July 30, 2011

A long but successful day, we are home.  We did most all of our packing and laundry yesterday so it was just putting in the last minute things this morning, plus a trip to the library this morning. After that we came back and emptied the fridge out the rest of the way, ate our lunch, and called a taxi and we were on the way to the airport.  There was a break in the almost nonstop rain so we had a lovely little trip across the passage and to the airport.  We soaked in the last of the cool weather.  Anyway, we barely got through security and they were beginning to board a little early so no real wait for us.  We traveled in a very colorful Disney painted airplane with Tinkerbell painted on it! Our trip to Seattle was uneventful.  We had great views of both Mt. Rainer and Mt. Adams.  When we arrived to Seattle we at dinner at Wolfgang Pucks and it was really tasty.  I had roasted chicken and Caesar salad.  Our flight for Fresno boarded on time but we sat for a while since the lavatory did not work and we needed it fixed before takeoff.  Anyway it didn’t take long and we were on our way.  Lovely skies on the way home and our luggage arrived with us.  Thankful to Cheryl and Taylor for picking us up at the airport and depositing us at Home Sweet Home.    

I guess this is probably “smog” but it does look pretty as the sun goes down.

July 29, 2011

Our last full day in Ketchikan and the rain seems to want to show us it’s in charge!  It is raining particularly hard today.  We packed up all our unused food and took it across the street to the Salvation Army, saving out just what we plan to eat tonight and in the morning.  They seemed very grateful.  I have a few items of clothing to drop at their Thrift Shop tomorrow on the way to our last visit at the local library.  Here is an interesting hat worn by local visiting the library.  I can sort of understand the sentiments as so many of the visitors are rude, hog the sidewalks, push others out of their way, etc.  However, the tourists partly keep this community alive as well and offer many summer jobs.  After today’s library visit we watched movies and did our laundry.  I don’t think I have ever come home with a suitcase full of clean clothing before!  We also went through a variety of brochures we have picked up along the way, deciding what to scan  for digital scrapbooking. We hope our checked suitcase won’t be too heavy and we won’t have to adjust too many things after we get to the airport tomorrow.

Off to bed.  We will miss the sound of rain on our roof each night and sleeping in a chilly room with the window open, snuggled under the covers, ahhh – great sleeping weather!!!  :-) I don’t want to think about it being 103 tomorrow in Clovis, but we do miss our family and friends!

July 28, 2011

The rain continues today.  Breakfast and the library are the two morning routines.  Despite the rain and four cruise ships we decided to walk downtown.  We have been wanting to try the giant shrimp at a stand down by the ships and our time is running out.  It stopped raining while we ate, good thing because the only area there is to eat is outside. John’s looking pretty scruffy, eh?  Anyway, the giant shrimp were pretty good but not near as good as we anticipated.  Alaska cuisine is not developed in my opinio0n.  Perhaps I have not gone to the right places.  The Fox Cape was good though.  From there we went to the Tongass Merchant Co. I wanted to see if they had some particular socks and check their prices.  They had them but much more expensive than I can order them for on the Internet.  They certainly had a good selection though.  I also took a photo of these boots.  This is undoubtedly the official footwear for the state since most locals wear these; men, women, and children alike. From there we walked north and saw a few different things and decided to stop at a pastry shop we had read about called, Sweet Mermaids.  It was a hard decision but we each chose something to try and share; blackberry pie for me, cream puff cake for John.  They also had some giant cake pops, everything is big in Alaska I guess! It’s a quaint little place but we weren’t terribly impressed. One would think cruisers would not be eating in local restaurants with all the food cruise ships are well known for, but it seems a lot do eat here in Ketchikan.  Maybe they all want to try the local salmon dishes?  Speaking of which, I have seen the same cookbook a number of times in the shops, “Salmon Desserts and more” – Really?  As much as I like Salmon, in dessert just doesn’t sound like a good plan to me. 

