I Can't believe I said that!

Now that is shameful

2011-07-29T20:45:00.003-06:00

I can't believe I have not blogged for 2 years, I am sure I must have had something to say in that time. Well...maybe not :)
I am getting claustrophobic around here. Kelly planted corn on most of the farm. There is 8 ft tall corn on 2 sides of the house, it's like living in a jungle. Found sugar ants in the sugar today, maybe that's why those little devils are called sugar ants? It's not a big problem, we only keep sugar around to feed the hummingbirds.

Freedom Fries for four

2009-09-22T13:35:00.002-06:00

Too bad I have to watch my carbs. Jerry has a whole pile of taters just like this one. It's nice to be close to the source :)

First day of fall and I just pulled the a/c units out of the windows and stored them in the shop. I am tired of the hot weather, but don't really look forward to the cold. Why can't autumn last about 8 months?

Sorry, I don't do Windows

2009-09-22T09:44:00.005-06:00

While we were in Redmond Sunday, I couldn't resist a photo opportunity with my Linux netbook.
Charlotte, who uses Linux Mint, wanted her picture too. I will say, Microsoft has a beautiful and large campus. They are living well off their monopoly practices.

Honey, I'm home!

2009-09-21T10:43:00.002-06:00

I guess I am like an old work horse. I get my nose pointed toward the barn and nothing better get in my way. We were 11 hrs on the road coming home. We hit road construction on I-90 that accounts for an hour of that and made more coffee stops than I normally would have. I didn't feel great and the time in the coffee shops helped keep me going. I loved the trip, but there is truely "no place like home".
I need to dig thru the video I shot and see if there are any clips that might be interesting enough to post on the blog. Check back in the coming days and see if I found anything.

Headed Home

2009-09-20T16:59:00.004-06:00

We are stopped at a Denny's in Pendleton. We decided it's time to go home. A person can only stand so much fun. I got spoiled by ship's food, only the prawns I had at the Coho Cafe last night was comparable. The Burger King where we had lunch and the fare here at Denny's is just not up to my new standards :)
I am not feeling great and I don't think I'll make all the way home tonight. Maybe a stop in La Grande?

More pictures

2009-09-19T23:57:00.001-06:00

Mt.Roberts

Hubbard Glacier

Ketchikan

Back to Seattle

2009-09-19T15:17:00.001-06:00

I liked Ketchikan and Sitka both better than Juneau. I wish we would have had more time for Ketchikan, we really cut it close getting back onboard. We were having fish and chips at Salmon Landing and ate them entirely too fast to really savor the quality, dang good even on a tight schedule. The "duck" ride was different, an hour and a half of sightseeing with a comedy duo. We did get to see a lot of the city and harbor as well as local history.
Lots of rough seas getting to Victoria and we got there late. They had canceled our excursion there and we could see the town was quite a ways from the pier, so we just stayed aboard and enjoyed the ship not moving.
We found rain and heavy overcast when we reached Seattle. When we reached our car it got worse, it had been broken into. nothing to steal was in it, but a $188 passenger window was smashed to for them to find that out. Bummer! We have spent the morning getting a side window installed. We are at a nice motel in Redmond waiting to go out to dinner with friends. We have lots of internet here, Ya!

Just sailin' along

2009-09-17T11:30:00.002-06:00

This morning we are docked in Ketchikan. It's a pretty little village hanging off the side of an island. Yesterday was Sitka and rain, but no worse than I expected for the whole trip and hadn't gotten so far. We wondered around the town, used the free internet at the library, sampled street vender seafood, sightseeing and a very little bit of shopping. Last night was lobster night in the main dinning room, it's not too bad for a big bug :)
We won't be port in Ketchikan but for about 5 hours, so it I want to get this sent, I need to go find the library and get back in time for our "Duck" tour. Don't look at me like that, I didn't book the excursions...rofl

Sitka

2009-09-16T13:17:00.003-06:00

Tue 15 Sep 2009 01:14:32 PM MDT

Monday was spent in port at Juneau, I was sick and didn't have much fun. I am feeling much better today. That was a short cold and I hope I've seen the last of it. We are sailing of the coast with beautiful mtns to starboard. Every mtn we come to is more impressive than the last. Hubbard Glacier is next, you may have to wait for pictures. The internet options have not been great for getting pictures out, even the free internet was so slow that I gave up and just settled for text.

