Chaos, Reunion, Sail Out, Sunset.
Lisbon is where our kids and grandkids joined us. It was not a smooth reunion. We planned to be back to the ship by about 1 PM to greet the kids if they came in early. We were about 15 … Continue reading Chaos, Reunion, Sail Out, Sunset.
Fado and Tuk Tuks
During a visit to Lisbon, the author finally explored the Fado Museum after two failed attempts. Fado, a poignant Portuguese musical style, is historically tied to themes of loss and longing. The author was particularly fascinated by the unique Portuguese Guitar. Post-museum, they enjoyed pastel de nata and a short tuk tuk ride through Alfama, admiring street art and tilework. Continue reading Fado and Tuk Tuks
You Can’t Always Get What You Want
But if you try sometime, you just might find… When the astronomer asked for a show of hands of how many people had experienced a total eclipse almost three quarters of the hands went up. When he asked how many … Continue reading You Can’t Always Get What You Want
The Market Comes to You
And so does the cat, in Tangier. As we were waiting to get on the bus to take us to the Medina, or old town in Tangier, an unhappy woman was getting off the bus. “There are no stores open.” … Continue reading The Market Comes to You
The Nasrid Palaces at the Alhambra
The Nasrid Palaces where the center of power for the Granada Emirate. They are designed around rectangular interior courtyards and flowing water. The decoration looks inward rather than outward, and is made of stucco, and stonework. The courtyards are surrounded … Continue reading The Nasrid Palaces at the Alhambra
The Alhambra, Granada
The Alhambra, or in Arabic “The Red One” is a complex of fortifications and palaces on a hill in the Sierra Nevada Mountains overlooking Granada, Spain. It is the best preserved bit of Islamic medieval architecture in the world, and … Continue reading The Alhambra, Granada
9 Knot Sea Days
The first leg of this cruise had two sea days. We needed them after an intense time in Barcelona and two very hot port days. I think they were created to give us a break more than from the necessity … Continue reading 9 Knot Sea Days
Brutal Heat
We left Barcelona at 10 PM and 14 hours later were in Ibiza, one of the Catalan speaking Balearic Islands. For a while she lived in the shadow of her larger sister Mallorca but has since become “the scene” for … Continue reading Brutal Heat
Iberian Idyl and Mediterranean Eclipse Collector Cruise
That’s a mouthful. I was standing at a little round bar table talking to Oosterdam’s tech expert (texpert) trying to get my HAL Navigator App to work. Water was dripping on my head. I wasn’t the only one with tech … Continue reading Iberian Idyl and Mediterranean Eclipse Collector Cruise
The Block of Discord
Until the 1850s Barcelona was confined, by law, to lie within its old city walls. The government in Madrid feared a Catalan independence movement and wanted to keep Barcelona, the center of Catalonia, small and confined. But by that time … Continue reading The Block of Discord
A Forest of Light.
Walking into the Sagrada Familia is like walking into a forest during that magic hour when the light is low and color and shadow play out their drama. Stained glass artist Joan Vila-Grau realized Antoni Gaudi’s dream starting in 1959. … Continue reading A Forest of Light.
Someone Left the Cake Out in the Rain
Travel writers have described Sagrada Familia’s Nativity Façade as if “Someone left the cake out in the rain.” Borrowing a term from Jimmy Webb’s MacArthur Park. Webb, in turn took the line from WH Auden who said his lined face … Continue reading Someone Left the Cake Out in the Rain
Park Güell
In 1899 industrialist Eusebi Güell bought a farm on a hill overlooking Barcelona, which had exploded across the plain with rapid industrialization. The farm was to become a suburban subdivision for wealthy families living in detached houses with parkland, trails, … Continue reading Park Güell
Harbor Mountain in an Electric Car
June 19, 2026 I was beginning to wonder if I would make it up Harbor Mountain. A USCG Jayhawk crashed at 1800 feet and the road was closed for a while. But it is open now with only a small … Continue reading Harbor Mountain in an Electric Car
2026 Rotary Duck Race!
July 18, 2026 In 1992 a container ship lost a container full of bathtub toys. The container broke open and 28,000 “Friedly Floaties” broke loose and started the more than 6,000 mile circuit of the Subarctic Pacific Gyre. Because of … Continue reading 2026 Rotary Duck Race!
2026 Rotary Wildlife Cruise.
This year’s Rotary Wildlife Fundraising Cruise hit the jackpot. Not only did we fill the boat but while we had rain in the morning, as we cruised out of Crescent Harbor the sun began to break through. We also hit … Continue reading 2026 Rotary Wildlife Cruise.
Look Up!
Most visitors along Lincoln Street spend their time looking in shop windows or taking pictures of the big bear who wears a plaid vest or St. Michaels Cathedral, which is a pity because if they looked up, they would see … Continue reading Look Up!
Small Town Fourth!
Someday I may celebrate the 4th in a big city with huge fireworks shows, parades with 76 trombones, tall ships and big stars on a big stage, but I’m not sure the experience can match a small town 4th. As … Continue reading Small Town Fourth!
America 250!
On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee moved a resolution, before the second Continental Congress, declaring independence for the 13 American colonies. The vote on the motion was delayed allowing delegates to get instructions from their states. On July 2, … Continue reading America 250!
Two Kinds of Hope
This Morning on Raven Radio Melissa interviewed representatives from the Sitka Cancer Survivors Society. They were promoting a fundraising event that helps raise money for mini grants to Sitkans with Cancer, $1,000 the first year and $500 a year for … Continue reading Two Kinds of Hope
Art in Bloom
For more than four decades “Art in Bloom” has been a feature of the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Each April the institute invites 100 florists, floral artists, funeral directors, people who work in flowers, to interpret works in the permanent … Continue reading Art in Bloom
The Milk Run Home
On our way back from the cruise, we flew from Seattle to Sitka in the dark. On our return from Minnesota, we had full daylight all the way home. Alaska Airlines operate several “Milk Runs” between Seattle and Anchorage. In … Continue reading The Milk Run Home
Beltane with “My Log.”
Beltane, May first, is one of the Celtic cross calendar days. The cross quarter days are halfway between equinox and solstice and mark the beginning of a season. The two major cross calendar holidays are Samhain, October 31, the beginning … Continue reading Beltane with “My Log.”
It Was 50 Years Ago Today
April 23, 2026: KAXE Turns 50 today. It was one of the happiest and one of the scariest days of my life. We had been working for 5 ½ years for this with no idea how long it would last. … Continue reading It Was 50 Years Ago Today