, but he had arrived earlier before this person had come to work. A pretty interesting story.


We boarded without any issues, settled into our rooms, enjoyed a BBQ and some wonderful music with the Guy's All Star Shoe Band. We saw some friends we had met on the last cruise and played a couple of games of SkipBo with them. Carol and I got crushed by Gene and Mary.


The sun set in spectacular fashion which we enjoyed from our room.

We finished the night listening to one of the bands on board (le Vent du Nord, a Quebec band that plays traditional Quebec music) and listening and dancing to the Shoe Band,  the Hopeful Gospel Quartet (GK, Robin and Linda Williams, and Kate McKenzie), and Andrea Suchy. All in all, a great day.

© Charles Eklund 2012