Anita Latte

I think there is a way to do this relatively easily once on board. My most relatable example is booking two staterooms for 3 people, my parents and myself. I ultimately ended up alone in my cabin but for the booking we gave the single to my dad for him to benefit from more points and booked my mom with me to give me the benefit of her balcony discount. Onboard, mom officially re-keyed to Dad’s stateroom. If your goal is just a cabin swap, I feel confident saying that you should be able to do this onboard without additional hassles. Prior to boarding, I think it’s more complicated and treated differently. Be aware that “for the record”, the way it’s booked is how it would be for loyalty credits. Maybe someone more knowledgeable can answer too though with this bump as I am interested in knowing too.

It seems redundant to add my own appreciation to your thread, but I will anyway knowing all the effort it can take to continue to post and share. What makes reading about your adventures so wonderful is the obvious enjoyment you are experiencing even through challenging circumstances that could easily steal joy. It’s such an enjoyable read and has been an engaging mental and emotional break in my day for a while. I agree with PPs in the missing this part of my day. I hope you have a fabulous visit with your family and safe travels home.

On 5/8/2022 at 10:36 AM, KKB said:

Interesting!

I usually carry a steel straw just for this reason--you never know when those pesky mushy ones might show up!

I see these in the stores and I always think that someone should make a steel straw self defense pamphlet…they always look like a great weapon to me, especially if you add a finger stop similar to folding knives.

I’ve been making scones for years following “America’s Test Kitchen” recipe and procedure. I can’t recall having a scone in England so not sure how authentic the recipe is but they always come out tasty, melt in your mouth. The recipe is similar to the PP link. The egg is considered optional and makes the scone more cake like. I prefer not to add the egg. Definitely not sweet, more like short bread. The key is cold, cold butter and not to overwork the dough.

https://www.americastestkitchen.com/kids/recipes/simple-cream-scones

Jim, I so appreciate you continuing to post about your trip. I am absolutely LOVING to see your perspective both on England and life in general. My DS is at "uni" in London and COVID has definitely changed so many things that I thought were going to be able to happen over the time he has been there. My thoughts and mind are often across the pond and I'm really enjoying the visual now too. Your lens is a joy to view through. You are inspiring with your attitude. I spent several days reading your TR when it was around 67 pages, only to catch up to discover the news. How happy I am for you that your COVID was short lived and seemingly mild, virtually non-existent symptoms. What great weather you are having! 

I can only imagine what a horrible decision you have to make here. My DS is in his third college year and I have started thinking about graduation 2023 and what we might do. Having something that you've looked forward to for so long being changed so drastically at such a late time...it may be hard to switch gears...to get over all the negative feelings that want to rush in...and to worry about whether or not you can still enjoy your cruise.

That's the real question...will your cruise be worth the money given the new times in port? Will you still be able to enjoy the cruise?

We did a NB Vancouver to Seward in 2018 on Millennium pre-Revolution. I wrote an extension TR. My major takeaway from that cruise was that I should have spent more time just enjoying the scenery from the ship because there was so much to see from the ship. The ports are easy and you don't have to do major excursions to enjoy them. The beauty of Alaska in undeniable and even if all you do is stay close to the ship in the port, depending on the type of person you are...you could get off the ship, grab a coffee or whatever, and literally look at the how the water meets the shore and simply breathe the fresh air and marvel at the beauty of nature, because the beauty of nature is front and center, even right in the ports.

My thoughts were literally that AK from Vancouver ranks high on a potential last minute for me. I wouldn't care if I didn't have a single excursion planned because it was so lovely and the ports were so easy. Unlike other places where we have cruised where there can be "not much" going on too close to the ship, you don't have to venture far to get somewhere nice in AK. Is it nicer to get away from the ship and see other places, could be, maybe, but you just don't HAVE to. JMO. (And I realize that having been to AK before, it may be easier for me to say this.)

I took a look at your sailing path and a major difference between your sailing path and mine is that the Eclipse, if it follows what is on the Celebrity website, will be outside what I think of the inside passage for part of the sailing to Juneau. Once you get past Vancouver Island, the ship heads to the west and then does go back into the passage for approach to Juneau. So Day 2 scenery will depend on how far west the ship sails and how far away from the islands it sails. If it were inside, I would say there is good scenery for sure. Being further out, I will say that you might see more sea life...

So on that note, the approach to ISP and then onto Ketchikan and the rest of the inside passage back to Vancouver will have a lot of scenery viewable from the ship.

Going to Hubbard, you are out in the gulf of Mexico and there isn't much variety in your ocean view.

I'm thinking the float plan in Ketchikan is out...but here's the deal. Flight excursions are among the most canceled excursions in Alaska due to conditions, so that could have happened anyway. For our Ketchikan port, the local for my Tours by Locals didn't show, so we were on our own and the town is exceedingly walkable. We had a fine time wandering the boardwalk area downtown, climbing the stairs to the resort at the top (great view) and enjoying the short totems there. 

I think you may still have time to have a car on your own in Juneau. Depending on the docking situation and the distance to the car rental, you may want to plan on a taxi instead of a walk to the rental agency, but again, Juneau is easy to get around in. We drove all over Juneau and over to Douglas island...we fished, we ate, we walked the trail down to see the glacier.

IDK how long we were at Hubbard. What I recall more than anything are the donuts we spun in front of it and how gleeful the captain was afterwards. And how bitingly COLD it was on approach.

ISP is simply gorgeous. So undeveloped. So "unspoiled". I read prior to our sailing in June about cruisers on the May sailings that year seeing whales, etc., from the ship and the shore. We took a whale watching excursion and did manage to see some whales but it was more whale looking than whale watching. Still a great time.

If you and your DS love cruising, and it's your "thing", then I feel confident that IF you can get over the whole port situation, you will still enjoy your time. You have to let go of what might have been, go with what you can do, be together, enjoy the ship! Spend time together as you have planned and do not let the disappointment of changed plans completely derail this precious time that you could be spending with your DS. Use it as fuel for a future AK get together with him to do what you weren't able to do.

If cruising is your thing...then you know all the wonderful, less stressed time you have on board the ship. OMG...speaking as a mom now...I would be working hard to figure out a new plan...but I would NOT let go of this time with my DS. I realize you could make other plans and still get time with your DS, but when would those plans happen? Would you still be getting together with him for this week? Would you make alternate plans for what was the cruise time?

