Once again, travel has intervened (which is a good thing) and affected my blogging (not such a good thing). Since this report falls right in the middle of a two-week cruise, I will once again have to publish posts after I arrive back home, where I have reliable internet access.
This travel also means that my personal blog, Retreading for Retirement, has the heaviest concentration of entries.
The total of posts here may not equal the number of posts written last month because I occasionally publish the same post on more than one blog. However, I have included each post only once in my total word count.
Anchorage is a shallow port. Cruise ships have to dock at high tide and cannot leave until high tide, ensuring visitors of almost 12 hours in which to enjoy the city. Anchorage is Alaska’s most populous city, containing about 40% of the state’s total population.
We visited Anchorage the same day as President Obama. There was some disruption of traffic in the downtown area because of his presence. Fortunately, we had chosen to take a trip to the Alaska Zoo, which is located on the outskirts of the city. This zoo is appropriately named, since it’s the only zoo in Alaska.
According to our tour guide, it all started with an elephant named Annabelle. In 1966 an Anchorage resident won a contest that offered as the prize $3,000 or a baby elephant. He chose the elephant, a female named Annabelle. Visiting Annabelle became such a popular activity that eventually a non-profit corporation was formed to build a place where the public could visit and learn about animals. The Alaska Children’s Zoo opened in 1969; the name was changed to the Alaska Zoo in June 1980.
Annabelle died in 1997, but the Alaska Zoo continues to thrive. Located on 25 acres of land, it attracts about 200,000 visitors per year. It houses a variety of animals native to the state and also participates in the Species Survival Program for tigers and snow leopards.
We saw so many animals that it’s tempting to include way more photos than you probably want to see, so I’ll focus on three animals: musk ox, snow leopard, and gray wolf. Click on any photo to see a larger version.
Our home town zoo in Tacoma, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, features three musk oxen, and they have long been among my favorite animals. I was therefore thrilled to learn that the Alaska Zoo has several, including a baby:
They keep the baby’s father in a separate, adjacent enclosure:
The snow leopard is an endangered species of cat native to the mountains of Central and South Asia. This one lives at the Alaska Zoo:
We also got to see one of the gray wolves kept at the zoo:
Someone asked if the zoo keeper approved of the interbreeding of wolves with dogs for domestic pets, and he replied adamantly that he does not. “These animals are not pets,” he said, stressing that the jaws of the wolf are twice as powerful as those of a dog and could inflict severe damage on a human. As beautiful as this wolf is, I did not want to get too close to him.
In addition to these three, we also saw the following animals:
alpaca
Tibetan yak
moose (adult male and calf)
brown bear and cubs
swans and cygnets
bald eagle
tiger
caribou
coyote
On the trip from the zoo back to our ship, the bus driver stopped where we could see Mount Denali (photo at the top of this post), formerly known as Mount McKinley. With a summit elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190.5 m) above sea level, it is the highest peak in North America. Shortly before President Obama’s visit to Anchorage, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced that the mountain would now officially be designated by its native name, Denali.
On Friday the Statendam spent the day docked at Juneau. This was our first day of inclement weather: It rained almost all day. We took a look outside early in the day and agreed we’d wait until the weather cleared up before heading out. But the weather never did clear up, and we spent the day on the ship, reading and relaxing.
Yesterday (Saturday) we visited Icy Strait Point, an island now owned by Alaskan Native people as a result of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971. The site includes the Hoonah Packing Company facility of the 1930s (shown in photo at the top of this post) that has been converted into a museum, restaurant, and shops.
Many of the inhabitants of the island are of the Tlingit people, a matriarchal people indigenous to the Pacific Northwest Coast. We attended a performance at which several people acted out some of the Tlingit origin myths. We were allowed to take photos before and after, but not during, the performance.
This young man spoke to us as the audience gathered. He’s 16 years old and attends the local high school. The bear skin on the wall behind him is from one of the largest bears caught on the island in recent years.
The performers wore as robes these beautiful blankets.
What a super experience today was for Three Things Thursday, the purpose of which is to “share three things from the previous week that made you smile or laugh or appreciate the awesome of your life.”
Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier
Our original itinerary called for us to cruise Tracy Arm today. However, we were awakened just before 9:00 AM by an announcement from our captain. He said that there were winds of 40 knots in Tracy Arm, which is a narrow passage. Because he deemed it unsafe to enter Tracy Arm in such windy conditions, we would be cruising Endicott Arm instead.
Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm are two deep fjords near Juneau in the Tracy Arm – Fords Terror Wilderness area of the Tongass National Forest. Both fjords are more than 30 miles (48 km) long, and about one-fifth of their area is covered with ice. Endicott Arm is shorter and wider than Tracy Arm.
As the ship entered Endicott Arm, people flocked outside to watch our approach to Dawes Glacier, a wall of blue ice half a mile across. The captain even opened access to the ship’s bow so we could get a good look. The massive wall of blue was visible from a distance and became more and more spectacular the closer we got.
I was surprised at how close we were able to get in such a large cruise ship. There was a much smaller ship that got even closer, but we get a good look even though we were farther back.
Now I wish I had paid more attention to those earth science units we studied back in junior high. I always found them supremely boring. If I had taken them more seriously, I would probably have better understood how the glaciers carved out the terrain here during the last Ice Age and appreciated how several glaciers come together here today.
Eventually the captain pivoted the ship around and we headed back out into open water.
Here are three photos from our visit to Dawes Glacier. Click on photos to see larger versions.
Photo #1: Small Boat, Blue Ice
Photo #2: Waterfall
This is the same small boat cruising away from the glacier, past a waterfall fed by a melting glacier.
Photo #3: Seals Like Cruising, Too
Seals relaxed on several small ice floes that drifted past our ship and out to sea. This was the largest, most highly populated hunk of ice.
Early this morning we docked in Ketchikan, the most southeastern city in Alaska. It calls itself the first city in Alaska (incorporated on August 25, 1900). Named after Ketchikan Creek, the area was a fishing camp for the native Tlingit people before the town was established in 1885. Located on the shore of Tongass Narrows, Ketchikan features the Tongass Historical Museum and the headquarters of the Tongass National Forest.
A statue entitled The Rock, by Dave Rubin, greeted us in the plaza where we got off the ship. Unveiled on July 4, 2010, this statue portrays the people who have contributed to the region’s history.
The Rock
Ketchikan promotes itself as the salmon capital of the world:
In addition to commercial fishing, tourism is a big part of the local economy. We did what most people do when visiting Ketchikan: We shopped.
Shops line the streets of Ketchikan
All the shopkeepers pointed out that Lady Luck was with us, as we arrived in Ketchikan on one of its few sunny days. The area receives an average annual rainfall of 153 inches (3,900 mm), mostly in the autumn and winter.
We were also lucky in that we arrived near the end of the cruise season. After our cruise the Statendam will make one more two-week cruise, and then the season will be over. One salesperson told us that he will then leave for the Caribbean to work in a store down there for the winter. This timing meant that every store was having a sale. We took advantage of the opportunity to get quite a few holiday gifts. I’ll be ready, provided that I can remember where I put them.
Another week, another Thursday: Three Things Thursday, the purpose of which is to “share three things from the previous week that made you smile or laugh or appreciate the awesome of your life.”
Rain, Much-Needed Rain
It hasn’t rained significantly here in our patch of the Pacific Northwest for something like five months. But of course the one day rain chose to come along was last Friday, the long-scheduled date for our annual picnic here at Franke Tobey Jones. The event was to have been held outdoors, under the big tent pictured above, but the rain and lightning, unusual here, forced its relocation to three separate indoor venues. Nonetheless, a good time was had by all, at least all of those where we partied.
I’m sure the staff had to scramble to relocate the festivities, and we appreciated their efforts. The chef had to set up the barbecue grill under a small tent right outside the building, so we had hamburgers and hotdogs authentically cooked outdoors, a necessary item for a picnic.
1. Hawaiian Table Decorations
The picnic has a Hawaiian theme. When we arrived we received paper leis and were seated at tables with theme-appropriate decorations.
Hawaiian table decorations
The menu featured Hawaiian foods: pork, sweet and sour chicken, baked beans, hotdogs and hamburgers—those necessary staples of American picnic fare—ambrosia, pineapple upside down cake, mango ice cream.