Mid afternoon brought us back to the apt. and somewhat of a Star Trek marathon with movies that are here for tenants use. We ate our leftovers for dinner and did more reading.  Tomorrow will be our last full day here.  ’

July 27, 2011

From what we can surmise it rained all night long.  It seems a bit colder today as well.  We are trying to soak this all in as it seems to be a scorcher in Clovis and according to friends another big heat wave is headed in! 

We heard from our tenants today that the A/C is making a strange noise.  It is still putting out cool air so hopefully it isn’t too big of an issue.  I called Jeff and got the name of the guy who put in his new A/C unit, called him, and he said he would contact the tenants and that he could be there around 1pm. We heard from the guy later in the evening.  Long story but it will be fixed tomorrow morning at 9am.  I hope it is resolved. Our RE agent is checking into why the home insurance seems to omit this A/C. 

Today was a perfect day to curl up with a good book.  I finished The Choice by Nicolas Sparks.  John is working on his latest by Clive Cussler. 

July 26, 2011

Another typical morning here in Ketchikan, since I am writing that, I am thinking it must be time to head home!  One highlight I discovered yesterday is GMA (Good Morning America) is actually on one of the few TV stations we get.  I was eager to turn it on again today and much to my surprise it was actually a rerun from yesterday!!!  We do get a Seattle station intermittently, which I think is current.  Most stations on the basic cable revolve around local news, of course, along with fishing, hunting, etc.  Anyway, we were off to the library for our Internet fix for the day. It was a slow day at the library today with only two ships in port.  When we left there we were going to go finally have those jumbo prawns at one of the stands downtown but it began to rain and we didn’t bring our ponchos so we just headed back to the apt.  Lunch, laundry, and playing cards. 

We decided today would be a good day to go down to Saxman so we headed out to get the bus. It didn’t take long to get there and it wasn’t raining when we arrived.  However, the place was closed!  We made the assumption since ships were in port it would be open, next time we’ll call first.  According to the gift shop staff they had just one tour this morning at 9:30am and closed after that.  We did enjoy a walk around the place but we couldn’t get in the main building of course.  Perhaps we will try another day.  There are many totems here, I lost count actually.  They have a separate building nearby where it looks like they are either making more totems or repairing some.  I know at Totem Bight they have a carving house and more to look at.  I guess if you have just one day to look, Totem Bight might be the best choice.  I might add that the views going southbound on the Red Bus were very nice.  At one point the bus goes up to an elementary school and when they do the turn around one has a great view of the inside passage.  There are some lovely, new, modern looking homes overlooking the passage as well.

After walking around the area and on a few forest trails we headed back walking along the S. Tongass Highway.  There was just a small area with no path, most of the way there is a paved walking/bike path. The views are great and along they way every so often they have wooden steps that go down to the shore.  John did find us this little “fixer upper” close to the road, so we wouldn’t need to worry about building a driveway.  There was even some furniture inside! Lots of raspberries around the place too so we wouldn’t go hungry! We didn’t take any side trips today but when the bus came along we hoped on and rode it home. 

The remainder of our day was very quiet.  I hope I finish my latest Nicolas Sparks book before I need to turn it back into the library!  We got pretty excited about 9pm when we saw the sun peeking out of the clouds tonight with patches of blue sky there and there.  Maybe we’ll have a good camera day tomorrow! Additional ‘wildlife” we saw today.  These slugs are rather disgusting creatures, three to five inches long.  This I why the plants need to grow so large to feed these natural predators! Scratch those spots of sun and blue skies…it is pouring rain!

July 25, 2011

It was a great morning with a heavy fragrance of sea in the air today.  We really enjoy the weather here. Today we took inventory and decided to purchase what else we will need for the remainder of our time here, which isn’t much.  After breakfast, laundry, TV, and dishes we headed to the library for our daily dose of Wi-Fi.  We surely appreciate that option.  We can use our phones at no charge for almost everything but it is not convenient and replying to emails in length is difficult and as I said before I cannot post the blog from my netbook.  It was a busy day on the sea front today with four ships in port.  Creek Street was going strong and we saw Nic departing with a group for fishing on our way home. Anyway it was a nice walk to and from the library, not far at all and it was not raining. 