Wed 16 Sep 2009 10:19:27 AM MDT

Hubbard Glacier was amazing and we are told that this was the only day that any cruise has had clear skys to look at it. I have taken lots of pictures, pictures of about everything. There are so many pictures that anybody waiting to see them is going to have to wait until we get home to good internet.
We are now sitting in Sitka Harbor. The harbor is small and it was like someone trying to put on a wet swimsuit getting the ship where they wanted to drop anchor. Twist and turn, backing up and twist and turn somemore. Trying to retrace just how we got anchored, I know we have turned around completely 1 and a half times and are now pointed out of the harbor, I hope they remember how they cork screwed us in here and can undo it when it comes time to leave.

Juno and Hubbard Glacier

Not going to do that again

2009-09-14T14:23:00.002-06:00

The last post to this blog was a bust. It went fairly well on the ships sat internet, but I checked the charges when I finished and it cost me $17. I don't think I'll be doing that again. Juneau has a public library with a free hot spot. I will post this from there :)
We are already seeing dolphins, should be into whale waters in the morning. That always gets some excitement going.
We have been going to the formal dinning room for dinner, it's not as much fun this time. They have us seated at a small table all by our lonesome. The formal dinning was a major social event on the last cruise. It was the place we met folks and got to know people. Charlotte and I already know each other and spend nearly every night at home talking to each other. I am not going to bother dressing for dinner, we can eat just as well in the less formal Lido Buffet. Without the social aspect of a table with new friends, I'll settle for meeting and chatting with folks in the smoking areas, they are regulars and about the only people we see more than once.
Charlotte seems to have recovered from her motion sickness, but is sleeping a lot. That is a terrible waste of cruise time. And me? I have got the cold Charlotte had last week, this is not how I had hoped the cruise would go!

The ups and downs of cruising

2009-09-13T21:46:00.004-06:00

Rough water, weak stomach. Charlotte got sea sick, not a fun time. I didn't have that problem, instead I had 2 breakfasts and a light lunch of 4 slices of pizza :) The food is excellent, as expected. Late night we went to the formal dinning room and had prime rib, fantastic! They actually know what rare is.
Boarding yesterday was a breeze, fast very little waiting and not crowded. The new terminal seems to have their act together, after what has been reported earlier in the cruise season as chaotic. This is a smaller ship than our last cruise and has only 1300 passengers. No place seams crowded, lots of areas you can have enough space and quiet to nap in a deck chair.
I am going to try to send pictures with this, the IT people assure me that their sat internet is working well. We will see!

Leave the driving to somebody else.

2009-09-11T23:06:00.003-06:00

It is always nice to be a passenger in a strange city. I-90 going into Seattle is just plain crazy. 70 mph bumper to bumper is not much fun, when you are not exactly sure where you are going. A Gps helps, but it is more of a backup to get yourself unlost after you get close to where you are going. I look forward to a week of letting the captain drive and I can play and sleep and not worry about getting lost and always awaking in a new place, ready for more play and sleep :)

Sight seeing

2009-09-11T22:06:00.001-06:00

Jacki and Mark picked us up for sightseeing and a nice fish dinner.

Greetings from Seattle

2009-09-11T17:13:00.003-06:00

Made good time on the drive, 9 hrs including rest stops, gas stop and breakfast and lunch. All settled into our Hotel and waiting for friends to pick us up for dinner.

Ready to go, and how!

2009-09-10T21:50:00.002-06:00

It got hot here again today, I look forward to cool rainy weather that Juneau Alaska is having. It's a lot easier to dress to stay warm, than to suffer in shorts and t-shirt when it is too hot.
I have been packed and ready to go for the last 10 hrs. I even got a nice nap this afternoon before I got hot and woke up. As soon as I finish this last cup of coffee, I'm headed for bed. I plan to be on the road by 5:30. We won't even talk about God's sense of humor with people who make plans :) I'll check in from Seattle tomorrow night.

Down to hours now

2009-09-10T11:06:00.002-06:00

There are probably a hundred things I should be doing today and I can't get in gear. I guess anything that needs doing will still be here when I get back. I have already packed in my mind, now I'll go see if it will all fit in my bags. I may get a chance to blog a bit tonight, if not, I'll start adding pictures as we travel.

Where is the sea sick pills?

2009-09-09T10:07:00.002-06:00

We got our cabin assignment today, right in the bow of the ship. I have been watching the weather in the Alaska waters and it looks like storms and high winds(30-50 kts). A bow or stern cabin is not going to be a fun place when the seas are rough. A deck chair amidship is going to see a lot of me lol

Two more mornings on the patio

2009-09-08T17:16:00.001-06:00

It was cold here this morning, 41F. My quiet time was interrupted by my teeth chattering. Made it to mid 70's this afternoon, but I am thinking the cruise was booked 2 weeks late. It would have been nice to miss some of the 90 deg weather we have had in the resent weeks.
I miss my furry opponent, I was just starting to enjoy the game when he committed suicide. I have to be content with lawn work to pass the time waiting for Friday. I mowed everything this morning, I am watering this afternoon. No ditch water, so I am having to use well water, but with third cutting hay down, there won't be any irrigation water until next week. I won't be here next week to use it and the lawn sure is dry right now.

