Until Next Time

The Holland America Line cruise ship Volendam docks at the Alaska Steamship Dock while a Wings of Alaska floatplane departs nearby.

I apologize for my absence. We've had family visiting from out of town. Unfortunately my mother, who is visiting needed to be taken by ambulance to the ER Monday evening. After multiple tests, the doctors believe she may have cancer in her brain. So, I'm flying out with her tomorrow. I'm not sure how long I will be away or when I'll be able to post again. Until next time, enjoy your day - you never know what tomorrow may bring.

Rafters

Rafters making their way down the Mendenhall River.

Juneau Youth Sailing

Juneau Youth Sailing (JYS) students practice their skills Thursday in Gastineau Channel.

Fairweather

The FVF Fairweather (a.k.a. the fast ferry), of the Alaska Marine Highway, makes her way into Auke Bay as an Auk Nu Tours boat leaves on a whale watching trip.

Sea Princess

     The last week or so has been pretty hectic around here. Three families whom we’re friends with are either moving or preparing to move. One of the families is being transferred with the Coast Guard and leaves on Sunday, so today we took their oldest daughter, who is also our daughter’s best friend, up the Mt. Robert’s Tramway. She had never been before, so we thought it would be a special treat to ride the tram up Mt. Roberts, explore the trails, gift shop, have lunch, and take a few photos.
     We checked the cruise ship schedule this morning and discovered that there was five cruise ships due in Juneau today. Once we got downtown, there were only four in port and the fifth was on it’s way out. We figured the line, at the Tram, would be horrible, but instead we were able board one of the tramcars after only waiting a few minutes, thanks to the tram running every 5 minutes.
     After spending 3 hours at the top, we had to wait in line to make our decent, so I took the opportunity to photograph the four cruise ships in port.  The Sea Princess (the one anchored in the Gastineau Channel) was the same ship used for the “Love Boat” episode in 1981 when Julie McCoy (played by artist Lauren Tewes) was married aboard the Love Boat. When researching which ships were used during the filming of the television series the “Love Boat,” which ran from 1977 to 1986, I learned that a total of six different cruise ships had filming take place on them. Apparently it depended on the episode trip (ex. Europe, China, Caribbean, etc.).

If you would like to see more photos from those participating in Watery Wednesday, just click on the link.

Fertilizer Picking

     After picking empty clam and mussel shells and seaweed from the high tide mark, I sat against a log to rest my back. It was so peaceful to just sit and relax in the sunshine, and watch the boats come and go from Auke Bay.

     Why am I picking shells and seaweed? Well, it’s an abundant, organic, free source of fertilizer. According the book Gardening in Southeast Alaska, “seaweed contains growth hormones, macronutrients, functional elements, and chelating agents” which helps stimulate root development and produce stronger healthier plants.
     Every year, I put a nice layer of seaweed around the plants in our garden and then place a circle of crushed shells around the seaweed. Not only does it help fertilize the plants, but it also keeps the slugs away. I add extra seaweed and shells to the garden each month when there are plants growing. In the spring, I till the shells and seaweed into the soil along with an extra helping of compost.

Surprise

For Mother’s Day, my husband and our two children surprised me by taking me up the Mt. Roberts Tram for a hike and then out to lunch at the Timberline Bar and Grill (located at the top of the mountain). We were fortunate to have a window seat, which enabled us to watch the tram cars go up and down the mountain every five minutes plus look down on Juneau. I took this photo while we were waiting for our food to arrive. My husband and I had seafood quesadillas (with halibut, salmon, crab, and shrimp), which is riddled with delicious jalapenos. If your not a fan of hot, spicy food, I wouldn’t recommend it. Our kids each had a giant nacho platter. They were so large that they could have shared one. You should have seen the look on their faces when the waitress brought them. It was priceless. It was definitely a very special Mother’s Day.

Kayaks

Kayaking is a popular recreational sport for locals and visitors. The protected waterways around Juneau provide the perfect environment for paddling. The weather can be very unpredictable and can change quickly, so it’s always best to dress appropriately, wear a life jacket, carry a survival kit, watch the weather, go with an experienced kayaker, and enjoy the spectacular scenery and wildlife.

Fishing Boats

As I made my way down the bank to take in the scenery, I found these boats tied up to the dock near Taku Fisheries. Thanks to them I was able to capture this shot.

If you would like to see more Watery Wednesday photos from around the world, just click on the link.

Auke Bay at Sunset

The past couple days have been absolutely beautiful. When the weather is nice it’s hard to find the motivation to do yard work and/or work on home improvement project when we would much rather be out hiking and exploring. After spending all day Saturday working, the kids wanted to rent the movie Sherlock Holmes. So while my husband and the kids were watching the movie, I ducked out and went for a drive out to Auke Bay. I just couldn’t pass up a beautiful evening being a couch potato.

Abandoned Boat

Old abandoned boats can be found along the shore adjacent to Thane Road (a roughly 6 mile road that runs south, from downtown Juneau, adjacent to Gastineau Channel). A portion of Douglas, Alaska, which is located across the channel, can be seen in the background.

If you would like to see more sepia scenes from around the world visit http://sepiascenes.blogspot.com/

Harris Harbor

A thick layer of fog blanketed Juneau this morning. As I searched for something interesting to photograph, I decided to stop at Harris Harbor to look at boats. Much to my surprise was the name of one particular boat. Do you see it?