Alaska Cruise: Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls

When you hear people talk about their cruises to Alaska, you hear half of them bemoan the weather.  It's usually very rainy and dreary.  Sun is rare....though it's technically "up" from 3am to 11:30pm.  Our only rainy day came in Juneau.....the day I would see my first glacier.  

But, as the captain of our ship said, "there is no bad weather, only bad clothing."  And with that in our minds, and umbrellas and slickers at hand, we set out for Mendenhall Glacier.

This was our first glimpse.  I was amazed!  

It started drizzling on our hike out to the glacier (about a 15 minute walk), but it stopped after only a few minutes.  I'm so glad we did not let the weather deter us.  I loved this place!

Nugget Falls, right beside the glacier, was a sight to behold!  I was in awe of this view!!

And it's not everyday you see icebergs.....(look closely) with eagles perched on top!

The clouds threatened again as we walked back, but I was happy!  Glaciers are not something a Texan sees everyday! 

Alaska Cruise: Juneau

On our cruise, we also stopped in Alaska's capital - Juneau, the only state capital not accessible by road.  It was a bit bigger than Ketchikan, yet it did not feel so.  

We wanted a bird's eye view of the town so we took the Mount Robert's Tramway up the mountain overlooking the town.  I was a bit nervous to be dangling above dense trees but it turned out to be a lot of fun.

The view was worth it!

They had gotten record snowfall this year on the mountain, so there was quite a bit left.  In fact, a lot of the trails on the mountain were closed due to the snow.  

Also at the top, the operators of the tramway had rescued an eagle.  After an accident, this pretty girl suffered an eye injury that keeps her from being able to hunt.  They keep her well-feed on fresh salmon.  

I greatly enjoyed our time in Juneau.  We even managed to do a bit of shopping!

Alaska Cruise: Icy Strait Point

The second port on our Alaska cruise was Icy Strait Point.  It's a port built by the cruise lines just outside the village of Hoonah.  

This was our first glimpse of it.  I also saw my first eagles while looking at this view! 

The cruise lines built museums and shops here. 

There's also a nature trail through beautiful forest.  It was so beautiful and quiet there.

We then walked into the town of Hoonah, about a mile away.  I was eager for some exercise and it was a nice morning for a walk.

And we had several bald eagle sightings on the way!

It was a lovely, unstressful day in port!

Dead Ever After

On the cruise (actually, mostly on the flight to Vancouver), I read Charlaine Harris' last book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, Dead Ever After.

This is the review I posted on Goodreads:

Finally, the last volume of Sookie Stackhouse's journey.

I must admit, I knew where - and with whom - Sookie would end up. I'm sure many other readers knew, as well. That made me a bit unenthusiastic about reading this book, though it's sad to admit. There were not many surprises in this book but it was good to see Sookie's troubles, hopefully, come to a close.

The villain of the book did surprise me, so at least there was that.

Though I like this series, I'm glad to see its end. Ms. Harris writes good fiction but not great fiction. She entertains and, even though Sookie is completely dumb and utterly vapid at times, has created a great set of characters. I will miss them all.

Alaska Cruise: Misty Fjords

 In Ketchikan, we hopped on a seaplane to tour Misty Fjords National Monument.  I really have no idea why this area is a monument versus a park or preserve.  Nonetheless, I was still a bit nervous about the plane....but I was determined to enjoy the experience. 

And, wow, what an experience!  Taking off and landing on water is AMAZINGLY smooth!  I never would have thought!

After leaving Ketchikan, we headed to Misty Fjords.  Thankfully, the weather cleared up and we had sun - sun!  Our pilot was amazed by the weather....so it's apparently pretty rare!

The scenes outside my window were incredible.  I quickly snapped photos, afraid I would miss something.

Halfway through our flight, we landed on pristine Manzoni Lake.  I've never seen anything so beautiful!  I clenched my teeth, descended the steps of the plane, and took some photos from the pontoon. 

Soon, we were in the air again.  We flew over a waterfall....and rainbow!

The entire experience was a bit surreal.  We landed and soon we were back on the ship.  What a great day! 

Alaska Cruise: Ketchikan

Our first port of the cruise was Ketchikan.  I really liked this small town, which is the Salmon Capital of the World - or so they claim.

We did some shopping here, despite a few sprinkles.  Ketchikan, it turns out, is the rainiest city in America, averaging 16 feet a year!  

Ketchikan, seen from our seaplane.

 Next, we headed to our seaplane tour of Misty Fjords National Monument.  Eek!  I was still apprehensive.

Alaska Cruise: Sail Away from Vancouver

 We boarded our ship around 11am and headed straight to the Windjammer for lunch.  After that, we explored the ship.  

I must say, I love this class of ship.  Royal Carribean does such a great job!

 

Above, the beautiful Centrum.

 

Though we usually don't eat in the dining room, it is very pretty!

As if Vancouver had not impressed us enough, it was even prettier from sea!

  

And they even have floating gas stations!  

