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Exciting News.....Sean and Carlie have come for a visit and HURRAY!!! They have brought me a new computer so very shortly I will be able to share with you our fabulous trip from Grenada to Bonaire...

Back to High States in Grenada

July 2009.

Darn!!! Our new dinghy has arrived and it has a leak at the forward lift ring. Back it goes for repair. This of coarse means another day or two at the Marina.

We were invited to an Oil Down…This is a traditional Grenadian Dish cooked on a residential street corner beside a rum shop. As is the custom this dish is usually prepared by men. This dish more often than not includes local Breadfruit, chicken backs, pork snout, or fish (lots of bones), grated coconut, callaloo, tumeric ,and vegetables such as pumpkin, carrots, green bananas & green papaya thickly sliced. These are layered into a large pot, topped with very doughy dumplings, then cooked over an open fire for a couple of hours.

There's 42 cruisers this week which I think is the largest group so far. We're in Cuttie's neighbourhood at the corner Rum Shop. We were all asked to bring an h'ordeurve or dessert. Here Sam is getting in on the prep work.

Along with Leona who asks "is there not a sharper knife"

And Gail. They're preparing the root vegetables.

Here one of the local residents is grating coconut.

Randy with Rick and Griff (whom we haven’t seen since Trinidad). Griff helped organize this outing for the cruisers....

Thank you Heather & Don (Asceance) who also helped with the organizing.

Cooking over an open fire will take a couple of hours.

While a few cruisers were involved in the preparations the rest of us do what the locals do while they wait for the Oil Down to be cooked: “Lime”; sipping our cold drinks; yes you guessed Rum enjoying each others company and an incredible view.

We're turning into quite the ""social butterflies.We've been invited to Celebrate Batisite Day with our French Connection friends. We felt quite honored to be their token Anglophones.The French flag was up and we enjoyed soft french music. In the foreground Louis, Jervais and Louis' wife Marie-Josie. These friends are all from Quebec. We originally met them in Luperon. We also met many couples from France and had a fun but frustrating time trying to interact with one another in French/English. Oh well, we all did try.

Louis & Manon

Rand with Michel. Michel is a single handler on a 60 footer who has been sailing in the Caribbean for many years.

Marie France

et Gilles. We all took a dish to share while Gilles prepared and cooked the Tuna. Delicious food and great company...

We’re anchored back off Whisper Cove. It feels wonderful to be back on anchor, swimming in the bay. It's much cleaner than at the Marina.

Here's from left Margie who will be staying in Grenada; Heather who will be on her way to Trinidad; Terry will be off to Venezuela where she will teach water color lessons, (she has been teaching a few of us here her techniques) and Leona who is planning to stay in Grenada for hurricane season unless we can talk her and Bill into coming West with us. We all got together on our last night in Clarks Court Bay (Before we head back around to Prickly Bay).We lucked out with it being Hamburger Night and of course not many of us can not say no to a good hamburger.

One tropical wave after another is hitting us right now. This squall is chasing us on our way to Prickly Bay. We actually sat " hove too" off the Bay for about ten minutes as there was zero visibility.

Our first trip into "de Big Fish" dinghy dock with the new dinghy and there's an oil slick----time for her first scrub.

Scott and Sue invited us to join them at the Mongolian Restaurant to watch Scott “jamming” with his drum.

It was an extra special evening because Rum Runner (Jay & Jennifer) just arrived this afternoon in Prickly Bay. We haven’t seen them for at least six months. We had a great time getting caught up.

JUNE 2009- Home for a month to Celebrate MOM's 75th Birthday

Our trip home went far too quickly. By the time we raced around the first 10 days with appointments it was time to celebrate MOM's Birthday.

We are only disappointed we did not get to see everyone on our list. We do want to give a special Thank You to Jim and Toni for opening their home to us and friends.

Celebrating Mom’s 75th Birthday on the Cruise Ship---Serenade of the Seas--- heading for Alaska.

Thank you Ash,

and Sean and Carlie for taking time off to join us making this such a memorable trip.

Celebrating already??? Must be Happy Hour.

