Monday, June 10, 2013

Look Where I've Been

Hi. As usual, I'm later getting back to my blog than I promised. It always takes me awhile to get back into the swing of things. Hope everyone had a great couple of weeks while I was gone.

That vacation I told you I was going on was an Alaskan Cruise. We had a wonderful time and since I happen to have a blog, I'm going to share a couple classic vacation pictures. (Aw, come on. I'll look at yours.)

First, just a couple shots taken from the ship. I wish these pictures did the scenery justice. It was breathtaking.





 The next one was taken from inside the helicopter that took us to the top of the Mendenhall glacier. We had to go over those mountains ahead of us. I'm not sure my stomach made it.
 




Here's the helicopter lifting off after depositing us on the glacier.
  


And here's a little piece of the glacier.

 



 The top of the glacier is broken by numerous cracks or fissures. The ice deep inside the fissure is bright blue. This is because the lower ice is so compressed by the glacier, it can only reflect one part of the light color spectrum.
 



 We also took a ride on the White Plains Railroad which was built during the Alaskan Gold Rush. I got this picture of the front of the train from our car as we went around a curve, but I tried not to look straight down.






 Here's the sea plane we took into the Misty Fjords. The couple with us was my big brother and my sis-in-law. This trip was extra special to me because it was the first time my brother and I vacationed together since we were kids. (A really long time ago.)





 We did see some wildlife but only this guy hung around long enough for me to get his picture. 



Okay, that's all. Thanks for letting me share.

I have one other picture but it's not of our vacation. Yesterday, I attended a lovely brunch at the home of author Duffy Brown, hosted by Tonya Kappes, Nancy Naigle and of course, Duffy.  Just wanted to say thanks again, ladies. It was delightful.


I have some other bits of news but nothing that can't wait till next time. I need to get moving so I can visit all of you and see what everyone's been up to.  It's nice to go away but always nice to come back.


Thought for the Day:

The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight, because by then your body and your fat have gotten to be really good friends. 

(yes, this thought was prompted by the non-stop eating we did on the cruise)

23 comments:

Melody said...

I love your pictures - thanks for sharing! Glad you had such a time and your brother got to go. And what an interesting fact about the blue reflection from the compressed ice - I had no idea! :)

Heather R. Holden said...

Wow, fantastic pictures! I think it's so cool how you went to Alaska. I can't ever imagine going somewhere so cold!

Maria Zannini said...

Wow! Just wow!. The Alaskan cruise is definitely going on my bucket list.

Welcome home!

Jennie Bennett said...

So cool! I'm super jealous!

Carol Kilgore said...

Awesome! Not sure I would have enjoyed that train ride. But would have loved the rest of it for sure.

Welcome back :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Amazing photos! I would've been all right on the train but not so sure about the plane or helicopter.
Welcome back!

Emily R. King said...

Gorgeous pics! I want to do that someday. I'm so glad you had fun!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Oh that looks like so much fun! I've never been in a helicopter before. I'm weird in that I love heights, so I would've been pressed to the glass and looking down on that train ride.

Robin said...

I have heard that Alaska is gorgeous. Your pictures go a long way toward proving the point. Looks like an amazing vacation! What a wonderful trip to take with your brother... so special:)

Donna K. Weaver said...

Fun! Some day I'd love to go on an Alaskan cruise. Hubby and I are going on one to Hawaii and back in January with his brother and his wife. I'm excited.

Arlee Bird said...

That all looks like great fun, though the train looks pretty scary.

Lee
Tossing It Out

Unknown said...

Haha! Love the joke at the end! I also loved all the pics. The bald eagle is so cool! The mountains are kinda scary though, especially the train. Yikes! I'm glad you made it back safe. :-)

Stacy McKitrick said...

I lived in Alaska for a total of 2-1/2 years and would LOVE to go on an Alaskan cruise. Thanks for sharing your pictures. Brings back memories!

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

Wow, sounds like an amazing vacation. All except for that train. I'm not so sure about that train. Makes my tummy turn over just to look at that picture. When you mentioned the glacier, I was gonna ask you if it were blue, but then you answered. And showed. I had no idea it was THAT blue. Gorgeous! (So is that eagle.)

Kaye George said...

Thanks for the tremendous shots! That's a trip I'd love to make soon. I'm working on hubby.

LD Masterson said...

First, an apology to everyone. I had some unplanned dental work done yesterday and it delayed my responding to your comments.

Melody - We learned lots about glaciers. Had a great tour guide.

Heather - Actually it was only cold on the glacier. The rest of the time we were in light jackets or sweatshirts. But, of course, it's spring up there, too.

Maria - I highly recommend it. And thanks.

J.A. - Don't be jealous, just plan on going someday.

Carol - The train ride was awesome...as long as I didn't look straight down. (gulp)

Alex - I had a couple iffy moments in the helicopter but the plane ride was a piece of cake. He even landed on the water and let us get out and stand on the pontoons.

Emily - Thanks, and I hope you get to.

Diane - I would have been glad to give you my seat at the window.

Karen - Thanks, and you too. Hope you're feeling better today.

Robin - It really was. We had such a great time being together.

Donna - A cruise to Hawaii sounds great. We been there once but we flew over. Hope you have a wonderful trip.

Lee - And I don't even go on ferris wheels because they're too high for me.

Lexa - Hey, I finally got a comment on my joke. The eagle was beautiful. We got to see a number of them but that was the best close up shot.

Stacy - You'll have to tell me about living there sometime.

Susan - The picture didn't really capture the blue of the ice. It was brilliant. And gorgeous. As was the eagle.

Kaye - Oh, tell him I said you need to go. (I'm sure that will carry a lot of weight. *grin*)

Lydia Kang said...

Wow, just wow. Amazing pictures!

Patricia Stoltey said...

I've wanted to take an Alaskan Cruise for so long, but I'm afraid of two things. (1) Getting seasick and (2) Gaining about 50 pounds.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

My sister just went on an Alaskan cruise. It looks beautiful but I'm not sure I can ever afford it. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

JRiceAPR said...

So happy for you and Stan--what a GREAT trip! And don't ever apologize for posting vacation pictures--the majority of people enjoy hearing about their friends' travels. Plus, it gives everyone the opportunity to either re-live a wonderful vacation OR live vicariously through you! Anyone who doesn't like them is free to ignore 'em.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

Marvelous! I went on an Alaskan cruise years ago, but I didn't brave the helicopter or train ride. You're a brave woman. I'm glad you had such a great (and picturesque) time.

xoRobyn

Julie Flanders said...

Oh, I'm so jealous of your trip! Looks absolutely amazing. And how wonderful that you and your brother got to enjoy it together, you guys all look like you're having such a good time in that photo.

Thanks for sharing and letting me live vicariously through your pictures! :)

Tina said...

I LOVE vacation pictures! Sounds like you and I took the same cruise! We didn't do any of those expensive excursions though. We had enough of a hard time keeping up with my bar bill ;-)
Tina @ Life is Good