uncommonly feeble and random thoughts

Sept 14 and 15, 2018 The Sleeping Bear getaway was by no means over. There are lighthouses to shoot! Breakfasts to order! Shopping to do!!!! Linda remembered being in Suttons Bay, and remembered a garden shop, she thought. We turned a corner and we both suddenly remembered it: Not only do they have many decorative pieces, but they have fine knives and a wide array of knick-knack gift items. We purchased some wolf coasters. It's a thing I have... We fueled up to shop at http://www.45thparallelcafe.com/  , at which I ordered the Thompson, in honor of Wendy Thompson, a high school classmate who was a long-time English teacher at the high school in the area. She married John and he runs a very successful real estate office in the area. Great folks. Then it was off to the north, through Northport, by way of Peshawbestown. and Omena, thence to the lighthouse at the tip of the peninsula. Behold, Grand Traverse Bay Lighthouse: We spent a while here, as I was waiting ...

Sept. 13, 2018 We needed a getaway, so Linda booked a VRBO in what turned out to be a condo at the now-defunct Sugar Loaf ski resort. Let's set the geography: Michigan folks will recognize the iconic M22 area, located around 30 miles west of Traverse City on M72. No sooner did we check in, then we were off to see the area. Linda hasn't actually been to Sleeping Bear Nat'l Lakeshore. Why would someone who was raised in Mona Shores need to go see dunes? Well, we learned why... first stop, the overlook. That's Little Glen, and farther out, Big Glen, as I know them: We drove a bit, and found ourselves on the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive in the park, and once at the dunes, I looked north to, eventually, South Manitou Island: Turning around to face south, there's the reason for the fame. For scale, there are five people in this shot: We ended up driving through Empire, then taking the Empire Overlook trail. I shot his frame not realizing there...

July 5 and 6, 2018 Last leg of the journey... a quick visit to Linda's sister and family in Lebanon, OR. A quick hop from Vancouver to PDX, then a rental car and a drive south. Back roads, of course. I texted Janet at one point to let her know we were in Sublimity, and hadn't ingested a thing, she knew we were pretty far off the beaten path. A great visit, got to see some doggies and kids, and Janet took us on a couple great hikes. First stop, McDowell Creek County Park: Royal Terrace Falls (thanks Janet for the name!) Anyway, back at the ranch, the farmers had to swap stories. The sisters may have a comment or two about hair, but me, I'm stayin' out of it: The next day we traveled to Silver Falls State Park, for more hiking and waterfalls (and waiting for the slow guy to get a photo).   South Falls South Falls  Not a waterfall, said the outdoors expert Lower South Falls Behind Lower South Falls Lower S...

July 2, 3, and 4, 2018 According to a no less authoritative source than the actual Log of the Cruise, we thrust off our Ketchikan berth at 17:48 hours Monday, cruised all day Tuesday and overnight, sending our first mooring line ashore at 07:01 Wednesday, the Fourth of July, except in Vancouver it was just the fourth, of course. 518 miles all told. Here was our view inbound: Quite the skyline!! This last stretch of the voyage was the first time we'd had temps in the 70s and sun aboard the Coral Princess. The poolside jumbotron was shilling other Princess cruise destinations: That shot was taken at 08:30. We left that view for a new one, the Sutton Place Hotel downtown. We had a most amazing ship-to-shore transition, as the dock terminal was Swiss-watch precise in moving the two thousand of us into taxis. Yay Canada! Here's the slovenly lobby, shot at 10:18 (but who is counting): An hour later, Linda and I hoofed it over to the Hendrix/Prince memorial,...

July 2, 2018 This was our last stop in Alaska. The excursion to Misty Fjords was supposed to be the highlight, but we went shopping earlier in the day, and I noticed Copper had noticed that there was salmon to be had, if only he could secure a cloak of invisibility: To set the geography, we continued heading south from Glacier Bay, and Skagway, and Juneau, to Ketchikan, and the Misty Fjords: map courtesy travelalaska.com Ketchikan had a lot of retail "opportunities", and we spent big on the salmon here. There's a creek right downtown, and a boardwalk. I was able to get a shot with my phone: We had learned either here, or at a previous stop (Juneau I think), that the diamond business was big business. Huge, as it turned out. We asked, and the local shopkeepers told us the story. It seems that the Caribbean retail trade depends heavily on the cruise industry, and when the cruising population dwindles... well, so does business. So why not follo...