Wednesday, June 29, 2011

A Milestone!

I've mentioned that there is a beautiful park nearby that the kids go bananas for, and where I do most of my portrait photo shoots. We all love that place! One feature of the park is that it is encircled by train tracks. And there is, in fact, a train that does the loop. It doesn't run all the time, though-- usually just on Saturdays and special occasions (like the Fourth of July, when it will be packed to the gills with kids).

We went to the park this afternoon, since they have recently started hosting a Wednesday-afternoon Farmer's Market (in addition to their Saturday morning one). The plan was to walk around the market, see if we "needed" anything, then let the kids roam around the park for a bit. But, surprisingly, the train was running! I guess they are running it during the Wednesday Farmer's Market for the duration of the summer, which is good to know!

Well... Nikos loves trains, but has always chickened out when faced with the prospect of actually getting on this one. He gets SO scared! But the park was pretty empty today and, in a moment of sheer bravery that completely shocked me, Nikos said he thought he'd like to ride the train.

After I picked my jaw back off the ground, I high-tailed it into the depot, forked over my $2.50 ($1.50 for me and $.50 for each kid), and we hopped on. We had the entire car to ourselves... Actually, we had the entire TRAIN to ourselves until the last minute, when another family got onto the other passenger car. And off we went! Maya (AKA Miss Independent) was giggling and smiling from the start, but Nikos clung to my side for a minute... And then he started laughing and smiling and didn't stop until the ride was over! He did it! HE RODE THE TRAIN! And I happened to have my crummy camera in my purse, thank goodness. Never leave home without a camera!

Anyway, I was so proud of him. Maya, too, for being so well-behaved... but it was a huge accomplishment for our very cautious boy. And he has since told every person he has seen all about it, haha!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

The Good Life

You know how sometimes you go to the grocery store, and you end up buying so much more than usual? Like you run out of all the most basic things at once? Well, that was today. We were at the market for a pretty long time. Luckily, the kids were cooperative, AND they got to talk to the firefighters in line with us and see the big firetruck out in the parking lot. That always helps!

Anyway... today was otherwise fairly uneventful. The kids Skyped for a bit with their cousin, which was really cute. It was the first time they'd ever done it, but it's definitely something they need to do more often! They loved singing his favorite songs to him, and he replied in his cute 9.5-month-old fashion ("singing" back and trying to push computer buttons, haha!).

Both kids took great naps (hallelujah!), and we got in some nice outside/"swimming" time afterwards. This little wading pool is so tiny, yet so perfect! It fills up quickly (requiring less water, obviously), and heats up nicely while they nap. And the bottom inflates as well, so they can jump and splash and be totally wild to their hearts' content without getting hurt. Love it!

After they were completely worn out, we watched a little TV and I gave Nikos the new scissors I bought him. He's never really tried cutting before, and I thought it was time! We discussed the rule (scissors are only for cutting the paper Mommy gives you... not hair, clothing, people, mail, etc.). I asked him which hand he wanted to use, and he held out his left one. He is so totally a lefty! I always ask him, first, but he uses his left hand for everything! And I made sure to buy scissors that would work for him. The little guy patiently sat on the floor and practiced cutting a sheet of paper for nearly half an hour!

Then he willingly relinquished them to me so I could put them "where Maya won't get them because they're for big kids, not her." Love that kid!

And, on a side note, I just realized that I have been blogging nearly every day! ha! It's totally driven by whatever pictures I take on a given day, and me wanting to share them. And with me being home now, I take a lot more pictures! But there's no way I can maintain this pace, and it will get boring, I know... So worry not! I will relax, haha!

Monday, June 27, 2011

Looooong Day

Oh my goodness. It is 6:36pm, and I feel like I could just close my eyes and instantly fall asleep. Must. Stay. Awake. For a little while longer, anyway!

As I mentioned yesterday, today was the day that our cleaning lady came. That meant we needed to be out of the house from 7:30 until around 11:30. Four solid hours. Usually, when she comes during the summer, I just drive up to my parents' house the night before and visit with them until lunchtime. However, they weren't home, so that wasn't an option! And seeing as how we let our zoo membership lapse a few months back, in anticipation of moving, that wasn't an option either. So... I decided to wing it. And I lived to tell the tale!

