cat shepard

As a member of the food and beverage department, I am shocked and dismayed to learn you had no wine in your house!

Thank you Rich & Roy for the Report, Daily & lists! It has been such a tough week for so many of my fellow Dailyites. I hope once Fall begins later today, things will improve for everyone. I have an early mani-pedi today. Boy do my fingernails need it. After the first week of the trip they started to chip & by the end of the trip they looked horrible. But I did not want to waste a moment of the trip having them done, so I lived with them. I need to start making my Fall “To Do” list and then prioritize it. My niece may come down for Thanksgiving with her two girls. That should be fun. We haven’t seen them since February 2020. We used Uber a great deal at the end of our trip. Clearly the concept has caught on… Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating! Stay well everyone! *********** Ca' dei Zago 2020 Rifermentato in Bottiglia Well this Prosecco is a bit elusive, but it sounds lovely. Wine Enthusiast gave it 94 points, and I found one overseas distributor in Great Britain offering it for $26.99. Refermented in bottle, this bone-dry, lightly sparkling wine offers enticing scents of citrus, spice and bread dough. One of the very best of the col fondo, or metodo ancestrale versions, the wine has a savory, racy palate that delivers lime, orange zest, fennel seed and ginger before a tangy mineral close suggesting oyster shell. Vibrant acidity gives it intriguing tension and energy.

The Northwest saga continues…. September 9th Ketchikan Gym, coffee, Lido. Didi, our cabin steward extraordinaire came to say goodbye. His contract was done and he was flying home from Ketchikan. It would take him three days (partly because of crossing the International Dateline) to get home. We exchanged hugs, and took the opportunity to express our thanks. A “late to return couple” in Juneau resulted in our departing almost 30 minutes late, and as a result, we were a bit late arriving in Ketchikan. We were a bit nervous because we’d booked a flight with Island Wings. And then had a tour with Kawanti Adventures including a rainforest hike, Totem Park & Raptor rehab center visit, and possible wildlife sightings. It would be a tight squeeze time-wise. The Niew Amsterdam thankfully got the prime spot on the dock, and the end of the gangway was just feet from the Rain Gauge meeting spot. Our Island Wings shuttle driver found us and led us and another group to the shuttle. A short ride to the office and dock, we paid and then boarded the plane. Michelle, the owner, was our pilot. She made us welcome and comfortable and pointed out so many amazing vistas as we flew over the Misty Fjords. She landed the plane on Grace Lake - a pristine wilderness where not a sound could be heard. We picked and enjoyed some blueberries ripe for the taking! I did not leave one blueberry on this bush for the photo! We flew back via a different route and saw some tiny white dots on the mountains that Michelle said were mountain goats. We just had to believe her! Landing on the water was smooth and fun, since we taxied right by the Niew Amsterdam. We said our farewells, and were dropped back off at the Rain Gauge. We nibbled on peanut butter stuffed pretzels while we waited for the next shuttle driver. I don’t believe I mentioned packing a humongous bag of these nummy treats for those times when a meal was not possible, but we needed something to eat. They came in very handy. And were somewhat nutritious. Our driver quickly found us & we were off. We arrived at the entrance to the rainforest and our guides, Claire & Bryn split us into two groups. Claire waited with the group that included those who needed to use the facilities and the rest of us went with Bryn. She was amazing. A treasure trove of information, with some corny jokes thrown in. She pointed out a wide variety of plants, often in a symbiotic relationship. She offered all of us the opportunity to pet or hold a Banana Slug, a creature she described as one who does a lot for its environment. I touched it, and was surprised it did not feel slimy. But I resisted the temptation to hold it. 😎. I did not have to resist very hard. The rainforest opened up to a creek bed. Not only was it filled with salmon heading to the waters of their origin, there were gulls everywhere and a Black Bear! Bryn led us to the Raptor rehab center, an abandoned saw mill, where Douglas was working on carving his totem in a room that was part of the abandoned saw mill. Saws were literally left in huge sections of tree trunks when the workers found out the owner had left for other parts. We then walked out to the Totem Park, where she left us to explore the totems. Each had a sign that not only explained the figures represented, but also the story behind each figure. We spent a great deal of time with three people from New Zealand on a Celebrity cruise. They were as fascinated as we were and they found similarities with their Māori people’s carvings. Our driver took us back to the dock and we were 45 minutes before final boarding! We quickly changed and went up to the Crow’s Nest for Happy Hour and Sail Away. No John! We had to actually order our drinks. And no nibbles either. Clearly we were spoiled. We made sure to submit a Let Us Know about how much we appreciated John and how well he took care of us. Downtown Ketchikan from the Crow’s Nest. We headed down to the MDR, were greeted by Daniel, and seated in Toto’s section. He was amazing and we found ourselves wishing we had met him our first time in the MDR. We really enjoyed our meal. Took the rest of the wine back to the cabin and enjoyed a warmish evening on the Verandah after checking out the reading group. We were looking forward to a day of nothing…. We slept so well.