2. Hawaiian Dancers
In keeping with the Hawaiian theme, a local group of Hawaiian dancers entertained us.
Hawaiian Dancers
Had the picnic been held outdoors, as scheduled, they would have provided one long performance. Instead, they had to adapt by giving three shortened performances at the three indoor locations. Between numbers they conferred about which song/dance to perform next. We appreciated their willingness to cope with the changed circumstances.
3. Water-Conserving Efforts
It rained most of Friday afternoon and overnight Friday/Saturday. It was a gentle rain, not a deluge, and the grass gratefully drank it in. Our lawns are still amazingly green, even almost a week later.
But the lawns may not remain nicely green for much longer. Because our area is experiencing one of the driest, hottest summers on record, the City of Tacoma has moved to Stage 2 (voluntary reduction) of their Water Shortage Response Plan.
Our retirement community, Franke Tobey Jones, has agreed to cooperate in this effort, euphemistically known as “going golden.” That means we will not be watering lawns and will have reduced watering of plants and shrubs. Our two outdoor fountains have also been drained and shut off.
The aim is to reduce our water consumption by at least 10%. This voluntary water reduction is a joint effort of the Washington cities of Tacoma, Seattle, and Everett. A 10% reduction in water usage across the area could save 1 billion gallons of water by the end of the year.
One of the features that makes Franke Tobey Jones so visually appealing is its large swatches of beautiful green lawn. But no one is complaining about the lawns in light of the drought conditions. We are proud to pitch in.
Thanks to WordPress Daily Prompt for this writing topic:
Community Service
Your entire community — however you define that; your hometown, your neighborhood, your family, your colleagues — is guaranteed to read your blog tomorrow. Write the post you’d like them all to see.
Dear Retirement Community Members,
I’m glad to have this opportunity to address all of you at once. I want to thank you for making me feel so welcome when I moved here a little more than three years ago.
As you know, there’s always a waiting list for available independent-living duplexes. Our name made it to the top of the list in late March 2013. My husband wasn’t planning to retire until the end of the year, but we were afraid that, if we passed up the opportunity and let our name go back to the bottom of the list, we’d have to wait three to five years for another opening.
I made a quick trip to Tacoma in late March to see the unit. I’d never seen the inside of a duplex, only a drawing of the interior floor plan. I immediately fell in love with it. Even though all the duplexes have identical floor plans, I loved the location of this one on the corner, near the road. Without another building right next to it, this one felt bigger and more open.
When I returned home, my husband and I decided we’d take this duplex instead of waiting. So I packed my little car to the gills, taking what I’d need to set up housekeeping, and drove the 2,100 miles to Tacoma. I arrived at my new home on April 10, 2013. My husband would join me after he retired at the end of December.
It was a bit scary making this move on my own, but several of you knocked on my door and welcomed me to the community. (A few of you even gave me plants as a welcoming gift, and I didn’t have the heart to tell you that house plants come to my house to die.) Your kindness helped me adjust, and I quickly came to love my new home.
Originally I didn’t have much to unpack, so I soon began learning my way around my new home town. We had been visiting our daughter in Tacoma for about 15 years, so I knew my way around a tiny bit, but I had a lot to learn. Once again, many of you came to my aid, telling me how to get to Metropolitan Market and Trader Joe’s as well as other places. When I said I was interested in learning about the city’s history, you suggested parks, monuments, and buildings I might want to visit. You explained to me how to sign up for events held at Franke Tobey Jones and for excursions to other places, such as the monthly Lunch Bunch outing.
By the time my husband arrived to stay in December, I already felt well settled in. Again, many of you went out of your way to come meet him and welcome him to the community.
Now, after more than two years, we both continue to marvel at how friendly everyone here is. We knew we were going to retire to Tacoma because our daughter lives here, but we’re so glad that we chose Franke Tobey Jones. I think that the sign out front should be changed from “Retirement Estates” to “Retirement Community,” because community is what we’ve truly found here.
It’s Thursday again! Here’s my weekly contribution to Three Things Thursday, the purpose of which is to “share three things from the previous week that made you smile or laugh or appreciate the awesome of your life.”