We started by going out to breakfast, which was a successful outing and killed nearly an hour. After that, we went to Walmart. I returned a few things, and we wandered around (coming out with toys, new PJs, a new wading pool, a new bike helmet for Maya, and cool band-aids for the kids). Then we went to Target, where I returned a few other things (items for return tend to pile up in our house... can you tell?) and we wandered some more. The big hits there were the pinwheels in the dollar section, which both kids toted around for the rest of our outing, pausing only to blow on them and celebrate their successes. So cute!

After that, we had two hours left, and I was sort of at a loss. Nikos suggested washing my car, and it was a great idea! I also needed gas, so I went to a nearby gas station that has one of those fun drive-through carwashes. Except the carwash part was closed! In our journeys, we also passed two more closed carwashes. What gives?? I never did find an open one, so there went that idea. Oh well. My car shall remain dirty for the time being!

Instead, we went to the farther-away-and-less-convenient coffee shop that I had gotten a gift card for on the last day of school. I had a coffee drink while the kids shared a donut. We sat outside and people-watched for a bit. Nikos started to get annoyed and antsy (see pic!), so I wracked my brain to come up with our next adventure...


Then I remembered that the shopping center we were at was also home to a really cool toy store! Instead of driving to the other end of the center, I decided we should walk to kill time/burn off energy. It was a lot of fun, since there were a few cool fountains to admire, and both kids were full of energy.

Once we got to the toy store, they were in heaven! This place has two big train tables set up for kids to play with, and they were the only ones in there. So that killed about half an hour! That's when Nikos started to shift from one foot to the other, in typical "potty dance" fashion. Despite his repeated declarations that he didn't have to go, I was worried-- the toy store did not have the appropriate facilities. So I dragged them out of there, and into the bookstore next door. He never did go, so it was a false alarm-- but they both enjoyed looking at all the books, anyway! Once again, I had to drag them out of there when the time came!

I must say that the walk back to the car was a loooooong one... Maya went into koala-bear mode and had to be carried (and I was already carrying a large diaper bag). Nikos also whined that he was tired and wanted to be carried, but I told him he needed to walk. Plus, the sun was higher in the sky and it was starting to heat up. Getting back to the car never felt so good!

We finally got back home at around 11:15, but the cleaning lady wasn't done yet... So we drove out to the end of our neighborhood to look at the horses. There are a bunch of huge horse ranches out there, and we saw horses, donkeys, sheep, and goats. Score! Here are just a few of the horses... Pretty, but stinky, we all decided. :)

We drove back to the house, and she was done (hallelujah!). We inflated the new pool, got some water in it (so it could warm up for later), and ate a light lunch. Then, it was naptime! My favorite time! I was convinced that Nikos would nap today, intentionally or not, because of our adventures all morning. I was sure of it! Which means, of course, that he didn't. No, no... Instead, he wanted to put together the paper pirate ship kit we had bought at the store. Ok, fine. I moved his little table to the living room, got him set up, and let him color all the pieces. He rushed, though, because he wanted to get it done... this was the nicest part he did!

Then came the WORST part of my day... putting the %&#$ing thing together! #@$#!@$%!! It was awful! For a simple little paper pirate ship, it just about killed me. By the time I finished, Maya was waking up from her nap. And I had sat for so long, in such a weird position, that I had horrible cramps in my back and left leg. Fabulous. But here she is, in all her #$!%ing glory!

If anyone rips/steps on/whatevers this thing, I will cry! Gus suggested we get a glass bottle for it, haha!

Once Maya got up, it was time to play in the wading pool. Highlight of my day! I laid on our lounge, fighting the urge to sleep, while they splashed around in like three inches of water. It's seriously all they need. They were out there for a good 45 minutes.

And that was basically our day. I made dinner, they took a bath, they went to bed... And I am next! Thank goodness tomorrow should be a little more relaxing!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

A First!

Our big boy went to see his first movie on the big screen today! Months ago, I made the mistake of telling him that there was going to be a new "Cars" movie. This was a huge error, on many levels. One was that Nikos doesn't really get the concept of "a few months from now," and was devastated we couldn't see it right away. The second was that I (mistakenly) assumed that the movie would be sweet like the original, and totally appropriate for his first theater experience.

Well... Once I saw the trailers, I was horribly disappointed. It sure seemed like a lot of shooting and missiles and violence for a children's movie! I honestly don't know what Pixar was thinking, taking something as poignant as the original "Cars" and turning it into (basically) a James Bond movie. That just seems downright wrong!

