Two weeks ago I went on a cruise to the Inland Sea near Alaska. Mr. Lau had always wanted to go and his wife didn't so I accepted his invitation and went with him and his brother-in-law, sister-in-law, 35 year old niece and 18 year old nephew. I flew into Sea-Tac and was met by a ship's crew member who took my luggage and directed me to a waiting shuttle. When I got to my state-room my luggage was there as well as answers to common questions and a credit card for all ship identity. There is much to do on a cruise ship: there are many "all you can eat buffets", live entertainment, two large theaters with new movies, comic acts and musicals. There was a piano bar, a casino, a spa an art gallery a swimming pool and lots of viewing decks. Our first stop was just north of Juneau. This 10 story ship turned around in a small cove and got us right up close to our first glacier. The ice looked 25 feet thick, a quarter of a mile wide and five miles long. We were so close you could hear the ice crack like thunder and watch the ice fall into the water to form icebergs. I was on the 10th floor deck leaning against a wooden cap on the ships guard rail when a young woman dressed in the ships uniform of the day moved in beside me and put her elbows on the handrail. She was young and pretty and I offered to take her picture. She smiled and said, "No." I remember what we learned in high school from Shakespeare: A maid laughing half taken. The pictures tell the tale. In first picture, of the ships clerk, she is smiling with the blue iceberg behind her. In the second picture she is wearing my windbreaker and grinning. The last picture I have my arm wrapped around her and she is beaming. When Mr. Lau stepped up she introduced herself as Jelly. Mr. Lau talked to me with Jelly standing between us. He talked of the many virtues of the Asian woman. Jelly's eyes filled with tears and the tears ran down her cheeks. When her time was up she returned my windbreaker and hurried back to work. We saw her later when we went looking for help filling out our paperwork. I wear Shoshone ghost beads when I travel, just for luck. I had Jelly unclasp the beads then I gave them to her, for luck. On our last day on board ship we were doing our final packing when Jelly called on the state-room phone. She wanted to say good bye. Mr. Lau touched her heart and I made her laugh. Life is good

your such a sweetheart when it come to women in uniform....

I am glad you had Jason there to keep you out of mischief.