Welcome … grab a cup of coffee, iced or hot tea and herbal tea. I’m having a cappuccino. The photo on the left shows one I enjoyed many times on board at Cafe Baci.

It’s been brutally hot this week in sunny Florida. The pool is the only way to cool down. Gardening will have to wait until the temps drop. The orchids are thrilled with the afternoon rain which brings on the humidity. For me, afternoon humidity means siesta time. 

In my last cafe chat, I wrote (read here) about being away from blogging on a pre-birthday cruise. We decided on a cruise now instead of July, my official birthday month, because of the heavy hurricane season predicted for this summer. COVID shut down the cruise industry causing great financial losses. Many cruise ships are departing with less than full passenger capacity, and with huge discounts. It felt safer than my previous cruises with fewer people. Besides the theater and the casino, masks are not required throughout the ship. The staff wore masks everywhere. Some regular activities were canceled, like dancing, karaoke, and bingo. I have to admit I always look forward to dancing. It was a disappointment. 

I think you might enjoy a special gesture I received from our assistant dinner hostess:

Pictured above is Sweet Jaqueline, assistant hostess on our cruise. She created an origami lotus flower for me. It was an unexpected gift from her heart ❤️ 

With all they do, the last thing she needed was a craft project. 

She was missing her mother who is watching her two toddlers. She has a boy and a girl. Yes, she showed me a pic. They are adorable. Four months away from them brought up emotional moments for her. I share the same birthday as her mother. My ❤️ heart sang with joy ❤️

Our first night at dinner Jacqueline introduced herself, I mentioned that I usually forget names. Her eyes twinkled above the mask as she pointed out that I could remember her name because of Jacqueline Kennedy. 

Then, she chuckled quickly saying, “But, I wear a uniform.”

Have a great week … Isadora