Anyway, I was bummed, but Nikos still had his heart set on seeing it "in the theater with Daddy!" So, we talked about it, and he's a good kid. He knows that shooting is not nice and "not safe" (his words), and that it hurts people. And that it's not okay in our house. With that, he woke up early this morning, scrambled into our bed, and exclaimed that today was the day he was going to the movies! He was SO EXCITED!

So, Gus took him. And he did great! He loved the theater itself, and was particularly fascinated by the arcade games in the lobby. He liked that the chairs went "up and down a little," and declared that it was dark and spooky when the movie started. He loved the Toy Story short that aired before the feature, and sat quietly the entire time snuggling with Bear (who Gus brought along, "just in case"-- they probably could have done without, though). And Gus, at my request (since I was home with Maya), snapped this photo of our Big Boy in his seat at the theater:

After he got home and had a late lunch, he could not be convinced to nap. Instead, he talked about the movie, played outside, and then suggested we bake cupcakes. Well, that sounded like fun, so we mixed up one-third of a recipe. And, feeling patriotic, I decorated them myself with red and blue sprinkles. Aren't they purty? They taste good, too!

Later on, he got Maya involved in arranging all his "Cars"-movie cars (not to be confused with the 5 billion Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars) for the Big Race! Here you can see the racers lined up at the starting line, while the spectators are off to the side.

That's the rug in front of our sink, by the way. I managed to wash dishes without breaking my neck, which is my accomplishment du jour!

Tomorrow promises to be full of adventure, since we will be out of the house while the cleaning lady comes. Our agenda right now includes breakfast at a local cafe, mostly aimless shopping at various places, and possibly a stop at the library. Here's hoping everyone wakes up in good moods!

Beautiful Day with my Best Friends

The title of this post will make more sense when you see the video I'm going to share, but really, it does sum up our day! We celebrated our anniversary by cleaning the house, doing a TON of yardwork (that was ALL Gus!), and enjoying time together outside for a good chunk of the day. And these three people (Gus and the kids) really ARE my best friends, and I couldn't imagine a better way to spend this gorgeous day! So... Yay!

Anyway... Like I said, Gus worked hard in the yard this morning, while I worked in the house. I finished before he did, though, and took the kids out back to play. As a result, Nikos the No-Nap Kid was worn out and, despite repeated denial, promptly fell asleep when Gus asked him if he wanted to snuggle on the couch. And Gus, having busted his booty in the yard all morning, conked out right away, too. And I, of course, grabbed my camera, because that is what I do!

(I like to compare the above picture to this one, taken when Nikos had just come home from the hospital... Oh, the sweetness!!)

At around 3, Maya woke up from her nap (as usual). But the two boys were still slumbering away in the living room, so I took her outside to play some more. She got it into her head that she neeeeeeded to blow bubbles, and I did my best to dissuade her. Yes, I am a mean mommy. But we have some issues with blowing bubbles. Namely, she tends to stick the wand in her mouth, which is gross. And she absolutely refuses to let me hold the bubble solution for her... which means that the first time she successfully blows a bubble, she chases after it and ends up dumping the entire thing out on the grass. Doh! So, like I said, I tried to talk her out of it. It wasn't going very well, until I noticed the dusty old bubble maker (a gift from someone a few years back... I can't remember who, though, so please forgive me!) sitting on our patio shelf. Well, I pulled it down, checked for spiders, cleaned it up, and loaded it with bubble solution. And we were good to go!

And boy did we go! I forgot how AWESOME that thing is! It makes HUGE bubbles, most of which are bubbles-within-bubbles. There were a few gigantic ones that contained four or even five smaller bubbles. It was insane! And completely entertaining! Here are just a few pics of the fun. Nikos and Gus came out and joined us when they finally woke up (around 4:15!).



And then there's this video I feel compelled to share. This is a typical evening around our house. Nikos loves this song right now (it's his favorite), and we listened to it probably 15 times before dinner. This is a composite of three separate clips, in which my children are silly and think they are rock stars. I especially love the part about halfway through where Maya starts "singing" (in complete gibberish) into the handle of our push broom.

Seriously, these kids are crazy. And I love them. That is all!

Saturday, June 25, 2011

6 Years!

I can't believe we have been married for six years today! Although really, we've been together for almost thirteen years now. On our next anniversary, we will have officially been married longer than we dated, haha!

