Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Chase Away the Winter Blues with the Bahamas
Here are some pictures of our cruise to and from Florida via the Bahamas. They are not that great because we didn't take the bulky digital:
First stop--Coco Cay
See our ship anchored offshore? We were ferried by small boat from the ship to the island. This is a private island owned by the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. Dave snorkeled a little but since he has snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef off of Australia, nothing compares. I didn't snorkel because I would have attracted sharks if you get my drift.
Our trip started out a little cloudy and people were complaining. I just kept saying the skies looked perfectly normal to me. Then while sitting on this beach, I felt probably three drops of rain. I was amazed at the panic. People started packing up their beach bags, ran for cover, and then lined up for the little boat back to the ship. I couldn't believe it. It was warm and we all had on swimming suits which are designed to get wet! Some of us are used to being outside in the rain and to me it was a treat because it was so warm.
Second stop--Nassau, Bahamas
We had a room with a balcony. For claustraphobia reasons, I would not go on a cruise without the sliding door onto a balcony. It was wonderful. The rooms are small compared to normal hotel rooms so having the access to outside was so nice. This particular morning was so fun. We felt the ship shudder and it woke us. We opened the drapes and we were docking in Nassau and we were able to watch it all from our room.
Two mornings, rather than eating at the breakfast buffet, we had croissants, coffee, and fruit delivered to our room. This way, we were able to sit on our balcony and drink coffee with leisure and relaxation. Ah, yes!
Protesters at the Immigration Building
Cruise ships offer all of these excursions. Frankly, I think they are overpriced. We took off on foot to explore Nassau on our own and were able to see many of the same sights that other passengers paid to be taken to. Anyway, we noticed the protestors asking for the Immigration Minister's head for being in photos with Anna Nicole Smith.
Queen Victoria's Steps
The Bahamas belonged to Britain. In fact, they have only been independent since 1973 though they still belong to the Commonwealth. Slaves built these steps and each step represents a year of the 64 year reign of Queen Victoria. Interestingly, emancipation happened in the Bahamas in the 1830's--years and years before our Civil War.
Paradise Island
An exclusive area of Nassau is being developed called Paradise Island. A huge resort called the Atlantis (behind me in the photo) has been built here. We walked in the lobby so I could use the bathroom. I love to do that--use the bathrooms in the fancy resorts to see what they are like. They have a huge casino so we looked in there and what did I see? Yes, I was certain it was Seattle's own Dale Chihuly glass sculpture chandelier. I found an information person and asked. Sure enough, his work is so distinct I knew immediately I was correct.
Cocoa Beach, Florida--Last Stop
This is the view of the beach from Dave's sister's condo. She has been hit twice by hurricanes in four years. As a result, she has redone her kitchen twice and of course, has replaced floors and carpets. Supposedly, historically this area is protected from hurricanes. This is why NASA built its facilities at nearby Cape Canaveral. But, you know, we've got this climate thing going on which has changed things in a dramatic way----even if I did freeze to death on her deck!
Here are some pictures of our cruise to and from Florida via the Bahamas. They are not that great because we didn't take the bulky digital:
First stop--Coco Cay
See our ship anchored offshore? We were ferried by small boat from the ship to the island. This is a private island owned by the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. Dave snorkeled a little but since he has snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef off of Australia, nothing compares. I didn't snorkel because I would have attracted sharks if you get my drift.
Our trip started out a little cloudy and people were complaining. I just kept saying the skies looked perfectly normal to me. Then while sitting on this beach, I felt probably three drops of rain. I was amazed at the panic. People started packing up their beach bags, ran for cover, and then lined up for the little boat back to the ship. I couldn't believe it. It was warm and we all had on swimming suits which are designed to get wet! Some of us are used to being outside in the rain and to me it was a treat because it was so warm.
Second stop--Nassau, Bahamas
We had a room with a balcony. For claustraphobia reasons, I would not go on a cruise without the sliding door onto a balcony. It was wonderful. The rooms are small compared to normal hotel rooms so having the access to outside was so nice. This particular morning was so fun. We felt the ship shudder and it woke us. We opened the drapes and we were docking in Nassau and we were able to watch it all from our room.
Two mornings, rather than eating at the breakfast buffet, we had croissants, coffee, and fruit delivered to our room. This way, we were able to sit on our balcony and drink coffee with leisure and relaxation. Ah, yes!
