Cruisin'

Susan finally got me (after 40 years) to take a cruise. We just got back from Alaska. It was great. Norwegian Cruise Lines' freestyle cruises eliminate many of the issues that have kept me from wanting to go on a cruise. Essentially, one is left to do whatever one wants and that includes meals. I didn't have to make small talk with anyone but my wife.

Our trip was seven days out of Seattle. We stopped in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Prince Rupert , Canada. We did some sort of excursion at each stop. They were all great, although one of our planned excursions got cancelled and Susan wasn't able to go on the helicopter flight because of her broken foot.

Here's a sample of the things we saw. First the skyline of Seattle from the ship.

A sunset from the ship the first night out. The weather was fantastic all cruise long. Everyone was amazed that we had warm clear days for the whole cruise.

Each night our stewards treated us to a different animal made from our clean towels. (The Eyes are chocolates.)

In Ketchikan, we visited Totem Bight Park where they preserve and reproduce totem poles. (If you are curious, a bight is a section of shoreline where it looks like someone took a "bite" out.) Here are the totem poles at the entrance to the park.

We hoped to go on a whale watching expedition in Prince Rupert, but the excursion boat broke down and the trip was cancelled. We did sight some whales from the ship one night. Here's a tail. (You may have to enlarge the picture to see it well.)

In Juneau, Susan and I both visited Mendenhall Glacier. I did it from the glacier itself via helicopter and Susan from the bay where it meets the water.

A shot from the helicopter.

The top of the glacier.

The bottom of the glacier. First from Susan's viewpoint and then from mine in the helicopter.

We also got a close up look at Sawyer glacier. If the stars align, cruise ships can sail right up to its base. As it happened, we were the first ship that was able to find the fjord ice free enough to make the two hour trip up to the glacier. First, ice bergs we had to dodge.

A waterfall along the way.

The glacier itself. Unfortunately we didn't get to see any icebergs forming.

In Skagway, we took the White Pass railway that parallels the route taken by the Klondike gold rushers in the 1890s. Some of the old path is still visible and its almost unbelievable that people walked all the way to the top. They had to carry a ton of supplies (considered a years worth) up to the Canadian border or the Mounties wouldn't let them in. Needless to say, they had to make more than one trip. The railroad bends back on itself so much that I was able to take a picture of the front of our train.

One of the bridges we had to cross on the train.

Here's a lighthouse we saw on the way to Prince Rupert. There were a lot more, but we tended to pass most of them at night.

The harbor at Prince Rupert.

Our whale watching excursion in Prince Rupert was cancelled, but we got the opportunity to see the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride (or bilingually, the Gendarmerie Royal du Canada Carrousel). It was fabulous, we got to meet the mounties and their horses and see a Native American (in Canada, First Nation) dance as well as see the ride itself. First the dance.

The Ride.

If you look close at the rear of the horse (no bad jokes, please) you will be able to see the maple leaf that is water brushed on to each horse prior to the Ride.

That's the cruise. We liked it enough to try another one sometime.

Backyard Fauna

We had some visitors at lunch time today. A mother deer and her two babies showed up to have a snack in the neighbor's backyard.

After a while the babies got tired and decided to rest while mother moved around finding more to eat.

Mom posed for a shot in the neighbor's backyard.

When I went outside to get a better shot, they all became a little skittish and started to move away.

Late Afternoon in Texas

Chicago II

The purpose of my trip to Chicago was to help out with a new course my old department had developed. They had some instructors drop out, so they brought me out of retirement. Everything went really well, so they probably didn't really need me, but it gave me a chance to catch up with former colleagues and friends.

Here's the line-up. The boss:

Her right hand man (and his fallen hero):

The reformed banker:

The mountain man:

The new guy:

The brains behind the class:

The big cheese from Richmond:

The guy from Black Rock (the town, not the Treasury's asset manager):

And the techie who keeps the lab running:

All kidding aside, I had a great time. It was fun brushing off some of the cobwebs that have collected over the past two years.

Chicago I

We just got back from Chicago. I went up to teach a class for the Fed, so Susan decided to go along. Unfortunately her mobility was limited by her broken foot. We spent the first four days with Rob and Sarah and then moved downtown while I was working at the Fed (when I retired, I also gave up commuting). It was nice to get some time with Rob, Sarah and the kids--we don't get to see them nearly often enough. Here are some pictures of the kids. It seems like every time we visit, one of them is camera shy. Last time it was the oldest. This time it was the youngest girl.

All but one:

The youngest granddaughter did allow this picture:

She has the cutest blonde curls.

The oldest girl really dotes on her little brother. He's about the happiest baby I've ever seen.

The two oldest. They make perfect playmates for one another. The oldest (left) plays drums and his brother plays guitar (Rock Band).

Both boys are playing baseball this year. I think they both are having a good time, but the second oldest practically sleeps in his uniform.

Both older boys are also into scouts. While we were there, the oldest took his mom on a mother/scout camping trip. We think she was very brave. She is a pure-bred city girl (she grew up in Greenwich Village in New York). But she held up well on the trip. Here's a picture of her setting out her tent to dry after the trip.

Her son seems amused by the process.

Painted Churches of Texas

You might have thought that we had seen enough churches in Italy, but we signed up for a Sun City sponsored tour before we left. It seems that the Czech and German immigrants to Texas in the 19th century built a lot of churches across the state. From the outside the churches look pretty ordinary, but once you go inside they are anything but ordinary. We visited churches near Schulenburg, which is between San Antonio and Houston about two hours south of Austin. We visited the churches in Dubina, Ammansville, High Hill and Praha. There are lot more of these churches and at least 15 of them on the National Register of Historic Places, so this is just a sample. Most of them are open for visitors all the time.

The church in Dubina.

The Church in Ammansville. No exterior shot.

The Church in High Hill. One of the prettiest exteriors.

The church in Praha.