It’s always tough getting bad news, and it’s especially hard when you’re on a slow boat to China and you can do nothing to help those in need. Take for instance Sharon’s sister, who has broken her foot, and her husband Dave, who has broken his hand, just since we’ve been onboard. If we were home, we’d be taking soup, or shopping for them, or plowing their driveway. Alas, all we can do from here is text and call.

Another piece of bad news that we’ve received is the death of a dear family friend, Dave Graham. Dave and Jean Graham were friends from our Skaneateles, NY days. They were the epitome of good humans and great community members. Dave worked at Welch Allyn with Marshall and was a great colleague. Jean and Sharon served on the boards of the Skaneateles Festival and the Skaneateles Education Foundation. They were pillars and beloved members of the Skaneateles community. They always took an interest in our lives, and of our children. We lost Jean in 2011, and Dave just passed on January 30.

Over the years, we’ve gotten to know their daughters Wendy and Ginger, and have enjoyed our relationship with them too. They recently sent to us photos of these historic documents, after reading our blog post about the Shellback ceremony aboard the Coral Princess. You see, Dave was a proud Navy man, having served as an officer in Japan in the 1960’s. He crossed the equator for the first time on April 12, 1963 aboard the USS Providence, and was initiated from a “Pollywog” to a “Shellback” that day. There is a description of the required Pollywog uniform, and the watch list as well as a welcome letter from Neptune to the rank of Shellback.

We thank Dave for his service to our country, and to Ginger and Wendy for sharing these awesome documents. Enjoy!

Tomorrow: Raiatea, Leeward Islands, French Polynesia