Part LXV - Installment Travelogue: Cruising With the Mothers, Maasdam - Bar Harbor

[chesterh]

This is part 15 of the story (part 65 in the series), and is the second chapter to be posted within 24 hours—see part 14 if you missed it.

 

We’re heading out to the mall to do some exchanges (my mother failed to realize that her boy is still growing), and then to a friend’s house for dinner and some bubbly. See you tomorrow…Happy New Year!

 

The rest of the story:

 

Part 1 - A Crazy Idea

Part 2 - One Down

Part 3 - Come On, Ma

Part 4 - Two to Go

Part 5 - Formalities

Part 6 - A Grand Plan

Part 7 - I Meet HAL

Part 8 - Making Do

Part 9 - To the Ship

Part 10 - Picture This

Part 11 - Entry Denied

Part 12 - Going "UP"

Part 13 - Roll Call

Part 14 - Nightmare

It wasn’t a dream. It was real. A living nightmare…

Part 15 (65) - Bar Harbor

 

The pain in my head was absolutely excruciating. As the proud parent of more than two-dozen kidney stones, I thought I knew about pain—but this was a whole new ballgame. I had to get up and move, as though I might shake it off. I ran to the bathroom and took four ibuprofen tablets. In the mirror, I could see that my left eye was almost completely closed and it was watering profusely. My left nostril burned intensely and my nose was running like a river—but felt severely congested at the same time. I thought screaming might help, but I stifled the urge.

 

I threw on a bathrobe and grabbed a wad of tissue before tiptoeing out to the verandah to take stock of the situation. I glanced at the clock on the way out, and noted that it was 1:35 a.m. Outside, I sat in a chair and held my head firmly in my hands to keep it from coming apart. The pain seemed to radiate from the sinus between my eye socket and the bridge of my nose, and it enveloped the entire left side of my head—relentless, searing, stabbing. My mind seemed to be working all right, though it was slightly distracted. Motor skills seemed fine. I spoke aloud, and to my ear, I sounded stressed but otherwise normal. I ruled out stroke and aneurism, ignored some even more sinister possibilities, and decided that, given the nasal involvement, I had a bad sinus infection and associated headache. I just had to wait it out…

 

I sat, paced, put my head between my knees and otherwise distracted myself out on the verandah for a long time. Suddenly, the pain simply stopped. At first I couldn’t believe it, but when I became convinced, I snuck back in to the room. My nose felt normal, and it and my eye had stopped running. I collapsed on the bed and looked at the clock. It was 3:30, and I had been in another world for almost exactly two hours. Sleep came quickly.

 

I awoke to the sound of Kris’s voice. “Time to get up. I’m going to call the moms and make sure they’re up, too.”

 

“What time is it?”

 

“Seven. We’re supposed to have breakfast at eight.”

 

I was a little slow in coming to. “Open the curtains—where are we?” It felt as though the ship was still moving, though slowly.

 

Kris walked over to the curtains, drew them and headed back toward me.

 

“No…open the gauze curtain, too. I want to see where we are,” I said.

 

“The curtains are open. I’m going to take a shower,” she said.

 

I got out of bed and headed to the window. If you want a job done right, do it yourself… At the window, I fumbled for the curtain pull to open the gauze curtains, but felt only glass. In the distance, I heard the deep moan of the ship’s horn, and came to the realization that we were in thick fog. The illusion of looking through gauze curtains held as I stepped onto the verandah. Only then did the memory of the previous night’s experience come rushing back. As I stood there, I convinced myself that it couldn’t have been as bad as it seemed. Not possible…

 

You might think that it would be difficult to miss a 720-foot long ship, but with the fog thick enough to slice, even our floating city must have been invisible from ten feet away. I could not see the water below, but I assumed we must be entering—this sounds awkward—Bar Harbor harbor. The ship’s horn sounded every few seconds, and anyone hearing it would know something big was coming, visible or not.

 

Kris has a thing about showers. She likes them long and hot, and wonders why we can’t keep the paint in our bathroom from peeling off the wall in sheets. By the time I got my turn in the shower, the fog in the bathroom was as thick as it was outside. I usually try to go first and get out of the way, but I figured some time in a hot steamy environment would be good for my sinuses.

 

Kris was ready to roll by the time I started dressing. “The moms are up and ready,” she said. “Hurry up.”

