I know I have sometimes made this column into a travelogue. Therefore I will not dwell on the trip itself but on the people we met on this cruise.

It was a four-day cruise starting in New Orleans and going upriver to Natchez and Baton Rouge on the American Queen, a steam paddle boat.

Breakfast, on the river, is a free for all!

Have a seat and soon the empty chairs will be filled by complete strangers. Some will have interesting stories and some will reveal little foibles and long-standing irritations in their marriage.

An unusual looking couple sat down. She was dressed in a bright, flamboyant outfit that almost blinded the onlooker. He was reserved and spoke only when spoken to. She carried on the conversation as if he didn't exist. Somewhere in her long recitation she told us she possessed 136 pairs of shoes. She was born in the Philippines and Imelda Marcos popped into mind. Her conversation centered only on herself.

He mentioned offhandedly that he was an MIT graduate. We would have loved to learn more about him and his interests but it was not to be. His wife conversed for the both of them - a pity.

At another breakfast an elderly couple sat down. They were from Colorado. He wore a western string-tie and she was reserved but charming in her directness and her opinions.

They had both been married for 50 years to other people. Now they went back to their high school years and found each other. As they bickered charmingly we saw they were charting new ground.

He hated jazz and she told him to give it a chance. He politely but firmly declined. She winked and smiled at us when he defended his conservative opinions.

They were trying out their new relationship.

We knew it would work out as they were both intelligent, warm and open in their little disagreements. If it worked out, they would marry.

Because they were so likeable we hoped they would put aside the small stuff and traipse down the aisle together.

In a short time, at breakfast, we entered their lives and they affected us.

We all learned something.

P.S.: In response to my request for "recurring dreams," my neighbor told me one of her sad dreams.

She was giving a dinner party (remember those) and her home was overstocked with food. The refrigerator was bursting and the pantry shelves groaned with all the goodies.

However, she was deathly afraid that she did not have enough food to feed her guests. It terrified her that she would be found wanting and her guests would depart famished. Sad, but no one can control their dreams.