The ship sails for a day

We sailed yesterday! Well, my guess is that true sailors wouldn't really call what happened yesterday a sail. But, for a prairie girl, the boat moved thus it sailed! The ship simply moved from one side of the port to the other to get fuel. The nurses on the ward thought the patients would enjoy it. So, with the exception of one man, deck 7 was a buzz with excitement as the ship moved from point A to point B. On the far side of the deck, the kids raced around each other on little cars. One little boy, born with club feet, laughed joyously at his new found freedom as he zoomed up and down the deck. A little further up, some adults were playing cards, while others stood in curiousity watching the boats coming in and out of the port.

For me, coming off of night shifts, it was a leisurely day. I walked around the ship in my scrubs-turned-pajamas eating cheerios, and watched the deck crew lift the gangway. Horns blowing, the tug boats pulled us away from our dock until the ship carried itself towards the fueling dock. The tug boats then pushed us back towards our new resting place for the night. Seemed simple enough to the prairie girl in her pajamas. Giles, however, now deck hand/line handler, worked some long hard hours over the last two days.

(up comes the gangway - we walk up this thing to get into the ship)