Radiance of the Seas - Sitka, Alaska

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica are aboard Serenade of the Seas all tied up in Sitka, Alaska.  Next to them is sister ship, Radiance of the Seas. 

 These two ships and their sister Jewel of the Seas were built especially to cruise Alaskan waters.  They are gas turbine ships so have different/fewer emissions.  

I love this size ship.  

More to come....

Lois

Mystery Towel Animal

 Good morning,

Towel animals made by cabin attendants are a fun part of cruising.  

Usually, it is easy to determine what the towel animal represents.

Anyone have any clues about this one?

;),

Lois

Celebrity Solstice

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica are aboard Serenade of the Seas, but there are several other ships out there, too.  This is Celebrity Solstice that will be on a similar itinerary this week so they'll see her often.

What beautiful scenery!

Stay tuned...

Lois

Saliling Out of Vancouver

 Good morning,

And, they're off!  Catherine and Erica are sailing out of Vancouver, BC, Canada, for a cruise to ports in Alaska. They are aboard Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas.

 Thank you, ladies, for sharing your images with us!  We'll enjoy the cruise with you.

:),

Lois

Crusing Perks - Diamond Plus

 Good morning,

Back to Cruising!

Royal Caribbean has a great loyalty program.  Catherine has reached Diamond Plus level and is enjoying the perks!

It pays to be Loyal to Royal. 

Fun!

:),

Lois

Happy Father's Day

 Good morning,

Happy Father's Day to all Fathers of both human and fur babies, especially Kjell (my honey) and sons Don and Les!  

We love and appreciate you every day of the year!

Image:  Sunrise in our neighborhood.  The beginning of another beautiful day.

Hugs to Dads!

Lois

Flag Day - United States of America

 Good morning,

Today is Flag Day in the USA.  Of course, Old Glory flies outside out home 24/7/365.  The flag in the image is on Jewel of the Seas where there is a Tribute to Veterans ceremony each cruise.  

Today is also the 250th anniversary of the US Army.  Be sure to watch the big parade on TV!

All the best,

Lois

 Photo credit goes to Catherine. 

Chops for Lunch

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica are enjoying Chops Restaurant aboard Serenade of the Seas for their first meal on board.

From experience, I know the food in Chops is fabulous! 

 Ah, steak salad... 

 ...and carpaccio.  This was one of my favorites at Chops.

In addition to great food, the view from Chops is lovely.

Thank you, Catherine and Erica, for sharing your images!  More to come!

Lois

Paddle Wheeler in Vancouver Harbor

 Good morning,

Spring has definitely come to Vancouver.  This is a paddle wheeler in Vancouver Harbor.

Catherine and Erica are on board Serenade, soon to go to lunch....

;),

Lois

Vancouver Cruise Terminal Artwork

 Good morning,

This beautiful sail ship is on display at the Vancouver Cruise Ship Terminal.  The ship Catherine and Erica will board is a bit newer....   ;)  

 More history on display in Vancouver.  

The Serenade of the Seas cruise is about to begin!

Stay tuned....

Lois

Plant Wall in Vancouver

 Good morning,

Catherine knows how much I enjoy gardening so sent me this image of a plant wall in Vancouver. 

How pretty!

Thanks, Cath.

Love you,

Mom

To the Ship!

 Good morning,

After three flights and lots of waiting, Catherine and Erica have made it to Vancouver and are on their way to Serenade of the Seas for a cruise of the Inside Passage of Alaska.

So fun!

More to come....

Lois

Vancouver Airport

 Good morning,

Both Catherine and Erica are sharing images of their trip with us.  

This artwork is in the Vancouver airport sent to us courtesy of our friend Erica.

Very nice!

More to come!

Lois

Milwaukee Airport

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica are on another adventure, this time to a cruise in Alaska.

Today's image is from the Minneapolis airport, the first stop in a flight across the continent to Vancouver.

Stay tuned!

Lois

May I Have Your Attention Please

 Good morning,

That's Elsa's chin against my knee as I am sitting in my recliner.  She doesn't move, she doesn't make a sound, she just stays there with her warm chin against me until I notice her.

What does she want?

Usually a cookie.  Or, a cuddle.   She doesn't complain.  She doesn't interrupt. If she want to go out, she brings me a toy. 

Elsa is the sweetest pup ever.  Yes, we love them all and they all have different personalities, but this one just reads me and I read her so clearly. 

Elsa is precious.

Are you a pet mom or dad?

:),

Lois

Fun Dinner With Family

 Good morning,

It's always fun to see family when they can work a visit to the home town into their busy schedules in Washington, DC!

Our son Les, wife Diane, and twins Sarah and Sophie joined us for dinner at J. Alexander's recently. 

 The twins have finished their under graduate degrees and have been in the work force for a year. 

