First for those of you that follow my blog daily and want to know why I skipped Feb 20th. We lost Monday Feb 20th by crossing the International Date Line. Because there is only 24 hours in a day and the world in round, they had to create a point on the planet where at one point (in this case there International Date Line) on one side of the line it is 11:59 p.m. today and the other side of the same point it is 00:00 a.m. tomorrow. As they really could not draw it where it crossed land they put in in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. By the way it is not a straight line either (http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/dateline.htm).

Yesterday Mr. Stein Kruse, President and CEO of Holland America came aboard. For Mariner Appreciation Days. Today they have the Lido Pool Area closed to passengers while they transform  the area into “Mardi Gras Afloat”. Complete with unique food, music, creativity, eccentricity and neighborhoods, so it says in the Daily Explorer. It goes on to say come live the good life (wonder what we have been doing for 45 days), on the promenade with our “thousand lights” float-aflost, a New Orleans style paddle boat! Under French Quarter wrought iron balconies and socialize around Bourbon Street lamps and “catch a throw” while watching the parade. I will post pictures in tomorrows blog.