And instead of the usual wedding pic, how about a picture from 12-ish years ago? We look so young!!

Today

We got up, cleaned the house (as usual), and eventually got dressed. Maya interpreted my instructions to "go get your clothes" a little creatively, and ended up with this fine ensemble. Crazy kid!

Once we got dressed in our real clothes, we headed out to visit Gus at work! Both kids enjoyed playing around Daddy's office, but they enjoyed their oh-so-nutritious lunch (Happy Meals) even more. sigh!


We got back right at naptime, and Maya was already fading in the car. I thought for sure she would conk out immediately. Alas, that was not the case! The little booger played and played and played in her bed, ultimately succumbing to sleep an hour or so later. And then she slept until 4pm (late for her), surrounded by her books and toys that she had dragged in with her.

Meanwhile, Nikos had no plans to nap, as has been the case all week. No biggie, I just tell him to rest on the couch and he watches some quiet TV until Maya wakes up. Today, though, he insisted on us building a zoo out of Jenga blocks. He really put a lot of thought into it, making sure that the hippo enclosure contained a large pool and that the giraffes had trees to eat off of. And then he asked me to take a picture to show Maya when she woke up.

Moments later, the little booger settled down on the couch to watch "Cars" (his favorite movie of all time). Not five minutes later, he was snoring and curled up like this. And he stayed that way for nearly two hours!

Anyway, it was a good day! One of my favorite parts was when Nikos told me, "I like when daddy calls me 'son.' It's like a beauuuuutiful sunshine!" I laughed, but it was so sweet! Gus always says, "Goodnight, son" when he tucks him in, and Nikos loves it. Come to think of it, he also mentioned it when we saw him for the first time after getting back from Alaska! He said something to the effect of, "Now you're home, so you can tuck me in and call me 'son,' okay Daddy?"

I love my kids! :)

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Living in Limbo

Today was both cool and weird, if I do say so myself!

My awesome coworker/friend, Angie (hi Angie!), threw a "Bye-Bye Briar Barbecue" at her house. It was really nice to see my coworkers in a relaxed setting, now that we're all on vacation, and have the opportunity to say goodbye. Except it doesn't FEEL like a goodbye, since nothing is finalized yet! I mean, step one is getting the house (which we will hopefully hear about by the end of next week). Then, of course, there is the chance that we won't get it... which means we'll need to plan an emergency house-hunting trip to MA and hopefully find something we like that is NOT a short sale. Then, of course, we need to secure the loan and whatnot, and that could take a while. Ugh. The whole thing is just frustrating. And, since nothing is set in stone, the idea of saying goodbye to these wonderful people with whom I've shared six years of my life just hasn't sunk in yet. sigh.

And on the home front, it's the same thing. I am having an identity crisis! Who am I right now? Am I a stay-at-home-mom? Or am I a teacher on summer vacation? I feel like I am still a teacher, and I doubt that feeling will go away until school starts up again and I am not in a classroom.

As a planner and type-A personality, this living in limbo business bites the big one. I HATE it! Here's hoping for some (good!) news, and soon!

In the meantime... I have gotten back into the swing of things after a week of carefree vacationing. While I still feel like I am bobbing around on a ship most of the time, I have managed to keep the kidlets entertained. Yesterday, it was all about the wading pool, which they splashed around in for over an hour!


And after that, they insisted on having a picnic.

I guess summer is here! :)

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Day 8: Victoria, BC


Last night, we went to Canada for a few hours! That sounds so funny, but it's true. We were able to disembark at around 7:30pm, and had to be back on the boat no later than 11:30. And, as it turned out, we were docked over a mile away from the real downtown area, so we had a good half-hour walk just to get there and back. We hadn't booked any excursions, since it was such a short window of time, but we did enjoy just walking around the waterfront and taking in the sights. Oh, and buying a Christmas ornament, of course! It really was a pristine and beautiful city, and the British influence was definitely apparent. Gus and I also observed just how friendly the locals were, despite their town being overrun by tourists. I would have loved to have had more time to explore, but it was fun nonetheless! Here are just a few pics I took as the sun was setting:


After that, we got back on board, packed our suitcases, and prepared for this morning. Right now, we're sitting in the Seattle airport, waiting for our flight. I'm sad the trip is over, but cannot WAIT to see our babies again! Eek! Today is already such a long day, but the anticipation of seeing them again is making it even worse. Come on, airplane, let's go!!

