A Different but Familiar Universe.
It’s not Déjà vu, it’s a little different from that. We’re sailing on our third R class Holland America Ship, Zaandam. All R classes have nearly identical floor plans but different decors, and with each going into dry dock at … Continue reading A Different but Familiar Universe.
San Diego Sidebars
And they’ll all want lifts to Brown’s Hotel ‘Cause some of them’s been travelin’ for quite a spell. All the way from Phil-a-del-fi-a (sic)NB On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe The San Diego Santa Fe railway station is … Continue reading San Diego Sidebars
Homeport San Diego
My homeport is Sitka but Holland America considers three Pacific cities to be it’s homeports, Seattle (company HQ), Vancouver and San Diego Koningsdam, Niew Amsterdam and Zaandam are currently homeporting in San Diego, but with Zaandam being gone for 93 … Continue reading Homeport San Diego
Into the Mystic
I’m always nervous before traveling. I don’t relax until the plane rotates on takeoff and I watch Sitka glide by, catch a glimpse of my house, and fly into the mystic, the clouds that sometimes make Southeast Alaska Communities feel … Continue reading Into the Mystic
Prayers to St. Anthony
Our little red sutcase seems to have enjoyed its travels last cruise because it has convinced the rest of our baggage to go walkabout with it. FedEx, Contracted by Luggage Forward, picked up our bags on December 16th. According to … Continue reading Prayers to St. Anthony
2025 McClear Family Christmas Letter.
This is our family Christmas letter. Merry Christmas everyone! Continue reading 2025 McClear Family Christmas Letter.
Turning STEM into STEAM. Sitka Whalefest 2025
At Festivals I withdraw from daily life and immerse myself in something different and stimulating. Throughout the year Sitka gives me several chances to take such a staycation immersing myself in chamber music or jazz. But in November a long … Continue reading Turning STEM into STEAM. Sitka Whalefest 2025
Boardwalk Patterns
It’s been a while since I logged onto the blog. I have been posting on Facebook but have been busy enough that I haven’t done much writing. The last week we have had a succession of storms battering our coast. … Continue reading Boardwalk Patterns
The St. Croix River
Around a century ago Suzi’s grandfather bought some farmland along the St. Croix River off the main channel on Paige’s Slew. The St Croix is the boundary river between Minnesota and Wisconsin. It originally was an outlet for Glacial Lake … Continue reading The St. Croix River
People’s Republic of Seward
The Seward neighborhood in Minneapolis is an urban jungle. No, not in that way. This used to be a neighborhood of well-kept lawns in front of Sear’s Craftsman bungalows. But the neighborhood has gone wild, in a cultivated kind of … Continue reading People’s Republic of Seward
Making Noodles
“For those who love this dish there is nothing quite like real, home grown, spaghetti.” Thus ends the April 1, 1957, segment of Panorama on BBC TV. I, as a broadcaster, I am very familiar with this classic BBC broadcast … Continue reading Making Noodles
Our Middle Child, KAXE
In 1970, on Suzi’s 24th birthday, five friends sat around Sandie Anderson’s kitchen in Minneapolis and signed incorporation papers for what would become Northern Community Radio. All of us, Dave Molvik, Dale Constantine, Sandie, Suzi and I had been “utility … Continue reading Our Middle Child, KAXE
50th Winnipeg Folk Festival!
We weren’t there at the beginning, but darn close. The Winnipet Folk Festival was in 1974 to celebrate Winnipeg’s centennial. We first attended in 1976. This is the fiftieth because of two years lost to COVID. We’ve been to 41 … Continue reading 50th Winnipeg Folk Festival!
Small Town 4th
OK by Alaska standards Sitka isn’t a small town, but it can feel like it. As one friend wrote in a song, no one uses turn signals because everyone already knows where you are going. Skagway, Alaska is really a … Continue reading Small Town 4th
The Beautiful and Elegant… A Coda
We took our first long cruise 10 years ago. We had been on cruises before our kids were born back in the 70s. In the 90s, after Pop died, Suzi and I took Mom on a couple of cruises. But … Continue reading The Beautiful and Elegant… A Coda
July 2, 2025, Almost Independence Day, 249 Years Later.
On July 2, 1776, Richard Henry Lee moved a resolution, before the second Continental Congress, declaring independence for the 13 American colonies. John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail: The Second Day of July, 1776 will be the most memorable … Continue reading July 2, 2025, Almost Independence Day, 249 Years Later.
2025 Sitka (Summer) Music Festival Photo Gallery
Every June my hometown, Sitka, becomes alive with the arts. Both the Sitka Music Festival and Sitka Fine Arts camp bring people from all over the Country to our little town. We have performances and parties all month. This year … Continue reading 2025 Sitka (Summer) Music Festival Photo Gallery
Bathing Eagle
Walking through Sitka National Park today with Brian, we saw an eagle on a gravel bar in Kassada Heen (Indian River). As I zoomed in with my camera the eagle jumped into the river and started splashing and preening. It … Continue reading Bathing Eagle
Raven Radio Summer Solstice Cruise, 2025
On the longest day of the year we joined the Annual Raven Radio Summer Solstice Cruise on one of the Allen Marine Tours boats. Allen Marine supports non-profits in Sitka by donating their boats for fundraising cruises. According to Rob … Continue reading Raven Radio Summer Solstice Cruise, 2025
It Always Ends With the Milk Run
Saturday morning, I stepped onto the stateroom balcony for the last time and saw two huge ships as we docked in Fort Lauderdale, a Princess and a Disney. I didn’t get much sleep on Friday night. We were up packing … Continue reading It Always Ends With the Milk Run
Grannies’ Court of Honor
Back in the ‘90s after Pop died, we went on a couple of cruises with Mom. They had enjoyed cruising on Sagafjord and Vistafjord and we continued that tradition. On one cruise Mom got her Cunard 100 night pin. She … Continue reading Grannies’ Court of Honor
Duck Boat, Swan Boat. Boston.
I had only technically been in Boston before this trip. I’ve connected through the airport and changed trains at the station. That was it. I don’t know much about Boston past Revolutionary War History with three exceptions, the green monster, … Continue reading Duck Boat, Swan Boat. Boston.
Visiting Bud in Portland, Maine
I first met Bud Stiker in1998 at a European broadcasters’ meeting in Madrid. Bud helped invent commercial broadcasting in Eastern Europe at Juventus Radio in Budapest. He understood radio sales and the oddities of post-Communist Central Europe. I wanted him … Continue reading Visiting Bud in Portland, Maine
Two St. Johns in St. John’s
St John’s, the Capital of Newfoundland, has two cathedrals named for St. John the Baptist. One is a Catholic Cathedral that serves the city’s mostly Irish population, the other is an Anglican Cathedral. St. John’s has a large Irish population. … Continue reading Two St. Johns in St. John’s