Yesterday was a sea day. Shortly after dinner, the captain announced we would have a strong wind overnight. He said he might not be able to tie up to the dock. His alternate plan was to anchor in the bay and use tenders. Sure enough, all was calm until about 3 AM. It was the Wind of Hell. Howling sounds were heard throughout the ship. All exterior doors were locked shut. In spite of the wind, the sea was relatively calm. Ship motion was nominal. Fortunately, the wind let up at about 6 AM. We were able to tie up to the dock.

We were in Sidney, Nova Scotia. Our main activity was a bus ride to the hamlet of Baddeck to see the Alexander Graham Bell Museum. We all know that Bell taught deaf people how to talk (including Hellen Keller). And he invented the telephone. What I didn’t know is that after he was filthy rich, he formed a research company to do cool stuff. For example, Edison’s first phonograph was not useful. Audio quality was terrible. The cylinders failed after a few plays. Bell’s company invented the Gramaphone, which was far superior. It didn’t take Edison long to copy Bell’s improvements, making his system almost as good. For many long years, “Gramophone” was associated with superior audio quality. Bell also puttered around with airplanes, achieving the first flight in Canada. Bell’s “Silver Dart” looked a lot like the “Wright Flyer”.

The exhibit showing what phones looked like over the years was fun to look at.

Even more fun was the exhibit designed to teach children how to use a dial phone.

I hope all are well.