Persistance pays off

2009-09-06T18:47:00.001-06:00

It's almost a let down that it's over. I was starting to enjoy the challenge. Round 5 five and game goes to me.

Round 4

2009-09-06T12:23:00.001-06:00

Round 4 and the gopher is still winning. I can play as long as he wants, I only have to win one and a lose for him is permanent. I may not be smarter than this particular gogher, but I am persistant. He will make a mistake soon.

*&^%%$$#$%%

2009-09-05T12:56:00.001-06:00

Just when you think you have all your duck in order, a new problem shows up out of the blue. Water does not belong on the shop floor. There is no sink or faucets in that corner, but there is the computerized well pump controler and the main manifold to distribute the well water. All of the plumbing is in an insulated cabinet to keep it from freezing in the normally unheated shop.
It could have been worse, it could have been some of the specialized componants for the system that would require a long wait to ship in the parts. A simple 1" short nipple had developed a pin hole. A part that, on inspection, was defective when it was installed. A part that costs less than a dollar and I suspect the pump installer saved a bundle on a whole case of parts just like it. Now I have lost confidence in my plumbing and will worry about there being other cheap fittings in the system.
I think I would rather worry about gophers.

And the third round goes to Mr. Gopher

2009-09-05T11:32:00.002-06:00

Trap smart gopher! I have them occasionaly, thankfully not that often. If this keeps up, I am going to have to do a "Caddy Shack" on him. Now, where did I leave that hose for my propane tank?
We should be aboard the MS Amsterdam at this time next Saturday. It will be nice not having a gopher mound in sight.

Back from the big city

2009-09-04T17:19:00.002-06:00

Nice trip to the big city today (Nampa population 71700). They have the flu running wild through the school system there, so first purchase was waterless hand sanitiser. Some of those shopping carts are just plain nasty.
I found my source for Vegemite, the World Market. It's right near Cosco, so not out of the way at all. I sure hope they don't have to pay the same prices in Australia, I doubt it could become as popular there if they did :)

Now I am getting nervous

2009-09-04T09:17:00.002-06:00

About this time next week we should be someplace on the interstate headed to Seattle. I can't wait to get going, but dread the long drive and the Seattle traffic when we get there. I don't think we can get left early enough to miss Friday afternoon rush hour. How the times do change, 35 years ago I would have just bailed into Metro traffic with 40tons of tractor-trailer, headed for the docks and not given it a second thought. I guess part of it is that it is hard to bluff your way thru traffic in a compact car ROFL

Gopher

2009-09-03T12:31:00.002-06:00

I am chasing a wily gopher today. He is working both sides of my driveway. I only had one trap with me yesterday and I ended up digging into a double tunnel. If you have two choices, the first one will always be wrong ROFL We'll see if he is in the remaining choice today.

9 Days and counting

2009-09-02T08:43:00.003-06:00

The closer it gets to the cruise, the easier it is to count the days. I don't even have to take my shoes off to count the days now :)

This morning is nice and cool on the patio. Just had a Vegemite on buttered toast and awoke my taste buds. My mate, Peter, from Australia sent me a jar of Vegemite. It is like the national snack food there or something. If you have never tried it, you would be surprised by the taste. It is almost odorless, but has a bite to it that is impossible to describe. The bad part of it is, I like it and it is not available here except online. The jar's contents are going fast and I am going to have to order more soon. Thanks Peter, just what I needed, another food addiction... ROFL

Lazy morning

2009-09-01T08:20:00.003-06:00

Just sitting on the patio eating my Cheerios, drinking my coffee, watching the goldfish, listening to a podcast and surfing the net this morning. Life is good! Ooops...quiet time is over, 2 yr old grand-daughter is here...lol

Pictures

2009-08-31T08:12:00.000-06:00

Here is the slide show of the woodcutting adventure.

It's nice to go places and nicer to come home

2009-08-30T15:39:00.005-06:00

The load of wood measured out at 3.75 cord. At 1 and a quarter ton per cord, that's a decent load. The boys had the woodcutting out of the way early Saturday afternoon and off on 4 wheelers they went. That part of Oregon is different than most of the state, A drive through that forest and all you see is trees, the vistas are few and far between. Can't see the forest for the trees? lol
A hot shower and a nap sound real good right now.

