Noah's Ark

From a GoPro hanging from a kite flown by Professor Ernst

“Sometimes your dream comes true and you come inside the story, you go inside the book.”  So said Noah about ten minutes ago, up here in the Piano Bar, where I am trying heroically to post a blog entry.  (Heroic because the internet is such a challenge on the MV Explorer).  

Couldn’t resist the title (which lots of people have suggested in any case).  Noah really has made the MV Explorer his ship, making friends, finding his way around, endearing himself, struggling through the tougher moments and the tougher days, of which there have been a few.  Mostly he’s been having the adventure he and we came for.  Here are some moments, for the sake of grandmas and such who want a more intimate view of Noah having his adventures.  

Noah has many, many friends of all ages.  In the photo above, he's having dinner with his best buddies Suki and Amari and their moms Amber and Britt.  The food on the ship is, for daddy, pretty amazingly good.  For Noah, it's more of a challenge.  He eats a lot of gluten-free bread and jam.

My colleague, Professor Howard Ernst, a political scientist, I believe, acquired permission to fly a kite from the stern of the MV Explorer for the purpose of taking photos with his GoPro of the ocean surrounding our vessel.  (I think he was interested in observing the cleanliness or lack thereof of the sea.)  Noah was of course fascinated and got to hold the kite reel.  

Playtime has Noah doing all kinds of things.  Lately he's been outside a lot playing running games with buddies near the basketball court on the seventh (top) deck.    The bigger games shoot hoops.  Below he's caught in a moment of freeze tag, I believe here channeling Adam as portrayed by Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel.

Sometimes games with yoga mats are invented.  Sometimes the games involve burying daddy in yoga mats.

Noah's friend Randi adores him and comes running over to hold him and pick him up at any opportunity.

The weather has been mostly great and has been entirely free of the big storms that historically have tossed the MV Explorer around pretty rough.  But it has rained.  Here Noah is catching drops falling from the awning on the seventh deck near the pool.

Sometimes too cool Noah gets exasperated at mommy and daddy's exuberance.

All this fun is set against the backdrop of the most amazing sights in the most amazing world imaginable.