Cannon Fire and Pirate Ships

I made it to Tacoma. Early, in fact, due to no traffic. The class was great. So great I didn't think today could get any better until I arrived at the house they'd arranged for me and another classmate to stay. It's 4 blocks from Commencement Bay in Tacoma with breathtaking views from every window. You can see planes and ships and trees and Mt. Rainier if you look East. Needless to say, it's absolutely gorgeous.

We took our host to dinner tonight to thank her for opening her home to us. As we were getting out of the car afterward, I heard cannon fire. One, two. We hurried out on the balcony. Sailing on the bay right in front of us was a pirate ship. It seemed so familiar to me. I immediately thought of the Isabella, the Spanish Galleon that I used in my book IN DEEP WATERS. All I needed was the sexy Ben Mendoza and it would have capped off a perfect day.

There was another ship that resembled a clipper ship. The two ships seemed to be having a battle. All of a sudden two more cannon's were shot and smoke appeared. It was so very cool and I wished the kidlets could have been with me.

Our host pulled out the newspaper and showed me the ship on the front page. I read the caption and understood why the ship looked so familiar. It was the same ship used as the H.M.S. Interceptor in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.

All I could think about was my son, Finn. He lives for pirates. I think I posted about his pirate birthday bash back in April. He saw the DVD for the first time this summer. I imagined his reaction, his excitement, his running around with his cutlass in hand. Not having access to a transporter device to bring him to me, I did the next best thing and called him on my cellphone. As I described what I was seeing to him, I could hear the awe in his voice, the longing, too. He asked me to take a picture. Unfortunately I forgot to pack a camera. He asked if he could come. I told him to talk to daddy and be sure to tell him they are giving tours of the ship. Hubby's a sailor who keeps talking about us sailing around the world. I told him sailing around the San Juan's for a summer was about all I thought I could handle without totally losing my mind. Yes, his idea is romantic and adventurous, but only for about thirty seconds. And then reality hits. Think about it. A boat. Five people, three of them kids who could barely handle a three hour raft trip. Three neurotic cats. Book deadlines. And homeschooling. A summer might actually be too long.

Anyway if you're anywhere near Tacoma, the ship is here until Sunday. They're giving daily tours onboard, too. It heads to Olympia on Monday.

Now it's time to finish tomorrow's reading assignment.