Final days of the cruise

We landed in Cabo San Lucas on the 27th. The ship couldn’t go into a harbor to dock so we had to ride in one of the lifeboats to get to shore. We walked along the pier which was lined with excursions (mostly deep sea fishing) because the area is famous for sailfish. We walked with the couple we met from Sydney but lost them while shopping for tank tops. We got into the midst of something illegal because the shop owner began frantically hiding Hard Rock Cafe merchandise for some reason. We were in a sunken area and bought what we thought were 1 large and 3 small tank top shirts. I turned out they were all medium--too small for me and too large for the grandsons. They can grow into theirs. We came out of the sunken flea market to find police with rifles all over the street. Nothing ever happened but we didn’t tarry in the area. We went to an art gallery, turned to go in and saw the artist who painted our TV trays that we have in NC. I never thought much of the job he did but said nothing. It was a real shock to see him and learn he had moved his family there from Nuevo Progreso, the border town we visit frequently. We looked at some art but bought nothing. We went to a site to use the Internet and got some e-mail. We went back to the “tender” boat and returned to the ship. We lay in the sun for a while, changed clothes and had dinner with to gentlemen friends from Britain. They meet for a vacation once each year and never see each other the rest of the year. The entertainment tonight was a fantastic pianist who was also funny.

We had worship again this morning, had breakfast, and played cards a while. We had lunch and planned dinner with Frank and Lorraine Murphy from Perth. We took naps and met them and Brian and Gloria from Colorado for dinner. We were too early for the 9:15 show so we went for the Karaoke. The singers were so bad that I had to ask to sing “Sweet Caroline”, hoping the others would not perform again. Most people liked my song but the next act was one of the earlier ones who sang again anyway. They had a good time. We went to a show performed by members of the crew. There were some good acts. Afterward we went to the chocoholic buffet. Chocolate is served in every shape imaginable. I ate more carbs that night than on the entire 16 other days on the ship.

The 29th found us in Los Angeles. We were only scheduled for 7 hours there and Emily and family were skiing at Mammoth Lakes, so we had not scheduled an excursion. A good thing. Customs took nearly 3 hours to clear everyone and those who had planned excursions had little time to complete them. We did walk on the pier for a while and called my brother, Stan, to confirm our plans for tomorrow. We also called Emiluy and Stacy. We had an informal dinner and then went to see a comedian/musician. We went to bed early.

After breakfast Evelyn took a nap and I walked a mile on the deck. We docked in San Francisco at 2 PM and met Stan and Linda. They had their car but wanted to take us on a trolley tour of the wharf area. They had taken the tour a month earlier and had a great tour guide. We didn’t get a good one this time. We saw many sites and then drove back to Stan’s hotel. From their we took the city bus to the Giants’ baseball game. We had our dinner at the ball park. Stan had ordered tickets a week ago. It is cold on the ballpark so we wore heavy coats. When we returned to his hotel, we were the last ones off the bus. He then had to take us to the ship at 1 AM where we spent the night.

Happy May! We went to the dining room for breakfast for the first time on the cruise. I had two orders of eggs benedict that were a delicious change from the omelets I had been eating. We went back for naps and got up at 1. Evelyn watched a movie, “The Prestige” that I was not too interested in. I went to a lecture on Canada and then began packing. We went to dinner and a show, featuring a comedian, juggler and magician that ended with many representing the different serving departments on the ship. Things were winding down.

May 2 we worshipped again and I sang my song for the talent show. I wanted to share the message with our worshippers in case they couldn’t make the show tonight. We scheduled a cruise for next July in which we will try to take our three grandsons to Alaska. We may not be able to go but can cancel up to three months before the sailing date. We supposedly got a better price by booking on board. Evelyn bought another bracelet while I was at the dress rehearsal for the show tonight. We went to the final art auction and finished packing. I rested before the show. I was the first performer and was surprised at the large number of people who came to see the amateur talent on the ship. I was blessed with my performance and hope the audience was. I was second best at highest. A semi professional woman from Vancouver sang “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” very well. I wanted to emphasize the Christian flavor of my song, “Welcome to My World”. I asked that the audience imagine Jesus singing it to them. We went to the second show of the evening which was more professional, put our luggage into the hallway and went to bed.