returning to normal routine...

Julie and her favorite spot in kitchen

Today is Wednesday and it will probably be a busy day. We have errands to run and grandson has a Band Performance this evening. He plays the Baritone Sax and IMO is very good.  I'm feeling better, but still not able to put much in my stomach.  That's OK.  It makes up for how much I put there on the cruise.

DH goes to the doctors again this morning for the results of earlier blood tests.  They now want to do a 'capsule endoscopy' on him.  We have a lot of questions as to why this is necessary.  He is supposedly anemic and they are trying to find out why. But we haven't been told 'how anemic' and why he can't just take some iron pills.

Anyway, I haven't gotten back to my cruise photos here, but I will.  My cousin recently told me to check Facebook as my niece had posted an 'old picture of my family'.  She was wondering how old I was in the photo. So I checked in and tried to make a few connections while I was there.  I'm afraid that I don't know my way around Facebook very well.  I created an album of my cruise pictures (some of them) on Timeline, but now I can't seem to edit it to add more. I'm thinking that I might just have to make another Timeline album to add the rest (probably should have just posted them under photos).

from right : Dad, brother, sister,  Mom,  me, brother-in-law holding niece, and nephew in center

I also have to post this picture of a cat we saw at Petsmart. He and his brother were definitely a 'temptation' for adoption. But they were both so good looking that we figured they would be adopted soon... and we do really do have a 'full house'.  His brother looked so much like our Thibbadeaux that we lost last year at 19. He was an orange tabby too, but a much bigger cat. And this one 'wearing his bed on his head' just made us laugh. I think they were named 'Barney and Clyde'.

Clyde

a brief hiatus from travel log...

me in my herb garden years ago (before hair turned white)

Unfortunately yesterday (Sunday) I awoke feeling a bit 'off' (stomach queasy and headachy). Spent most of the day either sleeping or reading and eating crackers and coke. This morning seems 'a little' better... but not quite back.

Thought I'd use this time to post a few non-travel related pics I've taken recently. Our backyard is green again... finally... and I caught this picture of a squirrel in the bird feeder this weekend.

                                                                           






Julie in her hidey-hole...

and my cousin's cat, Kuchi, helping my  friend with her knitting.












and this last one is me the last day of the cruise trying to figure out the attraction of putting in money and pushing a button...

I must be missing something... because I still don't get it.

Skagway, Alaska - 2nd stop

First view as ship was coming into Skagway, Alaska

The streets of Skagway...

Mountain advertisement

Quilt shop we visited...







Skagway was my favorite little town that we visited in Alaska.  Notice the wood planked sidewalks.  It was quaint, quiet and cute.  We would have explored it further but we had an excursion scheduled on the White Pass Route Railway.  This is the one that they had cancelled in the morning due to high winds and excessive snow up the mountain. Any way, this next picture is our ship, The Miracle, by the pier and the train is also there (on the left - but you may not see it unless you make the picture larger - it would be on the far left).

Train crossing trestle...

and into mountain...

Can you see the people hanging out *between the car* taking pictures?

It was really a neat way to see the views of the mountain, the town, etc. - even though it was a little *scary* when they told us that we had to stay up on the mountain for a bit while the work train cleared the tracks behind us due to the problem of "snow fallen on the tracks behind us" after we passed.

We believe it happened just as train went through this last tunnel.

Anyway, this pretty much tells the story of Skagway.  We were very late getting back down the mountain, but we high-tailed it to the Quilt Shop where they were holding our purchases.  They had 'closed', but we knocked on the door and they let us inside.


Next:  Glacial Bay

If it's Thursday, it's Juneau...

Woke up to cold, wind, rain, and rough water...

Felt queasy, bundled up and sat on balcony with the wind in my face... felt better. Love that balcony! Walked around the ship some on my own while friend slept. Noticed that they had placed 'bags' here and there around the ship. Guess others were a bit queasy too.

Good news is that the sea calmed down in a few short hours and all was well again. However, when we did dock in Juneau, we were bundled to the max. Figured "OK, we ARE in ALASKA." First stop was a coffee stand where we downed something hot... to help compensate for the cold and wet.  Checked out a few shops and took pictures.  The snow capped mountains surround the little towns.  And as I've mentioned before, even though Juneau is the capital of Alaska, there are no roads in or out.  Must use plane or boat. The Red Dog Saloon apparently has some notoriety, although I was unfamiliar with it. People were taking pictures of it so we did too. From googling it, we probably should have gone inside... pictures of the inside on google are definitely interesting.

