There are a lot of quotes out there about intentions. They mainly revolve around the undeniable fact that intentions without action is nothing. I've been intending to post a blog for about six weeks now, but there was no action. The good news is that it isn't because of any health or other serious issues, it's simply been because we've been going like crazy........thankfully it's been a good crazy!
Our original plan after the family time in California, was to head to Lake Tahoe. As is often the case, our plans changed. The Lake Tahoe area is still digging out from record snowfall this past winter. There is still enough snow that area ski resorts were skiing on the 4th of July. All that snow is also creating what is being called the "great melt". As you can imagine, it's somewhat messy, so we decided to look elsewhere for adventure.
We didn't have to look long to find an opportunity to revisit a place we've enjoyed many times through the years, Alaska! The cruise lines were practically giving away the cruises, so we booked two weeks on the Norwegian Jewel. We left from Vancouver for a seven-day cruise on the inside passage that took us to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Hubbard Glacier and Seward. At Seward, we turned around and sailed back towards Vancouver, making the same stops (with the exception of Dawes Glacier replacing Glacier Bay and an added day at Icy Strait Point) along the way back.
The weather was typical Alaska weather, ever changing, although for the most part very nice with high temperatures in the very pleasant 50's. Alaska has never disappointed us in the past and it certainly didn't this time either. As you know, Alaska is a huge state. A cruise is a nice way to get a sample of some of the incredible scenery and wildlife that is unique to the state. A couple of suggestions; if possible try to go before Memorial Day or after Labor Day. The crowds are smaller and it's also less expensive. Also, if possible, try to spend some time on land. One of our most memorable trips was when we took a cruise up to Seward. We stayed two weeks on land touring Anchorage, Denali, Talkeetna and Fairbanks. Then got back on the ship for a cruise back southward.
After Alaska we headed back to the lower 48. First spending a little time in Southern Illinois and visiting Ben a bit before making our way back to sweltering Florida for the annual two-week Beach House extravaganza that Beth's family has celebrated for close to a century. As is always the case, the two weeks was filled with fun, food, laughter and the annual Rook Tournament (This year won by Scott and Brian). This year's beach house featured so many little ones. It's nice to see the tradition being passed from generation to generation. Hopefully it's a tradition that will carry on for another century!
We'll be here in Florida for another week. Next Friday we head out for our next adventure..........and cooler weather. We'll be flying to Boston, where we'll stay for one night. We then embark on a 35-night adventure on the Holland American Zuiderdam. The cruise is called "Voyage of the Vikings". There are stops in the Canadian Maritime's, Greenland, Iceland, Scotland, Shetland Islands, Rotterdam and Ireland before returning to Boston on August 26.
My laptop is getting old and is heavy. I'm not planning on taking it, after all, the Vikings probably didn't have laptops either. It is my intention to blog about the adventure when we return..................we'll see how that goes!
As promised, I've added a few pictures to the previous post about our family time in California.