Friday, June 17, 2011

Day 7: Ketchikan


Well, today was our last Alaskan stop, and it was bittersweet! I can honestly say that this trip has been AWESOME! I've loved visiting these rugged little "cities," sandwiched between towering mountains and the ocean. Ketchikan was definitely no exception! In fact, the city itself is partially built on wooden stilts over the ocean. There are also some buildings that look like they are clinging to the mountainside for dear life. It's pretty crazy! But "eclectic" seems to be the norm for Alaska, and it's pretty fun to see!

Anyway... We wolfed down our room service breakfast this morning, and walked down the gangway at shortly after 7am. Our first scheduled activity was attending a show called "The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show." Yes, it sounds silly and touristy and all those things... but you know what? It was a lot of fun! These lumberjacks were the real deal, most of them having competed in Timber Sports at the collegiate level. I didn't know that such a thing existed, but it does! Anyway, they were amazing to watch, and there was a lot of fun banter between the lumberjacks and the audience. And hey, there's nothing like the sound of chainsaws to wake you up. Good morning, Ketchikan!

Once the show was over, we hopped on a tour bus headed for Totem Bight State Park in the Tongass National Forest. Our driver shared a lot of information about the area, which was really fascinating. It is truly a different way of life. One thing he shared was that Ketchikan had a permanent population of about 8,000 people, but that the number swelled to over 18,000 on days when the cruise ships came in. That's more tourists than natives! I believe it, too, considering just how many cruise ships were docked there this morning-- probably at least 6 or 7!

Anyhow... Totem Bight was beautiful! It was SO green and lush. Tongass is actually considered a rainforest, which I found interesting. It's a temperate rainforest, meaning it has seasons (unlike tropical rainforests), but the sheer volume of plant species and dense growth was really impressive. Most people (like us) go to Totem Bight to see the huge totem poles and the reconstructed Clan House, but the plants were unbelievable. That, and it is situated right on the water. Talk about a beautiful location! Here are a few shots from our visit:



When we got back to town, we still had about an hour left before we needed to get back on the boat, so we walked around and explored some of the shops. Then we got hungry (and it was starting to sprinkle), so we boarded the ship and headed to the lido deck for some lunch. Apparently, the rest of the world did the same thing, because we could not find anywhere to sit! Our stateroom is directly below the lido deck, though, so we just walked down one flight of stairs and ate in our room.

Now we're just relaxing until it's time to get ready for dinner
(it's formal night). After that, we might walk around for a bit and then go to the show. We did this last night and saw TONS of whales and dolphins in the ocean around the ship! It was so cool! I doubt we'll be as lucky today, since it has started sprinkling, but it's worth a shot. Tomorrow's destination: Victoria, British Columbia. I've never been to Canada before!

Day 6: Sitka


Today, it was all about the wildlife! We woke up this morning just as the cruise ship was pulling into the old Russian port of Sitka, Alaska. By 9am, we were seated in the large show lounge downstairs with the rest of our excursion group. Normally, when you book one of these activities, you just meet up with the director on the pier at a designated time. However, Sitka doesn't have a deep water dock, so our ship had to drop anchor out in the bay and ferry (or "tender") everyone in to the actual pier. This is the main reason that most cruise ships don't stop in Sitka-- and it's their loss, really, because the town is so beautiful and the surrounding islands and water are chock-full of wildlife!

At any rate, our tour boat for the day picked us up directly from the ship, and off we went. We were on board for a few hours, and saw an INSANE amount of animals! We saw probably a hundred sea otters, a whole group of harbor seals, lots of bald eagles (including one eagle nest and an eagle eating a king salmon), a grey whale, and several humpback whales. It was great!! I got some decent pictures, although I really needed more of a telephoto lens (which I don't own, since I generally do portraits!). Still, it was so cool! I mean, just look at these!




It's incredible to me just how many different species of BIG animals live in Alaska. It is so awesome!

Anyway, our tour boat dropped us off at the Sitka dock afterward, so Gus and I roamed the quaint little town, picked up our traditional Christmas tree ornament (we also bought ornaments in Seattle and Juneau), and grabbed a bite to eat. We had some light Japanese food, and then Gus decided that he absolutely needed to try a reindeer hot dog. Yes, made from actual reindeer meat. I am a big baby when it comes to trying new foods, so I passed on that. For the record, he enjoyed it. Yuck!