Off to the woods we go

2009-08-28T10:43:00.002-06:00

I have to find something better than bread crumbs to mark the trail, we have all heard of Hanzel and Grettle's misadventure, a GPS should do the trick...lol
Going camping with my sons is an adventure in packing, they tend to take enough for a month's stay, just for a weekend. I travel a bit lighter, We moved to Denver in a Carman Gia in 1967, so I am good at packing. My camp kit fits in a standard storage box, stove and camp tools included. A bed roll, tent and a cooler completes all I need to go camping. The boys take a field kitchen that would service a company, maybe a division. Actually the pioneers left Independance Mo with less than the modern camper needs for a weekend.
The excuse for the trip is woodcutting and there will be 3 cords wood come back from the hills, but I think the trip would happen just for the camping if nobody had a wood stove at home.
I will check back in when we return, if i survive.

Darwin Awards

2009-08-26T11:26:00.004-06:00

I got to thinking about the Darwin Awards while I was pruning the walnut tree that had grown into the powerlines. Being 12 ft up an aluminum ladder with a metal framed bow saw clamped to a 10 ft steel tubing, trimming limbs away from a powerline had a lot to do with where my thoughts traveled. The list of things that could have gone terribly wrong would fill a book.
Since I am here to tell the story, it is obvious that I failed in my bid for the questionable honor of a Darwin Award. Maybe I can try again next year.

anniversary day #42

2009-08-25T12:01:00.003-06:00

Here I sit, low and down hearted, I came to blog and can't even get started.

Thinking back to where I was 42 years ago, I have come to a few conclusions about life and marriage. Marry young, before you are set in your ways. Move your new spouse a thousand miles from family and friends. Start your new life with a minimum of outside influences. You will quickly learn to support and comfort each other. The "me and I" will quickly become "we and us". The rocky spots become challenges rather than obstacles and meeting those challenges together, cements a bond that is unbreakable. This may not work for everyone, but it has served us well for 42 years.

Looking forward, backward, anywhere but here

2009-08-24T13:19:00.001-06:00

I just got to thinking, 2 years ago we were off the coast of Canada on the Vision of the Seas. That reminds me that tomorrow is our 42nd anniversary. I am so ready to be cruising again. I hope when we do get to it, that it is as good as I remember. 18 days and counting!

I hate suspense

2009-08-23T14:20:00.001-06:00

19 Days, but who's counting. My paranoia is expecting a major plan changing catastrophe any day now. I do get a bit of comfort knowing that the things, one worries about the most, almost never happen...lol

Internet plans

2009-08-21T11:05:00.003-06:00

The last time we went cruising, I bought some expensive shipboard internet package that turned out to be a real dog. The satellite link just doesn't work very well and was barely adequate for simple email w/o pictures. I don't plan to even mess with it this time. A little research shows many of the ports have public library wifi hotspots and those ports that don't feature this, have cyber cafes with paid access that is cost effective. The cyber cafes are a chain that you can buy a card with time and use it in any of their locations and the locations are adjacent to the cruise piers. It has to be better internet than last time, when I had to fall back to email only and didn't update the blog until we got to my son's place in Eastern Washington. Nobody got any pictures until after the cruise was all over. I hope to be able to blog at the least every other day and upload my pictures to Picasa for those who want to see them.

When you're hot you're hot

2009-08-21T10:28:00.001-06:00

The temperature has been bouncing off the century mark this week. I have been checking Juneau and the 60F temps makes me in a hurry to get this show on the road. The snow will probably be flying up there in 3 weeks and right now I could use the 60 degrees.

Charlotte in the cloud

2009-08-20T10:45:00.001-06:00

Charlotte was wanting to write in my blog again this time. After the confusion of of both of us posting in the same blog last time, I told her to go make her own blog and she did! She has been using Facebook and email and is figuring this cloud computing thing out. This morning, she informed me that she created her own blog, but she had lost it and didn't know how to get back to it roflol. A quick search of her history and it is found and now bookmarked. I am following her and now she says I look like a stalker in my profile. There is just no pleasing some people.

