Mom and the cruise ship

My mom and step-dad went with neighbors and friends on a trip to Vancouver to board a ship to Alaska. Now mind you these were people who were anywhere from 50 to 75.

Early in the morning they boarded a bus to the Tampa, FL airport to fly to Seattle, WA, and then would bus the rest of the way to Vancouver. However! The plane was delayed as planes are known for and they only had so much time until the ship left port.

When they arrived in Seattle, they boarded the bus for Vancouver knowing they would be quite late. Sure enough, the ship was gone! The were told that the ship was waiting for them in the harbor and that they were to board a tender and they would be transported to the ship.

What they didn't know until they reached the ship was that the usual openings to let passengers and freight on and off would not be opened. They had to climb a ROPE LADDER to get on board. These were senior citizens expected to climb a rope ladder. My step-dad demurred and they lowed a chair for him. My mom being the gutsy lady she was, climbed the ladder in HIGH HEELS! What she was doing in high heels, nobody knows. She was very proud of herself, and loved to tell the story and I loved to hear it.

All the rest of the trip, they came to be known as the boat people. It is one of those fun stories that can be passed down through the family for decades. I'm trying to remember the old stories and share them with family and friends.

Until next time--