THE CONTINUED GOOD LIFE ON THE SILVER WHISPER.

The best news of all for us on the Silver Whisper, two days away from arriving in Hilo, is that Hurricane Lowell came, caused relatively minor damage, and left.  Hurricane Karina is now a post-tropical cyclone, with eye west and north of the Hawaiian Islands, while moving away, and Hurricane Marie is a post-tropical cyclone at 40 MPH and continues north, away from Hawaii.

Our ship is located just about where the eye of Karina was a couple of days ago,  Good timing.  The seas around us are supposedly of 7-foot waves, but these must be large swells, for I can't see any wave-like formation.  For the past few days we have had difficulty walking around, for there is considerable rocking and rolling.

Other news of the day:

• 
  The NFL season kicks-off tomorrow at 8:25PM EDT on NBC with the New England Patriots at the Seattle Seahawks.
• Bet you forgot that the Seahawks won the last Super Bowl?
• Predictions?  They are mostly wrong. Read this.  And Yahoo used Artificial Intelligence.  Of course, both the Seahawks and Patriots were at 60-1 odds at the start of last season, so this season-ending game was totally unexpected.

• 
  However, the Los Angeles Rams, led by reigning MVP Matthew Stafford, now also with Myles Garrett, and Aaron Donald not retiring, appear to be as good as any team to win the next Super Bowl.  Also up there should be the Bufffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks.
• Rams are at +500.
• 14 teams are at odds 20-1 or better.

• 
  On Thursday, September 10, the Los Angeles Rams play the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne.  Where to watch?  Netflix.  This means that game starts there at 10:35  AM on Friday.
• I recall that in 2017, the University of Hawaii played the University of California at Berkeley, to start the NCAA football season.  I went to that game on 27August2017.  

• 
  I believe this was the first American football game in Australia.
• Here is a photo of my hot dog, french fries and beer in the stadium.

• The rest of the NFL teams play on Sunday, September 13.

Dinner tonight was at La Terraza, a "free" Italian restaurant.  During the day, this is also known as La Terraza, and is a buffet.  There is a special French restaurant called La Dame, which costs $60/person.  We don't plan to even try it because the "free" food is fabulous.  

Chef personally came to bring the Colosi Nero d'Avola, a red wine from Sicily made from the Calabrese grape.

Best wine I've had on this trip.

There is also a Colosi white from the Grillo grape.

First an appetizer assortment.

Then came a salad of prosciutto and greens.

My next course was Spaghetti Aglio e Olio.  I wanted the kitchen to also add a few seared scallops, six basil leaves and a slice of onion.  The dish came.  Wonderful.

Except that they served me a whole onion.

So I asked then to give me just a 3/8 inch slice in the middle.  So two halves arrived.

It was more funny than anything else.  Instead of asking then to please slice just a 3/8 inch piece, I cut it myself.

Then came the main course.  Prime Rib Roast and pesto spaghetti.

Dessert of a chocolate something and coffee ice cream.

When I returned to my room to put some things away, I saw this Happy Birthday setting.

We then went to The Show Lounge to watch Limelight,

Ended the night with some Disco.

The next day, brunch was special in The Restaurant.

My meal of vegetables, spaghetti, steak and eggs over rice, with a green drink, special Bloody Mary and beer.

Might not look like much, but these are GIANT plates.  After lunch, two enrichment lectures again, from the same speakers as yesterday.  Stephen Coggeshall on the Scale of the Universe.

My blog regularly goes into this subject.

Next, Kevin Soden on the Latest and Greatest Medical News You Can Use.  He indicated that most of his patients seem focused only on what pill to take.  Lifestyle change should be considered.  And living healthy.

As a clear rebuke of the current White House administration, he emphasized the wonder of vaccines.

His next lecture.

Then on to dinner in the Restaurant.  We had considered room service, for the ship was rocking even more.  However, on to our next adventure.  Again had the Colosi red and white wines.  Started with a salad and mushroom risotto.

Nothing else looked better on the menu, so returned to ribeye steak.

Skipped dessert and went to see comedian Tom Briscoe.

My hearing is deteriorating, but I could understand him.  Sitting the first row might have been the reason,

We then went to The Bar for piano music with Garth.

You'll notice that I have some colorful drinks in front of me. 

•  I was tired of Macallan scotch and No, 10 Gin, so made up a new one:  Midori with cream on ice.

• Was great, so I invented another one:  cognac with Baileys Cream.  However, the staff member misheard me and brought cognac with cream.  She was very accommodating and did bring over a third drink, the correct one.
• At this point, Garth came over and suggested a liquer from his home country, Amarula, which is made with dairy cream and distilled marula fruit,  Tasted great.  In fact, almost exactly like Baileys Cream and cognac.

Night ended with these drinks.

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