Bermuda Anniversary Backstory

On 8 June 1959- 60 years ago, I graduated from Oberlin College

Bob and me after graduation

I got married on 5 June. In those days, the colleges acted "in loco parentis" for girls. My father had to write to the Dean of Women, Dean Dolliver to get permission for me to get married before I graduated. Dean Dolliver called me into her office and showed me the letter my father had written and said it was not satisfactory. My father had listed our names, but he had not said that he approved of the marriage. He needed to write another letter saying that he was happy about it. My father was pissed, but he wrote another letter.

Bob graduated on the 3rd,

Bob kissing me after his graduation

we got married on the 5th (a Friday)

5 June 1959

and we drove as fast as we could to get back to Oberlin before noon on the 6th because we had to pick up the graduation tickets. No one could pick them up for me - had to be me in person. Bob and I and our parents stayed at the Oberlin Inn. My sister stayed in my dorm room.

My children did a 25th anniversary party in 1984 and then they did

a 40th anniversary party in 1999

a 50th anniversary party in 2009

This year for the 60th, they decided on a short cruise to Bermuda for us and all four of our children. So after we got back from the Christmas/New Years cruise to the Caribbean we prepared for Bermuda

There were 11 of us. Me and Bob, our son and daughter-in-law, our oldest daughter (who brought her bike and spent some time biking the railroad trail in Bermuda), our second daughter and her husband, and our third daughter and her husband and her two younger children (One 18 and going to be a Freshman at Stephen F. Austin next fall and the other age 13). The rest of our grandchildren are all older and couldn't get away as they were doing things like working, taking exams or having babies.

Lynde got me packed on Sunday, and then did not come again until Friday to finish up. I went to swim therapy Monday Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday afternoon Polly cut my hair. Bob mowed the lawn Thursday and got the rest of the tree down in the back yard taken care of. Friday the Tri-County Aire man came to install a part. Friday he went to the dump and did a last wash.

I asked for the mail and the WSJ stopped on Saturday and the Washington Post stopped on Sunday.

8 June 2019

I set the sat receiver to record the Belmont. I finished up and packed up the computer a little early (turned off and unplugged the modem) and went downstairs to read the paper, but the Post had not been delivered. We left at about 9:30 - a little earlier than the 10:00 time we had planned to leave. Bob has forgotten his hat.

As we drove up through Charles, and Prince George's Counties we ran into another 100 mile bike ride - riders with flashing red lights on the back of their bikes.

Oxon Hill 100 bike riders

We ran into a bike ride the last time we drove up this way. When we got into PG county there were signs along the road about the bike ride. There was even a little boy on a child's bike peddling hard to get up the hill (followed by his mother). Our daughter said it was the Oxon Hill 100 and that she wanted to do that.

We were making good time until we got to Anne Arundel county and were getting onto I-97. Our daughter texted us that the Hanover Street bridge was closed and Bob said "Oh Shit". So we had to go up to I-495 and go west, and then get off on 295 (the BW Parkway) and then we were to get on I-95 east. But we missed the turn. So we did a series of right turns (Wicomico, Bush and Russell streets) and ended up back on 295 going through Westport again. We missed the turn a second time, so this time we went on past the Ravens stadium and got on I-395 and this time we managed to get to the cruise terminal about 11:30

Grandeur of the Seas from outside the fence

We got a green parking pass and unloaded our two bags and then Bob put me off with the scooter and the carry-on luggage and went to park. I took some photos while I was waiting.

Police car outside the bollards

Taxicab rates posted

But he had not paid for the parking yet, so he had to drive back and pay and THEN park. After we joined up, we went to register and get our sea-pass cards - Our daughter was already there with her bike, and so were the rest of them.

She wheeled her bike and I followed with the scooter up, and up and up and around and up some more. (They wanted me to go in the assisted level on deck 1, but the scooter can do the ramp). They absolutely refused to let us in our rooms before 1:00. Bob and I went up to the Windjammer for something to eat, but the rest of them waited until they could go into their rooms - there was no room for the bike in the Windjammer. There wasn't much room for the scooter.

Windjammer cafe

Hotdog, hamburger and pasta for lunch

My problem with the buffet is that all the labels are so high and so far back that I absolutely can NOT see what they are. I can see that there is bread or fruit, but what kind of soup is it? I can reach some of the lower levels of food, but not the upper ones, and even when I get food, I have to run the scooter with one hand, so I can't get something to drink. Of course on embarkation day, because the regular restaurant (the Great Gatsby dining room) is not open (like it is on some nicer ships), so everyone is at the buffet.

We went to our room which was roomy. We had a refrigerator. We got a plate of cookies and an invitation to the Platinum and above meeting.

But the bed was situated opposite the TV so that I had to sleep on the left side in order to get to the bathroom quickly and I have slept for over 40 years on the right side of the bed. I kept trying to get up into the middle of the bed. I would be pulling the covers to get my foot out and pull all the covers off Bob (who generally slept through it).

Dresser and closets

It would have been better if the bed was where the couch was and vice versa. Then someone could sit on the couch and watch TV and someone in bed wouldn't have to watch it. But to do that, the person on the left side of the bed would have to leap over the end of the bed to get to the bathroom because there is no room between the end of the bed and the dresser - that's the way all the Royal Caribbean staterooms are. Normally we make the beds into twins to avoid that problem.

Before we went up to the Drill and I made a reservation for dinner at 5 in Anytime Dining for all 11 of us. I didn't know all the room numbers, but I told him the names and he looked them up. Then we went to the drill, which seemed very haphazard in the way they were taking attendance. There was a guy in a wheelchair and they put me in front of him, so of course he could not see. But at least we were both sitting down. Some lines do the handicapped people inside in a more comfortable location.

After the drill I tried to notify everyone about dinner. The phone was all the way over on the desk, but it had a really long cord on it so it would reach to the bed. We got our suitcases and unpacked. We ran the extension cord over the couch and I plugged a power strip into it, and then the computer and Bob's hearing aid were plugged into the power strip.

Couch from the bed

At some point I went up to the computer room to figure out how to log on and logged on with my phone. I thought I had bought the internet package, but there was no record of it on the ship. My children said I needed to keep my phone on and we had an ongoing chat. But when I wanted to use the computer I had to log the phone off and log the computer on and it was day 4 before I could do that reliably. The ship had the worst internet I have ever had on a cruise ship.

The table for 11 was a round table and was really good.

Bob, daughter and son-in-law

Daughter and son-in-law

Son and daughter-in-law

Son on left and son-in-law

Unfortunately we could never get that table (or any round table) again. They gave it to another group, and when we would get there at 5 - as soon as the dining room was open -- they were already seated.

Anyway the allergy people all sat together.

Allergy people - Gluten, Nuts, and Lactose

When the photographer came around we had a group photo taken.

Family group photo

For dinner, I had the

Sauted Maryland Style crab cake

Prime rib

Key lime pie

Bob had the shrimp cocktail and

Fish

Apple pie a la mode

My son's T-shirt "Warning! I bought the Drink Package

My son and daughter-in-law and one daughter and son-in-law had bought the drinks package. You pay something like $15/day each and you can drink all you want.

Evening sky

One of our daughters brought a set of dominoes for us to play We tried to find a table big enough, but the ones in the library and the bars are too tiny. Eventually we found a place in the Solarium where we could put two tables together and played Mexican train dominoes. They had to teach me the rules. We had a lot of fun and we also got to watch the lifeguard practice. Then I went back to the room and to bed.