World Cruise - Day 44 - Feb 25 - At Sea

I didn’t get up for sunrise this morning, we slept in.  Yet the sun still made for a nice photo reflecting off the sea:

I love the six-pointed star of the sun in the photo (it’s actually even more points if you look closer at the aurora).  I couldn’t actually see that through the viewfinder, since I look at the viewfinder at an angle when I am taking a pic directly into the sun.  It’s difficult to take this type of pic and get the camera level and centered on the subject due to the focus of the sun.

Patti, most of the sunrise photos are either shortly before dawn or shortly after the sun breaks the horizon.  I can’t keep taking photos once the sun is fully (or even partially) visible due to potential eye damage (looking at the sun, even through a camera lens, can damage the eye).  Once the sun comes up, I have to take the photos differently, looking through the viewfinder at an angle to keep the sunlight off my eye.  The sun doesn’t have to be above the horizon to light up the sky at the horizon.  I am using a long lens and lowering the aperture (i.e. opening up wider the lens opening) to get more light into the shot, which is why it has so much light before the sun has even come up over the horizon.  That said, there are a few times (like today) where I take the photo with the sun already up.  But then it’s clear in the photo that the sun has already risen.  If you don’t see the sun, in most case it’s not because it is left or right of the pic frame, it’s still below the horizon.  However, there are times that the sun is actually above the horizon, yet still shrouded in the clouds.  The best sunrise photos are where the cloud are just above the horizon and the sun has a frame to both peek through the gap as well as light up the clouds above.

We watched a video sermon this morning by Rex Sexton on Signs of His Coming.

We got 14 out of 20 in trivia this morning, winning team had 17.  What were roller coasters originally called?  Russian Mountains (we put Jack Rabbits).  What color wedding dress was worn in ancient Rome?  Yellow (we put red).  What item of apparel was the zip fastener originally designed for?  Shoes (we put trousers).  What comfy apparel was named for the Hindu term for leg garment?  Pajamas.  What world leader’s name graces the world’s largest cigar?  Churchill.  What would a German do with his sack messer?  Cut with it (we put eat with it).  What useful feature was added to trousers in the 1580s?  Pockets.

We had our Cruise Critic Luncheon this morning with about 70 people in attendance.  Thanks to Sara for organizing.  Chef made us a special risotto dish as well.

We got 11 out of 20 in trivia this afternoon, winning team had 15.  What language was created in 1887 by LL Zamanofin?  Esperanto.  What craft uses byzantine, parisian and symerian stitches?  Needlepoint (we put embroidery).  Who was Malcolm Little better known as?  Malcolm X.  What Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor features chocolate covered pretzels?  Chubby Hubby (we put Chunky Monkey).  Which dance is associated with Brazil’s Carnival?  Samba.  What fell on Chicken Little’s head?  An acorn (we put a piece of roof).  What type of pitch is considered to be the easiest on a pitcher’s arm?  Knuckleball (we put screwball).  What unit is used to measure CPU speed?  Hertz.  What is the name for the soft skin covering antlers?  Velvet.  Which country are the Hebredes Islands part of?  Scotland.  What does a misandrist hate?  Men.  What was the world’s first genetically modified crop in 1994?  Tomatoes (we put corn).  In the mid-1990s, two men from England crossed the Atlantic in what?  Canoe, kayak or paddleboat?  Paddleboat (we put canoe).  What Baha Men song ranked third in Rolling Stone’s 20 most annoying songs list?  Who Let The Dogs Out (we put Macarena).

Rebekah, glad to hear Danny likes the trivia.  In answer to his question (“In unofficial baseball scoring, what is a backwards K?”), my answer would be either: A strikeout recorded by a dyslexic left-handed scorekeeper or batter struck out looking (i.e. the batter got called out on strikes, didn’t swing at the third strike).  I’m pretty sure it’s the latter, but I also like the former.

Tonight was our last night with our tablemates for segment two.  In the photo above going around the table from Krissie clockwise is Randy, Lois, Ken, Sara, Kay and Shirley.  We will miss them, but also looking forward to changing things up a bit.

Tonight was baked Alaska on parade.  Note that they can’t do the actual flaming Alaska anymore, so they have a little electronic light stuck into the top.

This was the sunset tonight.  Glorious.

The entertainment tonight was Lion’s Den, a group of three singers.  They did songs from Frankie Valley and the Four Seasons, The Beatles, Roy Orbison, The Platters and others.

Tomorrow (Sunday) is Sydney.  So is Monday.  We are there for two full days.  Krissie and I are thinking of climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge first thing tomorrow, then going to the wine festival in the afternoon.  Then touring around more on Monday.