Page 36 - 2003 - Atlantic Islands

birthdays at sea. So he produced a polyester long-sleeved monstrosity that John had

to wear the rest of the evening. He was a good sport and we all toasted him and

wished him well on his 40th “year to heaven.”

We were totally foiled when the Mammal series failed to come on at 9:30 or even 15

minutes afterward. Even two promptings to Reception was not very effective in that

when the show finally came on, they went back to the first episode rather than

moving on to the third. Oh well, we read and I finished the strangely mesmerizing

“Dogs of Babel.”

DAY 2

Haiku - A Day at Sea

“We woke, stretched, ate, sea gazed, read

Learned, dined, sketched, took tea, lazed, supped, slept.

We grew.”

Actually, our haiku for the ship’s official passenger log for today pretty much sums up

this day and yesterday and probably tomorrow as well - or any other strictly sea day.

Our lecture this morning was on Giant Squids by Clyde Roper. He showed slides of

early impressions of this sea “monster” and then gradually led us through what is

currently known about this 40-50 ft. cephalopod. Actually, no live specimen has yet

been taken, though several have washed up on various shores around the world.

Scientists have eagerly examined these corpses, but there is very much about their

bodies, their biology, and even their daily lives that remain unknown. There is to be

the second half of this lecture tomorrow.

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