Cruising - The Lady and the Duchess

Century Celebrity

On May 5, Lauren Reeser, American Duchess and I set sail from San Diego to Vancouver on an eight day cruise. As most of you know I speak on cruise ships. When doing the presentations aboard I always dress in a costume of the era of the presentation, this is my way of interpreting the era for folks to enjoy. All my talks are history based about the area we are traveling through or the next port. So if there are three sea days, there are three costumes plus two formal nights on a seven day cruise. HOWEVER the Duchess wants to dress everyday we are cruising. I'm game, I know how the passengers love the costumes. So two formal gowns and eight other costumes, all accessories, one pair jeans (besides ones I wore down), five tops and --- I'm ready! All this took one suitcase, one footlocker and one carry on.

First rattle out of the box we ran into an issue getting Lauren on the ship. Thank goodness my Boarding Letter was correct, but the ship's manifest had her as .....

I would have claimed her as my daughter to get her on board, but her ID did not match!

1930 's Play Suit

1930's knit dress

Lauren - Catalina Island painting

Lauren gave me pointers, tips etc for painting and drawing. She had me do little projects to practice throughout the cruise.  It's been ages since I have picked up a paint brush or pencil. Private lessons, Whoot!! I love the ideal of a travel journal.

Borrowed the picture fr Lauren's blog, but I wanted you to see what we wore when we ran around Catalina Island in a golf cart.

I got a kick out of this Catalina tow truck - nope we didn't need it!

And of course in our 1940's clothes, we felt right at home when we rounded a corner and saw a 1940ish tour bus

Lauren would walk around the other way on Deck Seven to avoid this guy.

Tracing off an 17c pocket

1915's getting ready to say something - look too serious and boring in this pic, but the outfit is nice.

 Formal night, 1912's

Formal night - 1912's

We went to Alcatraz

It is a beautiful place. . .

and a lonely place - wish I could draw and paint like this inmate.

Dressed for dinner - 1950's

Dressed for dinner - 1920's

Dressed for Dinner after the Astoria talk

This is what you do if you are feeling sea sick - crash after taking sea sick pills.  Rough seas that day. We were in the bow of the ship -BANG up up.up up up up up Bang as it hit water.

That evening Lauren was feeling better and she entered the dance contest, Dancing with the Stripes - she came in second.

              1960's night . I found this stellar (my new word) dress in the Haight-Ashbury area in SF

Lauren's BIG Hair!! As I was doing her hair I told her you had to live through this (1960's) to know

 how to do it.

The Captain wanted his picture with the "two beautiful Ladies"

I might have found a stellar dress in Haight;Ashbury, but Lauren found this Epic dress. I told her this was a one of a kind and she would kick herself later if she didn't get it! I didn't really have to twist her arm - just sorta nudge it and the dress was on the counter with the credit card in hand.

Lauren in 1920's, in front of The Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC.

 I wore my 1920's Sporting Togs

Horsing around -*groan *

Butchart Gardens - Beautiful, Beautiful Place. Lauren did a couple of paintings, I tried - but welllll let's just say I need more practice.

Sunning ourselves on the pool deck. Lauren in 1920's and me in early 1900's

Lauren has more pictures on her site at American Duchess.