IDK what your pre and post cruise plans are for Vancouver but what a great city!! IF you have plans, those are unaffected.

It's all a mindset. Who knows?...maybe there will be a huge falling out because of this and you will end up with a drastically reduced passenger count, which would make being on the ship that much better.

And on a final note...memories are funny things. You can remember something because it was so wonderful. But you can also remember something because it was so less than perfect and thus unique. One of the stories my family talks about all the time is when we ate fine dining outside in the rain. It was around Branson, MO; the restaurant had a large over the water deck that was covered with a canvas like tent above and around. We were the first to decide to still eat outside and what a story we have...and others too, who bravely joined us, as we were the first. This cruise may not be seeming to be as good as you thought it could be, but it can be unique, which is usually more memorable anyway. One point of any travel, including cruising, is to make lasting memories. I'll bet that you can still make lasting memories on this cruise. 

Oh what fun! You look great Melody. That poncho blue dress is lovely. Great color for you, whatever that is. I also like the multi-colored diagonal stripe top on you. My fave two photos are the martini bar and the Opus dining room. Both you and Les have such great smiles in those. I especially like how his arm must be around you in a bit of a side hug in the dining room, you can really see the love between you in that photo. 

Welcome back Melody! I’m eager to hear all about your cruise!

I’ve taken a break on my own reporting. Have needed to take care of too much around the house/garden. Will be sharing more though. Just need to finish dealing with the home office. We ordered adjustable desk bases and are reusing the wood desk tops from our current desks. Rearranging the office and how the desks are…and dealing with the last of my computer transfer so I can trade my MacBook in for a bit of credit.

I’m a huge Disney fan…but the parks have changed a lot in the way that you tour them. I knew my way around the FP system and how to make that work for us but now with all the advanced reservations, etc., we haven’t really been back to the parks. I know the system has been changed for a long time, well before Covid, but we just moved to Florida summer 2019. One September day, 2019, we decided on the spur of the moment…like literally that afternoon…to go to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party, which was a lot of fun. Part of the fun was because there is no advance planning for such special party events, unless it’s changed again, these parties are like going back to Disney, old school style. If you go to the party, you are able to enter the park several hours before the party begins and then, of course, you have the time of the party. And if you make it through to the end of the party…you should be able to ride what you want…and being a person that would still be on AZ time, you would likely have an easy time of it staying up so late.

Having said that though, if you really believe that this is going to be a vacation that you wouldn’t likely repeat anytime soon, I would recommend that you do something else. Because as great as the party can be, since you’ve gone to Disneyland…it’s not that much different. Going to another park…the only one that I would recommend is Animal Kingdom because it is so different from Disneyland. (I grew up in the Bay Area and I used to go to Disneyland on school trips, etc.) The fun thing about Animal Kingdom is that you can do a lot there that is not on a time schedule necessarily…the shows are fabulous there, if the weather is cooler (or early morning), the animals can be really active on the different walks. If you like animals, then the park offers a lot…if you’re not that into animals…I wouldn’t go necessarily.

EPCOT is great but it’s a huge park and it will be exhausting. Just flat out…it will be exhausting, but if your kids wouldn’t be disappointed with going to a park that isn’t as much about the rides…is more about touring around and seeing the different performances and the interesting things that are there (the anime “museum” in Japan, the mini army in China, etc.) I think there is a special event there in October…the food and wine festival? That could be fun or make it that much more crowded, especially on a Saturday.

Leaving from Port Canaveral…there‘s many things around PC that you could do to take advantage of the things outside the theme parks that are unique to Florida. One of the most unique things around PC is the fact that you can experience bioluminescence here in the Indian River Lagoon. There aren’t so many places in the world that you can. If you are at all interested in such things, there are sunset/evening kayak tours that you can take (if the moon cycle is in your favor). The other very unique thing around here is the National Seashore. I know you’re about to hit up some gorgeous beaches, but the National Seashore is a completely undeveloped natural beach. Having been born and raised in CA, and a beach enthusiast, I’ve never been to such a beach…it’s not fancy AT ALL…in fact, I think the toilets at each parking lot area are just pit toilets. It’s just being able to see a shore line with absolutely no buildings in site. People often talk about Kennedy Space Center too. I haven’t been there yet, but I’ve been to JSC when we lived close by in Houston…and if you’re a space enthusiast, going there is amazing. 

You didn’t mention the ages of your kids, nor other interests, so I’m just throwing things out. Another thing that can be fun is to be in the port area when the sail aways happen. We were just there this past Saturday and there were 3 ships that departed. If you are in the port area at all, or if you go to Jetty Park and are on the fishing pier when that happens? It’s pretty incredible to get that view of the ships. Raising the anticipation for embarking on your own cruise on Sunday. You could look at the port schedule to see how it might be changed by then…

That scarf is one of the best gifts my Mother in law has given me. It’s a cashmere scarf that was made in Scotland. They were a booth at a work conference she attended. She picked up scarves for all the “sisters” which got to include me. I had been teaching her about clear vs muted colors. She’s a Fire. They had the same scarf but with clear colors. She could totally recognize the difference when they were side by side. She bought the muted one for me and clear ones for herself and another sister. I don’t recall the other ones she got. I appreciate it so much because it’s so soft, it goes with everything, and it’s proof of us having good communication.

Bummer that your first try to clean your high tops didn’t work Kat. Canvas shoes can be really hard to clean I think.

Bon Voyage to Melody! Hope she had a good travel day.

The auto museum was enthralling really. Wednesday was a good day to be there...IDK if it would be more crowded on a Sunday, but there were few people there. We could look to our heart's content without feeling like we were in anyone else's way. We did spend time reading all the signs and really looking at everything.

There was a docent that would pop in on us and give us more information at various different vehicles. I wish I could remember which vehicle it was...but he came up to us and said the automobile we were studying was a tap dancer. He pulled up a video on his phone...the car was being driven around the parking lot of the museum and it sounded JUST LIKE someone tap dancing...an uneven, syncopated rhythm of clacks as it was driven. Seeing such a vehicle in motion was truly awe inspiring...seeing that something well made and either maintained or restored could still be in working order over a century later...and that it was a mechanical thing. Our society can feel like things are now just made to be replaced...they have a built in expiration date from the time of manufacture. It's sad really.