Tacoma Waterfront
My husband and I enjoy learning about the history of Tacoma. A few weeks ago we ate lunch at a restaurant on the waterfront and took advantage of the opportunity to observe how Tacoma has changed.
1. Horizontal Drawbridge
Horizontal Drawbridge
This is a horizontal drawbridge with “Port of Tacoma” stenciled on the end facing the street (not visible in this photo). The center of the bridge rises horizontally to let large boats pass underneath.
I had never seen this type of drawbridge until we took a cruise on the Columbia River that began in Portland, OR, almost 20 years ago. I thought all drawbridges split in the middle, with a section on each side that levered back to rise up. But we see quite a few of these horizontal bridges here in the Pacific Northwest.
I’ve heard that this drawbridge isn’t used any more. I’ve never see it raised.
2. Former Boat Building Company
Tacoma used to build many of the commercial fishing boats used on the West Coast. These two buildings are the remnants of a ship building company that has been closed for many years now.
Ship Building Co.
Sending the boats built here off to their destinations probably required the raising of that horizontal drawbridge, which is located a bit off the left side of this photo.
3. Marina
Waterfront Marina
People here in the Puget Sound area really love their boats, and this marina on the waterfront is therefore still active. This is the view just to the right of the boat building company in photo #2.
On the right side of this photo you see the famous Tacoma Dome, which I’ve written about here.
146th Pacific Ave
Spanaway, WA 98444
(253) 536–8100
Friday was our monthly Lunch Bunch outing. This time we went to a local favorite, the Gateway Cottage Restaurant & Lounge, located not far from Pacific Lutheran University. This restaurant is so popular with local folks that a waiting list formed for the trip, limited to 20 by the size of our bus.
Probably the restaurant’s popularity with local folks arises from its historical provenance. In 1890 retired U.S. military officer Captain Ludlow and his wife established the 80-acre homestead of Orchard Hill. Years later, George and Amy Jensen purchased 10 acres of Orchard Hill. In addition to expanding the Ludlow home, the Jensens built a guest cottage on the property, which was known as the Tacoma Silver Fox Farm in the 1920s and 1930s.
The Gateway Cottage restaurant opened in 2000, after owner Lynda Hogan spent two years renovating the dilapidated cottage. She filled the remodeled cottage with artwork she had collected while working at Corinthian Studios, an antiques store in downtown Tacoma that’s now closed. The artwork and furniture give the interior a comfortable, homey feeling.
Gateway Cottage interior
(Click on images to see a larger version.)
The exterior courtyard garden, with its large trees, is also inviting. Gateway Cottage often hosts PLU graduation parties and other events there.
Gateway Cottage: Back
Hogan and her ex-husband, Walter Hogan, started one of Tacoma’s best known restaurants, Stanley & Seafort’s, in the early 1970s. They owned it for about five years before selling it to Restaurants Unlimited.
Gateway Cottage is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Friday and dinner on Saturday. Friday’s lunch menu featured lots of salads, sandwiches, and soups. The couple next to us both had Reuben sandwiches, which were so generously stuffed that each took home a half sandwich for Saturday’s lunch. My husband and I had the sirloin steak, which was cooked medium-rare, just as we had both ordered it. The accompanying vegetables—fresh yellow and zucchini squash, yellow peppers, and broccoli—were tasty, as was the creamy seafood chowder.
I always marvel at how well restaurant servers handle our luncheon groups, which require lots of separate checks for couples and singles. Our group this Friday was particularly large, yet the service was good and our waitress handled the many separate checks with grace.
I’m looking forward to going back to Gateway Cottage some evening to check out its dinner menu.
A Google search reveals that Gateway Cottage has received the following ratings (all on a five-star scale):
For the bicentennial of the U.S. Lighthouse Service in 1989, the Society petitioned Congress to declare National Lighthouse Day on August 7 – the date in 1789 that the Ninth Act of the First Congress, establishing federal control of lighthouses, was passed and signed by President George Washington.
However, the holiday designation was only for August 7, 1989. More recent efforts to establish August 7 of every year as a national holiday have failed. According to the United States Lighthouse Society:
The lighthouse law should be remembered as an altruistic act of the nation and the first public works program undertaken by the new federal government. The first members of Congress thought the bill so important that they passed the measure even before they got around to establishing pay for congressmen!