Counting down the days

2009-08-20T02:21:00.003-06:00

Count down to the road trip for the cruise is 3 weeks and a day. It has got me thinking about packing. I should do a bit of planning here.
We took everything but the kitchen sink last time and needed very little of it. We are not going to do that again. It is a fine line of not taking too much and finding you wished you had brought something that would really make the trip more pleasant. I can't talk Charlotte into camping along the way this time, so leaving the camp gear home makes more room in the car. I don't think I can force myself to leave it all, I like to make my own coffee in some of the nicer rest stops. A half hour of making and drinking coffee is a good driving break. I always make better coffee than you can buy when traveling and we are pretty spoiled when it comes to coffee.
Electronic gizmos will be limited to netbook, USB GPS and audio player. They can easily share space in the backpack I am going to use for my carry on. I am not even going to be carrying a book, maybe a couple of ebooks on the computer, but there is too much going on on the ship to need much reading material. I can always use the ship's library in a pinch. I find myself "listening" to a lot of audio books lately, I can read with my eyes closed that way :)
I sure didn't need the amount of clothing I took last time. It didn't help that they lost my luggage for long enough that I duplicated much of it in Juneau before they found my bag. About half of what I started with last time should do it. I can makeup any additional needs along the way with souvenir t-shirts. I know how to pack a carry-on now that I can survive the whole trip if the main bag gets lost again.

It's a computerized world

2009-08-18T12:40:00.001-06:00

When we cruised last time, I took a Windows laptop with us. I was using Linux on my desktop computer, but had kept the laptop on Windows to use Delorme Street Atlas and GPS. My GPS died on that trip and with it my only use for Windows. Street Atlas ran fine on the Linux in Wine, but I was never able to resolve the USB to RS232 adaptor that the old Tripmate GPS needed. I put Linux on the laptop when we got home and have been quite happy with it ever since.
This time around I have a nice small Meso netbook running Ubuntu Netbook Remix, a new LT-40 Earthmate GPS and an open source navigation program called RoadNav. I do love using a computer that has never seen Windows and I have not had to pay the "Windows Tax" that is included in the price of new computers that come with Windows installed. Mr Bill Gates is rich enough, he does not need any of my money. The money is not the only reason to switch to Linux, it is just a nice side benefit.
In the last several years I have become an advocate for all forms of free and open source software. The FLOSS (Free Libra Open Source Software) development model advances the computer development in ways that that closed source model can never match. Ok...no more soapbox, at least for now :) I'll tell you later about the Microsoft work shops, that I see on the on the ship's activity itinerary. Those poor instructors are going to wince every time they see me...ROFLOL

Cruising 2009

2009-08-17T16:34:00.002-06:00

Here it is 2 years later and I haven't touched this blog in that time. Charlotte has another cruise booked, so I better catch up.
Lots has happened in the two years. Charlotte has retired (if you can call day care of two and sometimes three grandchildren retired). We remodeled the master bedroom and bath last year, no money for a cruise also. This year we did the floor in the small bedroom/computer room. It was a wonderful idea to pull out the 30 year old carpet and make use of the nice pine flooring underneath it. I hate carpet, area rugs are so much easier to keep clean, just roll them up and haul them off to clean and you get to mop the floor under them to spic and span.
Here's the plan so far. Drive to Seattle on Sept 11 and take the Amsterdam cruising to Alaska on the 12th.

Saturday

2007-09-04T19:15:00.000-06:00

Now the party is just beginning!

The Party is Over

2007-09-04T19:00:00.000-06:00

Friday morning,

Our wake up call was 5:30, we had been up late repacking our suitcases. We chose to carry them off ourselves so tried to get everything we could in less bags. We put our carryons a in our big suitcases, Wayne tied his 2 big ones together and called it a set of joints.

We ate breakfast with a gorgeous view of Seattle at sunrise as we came in. We then stood in line to disembark. I was almost weepy.

They told us to have our passports and our declarations of what we bought for customs. We had everything ready to be x-rayed and to be frisked. They sent us down the gangplank, Wayne's luggage and trailer bouncing along, we were zipped out the door, didn't even check our passport.

You know we could have smuggled explosives, drugs, they didn't even check. I saw drug agents with sniffing dogs but they were sitting on the other end of the dock gazing into space.

We got our car from the parking garage and breezed right out of Seattle. I should say climbed out, have you ever seen the hills in Seattle? I would say they are as steep as San Francisco.

We are now on our way to Aaron and Jeana's in Pullman.

P.S. Before I forget, I have to tell on Wayne, two different times he went out with tags still on his clothes. Once with a button in a bag under the sleeve at dinner, and out on deck with the size tape down the back of his leg. When you see him, call him Minnie Pearl!

Thursday

2007-09-04T18:40:00.000-06:00

Thursday Morning;

There is nothing like a fog horn. It makes you think of old Boggy movies. We entered the inland passage about 7:00am pdt. There is fog off and on, but when it lifts, the sceanery is outstanding. This is the last full day of our cruise. We are torn between having to leave the ship and going home to see our new granddaughter. Our homeward plans are to spend Friday night in Pullman at Aaron and Jeana's. We should be home about mid-afternoon on Saterday.