Juneau, Alaska street

If you click on picture and zoom in, the Red Dog Saloon is the red building in the bottom left. We didn't have  a lot of time as we had scheduled an excursion to a Salmon Bake for lunch at 12:30. So we checked out a few shops and then had to be back on the pier to catch the bus to the Salmon Bake.

Grilled fresh Salmon with a brown sugar glaze, clam chowder, salad, cheesy potatoes, seasoned beans and rice, home-made cornbread, and blueberry cake. Guitar player sang while we ate.  Food was good! But it was outside and while covered, it was still cold and wet. We were both glad we went, but agreed it would be much better in the summer. Again, we were the first ship of the season and thus, it was the first Salmon Bake for this year.

Returned to ship tired, wet, cold, and exhausted.  Ordered some coffee and hot chocolate from room service.  Rested until supper at 7 where we sat with two other groups and shared cruising and Juneau experiences. Later we ended up at the coffee bar, then Piano Bar where we listened to 'requests'.

Ended up in room sharing the day's activities with friend's son and his wife.  They had gone 'Salmon Fishing' on their excursion.  It was also cold and wet, but they loved it (didn't catch Salmon, but did catch a Flounder).  They also did a helicopter ride to land on a Glacier... but there was too much snow still around so they couldn't land on the glacier, but did land near it.

Enough of trip for now.  It's Friday and DH had some invasive tests run this morning... (he was anemic last time he had blood work checked). So they are doing some tests to determine what might be causing this.  We had to be up and out by 6:30 this morning and are both tired. So I'm going to close for today.

Thanks for reading.

corrections... Vancouver, and we board ship

First... a correction.  Stanley Park is not in Seattle, but in Vancouver, Canada.  I got our first few days mixed up. We only visited the Needle, Pike's Market, and a friend's house for supper that Friday. We left early Saturday morning to catch the train to Vancouver (beautiful new Amtrack station, lovely train... lots of room, very comfy).

our luggage

This was the amount of luggage we dragged around with us from plane to hotel to train to hotel to ship, etc. And happy to say that none were lost or mislaid along the way...














When we arrived in Vancouver, we went directly to our hotel to settle in, then Stanley Park where we ate at the Fish House and then walked around the park. Lots of Blue Herons nesting in the area.  Weather was wonderful - cool but sunny. Went to the Aquarium and then the Granville Market (very nice market... although I think I liked Pike's Market best). We all wish we had more time to spend in both Seattle and Vancouver.  I would have loved to see some of the islands. But we were grateful for the things we did get to see and do in the little time we had.

Beluga whale show at the Aquarium in Vancouver

Statue of woman on rock in water by Stanley Park, Vancouver

Totem Poles in Park, Vancouver










We went early to the boarding dock for the Cruise Ship, but had to wait a bit due to the fact that the Canadian Coast Guard was doing an inspection since it was the first time this ship (The Miracle) had been in this port this year. Once we were allowed upon the ship, we were told to go to the Lido deck to wait and eat while the rooms were being readied.   The Lido deck restaurant is 'cafeteria style'... with buffet tables everywhere. There is Asian, Italian, Deli, Carving, Salad, Dessert,  Coffee, etc. bars.  The food here was good... but we only ate here the day we arrived and the morning we left...  as the food in the Bacchus Dining Room was so-oo exceptional.

This is our room aboard ship with the birthday decorations for my friend hanging over the bed. They also supply you with a leather blanket to put your luggage on to unpack. You can see the balcony beyond.

This was a better picture of our room in the evening. My journal and book sat ready and waiting...








Due to some minor complications with the Canadian Coast Guard we didn't disembark until 7 or 7:30 pm.  We were never sure exactly what was going on, but eventually we did leave the port of Vancouver and headed out.  We went to supper in the dining room and had both Chocolate lava cake (they called it chocolate melting cake) and creme brule' for dessert that first night.  Later we walked the ship and ended up at the Cafe Espresso bar where we both ordered an Irish Coffee and took it to our room.

Awoke the next morning to beautiful mountains outside our balcony doors...  This was our first 'day at sea' and we used it to check out the ship, listen to a talk on shopping in Juneau, ate lunch in the dining room, had tea at 3, then a nap, and a late supper.  There are shops on board ship, and a casino - among other things... and always something going on. However, we neither shopped nor gambled.  We did check them out and watch others at these activities...

This item is an Alaskan Billiken... good luck charm.  They are made of ivory, or jade, or walrus or antler horn, or the kind I bought... made from  silt from the Mendenhall Glacier.

"Rub his tummy or tickle his toes,

You'll have good luck... so the story goes"

Happy Mother's Day to all...

