Election

The clear sky and slightly crisp air on Election day put everyone in a very good mood.  I walked to my poling place.  There was a line of about twenty-five people.  Everyone seemed ready to party.  I voted and on my way back home a woman stopped her car and asked if I needed a ride. I claimed my free tall coffee from Starbucks.  

The world watched us on Tuesday and I believe we can be proud of ourselves.  Thank you, LaDawn for your words from France.

I want to share this story about my friend who has lost her ability to communicate  due to rapidly progressive aphasia.  She lives in a memory facility.  She has worn an Obama for president button, daily, for the last two years.  Legally she cannot vote.  However it was her wish to vote.  Her daughter talked with the memory care director at the facility and it was arranged for Elinore to 'vote'.  She was given an absentee ballot and voted for her candidate.  According to her daughter she was on 'cloud nine' today because she had voted for Obama in this historic election.

Apple Hill

On Sunday we took a family trip to Apple Hill.  The orchards and farms are open with pony rides, clowns, crafts, apple food and millions of apples.

Here is Sterling  taking her first pony ride; she doesn't seem very impressed.  She is not easily impressed.

SloMoe the clown chose Paulette as a volunteer after saying I need a woman in her 40s.  Shae and Skyler jumped around her pointing.  "Auntie P is 40. "  They shouted.  The clown missed her with all the darts that broke the balloons.  This clown was very entertaining.

Shae and Skyler were volunteers to hold the tightrope while SloMoe walked it juggling toilet plungers.  Shae is very serious and Skyler almost dropped the tightrope when one of the plungers hit SloMoe in the face.

Other adventures included a little hike at one place.  Sterling, almost two, trudged along even up the rather steep hill.

We had a picnic at the Jack Russell brewery with pints of beer for the adults.  

It was a perfect fall day.

Alaska

Alaska

A little taste of Butchart Gardens  We were told not to miss it and I agree--in Victoria, don't miss Butchart Gardens.

Ship's log, Thursday, August 7, 2008--Victoria, B.C., Canada,  6:00pm First line ashore.

It is difficult to describe our tour of the gardens.  Here are a few of the flowers and scenes we saw.  

11:30pm  All lines gone.

Back on board the ship we spent time with people we met in the Crow's nest lounge.  Jessica and the HAL cats played Hernando's Hidaway.   Paulette and I danced a Tango.   we had a couple of drinks and went to our cabin to pack for disembarkation in the morning.

Ship's log:  Friday, August 8, 2008--Seattle, Washington,  6:15am First line ashore.

We are awake early and our room service  breakfast arrives--again, right on time.  We are scheduled to leave at 8:15am.  Our luggage has been picked up overnight and sent ashore.  By 8:30 we are looking for our bags in the terminal and by 8:45 we are in a cab to the ferry dock.  Chris picks us up at the Bremerton ferry terminal.  Back in Port Orchard we pack the car, take Chris to lunch and at about noon we are on our way back to Sacramento.   We arrive home in the wee hours of the morning.

All during the trip we had lovely weather.  The only rain was on shore  excursions was in Juneau.  It  changed to partly cloudy for our bike tour.  Tracy Arm was cold because of all the ice in the water, I guess.  The other  places were pleasant.

Alaska

This will be a long post and will finish my writing about the trip.  It is about time.  I can't seem to move on until I finish this.  Ever had that feeling?

  Ship's Log: Tuesday, August 5, 2008, Sitka, Alaska,  7:00am  Leg go starboard anchor.

Our room service breakfast arrived exactly on time and we watched the activity outside our window while we ate.

The Sitka port is too small for a cruise ship to dock.  Therefore we must get to shore by Tender. My first vision about a tender included muscular sailors with oars in a lifeboat.  That turned out to be wrong.   One of the tenders  had been riding above the deck just outside our cabin window.  We noticed three crew members climbing up and down the ladder and then they lowered the tender to the water.  Each motorized tender has bench seats for about 100 people. No problem getting on.  I didn't have to step or jump across a gap between ship and tender.

