KETCHIKAN - RAINING KATS AND DOGS

Today our port was Ketchikan – and it was drizzly then rainy and always cloudy. It was not a good weather day at all. We stepped off briefly to wander but were soon chased back inside. Lunch today was at the Pinnacle Grill aboard the ship. It was quite lovely – as it was a port day, there were not many guests dining, but it was very special. The afternoon was spent reading, sudoku puzzling and Brian was putting a plastic model together. After all, it was a good day to be inside!

Later we had a special invitation by Cpt. Bos to join him on the bridge. That was such a surprise and yet another adventure. Early on in the cruise Brian had asked if he would be kind enough to put mom’s picture up on the bridge in a place where she could have a good view of the Alaskan Voyage. So he invited us up to see where her picture had been placed for the trip. She was front and center of the bridge with an unobstructed view. He is a very kind man and we had a lovely visit with him before leaving him to his duties. He had to go to the little chapel to administer to a couple renewing their wedding vows. Tomorrow is an at sea day – we are traveling back down the inside passage and after going through some dreary weather and gale force winds during the night, we should have clear skies all day tomorrow for the rest of our journey home. There might even be some good whale watching from the ship. I think he mentioned that we might even see some orcas and a sperm whale if we are lucky. Humpbacks are a given – and we don’t get tired of those. So tomorrow is another day….and the last of our special voyage together.

SHHH... I THINK MARGERIE IS ASLEEP

The scenic cruising day of Glacier Bay begins early. We set the alarm for 6:30 as we begin the entrance from Icy Straight into Sitakaday Narrows. Whales and sea otters have been seen and we should be able to spot Puffins, Marbled Murrelets, Harbour Seals and certainly lots of bergie bits in the water. Always there is a running commentary from the park rangers that come on board for this very special journey into Glacier Bay National Park. It is my most favourite day up here. There are several glaciers on the way There is the Reid Glacier, Lamplugh Glacier, Johns Hopkins Glacier and then we get right into Glacier Bay and there is the spectacular Margerie Glacier and Grand Pacific Glacier. It has been so cold up here this year that we will be very lucky to hear the cracking and see the calving that we have seen in previous visits, but I will have my camera ready just in case. Just heard that the one of the glaciers that we saw drops off 15 feet per day – WOW – that is a lot of calving that must be going regardless of weather as I said. Hmmm something to be learned every day!! So we are well onto our way to the end of Glacier Bay and should have our first sighting of Margerie momentarily. Margerie is a growing glacier. That means that it is snowing all year round in the ice field and although Margerie advances forward 7 feet every day, that is not enough of a melt for the collection of snow in the ice field above it. Brian, Eileen and I have had the traditional pea soup that they serve in the Glacier Bay area – it is cold outside today only about 10 – so it was a welcome treat. The skies are overcast, but getting brighter – so maybe….just maybe….Eileen and I are now drinking our traditional Baileys and Coffee. We have been known to bring on our own Baileys, but today we bought the souvenir mug with the Baileys. These are Kitiwakes

Well the day was lovely and there was lots to see – no good pictures of puffins or otters…the glacier wasn’t very active and only a small amount of cracking – the skies were not as clear as we were hoping and it was freezing!!!…but any day spent in Glacier Bay National Park is still a wonderful day! After dinner when we came back to the room – look what we found – now between all of us we have seen some fancy towel folding – but this was a new one for all of us! I want to take him home – so early night tonight – last stop Ketchikan tomorrow and then we will be motoring home!

See you soon!

SKAGWAY

What a treat we had last night at the Indonesian Crew Show that began at 11:00 at night! If you have cruised and never attended one of these shows, you are missing out on a lot of fun! The selections of dance on song are all done by truly amateur performers that consist of members of the staff that you see daily around the ship. But the piece de la resistance, is the grande finale which is the Angklung Orchestra. Cruise guests are encouraged to join in. We couldn’t hold Brian back – he was fidgeting throughout the rest of the show ready to jump up at a moments notice and ready to take the stage! Yes he was first on his feet and front and center to receive his #3 Angklung. Eileen and I were cheering him on from the second row. This instrument only plays one note and the musician must shake the instrument back and forth vigorously when his number is called. The selections that we heard were Spanish Eyes and My Way – what a treat! There were about 30 eager participants to entertain us with these very special renditions of familiar songs.

Well, we have lucked out with two wonderful days of mostly sunshine. We had a lovely walk into town in Skagway. Eileen and I are wearing our most beautiful necklaces designed by the silver artist Lisa McCormick. The card with the piece read…. “The masks are singing mouths are open. They are forever connected”. They are beautiful and we are so very lucky to have such a wonderful and caring brother.

The trip is going so wonderfully. I can’t even begin to explain how lucky we are to be able to do this trip together one more time. It is so special for me to travel with Brian and Eileen. These are my favourite trips. We have so much to remember and share with each other – good good times.

