I Ran Away from Home

I've been traveling, visiting relatives, bringing grandkids home with me, returning grandkids to whence I got them and then finally leaving on an adventure with my sister.  I kind of overdid it and I've been sleeping a lot since I returned home but it was great.

Leaving Pier 91 on the Oosterdam for Alaska

July 3rd, four of us, myself, my sister Susan, my friend Cathy and her daughter Mary, together took an Alaskan Cruise.  It was the first cruise ever for all of us.  After days of less than clement weather, it was around 70 and gorgeous in Seattle the day we left.  Blue skies, mild, warm air with the smell of salt.  Delicious, for an expat Seattlite now living in Eastern Washington it was almost too much, made me briefly but really homesick.

The view from the ship looking back around Magnolia Bluff into Seattle. 

We basked in the sun on the deck, took pictures, drank tall drinks made of rum, raspberry juice, and who knows what and watched the shoreline of Seattle go by.  A most auspicious beginning. 

Me and my fruity drink, photo by Susan Zumberis

By nightfall we were sailing by the 300 mile long coast of Vancouver Island en route to Glacier Bay.  We were overtaken by a storm that night.  For me the rocking of a boat is relaxing and I slept very, very well.  Heading out for breakfast it was amazing to take one step and find yourself three feet across the hallway by the second step.  It was actually kind of fun, but not for all.  Many people were wearing little white dots of seasickness medicine behind their ears.  The restaurant at lunch was very quiet and not crowded.  Quite a few were staring at bowls of soup but not eating.

There was a "formal wear" dinner that second night and for reasons I cannot explain I brought brand new shiny patent leather high heels to wear to those events.  The big wavy water didn't slow me down but the shoes did. I haven't worn heels in 10 years, good thing there were rails everywhere, I made it there and back and put the heels away, not because of the rocking ship, but because my 69 year-old arthritic feet were screaming "help, help, she's killing us." I went to the other "formal" dinners in toenail polish and black flip flops covered with silver spangles with soft soles and 1" heels. Ahhh, much better.

So long lovely shoes.  My granddaughter wants them of course, I see them shining in her lovely 13 year-old eyes.