Charlie ~
Chicken of the Sea
by Linda Coffman
Which came
first... the chicken or the egg?
Our tour guide in
Istanbul returned to the bus chuckling. He confided that several
of his guide-buddies were discussing a book they plan to write.
With a dozen American travel writers in his entourage, our guide
had everyone's immediate attention. "What about?" we
wanted to know. Oh... all about their zaniest experiences leading
tours.
Like what? Well, there was a
retired American who carried an ostrich egg with him wherever he
traveled. Our guide laughed. "Can you imagine that?" he
asked.
From within my tote bag came a
muffled cackle. It wasn't an egg, ostrich or otherwise... It was Charlie. Charlie is a
chicken. A rubber chicken.
Travels
with Charlie
According to Charlie's adoptive
"mom" -- Judi Drews, "Several years ago, Michael did a favor for his
sister who was out at the University of Wyoming. When she
asked what he'd like in return, he said either a batch of
brownies or a rubber chicken. Well, as luck would have it,
she went to a Math Conference that weekend, and lo and behold,
they had a rubber chicken for sale. That's how we got
Charlie."
"He started traveling with Michael
on his business trips. Then he started traveling with us on
our vacations. In November, we decided to 'share the
wealth.' He started broadening his horizons by sailing with
John and Eleanor Harley, and the rest, as they say, is
history!"
Charlie on
the High Seas
Charlie
was seriously bitten by the cruise bug last year during that
introductory Mexican Riviera cruise on Carnival's Elation. It was during that voyage that Judi
and Michael Drews (photo-right) introduced Charlie to online friends
Jacki and Mike Dalton, John and Eleanor Harley, and Bob and
Sheryl Hoover.
Charlie's life has been a
whirlwind ever since... From Atlantic to Pacific, from the North
Sea to the Aegean, Charlie's been a globe trotting Chicken of the
Sea.
To get his feet wet a second
time, Charlie accompanied John and Eleanor on a short cruise on
their favorite ship, Royal Caribbean International's Viking
Serenade.
Next, Charlie was thrilled with a round-trip Aloha
cruise to Hawaii on Holland America Line's Statendam with Jacki and Mike
(photo-left) and an adorable grass skirt going-away outfit.
Tossing a lei to sea -- and
watching it drift back toward Diamond Head -- insured Charlie of
a return visit to the Islands some day. We've all offered to take
him!
But in the meantime, it was off
to sea yet again with those cruise-a-holics, John and Eleanor.
The Harleys had a notable mission, to sail on the final cruise of
Royal Caribbean International's Song of America. They sailed on the ship's maiden
voyage with Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter -- this time they took
Charlie to transit the Panama Canal with them. Do you suppose
Charlie is a Democrat?
No matter... along the way
Charlie got the royal (if not presidential) treatment and Eleanor
treated him to even more spiffy duds -- a new sombrero and serape
in Mexico. (photo-right)
Time for Charlie to do some
land-cruising to Las Vegas with the Drews, Daltons, and Hoovers.
Bob Hoover has yet to be entrusted to take Charlie away on a
cruise... but it won't be long!
A pressing
Dilemma
What's a chicken to do when there are TWO
cruises to choose between?
continued on
Page Two -- Charlie's
Decision
