BINGO !

April 9

 

Arleen has been playing slot machines whenever there is nothing else to do.  Mostly she has been losing, which is no suprise.  It has not been a concern, since she is only doing it for entertainment.  Sometimes she has won, she even won $200 in one day.  Just gives her some extra to play with.  BUT, today she played bingo.  She has played before.  The last game each sea day, is a full card.  If you win within a certain amount of numbers called, you win the jackpot, if you win after the certain number of numbers have been called you win a smaller amount.  After about 3 or 4 weeks, when the jackpot is over $800, they remove the limit on the numbers called, and guarantee the winner will get the jackpot.  Well, needless to say, on those days, three times as many people play bingo than on regular days.  Arleen played twice before on one of these guaranteed days.  Today the jackpot was set to be won, and it was $1,000.  And, yes, Arleen won it and she won it alone.  Sometimes more than one person wins the game and they must share the prize.  But not today.

 

So, (don't tell Duane) now she hasn't lost any money gambling.  (He thinks she is way ahead:) 

 

Just thought I'd share this with you. 

 

Sorrento tomorrow.  Then Rome and Cannes and Barcelona, all without a sea day.  Boy are we going to be tired.  Then we have one day at sea and then Gibraltar and  Lisbon in a row.  Then 2 sea days to Cobh Ireland.  One day at sea before Le Havre, France and Southampton, England....the end.  We are almost done.  boooo hoooo.  Just the thought of packing is more than daunting.

 

And, no, I am not complaining, just sad.  It has been more than wonderful, as you may have shared.

 

PS  Since I wrote this posting, we have been traveling toward Sorrento.  We just went past the island of Stramboli.  Even tho it is 1am and of course dark, we were lucky enough to see the volcano on the island spew red lava into the air, so high and bright that we saw it from the ship.  We watched for another 1/2 hour, but did not see a recurrence.  Boy,  what a wonderful day.  Even the entertainer, a wonderful singer named Martyn Dominique, sang my favorite song and did it extemely well (Nessen Dorimer)