We did not schedule an excursion for Sitka so we get a self-guide tour map and start walking.  It's early and the stores are closed as we window shop along the main street.  We find stairs leading to the top of Castle hill.  Up we go; no need for Stairmaster today.  The view at the top is fantastic.  We can see The Amsterdam anchored in the middle of the harbor.

Castle hill was the home of Alexander Baranov, the Russian territorial governor at the end of the 18th century.  He built a house for his wife who is said to have brought civilization to Sitka, Alaska.  The house is gone now.

We walk down stairs on the other side of the hill and across a bridge to the University of Southwest Alaska, Sitka.  It is housed in one small, modern building.   I was looking for T-shirts for David's kids.  There was no bookstore and only adult t-shirts sold by the office staff.  Back on main street, fellow passengers are swooping in and out of the various shops.  We browse an art gallery of native art.  The paintings and sculptures are nice, even beautiful but expensive and large.  

We buy a bus ticket to the Alaska Raptor Center.  The volunteer staff  nurse rescued bald eagles, hawks and owls back to health and help some to return to the wild.  One enclosure is a large room called the aerobic room where the birds practice flying before they return to the wild.  There is an area where those unable to return to the wild are cared for.  We spend some time in a room with Sitka, a bald eagle who cannot be returned to the wild.  A volunteer holds her and answers questions as Sitka looks from side to side.   Bald  eagles are awesome creatures.

We take a walk along the creek although the sign cautions us there have been bears on the trail. We do not meet a bear but do see evidence there has been one visiting the area.

We have lunch of reindeer dogs and beer at an outdoor reindeer dog stand.  We sit in pleasant sunshine and watch a groups of tourists searching for treasures to take home.  As we leave, Paulette tells me I just ate Rudolph.  

We wander in and out of art galleries and shops, buy a few souvenirs on our way back to the dock.  The tender takes back to the ship.

Ship's Log:  4:42pm Commenced heaving starboard anchor.

Another wonderful dinner a little dancing and watching the captain's toast to the passengers after he introduced the executive officers of the ship.

Ship's Log:  Wednesday, August 6, 2008, Ketchikan, Alaska.  6:36am, first line ashore.

Ketchikan seems to be built on a shelf between the mountain and water.   It snakes for several miles along the southwestern shore of Revillagigedo Island, facing Tongass Narrows.  We begin our self-guided tour of Ketchikan by walking up many stairs through a residential area.  Homes are built on the hillside so sidewalks are stairs.  There are new homes next to old dilapidated ones and rehabilitates buildings.  A short hike takes us to the Totem Heritage Cultural Center and Totem Bight State Park.  We tour the museum where they have preserved some very old totem poles in glass cases.  There are modern and traditional examples throughout the building and outside.

We take the Married Man's Trail back to the row of shops and museums that originally served as the bordellos of Ketchikan.  These buildings are build along and on stilts over the rushing water of a creek.  A bronze statue of a salmon "swims" above the water in honor of the upstream journey of spawning salmon.  We have seen salmon swimming upstream.    Walking back to the ship we buy Kettle Korn from a vender in a shop under a statue of a whale.  We have our picture taken with the only full-size bear we encounter on the trip.

Last chance to buy stuff in Alaska so we get our souvenirs on the way back to the ship.  Captain Henri Lefering greets us at the foot of the gangplank as we return to the ship.

Ship's log:  12:34pm: All lines gone.

I spend the afternoon walking all the decks to see what's around.  There is a teen lounge at one end of deck nine.  There are some Red Hat ladies playing ping-pong next to the teen lounge.  I see the shuffleboards--no one is playing.    I walk through the Lido cafeteria and have coffee and a brownie with ice cream, take a picture of an orchid on my table,read my book and watch out the window.  I walk through the Casino, the duty free shop, the photo gallery where the pictures taken by the photographers on board are displayed and for sale.  Ours are not worth buying.  There is a spa with expensive massages, facials and make-up for sale.  While I do this Paulette is in the bar taking a mixology class.  She learned to make martinis and margaritas.