Protesters at the Immigration Building
Cruise ships offer all of these excursions. Frankly, I think they are overpriced. We took off on foot to explore Nassau on our own and were able to see many of the same sights that other passengers paid to be taken to. Anyway, we noticed the protestors asking for the Immigration Minister's head for being in photos with Anna Nicole Smith.
Queen Victoria's Steps
The Bahamas belonged to Britain. In fact, they have only been independent since 1973 though they still belong to the Commonwealth. Slaves built these steps and each step represents a year of the 64 year reign of Queen Victoria. Interestingly, emancipation happened in the Bahamas in the 1830's--years and years before our Civil War.
Paradise Island
An exclusive area of Nassau is being developed called Paradise Island. A huge resort called the Atlantis (behind me in the photo) has been built here. We walked in the lobby so I could use the bathroom. I love to do that--use the bathrooms in the fancy resorts to see what they are like. They have a huge casino so we looked in there and what did I see? Yes, I was certain it was Seattle's own Dale Chihuly glass sculpture chandelier. I found an information person and asked. Sure enough, his work is so distinct I knew immediately I was correct.
Cocoa Beach, Florida--Last Stop
This is the view of the beach from Dave's sister's condo. She has been hit twice by hurricanes in four years. As a result, she has redone her kitchen twice and of course, has replaced floors and carpets. Supposedly, historically this area is protected from hurricanes. This is why NASA built its facilities at nearby Cape Canaveral. But, you know, we've got this climate thing going on which has changed things in a dramatic way----even if I did freeze to death on her deck!
// posted by Janet @ 2:23 PM
4 comments
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Sitka and Spruce---Dining Seattle Style
If you are familiar with the great Pacfic Northwest, you will recognize my title as the names of two of our gigantic evergreens. This is correct but it is also the name of a small Seattle restaurant. I had read about this eatery months ago but was hesitant to try it because they have "communal" tables. The place only holds about 20 customers total and then to be kind of jammed in the same small space.....well, I wasn't sure. The reviews of the food have been terrific. As such, with my new found courage after eating at a community dinner table on a cruise ship, I thought we'd give it a try. Besides, it is in Eastlake which is close to the UW and easy access to downtown.
Speaking of Eastlake---Seattle is enormously confusing because of water water everywhere. Eastlake refers to the east side of Lake Union. Westlake is the west side of Lake Union. Northlake is the north side but there does not seem to be a Southlake--it just turns from Eastlake to Westlake somewhere near Chandler's Crab House. However, we do have a Northgate area which is north and east of Greenlake. We also have the Eastside including an area called Eastgate which is actually Bellevue and is on the east side of Lake Washington. We do not seem to have a Westside. But finally, there is West Seattle and it has nothing to do with a lake but is instead located on the east side of Puget Sound. Curving waterside roads and bridges connect them all. Ah, I guess you have to live here.
The location of the restaurant was important because we have season tickets to the 5th Avenue Theatre and we like to eat somewhere between the University and 5th Ave. before the show. The musical we attended last night was "The Buddy Holly Story." I can finally say that I am too young to know about something. Of course, I had heard about Buddy Holly mainly from Don McLean's song "American Pie" from my generation. But Buddy Holly was actually before my time, as they say. We enjoyed the production and were surprised that some of the familiar songs were Buddy Holly's. What I was startled to learn was that Buddy Holly recorded his first hits at the age of 19. He was on top of the billboards for a mere 18 months before his death in a plane crash in Iowa at the age of 21. These are the ages of my children so the ending of the show actually freaked me out!
And now for my little restaurant review: First of all, we sat at a table for six. One couple was seated and we sat at the other end of the table which left two single separate seats. Knowing that the place fills up, we moved closer so the remaining two places would be together. How bad could it be? Seattle folks just ignore one another anyway. Sure enough, another couple joined us to fill the empty spots. With true Seattle spirit, we all ignored one another to look at the extensive menu written on a black board.
A foursome entered and took the last remaining table. The tiny place was full and then it became impossible to ignore one another. My husband knew one of the foursome. Since they were seated an inch away, handshakes and introductions were in order. We are a polite people, after all. Following all of that joviality, one of the men seated at our table of six asked my husband in a whisper who the man was that my husband knew. It turned out he had gone to high school with my husband's acquaintance and hadn't seen him for 35 years.