That stinks. Really stinks. The seller should watch out for Karma. My best wishes for you two finding a place that is even more of what you want.

Joy, checking in between classes. I hate fire ants! If you haven’t already done so - Get rubbing alcohol on those bites ASAP. If done immediately, it can prevent the blisters. But it can still take the sting & itch away. Works great for poison oak, ivy & sumac, too. Haven’t tried on wasp stings, but I will if I am unlucky enough to be stung.

Thank you for today’s Report and Daily, Rich! Thank you for keeping our lists, Roy! Fast moving clouds are currently blocking the sun, but I can see blue sky behind them. NOAA says that Fiona will be pulling moisture from my area, so the rains that visited while I was away will not happen. Off to the gym. I am happy not to be sore, but last evening my legs felt heavy. I suspect because I did my first dance class yesterday. 🤔 I am happy that my luggage was not damaged in transit… Praying for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating! Stay well everyone! ********** Iron Horse 2017 Wedding Cuvee Estate This sparkler sounds interesting and inviting. Critics and consumers are fans. Available from several online distributors with prices starting at $32.99. I need to add this to my list. Winemaker Notes By nose: raspberry, mandarin orange peel and nutmeg. In the mouth stone fruit, pink grapefruit, Tahitian lime, blood orange, raspberry with a gentle mouthfeel. A food friendly wine that works with most styles, sauces and preparations. Pairs well with full flavored fish, pork chops, and chicken. Also try with crispy kale and stir fried vegetables. All you really need is dark, bittersweet chocolate! WE97 Wine Enthusiast Combining 73% Pinot Noir and 27% Chardonnay, this beautiful sparkling wine tastes of brioche, fresh-picked strawberry and blood orange. It is rich and generous yet balanced on the palate, finishing on refreshing accents of slate and oyster shell WS93 Wine Spectator Supple and harmonious, with pretty strawberry, baked apple and nectarine flavors that are laced with yeast roll and spice. Drink now.

Thank you for checking back in. Hope you were able to sleep. Still praying for all the communities threatened by fire.

Praying.

Ann’s Amazing Adventure Continues… September 8th Juneau Woke to clouds, fog and spotty showers. Gym, coffee, Lido… Showered. Dressed. Headed out to the meeting point on the pier. We had booked a small boat whale watching & glacier hike with Gastineau Guiding. Linda, our naturalist greeted us on the pier and led us to our shuttle. There were 16 of us. At the harbor, Linda brought us to Captain Jen of the Ranger. We headed out in search of whales & we found some! One is such a regular to the Juneau area in the Summer, they have named her Flame. And for four consecutive years, she has brought a new calf with her. Rare in the whale world. She is famous! This is her calf doing a deep dive… Happily the rain stopped, but it was cold and raw on the deck as we followed another group of whales, until it was time to return to the dock. Linda then led us to another shuttle where Nick greeted us with water and snacks. He drove us to Mendenhall Glacier’s viewpoint parking area. We split into two groups as the rain started again. They supplied rain ponchos to anyone who needed one. The rain stopped a few minutes into the hike. We hiked down the path to the viewpoint and learned about how the land is reborn after a glacier recedes. Naturalists use the acronym MASH to help us remember that moss, aspen, spruce and hemlock are the four stages of rainforest rebirth. They also warned us never to hug a spruce, but hemlocks were ok. 😎 We spent about 10 minutes looking at Mendenhall, the nearby waterfall and several icebergs and then headed back. We were dropped off near the ship & since it appeared to be lightening up, we decided to go up the tram. By the time we reached the top, we knew Mother Nature had fooled us. It was pretty crappy out. But we looked around and enjoyed some of the gorgeous handmade items. But I resisted the temptation. We headed back down and returned to the ship & had a late light lunch at the Lido. We sat out on the Verandah drinking a couple of cans of water, then changed for dinner. Up to the Crow’s Nest for the usual. There was so much moisture on the windows that we really could not see much. Daniel greeted us as we entered the MDR, and we were lucky to be seated at a window table. Our waiter, Zul, took good care of us. We again used our OBC to purchase a bottle of wine and bring it back to finish on our Verandah. We needed jackets and I even used one of the plaid wool blankets from the closet on my legs. Our reading group keeps growing. My friend, a retired special needs teacher, submitted a Let Us Know request for a reading therapy dog. If nothing else, we figured anyone who read it would get a kick out of it. Another great night’s sleep.

