There Was A Pirate Called Gaspar

It seemed like it took forever for the big ship to dock. Then once it was docked, it seemed like everyone wanted off at the same time. It was taking forever. One thing Nora and her friends noticed right away was how warm it was. "Finally it's warm. After some shopping do you want to go to the beach and get some sun?" Everyone agreed. They had finally made it on land.
Oh the four ladies had a wonderful time. They saw so many pretty flowers and different trees. Palm trees don't grow where they live. Everything was a new experience and so much fun. They took lots of pictures so that for years they could relive their first cruise. They just hoped that the ship would be more fun and warmer when they got back on board to go to the next island. They sure didn't want anymore mishaps like overflowing toilets and toothpaste all over the place.

Before they went back to the ship they decided to stop for something cool to drink. It seemed like all they could do was laugh and smile. Everything was just wonderful here.

The ladies were tired when it was time to go back to the ship. The sun was setting. It was absolutely beautiful. They all agreed they would always remember their first cruise; the good and the bad things.

After they had a relaxing time visiting with other travelers they went back to bed and could hear only the soft noise of the motor whirring; no screaming of children. What a relief! They were so excited about the rest of the trip. However, they were also very interested in the stop they would be making at the end of their cruise. It was in Tampa, Florida right back in the United States.  It was the Gasparilla Pirate Festival time when they would be there. Nora had been reading pamphlets and telling her friends all about the parade and pirates that used to live there.
She had seen a really scary picture of the pirate whose name the parade was named after. Jose' Gaspar. who was also known as Gasparilla.

"Hey guys, listen to this. They have been having these parades since 1904. Furthermore, they are celebrating a pirate that they don't even know is real or just somebody that they imagined him to be. There is absolutely no evidence that he ever existed, but they have a parade for him. I have never heard of anything like that before. It says that an organization in Louisiana brings hundreds of private boats to demand that the mayor hand over the key to the city. After that then they have the celebration parade. Oh this sounds like so much fun. Do you think we should dress up like pirates?" The answer from her friends was a unanimous "No."

"But it is the third largest parade in the United States and raises all kinds of money. I think it would be fun." The answer was still 'No'. Allison said, "Just let's enjoy the rest of our cruise. No funny business we have had enough, don't you think?"

Little did Allison know that the funny business caused by the elves was just the beginning of their very interesting vacation. They just might meet some real life pirates even if they didn't want to..