It is sure going to take some readjustment to get back to the real world. This being pampered and waited on hand and foot is something that we could both become accustomed. Charlotte has informed me that she expects me to dress for dinner, serve it with flair and sing to her in atleast 10 different languages while she reads her menu. I think the most she can expect is BBQed meatloaf and green salad. When we get our Sea Pass bill, she will be lucky if we are not eating dog food for a couple of paychecks...ha,ha

We are sitting in the solarium, this morning, after our hot tub and a dip in the salt water pool. Charlotte is reading her trashy romance paperback and I am just sitting here watching the fishing boats and forests moving past the big glass walls. Life sure is swell! I hope the folks at home will still be talking to us when we get there...ha..ha

Thursday night,

Well, we lazed around this afternoon and watched the sea a lot. They had ice sculpting shows and sexy leg contest for guys and the parade of flags for the crew this afternoon. Wayne should have entered the contest but now that he has clothes he hasn't been wearing his shorts.

This is our last day, we have to be ready to get off at 7:45 in the morning. That is because we chose to carry our own luggage and walk off. Wayne says no second chance to lose our luggage again.

It was bitter sweet at dinner tonight having such a good time, and yet having to tell our new friends goodbye. The waiters and cabin steward were so good and so nice, it was like they were our friends too. We had towel animals on our bed every night when he turned the bed down for the night. Most of the help are from foreign countries and send their money home to their families.

I have spent. a fortune on pictures and when I get them to the room, they still looks like Charlotte doesn't photograph well.

for those of you waiting for pictures, we should get some out tomorrow when we get to Aaron's. We put on our comment sheet what we thought about their internet, especially at 50c a minute.

Sad at leaving, anxious to see baby.

Wednesday

2007-09-04T18:27:00.000-06:00

Wednesday morning,

This morning we docked in Prince Rupert. It is raining hard and foggy. But it's OK this is what we expected and it's not that cold. We will probably go ashore pretty soon. We had a front row seat in the Windjammer Dinning room when we came into port and tied up.

This morning at breakfast we saw 4 deer across in the city park. The views from the dining areas are spectacular. I saw the docks with large crates of crab everywhere, and they were unloading a boat with 100's of Salmon so large it took 2 to lift them from there container.

I will add more later, we are going to check our e-mail and see if I have any more info on my new baby granddaughter. If any of you, (Marilyn, Carol, ect.) have the chance give her a kiss.

Wednesday evening,

We went into Prince Rupert, Canada today. It was really rainy, but cleared up and turned out to be a nice day.

Not much to see if you weren't going on a high priced excursion to see whales or fish or have a native salmon bake.

We looked around a little, I found a pair of native made earrings made of copper that looked like a totem poles, then we got our passports stamped so we could say we left the country.

We then came back to the ship and had a wonderful lunch Wayne took a long nap and I read a book.

Tonight was formal night, so Wayne got to wear his new suit, we got our picture taken again, and this was lobster night at dinner. There is a midnight buffet tonight, but I don't think I'll make it.

Tomorrow is our last full day, I'm sad, but anxious to see little Kayci Joann.

Tuesday

2007-09-03T11:55:00.000-06:00

Tuesday morning:

We are in Tracy Arm Fjord this morning, spectacular! There is lots of floating ice and overhung by towering mountains. In places it is so narrow you expect the ship to wedge. Some of the ice is a pastel blue, beautiful. The ship’s geologist tells us that this is the best weather in the fjord this season.

The satellite Internet is unusable because of the high mountains so close to the ship. We will try to get this out this afternoon after we hit more open water.

Tuesday afternoon,

This vacation thing is something I could get used to. I did the hot tub thing for a while and lounged around in the Solarium. I then ate too much lunch and hit the real sugar dessert bar.
I then went to a show and a Bingo game.

I might mention Wayne is enjoying himself a lot, you know the guy that didn’t want to come.

Tonight dinner was fun, the waiters (about 90) marched around the dining room waving white napkins and singing in 20 different dialects while we all clapped. It was a hoot.

If I can stay awake we’re going to a show with a comedienne. I might mention that Wayne slept in this morning, and took a nap this afternoon.

I’m waiting for word on my new granddaughter. They were supposed to start her today, and we haven’t gotten an e-mail and we’re out of “affordable” cell phone range.

Monday

2007-09-03T11:41:00.000-06:00

Monday 27,

We docked in Skagway early this morning. We went ashore about 10:00 because I wanted to get some souvenirs and see some of the tourist traps I missed in Juneau.

The weather has been real good.