Part? Of Ann’s Saga So many of the pictures I want to include are not cooperating. Will need to figure out why. September 7th Skagway//Haines It was a glorious morning. The sun had not quite crested the mountains. My friend and I decided to walk the promenade deck, which was a great idea - except where it was blocked off over the gangway. We still got a great walk in. And discovered it was a bit windy on one side of the ship. Coffee, then Lido for breakfast enjoyed chatting with Kris and Aniy (Annie), who shared my friend’s mantra “Don’t talk to me before my second cup”! Back to the cabin, showered and changed. Down to the end of the dock to meet our group. Very well organized with signs. We had chosen a HAL excursion for this one, because if we were going to be late - we wanted them to wait for us. The tour included riding rafts down the Chilkat river through the eagle preserve. Rode a shuttle to the Haines high speed ferry & boarded in minutes. It was a smooth 45 minute ride between towering cliffs on both sides. We had a close up view of the rock slides that closed one of Skagway’s docks. After docking in Haines we boarded a bus to take us over some very rough roads to where we would don our boots and life vests. We were warned that although it was warm where we offloaded, it would be different on the river. We walked a short ways to the river’s edge, where I climbed into a raft with the only female guide. I had been white water rafting in my younger days , but these rafts were huge and had two BIG oars. Cordelia, our guide, easily handled the raft. Some parts of the river were very shallow and the wind often drove the rafts into those areas. We learned all sorts of maneuvers intended to help Cordelia free the raft. Once another river joined us, everything changed. The wind and current were so strong. I had to put my hood up just to keep my hair out of my eyes. We saw about six Bald Eagles, though most were in flight - and it was difficult to focus on a moving raft. The two in trees that I was lucky enough to take a pic of is one of the pics that I need to work on. We pulled our rafts out of the water and enjoyed a very decent provided lunch at the take out point. We traded our boots for our shoes, and reboarded the bus. The ferry ride back to Skagway was rough. We even hit a rain squall about partway back, but by the time we docked in Skagway, it was over. My friend and I walked back to the ship. We had a tailwind most of the way and made it back with 30 minutes to spare before final boarding and arrived back at the same time as the shuttle from the ferry. Didi and Dhias our cabin stewards, kept the reading group growing. Showered & changed and up to the Crow’s Nest for Happy Hour. By now John was watching for us, and after quickly checking to see if we wanted “the usual”, he would take care of us. Today, he brought some treats along with the drinks. 😎 We ate in the MDR, and our assistant waiter was much more personable than our waiter. Perhaps he was not having a great day. We took the rest of the bottle of wine back to the cabin and finished it on the Verandah. Doesn’t that’s just sound amazing? We thought so. Another great night’s sleep.

