Alaskan cruise - day 7 (Thursday-June 10)

We had a short day in Ketchikan.











Ketchikan International Airport



We took an excursion to the Misty Fjords. On the way to the fjords we saw a huge eagle's nest that had been in a certain tree for many years.









We continued on and noticed some orca's - they weren't a planned part of the excursion but the captain turned around and let us watch for several minutes.









We then continued to the fjords. In case you don't know - as I didn't before I looked it up - a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides, created in a valley carved by glacial activity. We had a very knowledgeable naturalist who was also entertaining, who narrated the trip - pointing out intersting spots and giving us tidbits of history along the way. We finally made it to the fjords and they were amazing! Big rock cliffs, birds, trees, waterfalls -beautiful!!





On the way back we saw some seals . . .



. . .and lots more eagles. Here are several sitting on a log on the bank.



Along this 4 1/2 hour excursion we had several snacks including strawberry strudel, delicious clam chowder with oyster crackers and smoked salmon on ritz crackers. All were very good!!!

We got back to port about 11:30 a.m. and only had an hour to shop. I had several things on my list, so we quickly ran through all but one of the stores I wanted to visit and made it back to the ship on time. Saw Santa Claus at the Christmas store.



Went for an early dinner and it was very entertaining. We were all given chef's hats to wear during the meal. First the waiters came in to ballet music - waving the napkins and then gently placing them in our laps. Throughout dinner there was much fanfare - waiters juggled veggies and danced around with light sticks as they brought out dessert - Baked Alaska. It was a lot of fun.







As we were leaving Ketchikan, this little guy came speeding out to our ship and just hovered while we were pulling away from the port. We never did figure out why the machine gun!!



Tonight's towel creature.

Happy Birthday to me!

I will get back to blogging about our Alaska trip but I have had some other things to do.


Chandler is here with us this week so we have been swimming a lot, playing with Olsen and we have made paper airplanes. Chandler wanted paper, scissors and tape yesterday so I let him have it and he created several paper airplanes and told me (in detail) about each and every one. Today Chandler and I are going to see Toy Story 3 to celebrate my birthday. He told me I get to choose what we do today since it is my birthday. :)

30 years

Happy Anniversary to my husband. (When we get the scanner working I will post a wedding picture and give you a laugh at the colors and styles!!) :) We said I do 30 years ago today and it was a hot, hot day!! More later on this subject.

UPDATE: Here is the pic. LOL My sister, Ann made the humungous cake!! I loved it!



We left the cake at the church the night of the rehearsal and I was a nervous wreck that someone would get in and damage the cake before the wedding!!

Alaskan cruise - day 6 (Wednesday, June 9)

There was no dock big enough for the cruise ship so they anchored the boat out in the harbor and we boarded a catamaran off of the ship for a wildlife quest and beach exploration.





It was awesome. We first approached an area with dozens of Bald Eagles. They were magnificent. I have never seen so many at one time. After watching them for a bit and taking lots of pictures - we headed toward the beach.







On the way we saw several sea otters playing - diving and then poking their heads up out of the water. They were very cute!



At the beach our naturalist told us a lot about drift word and creatures we found on the beach. We saw a lot of drift wood in large and small pieces,



small crabs,





a big starfish and a small starfish,





deer tracks,



all shapes, sizes and colors of pumice,



and several sea anemone.





We actually brought home some of the the smooth drift wood, pumice, a couple of crabs to show Chandler, and some shells and sand. While exploring the beach, the captain took the catamaran out away from the shore and later he and one of the guides on shore with us noticed a whale. The captain came back and picked us up and took us fairly close to the whale.







It was a neat excursion. We saw and learned a lot. Afterwards we were taken into Sitka where we had time to do some shopping and looking around. We visited St. Michael's - the 1st Russian Orthodox Cathedral. It was right in the middle of town.











We also hiked up to the spot where Alaska was handed over to the United States from the Russians.





We saw lots of beautiful flowers and some totem poles!!





We got back on the ship about 2:30 p.m. and went to our room. We napped, read, and watched the scenery from the balcony. The waves were from 4 to 7 feet high but luckily the ship was not rocking so no motion sickness today!! Since we had eaten a late lunch, we were not hungry for dinner but we decided to walk around so they could turn down the bed. We walked up on the Lido Deck and noticed they were setting up for the dessert extravaganza that was to begin at 11:30 p.m.



There were some amazing flower arrangements - made with beets and turnips,



fruit carvings,









ice sculptures and desserts.







I couldn't stay up that late and I can pass up desserts so I headed to bed. Robert waited until they were completely set up so he could take more pictures - plus try out some of the desserts. Now you know if they had had a hot bread extravaganza with lots of butter - I would have stayed up for that! :)