We had lunch, played cards, and headed to Wal-Mart. We had a couple of unopened items we wanted to return but they would not take things back, unopened food items cannot be returned in Alaska, a state law.  No worries, we will give what we have left to the Salvation Army across the street.  We saw a couple of ships departing on our way back from Wal-Mart.  It still seems a thrill to see the big cruise liners coming and going.  For whatever reason the Red Line bus is running late. It is terribly congested on the single street through downtown when ships are in.  Anyway, our Wal-Mart trip took a lot of waiting at both ends and we sort of ran out of enthusiasm by the time we got back. So we’ll save Saxman for tomorrow, maybe it won’t be raining then. We really don’t mind the rain but it is not conducive for taking photos! We watched another old movie and meals rounded out the rest of our day. 

July 24, 2011

Sunday, and not a sun day in Alaska.  We have the liquid sunshine again today.  However, I might add that we don’t mind this at all!  We spent a good part of the day sipping our coffee, reading the paper, playing cards, and catching up on what things can be accomplished on a computer without Internet. 

It is a different way of life here.  Total sections of the newspaper are devoted to hunting and fishing, which is pretty much expected. But the greased log walk and ear pull competitions are pretty outstanding events here as well!  I am beginning to feel the cultural differences more acutely. 

After a movie and our lunch we went on a leisurely two mile walk to the south and up the hill.  It was sprinkling when we left on our walk but midway through we were able to take off our ponchos and it was actually pretty warm.  Our walk took us past the Totem Heritage Center.  We did not go in since we were there in the past when cruising. It is certainly worth the stop as they have unrestored totem poles from both the Tlingit and Haida villages. Across the river was the first of fish ladders we would see today, locate at the Deer Mountain Tribal Hatchery and Eagle Center.  We had some wonderful views of the fish ladder and a barrier on the river.  There were cute little gray birds fighting over tiny baby fish they caught.  There is a lovely city park between the two places along the river, a great place for a picnic in nice weather. After my mediocre attempts to take photos of the fish we continued on our walk taking us back down the hill, along beautiful Ketchikan Creek and views of a large fish ladder on a very rough part of the creek.  We walked past a couple of various sites including a feat of engineering where houses are built on the Grant Street trestle structure.  This is how they conquer the challenges of the terrain here in Ketchikan.  We ended up just north of the library.  Most of the ships are gone for the day and we rambled along Creek Street and saw a couple of seals “fishing.” One caught a live fish and headed back toward the bay nonstop.  The other pictured here found a fish head and nibbled away at it as we watched.  We went back down Stedman Street to our apt. buying a cinnamon roll at the Ketchikan Coffee House on our way back home.  That will be a special dessert for us tonight.   

I used the “My Tracks” program on my phone and it indicated several statistics about our walk but I was unable to post it to my Facebook like some of my friends do.  Anyway, it is a fun feature on my phone. 

After a simple dinner of cubed steak, a shared baked potato, and salad we enjoyed that cinnamon roll.  We watched another movie and watched the clouds and fog roll in.  We are really enjoying the cool weather. 

July 23, 2011

We spent the morning trying to arrange the garage door repair for our tenants.  Thankfully we were successful in that process and all is working well now.  God bless good friends who step in during our absence to handle such things!

