TWO DAYS IN THE BEAUFORT SEA

TWO DAYS IN THE BEAUFORT SEA

Yesterday we passed Alaska and entered Canadian waters. We had hoped to catch sight of some marine life and birds but were thoroughly socked in with fog. We spent the day napping, House of Card-ing, Art (me), and Fashion Show (Norma), and eating.
I just read over the last blog and see that I called the gulls we saw on the ice, Glaucous. Learned this morning, that they were Ross's!
We have met up with Jim Wade, an 87-year-old from Florida, the last two evenings when we go to the Saloon for our pre-dinner drinks. He is quite a character with an eye for the ladies. He was seated at our table for the Vancouver-Alaska leg of this trip but the powers-that-be changed the seating for this leg of the voyage. I don't think he knows quite what to make of us but seems to enjoy our conversations especially the one we had about Norma's diaper pin collection.
At dinner the last three evenings we have been seated with some of the Expedition speakers and film-makers. We've met Stevie Audlakiak, an Inuit Guide from Nunavet, Linda and Flip Nicklin, she is a marine biologist and naturalist and he is a renowned National Geographic Photographer specializing in underwater pictures of whales. Last night we sat with Adam Lajeuness, an Historian/Lecturer from Ottawa who now lives in Calgary, who looks 15-years-old; and Kevin Freeny, who is the Expedition Videographer, a young man who has filmed all over the world. He also enjoys birds so we talked until we were the last ones in the dining room.
Tonight we are at Silk Road by ourselves so will miss out on meeting more of the Expedition staff. They are much more interesting than the Ambassador Hosts who were seated with us first voyage. We have yet to go dancing so haven't met the latest clutch.
Today is another sea day but it was different in that we awoke to blue skies and sunshine! The water is an incredible deep blue. The seas are remarkably calm and the wind has dropped considerably. After breakfast I joined Art Sowls, one of the birder/naturalists on board, and we spotted four yellow-billed loons - a lifer. I have also met a birder from Tennessee, Shirley, and this bird was a lifer for her too. I have enjoyed swapping many birding stories with her. Norma and I also took our Nordic poles and walked for an hour on the promenade deck.