 

“Why don’t you go on ahead?” I asked. “I want to go down and sign up for the writer’s seminar before it’s too late. I’ll meet you in the café.”

 

Kris departed, and I finished getting ready. The ship had stopped moving, and preparations for the tendering operation were underway. I had no idea how far from shore we were, but I could now just make out enough detail outside to determine that we were indeed still in the water…

 

Photo courtesy of Joe Fliegel

 

As I walked to the main desk, I noted how quiet the ship was. Very few people were out and about, and I felt somewhat smug that I would beat the rush to sign up for the seminar. It was scheduled for the card room, which limited attendance to about 75 people, in my estimation.

 

I approached the main desk, and the lone attendant seemed glad to finally have some company. “Good morning. I’d like to sign up for the writing workshop, please.”

 

“Certainly. One moment, please, sir.” The woman shuffled through a pile and produced a stack of notebook paper, stapled together in the upper left hand corner. She flipped through several pages before laying the stack on the counter. She handed me a pen and said, “Please write your name and cabin number in the next open space.”

 

I followed her instructions before flipping back through the pages. “Did all of these people sign up for the same seminar?”

 

“Yes sir.”

 

My name appeared near the bottom of page six, meaning at least 300 people had beaten me to it. I let out a deep sigh, and thanked the woman.

 

I went to the Lido Café after making a lap around the promenade. The view in very direction was the same—fog, fog and more fog. The extended forecast for the week had predicted some rain today, followed by a week of beautiful late-summer conditions, so I remained optimistic.

 

With a pastry and two cups of coffee, I circled the Lido so many times looking for Kris and the mothers that I got dizzy. I gave up and sat alone for the three minutes it took to finish my breakfast.

 

I found Kris and the moms in our cabin a few minutes later.

 

“We’re ready. Let’s go,” said Kris.

 

“Our tour doesn’t leave until 10:45,” I said. “We have almost two hours.”

 

“I know, but we can walk around town and do some shopping.”

 

“How many stores do you think will be open at 9 a.m. on a Sunday?” I asked, trying to inject some reason into the discussion.

 

“Enough to keep us busy,” answered Kris.

 

I obviously wasn’t going to prevail, so I hastily packed my day bag with the camera, umbrella and a supply of ibuprofen. We made our way forward and down to the tender loading platform, and waited only a few minutes to board. The ship completely disappeared from view seconds after we cast off, and the tender proceeded with the engines barely above idle speed. The tender’s operator didn’t even bother looking out the window—he navigated strictly by instruments and radar. I could see the little blips on the radar screen, and we were evidently passing through some very crowded waters. A crewmember stationed outside would periodically call out instructions that I couldn’t understand.

 

In about ten minutes, we arrived at the dock and disembarked. Although Kris and I had spent a week in Bar Harbor many years ago, the fog prevented me from getting my bearings and I was completely disoriented. It was not until we passed through the dockside building and out onto the streets of the town that I knew where we were.

 

Much to my surprise, almost every shop was already open for business—here I was, the sophisticated and experienced cruiser, proven wrong yet again. Kris and the moms immediately went into shopping mode, crawling through each shop at a snail’s pace. I tend to size up a shop quickly—all I have to do is step in the door, sniff the air and make a quick visual scan to decide if the place is of any interest. I waited patiently outside as the others examined the first two shops in minute detail.

 

As Kris emerged from the second shop, I caught her attention briefly. “Remember the antique store that had the amazing Maxfield Parrish prints?” I asked. I have collected the artist’s work since literally pulling a piece out of the trash at my great-grandmother’s house 32 years ago.

 

“Oh, yeah,” she answered. “Do you think you can find it?”

 

“I remember exactly where it was,” I said. “I’m going to check it out. I’ll just meet you all right in front of the dock building at about 10:30.”

 

“Have fun.”

 

Continued next post...

[chesterh]

...Continued from previous post

 

Relieved to be on the move, I walked briskly up the hill toward the center of town before turning left down a little residential side street. The antique shop was still there, occupying the first floor of a small Victorian house. As luck would have it, the shop was closed. I peered into the windows, but did not see anything distinctive. Actually, I was relieved. Last time we were here, the shop had a print that was a big as a refrigerator and as expensive as a car—so stunning that I might not have been able to resist this time around.