We still don’t have any internet and I am not very happy about that.  Our landlord called and said he will be out of town until Tuesday and I could call to check on the reason the Internet is not working.  We did that, but sadly they say his bill is not paid and they will not restore the service.  Hmmm…  I am not a happy camper.  But I can use my phone for a lot of things, I just don’t know how to post this blog without the service on my Netbook. I think  we will see if Verizon can turn on my phone for a “hot spot” Wi-Fi connection.  John’s calling now... One phone call and it “could” be done BUT since we are “off the grid” we cannot get the new service added here.  It won’t work.  Ugh. Alaska is really beautiful and we have enjoyed this trip so very much.  However, we would not want to live here! :-)      

We found out today why the horse drawn trolley is not in operation this year.  It is not due to the economy but for a very different reason.  “They” feel it slows down traffic too much and they will not be using them anymore in the future.

There will probably be no Sunday blog since the library is closed on Sunday.  Look for my next installment on Monday!

July 22, 2011

A very quiet day.  I am a bit cranky since we have no internet.  Our landlord contacted the company and they are having “technical issues” but it was not resolved all day.  We spent the morning at the library enjoying the free Wi-Fi, newspaper, etc. We also borrowed another movie to watch today.  There are 5 ships in port today so town is very crowded.  I admire the people of Ketchikan for the grace and hospitality they offer so many visitors.  Sadly some are not very good guests and have forgotten any manners they might have had.  BUT – that’s another story.

Some house cleaning today, and laundry.  Our landlord Jim invited us to a $7.50 BBQ at the yacht club but we ate a late lunch so we didn’t go. 

We spent some time trying to get garage door repairs for our tenants, to no avail.  We have repair insurance through American Home Shield for our rental condo and thought it would be easy to arrange this. We have been happy with them in the past but John sat on the phone on hold waiting for service for 55 minutes!  We still have to address this issue tomorrow.  

It was a mostly sunny and we enjoyed the day very much.  Clouds seemed to come in toward the end of the day and by the time the last ship, Celebrity Century, left at 8:30pm it was quite cloudy.  

High cost of living in Alaska.  These are pretty large watermelons for this price.  The last batch for the same price were 2/3 the size! I think of all the fresh produce we have at much cheaper prices compared to here, we are very blessed in the central valley. 

July 21, 2011

Happy _ _ th Birthday to my sister!!!  LOL!

Today we were up and out early with a taxi taking us to the ferry, which took us over to the airport.  While crossing over to the airport we had this nice glimpse of two cruise ships coming into Ketchikan from the North.  There were no glitches checking in and off she went. We were able to see her taxi out and begin the take off process but after that we just saw this tiny view of her plane over the buildings.  I zoomed in and got this somewhat blurry photo.  Shortly before she was due to land in Seattle we got a text that her flight there was on time for SFO.  That was a relief!  She will have time for a meal in Seattle before departing.  Just as long as she gets to SFO before the last shuttle leaves for Napa (10:30PM) It will be okay. By 6pm our time, 7pm her time I was starting to wonder why we had not heard from her.  About that time she called and she was home safe and sound!  The shuttle ride from SFO to Napa took 2.5 hours in the commute traffic.  The down side of the bay area for sure!  She had a long day but her own bed will feel good tonight I am sure.  My Mother is an amazing woman!

After Mom took off we caught the bus back to the apt. and did a few things around here, cleaning up and starting some laundry.  We finished our books so packed them up along with John’s laptop and my netbook and headed to the library.  I might have mentioned after using 80% of our allotted internet, our landlord let us know we had a limit! Therefore, I am not looking at every little thing nor am I leaving sitting there “on" all night.  I certainly wish I knew there was a limit before we got to the 80% usage mark.  He said, “Nothing is unlimited in Alaska.” So we live and learn. We read and spent a good deal of the afternoon there catching up on emails, Facebook, and various websites I try to keep up on.  We walked and then watched a old movie we borrowed from the library as well.  Finished up laundry and watched a little TV, reading. It was sunny day with a little breeze but starting out with some clouds this evening.  That was our day, we’ll see what tomorrow brings!