I suppose fashion is the same way. IF you are fashionable.

I haven't studied women's fashion, so the display addressing the changing silhouette of women's dress from Victorian to Edwardian style was all new to me. With Melody's comment about a whalebone corset...I thought I'd share this next.

This dress made me think of Margaret...the blue and the brown was gorgeous and reminded me of Margaret's eyes. All of the following items were behind glass in wall displays. The reflections are a bit rough but I think you can still see the gown.

Here is dated fashion for me. I can't imagine anyone wearing a such a dress in the afternoon. Today's fashion would split this dress up into separates, I think. The lapels outward would be a jacket over a shirt. The high neck would make me crazy...especially with the bow. I recall there being a shirt style in the 80s that was similar to this though...with attached extra fabric that could be fashioned like a scarf. I just rewatched 9 to 5 and definitely saw that shirt there LOL.

On some other sign, I think, there was a mention of how the puffy sleeves emphasized, or gave illusion to, a smaller waist. I recently purchased a clearance blouse from Target that had puffy sleeves and a scoop neckline...so flattering. I bought it because it is a lightweight woven fabric...the sleeves are elbow length...I wanted something that would offer a bit more sun protection but still be ok for warmer weather. I understand a bit more why the simple blouse is so flattering.

Anyone else watch Anne of Green Gables from long ago? Not the recent ones...I was much younger...and the brother bought Anne the dress with the puffy sleeves? And she LOVED that dress so much...

Again...sorry about the reflection...but this is the angle of the dress where you can really see how broadening the upper body does indeed show off the waist. Not that this waist needs to be any smaller...OMG...I get how this is accomplished greatly with a corset, but still.

This is the best shot of the fabric of the dress. The brown was actually a beautiful bronze color. 

You can see the corset in the background...

This is what I think of when I think of a corset. I have seen similar corsets for sale now, sold as waist training corsets. It's like a thing. There are people who are into this again, as uncomfortable as that sounds.

What I didn't know about corsets is revealed in this next photo. I didn't know that there could be suspenders on corsets. And that the suspenders would be used for holding up an underskirt.

This is actually where the change in silhouette happens.

Please zoom in to read if necessary. So here we see that the sequin gown is actually of the Edwardian silhouette. The corset would begin under the bust. But the lighter weight fabric...the sleeves. 

Does anyone else recognize the right silhouette as a "mean, bad" aunt or step mother from a Disney animated movie? Is it Cinderella's step mom? I swear I can see the silver hair with a streak in it... And the step sisters are still caught up in the silhouette on the left...

What seems weird to me are the layers on the upper chest. I guess this is the pigeon bodice? The ruffles fill it out?

So technically, it seems like the suspenders here should be holding up the skirt.

I'm so glad that it's not the norm to be wearing so much FABRIC all the time. The sheer weight of it all must be exhausting to have to carry around. 

I agree with you though Laurie...there's something about caring about what you are wearing. Margaret got me turned on to watching the Guilded Age and the fashion there is fabulous. So much fun to see. I feel inspired to do something more with my own clothing. To be aware that my choice of clothes is a statement to others. And then I think to myself...why should I care? I can just be comfortable and not worry about it. And then I think that I should be able to be comfortable AND stylish. 

When I was looking at these fashions, what struck me most was what made everything unique. The details. Today, things are so very boring to my eyes. Even as I sit here in a plain, solid green v-neck tee shirt...I'm thinking how sick I am of plain knit clothing that doesn't do ANYTHING to help present my shape to its best advantage. It's not so hard to put one shirt on over another...it just takes time to sort through it all and have some outfits pulled together. I just haven't prioritized that at all...

I think I want to.

I'm very grateful to hear everyone is enjoying hearing about Fairbanks! It wasn't a cruise but in a way, when I was planning out our trip, it felt like a cruise. Each day in Fairbanks was like a port day...what is our excursion for the day?...what else could we do this day? Each day had one major thing planned, an excursion that we paid for and scheduled in advance. These were all in the mornings so that we could do whatever we felt like in the afternoons. I pretty much picked everything...DH drove us around (his experience driving in winter conditions begins younger than mine as he learned to drive in Colorado Springs) and otherwise DH pretty much relied on me to guide us around. It was his vacation from being a program manager that has to make decisions all the time...no decisions for DH on this trip, except for what he wanted to order to eat or drink.

Laurie...I'm very sorry to hear that you and your DH have COVID. It is the worst. I'm glad that you are able to weather the symptoms and the course of the virus at home. I know it must be so disappointing to have this happen during your staycation...I feel for you. I hope you can make the best of it...spending time with your DH and maybe doing something this weekend. Meanwhile, I hope you can pamper yourself and do some simple things for yourself that you normally don't take the time to do. Face mask? Mani over time? Massage your cuticles, etc. And eventually new polish? *hugs*

Melody...I hope you have so much fun on your cruise! I'm very interested to hear all about how it goes. I'm still on the fence with cruising. It still feels like a no go to me...rather than feeling happy to be isolated from the world on a cruise ship, a sort of letting go of the day to day...it feels like it might be more like jail...LOL...trapped in a place where I have no control. I realize that's the way a cruise always is? To a certain extent? IDK...I can't imagine not going on another cruise for the rest of my life, but I haven't yet crossed that line where a cruise is more appealing than other vacations. And that's probably the greater part of my cruise reluctance...I'm all over the outdoors/nature/active focused vacations...

I was very concerned about being cold in Fairbanks LOL. I didn't pack like I normally do, I ended up taking way too much, thinking that I might wear some cold weather items that I haven't been able to in Florida, but it turns out that I wasn't really happy with those choices anyway...so I'm thinking that I have some wardrobe culling to do. If I didn't wear it when it was cold, and I don't wear it in Florida...then maybe I shouldn't have it at all.

Fortunately, I have spent years living where cold can hit...Colorado, Kansas, and crazy enough North Carolina was cold, especially in our loft conversion with the wall to wall industrial windows all around. I generally did a pretty good job in my wardrobe choices. Fairbanks was much like all other places...if you were inside, you didn't need to be overly dressed, and in fact, if you were dressed too well for the cold, if your cold weather clothing couldn't be shed upon entering your restaurant, museum, store, etc., then you would roast because the heat was on inside.

I'll be posting more about the trip today...