Thank you for today’s Report and Daily, Rich! Thank you for keeping our lists, Roy! Another busy morning. I will continue my saga later, but wanted to share that the Niew Amsterdam was at approximately 60% capacity the week that I sailed on her. And everywhere I went I saw signs “Masks Required”. And 99.9% of the passengers complied. 😎 Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating. Stay well everyone! ******** Château Lamartine 2018 Cuvée Particulière (Cahors) I usually need to taste Malbec before purchasing it. Sometimes it is just too much for me. This one has good reviews from consumers and critics. Available from several online distributors with prices starting at $19.99. Cahors, France is the birth place of Malbec. Chateau Lamartine has been producing this wine from one of the oldest terraces overlooking the Lot River. This top Cuvee Particuliere comes from 40 to 60 year old vines grown on clay-limestone soil. Aging and cement tanks and large oak barrels from 12-14 months provides complexity and wines suitable for aging. The area around Cahors produces wine, primarily robust and tannic red wine. Wine from the Cahors must be made from at least 70% Malbec (also called Cot). During the Phylloxera crisis in the 1870’s, our ancestors were stone cutters and built the village houses. One of them was the Château Lamartine house in 1883. The house was built in place of a century year old oak tree which was sheltering the Martine amorous meetings… which gave the name of Château Lamartine. After 40 vintages, increasing by 3 the size of the vineyard, and a few millions of bottles selling in the worldwide, Alain gave the hand to his children, Lise and Benjamin. 92 Wine Enthusiast WINE NOTES Complex and expressive, the nose reveals aromas of red fruits (strawberry, raspberry) and black fruits (blackberry) supported by a fine woody vanilla note. We find these aromas embellished with liquorish, in an ample, powerful and suave palate, backed by velvety tannins. A friendly and generous Cahors perfect to pair with duck, goose, game and cheese. This is a ripe, polished wine. Wood aging brings a perfumed character to the bold black fruits from old vines. The wine has heft and richness while keeping a succulent character. This estate is situated in the west of the Cahors appellation on the north bank of the Lot River 90% Malbec 10% Tannat

Go Trevor! Wishing & hoping that this is it, Debbie!

Ann’s Adventure - Part 3 September 4th dawned clear and cold. We were up at 5:30, so we could get ready and get our luggage out by 6. We headed over to Karstens to get breakfast to go. A venti NF latte and two berry scones for me. Up Heart Attack hill for the last time. We found seats in the main lodge building and enjoyed our breakfast. I saved my second scone for later, since they were bigger than they appeared in the display case. The buses started to arrive and as I mentioned earlier the bus used for this 15 minute ride were luxurious compared to the one used for the 4+ hour ride from Anchorage. Charging ports, cup holders & great leg room, as well as comfy seats. We were guided on to our double decker train car with the huge vista dome upstairs and the dining area downstairs. It was a spectacular day for a train ride! Our car’s guides let us know that at Anchorage, two port agents would board our car and get us cleared in advance of arriving at Whittier. That way, we could walk off the train and walk on the ship. They also said we should arrive around 3:30 p.m., not 6 - as stated in our itinerary! When we left the last tunnel we were greeted by the sight of the Niew Amsterdam waiting patiently for our arrival. It literally took us 10 minutes to walk from the train to the ship, through security into an elevator to deck 5. Our key cards were waiting for us and so was our luggage! What did HAL do, beam it from Denali? We had time to unpack, watch our safety film and visit our Muster Station before heading to Tamarind for our reservation. In my excitement I got us turned around, and Rini, who ended up taking care of us in Tamarind, guided us there. Dinner was everything I hoped for and more. I confess to totally forgetting to take pics until dessert - which was that amazing Yuzu cheesecake. 😎 Back to the cabin. And I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. Not just because I was up so early, but also from the excitement of finally getting onboard! September 5th Up early to hit the gym. 😎 I meet Jezelle in Explorations for my morning coffee. Kris in the Lido who took great care of us and loved to practice his English with us. Then Erlene who fed me wonderful Greek yogurt & berries every morning. And finally, Ronahlyn, my egg white omelet flipping guru. I also discovered that the dark rye bread that 8 loved on my cruise to Hawaii, was dry. So after two days, I switched to a toasted slice of wheat bread from the omelet station. Today we were cruising Hubbard Glacier, so we wanted to test out our aft balcony to see if it would work for us. Not just to see the vistas, but also to block the wind. And it did! Up to the Crow’s Nest to have our Mariner Cocktail, which was quite tasty. Sadly I did not keep the card with its name or description. Sunset was breathtaking! Dinner in the MDR was good. We chose Anytime Dining, since we had no clue when we would be ready to eat each night. Then off to bed. We got the call from Guest Services at 2 a.m. that the Aurora was visible. I think I was too near ship lights, because my picture looks bizarre. September 6th Glacier Bay Gym, coffee, breakfast - now you know my routine. This morning Panca, a Lido manager, refilled our coffee. I put in a comment in the Let Us Know about what a great role model leader he was. He could have simply called someone over to do what he did. Showered and ready to meet our Park Rangers and enjoy the majesty of Glacier Bay. Dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill that night - one of our Have it All specials. They were have system problems which resulted in our waiter, Wahan, running ragged. Finally, it started working. I had an amazing Halibut filet. And in the middle of enjoying it, Daniel, the manager of the Dining Room, introduced himself to me and thanked me for submitting my comment about Panca’s leadership skills. I do not know the hierarchy, but it appeared that Daniel was somehow in Panca’s chain of command. We returned to our cabin and started our towel animal reading group… Another wonderful day. To be continued… Bind8 wants to go find her favorite person in the universe - our mail carrier, who gives her treats.