This guy then squeezed behind our chairs to embrace the man at the table of four. It took them a few minutes to catch up on 35 years. Wow! The place was beginning to hop. Politely, we ordered our food and turned to our own partners in conversation for a good portion of the meal. On the cruise ship, by contrast, communal conversation continued throughout the meal. As is common with Seattleites, the interaction with each other begins again when the end is near. For example, on airplanes, we do not talk to our seat mates until the pilot announces we are about to land. Sure enough, as we were finishing our dishes, we talked to one another again and mainly it was about the food and what we had ordered. Frankly, the entire experience was delightful because we were all Seattle people and we knew the social boundaries.
The food was fabulous. The plates are shared for two which makes for more wide range sampling. Our first course was steamed clams with fresh crusty bread for sopping up every bit of the broth. Second, they brought house made pasta with lemon and stinging nettles. I have been stung by nettles many times in my life but never have I eaten them before. They were so good--much chewier and more flavorful than spinach. Next, we had roasted tuna with chick peas and arugula. Naturally, the tuna was rare and translucent in the middle. Lastly, we shared guinea fowl with tarragon and thyme over new potatoes. When the server picked up our plate we had left a half of a potato. She said everyone always leaves a half of potato so we discussed for a few seconds why that would be?! We'd definitely go back to Sitka & Spruce. In fact, I am drooling as I write this. A link to their website:
http://www.sitkaandspruce.com/
The foursome left when we did without taking time for coffee or dessert. As we hurried out, I joked to my husband that perhaps they were going to see "The Buddy Holly Story" as well. "Yea right!" Dave responded. "There are a million things to do in Seattle on a Friday night. The fact I saw this man in that tiny restaurant was strange enough....I doubt I'll run into him again in this city of 2 million or 4 million or however big we are."
But you know what? As we walked into the theater, there they were. Dave put a hand on the guy's shoulder and we all had a huge laugh.
If you are familiar with the great Pacfic Northwest, you will recognize my title as the names of two of our gigantic evergreens. This is correct but it is also the name of a small Seattle restaurant. I had read about this eatery months ago but was hesitant to try it because they have "communal" tables. The place only holds about 20 customers total and then to be kind of jammed in the same small space.....well, I wasn't sure. The reviews of the food have been terrific. As such, with my new found courage after eating at a community dinner table on a cruise ship, I thought we'd give it a try. Besides, it is in Eastlake which is close to the UW and easy access to downtown.
Speaking of Eastlake---Seattle is enormously confusing because of water water everywhere. Eastlake refers to the east side of Lake Union. Westlake is the west side of Lake Union. Northlake is the north side but there does not seem to be a Southlake--it just turns from Eastlake to Westlake somewhere near Chandler's Crab House. However, we do have a Northgate area which is north and east of Greenlake. We also have the Eastside including an area called Eastgate which is actually Bellevue and is on the east side of Lake Washington. We do not seem to have a Westside. But finally, there is West Seattle and it has nothing to do with a lake but is instead located on the east side of Puget Sound. Curving waterside roads and bridges connect them all. Ah, I guess you have to live here.
The location of the restaurant was important because we have season tickets to the 5th Avenue Theatre and we like to eat somewhere between the University and 5th Ave. before the show. The musical we attended last night was "The Buddy Holly Story." I can finally say that I am too young to know about something. Of course, I had heard about Buddy Holly mainly from Don McLean's song "American Pie" from my generation. But Buddy Holly was actually before my time, as they say. We enjoyed the production and were surprised that some of the familiar songs were Buddy Holly's. What I was startled to learn was that Buddy Holly recorded his first hits at the age of 19. He was on top of the billboards for a mere 18 months before his death in a plane crash in Iowa at the age of 21. These are the ages of my children so the ending of the show actually freaked me out!
And now for my little restaurant review: First of all, we sat at a table for six. One couple was seated and we sat at the other end of the table which left two single separate seats. Knowing that the place fills up, we moved closer so the remaining two places would be together. How bad could it be? Seattle folks just ignore one another anyway. Sure enough, another couple joined us to fill the empty spots. With true Seattle spirit, we all ignored one another to look at the extensive menu written on a black board.