1 hour ago, slidergirl said:

No probs, no shame.  My favorite pizza place in town was featured on DDD, along with a place that I get my pulled pork sammies in town.   I ate at both pre-DDD.  

Don’t misunderstand…I’m just not going to give it away until that point in my trip report. I didn’t take much food porn but I did of one thing from this restaurant. It was amazing!

Kat...I won't tell yet but we ate at a place that was featured on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives! I didn't know that it had been on the show prior to eating there though...we saw the sign in the restaurant LOL.

Melody...I think those colors would look fab on you. 

Fairbanks has a museum that is like, what in the world is this museum doing in FAIRBANKS? It's the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum. They have on display a collection of over 95 pre-WWII automobiles, including some of the earliest automobiles ever made. Some autos are one of a kind, like the one made in Skagway by a man who had only ever seen photographs of automobiles when he decided to make one. Interspersed with the vehicles are the then current fashions of the time, some shown on vintage French made manikins. It's also considered a living history museum because of the photographs that are also displayed all along the walls displaying life in an automobile centric way, especially in Alaska.

When I told Mom about the museum, she said, that's like the one in Malaga! From the websites, it appears to be a very similar concept...

The Fountainhead museum is housed in an underwhelming looking industrial metal-type building, with a less than grandiose double door entry. Tucked away behind snow covered apartment buildings and what appears to be a resort of sorts with a snow packed parking lot, there was no indication for DH that this was going to be as amazing as it was. He was along for the ride and humoring me a bit for going on this particular indoor sight seeing walk. It wouldn't necessarily have been the first thing I would have chosen to do in Fairbanks but the winter hours are reduced to Wednesday and Sunday only, 12-4pm. If we hadn't gone today, being Wednesday, our first full day in Fairbanks, we would have had to go on Sunday, smack in the middle of our trip...that didn't seem as good in the timing...

So after a leisurely, and very filling breakfast...complete with latte for me...we whiled away some time exploring the local stores that would compete with such stores as REI, Academy, Dick's, etc. And we did go into the local REI, which I have to say was so disappointing because their inventory truly was franchise like in that they carried much the same things that our Orlando REI carries, which does and doesn't make sense to me.

Finally it was time to go to the museum! After arriving...and then immediately realizing that I didn't have my camera...back to the hotel...back to the museum...we walked carefully over the slick parking lot...(my boots were pretty good...nothing is absolutely slip proof on ice...but my Xero Mika boots were everything I'd hoped they would be)...and we were dazzled by the high ceilings and bright lights and shiny cars everywhere.

There was a bit of an introduction given to a small group of us that had arrived at a similar time. We learned the progression of the age of the vehicles as a path we could walk to tour the collection. The gallery to the side was Alaska specific. We could also see into the working shop of the museum where cars were worked on. All but 3 cars are operational. All but 3 cars are actually taken out and driven about once yearly, usually when the weather is nicer than typical winter weather.

This museum is CRAMMED with its collection. It doesn't necessarily feel jam packed when you start walking around, because when you START walking around, you want to be able to see a lot. As with any museum though...you get fatigued by continuing to see the same things over and over again. You think to yourself, can I look at ANOTHER car...and surprisingly, there will continue to be cars that spark your interest for one reason or another, but this is easily a museum where you could repeat visit and truly enjoy all the wonders that are on display. I had no idea that there were so many early car makers...so much diversity in the methodology of creating a vehicle that would be powered by something and carry however many people in varying degrees of comfort.

Each vehicle is a work of art really. And the fashion is the same way.

I took SO MANY photos in this place. Overview type photos didn't do justice to what I was actually able to see and focus on. Detailed photos didn't do justice to the overall look. I'm going to draw this out a bit here, especially because I will include some of the fashion photos. I won't show so many as to ruin what anyone might see if they were to visit the museum themselves, but I think we can have some fun with a few deep dives on a few pieces that were on display.

I hope this isn't boring...it happens to be helpful for me anyway in going through all my photos.

Not at the beginning, but more towards the beginning than the end...there was a glorious combination of a sequined evening ball gown and early model Cadillac. I still don't know how sequin gowns are made, if they have to be made by hand, but I'm guessing that a such a gown in 1900 might be constructed with a sewing machine but that the sequin would definitely be added with hand work. 

I wasn't thinking of it at the time, but it would be nice for my depth of field in the photograph to be shallower. For the background around the dress to be more blurry. I think this is a matter of the ISO? Does anyone know? If I were to have changed the ISO would I get a more blurry background?

When I looked at this dress, I wondered about the undergarments. I'm not sure what types of undergarments were popular in 1900 and how they might wreck the lines of the dress...and could you see them through the mesh panels? I like how the design breaks up the neckline across the chest very much. The way the blue is added to the silver...I think is very flattering.

How in the world do you walk with a train? It strikes me that people are entirely too close together in some situations for a train to not be a safety issue...and how could you not care about your beautiful gown just being dragged across the floor?

DO NOT TOUCH signs were everywhere. And I should note that flash photography was not allowed...and certainly a flash wasn't needed with how well lit everything was. Depending on the individual display, you were definitely close enough to touch most of the displays so you could really see the details.

One thing that got to me over and over again, looking at the clothing especially, but also some of the older automobiles, is how much smaller people used to be. I've seen old beds too...and there's no way my feet wouldn't hang off the end. This dress in particular wasn't as trim and slim as some on display, but the person was still shorter than myself. I'm pushing 5'8''.

DH is the person in the background. You can catch a feeling for how tall the building is, how much light there is, how closely the vehicles are displayed...how shiny everything is...the size of the photograph reproductions on the walls. Still...I wouldn't mind a bit of a blur in the background here too. 

The complete vignette of fashion and automobile! Again with the background versus the subject in the photograph... This is a 1903 Cadillac.

I took pictures of the signs describing each automobile but they are hard to read without zooming in. This is the information on the sign, not my own words:

"1903 Cadillac

Model A Runabout with Tonneau

The Cadillac automobile was named after Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, a French explorer who in 1701 built the 'Ville d'Etroit' settlement that later became Detroit.

The 1903 one-cylinder Runabout was the first car produced by Henry Leland's Cadillac Automobile Company. The attractive 'one-lunger' sold surprisingly well and quickly earned a reputation for reliability, driving simplicity, ease of maintenance, and remarkable pulling and climbing capability. This car bears serial number 714 and represents early production at the Cadillac Motor Company.