Then it is dinner time and after dinner we go to the lounge and listen to Bamboleo, the trio from Mexico.  We dance and talk to  some members of the Chinese family celebrating their mother/grandmother's 80th  birthday.  She is the best dancer of the family.

Cruising Alaska

Ships Log:  Monday, August 4, 2008,  Tracy Arm Alaska.  7:10am Entered Tracy Arm

Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm are narrow and deep and over 30 miles long, bounded by Canada on the east, this Wilderness area is highlighted by two sheer-walled fjords.  

I knew this day would not include a shore excursion and wondered how I would pass the time.  When I woke up, I peeked out between the drapes.  I saw mountains, and lots of whit things in the water.  I put on my glasses and recognized the white things as various -sized pieces of ice floating on the gray-blue water.  It all looks cold under the overcast sky.

I took a long , brisk walk around the deck.  The mountains on both sides were amazing.  Some of the ice, we are told is ice bergs and we are only seeing the tip.  Near the end of my walk crew members set up coffee carts on each side of the deck.  In addition to coffee they have hot chocolate and some add-ons, Kailua, Baileys and brandy.  I choose free regular coffee in an insulated cup  that cost $18.  It is blue with Holland America printed in white.  Of course I needed it.  I pass on the add-ons.  

A full day to explore the entire ship.  I carry my book and journal with me.  The coffee cafe serves a terrible latte--saves me  money since lattes cost extra and brewed coffee is great and free.

After breakfast I find a place to sit and write.  Then move to a chair near a window to read and watch  the scenery go by.  Paulette has gone to an art auction.

Dinner at 7:00pm and then the Filipino Crew Show.  

At noon the weather: Light airs, partly cloudy skies and temperature: 58R/ 13C

6:20pm left Tracy Arm.

Cruising Alasksa

Seattle, Washington

Friday, August 1, 2008  4:00PM  Let go all lines.

Seattle to Juneau--894  1 nautical mile=1.15 statute miles.

Excitement in the little Port Orchard house is high.  Paulette and I prepare for our cruise. Chris and Mike (our hosts) get ready for their  dance competition in Tacoma.  Packing, repacking, deciding what to take and what to leave.  We are loading Mike's Rav 4 twenty minutes ahead of our self-imposed deadline.  It's 10:00am.  Paulette and I are dropped at the Bremerton Ferry. We wait about fifteen  minutes and board for the 45 minute trip to Seattle.  The weather is gorgeous after yesterday's day of rain.  We hire an independent taxi driver who delivers us to terminal 5 for $10 in his Lincoln Town Car.  We enter gate 5 and there is the Amsterdam, our home for the next seven days.

Cars, buses, taxis and people with multiple bags are everywhere.  The boarding process looks daunting and time consuming.  I'm worried about Paulette's passport that expires August 23, 2008.  The recommendation is a passport six months to expiration.  We attach tags to our bags after we are given our cabin number.  They disappear into a scanner and we are directed to the next counter.  Passports checked (the desk person didn't blink an eye) photos taken, key cards issued and we are passing through the metal detector to the gangplank.  It is less than half an hour since Paulette paid our taxi driver.

Smiling crew members welcome us, in several languages, as our key card is scanned and we step aboard.  We are directed to the Lido deck for lunch and before we reach the elevator the announcement says the cabins are ready.  We find our cabin and Inan, our steward.  He asks if we want the queen bed turned into twin beds.  We say yes and thank him.   We leave our carry-on bags and find the Lido deck.  Here we are eating less than thirty minutes after boarding.  Yes! there is a lot of food.  Yes! it is good.  Well, it is lunch time.  We find a place at the rail of deck 9 for sail away.  We snap pictures, listen to the ships horns, (the Princess cruise ship blasts it's horn) in response ours.  The other cruise ship and the Seattle skyline disappear.  From the deck below Jessica and the HAL Cats play rock and roll music.

After half an hour or so we descend to deck 8 and drink beer as we chat with a couple from West Virginia and watch land disappear.  When we return to our cabin our checked baggage is in the middle of the floor.