We all had staterooms with windows and were all on the same floor. We were most grateful the main dining room “Reflections” accommodated our request for the 6pm dinner seating. The staff was friendly and professional.

The ship itself had recently been renovated. The elevators were glass facing out to sea.

I had fun each day spending a few dollars on the slot machines. Ash preferred playing cards while Randy and Sean were focused on the “quarter machine” with the challenge of getting the fifty dollar bill perched precariously on the edge. You put quarters down a shoot, landing at the base which was constantly shifting slowly back and forward. Be darn if they didn’t get it even if it did cost them fifty dollars. Carlie enjoyed sharing our machines and Mom—well, she preferred a quiet time reading in the solarium.

After traveling the first two days through the Inside Passage we arrived at the Historic Fishing Town Hoonah on Icy Strait Point home to the largest native Tlingit Indian settlement in Alaska. As if on queue as Serenade of the Seas anchored we watched Humpback Whales and Orcas frolicking off starboard.

In 1912 the Hoonah Packing Cannery opened. What I found amazing was within two years this cannery canned 2,367,072 cans of Salmon which then was shipped to Seattle.

Heading to the Hubbard Glacier. I was surprised there was no snow on the ground and I expected more on the mountain tops.

Beautiful pieces of ice floating by.

Randy trying to keep warm. Yes, we were all cold.

The Hubbard Glacier is the longest tidewater glacier on the North American continent extending 76 miles.

In stark contrast to most glaciers Hubbard Glacier is in fact thickening and advancing toward the Gulf of Alaska.

Absolutely breath taking.

At the Glacier the Captain gently spun the boat 360 degrees for two hours giving everyone on board breathtaking panoramic views.

Are you ready to Rock Climb?

Sean is first

Way to go Carlie…Up to the top and ring the bell.

Then Rand's turn.

It continues to be cold…16 degrees Celsius and overcast.


We’re at Skagway, a Tlingit name meaning “a windy place with white caps on the water’. Skagway is at the northern tip of Lynn Canal. Skagway was one of two “Tent Towns” back in 1897 that was a jumping off point for the 600 mile trek to the gold fields. At times this town was home to more than 10,000 transients. Of coarse the town is full of tourist type stores which we enjoyed. Mom even found a quilt shop.

We rode the local bus out to try our luck at panning for gold. Of course the few slivers we all found were well planned in our pans filled with sand. We were taught the correct “art” of panning and if we were not careful we would loose the gold in our pan.

Our afternoon excursion was on the Whitepass & Yukon Railway train which took us 2885 feet above sea level slowly but surely to the Alaska British Columbia Border. This train now operates purely for the tourist trade. It is in fact designated as a Civil Engineering Landmark, shared with the Panama Canal, Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty.

Again we had incredible views and could only imagine the trials and tribulations that the miners went through back some 100 years when they had to make this trek by foot with mules packing a years supply of provisions. We saw the steep narrow pathway they used.

We were told this is the steepest grade railroad in the world with cliff hanging turns, two tunnels ,and I have to admit when we started to head back down the track I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach. We were all reminded the train had a specially engineered brake system.

We’ve arrived in Juneau along with four other cruise ships. Juneau is the capital of Alaska founded during the 1880 Gold Rush. We passed beautiful fjords along the Gastineau Channel. The town itself is totally for the tourists. I have only seen this many jewelry stores in St. Thomas. We did have fun trying on a few rings.

We all decided to take the tram ride up 1800 feet to the crest of Mt. Roberts.

Spectacular view..

We got our share of exercise hiking the trails.

Why are the trees so crooked?? The curvature of the trunks of the hemlocks is called snowcrook and is caused by the gradual creep of snow downhill bending the young saplings causing them to develop a down slope curve or where a slope is not too steep the snow gets blown upslope by the strong prevailing winds.

The weather has finally warmed up with the sun showing its glowing face. We actually managed to put on shorts and t-shirts and sit out on deck.
Our last night formal night on board. Enjoying the scenery before dinner.

0600hours and we’re all out on deck early, not because we want this week to end but to enjoy the Vancouver skyline.

Lyons Gate bridge ahead

What a wonderful memorable week.....