The hoodless, S-curved dash and horizontal tube radiator make a 1903 Cadillac instantly recognizable. The engine sits under the front seat and is surrounded by a copper water jacket. The car's most innovative feature - and one that would eventually bring Cadillac fame and prestige - was its precision-engineered parts that could be assembled without the hand-fitting that characterized most automobile manufacturing in the early 20th century."

There is more information given with the stats of the Cadillac including engine, transmission, etc. The facts that I found interesting are:

1. Max. speed of 30-35 mph

2. Economy of 25-30 mpg

3. Production: 2,497

4. Factory Price: $850 with tonneau

All the details on these vehicles...like the brass lamps...the tufted seats...the roll up windshield. These vehicles are like little works of art.

Things like axles and mechanical pieces are all on display. They are all pristine and beautiful. It's mind blowing that these automobiles run as they were originally manufactured to do. 

There was a coat rack type area for the museum. A sort of self serve area where you could unbundle yourself if you were bundled up for the weather. I must admit that DH and I weren't trusting enough to hang our coats there. We didn't have heavy coats on though...knowing that we would be indoors.

I didn't find this particular dress to be that dated. Is it just me? Except for the train, and even with the train really, it doesn't seem like such a stretch for someone of today to wear this dress...provided that there is the opportunity to wear such a glamorous evening dress. You have to go out of your way to plan an occasion where you would wear something so elegant and formal. I often think that it would be fun for those of use that enjoy such things to plan a big event...just a big excuse really to wear something so formal...just for the fun of it. 

On 3/30/2022 at 6:29 AM, Bound4Bermuda said:

My daughter and I really want to to the Indian River Lagoon kayaking excursion, but my husband is paranoid about falling in. (For someone who loves cruises and looking at the water he has a fear of actually going in water.) 

I live around here. I'm not familiar with the exact location where the kayaking excursion takes place but the Indian River Lagoon is one of the shallower bodies of water around. While they did have to dredge out a path for the actual intercostal water way, the average depth of the lagoon is still 4 feet. Kayaking could be a wonderful thing to do depending on the chop factor of the water. Would knowing about the water depth calm your DH's worries?

Very exciting happenings over here...I got a new computer yesterday! Woot woot!! It's the first time in absolute years that I've gotten a NEW computer. My last one was a refurbished MacBook, which was perfect for me because I wanted the discontinued 11" sized MacBook. The OS hasn't been supported for a long while now, upgrading wasn't recommended...it was a 2013 model (an absolute dinosaur in today's computer world), and I reached a point of not being able to function online that necessitated a change. We already had a wonderful monitor and other peripherals so I got a Mac mini...I can't believe how small the "computer" is. Transferring everything is going pretty smoothly. I should be able to continue posting about my trip now!

Right after I get my taxes done...

Back in Fairbanks...it's the morning of Wednesday, March 23. We've had some sleep...and woken up to a winter wonderland.  It's sometime between 8-8:30 AM...this is our hotel room view.

This is the Chena River that runs through Fairbanks...and here is on the north side of downtown. To the right of the building is access to the greenbelt park that is along the shore of the river and will lead to the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitor Center. It was 1 F with a wind chill of -11.

A COVID affected continental breakfast was offered at the hotel but we weren't ready for it this morning (it ended at 9 AM)...I was excited to eat at the Crepery which just happened to be across the street from the hotel on the away from the river side.

Even though I'm in Florida now, I have lived in Colorado and Kansas...where we would get cold and snow. As I recalled, businesses would be well heated...just as air conditioning in hot locales is almost cold to the point where you have to be able to bundle up a bit whenever you are inside, even in extreme heat, I thought the same might be true in Fairbanks, but opposite. I tried to not bundle up too much if I knew I would be indoors. Here I'm wearing my plaid leggings (I did wear my thin long johns underneath) with Darn Tough socks (I highly recommend these if you are a Smartwool lover) and my Xero brand winter boots, style Mika, which I LOVE. Smartwool 1/4 zip top with a fleece lined jacket. My cashmere scarf (very warm) and a wool beanie I bought at an arts and crafts fair in Winston (I met the man that knitted the caps). Also fleece gloves. 

Snow pack on the sidewalks and road. Piles of snow banked where paths had been forged. 

The Crepery is one of those specialty type places where they just focus on crepes, they have so many different breakfast, savory and sweet crepes. Specialty coffee, etc. The inside was one of those quirky decor, local type places...from the kitchen, there were 3 large hot plates open to the dining room areas where you could watch them make crepes and then make the stuffed crepes. I don't have much food porn...but here are the Alaskan breakfast crepe with eggs, cheese, reindeer sausage, onions, and mushrooms and the smoked salmon stuffed avocados.

The smoked salmon salad was very much the way that I have made tuna salad with some crunchies of choice (celery/onion) and a bit of pickle. It was excellent. DH and I split both and we were stuffed.

There was a museum that I was very interested in visiting this afternoon...winter hours were Wednesday and Sunday only 12-4. We had time before it opened so we ventured to the local sporting goods shops to check out what was offered in AK. It's always fun to see the local shops.

I think I've been to the old SLC airport but that would be years and years ago. It seems that we had an unusually good experience there! LOL. Couldn't have been any easier for us. Without any history, I'm a big thumbs up for SLC. I'm trying to remember if we are going through SLC when we go to Glacier... I'll be forewarned for potential hang ups with the connection there if we are...and I think we are...

Kat, the Woolx worked well for me. I was concerned that the Stella alone wouldn't be quite enough for me so I actually wore a very thin pair of long johns under the Stellas...and with that combination...it was plenty warm for me. Might have worked with the Stellas alone...but I was in the mood to be overly warm rather than cool when I wore them as my main bottoms that everyone could see.

I ended up taking 3 pairs of such leggings with me. I had the Stellas, which had a stretch component that meant they were good for being seen and not just a layering piece. I had a pair of "expedition" weight 33Minus wool leggings that were 100% wool with no stretch factor. They were excellent as my base layer when I really wanted to be warm...and I usually wore my snow bibs over those. They were a 400+ weight. Then I had a thin pair of polyester REI brand long john type bottoms that should never be seen but just used as a base layer when you need a little extra. I wore those under the Stellas and also under my "normal" legging style woven fabric pants.