A foursome entered and took the last remaining table. The tiny place was full and then it became impossible to ignore one another. My husband knew one of the foursome. Since they were seated an inch away, handshakes and introductions were in order. We are a polite people, after all. Following all of that joviality, one of the men seated at our table of six asked my husband in a whisper who the man was that my husband knew. It turned out he had gone to high school with my husband's acquaintance and hadn't seen him for 35 years.
This guy then squeezed behind our chairs to embrace the man at the table of four. It took them a few minutes to catch up on 35 years. Wow! The place was beginning to hop. Politely, we ordered our food and turned to our own partners in conversation for a good portion of the meal. On the cruise ship, by contrast, communal conversation continued throughout the meal. As is common with Seattleites, the interaction with each other begins again when the end is near. For example, on airplanes, we do not talk to our seat mates until the pilot announces we are about to land. Sure enough, as we were finishing our dishes, we talked to one another again and mainly it was about the food and what we had ordered. Frankly, the entire experience was delightful because we were all Seattle people and we knew the social boundaries.
The food was fabulous. The plates are shared for two which makes for more wide range sampling. Our first course was steamed clams with fresh crusty bread for sopping up every bit of the broth. Second, they brought house made pasta with lemon and stinging nettles. I have been stung by nettles many times in my life but never have I eaten them before. They were so good--much chewier and more flavorful than spinach. Next, we had roasted tuna with chick peas and arugula. Naturally, the tuna was rare and translucent in the middle. Lastly, we shared guinea fowl with tarragon and thyme over new potatoes. When the server picked up our plate we had left a half of a potato. She said everyone always leaves a half of potato so we discussed for a few seconds why that would be?! We'd definitely go back to Sitka & Spruce. In fact, I am drooling as I write this. A link to their website:
http://www.sitkaandspruce.com/
The foursome left when we did without taking time for coffee or dessert. As we hurried out, I joked to my husband that perhaps they were going to see "The Buddy Holly Story" as well. "Yea right!" Dave responded. "There are a million things to do in Seattle on a Friday night. The fact I saw this man in that tiny restaurant was strange enough....I doubt I'll run into him again in this city of 2 million or 4 million or however big we are."
But you know what? As we walked into the theater, there they were. Dave put a hand on the guy's shoulder and we all had a huge laugh.
// posted by Janet @ 10:04 AM
2 comments
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Opposite Corners
We took a trip---my husband and me. If it were up to me, I would probably stay right here in Mukilteo with occasional trips to my beloved Montana. Since we are newly emptynesters, hubby thought we should take a Valentine trip in the form of a cruise. He had never been on a cruise. I went on a cruise years ago with my Mom to Alaska to make up for all of the times Dave left me with the kids to travel and to fish in Alaska. At the time, after a terrible winter of chicken pox, colds, flu and the grand finale of me being diagnosed with pneumonia complicated by severe asthma while Dave was somewhere on the east coast, I decided I desperately needed and deserved a break. Watching for and seeing orcas and humpbacks and viewing gorgeous glaciers worked wonders for my physical and mental health.
My feeling is that one cruise a lifetime is extremely fortunate. Dave did not like the idea that I had been on a cruise and he had not. Besides, Dave's sister lives six months out of the year 15 minutes away from the Bahamas cruise port in Port Canaveral, Florida. Our plan was to fly to Florida and stay with Dave's sister in her oceanfront condo for a couple of days before and after a short cruise to the Bahamas. So, this is what we did. Unfortunately, it was colder in Florida than it was in Seattle. Fortunately, It was nice and warm in the Bahamas.
As always, I am a cultural observer and use travel opportunities to come up with my completely unscientific conclusions. The following list contains a few items I learned on this trip to the opposite corner of our country and beyond to the Bahamas.
1. Meeting Strangers. Having the double whammy of English parentage and living most of my adult life in standoffish Seattle makes meeting people on a cruise a little painful. The first day I noticed a loud American woman being overly friendly and introducing herself to fellow passengers left and right. My reaction was to go the other direction every time I saw her. My hope was that she would not be placed at our dinner table. She wasn't.