So that was our day in Sitka! Right now, we're relaxing a little bit before dinner. Gus is sitting out on our balcony with the binoculars, looking for bald eagles (and has alreay seen a few). We should be pulling out of Sitka any minute now. After dinner, we've got a comedy show to go to, and then we might just call it a night. Tomorrow, we'll be in Ketchikan, where we will go to a lumberjack show and visit Totem Bight State Park. We'll only be stopped there for about 5 hours, so we plan to make the most of it!
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One last thing... It's 10:39pm right now, and I just took this picture from our balcony. This is what it looks like for pretty much the entire "night" around here during the summer. 18 hours of daylight, and 6 hours of this "nighttime." Good thing we have thick curtains!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Day 5: Juneau (continued!)


Oh my goodness. Canoeing in Mendenhall Lake was AWESOME!! WOW! The Mendenhall Glacier was, of course, impressive... but you know what I liked the most? The icebergs! There were TONS of big ones floating around, and we just rowed right in between them. We also got to stand on a small strip of beach beneath Nugget Falls, a beautiful glacial waterfall. But really? The icebergs were unreal. They were so blue! Check it out!



See that last one? Well, as we rested by Nugget Falls, it finally became top-heavy and capsized-- minutes after I took that picture! We heard a sound like a gunshot and instantly looked toward the glacier to see if it was calving (which, clearly, it was not). It was pretty cool!

Anyway, it was a great experience, despite freezing my tail off. The air temperature was around 50 degrees today, but there was an icy wind coming off of the glacier that tore right through me. My hands, in particular, felt like they were going to fall off... I had decided not to bring my gloves along, thinking that I'd be working up a sweat while rowing. Nope! Luckily, Gus wasn't freezing like I was, and he had brought his gloves. That was much better! However, it's very hard to operate a camera with big old gloves on. And while the gloves took care of my frozen fingers, my frozen face was another issue entirely. I couldn't talk without stuttering because my lips simply would not do what I told them. I was so cold that when we finally got back, I jumped into a hot shower.

At any rate, it really was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to canoe through icebergs and pass right along the face of a huge glacier. We even saw a few bald eagles, but I couldn't work the camera quickly enough to catch them before they flew into the dense trees. Alaska really is an incredibly beautiful place, and I can speak for both of us when I say that this has been an amazing vacation so far! I can see us coming back here, eventually, because there is literally SO MUCH to explore! I can't get enough!

Tomorrow's destination: Sitka, where we will be taking a smaller boat around to look for wildlife (sea otters, in particular, but also possibly some orcas, bald eagles, dall sheep, bears, etc.). It is supposed to be one of the best excursions, so I am really excited about it!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Day 5: Juneau the capital of Alaska?

Sorry, I couldn't help myself! I swear that state jokes are hilarious to fifth-graders! :)

Anyway... when we woke up this morning and looked out our window, this is the view that greeted us:

It's Juneau! And it's very picturesque! I was going to say it was a small town (and it certainly looks that way), but that would be a lie. According to the information we got last night, Juneau is actually one of the biggest cities in the U.S.-- in terms of square miles, NOT people!

That actually reminds me of a joke the (female) park ranger cracked yesterday during her presentation. She had told her friend that she was being reassigned to Glacier Bay, and he said, "You realize that, in Alaska, there are three men for every woman, right?" At which point she replied, "Sounds like some good odds, then!" His response? "Sure the odds are good, but the goods are ODD." haha! I'm sure she got that joke from somewhere else, but it made me giggle, anyway. :P

An interesting thing about Juneau is that, despite being Alaska's capital and third most populous "city" (after Anchorage and Fairbanks) the ONLY way to visit it is by plane or boat. There are roads within the city, but there are none that connect it to any other city. As a result, we've seen a lot of activity in the harbor this morning-- boats of all shapes and sizes, and tons of seaplanes taking off/landing.

In a little bit, we'll make our way down to the gangway and off the boat. Once on the pier, we'll meet up with our tour guide for our canoeing excursion along the Mendenhall Glacier. I can't WAIT!! I thought the Marjorie Glacier was awesome yesterday, but we should be able to get even closer to this one. Prepare for an onslaught of pics! :)

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Day 4: Good Morning, Glacier Bay!


