Today, was a day of walking the boat, bow to stern, around the rails and up and down every staircase. It was actually yesterday when I photographed the stacks coming down to go under a bridge, but it happened again today. We also visited the engine room for a long look at the pistons, then hurried by the mist spun up by the paddles. The whole ship is a wonderful piece of efficiency. I spent some of my walking time today photographing the fabulous paintings of steamboats that hang on all the walls and make this feel like an elegant ship from a lost millennium. many of the lamps are Tiffany-style or have fringed shades. The wooden bookcases in the Mark Twain room are full of books and sculptures. It’s just lovely.
We went to our shipboard Mark Twain’s last talk today. John had him sign his copy of “Life on the Mississippi.” Later, we came in last in the “Name that tune” trivia contest— unfair choices! Our big moments were managing to correctly name a Hoagie Carmichael, a Michael Jackson, a Carpenters, and two Judy Garland tunes, but sadly (hanging our heads low), that was not enough to beat the woman from the Midwest who cheerfully reported 19/20 correct.
Today was a day for just looking at the river. I did three watercolors of my view of the water, the trees, and the shore, each reflecting slightly different lighting. John spent a lot of time doing in-depth research of every place we’ve been. He’s ready to write the tour book or a complete history of the area, he thinks. It’s been a very pleasant and relaxing day.
Now is a good time to talk about food on the trip. Everything has been spectacular but made more so because Benji, one of the guys we were dining with is a foodie. He is also very southern and very funny. Since our dinner wasn’t until 8 pm, every day he starts off by reporting what was served that day at the 5 pm buffet at the “Front Porch.” Talking in a slow drawl, he says, “I just got me just a thin slice of prime rib up there and a sugar-free cookie. Just enough to hold me over ‘till dinner, ya know.” And then he smiles as he always does when talking about either food or furniture!
Our food experience in the dining room included: scallops, duck, lobster tail, shrimp linguine, pork loin, and lamb chops. They offered Cesar salad, wilted salad, beet salad, and more. Every day the menu changed and every day we were amazed. Deserts included: pies, cakes, ice cream, sorbets, crème brûlée , and cherries jubilee. They also offered sugar-free options. And the other partner at our table was Don, our very tall waiter. One night, when we were just having a salad dinner, Don came up to me with a lovely shrimp dish and explained that it was extra and did I want it. I said, no, I’d already eaten. He wandered off but was soon back with the same dish asking if I could please take it so he wouldn’t get in trouble. I spent the rest of the meal, stirring the shrimp so they would somehow look eaten. Then I gently put my dessert plate on top of the whole entry to hide it. He was grateful for the rest of the trip. Later, we found out that he’d only been on the ship for eight days, so far!
Drinks were free throughout the cruise, but with the extra liquor package, we could have a choice of better wines, scotches, or novelty drinks at no additional charge. John and I don’t drink enough to make that work, but every day, I took advantage of the open bar to order one exotic drink for John. He had a tequila sunrise, a rum punch, a margarita, an original drink called a Cupid, and a drink without a name. John had requested a hurricane, but when I put in my order, the bartender apologized because she didn’t have any more pineapple juice. She then created a drink on the spot and as she was giving me the glass, said that without the pineapple juice, it wasn’t a true hurricane. Then she thought about it. “Call it a bad storm instead,” she said! Creative and tasty.
Our last dinner lasted until they kicked us out—again! What a fun group! We’re going to miss our happy little party. Good night.