I have not seen the Ken Burns program. I suspect I will also find it disturbing. The history that I grew up with is very good a painting the US to be the hero that can do no wrong. The movie at Pearl Harbor before going over to the Arizona Memorial was so disturbing. I had been raised to believe the attack was unprovoked.

Graham & Pauline, thinking of you two. Hugs for both of you.

Thank you for today’s report & Daily Rich. It is a lovely morning here. The local deer herd’s breakfast club was next door when Bindi and I returned from our walk. This year’s fawns are teenagers now. Not a spot to be seen. I will check back in later, off to an early class at the gym. @dfishI thought of you, when I saw this. You might need to employ this exercise routine, since selling & moving will be taking so much of your time. Congratulations on your house sale, Debbie! Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating! Stay well everyone! *********** Castle Rock Pinot Noir 2019 This vintage seems to have higher ratings from both consumers and critics, and appears to be a bit harder to find. I found it online for prices starting at $13.75. Winemaker Notes Castle Rock Pinot Noir was produced from grapes grown in Monterey County where the climate and soil quality provide excellent growing conditions for the this varietal. Here, the cooling air from Monterey Bay helps to produce a longer growing season for the grapes, with extra grape-time on the vines leading to a characteristic depth of flavor in the wine. This Pinot Noir is elegant and medium-bodied, offering aromas of cherry, tea and herbal spice. On the palate, the wine gives flavors of black cherry, plum, and spice. It is smooth with a silky texture and mild tannins. This versatile wine pairs well with lamb, chicken, veal, salmon, and light pasta dishes. Critical Acclaim WE90 Wine Enthusiast There's a hefty amount of raw meat funk on the nose of this bottling, which also exhibits aromas of baked cherry, star anise and cardamom. Toasted oak flavors lead the palate through the roasted cherry, dried meat and hickory spice flavors.

