day 110 – at sea, 6 of 6

i am so incredibly psyched to get home to nino!  he has been so amazing and grown up and handled everything so beautifully while i’ve been on the road – i couldn’t be a prouder mama or more impressed!  i am so grateful you are such a solid, centered, awesome and extremely cool person, bean… prepare for goonie adventures and good times when i get back… tomorrow!  how incredible to be able to say that at last! a huge shout out of heartfelt thanks to johnny, my folks, and austin’s and sawyer’s families and all nino’s other friends and their failies, too!  i could never go on the road if i didn’t know you all held nino as close to you as you all do!  i am so grateful for all your love, support and friendship! 

bob is so great to bring some of my stuff home for me when he sails to seattle in may… i am going to miss him so much!  we’ve had some really lovely times out here and i am immensely grateful for everything!  (love you, bobby!  you are the best! xoxo!) it’s only a few weeks til i see him, and then every other week til he comes home august 5^th…

is it really the last day?  i can hardly believe it!  i have been doing the behind the scenes d-bark paperwork and packing for days… i am on fumes… i know my cruise director was disappointed i can’t do the world cruise next year – but nino is graduating, and i am only willing to go out for a shorter-than-world-voyage run in the first half of the year… but i told him that i am truly psyched for the autumn grand asia/australia voyage and will be there with bells on this fall for that… got nice kudos, also, from his boss, the hotel manager as well as the beverage manager… those are the guys i most especially like to keep happy, and they love me, so it’s all good! 

i really thought tonight would be kind of a ghost town, but it was quite packed ‘til almost 11 – that’s late for this crowd!  it’s not unusual for the attendance on the last night of a cruise to be a little sparse, because everyone is packing or going to bed early, but all my hard core regulars came out in full force!  my set was called “out of my head” because i always do the last night with just whatever is in my head and nothing on the piano except the cruise finale song, which i actually did last night (since i expected penultimate night to be the big finale) and forgot to include in the blog… here it is…

grand world voyage finale song

(to the tune of “those were the days”)

once there was a lovely grand world voyage

we sailed around the globe o’er many oceans

and as we wrap it up i’m just a little

verklempt from this residual emotion

captain olaf, such a thoughtful and fearless leader

who kept our safety and good times in mind

and our hotel manager, henk, he’s such a great guy

always oh so affable and kind

those were the days my friend; we thought they’d never end

we’d sing and dance forever and a day

and don and hermi, too would sing and dance with you

those were the days oh yes those were the days

la la la la la la… etc.

the itinerary even with the changes was brilliant

such historical places, oh so rare

tropic isles and ruins and deserts, even mountains

some places had me wanting to jump ship there

but I couldn’t leave this lovely piano bar

and all of you just hanging on your own

this gig means too much to me to go awol

the nicest place and folks that I have known

those were the days my friend… etc.

but all these places they were just the backdrop

there were other destinations here that were fun

the interior trip we all take individually

and the forging of new friendships we’ve begun

it’s almost as if we are like a small town

neighbors in a shifting neighborhood

we’ve lived here with each other for quite awhile now

and i’d take you all home with me if i could

those were the days my friend… etc.

the evolution of our piano bar community

always such a satisfying thing

bonding after sixteen weeks together

i hope you’ll think of us whenever you sing

i won’t forget our lovely guest star open mic’ers

it was great that you could come and play along

i wish I could take you on all my future cruises

to help me entertain or sing a song

those were the days my friend… etc.

thanks to those of you who bought my cd

and if you didn’t, hurry, there may be time

you can put it on at home and have a cocktail

and come back to the piano bar in your mind

it’s small and flat and fits well in your suitcase

doesn’t weigh much and it lasts a long time, too

it’s calorie free, yet sweet, I hope you got one

so you can sort of take me home with you

those were the days my friend… etc.

i know that there are those of you who’ll email

and I will write you back, we’ll stay in touch

i’ve grown accustomed to all of you who come by

and I’ll miss so many of you very much

if you should go back home and see a piano bar

i hope you’ll think of us and have a smile

and when I play your special songs when I’m back home

i’ll be thinking of you all the while

those were the days my friend… etc.

ciao for now!  - me