If you couldn't figure it out by the title of this post, today was our day in Glacier Bay National Park. And, in a word, it was AMAZING! We entered the park at around noon today, at which point several park rangers boarded the ship to be our guides for the afternoon. One of the rangers gave a brief presentation about the park, so Gus and I went to that. It was all very interesting! One thing I did not know was that John Muir was the first person to suggest that Yosemite was carved by a glacier, and that this theory was very unpopular and widely discredited. Determined to prove that he was right, Muir hitched a ride on a boat up here to Glacier Bay and spent a long time gathering data and observations about how glaciers shaped the land. And he was able to use this information to prove his theory about Yosemite. Go, John Muir!

Anyway, we saw a lot of glaciers, but none so impressive as the Marjorie Glacier. I think I took 100 pictures of that one alone! It's at the very end of a long fjord, and is right on the Canadian border.

We spent a few hours out on the bow, and were able to see the glacier as we approached. It was, however, FREEZING out there! It was mostly the wind that was an issue, but I had very warm clothes on and was still cold. My fingers and face were totally numb! Once we realized that the boat was turning around, we knew we would have a fantastic view from our balcony. So we left the bow, ran to the lido deck to get some coffee and tea, and headed back to our stateroom. Sure enough, we had an AWESOME view. And I really do mean that it was awesome in the most literal sense. I think we were both very definitely in awe. I mean, LOOK at this!!

I decided to come into our nice, warm stateroom, but am still enjoying an incredible view from where I sit. It's so unreal! Mother Nature has some pretty cool tricks, that's for sure! I should also add that the bay itself is like glass... not a wave to be found! It didn't even feel like we were on a boat today, yet we were most definitely gliding forward. This next picture illustrates just how smooth the water was. All of those white spots are actually floating chunks of ice that have calved off of the Marjorie Glacier. Craziness!

And yes, the water really is that color-- almost an aquamarine! It's because of all the minerals that the glacial ice contains by the time it hits the salt water. And in case you couldn't have guessed, that water is pretty darn cold (a balmy 35 degrees-- brrrrr!).

We also spent a lot of time looking through the binoculars today, in search of wildlife...

Sadly, we seemed to always be in the wrong place at the wrong time! I talked to another cruisegoer who saw a whale spouting, and one of the couples we ate dinner with saw some orcas. I was so jealous! We did, however, see a pod of dolphins (or possibly Dall porpoises, which are similar) while we ate breakfast this morning. And a bald eagle buzzed us while we were standing on the bow. Still, I know there will be many more opportunities this cruise, especially when we get to Sitka and go on our sea otter and wildlife excursion! Yippee!

Anyway, it's getting late, and it's almost time to go to our nightly show. Tonight, it's an illusionist! Fun! One very weird thing about Alaska, though, is that it's currently 7:30pm, and the sun is high in the sky. It won't set until close to 11pm tonight, will come up before 5am tomorrow. It's definitely messing with my internal clock! I'm not complaining, though, because this means I will continue to get great views of Glacier Bay for several more hours. It really is so rugged and beautiful!

Coming up tomorrow: Juneau, the capital of Alaska! We will be canoeing along the face of the Mendenhall Glacier at around lunchtime, and I can hardly wait! I will have to bring my small camera with me, since the good one will interfere with my rowing, but I am still hoping to get some amazing shots. And after that, I am hoping to locate a Starbucks so I can use their free wifi to upload my blog posts for the past few days, which I've been saving on my computer. :)

STOP! WAIT! HOLD THE PRESSES!

I wrote all the above stuff a few hours ago, before dinner and the magic show (which was really good, by the way!). After the show, we went back to our stateroom and Gus assumed his post out on our balcony with the binoculars. Within minutes, he was frantically waving me outside with him. We saw what we thought was another pod of Dall porpoises, which was cool. But then, off in the distance, we saw a spout of water... followed by three more. Then a few large black flukes sticking out of the water. Then the distinctive tall dorsal fin found only on ORCAS!!!!!! YES! We think there were four of them, off hunting for their dinner. We watched them from a long time off of our balcony, then moved to the back of the ship for a better view. How cool is that???? There's no way I could have gotten a good photo of them, since the sky was getting dim (I mean, it was almost 10pm!) and they were so far off, but we saw them! We saw them!!!!!!! YAAAAAY!!!