 

I headed back in the general direction of the dock, walking slowly now to pass the time and stopping only to buy some decongestant tablets. The wet streets were actually crowded with people, a few of whom were beginning to look familiar. A family stood at the curb eating ice cream, the perfect breakfast on a cool, damp Sunday morning. I did run in to the ubiquitous Susan from the roll call party, and we exchanged greetings and observations about the trip so far. Susan reported that she’d been dancing to Beau Soleil until three in the morning in the Crow’s Nest, but I refrained from telling her about what I’d been doing during the same period.

 

I arrived at the dock building just as a steady rain started to fall, and sought refuge on the wide covered porch. Our bus was parked out front, and the guide stood under an umbrella holding a sign that read “Jordon Pond.” The minutes ticked by, and waves of people marked the arrival of each new tender. A few people were already returning for a ride back to the ship, apparently giving up on the prospect for a day on “dry” land.

 

I spotted Kris and the mothers strolling down the hill, laden with bags and talking up a storm. I timed my departure from the covered porch so that I met up with them at the corner by the bus.

 

“Looks like you managed to find something to buy,” I observed.

 

“And you didn’t,” said Kris.

 

“Just as well,” I said. “Ready?”

 

“We’d like to use a restroom,” said Pat. “Is there one over there?” she asked, pointing to the dockside building.

 

“I’m sure there’s one on the bus,” I said.

 

“We want a real restroom,” said Kris.

 

“Here—take your tickets, and I’ll wait on the bus,” I said. “Hurry up. You have eight minutes.”

 

As I boarded the bus, the guide handed me a map of Acadia National Park. I sat and studied it while I waited. A young couple with a tiny baby sat in the seat opposite mine, and they were apparently traveling with an elderly woman who was sitting alone in front of them. The woman, who I imagined was the baby’s great-grandmother, was tiny and frail looking, but the wisdom in her eyes was unmistakable. She smiled at the baby’s sounds.

 

Kris and Pat climbed aboard the bus a couple of minutes later.

 

“Success?” I asked.

 

“No, the line was too long. We’ll just wait,” said Kris.

 

I didn’t bother to ask the obvious question. Instead, I looked out the window at people walking through the rain…

 

 

Happy New Year!

[gkm]

Chester, a Happy New Year to you too! Nice, but you still have me worried. I love the way you keep us wanting more. I wish I could write like that. You have a real talent. Thank you for sharing this with your Cruise Critic friends. I'll impatiently wait for more....

 

Garry

[Mike&Nancy]

Well, well, well...what a surprise! I'm all caught up on my reading now, one just never knows what to expect. And who would've thought I'd find you here...of all places!!

 

Garry, it doesn't help to wait impatiently...I've always found it works best to nag the h*** out of him. So Chester, when can we expect more?? Sunday nights work great for me, in case you've forgotten.

 

Happy New Year Everyone!

 

 

Nancy

[JimnKaren]

I spent two years in the US Navy stationed in Cutler, Maine (nearest town was Machias) and I now recall the fog that we endured almost one entire summer.

 

Thanks for rekindling a memory of some good times in my life.

 

Jim

[chesterh]

Nancy, don’t go giving Garry any ideas. If you’re back, that’s all I need for motivation.

 

Jim, we’re not done with fog on this trip. It was a shame that the flatlanders could not see Bar Harbor in its glory...

 

chesterh

[blindone]

Chester-- You are so right on the beauty of Bar Harbor. We did the New England, Canada cruise on the Jewel in Sept of 2004. What a wonderful trip. We had been to Bar Harbor by car a few years earlier but coming in to tender on the ship was wonderful. We did have perfect weather, though!!

 

Hope your eye/sinus are all better now! We had 3 inches of the white stuff on the ground this morning. Not bad. More coming this week, though.

 

Just how many chapters are we waiting for til completion? I'm leaving May 17th!! Just kidding!! Keep typing!

 

Nancy

[gkm]

I'll take Nancy's lead here. Chester why are you gabbing with us when you should be writing? :D You know we're waiting for the next chapter. Thanks for the hint, Nancy.;)

 

Garry

[Mike&Nancy]

Way to go Garry!!! You caught on quick in just one short lesson.

