slidergirl

I've used my bandana (really just bandana-sized scarves) as my head covering going into mosques and churches. As I love visiting churches and mosques wherever I go, having that bandana on my bag comes in handy! Melody - you woke up to the snow, I woke up to amazing, clear, skies and sun!! Nice to see for a change. It should be a great day for all the tourist skiers. I might dig out a little piece of my patio and put my lounge chair out and just vegetate. I was planning on going down the the Valley to get my rain shell, but since I have the extra week now between finishing work and going to Alaska, I'll just wait. I did book one excursion (not through the ship) in Sitka to go to the bear rehabilitation sanctuary. I'm a sucker for animal rehabilitation places. There's enough time after that to go visit the historical park. OOTD: another sweatpant & Tshirt day. If I end up outside, I'll put on my down sweater...

The Girl Scout in me makes sure I always bring a bandana. I just tie it to my bag. It can be used for so many things. It can be any pattern or color. I do also bring one of two long scarves that I can wrap around my neck for the evening. I have them very lightweight so they don't get too warm on me or take up much room. I'll take one solid color and one print. If I was doing your cruise, I'd absolutely taking my straw fedora!! It was a lifesaver in Europe last summer!

Purple - you are doing what I'm going to do belatedly for my birthday! I got my balcony cabin specifically so I could just sit out there, relax, read, and listen to music. I've got an "at sea" day right at the front end of the cruise, so it'll work great. I hope you DH manages fine through the pain until surgery time. I understand the Medicare thing. I know my shoulder is blown and needs surgery. But, with Medicare I'm afraid that I won't be able to use my ortho who did my shoulder back in 2004 at our local surgery center, but they will make me go down to the Valley to someone unfamiliar and then won't allow me to rehab up here. So, for now, I just deal with the pain. Lois - good snag of the Baggalini. I see women writing about them all over the travel sites I visit. Actual question on cruise fashion now: I'm going around about hats to take for Alaska. So many choices I have. First, definitely a baseball hat. all around functionality and works well if I have to put the hood on my rain shell. A travel staple. I think to be sassy I'm going to bring my Smokey Bear Trucker. I may bring a generic black or olive one, too - they pack up small and work to keep my hair from my eyes. I have hat clips that keep the hat attached to my collar to keep it from flying away. Used that clip skiing, on boats, in my convertible - a handy thing, Second, a toque/beanie. I still can't decide between my granny square crochet one or a generic black beanie. I thought of my black one with the faux fur pom but decided not. Third, one of my fedoras. I would really like to take my tan one to wear around towns if there is a nice, unwindy day. It would class me up a little. Does anyone wear nice hats around?

The only one that was surprising was Rwanda. I've wanted to go to Slovenia for awhile now.

Martincath - nice to see you are still around. You turned me onto some good Vancouver eating awhile back. I've got a similar 4 hour late stop the first week of May. I have a People's Drug stop planned to pick up some goodies, but I want food. I was thinking Chinese, but nothing on the usual boards was sounding worth the money. Do you know of any? Or, do I stick to Red Fish Blue Fish for some tacos?

I spent a few days in Bordeaux last Summer. It is a wonderful city to wander in and sightsee. Walk along the River - it's a nice promenade. The Cite du Vin was actually very good and instructive and you get a free glass of wine at the end up on the top of the building (wonderful sights). If you want to pick up some wine "to go" they have an amazing wine store as well as a fun souvenir shop with lots of wine accessories.

Be aware that the land portions of the park are potential closures when the weather is hot to try to keep fires to a bare minumum if possible. Be sure to check before you think about doing a hike.

Be aware that the land portion of the Park closes off and on in the hot time of the year to prevent fires. Last year that meant all summer and part of fall. You could still do the boat trips that go among the calinques.

I'm a sucker for Sostanza. Lunch or Dinner. Tiny place. Cash only and you need a reservation unless you want to get there right when it opens and hope there is an opening. You may share a table. Amazing petti di pollo al burro (chicken in butter) and tartino di carciofi (artichoke fritatta). I've never had their steak, but I have heard it's good, too.

Katie Parla, who I've known via emails and old Chowhound communication since 2007, just updated her "The 38 Essential Rome Restaurants" for Eater. Also cruise around her own website (her name) for more goodies. Alas, I cannot recommend any of her food or historic tours since everytime I get to Rome she is off somewhere!! She is the one who turned me onto Roscioli, Armando al Pantheon and Casalleto al Cesare back when there weren't all this web stuff around. If nothing else, reading her stuff will get you salivating and thinking of a plethora of good things eating & drinking!!

I had one of my local junior athletes come and cat sit when I was gone for short trips. It was a nice way to help fund her travels and equipment. My dog would go to the kennel - he LOVED it there. If I was going away and my sitter was otherwise engaged, the kennel also had cat boarding, so he'd go with the dog. I'd pay for the larger dog run and both would stay together when the dog was done playing with the other dogs.

That's a bit much. Outside of Albert ("just call me Joe from Philly"), my Monaco bobsled friends from the early 2000s were not wealthy at all. But, 2 of the pushers were his security guards. I think my fave has been Abu Simbel. Paid extra for it on my Nile cruise. I remembered hearing about it when I was a little kid from National Geographic in the 60s and how we collected donations from the neighborhood to help preserve it. About 50 years later, I got to see it!!!

