My water taxi: Zuiderdam
After disembarking from a great ride up St. Lawrence River, I hired a cab to take me to Montmorency Falls and then downtown. Walking around, I checked out Parliament Building and Chateau Frontenac, and looked down on Place Royale. Needing a sightseeing break, I danced to a street performer singing “Hallelujah.” When the driver picked me up to take me to the airport, we chose the scenic route, along Battlefields Park.
The best part of my trip was club dancing with two of the show girls. Even better, they asked me if I were a professional dancer.
Now I’ve seen everything I wanted to in Canada.

When I traveled with Holland America in 2007, I attended the comedy/magic show performed by Craig Diamond. When it came time for him to call an assistant on stage, he picked me. I pretended that I didn’t want to be on stage, so that the act would be more fun for Mr. Diamond and the audience. Just listening to our banter, the audience roared with laughter. Then it came time for me to lie on the table, the kind with knives underneath. I had uncontrollable giggles with tears streaming down my face and arms and legs flailing. Mr. Diamond had trouble keeping me still. When it came time to put the knives through me I didn’t move a muscle, not knowing how the trick worked. When I saw Mr. Diamond after the show, he was with his sister. They said that it was his best show ever. Unfortunately, the show was not recorded.
After boarding the Canada cruise and studying the entertainment schedule, I saw that Craig Diamond was to perform. I called a friend, “He’s on the ship! He’s on the ship!” I hoped to be on stage, again, but audience members were no longer allowed. I attended his shows, which were great as usual. We also met up for dinner. In 2023 Mr. Diamond was the recipient of the magic world’s highest honor, The Milbourne Christopher Lifetime Achievement Award. I thought the magic world’s highest honor was having me on stage.

The next port on my cruise was Sydney, Cape Breton Island. I hired a taxi to take me along part of the Cabot Trail around Bras d’Or Lake to Baddeck. There I visited Alexander Graham Bell Museum. This was the second best part of the trip. Stay tuned for the best part.
Learning about Bell was inspiring, informative, and mind-boggling. He invented the telephone. Period. Not! He designed hydrofoil boats, planes, sign language, iron lung, air conditioning, and so much more. My favorite part of learning his story was the great love he and his wife, a brilliant mind in her own right, had for each other. Oh, yes, I’m a romantic.
Although I reserved a room with a port hole, I was somehow upgraded to a room with a lanai. That was AWESOME! The sunset was my view while leaving Sydney.

After having visited British Columbia (including Vancouver Island), Alberta, Ontario, and Montreal, there was still more I wanted to see in Canada: Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec City. I hopped on Holland America’s Zuiderdam in Boston, Massachusetts, with stops scheduled for Portland, Maine, and then Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Below are photos from Halifax: Old City Hall, Old Town Clock, The Citadel, and Old Burying Ground.
The second night of the cruise I met an employee named Sneha. She told me that she loved the evening gown I was wearing for “dressy” night. I said, “It’s yours.” She went berserk! Sneha said that later in the year when she’s back home in India, she and her fiancée will have their five-day wedding. The black dress, which shimmers royal blue and has spaghetti straps, will be the star of one of the five days.

I didn’t know that I was traveling all the way to Tunisia to hire graphic designer Selima Benhariz. I entrusted my precious BeanMan in the hands of a very talented woman. I suppose that after 32 years it was time for my logo to catch up with the evolution of my brand.
Contact Selima for your graphic design needs. She works remotely–internationally.