 

I am always thrilled to read another installment, and Chester never disappoints me. I remember way back when, reading about the first cruise, boy...can he write or what??

 

Ok, enough of that...we don't want his head to get too big....put your money where your mouth is Chester, and like Garry says...quit gabbing and start writing.

 

We're waiting.

 

I'm so glad I'm back Chester, aren't you?

[poetic license]

Now that I'm caught up, I'm waiting for the next one, too! Chester, this keeps getting better and better!

 

The only thing on the tube are football games .... a good time to get moving on the next installment, I'd say.;)

 

Happy New Year, Chester, and to all the rest of your gentle readers.

[chesterh]

Nancy1, we barely got an inch of snow yesterday, and thankfully the forecast for tonight and tomorrow has us on the light side of the next storm. I was concerned that we might not be able to get the trash out - they fooled us last week and came a day early, so it's piled high. At least it is refrigerated in the garage...

 

We took a boat tour when we vacationed in Bar Harbor back in '93, so at least we knew what we were missing. How many chapters? I didn't think there'd be more than 5 or 6 in the whole thing when I started, so you'd better ask someone else...

 

GarryNancy, I did spend about 6 hours today poking away at it, but since this is the last free day before returning to the day job, I'm treating myself to a little down time tonight (excuse #1035). You must not be nagging effectively enough (excuse #1036), but that is to be expected from a newbie and one who is out of practice.

 

poetic license - as I said, I'm working on it. As a rule I leave the football watching to Kris, but she spent the day reading the last of the dozen or so books I gave her a week ago. If only I could write as fast as she reads (excuse #1037)... Happy New Year to you, too.

 

chesterh

[canderson]

Chester -- after reading the book and this latest episode, I'm becoming concerned that you need to take a personal physician along with you on these trips!

[regnig]

Oh my Chester so far this cruise is taking on an aura unlike any of your past cruises particularly if we forget things like walking into glass doors and exploring in Nassau. I’ve got my fingers crossed that in future chapters things are going to begin to “sparkle”.

Hope the New Year is favorable for you, Kris and the boys. Barb

[Mike&Nancy]

"One who is out of practice"? You wish!! I can't think of a better way to spend some "down time" than with a keyboard, a G&T, and happy fingers. That was a good try though.

[poetic license]

"One who is out of practice"? You wish!! I can't think of a better way to spend some "down time" than with a keyboard, a G&T, and happy fingers. That was a good try though.

 

 

I love it ... laughing my head off!!

 

OK, Chester, you heard her: Back to the keyboard! :D

 

 

Best in jest,

[gkm]

Of course a G&T would be nice while we sit back and read it! Chester, when should we have it ready????:D

 

Garry

[Mike&Nancy]

You know Nicki, I had to laugh myself when he called me that. I'll have whatever he's drinking. Mike would be more than happy to tell anyone who is willing to listen all about my "nagging" abilities. But he isn't allowed on the computer.

 

Don't mind us Chester. We're just staying busy with idle chit-chat until we have something better to do. Do your part, and type.

 

Nancy

[gkm]

Nancy, he's being very quiet right now. Do you suppose that means he's composing? We can keep our fingers crossed, can't we.:D :D :D

 

I keep checking the threads off and on every day hoping to see a new post by Chester. Sigh... soon I hope.:p

 

Garry

[blindone]

Hey Chester----

 

Where are you??? Don't tell us you had to go back to work!!!

 

Nancy

[chesterh]

canderson, I thought I was all set when I married Kris. She was a nurse back then, but I quickly found out that she didn’t do house calls—even in her own home. That gives me an idea; next time she has computer trouble (should be within the next 5 minutes or so), I’ll tell her to go to a computer doctor. But I think you have a point—3 of 4 cruises have featured some sort of malady. Just my luck, I suppose, but I’m willing to take the risk.

 

Barb - As you know, this was a tuxless cruise. Sparkle and tuxedos are, apparently, inextricably linked. As for aura, fear not. We had a great time…

 

Nancy, Garry and poetic license, G&Ts are strictly a summer drink around these parts. I have to resort to other beverages—those that impart a feeling of inner warmth (or intense burning).

 

Nancy2, going back to work was torture, but I shouldn’t be ungrateful. The problem with taking time off is that the work just piles up, so for the last week it’s been both a day and night job…

 

chesterh