POSH

There's a story, don't know if it's true, that the word "posh" came from the most desirable stateroom location on transAtlantic cruises -- port out, starboard home. It's come to mean "smart, fashionable, exclusive." I have just lived posh for the last three days and I could easily get used to it. I was a guest on the Grace Anne II, a beautiful, historic yacht which cruises the Canadian waters of Lake of the Woods.

Not only was the yacht the epitome of posh, the service and food were superb. Stewards Scott and Cameron anticipated my every desire and every request was met with swift action. It was hard to get used to not helping myself -- I felt like a naughty kid when I walked away from a table on the fly deck, leaving a half-finished drink for someone else to pick up -- not only wasteful, but thoughtless! I'll bet if I'd asked one of the stewards to blow my nose, they would have done it gracefully!

Chef Nicky presided over the kitchen and created elaborate presentations in that compact space. No tempermental diva he, he accepted our invasions with cameras and questions with unfailing good humor and a captivating Gallic grin.

Activities? I've discovered I'm hooked on fishing -- pun intended. More about that in the next post. Also available -- skeet shooting, canoeing, kayaking, massage and even a floating driving range! And wildlife watching in the remote areas of the lake where we cruised was excellent -- deer, beaver, bald eagles, pelicans, loons. We didn't spot a bear, but Chris, one of our fishing guides, said he'd seen two this season.

Huge Lake of the Woods is dotted with thousands of pine and poplar-covered islands so we were never out of sight of land, but we were so far away from roads that we saw no houses and few boats. Each night we moored to a buoy in a secluded bay, the only sounds the calls of the loons.

This trip was surely the height of luxury -- one I'll never be able to afford. But if you have more money than you know what to do with, take my advice and book a cruise on the Grace Anne II.