2. Communal tables. At lunch one day, Dave and I sat at a communal table for eight people. One couple was at one end so we placed ourselves at the other end. I admit it! I am Seattle cool and I didn't feel like talking to anyone but my own husband. Another couple approached the table and they could have sat next to us or next to the couple by the window. To my relief, they cozied up to the window folks. Within seconds, these people had introduced themselves. One couple was from Iowa and the other from Illinois and within minutes they knew each other's grand children's names and were sharing pictures like they had known each other for 30 years. I was completely amazed at this little cultural exchange. Seattleites are reluctant to engage other human beings in such an intimate way.
3. Dinner Seating. We had requested small seating for the evening dining room in hopes that we would get a rare table for just the two of us. But no. The cruise powers that be assigned us to a table of 10. We were going to eat dinner every night with eight people we had never met before. Yikes! I feel so proud of myself because this Seattleite overcame anti-social behavior. One of the highlights of the entire cruise was our evening dinners with four other delightful couples. It turned out to be a good mix. Two couples were from New York---one from Yonkers and the other from Long Island. Another couple was from Toronto. The Toronto husband was Italian and first generation North American. Finally, the remaining two people were from San Francisco. We laughed about being fellow left coasters. I found everyone to be endlessly fascinating and loved being able to ask question after question. Stories from the dinner table will probably be another blog topic.
4. Food. Americans eat too much. Cruise ships have tons of food available all of the time. I could not believe how passengers would pile their plates two feet tall and make pigs of themselves. On the flight back from Orlando, the plane was filled with so many folks that I would call grossly obese. When we switched planes in Minneapolis and reached the gate for the flight to Seattle, I noticed the passengers were for the most part much slimmer. I believe there is a problem in the South. I really felt sorry for folks who could barely fit in an airplane seat and struggled with carrying luggage and walking.
5. Drink. Americans on cruise ships and in Florida for the Daytona 500 drink way too much alcohol. Beginning at 9 in the morning, whether on the beach in the Bahamas, a beach side bar in Cocoa Beach, or on the ship poolside, they start coming around with Coco Locos or Bahama Mamas or as much beer as you want. I probably witnessed more drunken behavior on this trip than in my entire life. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy a rum drink now and then and wine with my dinner and I have been known to be tipsy a time or two but wow.....!
6. Anna Nicole Smith. Along with overdosage on everything else, Florida and the Bahamas were/are overdosing on this tragedy. We even saw protesters in Nassau, Bahamas at the immigration building demanding that the Immigration Minister be fired because of photos of him with Anna Nicole Smith. Ugh!
7. Daytona 500. I got a little taste of America's obsession with Nascar when we went to Kansas in October but I got a huge dose of it in Florida. Dave's sister had friends and relatives from all over the country including Philadelphia, Boston, Tacoma and Seattle in Cocoa Beach for the weekend just to go to the Daytona 500. I had the privilege of meeting seven delightful successful young men in their 30's who left jobs, wives and children behind in order to attend this car race.
8. Dave's sister. Seven years ago Dave's sister lost her husband of over 30 years to a brain tumor. It was wonderful to see how her life has turned around. She has a great man in her life who has lovely sons and nephews (obsessed with Nascar). Her condo is right on the beach with views of Cape Canaveral. We even watched a satellite rocket be launched. She enjoys her friends and her life there. And I learned that her best friend who we ate dinner with the first night was Richard Gere's high school sweetheart. Now how cool is that??!! Evidently, he was involved in high school theater with her. As a senior, he played the king in "The King and I" and brought the house down.
9. Photos. On cruise ships, they take pictures of you doing everything. Most of them we didn't recognize ourselves but we did have a couple that turned out and here they are:
First day!
Formal night!
More pictures and photos will come later. As I look out of my window in Mukilteo at this moment, it is raining with a little snow mixed in. A week ago I was worried about sunburn!
We took a trip---my husband and me. If it were up to me, I would probably stay right here in Mukilteo with occasional trips to my beloved Montana. Since we are newly emptynesters, hubby thought we should take a Valentine trip in the form of a cruise. He had never been on a cruise. I went on a cruise years ago with my Mom to Alaska to make up for all of the times Dave left me with the kids to travel and to fish in Alaska. At the time, after a terrible winter of chicken pox, colds, flu and the grand finale of me being diagnosed with pneumonia complicated by severe asthma while Dave was somewhere on the east coast, I decided I desperately needed and deserved a break. Watching for and seeing orcas and humpbacks and viewing gorgeous glaciers worked wonders for my physical and mental health.
