Santa Arrived Early!

This year we decided to give ourselves a gas fireplace for Christmas.  So we checked with Santa and he agreed.  He has been really busy and since we are old hands at Christmas he wondered if he could deliver our gift early.  We said yes and today he arrived and he even installed it. Our brick fireplace used to have a firewood burning insert which we got rid of several years ago.  So for the last 8-10 years we have had a piece of paneling covering the firebox to keep the heated air from going up the chimney.  It really didn't look that great but we didn't know what we wanted to do until we saw a set of gas fireplace logs installed in a neighbors house.  We decided that was the way to go. The gas logs are more for ambiance than for heating.  They do keep the living room toasty when we sit there reading on cold and wet winter nights.  We have only had one night with Santa's work but it is great!  Should have done it a long time ago. So if you happen to be in the area on Christmas Eve between 5:00 and 7:50 (just before church) stop by for soup, Goni's home baked dinner rolls and a sit by the fire for a while.

Christmas in Denver

Denver at Christmas time is wonderful. Grover is there for a national Incident Management Team conference with a couple of other county employees.

Weather has been great but cool at night. Our hotel is downtown and we have spent quite a bit of time walking around the area. This is a wonderful place to visit.

We have walked to the state capital and the Denver city-county building. The picture is of the city-county building all decked out in Christmas lights.

Sea Day to Seattle

Friday was the last full day on the ship as we headed south towards Seattle and then home.  We spent the day enjoying quiet time, walking the deck and going to a couple of shows. The first show was the "Oh What a Night" group that sang Frankie Valli songs last Sunday.  They did another great job and we enjoyed them a lot.  Friday night we saw Cirque Pacific which was a dancing and gymnastics program which was also great.  The crew then came in and occupied the stage to thank us for cruising with them. The sunset was also the first good one we had seen for a few days so we took some pictures of it.  The next morning we pulled into Seattle around 6:00 AM and Grover got some pretty good pictures of the skyline just before sunrise. We had a great cruise and enjoyed ourselves.  Several people we talked with has been on many cruises (one couple had been on 27).  We decided we are not necessarily cruise enthusiasts but we would probably go on another on if it had interesting ports of call. So we are out of vacation time and the vacation savings account is almost depleted.  We are headed back to work to build up some time and money so we can go do another vacation next summer.

Prince Rupert, British Columbia

On our way to Prince Rupert we ran into some rough sea and the pitching and rolling of the ship woke us up. We got up and walked around the ship for a little while and then went back to bed. One of the advantages of an inside cabin is that it is very dark inside no matter what time of day it is. So we slept in and got up quite late. We were not due into Prince Rupert , British Columbia until 4:00 PM so we had some time to take it easy for a while. We read, walked the track around the ship several times, took some dance lessons and got a nap in. We learned the moves necessary to do the Cha Cha although we are definitely not ready for Dancing With the Stars. A little before 4:00 PM we arrived in Prince Rupert which is a city of about 12,000 people on the British Columbia coast. It was chosen to be the terminus for the Canadian Pacific Railroad back in the early 1900s. We walked around downtown but did not see anyplace that we needed to go into. It was party cloudy and somewhat warm so not a bad day for a walk. When we arrived in port we had seen a big building up on the hill that looked interesting. So we walked up there and found it was the Anglican Church and the front door was open so we went inside. The organist was inside practicing so we went inside and got a picture. We met a very friendly Canadian cat who had interesting markings so we snapped her picture. Our next stop was the Presbyterian Church on the hill on the other side of the main road. In between we took pictures of beautifully restored old houses that have a great view of Cow Bay . It is called Cow Bay because of a farmer who brought a herd of cows into the port on a barge in the old days. Everything is painted in white and black cow colors including the dumpsters. There was a farmer's market setup in front of the courthouse to sell stuff to the tourists. We looked it over before doing the tourist spots down by the water. Nothing remarkable to report here but we did have some pretty good snacks at the local espresso stand called Cowppuccinos. We went back to the ship for the remainder of the evening to watch some shows. We went to another The Second City program in one of the lounges and had some good laughs. The crew of the ship put on a program with talent from folks who work in various places aboard. We saw opera singing, traditional Asian dancing, some kind of India break dancing, and guitar singers. We finished off the night down at the Grand Atrium with Goni's favorite singing trio before heading off to bed at 11:00 PM . It is tough for old folks to stay up that late but we sleep in that morning. The interesting thing here is that the two shows were at different ends of the ship. Goni actually ran on the outside deck from one end of the ship to the other so we could get good seats at the crew show. She was pretty proud that she could do that without being out of breath. Here regular water aerobics working! Tomorrow is a day at sea before we arrive back at Seattle and the end of the cruise on Saturday morning. There are several shows planned to entertain passengers so it should be OK.

