Butchart Gardens

Our last stop on the cruiseship was in Victoria, Canada.  We weren't there for long, just 4 hours on a Friday night, but my sister had scheduled a visit to Butchart Gardens and I tagged along.  The gardens are about 30 miles north of the port city, and the drive out of town was an interesting tour of the city and its suburbs.  And the gardens themselves?  They were simply amazing.

Started in 1905, and added to in the subsequent years, the gardens began as a family project.  They remain family-owned and operated and are open 365 days a year.  If I lived in Victoria, I'd have a yearly pass to enjoy the beauty.  As it is, I was there for two hours and I've since spent hours daydreaming about plants that I'd like to add to my garden. 

Some delphiniums are certainly in order, for both the vibrant colors and the heady scent.

And I could do with a bed of double begonias that look like these.

It's unlikely that I have a hole large enough for this sort of sunken garden. 

Or a fountain.

But I could certainly make some space for a few more rose bushes.

I'd love to have a hedge capable of doing this….around which my childhood princess fantasies could once again flourish.

But I'll settle for an arbor.

In short, this garden walk, and the dozens of pictures I made, will feed my garden imagination for months and months to come.

Real Life Conversations with Ahmed: Blasphemy edition

The backstory:  JT and I were in a cab with my parents (aka, the Homey Gs, a nickname courtesy of my nephew S), headed from the Seattle port to the Sea-Tac airport.  We struck up a conversation with our taxi driver, Ahmed, and, as these conversations often do, we turned to the topic of weather.

Ahmed the Cabbie:  Where are you headed?

Homey G'pa:  To central California.  It will be hot when we get home.

Ahmed:  How hot?

Homey G'pa:  Well, probably in the 100s, maybe up to 105 by the end of the week.

Ahmed:  105?  Jesus Christ!

And at that, we all burst into laughter.  Really, what else is there to say about 105 degrees?

Ketchikan Gardens

 The town of Ketchikan gets abundant rains and that, combined with the long summer days this far north, creates a rich and lush growing season.  As we walked through the streets of the town, it was apparent that the locals love to garden.

 These informal gardens are lush and somewhat untidy ----- but what they lack in order they make up in charm.

Unclear on the Concept

I am a fan of both cuisines but somehow I feel that a dining establishment unable to select one area of expertise might not be the place to enjoy either of the cuisines in question.

Sorry, Ketchikan.

Ice, Ice Baby

On Wednesday, our ship sailed into Glacier Bay.  The bay is a national park and an amazing array of wilderness abounds.  We saw miles and miles of forest, seals and whales and beautiful birds, soaring overhead and alongside the ship.  The main event, of course, is the glaciers.  This one, Margerie Glacier, calved several times as we watched.  There is most remarkable sound when a glacier calves.  You hear a crashing thunder followed by an enormous splash into the icy water below.  It's made all the more remarkable by the silence which proceeds and follows the event.

The blue color in the crevices of the ice is really quite lovely; the ocean around these glaciers was still and looked almost thick.  That's a result of the fact that the bay is a thousand feet deep and the water is heavier and a grayish green, the color and texture the result of glacial silt.

For most of my life, I've taken for granted the splendor of the western mountains of my childhood camping trips.  This trip has reminded me again just how rare and beautiful such wilderness is.  As our ship sailed out of the bay, we caught sight of kayakers camped on the the side of the bay and I was filled with envy.  How splendid it would be to wake up to these sights for a few mornings in a row.

There's Gold in Them Hills

On Tuesday, our ship sailed into Skagway, Alaska, the gateway to the Yukon and Klondike gold territory.  In the late 19th century, prospectors were required to bring a ton of supplies into these hills before they could go looking for gold.  JT, C, and S were ready to travel.

 They were not willing to carry a ton of hardtack and jerky (not to mention eat such dreadful foods), so we opted to take the scenic railroad up the mountain pass. 

 The views were pretty spectacular, so though I didn't find gold, I'll settle for the pictures.

Zip-A-Dee-Do-Da

Perhaps eager to reprise last summer's water slide incident, my nephew C seemed particularly anxious to see me on the zip line in Alaska.

Not one to disappoint, I suited up.  C and JT came along for the ride.  Riding shotgun was my sister K, whom I believe hatched this plan in the first place.

We set off on a beautiful day.  The zip line equipment was the real deal. 

 The course featured 10 zip lines (11 if you count the bunny slide……the try-me bite slide, which seemed plenty adventuresome to K and me…..little did we know). 

Add in two swinging bridges. 

 And did I mention the final rappel down the tree?  Because, yeah, I wasn't scared enough.

We all survived.  In fact, we had a blast.  And the next time these boys dare to suggest that we don't do enough for them, I'll be dusting off these photos.  Because we are some bad ass mamas, people. 

World, take note.

110% Organic

The supply list in the bathroom at the Marriot Hotel in Seattle:   quince lotion; barley body wash; quinoa shampoo; amaranth conditioner.

I wasn't sure if I should bathe and moisturize or enjoy an all-natural organic snack.

Or both?

A Peculiar Brand of Fun

Our hotel retain its old stairwell and the boys seem to endlessly believe that walking up the stairs qualifies as "fun."

All Cousin, All the Time

The cousins arrived yesterday and that meant triple the fun.  We headed off for a baseball game at Safeco Field.  The day was beautiful even if the Mariners lost.

JT scored himself a foam finger.  He promptly used it to torture his cousins.  They endured his nonsense, though if they toss him to the wolves in Alaska it may be that he's earned that treatment.

We went to the Spaghetti Factory for supper (a fave from my own misspent youth) and then we visited the Space Needle. 

The view was really quite splendid.

We came back to the hotel at 9 and the announcement that some children were ready for sleep horrified JT.  Sleep?  When there are cousins to play with?  

A Day in Seattle

We're in Seattle for a few days before we board the boat to Alaska.  The city was amazingly glorious on our first day.  We arrived at noon Seattle time and after a crazy early morning at Newark Airport, it was like we gained a whole new day.  We got some lunch and then spent the afternoon wandering around Pioneer Square and the Pike Place Market, enjoying the mild warmth and generally soaking up the atmosphere. 

The market was terrific, with fresh produce and flowers galore. 

 For supper, we ate some donuts for our appetizer.

And then we bought fresh cheese curds, homemade crackers, and Rainier cherries and retreated to our hotel to watch the College World Series and await the arrival of the cousins.

Tomorrow, we head to the ball park to watch the Mariners play the Cubs.  Reports as warranted.