July 20, 2011

A rainy day here in Ketchikan.  Too bad for Mom’s last full day here we have a lot of rain.  She doesn’t seem to mind and said she has seen plenty of totems and won’t miss the trip to Saxman or Totem Bight.  John and I walked to the post office this morning as I had a letter to mail to Canada and didn’t have the right postage.  We have an acquaintance on the Suez Canal cruise that is arranging some tours in Jordan and we wanted to send her our 10% down on that to hold our spots.  We also walked up to the IGA and got a few more cans of garlic/pepper smoked salmon to be certain we have enough! Meanwhile, while we were gone Mom had her suitcase out and began to pack… BTW, one very good thing to remember is you cannot take canned salmon (unless it is only 3 oz.) on the plane.  Be sure to pack it in your checked luggage if you make a trip up here. 

For lunch I prepared white salmon.  I forgot to mention that Nic brought us a couple of lovely fillets (frozen), one regular King salmon and one white King salmon, and had left them hanging on our door knob the other day.   

I also wanted to mention the community college right around the corner from our apt.  Isn’t this a lovely setting to attend community college.  A tree studded mountain behind you and the inside passage in front of you!  Actually, further up there is still a mountain with snow on it as well.  If not college, we have seen and talked to a number of young people, probably college students who are working here for the summer.  I am sure some experience is needed since the ones we spoke to were working at one of the zip line sites. 

Our landlord for this month was inspecting the other units that he is upgrading and installing in this same building, just in back of ours.  In addition to our 2bd/1b apt. he will have another 2bd/1ba apt. and a 1bd/1ba apt.  Neither will have the same view we have of the cruise ships but looks like everything will be upgraded and the other 2bd will even have a tub.  They will have a shared laundry between the two units and you will enter the larger unit from an outside stair case.  He told John he may not be renting out by the month anymore as the units are empty all winter long and he can get more income by renting just a few nights at a time.  I guess it’s a good deal for him to do that.  I’m glad we did this now!

Since we were pretty housebound with the rain today we played a lot of Rummikub and read. There was just one ship in port today, the Radiance of the Seas, a sister ship to the one we will cruise on through the Suez Canal.  They are scheduled to depart at 6pm.  Since the rain let up we walked out to the jetty across from the pier and watched it depart.  Good thing we went a little early as they left about 10 minutes before scheduled. It was nice to get out for a short walk anyway.  Back for out last dinner with Mom, penne pasta with shrimp, asparagus, and red pepper, and French rolls.  We have enjoyed her visit so much and we hope she had fun too.  She says she did! 

July 19, 2001

This morning we have the Lumberjack show scheduled at 11am. We left the apt. about 10am and Mom and I headed to one of the stores to get a couple things and John went to the post office to mail a package to my sister for her birthday (on Thursday) I hope it makes it in time!  The show is lots of fun.  It was a totally different thing than the Ironjack competition we saw on the 4th of July.  There are two teams and 4 Lumberjacks in this show.  A couple of them were from the Ironjack competition.  Anyway, you cheer and jeer the competitors and it is fun.  We did a lot of heckling of the other team and at one point a wet lumberjack, fresh off the log rolling event rushed up and sat by us to get us wet.  I was shocked and embarrassed, John loved it.  Anyway it was fun.  After that we went to the Fish House and had lunch. Since it began to rain during the show, it was nice to sneak into a nearby restaurant and have lunch.  The Fish House was crowded so we ordered our food and they said to go sit at Fat Stan’s and they would bring our lunch, and they sure did! No problem since it was just a couple doors away.  By the time lunch was finished it wasn’t raining so we went back to the apt.  We saw this young bald eagle near the bridge.  If you want to know a fact about the eagle, the male and female look alike.  They look like this young eagle until age 4 or 5 years when their coloring changes and they no longer have this mottled look but the beautiful white head and tail feathers. A little later we walked just up the street to the IGA store as Mom wanted to buy some of the garlic/pepper smoked salmon we had the first day she got here.  It is canned and really a delicious way to have some nice pink smoked salmon.  I will also take a few cans home.  Surprisingly, the best price for this is the little IGA store. Snacks for dinner including some of that smoked salmon, watched Jeopardy, some Rummikub and that completed our day.  Lots of rain today but not really cold and lovely in between showers     