My feeling is that one cruise a lifetime is extremely fortunate. Dave did not like the idea that I had been on a cruise and he had not. Besides, Dave's sister lives six months out of the year 15 minutes away from the Bahamas cruise port in Port Canaveral, Florida. Our plan was to fly to Florida and stay with Dave's sister in her oceanfront condo for a couple of days before and after a short cruise to the Bahamas. So, this is what we did. Unfortunately, it was colder in Florida than it was in Seattle. Fortunately, It was nice and warm in the Bahamas.
As always, I am a cultural observer and use travel opportunities to come up with my completely unscientific conclusions. The following list contains a few items I learned on this trip to the opposite corner of our country and beyond to the Bahamas.
1. Meeting Strangers. Having the double whammy of English parentage and living most of my adult life in standoffish Seattle makes meeting people on a cruise a little painful. The first day I noticed a loud American woman being overly friendly and introducing herself to fellow passengers left and right. My reaction was to go the other direction every time I saw her. My hope was that she would not be placed at our dinner table. She wasn't.
2. Communal tables. At lunch one day, Dave and I sat at a communal table for eight people. One couple was at one end so we placed ourselves at the other end. I admit it! I am Seattle cool and I didn't feel like talking to anyone but my own husband. Another couple approached the table and they could have sat next to us or next to the couple by the window. To my relief, they cozied up to the window folks. Within seconds, these people had introduced themselves. One couple was from Iowa and the other from Illinois and within minutes they knew each other's grand children's names and were sharing pictures like they had known each other for 30 years. I was completely amazed at this little cultural exchange. Seattleites are reluctant to engage other human beings in such an intimate way.
3. Dinner Seating. We had requested small seating for the evening dining room in hopes that we would get a rare table for just the two of us. But no. The cruise powers that be assigned us to a table of 10. We were going to eat dinner every night with eight people we had never met before. Yikes! I feel so proud of myself because this Seattleite overcame anti-social behavior. One of the highlights of the entire cruise was our evening dinners with four other delightful couples. It turned out to be a good mix. Two couples were from New York---one from Yonkers and the other from Long Island. Another couple was from Toronto. The Toronto husband was Italian and first generation North American. Finally, the remaining two people were from San Francisco. We laughed about being fellow left coasters. I found everyone to be endlessly fascinating and loved being able to ask question after question. Stories from the dinner table will probably be another blog topic.
4. Food. Americans eat too much. Cruise ships have tons of food available all of the time. I could not believe how passengers would pile their plates two feet tall and make pigs of themselves. On the flight back from Orlando, the plane was filled with so many folks that I would call grossly obese. When we switched planes in Minneapolis and reached the gate for the flight to Seattle, I noticed the passengers were for the most part much slimmer. I believe there is a problem in the South. I really felt sorry for folks who could barely fit in an airplane seat and struggled with carrying luggage and walking.
5. Drink. Americans on cruise ships and in Florida for the Daytona 500 drink way too much alcohol. Beginning at 9 in the morning, whether on the beach in the Bahamas, a beach side bar in Cocoa Beach, or on the ship poolside, they start coming around with Coco Locos or Bahama Mamas or as much beer as you want. I probably witnessed more drunken behavior on this trip than in my entire life. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy a rum drink now and then and wine with my dinner and I have been known to be tipsy a time or two but wow.....!
6. Anna Nicole Smith. Along with overdosage on everything else, Florida and the Bahamas were/are overdosing on this tragedy. We even saw protesters in Nassau, Bahamas at the immigration building demanding that the Immigration Minister be fired because of photos of him with Anna Nicole Smith. Ugh!
7. Daytona 500. I got a little taste of America's obsession with Nascar when we went to Kansas in October but I got a huge dose of it in Florida. Dave's sister had friends and relatives from all over the country including Philadelphia, Boston, Tacoma and Seattle in Cocoa Beach for the weekend just to go to the Daytona 500. I had the privilege of meeting seven delightful successful young men in their 30's who left jobs, wives and children behind in order to attend this car race.