Skagway

Skagway is the furthest north our cruise ship goes into Alaska.  Population is 800 during the winter and goes to 2,000 in the summer.  On cruise days the town can have 10,000 people in it.  Weather was very windy, cold and showery which is very much like a winter day at home.   We had breakfast then took the bus into town (actually only 3-4 blocks) to see the sights.  Skagway is mostly very old buildings with boardwalks to walk on.  It has an old west theme which they successfully use to their advantage with the tourists.  Like most of the Alaska ports we have been to they have lots of jewelry stores for those inclined to make diamond purchases.  The whole town is protected because it is a historical landmark.  We took pictures of downtown, some bed & breakfasts and of the airport.   One of the paid attractions was a play on the history of the town in 1898.  We spent an hour watching a program about the town villain, Jeff Smith, who was killed in a shootout with the town hero in 1898.  Very well put on program and Goni thinks she is bringing culture to Grover by seeing plays.  We'll have to see about that.   At noon we met our bus for the Skagway and Yukon train ride up to Fraser, British Columbia.  We rode to the train depot and boarded an old train pulled by early 1900 diesel engines.  The tracks go along the same route that many of the prospectors walked to the gold rush in the Yukon before the railroad was built in 1898.  The weather was still overcast but the scenery we could see was beautiful.  At Fraser we boarded a bus and did a tourist trip to the Yukon Suspension Bridge then back to Skagway to meet the ship.   At the ship we settled in for a couple of shows including a ventriloquist in the theater and then a show in the lounge.  The lounge show was music from musicals including Rogers & Hammerstein and Cole Porter.  Very well done show and enjoyable.   Thursday morning and early afternoon is travel for our final destination at Prince Rupert, BC.

Juneau & the Tracy Arm Fjord

Juneau is the capital city of Alaska with about 30,000 people.  It is also built on the side of a hill with lots of waterfront.  We went for a hike around the downtown area and saw all the usual stores and another 100 jewelry outlets.  They also have a Costco, Wal-Mart and Fred Meyer so they are really the shopping capital too.  They have beautiful wild flowers planted all around downtown.   Down on the dock there was a statue of a dog named Patsy Ann who lived in Juneau in the 1930s.  This dog belonged to the local doctor who brought her from Portland in 1929.  Patsy Ann wouldn't stay home and was always wandering and visiting the downtown businesses for a handout.  She loved to go down to the waterfront and greet the ships as they came in.  Patsy Ann got to be quite the celebrity and instinctively knew when ships were coming in even before the inhabitants.  So in honor of Patsy Ann I took a picture of her statue and Goni for the blog.  Goni is eating Alaska Chocolate for the picture which we purchased downtown.   There is lots of activity down on the waterfront.  Lots of float planes taking off and landing with tourists to go see the sights.  Took pictures from the dock of one coming in to the dock after landing right in front of us.  Lots of helicopters too.  While we were waiting in line to get the bus back to the ship a couple of local kids were playing the bag pipes and drum to make some money from tips.   We left Juneau around 1:30 headed for the Tracy Arm Fjord to view a real life glacier.  We left the inside passage and went up the arm at about 3:30 .  There were frozen blocks of ice and glacier pieces floating in the water.  The ship went all the way up to the glacier and turned around so everyone could see the glacier.  It is beautiful country and a great experience.  We hoped to see some whales and bears but no luck.  It was very cold!   Tuesday night we went to The Second City show in the theater.  For those not in the know The Second City is a comedy group started in 1959 in Chicago .  Many famous actors and actresses have gained fame while working there.  It was a good comedy show and we had some good laughs.  So when we went to Oshkosh we saw Chicago the band and on the cruise we enjoyed The Second City from Chicago .  We also visited Greer in Chicago so Grover's hometown somehow got some extra attention on our 25th anniversary spectacular.  Of course that was our honeymoon destination in 1985 along with 5 kids.   After the comedy we went to one of the lounges and listed to cruise ship band play a lot of Frank Sinatra songs.  The singer is one of the guys in the program on Monday night.  All in all the entertainment on the ship has been quite good.   Wednesday we arrive in Skagway and go for a train ride up to Fraser British Columbia.  The train route is narrow gauge and was built on 1898 to transport people and goods to the mining towns.  We hear it is a lot of fun and great excursion.