I have so many pairs of sunglasses! All my recent ones are polarized...I should just get rid of the ones that aren't but I like them. They are more fashion-y and so I keep  them. DH and I each just brought the one pair each though...the ones we were wearing in the festival pic. Mine are the most wrap around of the ones I have and I thought with all the snow that would be the best option...and they went well enough with everything I brought. I match my sunglasses to my outfits more when I'm at home though.

We are back from Fairbanks! Sadly...we did not want to come home. We so enjoyed Fairbanks and felt so at home there. 

Our trip to Fairbanks was...travel outbound Tuesday, March 22, arriving just after midnight on Wednesday, March 23. Travel homebound began on Tuesday, March 29 at 1:55 AM...yes AM. UGH. We were flying Delta...Delta doesn't have but the one flight that goes in and out of Fairbanks daily. We fly Delta though because DH has status with them and we can reserve exit row seats without additional costs and check baggage (though we get that perk from our AMEX as well). It's something that we may need to rethink since moving from ATL...DH travels for work and Delta flights aren't friendly between MCO and DC, so he's been flying American. We'll reevaluate once he loses his current status.

In Fairbanks, there were places offering discounts if you flew to Alaska on Alaskan Airlines. Not anything significant on this trip...but something to explore.

Before we traveled out of state...we did cross the Florida peninsula to Tampa to attend the Innings Festival. It was a two day music festival with several bands playing Saturday and Sunday, including two of my favorites, Incubus and Lumineers. I love live music! I wore a scarf on my head for the first time while at the festival. My Lumineers Cleopatra concert tee isn't EARTH, but I'm always thrilled when a shirt that isn't black is offered up...I wear this one a lot...at least it's muted. 

We drove home Sunday night/Monday morning after the concert...which really is the best time of day to drive through Orlando from Tampa. I-4 is the worst.

I haven't flown since September 2019 when we took DS to London for college. DH has flown quite a bit. DS has flown back and forth...I'm the odd man out for getting back on a plane in a COVID world. I wasn't concerned but I wasn't exactly comfortable with the idea. With masks required for air travel, I had done some research...learning the difference between a "source control" mask and a "respiratory protection" mask. I purchased several boxes of respiratory protection masks from MaskLab. For a mask, they are comfortable and VERY breathable, or however you say it's easy to breathe while wearing. I'm wearing a green ombre and DH is wearing a gray ombre.

Figuring out what to wear for travel was a bit of a dilemma. Our highs in Florida were in the 80s and we were arriving on what was to be a high of 18 in Fairbanks...low of 0...and we were arriving right around midnight...so definitely trending toward the 0... Layers are always good for travel...I opted for jeggings...high stretch factor so very comfy...knee high compression socks and my waterproof lightweight hiking boots. On top, I had a fitted, compression like sleeveless tank with my pink patterned lightweight Smartwool hoodie. IDK if you can get the impression of how thin the material is on my hoodie. This is 150 weight Smartwool...I have a couple tops in this weight and it is surprisingly comfortable in warm weather. I use this hoodie for sun protection but it is also really great a mitigating the effects of air conditioning. I also had my Smartwool vest handy and my packable down puffy jacket from Uniqlo. I also had my down blanket in my carry on.

Speaking of...Kat, we bought Horizon Hound brand down blankets. The GR-20. It weighs 1 pound 6 ounces...is 77"x50" and has 350 grams of down. I looked at the Rumpl blankets but the price point was friendlier with the Horizon Hound. 

Leaving MCO at around 11AM...easy morning...but we had two connections...one in Salt Lake City...one in Seattle. I thought of you in SLC Kat! We had about 90 minutes in SLC...gates close together and a decent food choice right there. I definitely recommend Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh for a protein/veggie forward meal. Weird to say, but it was SO NICE to be able to sit down at a table...take off the mask and enjoy a meal. We had time to take a bit of a walk down to the end of the terminal where we could admire the snow-covered mountain peaks, working out some stiffness from the first flight.

A hopper flight to Seattle and THEN...the FIVE hour layover.

This was originally going to be a great fun thing because the one Delta Sky lounge near A1 is incredible. We were able to be there on our outbound trip to Vancouver in 2018. But the gold AMEX Delta card no longer has the perk of being eligible for admission to the lounge. Even on our day of travel, we hadn't figured out what we would do. So on a whim, we decided to go into the lounge just to see what they would say...and they said to try the Club at SEA lounge.

I recall seeing the info for this lounge online, but I wasn't too impressed. Especially when compared to the Delta lounge. However...when facing a 5 HOUR layover...finding a decent place to sit becomes a high priority. Walking through our area of SeaTac, there weren't any comfortable looking sitting options anywhere...even the bars and restaurant seating looked hard and like a dismal place to park so we went to check out the Club at SEA, which is well represented by this link:

https://shop.theclubairportlounges.com/products/the-club-sea-concourse-a-day-pass

Admission was discounted to $32 pp when we traveled. At that price, I would visit here again if I had another long layover. I think there were at most 15 people in lounge at any one time? Located on the second floor near A12, there are two main rooms...one overlooks the airport terminal below...one is a wall of windows that looks out onto trees and mountains in the distance with a lightrail periodically crossing the view. The main thing was the QUIET. No ambient music even. It was just a quiet, daylight filled, comfy sit and lounge and feet up kind of place. I wanted to take pictures but with as few people as it had, especially on our side with the outside view...it was like taking photos of individuals and that feels bad. So I didn't.

The food was limited, but worked for me. Access to the food was restricted with one lounge worker there to serve you what you wanted. There were a couple premade plates covered in plastic...I think hummus with carrots/celery and a cheese plate. The one hot offering was a ginger chicken stew like "stir fry" served over hot sticky rice. Plated when you asked for it and handed over. It was homey and satisfying and pretty tasty...even if there was a lack of texture. We were happy.

There were also free drinks. We enjoyed a craft brew or two or three...they had Elysian in bottles as well as several mainstream bottled beers. Wine, liquor, tea, coffee, soda and water were also available. DH had a couple whiskey pours. He tried J&B because that was my Grandmother's libation of choice when traveling, and Walker Black, I think...just because he could and hadn't before.

I think that you can get complementary access to this lounge with a certain Chase card and if you are cruising with certain cruise lines. But I'm not entirely positive about that...