Ann’s great adventure part 2…. Some of the pics I want to post, are not cooperating. If I ever figure out the problem, I promise to share them. We joined the rest of our fellow Triple Denali-ties in a waiting area in the Westmark. It eventually got very crowded. Two bus loads of approximately 70 people each headed off to the McKinley Chalet Lodge. Our driver/guide Chrissy was very personable. The bus was a great one for a 30 minute ride. Not so great for a 4+ hour one. HAL needed to use the bus that transported us on the 15 minute ride from the Chalet to the train station for the 4+ hour ride. That one had drink holders and charging ports and ample leg room. The Anchorage to Denali bus had decent seats, but that was it. I already shared “The Lunch” experience with you. Sometime this week, I will be sharing my opinion with HAL corporate office, though I already included the experience in my survey response. We arrived at the Chalet. A young man boarded the bus and gave out room assignments and keys, and then Chrissy drove us down “Heart Attack” hill to our building. It looked like a dormitory from the road. But as we walked closer, we were impressed. Their was a gas fireplace and sitting area outside. Our rooms were beautiful and decorated in “rustic modern”. Our luggage was waiting for us. It helped us move away from the lunch experience. We unpacked a bit, then headed up to the lodge. It felt great to walk, and though Heart Attack hill got my heart pumping, it was wonderful. We peaked in the main building of the Chalet, and then Crossed the street to see what options for dinner might be available. We loved the menu of Moose-aka, so in we went. It did not disappoint. My goal of making it to dessert was helped by sharing several appetizers. We enjoyed a lovely Mark West Pinot Noir. When our waiter said they would be closed Saturday, we decided we would return the next day & then eat at Karstens on the Chalet property on Saturday. Back across the street and after enjoying the outside fire, headed in to the room. The morning was a chilly 39 but sunny and clear with promises of sixty degree temps. We headed to the Black Bear for breakfast. I had avocado toast with scrambled eggs and the avocado was sliced! It was delicious. We headed back to the lodge to pick up some luggage tags that were missing from our welcome package. They tried to help me with VeriFLY, but no one could figure out why the app would not allow me to complete and save my health assessment, since everything else worked for me. 🤔. We then had our COVID test completed and within minutes had our results - negative! We went back to the room & put on our luggage tags. Then we picked up our pre-ordered boxed lunches for the Tundra Wilderness Tour. They looked great, but about an hour into the tour, we were provided lunch and water. None of our info told us that lunch would be included. And then we saw Denali. Truly awesome in the true sense of the word. We saw caribou, Dall sheep, prairie dog-type critters, a grizzly bear! It was an amazing trip, shortened by the road closure at Mile 43, but we were all very satisfied with the tour. And one thing that tickled all of us was that a certain section of the road was closed to vehicular traffic for the first 10 minutes of every hour to allow Dall sheep to safely cross. Back to the Lodge, we did a quick change and headed back to Moose-aka for supper. We had a short wait before we were seated, and then enjoyed another amazing meal. Another pre-bed chat by the fire. A couple who had ventured out at midnight in hopes of seeing the Aurora were nice enough to share their pics. We had asked the lodge to call us, if the Aurora appeared, but they did not. Our last day in Denali dawned cloudy and foggy. We went to Karstens for their breakfast buffet, because we expected Fly Denali to pick us up at 7:45 a.m. As we neared Karstens we received a call from Fly Denali offering us a later time, in hopes that the weather would clear and we might be able to land on a glacier. We grabbed the offer. After a lackluster breakfast, we headed to the Lodge to grab a Denali National Park shuttle. We now wanted to get a couple of hikes in before getting picked up for our flight. A squirrel enjoying breakfast… And the colors of the turning Aspen and Birch trees were gorgeous even in cloudy weather. We also watched a great documentary about the sled dogs raised, trained and used by Park Rangers. We knew we wouldn’t have time to actually get out to the kennels, so we enjoyed watching the movie. Back to the Lodge, we enjoyed eating the boxed lunch we did not eat the previous day. Fly Denali picked us up promptly and after a 15 minute ride by mountains, crevasses, waterfalls and cliffs - we arrived. Our pilot, Michael was great. I got to fly co-pilot! Perhaps because the button in front of me had “GPS Ann” under it? Though the only thing I had to do was keep my feet off the pedals. We knew the weather would not permit a landing on the glacier, but we enjoyed every minute of the flight. Back at the Lodge we wandered around looking at all the flowers on the property. Something that we did not expect to see. We went back to our room. Showered. Did some packing. And then headed to Karstens for supper. They had Meiomi! And they sent us back to our room with two wine glasses and our unfinished bottle. We sat out by the fire and enjoyed our last night in Denali. Fellow visitors popped by to chat. And we even had a chance to chat with two young European woman who had been working at the Lodge for the summer. We quickly dispelled their idea that we were all rich. But we also explained that we knew we were very fortunate to have had the careers and pensions that allowed us to do this. We finally hit the bed after doing a bit more packing. We had to be up early to get our luggage out in time to be transported to the ship. To be continued….

