It's a beautiful morning in San Diego. The skies ar clear and blue and the sunlight is streaming over the ocean. Yesterday was a bit cloudy and gray. It was a good day for walking around the zoo. At least we thought so. The guy operating the skyfari tram felt it was a bit too cold. "Anything under 70 degrees is cool. Anything under 60 degrees is considered freezing in these parts." So I guess we were freezing and didn't know it.
The Zoo was great fun. The only low moments came as we walked through the horn and hoof exhibition. Unfortunately we've seen most of those animals on display in Alan & Barbara's various trophy rooms. We couldn't help comparing the beauty of the live animals to the perfectly preserved memorials we had seen before. This is simply an observation, I respect the responsible way that Barbara and Alan conduct their hunting. To be honest zoos make me a little bit sad in general. Although some of the animals seem at home in their areas, many of them have an air of caged energy or apathy, as though their essence is stunted by being trapped in a display. They are still incredibly beautiful but as you observe them you can't help but wonder how you would feel if the situation were reversed. We have the freedom to move around and to guide our own explorations. We just need to remember to cherish and to exercise those rights more often. We all feel trapped at times but usually we are the biggest obstacle to change in our own lives.
Today is embarkment day for the cruise with Holland America. I've never been on a cruise and neither of us has been to Hawaii so we are looking forward to the trip. We get a whole new set of experiences and we get to share our love of food with a new group of people. What could be better? It's also a rare opportunity for us to get away and reconnect in a new setting. We spend so much time together that sometimes we forget what a rare partnership we have. This will be a nice opportunity to enjoy each other's company outside of kitchens, wine rooms and dining rooms. We'll still be cooking and eating and teaching but there will be many other things to experience once we're done in the kitchens. I'm looking forward to being on the water for an extended period, we both miss the ocean when we're in Colorado. It will be a real treat to look out on the water first thing in the morning and before bed in the evenings. Moonlight playing on the ocean is one of my favorite views of all time.
We will continue to post from the ship. There definitely is an internet cafe but there are only seven terminals for 1300 passengers and who knows how many crew members. We're hoping for hotspots along the deck so that we can use our laptops. We never leave home without them. As I mentioned before it's a beautiful, breezy day, clearly an auspicious beginning to our next adventure.