We dress up and go to our first on-board dinner about 7:00pm.  Four courses: appetizer, salad or soup, entree and of course dessert.  After dinner we go to the Ocean Bar.  The trio from Mexico played cha chas and rumbas.  We have a drink and dance for a while.   Paulette leads and we are the only ones on the dance floor; almost the only ones in the bar.  

Saturday, August 2, 2008--AT SEA:  12:00nn  GPS position: 51 degrees 09'5N/ 130 degrees 07'9W  Gentle breeze, overcast.  Temperature: 54 F.

What to do on a ship at sea?   We go to the gym and walk on treadmills while watching the ship glide through the water.  Breakfast first:  anything you want and things you don't are available. A seminar on shopping in Juneau.  A presentation about a two minute make-over.  Selling something of course.  I find various places to sit and read, buy a not-very-good latte and walk through the gift shops.  Not much there to tempt me.  This is a good thing.  We decide to sign up for a tour in Juneau--Bike and Brew.  Of course I can do it.  I skip lunch but have some ice cream and coffee in the afternoon.  Another great dinner, no, I can't remember everything I ate; mostly fish and seafood.  My favorite dessert was a berry cobbler with ice cream.  We are seated with a couple from England.  He a retired school principal and she a school principal.

Sunday, August 3, 2008--Juneau, Alaska  11:12am-First line ashore

I set foot in Alaska.  We rush to take pictures of this accomplishment.  I have now been in all fifty of the United States.  It's misting rain.  We find the statue of Patsy Ann and Paulette takes my picture.  I take one of her while she tries to send a text with my picture in Alaska.  It did not work.  

Patsy Ann, a Bull Terrier was born in Portland, Oregon in 1929 and came to Juneau as a pup.   Her sculpture sits a short distance from where her coffin was lowered into Gastineau Channel as a small crowd  watched  in 1942.  Her sculpture sits watching and waiting with eternal patience, whether shrouded in fog, bathed in sunshine or covered with snow.  Patsy Ann was stone deaf from birth but she somehow 'heard' the whistles of approaching ships long before they came into sight and trotted to the wharf to meet every ship.

We join the throngs of people rushing to the shops, Red Dog Saloon, and other attractions of Juneau.  We purchase post-cards and trinkets and I find a somewhat water resistant jacket to replace the two sweatshirts that will soon be soaked.  I think, maybe the bike tour will be cancelled.  NO, The leaders right on time and we climb out of the mist into the vans for a drive to our starting point.  By the time we are issued bikes and helmets the mist has stopped and we are ready to ride.  The first up-hill is more than I can peddle I walk the last 100 yards and after that--no problem.  The tour is nine miles.  We ride through the University of Southeast Alaska, Juneau.  We stop at the Chapel by the Lake.  A beautiful log building with a view (behind the pulpit) of the lake.  We ride for a time and stop on a small beach where we have a snack and can see the Mendenhall Glacier across the lake.   We ride around the lake on bike rails and through a forest. One log house, not a cabin by any means, flies a big Nebraska N from it's balcony.  Our guide tells us the rule when riding through the forest is:  Don't let a bear eat the guide."  We get a closer at the glacier and a waterfall.  Then it is back in the van to the Alaskan Brewing company.

The brewing company, a real treat, (not just the beer).  We are handed a small glass of beer and led to where we can see the brewing tanks.  Our guide tells us how to make beer.  He is a great story teller and entertains us with the history of the company.  Everything that comes to Juneau must be brought in by barge or plane.  (There are three large brewing tanks.)  There is no road access to this capital city.  When our glasses are empty we are invited back to the bar for refills and then he continues the story.  He strokes his gray beard as he tells us the rest of the story.  We are invite to have another glass of beer and buy souvenirs.  The bike guide returns us to the dock.  We choose not to ride the Mount Roberts tram due to fog covering the view.  We try to go into the post office but it is locked--then we remember it is Sunday.  The Twisted Fish sounds like an interesting  place to eat but a little pricey so we opt to return to the Amsterdam dining room.  We never did get into the Red Dog Saloon.

10:43pm  All lines gone.