July 18, 2011

I went down to the tourist office about 7:30am.  The guy we talked to yesterday was not there, I never did see him.  Meanwhile another guy told me where the tour embarks and that the catamaran would be in about 8:30am.  I waited…I got coffee!  :-)  I waited… I walked back and forth from the tourist office to the dock checking.  By the time it was almost 9am I just went back to the apt. and called and made the reservation.  It was a 12:30pm departure time. We played a bit of Rummikub, had a quick sandwich for lunch, and then walked down to the pier.  The tour departed on time and seemed very organized. It was such a lovely view each way we looked. The entire journey was narrated by a naturalist who did  a very good job and seemed to know what she was talking about. We went through Behm Canal and past New Eddystone Rock, which is such a strange looking rock formation in the center of the canal. It was formed by both glacier and volcanic activity.  We stopped in several places most impressive was Punchbowl Cove with the huge walls surrounding the water.  We sighted three whales, many harbor seals, several bald eagles, and a huge eagle’s nest.  There were some native Pictographs along the way as well.  The weather could have been nicer as it started to rain before we got back to the pier but it was just a lovely trip for sightseeing. 

We were back at the apt. by 5:30pm and had soup and French bread for our supper.  Most nights we feel like it is still so early as it stays light so late but tonight we are all tired and it is only 8:30pm!  Time for more Rummikub, reading, then bed. 

 

July 17, 2011

This morning after breakfast we tried to contact a specific tour company to make a reservation to tour the Misty Fiords by boat.  Unfortunately they were closed to I decided to walk up to the tourist office by the ships and see if they had a person up there to book with.  Mom wanted to walk too so she came along. They didn’t have a representative there but I talked to a general information volunteer and he said they left for today but he didn’t think we would have any trouble getting on a tour tomorrow. We would like to go tomorrow because it is supposed to sunny, like it is today.  Mom and I walked around the downtown area a little bit and took a few photos.  Gosh, it was almost hot walking back from downtown.  There are 3 ships in port and one that is tendering from the strait, not sure why it isn’t docked at berth 4.  Later in the day the Disney Wonder came into berth 4. Mom’s favorite ship, Celebrity Infinity was in berth 2. Anyway, Mom and I walked back and there was time for her mid morning snack and then we were off to church just across the street at the Salvation Army.

The service was nice and they dedicated the baby this week.  Clearly the family has very little, a total of four children, but he certainly seems to be loved and that it a good thing to see.  The services here are different from any services we have been to before but somewhat typical for a very small church.  We were invited to have a pancake breakfast after the service and we considered this but it was noon, and Mom likes to eat at noon and the food was not ready yet.  We opted for chili potatoes at the apt. finished the laundry, and headed off to Safeway for a few groceries.  That took about 1.3 hours to do and really not much of a chore, very convenient on the bus line. After we were back it was a quick few games of Rummikub and a simple shrimp salad for our supper. A quiet evening…

We hope to hear from the Misty Fiords place tomorrow morning early and that we can take the first tour of the day because despite the weather forecast it looks like rain might be in the making.

July 16, 2011

No rain today, despite the forecast that there would be rain, it was a lovely and sunny day.  There were a few clouds in the sky but it was quite warm.  Over 70 degrees I believe.  We spent a leisurely morning, talking, having a second cup of coffee and playing a little bit of Rummikub.  We had the rest of our salmon on a nice salad for lunch with toasty French bread and butter.  No so great for the diet but it sure was good!  After lunch we headed out.  Mom finished the large print book I got her, A Bend in the Road (I just finished it in regular print myself) so the library was our first stop of the day.  After her selections and checking them out we stayed there and read some of the local news in the papers provided.  They keep several weeks of past papers on the shelf so I was able to read about that house fire that we saw the smoke from the night mom flew in.  It was actually a triplex that burned down.  No one was injured, thankfully. 

