June 26, 27, 2015, en route to Huatulco, Mexico

Two more sea days.  This time the weather is hot and humid.  The lounges are not even too cold as they have been in the past.

I did my usual sea day, sit to be fit with Claudia at 9:00am, get  a new kit for needlepoint and fight the lines to get a good choice.  I finally got to do zen doodle with artist Pat Grillo this time, and then had a rest and lunch  before playing bridge with Harold again.  I had a back, neck and shoulder massage after trivia.  Dinner was in Horizons for the Mexican buffet.  This time they played Mexican music!  The show as a new group, Mark Friedman and Rodi Alexander.  Theya re very professional performers who obviously enjoy what they are doing.  He is an excellent piano player and she is a beautiful, talented singer and dancer.  They sang a medley of popular songs using the voices of the singers.  I talked David into going and e enjoyed it I think.  He went to see Vlad play piano last night and I stayed "home".

Saturday, I attended the seminar about Columbian emeralds given by the son of an emerald family company who says they are the jeweler of the Pope.  Men won both of the two $500 credits for buying an emerald.  Columbian emeralds are the best because of the brightness he says.  They have a beautiful pair of earrings shaped like palm trees.  The leaves are the emeralds and the trunk is all diamonds which you can purchase for only $100,000.  I have an emerald ring but I have no idea what kind it is.  I got it from Fred Meyer jewelry.  What do you think?

Saturday

They have a movie about the building of the Panama Canal for us.   "A Man, A Plan, the Canal"

 They also held an Officers and guest challenge.  The Officers played us at golf, shuffleboard, pingpong and throwing balls in a ring in the pool.  The pool challenge was the easiest and most fun.  You could do it more than once.  Tammy ran the shuffleboard.  In order to get even one Big "O" point, you had to win the whole match.  I watched the Captain lose to a passenger.

The excitement was the show by The Platters.  There is one guy who is an original, Eddie Stovall, his son, Miss D, and another guy. They live in Branson, MO so I imagine they perform there regularly. They put on a wonderful show of their hits such as Only You, Twighlight Time, Remember When, Workin on the Chain Gang, I'm Sorry, You'll Never Know, Mustang Sally, Red Sails in the Sunset, Love Train (they led us around the Insignia Lounge),  

Miss D leading the Love Train

the Great Pretender, and Harbor Lights.  It went so fast.  David bought a CD and got it autographed.  They are very friendly and approachable.  Hearing these songs from our dating and batchlorette days makes us all very happy.  The popularity for this music is much more than the standard cruise entertainment offerings.  They are responding to our requests, but they could do more like have the Insignia band play rock for the pre-show dancing, or a rock band as entertainment.