I have determined after deep thought that people are strange. Some people are stranger than others – and those in The Villages are no different. Once upon a time there were efforts by neighbors and other Villagers to get me to take a “cruise” – even the term “cruise” has sinister overtones. Ultimately, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, I succumbed to this line of thinking and ended up on a dangerous voyage to Alaska. There, we avoided large whales and even larger glaciers. On the way back we couldn’t even make it into the port of Victoria as there were gale force winds that kept us out – kept us out in the wild stormy sea is what they did.
Now those same forces in The Villages are attempting again to suggest a “cruise”, The “need” for a cruise has not abated and would involve a trip to anyplace as long as it was on one of those ships with a large number of passengers who usually end up making each other sick. Then all the decks and everything below have to be scrubbed – assuming all the crew isn’t sick too. To substantiate that we all see on TV the unfortunate passengers who are being kept on board because everyone is sick; there has been an engine fire, or some other unfortunate incident. There was a ship not long ago that ran aground even though the “ground” has been there for centuries. I have to wonder if the crews of that ship were related to the other ships that have run aground in many other places over the centuries. You would think that whoever runs these ships would know about ground that has been there for most of recorded history.
One of the “neighbors” who has been indicating that another cruise would do wonders for my soul is the same fellow who took a cruise once from Florida to Europe. He sent a great e-mail a couple of days into the trip in which he indicated that the ship was running into seventy-five foot waves. The ship was listing 20 degrees to one side and the same to the other. Apparently, the ship listed so much that liquor bottles broke out of their cabinets (they were probably trying to get off the ship – poor things). Instead many of them broke and soaked the rugs so much that people had to lap it up. Can you imagine that for the rest of the long ocean crossing many people had to drink water with their meals? That would not bother me, but some people need something to make up for the boredom on a long cruise.
What the heck, I live in The Villages where there is something going on every minute. Why should I ignore the many adventures here and go on a cruise where I am going to come down with a strange illness and be attacked by seventy five foot waves carrying runaway glaciers? I don’t think so! Now The Blonde in the house might feel a little different as she talks about friends who are going on one or more cruises – including a couple who has signed up for a 49 day cruise. She indicates that a little seven day cruise would work. Hardly any time to get sick on such a short cruise is the theory, I assume. In fact, she showed me one that the genealogy club is considering that is only four days. Surely, one of that time span would be a snap for me. Naturally, I do have my suspicions as to where all this is leading, so if anything untoward is advanced of a serious nature, you will be the first to know. Well, perhaps after notice to Husbands United (a secret society) even though many of the members do disappear for weeks at a time. They all deny that they have been on a “cruise”, but those shirts with ship’s names on them do make me wonder.
Cruises may be ok to some, but I still remember Magellan who was promised a cruise around the world, but never made it – and he was the Captain!
Barry Evans is a Villager.