We’ve been home for too long. It’s time for a trip. Thursday, we’re taking the car train to Florida. We’ll be with Mom for a few days. We’ll start a cruise on Sunday, returning the following Sunday. For that week, my phone and Email will be available only occasionally. If you want to get hold of us, the best way is to send me an Email. Or you can call me at 410-417-8854. I’ll get your voice mail message in a few days. If it’s urgent, here’s the emergency numbers:

Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam, Cabin 4069;  Cruise 2/24 – 3/3

Holland America has dedicated Emergency phone numbers staffed 24/7

800-628-4771

800-426-0327  5:00 AM – 7:00 PM; M-F;  7:00AM – 3:30 PM  (Pacific Time)

888-361-8803

206-286-3294

206-301-5393

Additionally, you can call the ship directly from the shore. Recommend that you use this for the most critical emergencies only.  Connecting to a Holland America Line vessel at sea is simple by using Ship Dial. Service.  A credit card is required for all inbound phone calls to a ship. The rate is US$16.00 per minute and billing begins at the time specified. Please have the ship’sname, your party’s name and stateroom number before you call.

Instructions:

1. Dial 1-800-993-5483 (US).
2. Listen to the announcement.
3. Listen to the menu and select the number that corresponds to the ship you are calling.
4. If you receive a busy signal or message, please hang up quickly and try your call again.

Our clubhouse has a large room used for a lot of different activities such as parties, exercise classes, and Monday Morning Men’s Club. Those of us who participate in Men’s club dedicate ourselves to the major issues of the day. The main requirement is that each member must be willing to bring bagels when it’s his turn. Since the room is used for many purposes, furniture is rearranged several times a day. Scooching furniture around marks up the bamboo floor. Some people wanted to refinish the floor. Others felt that would be a waste because the floor will quickly be marked up by schooching furniture. The wrong side won, and the floor was refinished. Being a powerful force in the community, some men arranged for the refinishing to be started on Tuesday, finished by Friday, with the room available for use Monday morning. Unfortunately, the work ran late. And there was a major miscommunication. The floor has to dry a full week to get maximum protection from the new protective coating. As a result, Men had to meet in the clubhouse living room last Monday, and maybe even again tomorrow. This was a serious inconvenience, because everybody who comes in to make a cup of free coffee in our clubhouse kitchen can kibitz — without ever bring bagels, and even if they aren’t men. There’s a silver lining to every cloud. We turned the living room fireplace on. Hopefully this travesty will be quickly corrected.

Another effect of the floor work is that our Chinese New Year party was not held Friday. It is rescheduled, and Danita and I won’t be here when they finally have it. Our neighbors the Jonses (yes, we have to keep up with the Jonses) and we were so disgusted that we went out to Mission BBQ for dinner. Danita wanted to walk, but besides being rather cool, winds were 20 MPH. Because the Jonses help with daycare for their grand kids, they have child seats in both cars. We had to drive our *gas* car 2 miles to get the 4 of us to dinner. As Jeff said on the way back, “the car could be warmer”.

The weekend isn’t a total loss. We’re having a neighborhood concert tonight. The large room is still closed, but the concert will be in the living room. Music, appetizers, desert, and wine. Life is starting to look up.

I hope this finds everybody doing well.

We had a Circle luncheon Thursday. Our big thing was a concert at the symphony last night. The Brahms and Respighi were wonderful. The other piece was Helen Grime’s Percussion Concerto that was getting its US premier. Colin Currie, the percussionist, was fabulous. But I couldn’t stretch my 19th century brain to encompass the 21st century music.