the cape on the corner: August 2014

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Alaska trip: Cruise portion

So i read a blog where the girl just got back from an Alaskan cruise. And this reminded me that i never shared the photos from the cruise portion of our bucket list anniversary trip. You know, it's only over a year later...i think it's about time. I broke down and bought a DSLR camera for this trip, and it was well worth the cost and the lugging around of it for the photos. They're not in order, because it's a rainy, dreary day, my coffee hasn't yet kicked in, and i'm lazy. The stops on the cruise portion were Glacier Bay, Skagway, Juno, and Ketchikan. We didn't do any extra excursions because we opted for the more expensive land portion, but we did rent a car in Skagway and drive to the Yukon. Okay, enjoy!

Hell yes, this is why we have the DSLR. This was the closest we got to a bald eagle, it was just chilling by the ships in Juno's port.

Creek Street, Ketchikan.

Glacier Bay. The best advice we got was to be on the port side of the ship, and then getting a balcony was a must. We literally did not leave our balcony on that day. This was the only day that was rainy and overcast, and as we entered the bay we could hardly see anything at all. I had no idea how close we were to the glaciers and was disappointed that the day was going to be a bust. Thankfully, the fog cleared and we were able to progress.

The blue ice was amazing. We got to see some calving (when a chunk breaks off into the water).

And this guy! How stinking cute! The naturalist on board said there was a seal on the port side, and when we went out he was directly in front of our balcony, which was in the middle of the ship. We thought he'd be something we were approaching, and have time to focus the camera, but nope. He was right there, and we zip zipped right by. Again, the DSLR was quick enough to take the shot before he was just a tiny blip in the expansive water.

The glaciers aren't all beautiful crisp blues, but most are. Also note the people huddled and bundled on the bridge outside. We were glad to have our own private space and be able to go back inside once we got too cold. It was freezing right here, i mean, you're pretty much on top of a glacier, but it was also raining. I had on every layer of clothing that i could, gloves, and my hood up.

More glaciers.

We thought this was going to be the closest we got to a bald eagle, but see picture number 1.

This shot of another cruise ship gives a good sense of the height of the glaciers.

Mendenhall Glacier, Juno. We took a quick ride out to see the glacier and then had lunch at Tracy's Crab Shack which was on the Food Channel.

Emerald Lake, called such for it's gorgeous green water. We rented a car in Skagway and drove into the Yukon on our own. We watch a lot of Gold Rush, and the boyfriend had images of just chancing upon some gold. Seriously.

This guy just moseyed on out into the street, and did not care that there were cars. I was concerned that even though we were in a car that we shouldn't get too close. I mean, it's still a bear. There were books for sale titled "Don't Get Eaten" for goodness sake.

We considered ourselves extremely lucky that we were able to see the amount of wildlife we did, especially with the moose babies we saw in Fairbanks and the bear and caribou we saw during our tour in Denali. This was truly an amazing trip, and an anniversary that we will never forget.

More people opt for the cruise portion than the land portion since it's more affordable, so please share with me your experiences if you've gone. But. If someone was going to ask me for my opinion, i wholeheartedly encourage you to go all out if you can and really experience the interior of Alaska, too.

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Monday, August 4, 2014

Don't be fooled by the rocks that i got

Cats. Squirrels. Two creatures, apparently, who are not so into the fact that i have potted plants. Or rather, they're a bit TOO interested in the potted plants. They're just not interested in how i intend these plants to live, which is INSIDE their pots and with the dirt UNDISTURBED. I have found, both inside and out, my plants dug up and unearthed, dirt on the stairs and dirt covering the carpet. No more. For i have found the answer.

Rocks.

Don't be fooled by the rocks that i got, i'm still (i'm still) planting in my pots. That's right. Nothing a little j. lo wordplay can't fix.

This may be a no brainer-certainly this is not rocket science-but it IS one of those "why didn't i think of that" moments. Because, people, this WORKS! Consistently ALL summer, no more dirt on my front steps. I seriously stand behind this. The other idea for keeping squirrels away, that gets pinned a millllllion times, that didn't work for me. But this works. Pin THIS a million times. Because i wish i would have known about this sooner.

This also keeps my cat Lily out of my indoor plants. Yet another genius idea from the boyfriend, one that i didn't fully grasp right away. When he said i needed to add rocks to keep her from digging, i assumed he meant the ones from our travels.

So, i tucked in a few heart shaped ones from Aruba and France, added a little pottery shards from Israel, some shells from Hawaii...and expected it to work. Not so, my friends. For outdoor use and for consistency across the top of the pot, you're gonna need the little stones that come in bags from the dollar store or Ikea.

Gives it an added bonus of a finished, decorative look. And not coming home to dirt on your floors or your stairs is always a good thing.

Go forth and rock on.

Get it???

I refrained from using this one, but i can't get it out of my head now. "I like the way you work it...no diggity." Remember that song?

J.Lo ain't got nothin' on me.