While debating whether or not we really needed to pay for a lounge, we met a man who was also traveling to Fairbanks, also trying to figure out what to do with himself for 5 hours. He was headed home after wintering in Tuscon, AZ. He did join us for a bit in the lounge to chat. I didn't learn too much new that affected any plans we had, but it was just good conversation to talk about living in Fairbanks, etc. 

With the help of my blanket and the window seat, I managed to sleep a bit on the flight to Fairbanks. We arrived slightly ahead of schedule and all our luggage arrived too *whew*...we did check 3 bags. Winter clothing is large and I overpacked because I brought choices since I wasn't sure what would work best for me in terms of layers.

There was a bit of a mix up with the rental car.

DH was concerned that the rental place would be closed when we arrived...even though the hours were clear...open til 2 AM. He called from SLC and somehow, during that call, our reservation was altered. They had our reservation for midnight morning Tuesday...not midnight morning Wednesday. But all was well...she had a vehicle she could give us. So instead of an AWD Kia Santa Fe type SUV...we ended up with a black 4Runner...Woot woot! We own two 4Runners...it's nice when you don't have to figure out your rental car...especially at 1 AM after traveling all day. And we were pumped to have a real 4WD vehicle.

It doesn't take long to get anywhere in Fairbanks...we were soon at our home for the week. Springhill Suites in downtown Fairbanks. I highly recommend this hotel for both the rooms and the location. With all of DH's travel, we had points enough to cover the cost of our entire stay, so we didn't shop around...except to learn that this is the only Marriott in Fairbanks. However, for the river view (currently iced/snowed over)...the ease of walkability in the downtown and the large room with the separate living area and wet bar area...this place is a winner. I would choose to stay here again.

Late arrivals in Fairbanks are common apparently. There were several of us checking in...and the front desk personnel said that there's always a "rush" around this time. No problems with the room. No problems parking. We got ourselves sorted and were calming down and ready for lights out before 2 AM.

No alarm set. Wednesday was largely unplanned as an easy recover from travel kind of day.

Melody...that blue will look fantastic on you! I struggle with accessories, especially necklaces. For whatever reason, I usually just wear a chain with pendant style. I have one "chunky" necklace, a multistrand with a Venetian glass pendant...but the beads on the multistrand are very small, so it's something of a delicate chunky necklace...LOL. I think with all the pattern on the jacket and the sparkle on the cami that you could have a more simple necklace...but it's impossible for me to visualize without a body...LOL.

We leave for Fairbanks on March 22. But this weekend we are going to Tampa for a weekend music festival...and DH's last workday is this Thursday. We have Friday to take care of major chores around the house. Like...we bought a chest freezer for our utility room...and we were planning on replacing the plastic like freestanding tub sink in there...so we go to remove the sink and BAM water shut off valves don't work. Sigh. The freezer doesn't fit without removing the sink so...It wouldn't be a big deal except that we went to a youth livestock auction on Sunday. We purchased a lamb and a hog...so we NEED the freezer! If we run into issues, we can use the freezer in the garage...it is a "garage ready" freezer, but I don't want to.

I have been watching Fairbanks weather for months...just because. The swing in the weather is pretty broad. I read that we should be prepared for -20 to +30 degrees. Currently, we're looking at highs of 20 and lows of 0 for the forecast that I can see.

Most of my leggings are for layering. The catalyst for the Fairbanks choice was chasing the Aurora Borealis. So with that, if we are just sitting in the car for warmth...not moving...and it's between 10pm and 2am...it's the coldest part of the day...and so we need to bundle up significantly!! Thus, the 400+ expedition weight leggings and the insulated snow bibs etc. We even bought down blankets which are super lightweight and have strategic snaps so that they can be formed into a poncho. LOL. 

It may seem odd to some, but DH and I have a pretty good tolerance for the cold. Even being here in Florida. We are less tolerant of the heat still LOL. At the auction, under the shade, wind blowing, high of "only" 64 degrees LOL...we're looking around at how bundled up everyone was and we basically had on long sleeved tees and warm vests. We were okay...not super comfortable or uncomfortable...I could have enjoyed having one more layer or a hat...but was fine. 

Melody...I've always been partial to vests. I still have cold weather clothing from when we lived in Colorado; and because we like going to places that are cold/cooler, we have always kept things like hats, gloves, neck gators, which I guess they call buffs now.

So what I've gathered so far are mostly layering clothes for winter activities and street wear bottoms (the plaid and the wine colored pants). Funny enough, I still don't own any jeans. I haven't felt stable enough in my weight to warrant the time it takes to find a really great fitting pair of jeans. I am planning on wearing a dress for the evening of my birthday...with one of the black leggings and the tall boots. 

We have three "excursions" planned...snow machining, dog sledding, and ice fishing. We have an aurora borealis plan at a community center type place that is away from city lights. And we have a night reserved at a public use cabin. I kept the second half of our trip unscheduled incase we have to reschedule either the snow machining or the dog sledding. The ice fishing is in a hut so no need for a reschedule there. Other plans TBD as each day progresses include World Ice Art Championships 2022, Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum (which also has fashion of the time of the autos on display), UofA Museum of the North, Morris Thompson Cultural & Visitors Center, Chena Hot Springs Resort, Local distilleries and breweries, and so much more. I'll be wearing street clothes for many of these such things...a bathing suit at the hot springs!...so I'll still be gathering other clothing.

Laurie...I want to say that I think your dresses are all such great choices. They look like you to me. That black high low dress you DD wants to wear is lovely. I had a high low dress similar to that, knee to floor. Mine was a strapless red high low. The sleeveless would be so much easier for foundation garments. Likewise, your patterned vacation-y maxi is similar. 

Sharon, Melody, Laurie, Kat...thank you for such positive feedback on my new hairstyle! I'm so happy with it...and as you can see...I have a lot of hats...I have so many more LOL...my sunhat collection is insane...speaking of, need to be sure to bring sunglasses to Fairbanks! This hair is so much easier to wear hats with! I plan to keep it through the summer and when I decide to grow it out, or let it get longer, I that that is when I would play with fun, unnatural colors on at least the tips. Meanwhile, I am very conscious of sunprotection...and am usually wearing a hat and have yet to experiment with bandana or other such head coverings.

Such a fun conversation today! I will absolutely differ to Margaret on the shoe selection...but as for idea that if it can be worn to work...it doesn't belong on vacation...I'm in total agreement. 

