Great news: Orlando was not hit hard, so Michelle is fine.

Good news: Halifax is back on the itinerary!

Disappointing but anticipated news: Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and Sydney, Nova Scotia have been taken off the itinerary due to hurricane damage. They were both firsts for us, so we are disappointed to miss seeing the land of Anne of Green Gables and the city that boasts the largest fiddle in the world.

Unanticipated news: a mask mandate has been put in place due to the number of mild COVID-19 cases on board.

Great, disappointing, and unanticipated news aside, our two days at sea were relaxing and enjoyable. We sailed up the Saint Lawrence with the provinces of Quebec on our left and New Brunswick on our right. Once far enough north we set a course a bit south and east which took us between Greenland and Nova Scotia. Once around the top of Nova Scotia, we headed south and west.

I gorged on dulce de leche pastries both mornings which certainly got my days off to a good start. I kid you not, they are divine! The sun was our constant companion, so walking the track, reading on deck, and enjoying the burger bar were appealing options again. A great two-part lecture on, of all things not related to Canada, Marilyn Monroe was part of each day too. The ladies broke away for a nice luncheon in the dining room while the guys did who-knows-what. Sleeping late, tea and scones, the casino, naps, and browsing the small shops we almost have memorized flushed out our days.

Being back on the water, my cocktail quiz about the Navy seemed appropriate last night. It covered stumpers ranging from the Navy colors to what the acronym SEAL stands for to bell bottom trousers to Army Navy football wins and loses.

Murphy sent an activity for tonight: seven parenting questions.
1) What is your top piece of parental advice?
2) Do you recommend any specific experiences for kids or kids with their parents?
3) What is your advice for talking to kids?
4) What responsibilities from your childhood were the most fruitful, served you well?
5) As a parent, was there something you thought was super important but turned out to not be such a big deal?
6) And the reverse: was there something you minimized or ignored that turned out to be important?
7) What advice should not be passed on?

No points were won or lost on this activity, so the pressure was off and everyone had fun tossing out answers which I jotted down for Murphy, father of two toddlers.

Parenting advice lead to dinner, entertainment, and then bed. Halifax tomorrow!