Surprisingly there are no ships in port today.  It is very quiet.  From the library we walked to the Discovery Center.  We weren’t sure it would even be open but thankfully it was.  Today the normal entrance fee of $5. is waived since there are no ships in port.  For us it didn’t matter as the National Parks Pass would get us in free anyway, being “seniors” and all.  We arrived about the time the next showing of the introductory film was about to run.  It was interesting and the Discovery Center itself was really comprehensive and worth the visit.  There were many interesting facets of Alaskan life including the past, present, and cultural of the first people here along with their way of life.  Back home and a little reading, resting, and snack before we head off to the play and crab feed.

The Fish Pirate’s Daughter runs for the month of  July and has done so for the past 45 years.  It was enjoyable but let’s face it, not fantastic.  The crab was good and plentiful but not as good as it has been when in season at home.  With the crab they served coleslaw, corn pudding, vegetables, and  rolls with butter.  Dessert, which John had was a brownie.  We had a nice Cabernet-Shiraz from South Africa.  Supposedly the same wine was served at Nelson Mandela’s Inaugural Banquet.  The play was funny and entertaining as the audience could hiss, cheer, and boo at the appropriate times.  We sat with some nice locals who had company visiting from Montana.  Clearly many in the audience had seen this play many times and thoroughly enjoyed making loud (and appropriate) comments at just the right time.  It was an enjoyable evening.  It was about a ten minute walk to the funicular and then up, the a couple minute walk to the Ted Ferry Civic Center where the play and dinner took place.  When we got out of the building at 9:25 pm it was still very light, looked like about 7pm, and we went on home. The city seems almost deserted, there was only one person on Creek Street as we walked home.  It was a great time to take photos of all the store signs along they way.      

July 15, 2011

No rain today.  It was overcast much of the day but not cold.  We enjoyed the day very much.  Mom took us to the Cape Fox Restaurant and Lounge for a special lunch.  We were so eager to eat I forgot to take a photo of the meal but we had fish and chips, with coleslaw on the side.  It was Halibut and it was delicious.  Thank you Mom!  To get to the restaurant you ride up the small tram, actually called a Funicular.  It is a short ride and typically costs $2. for a full day pass but there is no charge when you are going up there to eat.  What a difference it makes to rise above the port and see the fabulous views.  I would not do this if I was in port for just a few hours but it was lovely up there.  We even watched a ship depart a few minutes after they blew their horn.  After lunch we walked around the area.  The restaurant is part of the Cape Fox Lodge, that’s not a big surprise.  We also found the Civic Center where we will go to a play and crab feed tomorrow.  After our walk we went back down the hill and walked past Nic’s place and said hello to them.  He said he was bringing us some salmon fillets tonight, but so far I haven’t seen him, that’s okay though.  He’s a nice young man and seems to be very hard working.  Since there were four ships in port today he, along with other merchants and tour guides, were quite busy.  After browsing in a few shops we circled around so we could go check out the people fishing at the bridge.  No one had anything. On home we went, read, played Rummikub, ate a light snack for dinner as we were still full from our wonderful lunch and that was our day.  By evening the sky is clearing and blue sky is replacing the drippy fog over on the west side of the port.  Nice to see!  It is supposed to rain tomorrow, perhaps that forecast has changed.

Yesterday I forgot to mention that there were several bald eagles circling in front of our place over the little dock area.  They are amazing creatures.  I never tire of watching them, even if they are not longer an endangered species. Apparently there was something there for them to eat, fish cleaning debris or something they were interested in. 

