A Tale of Queen Mary (a Cruise)

We all like style, don't we? Spangler is an artist based in beautiful Malibu, California, who lives in style. Friends Melinda, aka Spangler, and Dick sailed in the Queen Mary from New York to London last August. To cruise in the Queen Mary you need a collection of long dresses, an outgoing personality, a handsome partner, and a talent to dance! Spangler has all these and more.
Although she's a "visual" artist (painting and sculpture) she has kindly shared with me, and now with us, some short impressions of her trip. When the captain announced on the loudspeaker that all should be careful during the potential rough fourth day sea he needn't have bothered. We were on the Queen Mary 2. When aboard her the tumult of the North Atlantic Ocean couldn't alter a smooth crossing. How divine was it? Every morning a soft knock on the cabin door heralded a tray of coffee, juice and a light breakfast. That's all Melinda needed before her swim in the indoor sky-lighted pool to begin the day. Dick was always seeking a new place to read while she ran from activity to activity: dancing, playing trivial pursuit, meeting new people and taking advantage of that amazing Canyon Ranch Spa. Melinda also ordered most all of the Canyon Ranch offerings on the menu which accounted for her waistband being looser when she departed than when boarding the ship. Of course, Dick ate everything and always (she was frequently caught taking bites of succulent offerings on his plate). And the dance floor was huge, (not a parquet floor in the middle of a bar, or a way too small floor somewhere near the main theater stage, or, in an inaccessible place too far away and way too high on the ship). Most nights there were special dance themes, which made it much fun to watch even when not dancing. Dick noted that the entertainment was much better than usual, largely due to the chorus dancers from The Ukraine who defy description. Finally, "can anyone do tea time better than the English"? All the teas were in the Derby Room, sometimes it was a tea dance, sometimes with a harpist, sometimes with a chamber orchestra. And, those scones---well, she's not perfect.