Me and grand kids awaiting a table in restaurant 

It's about 7:30 am Sunday morning and I'm busy 'catching up' on all the posts over the last 2 weeks that I missed reading while on the cruise. And I'm still trying to get back to normal routine...

But I do want to wish everyone out there a Happy Mother's Day!  We all went out to eat last night at Chuy's (Tex-Mex).  Son took this picture of me and 3 of my 4 grand kids.  My daughter, her husband, and grand daughter live in San Antonio, so we just spoke by phone. But we all had a good time, returning home to carrot cake and ice-cream.  Baby girl has decided that she LIKES ice-cream.

My body is back home, but my mind keeps returning to Alaska... so much natural beauty... such clean air... no traffic. I'd never survive the long cold winters, but it's a great place to spend some time. Do you know that Juneau, the capital of Alaska, has no roads in or out (well, it may have a road that goes about 15 - 20 miles out from the town, but then it just ends).  The only way in or out is by plane or boat. So the crime rate is low... they have 'no place to run'.

Huge handsome Seagull

But I digress...  I will start with Seattle.  I took this photo of huge Seagull in Seattle and could swear that he was posing for me.  He definitely knew he was handsome.

Seafood at the Fish House in Stanley Park, Vancouver

Nesting in tree

For the next two pictures, you really need to click on them and make them large to see how beautiful they are...

Trees are also in Stanley Park, Vancouver

And lastly for today's post of Seattle, here is a picture of  Dungeness Crabs at Pike's Market - huge, sweet, and delicious!

Again... Happy Mother's Day!  And my trip photos will continue another day.  Please bear with me, but I need to share.

Back from Alaska...

Ketchikan,  Alaska

Yes, I'm back!  And it was awesome...  beautiful scenery, clean air, true wilderness!  I loved it.  And yes, it was COLD... and yes, I got a bit SEASICK one morning... but was it worth it? Definitely YES.

I want to gather my thoughts and go through my journal before I begin to write about it. And I have to get my pictures from my friend's son who downloaded my camera 3 times because the card only held about 300 pics. He is going to put them all on a flash drive for me. This one I still had on my last batch which was taken on Sunday in Ketchikan, Alaska... which was our last Alaskan stop.

And yes, my camera worked fine on the trip.  Don't know what was the problem the day before. And my Zoom lens got it's first real workout... on Glacial Bay.

And yes, we took the train in Skagway to White Pass.  Because we were the first cruise ship of the season there was still a lot of snow on the mountains. They cancelled the morning train, but we were scheduled for the 12:45 one which left on schedule.  The views were fantastic. We passed the old gold miners trails, cemeteries, etc.

We did hit one snag... we crossed a tall trestle bridge and entered a snow covered mountain, and eventually got to White Pass (which is a little over the Canadian border). There the train stopped for about 30 mins for people to take photos, etc.  You were allowed to go outside between the railroad cars and take pics, but not get off the train. Well... 30 mins passed, then 45... and we didn't start back down. (You go up and down the same route... the seats reverse).  Finally the Brakeman came into our car and explained that there were "2 places where snow had fallen from the mountain top and covered the tracks behind us (didn't use the word "avalanche" - smart, yes?.

So we had to wait until the work train got those spots cleared. Must have happened right after we passed into the tunnel... because when we did get going again the areas where you could see out your window straight down the mountain now had 6 feet of snow on each side where the work train had cleared it.  Exciting, yes?  So... we were scheduled to be back for 3:30.  Didn't get back down the mountain until almost 5:30 and some of the shops (where my friend had merchandise held) were already closing for the day.  And we had to be back on the ship by 7.  So... it was a bit tight, but we made it. And were even able to watch the "run of shame".... which is what they call the last minute run where people are late getting back.  It's kind of funny, really.  The crew and the passengers aboard stand on the deck or on their balconies and heckle the late runners... shouting, "Come on... the ship is waiting on you!"  But it's all done in fun.

And even though it was a bit scary, it was an adventure. People on board our car were kidding around by saying, "Ok, I have 2 candy bars...." or "only one bottle of water per person... we have to ration" (there was a box of bottled water in the car for the passengers). One person even said, "OMG, Carnival has done it again.  I can see the headlines Carnival passengers caught in avalanche on White Pass Route."

All in all, it was a wonderful trip and over the next week or so, I will try to post more pictures... and catch up on reading everyone's blogs from the last 2 weeks!

Our train going into the mountain right before "snow fell to cover the tracks"...

Had to make this picture large so you could see the train.