the finer things in life...

We're back in Boston... arrived here early yesterday afternoon after a rather choppy ride from Portsmouth. The night before the trip, I shared a bottle of wine with Chris as we exchanged pictures and stories from home... I really love this crew! But the ride into town was difficult... stomach stayed in tact, but my head swam circles around me... NO, I WASN'T HUNG OVER!! Just a little dehydrated, maybe.

Anyway, Chris is our chef, and he takes food very seriously. Whenever he gets some time away from the boat, he tries to eat at the hottest restaurants. Last night, I was invited to join him on one such occasion, and let me TELL YOU!!!! It was quite and experience!!!!

Chris is a sushi connoisseur, so after having read New York Times' best restaurants outside NYC article, he was determined to try out O Ya, named the best sushi bar in the nation. He made reservations for two and informed me that I was invited to attend. Of COURSE, I accepted, despite the fact that sushi has always made me feel a bit queasy - all in my head, I'm sure. So, at 8 pm, Kaki let's me go so I can get all dolled up for the big night out. I put on the ONLY dress I thought to bring with me, did my best to make myself half-way presentable in a record time, and traipsed across the street to the bar where Chris had gone with Mark and Tim. My hair was flat, and my sundress didn't exactly fit in with a chilly, rainy Bostonian evening. BUT... it's the best I can do, so I plastered on that dazzling smile and walked tall.

We decided to take a cab to the restaurant because we weren't sure how long of a walk it would be. Turns out, O Ya is just a few blocks away from the marina... When we arrived, the street seemed virtually deserted. We saw a sign for the restaurant, but that was the only indication that anything was nearby. The windows seemed dark, and the front door was solid wood... it was an eerie place, almost like out of a movie or something.

Once we got inside, the place was buzzing with activity. The restaurant is small -- only about 30-40 patrons at a time -- and guest are seated either at a bar to watch all the sushi being made, or against the side wall. We were seated against the wall, given a menu, and greeted by a wonderful server. The menu made my mouth water... I didn't know what half the entrees were, but they sounded scrumptious. I never could have chosen just one. Fortunately, Chris had a plan of his own. He had the chef cook for us. We ended up getting fifteen courses of a variety of entrees -- sushi, steak, mushrooms, eel, duck liver... and every bite I took made me want more. Some of the items sound disgusting, and honestly, I can't BELIEVE I'm saying this, but it was incredible!!! In addition to the entrees, we sampled four different kinds of sake... I walked out of there feeling fine... not a hint of a buzz. During dinner, Chris, who saved the menu, took notes of each entree. He numbered each one and noted their appearance and other seasonings not mentioned on the menu.

At the end of dinner, we ordered dessert -- coconut gelato and boston cream pie -- that ended up being MUCH less sweet than most desserts, but more satisfying and refreshing. Chris, knowing what it is like to work in a hot kitchen, bought the chefs drinks. They came out to thank him, and as we chatted with them, they brought us back to the kitchen for a tour. It was SOOOO COOL!! We saw how they make the ribs and how they package all their seasonings. Everything was so clean and well organized. The kitchen was small, but efficient and very well kept.

I won't even say how much the evening cost, but I will say that it was the MOST expensive dinner I've ever partaken in, and it is definitely an expense I will not often indulge. But, everything was great about the night -- the food, the sake, the company. And it made me realize something about this industry. My exposure to the "finer things" in life are going to spoil me pretty quickly. In fact today, the guests spent the entire afternoon off the boat, so we all had the day off. I had five hours to myself this afternoon, so I took off to run my errands -- I headed to the post office and the salon for a pedicure. THEN, I went into another salon and spent WAAAAY too much money on hair products for my mass of crazy curls. After a shower, I felt like a new woman... and my hair smells like roses and oranges... is niiiiice. I wanted to get some new clothes, but I ran out of time... oh well. Maybe on my next day off I can hit some cute boutiques. Oh, did I mention that I've lost a bit of weight on this charter? You'll still recognize me, but my jeans are looser and my shirts are roomier. Even Kaki has noticed! This is pretty good news for me since it seems like there's always something to munch on around here. Just tonight, Mr. and Mrs. brought back cannolis from the North End (the Italian district) and gave Mark a bottle of champagne to congratulate him on earning his Master Captain's license. Not to mention the croissants and homemade muffins every morning... AND all the wine that moves through this crew mess... EEEK! If I wasn't climbing 100 flights of stairs every day, I'd be as big as a house!

Spoke with my mom for a while tonight... It was so good to hear her voice... I guess these past few months have been the longest I've ever been without seeing her... How long has it been? Right at two months? I miss her (and the rest of my family) SO much, but I have to remind myself that I'll be back with them in a few weeks. This weekend is Decoration, and for the first time in several years, everyone will be able to make it. Everyone except me, of course, and even as I write this, it breaks my heart to know that I'll be missing them. I SO cherish the times I spend with my family -- reminiscing and laughing together; watching with amazement at how much my cousins have grown each time I see them; wishing the short moments together would never end... I've always lived from year to year looking forward to Decoration -- battling the gnats and mosquitos, gorging myself on a seemingly endless table of food, sliding down the waterfall until there is more mud in my underwear than on the rocks, listening to the deafening sounds of the crickets and frogs at night... Those are the moments when I feel most at home and comfort. It will, I fear, be a long time before I am able to see those mountains again, but until then, I carry the memories in my heart and long for the day when I will return again to my roots, no matter how simple.