Alaska This 'N That

 

 

 

 

Ethan was not thrilled with the river running outfit.
Haylee and Ethan learned to be pirates at kids camp.
A great eagle picture taken by Kent.

Towel Zoo

 

 

 

 

Every night our steward would fold fresh towels into some type of critter and I would get Kent to take a picture. They had a ship activity where they taught you how to fold these, but I missed it. My amateur towel creations are a lot like the clouds: the fun is in imagining what you see.

Alaska - Final Installment

 

 

 

 

We docked in Whittier early Wednesday morning and traveled a couple of hours up to Anchorage. Lunch was at the famed Moose's Tooth pizza place, afterwhich we saw the biggest chocolate fountain in the world. Later, Kent, Gina, and Jon scouted out the city while Amber and Chris went to see the new Batman offering. The next day's trip to the Imaginarium, a hands on science center of sorts, we found that (as we had long suspected) Jon and Gina exist inside a bubble. A long but uneventful flight returned us to LA just before midnight. Alaska is a sweet memory.

Alaska - Installment Five

Tuesday was another sailing day with lots of food (notice a subtle "fleshing out") and beautiful scenery. Our waiters were lots of fun and we gave them rave reviews on our comment cards.

Alaska - Installment Four

 

 

 

 

Sunday we stopped in Skagway, our favorite, but unfortunately I didn't get any pictures and must again refer you to the infamous Jonina blog (by the way, Gina NEVER gets on my nerves). Monday we docked in Sitka, which was the capital of Alaska from 1867, when the US purchased Alaska from Russia, until 1906 when the capital was moved to Juneau. A pretty little town with a lot of history. Note - in the totem pole picture, everyone was assuming the totem pole stance; Chris found a HUGE slug; and Alaskan Amber is the ale of choice which is golden in color and has just a hint of bitterness. Ha! (I didn't make that up; we read it on a menu).

Alaska - the Third Installment

 

 

 

 

Saturday was our day in Juneau, the capital of Alaska. Four of us Shot the Mendenhall (which in layman terms means we floated the river coming out of the Mendenhall glacier). We braved some class four rapids and, in calmer water, Ethan and Haylee both got to help row. The rest of our group were relegated to the comparatively tame excursion of taking a helicopter into the glacier to do a little hiking - ho hum stuff but it kept them busy. See all about that on Jonina's blog, which has beautiful grid-framed pictures that enlarge when you click on them, delightful witty dialog, and the entire vacation organized into one entry - sometimes Gina gets on my nerves.

Alaska - the Second Installment 2b

 

 

 

 

The zip line was 130 feet above the ground and consisted of 7 stations. Our team got the gold (I know they look like bronze but I am sure they are gold) and had a great time in the process (despite Chris's expression). The nature walk was one of Haylee's favorite events. We saw bald eagles, a mama bear and cub, salmon, a great horned owl, and reindeer. We were continually warned of the bear danger and briefed on protocol if one was sighted. Our guide carried a flare in case we met an aggressive critter. It was all a little unnerving. When we saw the mother bear and cub, the guide immediately hurried back to the next group to warn them. As we walked the trail, we could hear overhead the hoops and hollers of zip line participants. We were told that it was one of several lines in the vicinity. The yells sounded somewhat Jonathanian, and, sure enough, we met our group at the trail's end general store. After hot chocolate and cookies, we all headed back to the boat for the real adventure - Dinner!!!

Alaska - Installment 2a

 

 

 

 

Friday we arrived at the town Ketchikan. Is was a beautiful little place that had shops restored to look like "gold rush" days. The Thompson's went to a Lumberjack show while Jon, Gina, Kent, and I wandered and shopped. Jonathan bought me an 'Alaska' fleece blanket and Haylee bought an Alaskan doll. The salmon were running and we saw a harbor seal fishing in the beautiful river. After lunch at Subway (we are, after all, still in America), Amber and I took the kids and did a wildlife excursion while the more adventurous of our group headed for the zip line.

Alaska - the First Installment

 

 

 

 

These are pictures of the beginning of our trip. You can tell because the kids are with us at dinner and we all still look relatively thin (some even braved the hot tub). You will notice a certain fullness about the cheeks (and not just on the face), and an absence of youthful faces at dinner (Carnival has an outstanding kids camp which became progressivly indispensible) as our adventure continues. After launching on Wednesday, we spent Thursday sailing towards Ketchikan. The swells Thursday morning were substantial, as was Amber's discomfort, but they soon passed. We spent time in Amber and Chris's "room with the view" watching for bald eagles and enjoying the breathtaking shoreline.

New Digs

 

 

 

After a little experimentation with Picassa, I learned that it will load four pictures max for blogging, and because I never get the actual picture (just text) I am never sure what I have. These next four blogs show pictures of our new house, unfortunately starting with my closet and master bathroom. Hang in there with me - someday I will master this silly program.

New Digs