That's why I bring my noise-cancelling headphones with me 😉 I am currently sitting at my Front Desk, listening to Samara Joy through my little speaker...

I recant the "not as bad" comment. When I drove through the snow on the driveway and looked at my tracks, there was more than 5", maybe 8". The first 4 miles driving to work was riduculous - about an inch of crusty icy snow breaking down as more people drove on it. The drive up the hill was fine - just wet. It's so weird how we have little micro-conditions around here! My co-workers couldn't get up the mountain again, so it's just me and the maintenance guy again. OOTD update: changed my mind and went with my regular faded jeans and my white&blue striped shirt.

Purple - early Happy Birthday! You know, April is the best month for birthdays 😸 Snow, snow, snow. but, fortunately, not a bad here as everyone predicted. Maybe 5" on the driveway. Up at the resorts, they are saying 9" and 12" of new. Some more supposed to come today. I used my 50% off birthday coupon from Sweaty Betty to buy a new pair of hiking boots. Nice Merrell Moab 3 Mid GTX. They are a bit more rugged than my Chameleons so I can alternate depending on where I'm going. I wasn't particularly in the market for boots, but that 50% was nice. I didn't see anything else on the site this time that I would want. I can always use footwear!! My gosh, it was BORING at work. My co-worker couldn't make it up from Salt Lake (the interstate was bad over the summit), so it was me and the maintenance guy. I just hung out and listened to music and looked some more at Alaska ideas. Today will be more of the same. At least it's my Friday. But, it will be a little sad as 2 of my owners are leaving Thursday and today will be the last time I see them until next Winter. OOTD: my black jeans and a hoodie.

I go later to avoid the "gotta get on FIRST" herd. Go to room, open my wine, relax until the muster drill.

What about some Chinese? I'm not hitting Vancouver this time, so maybe some Chinese would be in order.

I went ahead and got on the website last night and found that I could indeed sign up already. I got that same message back. I'm not worried - if I'm turned down, I'll just go back to my original plan of dropping it off at my pre-stay hotel and tipping the bellman.

OK Seattle folks and previous Seattle cruisers: I'm staying down at the Marriott Waterfront for 1 night before my cruise. Since I'm not stopping in Vancouver this time, looking for a good Japanese/sushi/izakaya place, maybe within walking distance or cheap Uber of the Marriott...

I didn't look elsewhere, but: Do you have either proof of guardianship or some such official document that permits you to take the girls without parents?

14 days until I finish the Winter Season⛷️🏂, 25 days until flight🛫, 24 days until cruise🚢.

Do you sign up in advance of the cruise for it or when you are on the cruise? I was going to drop my bag off at the Marriott for a few hours (I will have stayed there pre-cruise and will tip a bellman to hold it - do this all the time).

Last July on my Rhone barge canal trip, we were to end in Sete on Bastille Day. The 11 of us were all excited at the prospect of being docked in Sete and enjoying the festivities and fireworks. Well, the day before, our Captain gets word that a Seaborn ship was going to take our docking spot and he had to look elsewhere to tie up our little barge. We were disappointed. BUT, he found a little spot in Frontignan, a little village up the canal. Turns out it was the BEST! Our tie-up was right at the Festival area, next to the bleachers set up for the festivities. We got to watch the boat jousting matches all day and listen to the bands they had. Our captain had arranged for a really cool guitarist to play for us after dinner. We danced on the deck, people were stopping, listening and watching us. At dark, we had the most fantastic fireworks right there. The next day we went down to the dock we were supposed to be at for departure - what a disappointment next to what we had the night before. Another large ship was there and you had to shuttle into town to the place where they had the festivities. So glad we had that hiccup! Thanks Seaborn!

Cynthia - sorry you are so under the weather. Hope you feel better soon. Found out last night that 2 of my owners are pretty sure they had the 'vid last week! Fortunately, they stayed in their condo most of the time. I did take cookies up last weekend when they didn't come down for them as usual. But, I had enough contact with them that I have to watch myself. My cough has come back and I was thinking allergy, but now... ugh. OOTD: jeans and the blue & white striped shirt. It's going to be a very slow day at work - no checkins, 1 checkout.

Melody - my trusty old Slider would sit and watch NCIS. So, when I'd go to work, I'd put the TV on whichever network was doing the reruns of NCIS. Cynthia - have you ever tried an egg salad sandwich (tamago sando) from a Japanese 7-11??? I think my weather will be good on Thursday to go birthday shopping for myself. It's probably going to be the rain shell. I'm stuck between 2 of them and they are both $179. I have to try them on and feel them for comfort and packability. Until then, I've got snow coming tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday. A potential of 3.5" Sunday, 14" on Monday and 8.5" on Tuesday. After that beating, it's supposed to be sunny all the way to Monday the 10th. OOTD: Kind of a gaper - old jeans, gray longsleeve T, my Patagonia wooly vest, a bandana on my head. I used to LOVE wearing bandanas when I skied!