Ketchikan

Ketchikan is built at the base of the mountains. Population is about 14,000 and at least 100 jewelry stores. Why anyone would come to Alaska to buy jewelry made someplace else is beyond me.

We enjoyed walking around town and seeing the sites. A lot of the people on the ship went on excursions but there wasn't anything that interested us. We got out of town having spent only $20.

We left the dock around 3:00 and continued north. Goni and I swam in one of the pools then sat in the hot tub. Took a couple of naps and had dinner. Have seen a few whale snouts but no whales jumping out of the water.

For the evening we went to the 70's music and dance show. Then sat in a couple of lounges and listened to the music.

Haven't been able to upload pictures to the blog because I left the card reader at home. Plan to pick one up tomorrow in Juneau. In the mean time enjoy the self service portrait we took off the back of the boat as we left Ketchikan.

Alaska Cruise Day 2

The second day of our Alaska Cruise is "at sea" which means there are no stops.  We spent the day exploring the ship further, eating, napping, listening to music, and walking the track on the ship.    Our first stop was the dining hall where we had breakfast.  After that it was off to a seminar on how to get the most out of your digital camera.  Pretty basic but it was worth the time.  We walked around he track so many times that we traveled 7 miles throughout the day.  We had to do his or we would be so fat from the good food we wouldn't fit our clothes by the end of the cruise.   In the afternoon was a seminar on what to watch for while shopping in the ports of call.  The gal giving he talk was very interested in getting people to buy diamonds and jewelry.  We didn't get much out of the time spent there although Goni did admit that someday she might like a diamond.   All over the ship there is live musical entertainment. We listened to a lot of great music but our favorite was the Frankie Valli Tribute program in the theater in the evening.  The group sang great old songs and it was a wonderful program.  The group plays in Las Vegas and around he country.   We change time zones (go back one hour) when we get into Alaska.  Our first stop is Ketchikan at 07:00 hours Monday morning.  We didn't book any excursions in Ketchikan so we will just be wandering around on foot looking at he sites.   No pictures today but maybe tomorrow.

North to Alaska

After a night at Tom's be boarded a Yellow cab for the trip to Pier 66 on the Seattle waterfront. After going through the checkin procedure, which includes an airport style security check, we went on board. For the next couple of hours we explored and had lunch.

We went back to our stateroom for a little rest and to put stuff away.

It was off to our lifeboat station for the safety drill. A girl with an English accent taught us how to put on our lifejackets.

Then it was time for us to leave port and start the cruise. Captain Lars gave us a greating over the intercom. We relaxed in the Grand Atrium and had a drink.

So far the food has been good, crew has been nice and the ship comfortable.

Veterans Traveling Tribute Wall

The American Veterans Traveling Tribute Wall is in La Center this weekend. Many of you may have heard about the traveling Viet Nam Memorial Wall that is a smaller version of the one in Washington DC. My friend, Chief Tim Hopkin, from the La Center Police Department was instrumental in getting the wall setup in La Center. Goni and I went down to see the wall and were deeply moved. While the wall has the names of all the US troops killed in Viet Nam there are tributes to our troops who have served in all wars. We listened to the bagpipes play and looked at the displays. There is more than one wall and they travel the USA. To find out where one of the walls will be go to the following website: http://www.avtt.org

Homeward Bound Day 3

We made it home! Goni was eager to hold Harlow so we were out of bed and on the road westbound from Burley, Idaho at 06:30 hours Mountain time. We zipped across Idaho and Oregon arriving at the hospital at 15:15 hours Pacific time. Harlow slept through the entire visit but that didn't keep us from holding her. She looks wonderful and is in expected to go home Wednesday. The big road trip is over but not the end of the vacation. At the end of next week we head out on the final trip of the 25th anniversary spectacular when we leave on the Alaska cruise out of Seattle. We will blog our way through that trip too.

