ME AND MR JONES

Today we are approaching our final port, Ensenada, Mexico before returning to San Francisco. We do not arrive until four and leave at nine. It’s a quick Jones Act stop and I’m sure many passengers will not leave the Symphony.

I awoke later due to our late nights and traveling East losing hours. I grabbed an Americano and sat outside all alone on deck 7 watching the wake. Not very many walkers passed by. It seems like it will be a lazy sea day for others as well.

I returned to the cabin and snuck in so not to disturb the sleeping teen. That can be like waking a hibernating bear. I grabbed the Ipad to do some writing in the Bistro. I wrote and had a very light breakfast of fruit. Veronica joined me to have coffee and a pastry before trivia.

Trivia was drama free today. We scored 10/15 which once again was respectable but not award winning. After trivia, it was off to the Marketplace for lunch. Rather disappointing selections today. I made a rather boring salad as there was not much vegetable dishes to make it interesting today. Another passenger commented later that lunch was not very good. I think they are just trying to wean us back to reality. It’s probably a good thing for me. Veronica went to the grill for a cheeseburger instead. I think I would’ve gained more weight if the Grill had better French fries. French fries are one of my vices and can be hard to resist. The Trident Grill makes a coated French fry and I am not a fan of those. So thank you, Crystal for helping me! But, there is always the sweet potato fries....

We both decided to read after lunch. Veronica went to Silk to read in one of the swing chairs. I decided to stay in the cabin for reading today. The pool deck was more crowded as it seemed the Hillsdale clan had the day off from lectures. Of course reading turned into nap time for a little bit.

There was no Bingo on the agenda today so we returned to the art class. Before class, we went for a walk to view the shores of Ensenada. We met up with Martha to exchange contact information and say goodbye. They are disembarking today and will be driving across country after the trip to their new home. Veronica and I enjoyed hanging out with them in the evening and will miss them tonight.

Today’s art class was jewelry making. I stopped in Silk to grab a Paloma to take with me to class. We learned how to make a bracelet. We both chose turtles as the focus of our beaded bracelets. A nice reminder of Hawaii. The art instructor, Kitty Donato is a real sweetheart. She is perfect for the job. Very calming, relaxing presence that is perfect for an artistically challenged student like myself.

After our jewelry making, we returned to the cabin to dress for dinner. After I dressed, I went to the Avenue Saloon to sit on “our couch” to wait for Veronica. I decided to change up my usual cocktail and try an Aviation. Very refreshing. I sample a canapé from “Mr. Chow” as delightful bar waiter. He was introduced on the first day to us by Ricky and Giovanni from Silk as “Mr Chow” and it has stuck. I told him I’d help make his tray lighter as it was pretty full. Veronica appeared and ordered a fruit punch this evening to take to dinner.

Dinner was in Waterside and of course we sat with Viktor. Tonight, we sampled some of his recommendations but as usual I had to try my own things as well. It has become the running joke of dinner. We both started with the asparagus salad. I enjoyed it but Veronica thought it was just a salad. Veronica then had the veal carpaccio which was recommended and she did enjoy it. Viktor did not recommend the seared scallop starter but I enjoy scallops so I decided to see why he does not like it. I thought it was cooked nicely but he was correct that it is more blackened than the traditional seared look. I enjoyed it but I could see why some passengers might not. Veronica chose the gnocchi as her main course and it was also Viktor’s recommendation. I joked that I could get a dish like that at home so I wanted something different. I chose the seafood stew with a curry flavor. I asked if it could be made hotter and he brought me Tabasco with my dish. Perfect. It was really flavorful with the extra heat.

Viktor also placed another pasta dish between us. He stated the gnocchi were not getting good reviews from passengers tonight so he wanted Veronica to try this. The gnocchi were a tad bland for my liking. Veronica did enjoy the bonus pasta. She said she thought that pasta was better than Prego. I think with the great Italian food of the area in which we live, it makes us rather tough critics of Italian fare. For dessert, Viktor asked if I enjoy crepe Suzette. I told him that I do so he prepared that for Veronica and me as a special treat. It was not one of the menu items that evening. He brought a side dish of ice cream for Veronica as well. Very good dessert and we both enjoyed that special treat.

After dinner, we went outside to see the lights of Ensenada. There was a fountain show we could see in the distance and we watched that for a bit until showtime. Tonight’s show was Broadway Stars in Concert with Andrea Burns, Aaron Lazar and Jamila. They are all very talented Broadway stars who we enjoyed. After that, we went to see the comedy show.

The comedy show was in the Starlite Club tonight. The comedian was Ritch Shydner.

Veronica thought this set was funnier as it wasn’t so marriage focused. He made a reference to South Jersey so I clapped. He asked where I was from so I gave my husband some credit and said “Carney’s Point.” I wanted to see how South Jersey he truly was. His face was shocked for a second and said “I’m from Pennsville. Can we share a ride home?” Small world.
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After the show, DJ Danya started some line dances. We spoke with her earlier and promised we’d help her get some people dancing. We did three different line dances with her and a few passengers. We wanted to visit with Howard, one of the dance hosts before the evening ended so we popped up to Palm Court for the last fifteen minutes of dancing. I had a couple dances with Howard and David before the last song. We returned to DJ Danya at midnight to find the floor empty. So it was off to Avenue Saloon to get a nightcap from Priscilla to go back to the cabin to enjoy. Veronica also grabbed a popcorn to take back from the theater. We both enjoyed our drinks, cognac for me and a ginger ale for Veronica while we read our books. Another relaxing day at sea in the books