Jul 23, 2010
Family Fun
Wow! It has been a busy but great July so far. We finished the Alaskan cruise on Monday the 12th and Tuesday morning Melanie came with her kids for a visit. The house was an exciting place for Andrew to explore and Jenny entertained us with her stories of imagination. It was so nice to have them stay with us a while. The boys, their wives, and kids all came to visit a few times which made the days together even more special. I love watching my kids and grandkids have fun together. Between swimming in the back yard, swimming lessons, a wedding, visiting, pool day, and an outing to the beach - it was a busy nine days! I did take advantage of the situation by taking a picture of all the grandkids together at the beach. It's not too often they are all together and awake! Fun times!!! Now the house is very quiet..... too quiet.
Jul 7, 2010
Leaving Kodiak and Homer Behind
We are pulling out of the port of Kodiak, Alaska. It is rainy and foggy which is supposed to be typical weather here. This morning we went on a marine wildlife tour where we saw some whales, sea otters, and such. It was interesting to hear about the history of Kodiak. We didn't realize there was a fort here during World War II of over 35,000 soldiers and that the Japanese actually sent a scout team to Kodiak looking to invade. Very interesting stuff.
Yesterday we were in Homer Alaska, which has to be the all-time prettiest place I have ever visited. The weather was gorgeous. We rented a couple of cars and toured the countryside, stopping at many grand vistas. Of all the places I've been in Alaska on four trips, Homer is my favorite.
Monday we were in Anchorage for the day. We took a road trip down the coast and saw the mud flats and a wild-life refuge center. We saw two grizzly bears and some gorgeous elk, moose and caribou. I also saw a baby muskox which was only 5 weeks old. Anchorage is probably a bit too busy for my taste. There is only one major road in Alaska, but we managed to get stop and go traffic on our trek down the coast. Our guide was a very interesting man who knew a lot about the area. We had a nice time.
We will be at sea now for a couple of days. We are hoping for calmer seas than we had since my last posting. We have a sea day, a glacier day, and 2 ports of call remaining. I'm off to sit in the spa on the Lido deck. Pictures will be posted when we get home.
Yesterday we were in Homer Alaska, which has to be the all-time prettiest place I have ever visited. The weather was gorgeous. We rented a couple of cars and toured the countryside, stopping at many grand vistas. Of all the places I've been in Alaska on four trips, Homer is my favorite.
Monday we were in Anchorage for the day. We took a road trip down the coast and saw the mud flats and a wild-life refuge center. We saw two grizzly bears and some gorgeous elk, moose and caribou. I also saw a baby muskox which was only 5 weeks old. Anchorage is probably a bit too busy for my taste. There is only one major road in Alaska, but we managed to get stop and go traffic on our trek down the coast. Our guide was a very interesting man who knew a lot about the area. We had a nice time.
We will be at sea now for a couple of days. We are hoping for calmer seas than we had since my last posting. We have a sea day, a glacier day, and 2 ports of call remaining. I'm off to sit in the spa on the Lido deck. Pictures will be posted when we get home.
Jul 3, 2010
Seeing the Sights
We are sitting here in bed, gazing out of the wall of windows at the beautiful Glacier Bay, drinking a cup of coffee. Today we stay on board ship because we have a day of touring some of the glaciers. The ship will be silent and from past experiences, we know ahead of time the day will be awe inspiring.
Thursday we were in Sitka, where we had an experience of a lifetime. We took a motorized ocean raft, that only seated 6, and headed 15 miles out into the Baranof Bay, destination a dormant volcano. We suddenly pulled up, the guide stopped the engines, and we watched as two humpback whales blew, and then came to the surface not more than 100 yards in front of us. Wow! We watched them a while, then continued on into a sea otter colony. What darling creatures! We entered a volcanic sea cave where there were colors of rock and sea that were mesmerizing. On the way back, we again came upon the humpbacks and this time one of them, jumped out of the water right in front of us, seeming to wave as he went back down. Unbelievable.
Yesterday, we were in Skagway, where we attended a historical drama about the local villain. Very interesting and cute. The production included some audience participation and Joni was chosen to join the girls in the can-can line. She was a-kickin' with the best of them.
Lots of fun. Again, pictures and more updates will follow.
Thursday we were in Sitka, where we had an experience of a lifetime. We took a motorized ocean raft, that only seated 6, and headed 15 miles out into the Baranof Bay, destination a dormant volcano. We suddenly pulled up, the guide stopped the engines, and we watched as two humpback whales blew, and then came to the surface not more than 100 yards in front of us. Wow! We watched them a while, then continued on into a sea otter colony. What darling creatures! We entered a volcanic sea cave where there were colors of rock and sea that were mesmerizing. On the way back, we again came upon the humpbacks and this time one of them, jumped out of the water right in front of us, seeming to wave as he went back down. Unbelievable.
Yesterday, we were in Skagway, where we attended a historical drama about the local villain. Very interesting and cute. The production included some audience participation and Joni was chosen to join the girls in the can-can line. She was a-kickin' with the best of them.
Lots of fun. Again, pictures and more updates will follow.
Jul 1, 2010
First Couple of Days
We set sail on Monday afternoon, heading for the beautiful state of Alaska. We left home at seven in the morning, flew to Seattle and were on the Lido deck of the ship eating lunch by 1 o'clock. Everything went smooth.
We are having a great time enjoying the scenery, visiting, playing a variety of games, and of course eating. Yesterday we docked in Ketchikan and we went on two very interesting tours. We first went on the Duck Tour which was full of Local Color and we came away with quite a few facts about the area and the culture. We were thrilled to see Eagles. Then we went on the Bering Sea Crab Expedition where we were on a ship used in "The Deadliest Catch" TV show. I got my picture taken with a giant King Crab which came out of the pots which I will post when we get home. They demonstrated many different styles of fishing for the various species. It was truly wonderful. I kept thinking about how much Steve would enjoy this expedition! On both tours we saw hundreds of Eagles, some as close as ten feet from us. What a spectacular site!
Each time I've been in Alaska, I've been struck by the beauty and grandeur that only a powerful God could create. More updates later!
We are having a great time enjoying the scenery, visiting, playing a variety of games, and of course eating. Yesterday we docked in Ketchikan and we went on two very interesting tours. We first went on the Duck Tour which was full of Local Color and we came away with quite a few facts about the area and the culture. We were thrilled to see Eagles. Then we went on the Bering Sea Crab Expedition where we were on a ship used in "The Deadliest Catch" TV show. I got my picture taken with a giant King Crab which came out of the pots which I will post when we get home. They demonstrated many different styles of fishing for the various species. It was truly wonderful. I kept thinking about how much Steve would enjoy this expedition! On both tours we saw hundreds of Eagles, some as close as ten feet from us. What a spectacular site!
Each time I've been in Alaska, I've been struck by the beauty and grandeur that only a powerful God could create. More updates later!
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