We had departed at night so there wasn't much to see even though we were heading south. The next morning was a bright sunny day with fair winds. The ride was going good and we made good time. It wasn't long before we were south enough that the water was the prettiest of blue and the sea life was different.

How fleet is a glance of the mind.

Their voices, the gestures of their refined grimy hands, were unbelievably courtly, delicate. Their carriage suggested the majesty of Aztec princes, their faces obscure sculpturings on Yucatecan ruins.

Rumors about layoffs are all over the trades.