It was about ¾ of a mile from the ship to Skagway, Wayne’s leg gave out and he had to sit down. I hit three or four shops and found some things and decided I was done too. I don’t like standing in line. When we’ve docked there is always 3-4 other ships there with approximately 2000 people per ship. That makes for some long lines.

We waited until 12:30 and went on our train ride over the mountain into the Yukon Territory of Can. The scenery was breathtaking and so was the high skinny trestles over deep deep ravines. We didn’t see any wild life at all, other than thousands of Salmon spawning in a little creek in town. We saw bald eagles yesterday.

We got back early and made it to dinner. Wayne is dressing up a couple of times a day. He says he’s got all those clothes now he’s going to wear them.

The food has been excellent. We were eating at the buffet, but when Wayne got something to wear, we started going to the dining room. They treat you like royalty. We have 4 couples for tablemates that we’ve become friends with. Two are from WA, 1 from W.VA, and the others from Boston, MA. We’ve met people from all over the world, and the USA. You can’t imagine how funny it sounds to have waiters from 10 different countries sing Happy Anniversary to you. Each one with his own dialect, (and tune). Our waiter brings all the extra desserts to our table and plunks them down. He gave me three last night. I passed them on, but they do have real good sugar free desserts. We went to the show last night, it was real good but I think I’ll go to bed tonight, we are supposed to get to the Fjords early and I want a spot in front of the 270o front windows. They say it’s real cold out on deck. Sorry I rambled on. Later.

40th anniversary Saturday

2007-09-03T11:24:00.000-06:00

Sunday, August 26

Yesterday we were at sea all day the boat went up and down and sometimes lurched sideways with hard waves but it didn’t bother Wayne or I other than walking like we were drunk. A lot of people were ill and they had plates of little green apples everywhere that people thought would make them feel better.

Wayne’s suitcase is still missing. They’re still looking.

We have found that although we have internet service, it is slow and we can’t seem to get it to send pix we’ll try again.

Last night we had formal night, it was real fun, they fixed Wayne up with complimentary tux shirt and shoes. We looked good and the photographer took lots of pix. We went to the Captains Champaign reception and the to dinner and met 4 nice couples at our table.

Today we go into Juneau; we set our clocks back 1 more hour, (now we are now 2 hours off). First stop is a clothing store for Wayne. We will then ride the trolley around Juneau, see what we can see.

More later.

Just came back from breakfast, there are a lot of whales and Orcas blowing, coming up flipping turning and going down lots of them even some seals. This is cool, this is something I would have been disappointed if I hadn’t seen. Later

The internet on the ship is sooooo slow! We gave up on sending pictures and even aborted the above text for a while. The ship is in port now and a lot of the potential users are off site seeing. Maybe this will go through now. Our adventures in Juneau were a short trolley ride/tour and a city bus ride to the “Valley” where we could replace some of Wayne’s lost clothing. He will no longer have to go naked if we send his shorts and tee shirt to the laundry.

Juneau is a pretty place but downtown is a little tourist trap and major diamond marketer. MPC employee’s can’t buy many diamonds. We had to go 8 miles to the Fred Meyer on the city bus. Saw some colorful and crazy people on the bus. The Fred Meyers was just like Nampa. Going to supper more tomorrow.

Monday :

I am still having a lot of issues getting things to my blog. I have decided to try sending email this morning. There is a little less overhead to send it that way.

Update: Now that I have a new wardrobe, my luggage has shown up. The story is it was stowed with the crew’s baggage. I have more clothes than I know what to do with. We are in Skagway this morning and headed out on the train this afternoon. As long as we are here you can call us on the cell.

Friday

2007-09-03T11:06:00.000-06:00

Bummer!

2007-08-25T12:35:00.001-06:00

Hello To All,

Well today, Saturday, we are at sea and it is a little choppy but it doesn’t seem to be making me sick.

Friday 8,24

Yesterday, Oh my!!!! We arrived in Seattle plenty early, but when you are from Homedale, Id and there is lots and lots of traffic it’s stressful. Oh yes I might mention that Wayne’s GPS quit before we got out of the driveway. That upset Wayne. We found two parking garages, (which one??) Finally got parked, found someone else from the cruise, we should’ve parked somewhere else, so we went back, the valet took our car and our luggage and we took our carryons and headed in. Oh yes, we both had to go to the bathroom real bad. We were a little flustered by now, our carryons, 2 overnight bags weighted down to about 20 lbs a piece, my purse, my portfolio, a camera, a computer, and Wayne’s walking stick. The bathroom is locked. We go thru first check in, real well. We go thru the second and third, get our key cards, very polite, real fast. Now sit and wait. Look there’s a bathroom!! Ahhhhhh.

