July 2009
Aboard Independence of the Seas
The first week in July saw perhaps
the most gruesome task yet on Emma Jo - Ole wrestled
with 50 feet of 23-year-old sanitation hose, replacing
it with the newest, heaviest duty hose we could find.
I'll spare you the pictures. We've vinegared,
perfumed, disinfected, and aired both heads since we
bought the boat in 2004, from a broker who SWORE he had
replaced all the sanitation hoses...but in vain.
When Ole removed the hoses, we understood why.
Suffice it to say that when the opening is only the size
of a knitting needle in most of the 50 feet, there is
not enough perfume, disinfectant, or vinegar in the
world to deal with the aroma. After a sh*tty day's
work, the difference is miraculous. Lesson
learned: NEVER trust the broker on a used boat.
We left Emma Jo in the good hands
of Brian Swann, our boat-sitter and cat uncle
extraordinaire on July 9, heading for Rome via Bocas del
Toro, Panama City, and Madrid, arriving Rome Airport in
the late afternoon of Friday, July 10. We met up with a
couple of the guys from the ship and had a wonderful
buffet Italian dinner and the most expensive martinis
ever (at 11 Euros). When we arrived at Independence
in Civitavecchia on Saturday the 11th,
Captain Teo was waiting for us way up on Deck 5,
hollering a welcome.
Ole settled back into the work
routine, and I settled into the reading routine,
punctuated by a few self-taught watercolor painting
lessons. Figured that since I’m relatively idle and
alone while on Independence, I’d use the time to
explore self-expression.
It was wonderful to see Europe
again!
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