A Wild Cruise
Rita could not help but sigh to herself as she boarded the cruise liner. She was happy, thrilled to finally be embarking on a once in a lifetime adventure, a cruise to
Rita was roused by the announcement on the cruise ship intercom, Welcome to Glacier Bay. Suddenly, her face was flushed with excitement. She and Dan were about to set sail on their Alaskan cruise and they were going to go sightseeing!
Well, Rita had every intention of seeing the sites. Dan had other ideas.
“Put that bow back in its case,” she warned. “We have enough dead animals at our house. We don’ t need some Alaskan ones to add to the mix.” She took the bow away and handed him his camera instead, knowing it was his second favorite thing to point and shoot.
Like the rest of the passengers, they hung over chilly ship rails watching the little inlets and sailing past glaciers as they headed into the bay. It was about 42 degrees outside, but that was no big deal to these New Yorkers who had braved blizzards.
They were excited to see whales, sea lions, puffins, bears and eagles, and if Dan got a certain look in his eye when he saw all these things, Rita would tug at the strap around his neck and remind him that he was only shooting with the camera. “Besides,” she added as they watched a pod of whales. “That one in the middle reminds me of Cindy, graceful yet strong, and I do not want you shooting a bow into any of my e-sisters!”
Dan rolled his eyes, even as he saw the resemblance of that pod to the Cannon family (one was very long and lean and definitely looked like Jonathan, anyway, although he was hard-pressed to decide which one was Derf). “Yes, dear,” he said with a sigh.
Content, Rita found herself doing the same thing again at their next stop, which was in
”Put the bow away!” she admonished her husband. “We are going to see eagles today and that will make your trigger finger itch if nothing else.”
To keep the peace, Dan sighed and got out the camera. It was his new best friend.
Onshore, they learned about the gold rush and Dan enjoyed visiting some old-time saloons and even a former brothel. The only sour note about that was the fact that the saloons had dead animals on their walls and he had nothing to bring home to add to his own collection. Hmpf! But it was the
”Take lots of photos of that eagle right there,” she insisted, pointing to one very proud bird.
”Why?”
”It reminds me of Alicia.”
”Oh, I get it now,” Dan cracked. “It’s a legal eagle.”
”Ha, ha! No, it has that direct look in its eye, just like her. And it’s loud. And sharp. And beautiful. If it had gorgeous, dark curly hair, they could be twins. Just take the pictures, please. And don’ t quit your day job.”
In
”Look at that!” Rita cried at one point.
Dan, who had been taking photos of the salmon and otters, swung his camera around in time to see a big grizzly bear seated on the side of a mountain, among the wildflowers. He could have sworn he had seen that same scene somewhere before, but it eluded him.
”I wish I had my bow,” he muttered. Rita nudged him.
“You do not. That bear reminds me of Jen. Remember the time you took her photo in
“I’d like to take my bow to your e-sisters when this is all over with,” he muttered and dutifully took the pictures. If this kept up, he was going to have about 5,000 photos!
Rita just shook her head. She did not want any dead animals in her dead animal room that reminded her of the bennetgirls. It was a good thing the deer and raccoons and geese did not remind her of anyone in the slightest. Otherwise she would have to toss out some dead animals when she got home.
The cruise continued in
”A wolf!” Reaching for the bow Rita thought he had left on the ship, Dan aimed it at the wolf, his hands shaking with excitement. He almost got off a shot, too, when Rita stepped in front of it.
“Over my dead body,” she warned, her eyes narrowed. Dan backed down and got out the camera.
“Yes, dear. Which member of your e-family does it remind you of?” he had to ask.
“Sarah, of course!” As if there were any doubt.
Evidently there was some doubt on Dan’s part. “Sarah?”
“Well, duh! Sarah is nothing if not direct, and you can see the way that wolf is looking at us. Besides, you never know if that wolf might be a real person, and is just a shape shifter in its morphed form.”
“Huh?”
“All the more reason not to make dead animal rooms any more stuffed than they already are,” was Rita’s enigmatic, and pious, reply.
They were almost to
They had toured the town, and Rita was reminded again of Jen at the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, even if it only made Dan salivate and want to shoot something. Men! They were walking around, and spied a caribou.
“Wow!” Rita exclaimed and did not have to nudge Dan to whip out the camera. He was already taking photos when she noticed another caribou. “Look! Two of them!”
“Not a caribou,” Dan the expert said. “That’s a moose!”
It reminded her of Sofie, except for the tangle of weeds being masticated between two large jaws. Sofie did not walk around with greenery hanging out of her mouth. She might kill plants, but she did not leave them hanging.
Which e-sister does this remind you of now?” Dan had to ask.
“Actually, the caribou looks a bit like Alyson, dontcha think? It has soft eyes and a kind face.”
“Can’t be,” Dan disagreed. “No kids following along behind. How about the moose?”
“Sofie,” was the prompt reply. “Definitely Sofie.”
“Sofie walks around with weeds hanging out of her mouth? I don’t remember that at all.”
“I’m serious, Dan – do not quit your day job. I was thinking those gangly, knobbly moose knees are what did it. And that goofy face!”
“One only a mother could love,” Dan agreed. “But I still say you could find something better to remind you of Sofie, and let me take down this moose. I really need a moose head for over the fireplace.”
“Nope. Moose = Sofie.”
“I am not going to get any dead animals this time, am I?” he asked, the truth finally hitting home.
“Uh, no.”
“But no one is going to believe we went to
“Rita just smiled and tapped his camera. “Nope, they will never believe it in a million years.”
When the cruise ship arrived in
When the bus finally pulled into the
“So, where are you guys?” Sofie’s voice sounded in her ear.
“In the lobby lining up to get our rooms,” said Rita.
“I’m right outside and on my way in,” said Sofie.
Rita left Dan in the line up and walked towards the main entrance, phone to her ear.
“I see the bus!” said Sofie.
“I think I see you and Roo!” cried Rita.
Sure enough, at that moment Sofie came through the door with a happily smiling baby sitting on her shoulders. After hugs and room assignments, they went to the food fair and had a quick lunch at McDonalds.
“I kept seeing animals that reminded me of all of you,” said Rita as she told of her trip.
Dan held up his camera, “The only shooting I was allowed to do.”
“Yay for Rita!” said Sofie, high five-ing her.
After the lunch Sofie took them into the parking garage where her little old car was. “I’ll take you on a tour of
They drove up
The beach was practically deserted because the day was so cloudy and wind was blowing off the water. “There’re mountains inside those clouds,” said Sofie, pointing towards the north shore. “But I have no idea what’s inside that huge tent on the sand over there. Let’s go check it out.”
When they got to the tent, Dan held the door flaps open for Rita and she walked in. She couldn’t believe her eyes! The tent was full of balloons and streamers and people! People who reminded Rita of all the wildlife she had seen on the trip, and then some. ‘My e-family and all their families, and my e-neighbors!’ Rita shouted inside. On the outside she broke into a big grin as everybody cried,
“Happy Birthday, Rita!”
We love you Rita! Have the best birthday ever!