We were in town for quite a long time and even had lunch at a small Alaskan Brew Pub – Eileen and I had a halibut burger and it was delicious – Brian had halibut fish and chips and all of us washed it down with a glass of Spruce Tip Blond Beer – it was very good. I was going to have the Prospector’s Pale - but was advised that it was more bitter, so I went with the other selection. The ship was docked from about 7:00 in the morning until 9:00 at night – so once again we were underway and ready to get to our next adventure – Glacier Bay. ttfn

WHALE WATCHING AND WILDLIFE VIEWING IN AUK BAY

Today began with a bit of disappointment – we didn’t go up Tracey Arm as I as thinking we would….don’t know why. I know that the last time we were up on this cruise in August, it was difficult to navigate because of the large bergs that had calved off the glaciers – so we could only go part way. Maybe they take that piece off the itinerary for the cruises that are later in the season – not sure, but if I get a chance, I will ask someone.

Still a very pleasant day of scenic cruising and then we arrived in Juneau at 1:00. We disembarked and got on a bus that would take us to Auk Bay where we would get on our boat to go see wildlife and whales. Our first viewing was harbour seals. They are the cute ones – there was a small colony on one of the little islands that we drifted slowly by. Next was the giant Stellar Sea Lions. They are large and noisy. As the naturalist put it, the colony sounds like a bunch of rowdy teenagers all burping the alphabet! and it did sound like that! They were very active and I was able to get some good pictures.

Now it was time to find whales. We were very lucky to be able to spot one orca and several hump backs. The lone orca was just passing through, so we weren’t able to get a good look at him – just a few glimpses of the very high dorsal fin that was about 6 feet tall. It was a large male. He surfaced and blew only a few times and then he swam well out of view. Now the stars of the day were the humpbacks. They put on quite a show. I had a hard time getting good pictures of them as I seemed to always be focused on the wrong one! Loved seeing what we did though, and the pictures I did get will help me remember what a special sighting we did have.

Time for bed!

A QUIET DAY

Today was spent at sea. The weather was overcast at times and sunny at others…all in all a calm and leisurely day. Just before noon we were at a small reception with the captain. Good eats and free drinks and a lovely chat with Cpt. Peter Bos. We have sailed with this particular captain for at least three of the trips we have taken. He remembered our mother and he took her picture up to the bridge so she can have the best view of the Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay on this – our last Alaskan voyage. He seemed pleased that we were doing this family cruise in her memory. Most of the day was spent enjoying the spectacular views of the Inside Passage. At times the ship is so close to the shore on either side that it seems if you threw a rock you would have no trouble reaching the shore. We could see lots of salmon splashing about and the odd spout of a humpback whale. Eileen and I were fortunate to see one sound – that is when the tail comes out of the water and they dive to feed. We weren’t close enough to get a good picture, but definitely close enough to have a good look.

We passed by one of only 27 manned lighthouses. Most of them are automated. This one is quite isolated – the lighthouse keepers are helicoptered in from Prince Rupert for a 28 day stretch – as you can see from the picture, this structure sits on barren rock with no room to even walk – just precipitous cliffs down to the water. The captain’s narration told us of it’s reputation having many mishaps and tragedy associated with it’s staff. There have been attempted murders, successful murders, incidences of mental breakdown and deaths from attending to maintenance. I’m sure the close quarters of the staff and the isolation is key to the problems that develop here. Cpt. Bos always has interesting stories to relate when we travel this route. So tonight our clocks are turned back by one hour and we can look forward to scenic cruising in Tracy Arm tomorrow and then a stop in Juneau where Eileen and I will go on a whale watching tour. Sure hope I have some spectacular pictures to share with you tomorrow! Bye for now…

FIRE ON MIDSHIPS

Little bit of excitement before we left port today. Seems that there was an electrical fire in the midship around the shops. Didn’t cause much damage, didn’t delay our leaving – but did leave a nasty smell that made the eyes water. Had no trouble getting “mom” on board. They did ask what was in the box…and then said how nice it was to be taking her on a cruise. So she has taken up residence on the desk looking out the window. We don’t want her to miss a thing. We joined the sail away party on the Lido deck and enjoyed BBQ…. ribs, steak, salmon and chicken. They also had some really nice salads and lots of bread to choose from. It was crowded there so we brought our selections down to our cabin and ate on our deck. It was very lovely. The deck has so much room. It is really great for sitting and enjoying, eating or lounging. The skies cleared as we began our departure and it has stayed clear right into the evening. At midnight we get to Ripple Rock and Campbell River, so we will watch outside to see the swirling waters. We tried our luck in the casino. Played for a while, but no one was winning and it was cold in there. Already I am looking in the shops for another sweatshirt to wear. Have a feeling that I should have brought some warmer clothes – in the next few days I will know for sure. If we get into Juneau in the morning on Friday and if I am still cold, I will go to our favourite clothing store and get a sweatshirt and maybe a jacket……course they will have Alaska written on them or have Forget-me-nots or have the Big Dipper or a moose or a fish or or or…..but at least I will be warm! It was hard to think of warm clothes after only being home from Vegas for 1½ days. It was over 40 down there!! But this is Northern BC and Alaska. Well, I will talk to you again later and maybe I will have some pictures to share then too. Bye for now…

SIMPLY SPEAKING SEDONA IS AWESOME!