 Catherine and Kjell completed the group.

Kjell and I had ribs this time.  I took home more than half of mine that I enjoyed the next day for lunch.

Les ate a healthy salad.  I'm in awe of his self discipline.

OK, we did go a little wild for dessert.  This is the Ice Cream Tower.  Oh, my, it's good!

Cutting the Ice Cream Tower into portions for everyone is serious business.  Looks like I got the side-eye while the master carver was at work....

This sure was fun!

Love you all,

Mom

Pink Peony

 Good morning,

Our pink peonies are in bloom, but, sadly, there has been so much rain and the blossoms are so heavy, that most of them are laying on the ground.   

 Still, they are beautiful and the aroma is just fabulous!

I love flowers!

:),

Lois

Patience

 Good morning,

Standing in line. It's a part of life, isn't it....

I was at Walgreens waiting to pick up a prescription.  Around the corner, before the counter, there were three more people.  The line moved fast, though, so it wasn't too bad.

I wonder how much of our lives we spend "waiting."  These days it gives us a chance to check our email and even do a little shopping, though....

Walgreens delivers, but I pick up our prescriptions because it gives me a chance to pick up other things we need in the store.  Since my back hurts when I stand, I grab a basket to hold on to while I wait.

Ah, yes, another Tuesday....

All the best,

Lois

Dad Made Gravlaks!

 Good morning,

We love Gravlaks here.  It's a Norwegian treat made of raw salmon cured in alcohol.  We like cognac the best, but Norwegian Aquavit is also good. 

Above you see the side of raw salmon Kjell prepared for our most recent treat. 

 After preparation, here it is served a few days later.

 I didn't get a shot of the serving plate before much of it was gone.  :)  

 Scrambled eggs are an important part of the meal.

Catherine made the sauce. 
 

 And, I made the bread.

The Gravlaks recipe is here if you want to give it a try. 

 Enjoy!

Lois

Just Between Us

 Good morning,

My Honey and I said no one would ever come between us, but Elsa has managed to prove that wrong.

This sweetheart is snoozing between us, certainly doing her job as security against any monsters that might come out from under the bed or from the closet.  

;)

Lois

Wendy's Birthday Party Goodies!

 Good morning,

We celebrated Wendy's birthday number eleven this month.  Of course, we had to have a party!

 This is a Raspberry Chocolate Ice Cream Cake.  Wendy got the inside, we got the outside.  What a deal!  She also got plenty of extra treats and cuddles throughout the day.

 Of course, Wendy got a new toy!  She had a little help from her siblings opening this one.

Lily managed to remove the squeaky in the first ten minutes....

Happy Birthday, Sweet Wendy!  

Love you,

Mom

Norwegian Waffles

 Good morning,

This month on May 17, we celebrated Norway's Constitution Day.  Of course, Norwegian food was in order so we had a shrimp party (cooked shrimp served on my home made bread) and Norwegian Waffle Cakes for Dessert.

Catherine made these wonderful heart shaped waffles topped with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.  Ah, yes, quite a lovely celebration!

All the best,

Lois

Work in Process - Honey Gold Hat

 Good morning,

My current project is a Honey Gold hat for the shop.   I have made quite a few larger projects recently, so it's fun to make some smaller items that give me that wonderful feeling of completion.  Of course, I also keep an eye on what is selling in the shop to keep popular items in stock.

Retirement is good.  We are enjoying our Etsy Shop that we started in 2011.  Wow, 14 years already!

What are you making, baking, growing this week?

All the very best,

Lois

More Firewood

 Good morning,

Spring clean up included removing two medium sized trees from our front yard.  One was a Red Bud tree that had died;  the other was a volunteer Hackberry tree that was hanging over the sidewalk.

 Of course, the wood becomes firewood for the next season.  Our friend, Bill, removed the trees, cut them into fireplace-size pieces, and tossed them over the side fence to the side yard. 

 Kjell moved them to the back yard next to the patio. I don't think I want him to move them to the log racks since they are so conveniently close to the patio door where they are easy to take inside when needed. 

Of course, our little Lily had to select her favorite pieces and take them to her deck chair.  If only I could train her to bring in just the ones I want when I want them in the winter.  As it is now, she tries to sneak one in once in awhile to chew up on the carpet.  Nope, don't want that!

Ah, yes, life with pups....

:),

Lois

Peonies in Bloom

 Good morning,

These peonies have been blooming ever since we arrived here in 1979.  I did move clumps of them and am so glad that I did.  This one was originally in the back yard, next to the stone wall.  I moved this clump to the front  yard where they would be safe from dog zoomies.

 The blossoms are so full and heavy that they only last until the first rain and wind blow them over.

 So, we enjoy them while we can.  The ants always enjoy them, too.

Ah, yes, Spring!

Lois