8. Dave's sister. Seven years ago Dave's sister lost her husband of over 30 years to a brain tumor. It was wonderful to see how her life has turned around. She has a great man in her life who has lovely sons and nephews (obsessed with Nascar). Her condo is right on the beach with views of Cape Canaveral. We even watched a satellite rocket be launched. She enjoys her friends and her life there. And I learned that her best friend who we ate dinner with the first night was Richard Gere's high school sweetheart. Now how cool is that??!! Evidently, he was involved in high school theater with her. As a senior, he played the king in "The King and I" and brought the house down.
9. Photos. On cruise ships, they take pictures of you doing everything. Most of them we didn't recognize ourselves but we did have a couple that turned out and here they are:
First day!
Formal night!
More pictures and photos will come later. As I look out of my window in Mukilteo at this moment, it is raining with a little snow mixed in. A week ago I was worried about sunburn!
// posted by Janet @ 8:07 AM
5 comments
Friday, February 09, 2007
Mystery Mukilteo Maple
After my last post, my children continue to wonder about my state of mind. Hey, I'm eccentric--always have been and it makes me happy to anthropomorphize the world. I observe the world from the smallest creatures to the largest with awe. But guess what my dear children? Evidently, I am not the only one.
Yesterday, I discovered Mildred while walking Apolo--Mildred the Maple. I was waiting for Apolo to finish his business so I could clean it up when I realized I was being stared at. There she was. Now, I don't know who created her but it is someone with some artistic skills with clay or pottery or ceramics. There I was, seemingly alone with my Seattle Times bag of poop, laughing out loud.
Who did this, I wonder? Given that the family at the end of the street and the nearest house to Mildred (whose last name begins with P) has a couple of artistic members, I am assuming they are responsible. Believe me, upon close inspection, quite a lot of work went into the mystery face.
So here she is:
After my last post, my children continue to wonder about my state of mind. Hey, I'm eccentric--always have been and it makes me happy to anthropomorphize the world. I observe the world from the smallest creatures to the largest with awe. But guess what my dear children? Evidently, I am not the only one.
Yesterday, I discovered Mildred while walking Apolo--Mildred the Maple. I was waiting for Apolo to finish his business so I could clean it up when I realized I was being stared at. There she was. Now, I don't know who created her but it is someone with some artistic skills with clay or pottery or ceramics. There I was, seemingly alone with my Seattle Times bag of poop, laughing out loud.
Who did this, I wonder? Given that the family at the end of the street and the nearest house to Mildred (whose last name begins with P) has a couple of artistic members, I am assuming they are responsible. Believe me, upon close inspection, quite a lot of work went into the mystery face.
So here she is:
// posted by Janet @ 2:28 PM
1 comments
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Birds
As everyone knows, my Golden Retriever, Apolo is my buddy and walking companion. I have had Golden Retrievers since I was seven years old. My Dad, naturally, used the dogs we had as I was growing up as hunting assistants.
Apolo is terrified of loud noises so hunting would be traumatic for him but he is very birdie. Our walks are hunts for him. He would much rather scare up a bird than a squirrel. Our neighborhood does not disappoint. Here are some birds I see and hear every week if not every day in Mukilteo.
A couple of days ago, we scared up three blue herons. These things are gigantic and scare the bejeebers out of Apolo and me. I call them pteradactyls because of their size. Anyway, Hugo, Harvey and Henrietta squawked loudly and landed in the tops of 60 foot doug firs where they continued this low gurgling. I stopped and quietly Apolo had a stare down with the three huge dinosaur descendents.
Hugo: Do you think we can take the gold furry thing down there?
Harvey: I dunno---he's pretty big. Fat, too. He'd last several meals.
Henrietta: Come on you guys, we eat fish, amphibians and reptiles--not mammals. I say pass, you macho idiots.
taken Feb. 1 by Stu Davidson for King5--blue heron eating a bullfrog.
On Sunday, a log jam was being pulled by a tug boat near our house. It was covered in seals going on a seal cruise. But the seals were joined by a bald eagle sitting on the stern of the log jam as if he owned the whole thing.
Susie: Look at that eagle being lazy! My gosh, he is just sitting there and letting the tug boat pull him from Tacoma to Everett to fish. And if you ask me, he is invading our seal cruise.
Sonny: Well, what do you think we are doing, Susie? We are not exactly getting our exercise, either, stretched out for the ride. And from the looks of you---just sayin'.