Now we go thru security to get on the boat, Wayne made it, I beeped and they had to wand me. Now on the boat, the bags are getting heavy, walk, walk, walk, Wayne is sweating his lips are getting blue, and I’m stressed to the max. Waiting for fun.

We waited in the outdoor observation area for our rooms to be ready about an hour but we ate and calmed down a little. Seattle was warm and beautiful.

We got in our room it was small but not bad, by 4:00 we had our entire luggage except for Wayne clothes. The suitcase is lost and they are searching for it. All it contained was all his new clothes and his new suit. He is wearing shorts, and says he is going to start streaking. Tonight was to be our Anniversary supper and formal dress. He is pretty bummed, I can’t believe he’s had such rotten luck.

If we can figure how to get hooked up to internet we’ll send this. Wayne said he didn’t even feel like downloading pix, just sits and looks down his nose.

Hope today is better.

8:45 Saturday 8-25

We had breakfast in the very front of the ship. Glass windows on three sides, great view, although with the weather a little rainy the ship sways enough up there that everyone walks like they are drunk. We all laugh and don’t worry about it.

They are still looking for Wayne’s suitcase. They are giving him a free tux rental, if they can fit him. Keep our fingers crossed.

2007-08-23T20:46:00.000-06:00

What you see on a walk around the campground.

Chillin' in Yakima

2007-08-23T19:57:00.000-06:00

8:00pm home time. Our camping is rather new age. Had supper at a Burger King on the way back from the local Cosco. Gas was 2.699 /gal, Good price by recent standards, better than I expected. I remember not being able to get much more than $2 into the gas tank on my 63 Karmin gia. Do times change or what?
We need to strike camp before 9am mdt. That will get us to the parking garage at our scheduled time and not have to wait around to get in. So goes the plans, but we all know how plans go.

Yakima

2007-08-23T16:38:00.000-06:00

We made it to Yakima today. Seattle is tomorrow. Nice easy trip so far, and arrived at our KOA camp site early enough to laze around and catch our breath. We have had great weather so far.

Packed to go

2007-08-22T11:58:00.000-06:00

I wasn’t kidding about the load. The exception here is the steamer trunk, which is part of the living room décor. Maybe the steamer trunk would have been appropriate on a cruise. I am betting the baggage handlers don’t see many of them in this century.

False start

2007-08-22T09:11:00.000-06:00

I guess blogger is going to work now. This is sure hard on an old man trying to keep up the new stuff. Here is what I tried for several hours to input:

Well, here it is. The last day before we leave. We are ready, sort of. A trip is not a big deal to a lot of folks. My bi--monthly excursion, 30 mile for grub, is a tramatic experiance that requires 2 days of planning. We have a pile of luggage in the middle of the living room, that may require a U-Haul or a small truck rental. Not knowing exactly what to take, we are taking everything. Trying to limit the financial impact, we are tent camping on the way to Seattle. I like tent camping, but I like to go prepared. That requires more "stuff". Heaven help us! Every once in a while I wish we had a bigger car, then, I pull up to a gas pump and wish our cars were even smaller. With gas prices hovering on both sides of $3.00, I am tempted to take the 40+mpg car instead of the 30mpg car. The weather has cooled and we won't need the a/c, but the Aspire is not serviced and could use new tires before a long trip. With the rear seat removed, it will hold as much as a compact pickup truck. Arrrgh, I need to stop those thoughts or I'll find myself headed to town for tires. I'll just have to make everything fit in the car with a trunk and a back seat.
Being a pessimist, I expected one of us to start this trip with a cold or my back out. I am surprised only that it is Charlotte instead of me with the back pains. She needs a vacation. I am just not sure a cruise is the right kind. We may have to sign her up for the spa and massage on the ship. It is expensive, but may be nessessary to salvage her enjoyment of something she has dreamed and schemed for the last 20 years.
I better get out of here and finish the last water set on the lawn. I wouldn't want the weeds to suffer while we are gone.

I'm still learning

2007-08-20T11:20:00.000-06:00

I am on the learning curve today. Picasa and Blogger are all new to me. If this works, there should be a small slide show here now. Hope this works, it will make more cruise pictures available.
p.s. Yippy! it worked. I may be able to bore you with all of the cruise pixs.

I can't wait or can I?

2007-08-19T11:51:00.000-06:00

Departure date is rapidly approaching. The bags are packed, the car is serviced and the lawn work is caught up. I've setup a blog and checked that I will have Internet service on the ship. And, I am still uncomfortable. I wonder if we can get our money back? Deadlines are a terrible thing for a procrastinator to face.