Glacier Bay

Of course pictures don't portray the massiveness of the glacier. Note the blue color of the ice. We were able to watch several calving of the ice into the bay.

Bundled up against the cold on our balcony

A view from the front of the ship

Just a cool shoot of our reflection

Leaving the glacier behind as we head back out the bay

Out and About the Ship

The Atrium

Our dinner companions at our table for 4 - Basil and Leona from Alberta, Canada

Shows

The cooking show with a tour of the kitchen

OK, so this isn't out and about, but we did have room service a couple of times for breakfast and lunch as we watched the glaciers.

Our Cabin

we had nice accommodations with a king size bed, sofa, large bathroom that met with the plumber's approval for fixtures, refrigerator, and 2 TVs so you can watch from the bed or the sofa. The balcony was a great addition for glacier watching and just kicking back.

Setting Sail

Some of the pictures are too light - sorry about that for all you photo buffs out there!Leaving Vancouver

Ready for sweater weather

Ready for his first cruise experience

Sun setting as we headed out to open water

Our cabin was right below the Bridge and we could see them from our balcony. The Captain is the one one the right.

Vancouver, BC

I'll begin the vacation journal with our first stop - Vancouver, British Columbia.

We took the city bus to Stanley Park. It is world renowned for it's beauty. There was a city worker strike so some services were unavailable and the gardens hadn't been tended for 3 weeks.

Kendall where we had lunch. Note the 'boot' on his foot that traveled with us throughout the trip as the torn muscle in his foot heals.

Lions Gate bridge

Beautiful flowers

Enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning

We're Outta Here!

We're off to the cool weather of Alaska for a couple of weeks. The 'kids' are in good hands with a house sitter and we're ready for some R&R. Look for pictures in September.

Peaches

It's that time of year again for wonderful juicy peaches from Colorado. They arrived via our courier on Saturday afternoon, so yesterday after church Kendall and I rolled up our sleeves and made a Peach Cream Pie (page 183 in THE cookbook) and 24 jars of peach jam. I used fat free half and half instead of cream and it turned out OK with fewer fat grams.

The Cookbook Has Arrived!

The famous cookbook is now available for purchase. Well, maybe it's not famous YET, but its a great collection of over 400 recipes. If you're interested, we are selling the extra ones for $16.65 + tax for a total of $18.00. If you need to have it shipped, shipping is $4.00 for the first book and a $1.00 for each additional book to the same address. Because the business (Mountain Home, LLC) is licensed in AZ, we are required to charge tax on shipping as well (8.1%). Let me or any of the sisters know if you would like to become a customer. Aren't Emma and Rachel adorable on the cover?

New Babies in the Yard

We saw a new family in the front yard recently. It is a little late in the season for new babies, but hopefully they will survive.

Sun Rise

This is a picture taken with my camera phone from my office window this week. The sun was coming up making the hospital across the street seem to glow against the backdrop of the dark clouds.

More Rain

Yesterday we had 15 minutes of steady rain. As you can see, it really came down! We ended up with a mini flood off the back patio.

Monsoon Has Arrived

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsoon#North_American_Monsoon

As of yesterday the Monsoon Season has officially begun. There has to be 3 consecutive days of an average dew point of 55 for the season to be official. It often begins around the 7th of July, so it is a little later this year. Last night there were pockets of a lot of rain, but the airport had no measurable amount. Today it is a light drizzle and cooler temperatures. The back patio is a mess from the dust, wind and rain!

A Cheap Date

This afternoon we went on a date to the Cheap Theater. A few laughs for a $3 ticket to see Wild Hogs. Any middle aged men out there able to relate?

Check out the link - there are some video games to play that relate to the movie

http://video.movies.go.com/wildhogs/

Typical Weekend

Nothing new to post. Routine activities: Bunko, yard work, shopping, adding to the stamp collection, church, pool time...

The Gas Light Inn

Last night we used an evening at the Gas Light Inn that we 'won' in a charity silent auction. There was live Jazz and desserts in the evening downstairs in a comfortable atmosphere. Definitely a place to go back to just for the music and food if not the overnight accommodations!

http://www.glendalegaslightinn.com/

120?

It has been a very hot week. Yesterday as I was driving, the car registered 120. By the time I got to my destination and could snap a picture it was down to 118.

Quail Family

It's that time of year again when the Quails are raising their families. This is a family with 2 teenagers out for a stroll in the front yard.

Thanks for the Birthday Wishes

Thanks to everyone for the Birthday wishes! My wonderful husband pampered me and they had flowers, cake and gifts for me at work. I guess it's just a day you have to put up with! :-)

Almost 50 Years!

Kendall's parents will have been married for 50 years as of December of this year. They were very young when they married in 1957! We marked the occasion with a cake at the reunion.

Some Reunion Scenes

We had lunch in Kendall's town on the way to the reunion with our friends Waneda and Marvelous Marv.We also saw Kendall Electric, but no photo of that.

The family took a field trip to Shipshewana, Indiana for the day on Thursday. Interesting shuttle service!

Dad and Uncle Del in deep conversation.

More conversation during the mega photo session included Holden.

Torie and Marge looking at a photo album.

Amigo Centre

The family reunion we attended this week was held at the Amigo Centre in Sturgis, Michigan. The location was beautiful and the weather incredible! We were at the airport early enough yesterday to get on an earlier flight so we had a bonus evening at home.

The Cement Pond below our building

The Lake

Water Lilly

Pretty "Weeds"

An old 'lighthouse'

Stuck in the '60's

OK, so it's been awhile since I Blogged! Sorry to all of you that check in and think we might still be at the concert - just no time to update.

Tomorrow morning we head to the Midwest for Kendall's family reunion. We hear it is HUMID there! Can you tell who wants to go along? Actually she and Jake will be fine with their own live in babysitter while we're away.

The Beach Boys and Frankie Valli

Last night we stayed up past our bedtime to watch some living legonds. We went to a concert where The Beach Boys and Frankie Valli performed. 46 years for The Beach Boys this year!



He had a great show for a man of 70!