Homeward Bound Day 2

Day 2 of the trip home was uneventful. We left Kearney, Nebraska around 08:30 hours and headed west. Drove through the remainder of Nebraska, then Wyoming and Utah before stopping at Burley, Idaho for the night. Goni is eager tohold the new grandbaby so no moss is growing under our feet. With not too much effort we should be home Tuesday afternoon.

Harlow Jane has Arrived!

We received a message from Laurel that Harlow Jane arrived this morning at 0337 hours. She weighs 6 Ibs 3 oz and is 19.5 inches long. Mother and baby are doing well.

We are speeding home so we can hold our newest grandchild!

Trip Home Day 1

Sunday morning at 9:00 AM we headed west out of Chicago. The hope is it will take us three days to get home. We made good time and went 650 miles before stopping for the night at 8:00 PM in Kearney, Nebraska. We went for a long walk and a swim before heading off to bed.

Tomorrow we should hear word on the birth of our newest grandchild.

Cole Family Reunion

Saturday dawned like a typical Western Washington day - with rain and overcast.  But as the day progressed it turned out a little overcast and not too hot.  Just right for the Cole Family Reunion and food fest at Uncle Wendell's house on Lake Chapin near Berrien Springs, Michigan. Total attendance was not a large number but we had a good turn out.  We visited, looked at old pictures, took new pictures, celebrated birthdays and took a ride on a pontoon boat on the lake.  It was a great day and we had a good time visiting with family.  Goni, as was to be expected, took up with the women in the kitchen.  They talked about food, recipes and family.  Grover and Gary Klein went down to look at Wendell's shop. We had a big celebration for everyone with a recent birthday but especially Wendell who will be 80 in 6 weeks.  There was a 25th wedding anniversary toast for Grover & Goni's big anniversary.  Food was in great abundance and most of us were waddling around because we ate too much. There was a championship badminton game played in the back yard by many family members.  Cassie Laseke played Grandpa Cole's restored guitar.  We tried to sing songs but most of us couldn't remember the words. We then went for a ride on the lake in Wendell's neighbors pontoon boat.  Goni calls it a party boat but it will hold 12 people and is just right for cruising at slow speeds on Lake Chapin.  Wendell was the captain and looked smart in his captain's hat.  He took us down the lake to Berrien Springs and back.  A second group got a ride the other way to Buchanan. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end.  We left Saturday evening for one last night in Chicago before the long trip back home.  We stayed up til midnight talking with Greer and Joe before hitting the sack. Tomorrow we head towards home through the Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska countryside.

Michigan

Today we left Chicago for Michigan and the family reunion. Erica and Mia rode with us and it was a lot of fun. Traffic was a challenge but not severe.

At Uncle Wendell's we had dinner. After dinner we sat around visiting while we waited for the rest of the guests to arrive.

We also had a fire and made smores but got rained out after a while. Wendy made arrangements for us to stay with cousin Don and his wife Linda. So far it looks like lots of fun in store for everyone visiting for the reunion.

Chicago: The Windy City

The airshow was great but we only allocated 3 days to be there so reluctantly (at least for Grover) we headed to our next destination, Chicago. We drove through Milwaukee and through a couple of the neighborhoods on our way to find I-94. Goni said that the neighborhoods had "character" because of the different people and buildings we saw. Grover had other descriptions. We stopped at a Cabelas in Wisconsin so Goni could get more Jeff Foxworthy beef jerky. She really likes his jerky and Cabelas is the only place that has it. So we bought two big bags and headed south. We arrived at Greer's house around 2:30 and had a good time visiting the rest of the afternoon. We had Chicago pizza which is the best in the world. Then we went for a walk in unseasonably nice weather (low humidity & temperatures). Later in the evening the Mia and Erica invited us for a swim in their back yard pool. It isn't real big but we had a good time cooling off before it was time for bed. Tomorrow it is on to Uncle Wendell's in Michigan for the family reunion. We are looking forward to seeing relatives we haven't seen in years.