  

I loved seeing mountains rising from the sea....  We would see a lot of this over the course of the week and, yet, I never tired of it.

We even got to sail beneath a bridge as we left the harbor.  It was my first time under a bridge while on a cruise ship.  For some reason, this seems significant.  

Oh, yes, and Vancouver has very beautiful seagulls. 

Alaska Cruise: Around Vancouver

 We're back from our amazing Alaska cruise and I have so much I want to share with you!

First off: Vancouver.  When we booked this cruise, I was very disappointed that we could not spend any real time in Vancouver  This would be my first trek into Canada and I was sad that I would not get to explore one of its biggest cities.  

We arrived shortly after midnight on Friday, having flown from DFW to Seattle to Vancouver.  Our dark drive to the hotel proved what I'd seen online: the city was so neat!!  The road of our hotel was immaculate.....and we were not in a trendy part of town.  

The next morning, we awoke early, as usual.  We got ready, met my parents at breakfast, and then walked outside to explore.  We knew there was a city park behind the hotel and it was just as pretty as GoogleMaps said.  

Minoru Park is beautiful.

We walked along the trails in the chilly morning air and were delighted to find rabbits hopping happily around.  

There were also geese...and baby geese!

Why, oh why, can't we have parks like this at home?! 

I was utterly charmed by it all.  We all were! 

After exploring the park, we packed up and checked out of the hotel.  We were bound for our ship: Radiance of the Seas.  

June Page

For my June page, I went back to Graphic 45's monthly paper series.  However, most of the subject matter had to with weddings and sweethearts.  Ack!  I found a few things that would work and used cardstock from Studio Calico's monthly kits.  (And our June picture is not actually of Dooku!)

The Flight of Gemma Hardy

I finished a good book the other day entitled The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey.  It's a modern re-telling of the story of Jane Eyre.  

Here's the review I posted on Goodreads: 

The story of Jane Eyre was a favorite of mine so when I saw that this was a re-telling of the tale, I eagerly picked it up.

Livesey has written a very nice novel. My main problem with Jane Eyre was her love of Mr. Rochester: it was incomprehensible and unbelievable. I loved the rest of the story, just not the love story. Livesey writes a more believable romantic tale, I think, which adds greatly to the overall story of Gemma Hardy.

However, Livesey adds some tangents to Gemma's life that made me like her less. All in all, however, I could understand why Gemma did what she did - and understanding a character's motives are important, even if you don't agree with their actions.

I'm glad to have read this.  

Workout Videos

Since I workout at home, mostly with videos, I am constantly on the lookout for new videos to keep me going.  I'm a bit OCD about my workouts; I will do them religiously, fanatically...as long as I'm interested in the videos and feel like I'm seeing results. 

With the help of Netflix, I've tried a lot of videos.  Some are annoyingly simple, some are fun, and others are hopelessly dated.  But I've found some good stuff and, over the years, have definitely become more fit.  And, in so doing, have found it more and more difficult to find challenging workouts.  

Some random thoughts on what I've seen...  Jillian Michaels is annoying but difficult.  I hate instructors who don't actually do their own workouts beyond the first demonstration.  However, I may give Jillian a third chance later on in the future.  I like Kimberley Spreen, though she hasn't produced much recently.  The same goes for Violet Zaki.  I use both of their older videos.  Ellen Barret does fun yoga/pilates...when I'm looking for something lighter and less challenging.  

My new favorites, and those who work me out almost every day now, are  Jari Love and Michelle Dozois.  I like Michelle's older work but her new Peak 10 series is incredible.  I've never been worked so hard with her cardio strength and interval cardio workouts.  Holy cow!  I highly recommend them if you're advanced and need some new, fun stuff.  You'll sweat like crazy!  

Jari Love has been around since 2005 or so and I discovered her videos over a year ago.  Recently though, in an effort to focus on my legs, I started doing more and more of her videos.  Some in her Get Ripped! series are mainly weights with arm and leg work.  You'll do bicep curls for five minutes, squats for five, deadlifts for five, then lunges for five, etc., etc.  This will definitely make you burn.  Some of her other workouts have cardio interspersed with the same crazy leg and arm work.  They're a real challenge.  

Alternating each day between Michelle and Jari, I'm really seeing results in my legs - for the first time in my life!  It's a very slow process....but very exciting!

I hope this gives you some ideas if you're looking for a new workout!

Alaska Cruise

We're getting on a cruise ship tomorrow with my parents to go to Alaska!  I've never been to Alaska so this is too exciting!!

I'm trying not to think about the recent fire on Grandeur of the Seas or the volcanoes spewing ash in far southwest Alaska.  If I die at sea....well, there are worse ways to go.  Ha!

More than anything, I'm worried about spending a week on a ship with my dad.  Last time, Mr. Higgins' parents were along for the cruise, as well as my parents.  This time, it's just my parents.  Oy.  My mom is a saint to live every day with my dad....  But I'm no saint.  