Susie: Shut up, Sonny.
One of the eagles by my house who fishes the correct way.
Across the road from where I took the picture of the kids building a snowman (below), Apolo scared up two shore birds that I believe were sandpipers. They were probably looking for a good place to nest.
Sylvia: Steve, honey, this is not a good place to build a nest. We are being chased by a huge gold slobbery furry thing.
Steve: I know I know. But just look at the bluffs where we used to live. They are building these huge people houses all over the place. I thought we'd be safe here. Sorry, Sylvia.
Sandpiper
Everyday, we scare up flickers. They are a type of woodpecker and they just love all of our dead and fallen trees. Their other claim to fame is that in the spring the males try to outdo one another to mark territory by pecking on our chimney caps. And they do it at 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning. Evidently, the loudest has the biggest--well, you get the idea.
Fred: There is that ridiculous gold dog getting his jollies again by scaring us.
Flossie: Oh yes, dear, but we know where he lives! And their chimney cap is now on nice and tight. It doesn't wobble anymore. And oh Fred, I just love it when you peck chimney caps.
Fred: Ha! I'll get back at him come March. Their entire family will think they are being attacked by a gatling gun. Yes. Indeed!
Yep, just looking up and listening and being quiet allow you see and hear the routines of nature.
As everyone knows, my Golden Retriever, Apolo is my buddy and walking companion. I have had Golden Retrievers since I was seven years old. My Dad, naturally, used the dogs we had as I was growing up as hunting assistants.
Apolo is terrified of loud noises so hunting would be traumatic for him but he is very birdie. Our walks are hunts for him. He would much rather scare up a bird than a squirrel. Our neighborhood does not disappoint. Here are some birds I see and hear every week if not every day in Mukilteo.
A couple of days ago, we scared up three blue herons. These things are gigantic and scare the bejeebers out of Apolo and me. I call them pteradactyls because of their size. Anyway, Hugo, Harvey and Henrietta squawked loudly and landed in the tops of 60 foot doug firs where they continued this low gurgling. I stopped and quietly Apolo had a stare down with the three huge dinosaur descendents.
Hugo: Do you think we can take the gold furry thing down there?
Harvey: I dunno---he's pretty big. Fat, too. He'd last several meals.
Henrietta: Come on you guys, we eat fish, amphibians and reptiles--not mammals. I say pass, you macho idiots.
taken Feb. 1 by Stu Davidson for King5--blue heron eating a bullfrog.
On Sunday, a log jam was being pulled by a tug boat near our house. It was covered in seals going on a seal cruise. But the seals were joined by a bald eagle sitting on the stern of the log jam as if he owned the whole thing.
Susie: Look at that eagle being lazy! My gosh, he is just sitting there and letting the tug boat pull him from Tacoma to Everett to fish. And if you ask me, he is invading our seal cruise.
Sonny: Well, what do you think we are doing, Susie? We are not exactly getting our exercise, either, stretched out for the ride. And from the looks of you---just sayin'.
Susie: Shut up, Sonny.
One of the eagles by my house who fishes the correct way.
Across the road from where I took the picture of the kids building a snowman (below), Apolo scared up two shore birds that I believe were sandpipers. They were probably looking for a good place to nest.
Sylvia: Steve, honey, this is not a good place to build a nest. We are being chased by a huge gold slobbery furry thing.
Steve: I know I know. But just look at the bluffs where we used to live. They are building these huge people houses all over the place. I thought we'd be safe here. Sorry, Sylvia.
Sandpiper
Everyday, we scare up flickers. They are a type of woodpecker and they just love all of our dead and fallen trees. Their other claim to fame is that in the spring the males try to outdo one another to mark territory by pecking on our chimney caps. And they do it at 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning. Evidently, the loudest has the biggest--well, you get the idea.
Fred: There is that ridiculous gold dog getting his jollies again by scaring us.
Flossie: Oh yes, dear, but we know where he lives! And their chimney cap is now on nice and tight. It doesn't wobble anymore. And oh Fred, I just love it when you peck chimney caps.
Fred: Ha! I'll get back at him come March. Their entire family will think they are being attacked by a gatling gun. Yes. Indeed!
Yep, just looking up and listening and being quiet allow you see and hear the routines of nature.
// posted by Janet @ 12:36 PM
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