But even as an unofficial holiday, National Lighthouse Day is a fitting way to commemorate “the commitment and service of those who tended America’s lights for generations.”
The United States Lighthouse Society is a nonprofit historical and educational organization dedicating to sharing the legacy of American lighthouses and supporting lighthouse preservation. On the group’s web site you’ll find loads of information about lighthouses in general and about specific lighthouses.
Did you know that many historic lighthouses rent lodging in former lightkeepers’ quarters? You’ll find details on the USLS web site about types of lodging available and where these lodgings are offered.
In honor of National Lighthouse Day, here are the four lighthouses (three in Washington, one in Oregon) we have visited since moving to the West Coast.
(Click on any photo to see a larger version.)
1. Point Wilson Lighthouse
Fort Worden State Park
Port Townsend, WA
Point Wilson Lighthouse marks the western edge of the entrance to Admiralty Inlet from the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It’s a landmark for ships entering and leaving Puget Sound.
Point Wilson Lighthouse
In 1879 a fog signal building was erected to house a 12-inch steam whistle. Later that year a tower was added to the building that housed a lens that shone a fixed white light visible for up to 13 miles.
The current lighthouse was completed in 1914. The light was automated in 1976 and is monitored by a computer at the Coast Guard Air Station in Port Angeles, WA.
2. Point Robinson Lighthouse
Vashon Island, WA
Point Robinson Lighthouse celebrates its 100th birthday this year (2015). The original Point Robinson Light Station was established by the U.S. Lighthouse Service in 1885.
Point Robinson Lighthouse
During the summer tours of the lighthouse by a retired member of the Coast Guard are available between noon and 4:00.
Two Keepers’ Quarters have been renovated and restored and are available for rental. Quarters A is three-bedroom, two-bath, two-story house. Completely furnished, it can hold up to eight overnight guests. Quarters B is a two-bedroom, one-bath, completely furnished house with a sitting parlor. It will accommodate up to six guests. This house has been completely restored to its 1919 historical condition. Both houses feature full kitchens.
These houses are located near the beach in a wooded park with scenic views of Puget Sound, Mount Rainier, and the Cascade Mountains. Both Quarters are a short drive from Vashon Town, which offers shopping, restaurants, a playground, and a movie theater. The town also hosts many local festivals, particularly in summer.
Vashon Park District
17130 Vashon Highway SW
P.O. Box 1608
Vashon Island, WA 98070
201–463–9602
3. Browns Point Lighthouse
Tacoma, WA
Browns Point Lighthouse
A light was first erected on a post at the location now known as Browns Point on December 12, 1887, two years before Washington became a state. The first White residents of Browns Point were the lighthouse keeper, Oscar Brown, and his wife, Annie, who arrived in 1903. The original lighthouse was a wooden structure built in 1903 that featured both a lamp and a bell used for fog warnings. Oscar and Annie Brown tended the lighthouse until 1939. More on the history of Browns Point Lighthouse is available here.
Browns Point Lightkeeper’s Cottage
The original wooden lighthouse was replaced by the current structure in 1933. The keeper’s cottage, originally built for the Browns in 1903, has been fully renovated. The three-bedroom cottage of 2,000 square feet sleeps up to six people, has a full kitchen, and offers cable television, internet, and wi-fi service. It is available for rental. Furnished with antique furniture, the cottage is a living museum, and renters become honorary lightkeepers responsible for duties such as raising and lowering the flag daily, watering flower boxes, and welcoming visitors to an open house on Saturday afternoons between April and November.
4. Heceta Head Lighthouse
Florence, OR
Heceta Head Lighthouse sits 205 feet above the ocean. The light at the top of the 56-foot tower, which was illuminated in 1894, can be seen 21 miles from land and is the strongest light on the Oregon coast.
Heceta Head Lighthouse
The lighthouse was constructed between 1892 and 1893. It became fully automated in 1963 and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Restoration of the tower was completed in mid 2013.
Heceta House, the assistant lightkeeper’s house, built in 1893, now offers bed and breakfast rentals and facilities for group events. It is operated by a concessionaire of the U.S. Forest Service. Information is available here.
Retreading for Retirement 