It also seems like most of the rhododendrons are finished blooming.  They were sure lovely though, and I am also surprised how many beautiful Japanese Maple trees they have up here.  The winter is not too harsh for them down in the southeast part of Alaska.  They are also beautiful with lovely, vibrant colors. The lilies were especially pretty today.    

July 14, 2011

Liquid sunshine today for Ketchikan!  It isn’t really cold at all but Mom is concerned about slipping so we didn’t walk until later in the day when it was pretty dry. Today was a day for cooking for me.  I promised John hash browns and eggs for breakfast so that’s what Mom and John had.  We played Rummikub and did laundry since it was raining.  John and I took a trip up to the IGA store, which is just up the hill to get a few things.  Mainly BACON as they kept talking about pancakes and John really wanted bacon to go with them.  So, pancakes and bacon was the lunch of the day.  No one ate the cantaloupe either!  We were sort of in a carb coma after eating that but it was good.  After a few more games of Rummikub and some time reading we decided it was time for a walk because it had stopped raining.  First stop was the library.  Mom is impressed with the large selection of large print books offered.  I did get her one before she came, she is reading it, I am reading the same book by Nicholas Sparks, A Bend in the Road.  She is enjoying the book and so am I.  I began reading it a few days before her, so we haven’t discussed it really.  John is on his third Clive Cussler book! Anyway, from the library we walked downtown and then to the pier.  Berth one and two were empty, as the ships had departed.  Berth three had the Coral Princess and berth four was the Zuiderdam (Holland America).  We walked to the point of the pier and then headed back home.  It was cool but not too cold for Mom anyway.  After we arrived back we heard a horn blow and we watched the Zuiderdam depart.  The next time we looked the Coral Princess was gone, not sure when she left.  Dinner was lemon herb chicken, Thai noodles, and sugar snap peas with red bell pepper.  More reading and more Rummikub and that will be our day today.

BTW, took a lot of photos of flowers today and some are considered “weeds” Renee!  :-) 

July 13, 2011

We had a pretty nice and restful day.  It was quite foggy when we first got up but it ended up being in the mid 72, cooler than yesterday. Two ships in port, one Celebrity and one Regatta, not sure about that cruise line.  After breakfast, showers, dishes, etc. we went on a walk toward town and along Creek Street, looking at things along the way.  The walk ends near the library so we then went on to the small museum right next door, actually in the same building.  It is a pretty comprehensive representation of Ketchikan history.  After that Mom was ready for lunch and besides she didn’t have her eye drops so we headed back to the apt. for lunch; salad and sandwiches.  We played a few games of Rummikub and then went out for another walk. We were going to just walk down Thomas Street and the pier area but decided to stop up at the bridge first and see how the fishing was. No luck there so we headed back toward Thomas Street and noticed a man cleaning multiple fish at the public cleaning station.  He was quickly gutting them and making large fillets and had them laid out for further work after he had them all done.  We, along with others, came to watch and talk to him.  He caught all these fish at Herring Cove, where we were the other night.  Of course he was in a boat.  He was from Florida and was also a diver.  I didn’t ask all these things but others did.  Mom and John walked on but once the crowd around him thinned I asked him if he was a commercial fisher and if he could sell fish.  No, he was not and could not sell any but he could barter.  Since I was old enough to be his mother I felt comfortable to ask what he wanted.  He wondered what I had to offer. Long story short, he liked the color green and we had a nice fresh salmon fillet for our dinner.  YUM!  If you have read my blog you know how much I have wanted FRESH caught fish from Ketchikan, so we all enjoyed it tonight.  I could not find John and Mom after my bartering adventure so I took the fillet back to the apt. and then went back out to find them.  We walked to the end of the pier, watched the fish jump and admired the Millennium in port.  Back to the apt for dinner and about the time we sat down to dinner the Millennium pulled away. After dinner the fog rolled in, dishes were done, a bit more Rummikub and hot tea before bed.  A lovely day, it was nice to have Mom here and she seemed to enjoy herself a lot.  It is late so off to bed we go!