What a beautiful day for a drive - got an early start around 8:00 and off we were to Sedona. The scenery changed from dry desert and cactus - to green scrub bushes and red dirt. Then we turned the corner and ....

it simply took my breath away. It is like nothing I have seen anywhere before. It was so colourful and lovely. The red rocks are stunning and the landscape is unforgetable.

We stopped at a few spots to take pictures and then we went for lunch in a place that I can neither spell nor pronounce. Had deep fried pickles - Arizona style. They were good and certainly there was some jalapeno in there somewhere. There were lots of stores to wander around in and I did my best to leave a little money to say I had been in Sedona. There were some lovely local artists and artisans whose work was distributed and available in the local shops. It was a very wonderful time spent there. As we were leaving, there was this most beautiful house and a camera shot or two in between the wrought iron rungs of the magnificent fence was stunning. Here is a peek at part of the garden...

and yes that is the most beautiful lawn. I don't even want to think what his water bill must be - there were gladiolas and other plants that were familiar to me from the northwest - certainly a beautiful oasis in this baren, albeit beautiful part of the world. So hope you are all well...I am busy and happy and having a wonderful time. Oh and as for the movie last night....dinner and drinks in a reclining seat and popcorn all served to your seat.....and then a blanket and pillow and further reclining? All true and it was a very unique experience and the movie we saw was People Like Us and it was really good - so a 10 out of 10. See you soon!

HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU....

This morning when I opened the blind....life was happening right outside the window! How amazing this is. I had to stand there and take pics while the oportunity was at hand. At first I saw a little bunny and then there was some movement over nearer the fence - a little gecko and then some bigger movement and it was a lizardy thing. When the two were facing each other, the larger one put on quite a show. Out of my bedroom at home, the only movement I see is the traffic on 160th - so this is quite a treat. I watched them for a while until they made there way though a drainage hole at the bottom of the adobe wall. Wow - I don't think I would get anything done if I lived here. You don't even have to leave the yard - there is so much going on.

Today, the pool will come in handy - I think that the temp will rise above 100. We don't have a lot planned today - we are picking up a quilt that Sharon had layered and quilted - that will be fun to visit a fellow quilter. Then a movie tonight in a theatre where you have you dinner and wine delivered to your seat and when you have finished your repast, they deliver a blanket, pillow and popcorn to your totally recling seat for the rest of the movie - I will tell you more about that experience tomorrow!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

Today was another great day. We had a relaxing start and then it was grocery shopping. Of course it is always more interesting to shop away from home. Today was raining and cloudy - but definitely not cold. It was quite nice all day in the low 80's - yes back to Farenheit in the USA. Now at 9:00 at night it is 79 degrees outside and sooooo pleasant to sit and not a bug in sight - even better.

There is a plethora of birds here. The little quail are the most fun. Their little families are getting bigger - not the real babies that are fun to see, but still these families scurry around. They are capable of flying up to the top of the fence and then to flutter down, but you seldom see them other than on the ground and they are quite shy. Thanks to the amazing zoom on my new little camera, I was able to get a few good shots

The cactus are lovely too. It seems that I missed the desert in bloom, but there is still lots of colour. Amid the brown, tan, rust and ecru desert colours there is still beauty and colour. Can't wander into the desert as there are rattle snakes, spiders and scorpions about. So I take the pics I can wherever I see something that interests me.

Even out the bedroom window there is a lovely scene that greets me when I raise the shade. This is a lovely place. So with an afternoon of clothes shopping and a BBQ dinner - I am now ready to settle in to watch a bit of TV before off to bed - another adventure awaits tomorrow! Ciao for now!

BRAND NEW ADVENTURE IN ARIZONA

What a great way to start summer - a holiday. I am down in Scottsdale, Arizona for a week and although a hot time of the year to be here, I know it will be a a great visit. The temperature today is a cool 98 degrees and I say cool, cause it is cool by Arizona standards, but as for Vancouver? It is so wonderful and warm. I was on the same plane as my friends, Mike and Sharon, so we arrived here about 5:00 in the afternoon. We did go out for dinner and now we are planning some adventures this week. So far Sedona, shopping, DBack Baseball game, shopping, movie in a theatre where you have dinner, drink wine and then they give you a blanket and pillow and you watch the movie.....oh and did I mention shopping? There is a beautiful full moon tonight.

I haven't much to add yet, so I will leave you with this beautiful image taken in their backyard at 9:35 (yes it gets dark earlier in the evening here - farther south. Wanted to experiment with a night shot from my new Sony Camera - so far so good I say! Talk to you tomorrow!