Let's hope he doesn't bring up wanting grandchildren.  And let's pray my patience is a lot better than it usually is!

Wish me luck!  

Bran Muffins: The Search Continues

On Royal Caribbean cruise ships, we love the buffet, especially the pastries and desserts.  Every morning they have delicious muffins, including bran muffins.  I never thought I would like bran muffins but at Mr. Higgins' urging, I gave them a try.  Delicious!!!  

And so I wanted to make my own bran muffins.  So many recipes call for pure bran cereal....and that's not my favorite stuff.  It makes mediocre muffins but nothing great.  I finally stumbled upon a recipe that used real wheat bran and was low in calories (around 110).  Of course, it took some looking to find wheat bran; I finally happened upon it at Kroger, which is quickly becoming my favorite stop for "fancy" foods.  

On Tuesday, I whipped up these muffins.  They're.....okay.  Definitely not anything great.  I ate three over the course of several days and then couldn't stomach anymore.  

And so my search for a yummy bran muffin continues!

Shopping

For the past two years, I've had a bit of a moratorium on clothes shopping.  Mr. Higgins and I were saving for our first home together, I was helping with our wedding, we were trying to fill the house with furniture....  Other things, clearly, took precedence.  

So rigid was I in my shopping ban that I frequently frustrated my mother when we would "shop" together.  I would pick something out, only to hang it up again.  

Well, she got a surprise on Saturday.  I'd lifted my ban.  I was in desperate need of clothes - capris, work clothes, grown-up clothes!  I always feel like my everyday clothes are too young  - i.e. something a college student would wear.  I would really like to feel like I'm dressing my age - i.e. more mature....sophisticated.  

I met my mom on Saturday at some new outlet stores nearby.  Oh, boy.  I went a little crazy.  I bought three dresses.  This, for me, is going crazy.  I had ordered some things online prior to this shopping excursion so I felt like a clothes glutton.  But it was great! 

Finally, I have some cute clothes!  Clothes that don't make me feel sloppy or bad about myself!  It's amazing what a few contribution to one's wardrobe can do! 

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Ever since I went on Weight Watchers nearly seven years ago, I've tried to eat healthy.  When I stopped counting points, I still tried to eat healthy.  Now, instead of points, I count calories with the Lose It!  app. 

Though I've always been an omnivore, I'm eating less meat than ever these days.  I never enjoyed handling raw meat, especially beef, and with all the salmonella and pink slime headlines, it's easy to avoid meat in the grocery store.  And it saves a lot of money.  

Along with eating less meat, I'm also trying to avoid processed foods.  I'm trying to shop around the perimeter of the grocery store.  It's not always possible but I'm happy when I spend less time in the center of the store.  

Recently, I was trying to find a use for a bag of baby spinach in the fridge.  I had strawberries...and since I love spinach-strawberry salads, I threw this one together and thought I'd share it with you.  It's super easy!

Strawberry Spinach Salad a là Picky Doniamarie

1 1/2 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
1/4 cup sliced pineapple (I used canned (rinsed) as it was what I had on hand)
1/2 oz. roasted pecans
2 t light raspberry dressing (I used Kraft's)

I took this to lunch along with a piece of cheese and it was delicious and refreshing on a hot summer day!  And talk about healthy....without the cheese, it's only 200 calories!   

This salad will tide me over until I can get back to Panera this summer.  Have you had their Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad?  Oh, goodness, it's the most delicious thing in the world!  Try it!  Love it!    

Photogenic

Mr. Higgins bought a new camera with a fancy zoom - well, maybe not so fancy but fancier than any camera zoom we have.  He's enjoyed finding things to take pictures of that require the zoom...including the cats when they're stationary for long enough. 

Dooku is always photogenic and proved to be a good subject.  

The new camera will come in especially handy on our Alaska cruise in two (!!!) weeks.  I'm getting really excited and slightly nervous about that trip.  Eek!

GOT Season 3

Are you watching HBO's "Game of Thrones"?  

It really is amazing to me that HBO is capable of producing such amazing TV.  The books transfixed me; the show blows me away each week.  How do they do it?!  How do they write such great episodes?  

For people who haven't read the book, I'm sure it's a confusing show. There are so many characters, so many families, and lots of places to keep straight. Somehow, though, the writers keep it all wrapped up in a tidy package - if you pay close attention each week.  And I love hearing the reactions of viewers - the surprise, the awe, the disappointments....

George R. R. Martin has written five books in A Song of Fire and Ice, with two more books planned.  We have to hope he gets these two books written, that the series is finally finished.  In case he should die, the writers of the HBO series were told what Martin planned for the last two books.  The TV series is currently dealing with material from the third book.  So, Martin needs to write - quickly!  

If you're not watching the show, I highly recommend it.  Actually, I would say to watch the first season and then read the books.  There are so many characters that it's good to see the show first to be able to keep them all straight.  And remember - HBO has to have lots of gore an sex.  This is HBO - not Martin.