My adventure was so very special. Three years in the planning thanks to the Big C, I feared that something was bound to go wrong. Two minor hiccups, one is an opportunity for HAL. Referred to as “The Lunch”, by my fellow passengers and I. 😎. The other disappears, if airport ground crews can staff up. After all my worry about testing positive, it did not happen. ArriveCAN actually worked more smoothly for me than VerFLY. The latter would not allow me to complete and record my health assessment. All flights were timely. A bit rough returning to Orlando last night, we really bounced when we touched down. I had my first wine in a can on the flight to Anchorage - the start of a wine-filled adventure. We were so lucky with our weather. Rain & wind on our 26 Glacier excursion out of Whittier. Fog and low clouds for our Fly Denali trip, with a smattering of light rain on our hikes in the National Park that day. And then it rained a little bit in Juneau for our combo small boat whale trip & Mendenhall hike. The rest was gorgeous sun, or partly sunny! The Alaska Railroad trains are a wonderful way to enjoy traveling without anyone needing to watch the road. Good food. Fun drinks - I had my first Moose Kiss. Baileys in black coffee. Met some great people & wonderful conductors. The day after landing in Anchorage, we headed to Seward via train. The train delivered our luggage to the hotel, so we did not have anything to lug around. We walked around Seward our first afternoon and then did the full day Kenai fjords small boat trip. One of Sewards many murals… Our hotel delivered our luggage to the train depot, so we only had to worry about ourselves catching the train back that evening. I know I already posted my orca video from that day. I was very happy to have my gloves, windproof pants and long underwear that day - ooh and my smart wool socks and hiking boots. Though it did not rain, the windproof aspect of my rain jacket was most welcome. The seas were very calm that day - even the Captain commented how lucky we were. We had a great lunch, but their coffee was gross. Luckily the day was so fantastic, it made up for it. We made it back to Seward and to the evening train with minutes to spare. The boat returned to a dock much further out than the one we left from, so I admit to being a bit nervous. And we were not the last passengers to board. Phew! Our rooms were ready at the Westmark and HAL’s welcome packet greeted us. We link with the HAL Denali group the day after tomorrow. The hotel is clean, but boy those rooms need to be updated. No real complaints since we only slept, showered and had breakfast there. Which brings me to their continental breakfast buffet - it had the most amazing array of fresh fruit I have encountered at a hotel. A decent choice of bread for toasts, or sweet rolls. And excellent coffee. Our first morning we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, since our train to Whittier for the 26 Glacier cruise did not leave until mid-morning. We arrived at Whittier. Walked across the main drag and boarded our vessel. We quickly learned that the squeegees on the window sills were there for a reason. All that talking and breathing steamed things up. Forest Ranger Kathleen was on board and a wealth of knowledge. Lunch was a delicious salmon chowder. About an hour from Whittier the Captain announced that College fjord was so foggy that it would be dangerous for us to travel up it. So only 10 glaciers today. We all smiled, because we all knew that getting close to just one would be wonderful. The only time I wished I had warned my rain pants was on this tour. The sideways wind drove the rain hard against my windproof pants. Not 100% waterproof, but close. After commenting to Ranger Kathleen that it was too bad I had just aged out of Junior Ranger qualification, she came over with Junior Ranger books for my friend and I. We saw Sea Lions and Seals. And a couple bear enjoying a salmon lunch & a glacier very close. A great tour, though coming down the very steep, soaking we gangway was treacherous. The train back to Anchorage was even fun. We saw a couple moose far off in a field, but hundreds of Beluga whales feasting on salmon in Turnagain Arm! We were tired, but very glad we went. To be continued….

Bless you, Laura. Thank you for taking such great care of The Dailyites’ wine needs. I will take back the reins tomorrow. My last load of laundry is in the dryer. And Bindi has sniffed EVERY blade of grass on her favorite walk & marked every foot or so. At least that is what it seemed like.

Do it. There were at least two tuxes on my recent cruise. One was a bit wild, but still a tux.

Morning. I made it home. It was an amazing adventure. Off to the gym and grocery shopping. Then I will pick up Bindi. I will check back in later and share a bit more. And boy, do I have a lot of catching up to do!

Currently sitting on the train to Whittier to board the Niew Amsterdam. Possibly 30% wearing the mandated masks in our car. Tried to post this last evening while we were sitting by the outside fire finishing our bottle of wine from dinner 😎, but it did not. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 I did not take these pictures of the Aurora. But wine is the universal ambassador, and a couple who ventured out at midnight to see if they could see them - did! All of us had asked for the wake up call - if they were sighted, but none of us received it. Perhaps because they were not very bright. Stay well everyone!

Denali continued…. For the Garden Club. The flowers were everywhere around the McKinley Chalet and the wonderful eateries across from it. These marigolds were HUGE! The first 10 minutes of each hour the only park road closes to allow Dall Sheep to cross safely. Denali National Park was established to protect Dall Sheep. We saw a few of these prairie dog type critters. We didn’t seem to bother them at all. And our Grizzly Bear. Hard to find even with an arrow. But we watched him graze for at least 10 minutes. And it even stood on his hind legs and shook itself - making its fur glisten in the sun. An entire bus of adults quietly watched in awe. We had an amazing bus driver who was a dog musher and really is attempting to live off the land. She is celebrating getting an Ace Hardware within 20 miles of where she lives. I take a great deal for granted. Stay well everyone!

Testing if my pic of the Great One posts successfully, I will add more pictures.

This is bizarre. I am not able to upload my pictures. I will try again tomorrow.