So fun to see how everyone would accessorize the merlot dress. If I were wearing it, I think that I would avoid a necklace, the neckline is statement enough. I like the idea of balancing out the shoulder situation by having something on the wrist of the sleeveless arm. I might explore the idea of wearing two different earrings. Something dripping or a larger hoop in the sleeveless side...and perhaps a smaller hoop or a stud like earring on the sleeved side. I would test that idea anyway.

That seems to be my process. I gather all the options together and then make a decision on what should come along...so with that in mind...I have photographed this evening's gathering of possibilities for Fairbanks. These are not ALL the options...just what I gathered today. I'll be gathering more options as the laundry gets done...and also clean a few things that were pictured.

Here we go.

First off...kitty Grace is on the top left under the flaming beanie, which belongs to DH. We'll begin with the boots. The first are black with white lining...snow boots, serious for snow and other outdoors activities. Then what they called Brown Plum winter boot, more appropriate for town or more indoor activities (museums, distilleries, dinners, etc). Puffy gray hooded down-filled jacket. Heavy fleeced lined knit type jacket. Three patterned fleece jackets...the camo patterned one doesn't have pockets, but the other two have zippered pockets. 

Now the next column beginning with the brown plum boots..."normal" slim fit leggings in burgundy & tan plaid on dirty black and plum...they are tight enough to look good tucked into the winter boots without being too tight to have a thin leggings base layer underneath, if needed. More top selections are 1. gray wind breaker, 2. purple plaid hooded flannel long-sleeved button up, 3. two 1/4 zip Smartwool midweight tops in purple/pink stripes and smoky teal, 4. navy lightweight turtleneck base layer.

The next column gets a bit difficult to discern because the top two items are black and blend into each other. Two pairs of black merino wool leggings. The heaviest is a 400+ weight Minus33 brand legging, then a 300+ weight Stella by Woolx. Then a green pair of 200+ weight McKenna by Woolx. Then a very lightweight black REI brand synthetic, which is what fits under my "streetwear" pants.

Then I have 3 vests: Gray fuzzy, lined fleece, Green thin quilted nylon, Gray midweight Smartwool.

At the top of the next two columns are my mustard brown snow bibs. The brown/gray striped fuzzy looking thing is a sweater knit loose necked poncho. Four knit beanies...dusty coral, navy/turquoise, gold with metallic CC brand, fuscia with furry poof. Two ear warmers...green/white patterned fleece and gray knit with decorative furry circle. Gloves: black silk liners, black windbreaker, black fleece, fuscia fleece, and lavender insulated mittens with pockets for hand warmers.

Back to the almost top, the next column is two scarves...warm purple+ patterned lightweight knit and muted rainbow cashmere. Two hats...both purchased on our previous visit to Alaska in June/July 2018...Purple/black/fish patterned fleece with insulated parts and fuscia/green fleece ballcap. Lastly two buffs...a major warm insulated LONG burgundy with fleece lining and smaller brighter purple fleece

From a different view:

Ugh...didn't really capture the two pairs of Darn Tough socks...a midweight and an expedition weight OTC (over the calf) merino wool.

I have more to collect...and you can see how there is overlap in function here, so I will be pairing down some things...but this is the beginning of the collection for consideration.

Margaret...I'm so enjoying your trip report. I haven't been to Jamaica. It looks like it was quite fun! You look so relaxed in all your photos. That blue dress is divine! I think my fave photo might be the Nachi one...you and DH look fabulous and like you are just having a blast which is the best IMO. Having how much fun you were having captured in that photo is really special.

That catalog is pretty wonderful! The clothes are quite pricy but if I were to make an investment in a wardrobe staple, I think the cost per wear could get into a level of affordability, even if it was a high cost. I have been getting smaller with increased activity and I have been purchasing what I think of as quality staples and also trying to purchase more natural fabrics and I am very impressed with the fabrics and materials used by the Peruvian Collection. 

Laurie, those dresses are beautiful. That green is lovely and the texture of the ivory dress is very elegant. I love that textured solid! 

Melody...I hope your thumb is healing well. I am imaging that you are struggling a bit to keep from using your one hand...muscle memory is so powerful...without being super conscious of what you are doing, it would be so easy to just grab away. 

So my 50th birthday is this month. I recall reading in some article about Liv Tyler where she quoted someone (maybe Confucious?), that every one lives two lives...the first when they are born...the second when they realize that they have the one life to live. Whether or not reincarnation is real...the sentiment is real...and I feel like my "second life" has begun. And so...I have released myself to be able to do things that I "always wanted to do." And so...this happened on Feb 27:

I usually go through a love hate relationship with my hair...and often have I dreamed of just shaving my hair all off. And so I did...and I LOVE it! I am so lucky that DH loves it too:

What I find is that having such little hair is quite freeing. I am just me. And I don't find myself worrying over my hair style or having to fuss with my hair, which I generally find to be more of a burden than a joy. It sounds ridiculous but I appreciate not having to really maintain my hair for a while and the ease with which I can do even simple silly things like washing my face before bed. And I am thoroughly enjoying the feeling that my appearance is finally reflecting the way I feel inside. I was concerned that I would look like a chemo patient or some other such negative connotation but I find that I am associating myself much more with GI Jane than anything else. DH calls it my post-apocalyptic bad@$$ chick look. So now I continue to work on getting the body that I associate with my hair.

Without having to manage my hair, I'm having more fun with makeup and clothes:

I really like the Kosas cosmetics that I've purchased. The tinted oil is so light and yet does a nice job on my skin, with the added bonus of being full of nourishing ingredients. And I like the liquid eyeshadow and the tinted lip balm. 

These are my latest pants. Columbia brand, they are more outdoor pants than anything fancy but I like them...and it's very gratifying to be down to a size 12 from a high of size 20! And fitting back into this shirt...I haven't been able to wear it for a long time...you know I love this green color!

My birthday celebration DH taking vacation time begins Thursday night March 17. Just a little over a week away! We're going to a weekend music festival in Tampa to see some of my favorite bands, Incubus and Lumineers, among many others. Back home for a day and then we leave for Fairbanks. for a long week. It'll be a whole different kind of wardrobe that I'll be taking to Alaska but I will share pictures...I'll be gathering everything together this week to pack.