Today marked the apex of our vegetative state, if that’s possible. There were no ports to visit, so we spent the day finishing our respective books and napping.

Our cruise vacations have a certain trajectory about them. We come

 … finish reading Sea Day

The rains came. They started in the night, and by the time we docked at St. Thomas they were steady and thick. Regardless, tourists streamed off the cruise ship in part because St. Thomas is known for its jewelry shops

 … finish reading St. Thomas

The day started all right. We woke before the waiter brought breakfast to our cabin. And Earl was bathrobe-ready to let the man in, as I burrowed under the covers and pretended to be invisible. We had coffee on the

 … finish reading All in a Day’s Cruise

“What day is it?” Earl asked early in the morning. I had to think, since the days had begun to fuse together. “Uh, Thursday?” I answered his question with another. “I think so,” he replied. Then came the harder question:

 … finish reading Complete Immersion

She sat on the stairs between Deck 11 and 12, as I climbed by. I looked at her to make sure there was nothing wrong. She looked back and appeared to be fine. “I’m just waiting for my husband,” she

 … finish reading Compatible Souls

I came on this cruise with six new books downloaded onto my Kindle®, a crochet project to finish, some plans to review the recent novel I wrote, and my computer. Oh and three bathing suits plus half a ream of

 … finish reading Low Gear

Usually Earl and I book a mini-suite with a balcony when we cruise. It’s the equivalent of a very tiny New York apartment, but it has some amenities a regular cabin does not. For this cruise, however, we decided to

 … finish reading Ship Report Card

Earl and I have this saying about taking a cruise. We call it being out of exile. From the moment we arrive at the cruise port we are welcomed and welcomed again. The person who gives us our passes to

 … finish reading Out of Exile

I’m hiking in Italy the middle of April and decided the hiking boots I’ve had for five years deserve retirement. They’re frayed on the inside, and they’re heavy. They also leak at times.

So today Earl and I went shopping

 … finish reading Boots

Six hundred miles ago we pulled out of our driveway and headed west. It wasn’t at the four o’clock hour Earl had hoped for; rather it was at the more humane seven o’clock hour. Regardless, we drove to York, Nebraska

 … finish reading Rainy Roadtrip