Oshkosh Day 3

It rained during the night with thunder and lightning.  I slept through it but Goni heard it all.  While it made the ground wet again it didn't create too many problems to the rain soaked grounds.  Surprisingly there was not as much humidity all day.  One of the problems with the rain was an increase in mosquitoes.  They are very hungry! We spent the day at the airshow and visited the warbird area.  Lots of old military airplanes including several that were doing run ups to takeoff.  Hard to believe some of these planes are 60-80 years old and still fly. We went over to Pioneer Airport and then the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) museum.  The EAA, which runs the airshow, has a hands on educational program for kids of all ages.  We took pictures of some kids practicing their flying skills.  We also got a picture of the Goodyear blimp before it took off to fly around the area. Inside the museum we saw lots of airplanes and people.  We saw the Aerocar which was designed and built by Longview resident Mort Taylor 50 years ago.  While the car was not a business success it was the first functional flying car. After the airshow we went up to visit my nephew Todd and go to dinner.  His three children, Derek, Cassie and Jordan were all there.  Haven't seen the kids (who are now young adults) for several years.  We had a nice visit and they will be heading up to the family reunion in Michigan on Saturday. Tomorrow (Thursday) we will head down to Chicago for an overnight visit to Greer and her family.

25th Anniversary at Oshkosh

Let Goni sleep in this morning so she could be rested up for a day at Oshkosh.  Because of that the continental breakfast at the motel was over so we went to a local restaurant here in New London called Bucky's for breakfast.  Good food at a reasonable price.  We have found most restaurants here have great prices and good service. The weather at Oshkosh was warm but there was a breeze which helped the upper 80's temperatures to be more tolerable.  No rain but it is in the forecast.  Oshkosh had so much rain over the last week that the grounds are very mushy.  They had to put many of the campers at sites off the grounds for the first time in 40 years.  The rain also prevented all the Cherokees coming in for the 50th anniversary celebration. We went and looked at the vendor buildings then took a tram out to the Vintage airplane area.  Saw some old airplanes and the Salute to Veterans airshow.  The airshow showcased World War II airplanes and the picture includes parachutists with fighter planes circling them as they descended. The picture don't show up well but it this was very impressive.  As we were leaving we saw the Goodyear blimp but couldn't get a good picture.  Will try again tomorrow. Came back to the motel and we enjoyed a hour long cool off in the pool.  Goni and I had a nice day together which is all either of us really wanted for our big anniversary day. Our plans for tomorrow are to go to the airshow then meet up with my nephew Todd for dinner.  He lives in Appleton which is just a few miles north of Oshkosh.

Oshkosh!

After spending a nice visit with Uncle Eldine and Aunt Margie we headed south for the big airshow at Oshkosh. Because this is such a large event we had made our motel reservations several months ago and the closest we could get a decent room was 25 miles away. So we checked into our room and headed down to Oshkosh. The band Chicago was holding a concert in the main square of the show starting at 5:30. We got to the airshow grounds and checked in and watched the airshow aerobatics being held over the airport. We spent a little time looking over the DC-3 aircraft in the square before sitting out our chairs for the program. Ford Motor Company sponsors the concert each year so we listened to the Ford people talk about their new Explorer model which was delivered by air crane while we waited for the show to start. The place was packed with people for the show and we enjoyed the music. Got some pictures of the crowd and asked the guy behind us to take our picture. After the concert we met up with Gary & Martha Sparks who had flown in on one of the DC-3s from Portland. It is the 70th anniversary of the DC-3 so it is a big deal for all that can get to the show are displayed. It is also the 50th anniversary of the Piper Cherokee (the plane Grover owns) so we hope to check some of them out. Of course the really big Grover and Goni 25th anniversary is tomorrow which will also be celebrated at the airshow. Much more important than any old airplane. We will report on that Wednesday morning.