Switzerland and Alaska

I arrived in Switzerland (after a very l-o-n-g day/night of flying) on Tuesday evening. Mike met me at the train station in Kandersteg, and since then -- I have been living the life of leisure. IT'S FABULOUS! At home, I have a hard time relaxing and doing things I want to do. Here, I have nothing else to do...so I blog, organize pictures on the computer, read, do some digital scrapbooking, watch movies, hike, and just plain old relax. LOVIN' IT. Anyway...I thought that tonight I would resume my blogging about our Alaska trip. I believe I promised I would do a ship tour, so let's start with that!

This great picture of our ship was taken in Alaska, although obviously not by us. I can highly recommend Princess Cruise Lines! We were comfortable, entertained, stuffed with delicious food, educated (naturalists on board), massaged, and pampered. Yeah, baby! Our cabin was very nice since it had a balcony that was a little larger than the standard rooms. It made a great place all of us to gather the days we were in Glacier Bay and College Fjord. Mike's dad and his brother both had cabins right near us, so it was really convenient for visiting. In fact, here are some of us enjoying our balcony before sail-away.The main atrium of the ship was filled with shops, lounges, and gathering places. It was really pretty!This ship had the best production shows of any ship we have been on. Of course we don't have a whole lot of experience, but it was the best of the 4 we have tried! My favorite show was one called "Piano Man", featuring music from the greats like Elton John, Billy Joel, and other, well, piano men. Wasn't the theater nice?The pools were great -- I think there were 4 or 5 of them. They didn't get as much use on this COLD trip as I have seen on warmer cruises, but there were still people in them. The hot tubs were much more popular. Mike and I went in one afternoon when it was raining! We didn't do much gambling because we can't stand losing money! In fact, I snapped a few shots of poor, sad Mike as he realized he was not going to make a million from the slots or the tables:

But then...there is hope! Mike finally finds a machine onboard that is GUARANTEED to give his money back! We enjoyed our dinners together, we had a wonderful table that looked on onto the water. In fact, we spotted whales from the window a couple of times. Here is a shot of all of us one night at dinner. The were two formal nights on board, and one night, we all took a family picture together. Mike's dad and his wife are in the front, and Mike and I, Greg and Debbie are in the back. Next stop...Glacier Bay and College Fjord!

RAFTING ON THE AMERICAN RIVER

We just received these pictures in the mail yesterday, they are from the white water rafting trip that Mike, Nathan and Lisa took down the American River a couple weeks ago. In this first picture, Nathan and Ryan are in the front, then Mike and Lisa, then Greg and Debbie. Greg is Mike's brother, and Debbie is his wife. These look like pretty good rapids! Lisa is screaming, and Nathan and Ryan look like they are about to get dumped in the river! Everyone had a really good time.

LEAVING AGAIN...

Mike and I are heading off to Switzerland again this weekend. Mike's going for his last overseas assignment for the Swiss project, and I am tagging along. It will be a short trip, only 2 weeks for me, maybe 3 weeks for Mike. We weren't sure if I was going to be able to come, but I decided that since this may be my last chance to have an almost free 2 week vacation to Europe, I had better go. Airfares were astronomical -- most upwards of $1800. Thankfully though, I had some unused miles with Delta to cash in, and they are taking me there for practically nothing. Mike is the lucky one, he got a direct flight from LA to Zurich. I get to hopscotch over. I go from LA to NYC to Paris to Zurich. Then, a 2 1/2 hour train ride to Kandersteg. On the way home, I go from Zurich to Amsterdam, to Houston, and then home. I am tired just thinking about it! But hey, it's free, so ya can't complain TOO much! August is a beautiful time of year in Switzerland, and I am looking forward to lots of time hiking in the Alps. I will try and finish my Alaska blogs while I am there, too. There is still lots to tell!
Keep checking back, I'll be posting some really pretty pictures from both places!

EARTHQUAKE!

Just about an hour ago, we had an earthquake here in Southern California -- it registered 5.4, according to the United States Geological Survey website. It was centered about 3 miles from where Mike works. It was a "nice" earthquake though, because it wasn't large enough to do a lot of serious damage, but strong enough to let some pressure off the fault line. That is a good thing, seeing as all of us living west of the San Andreas fault line keep waiting for the "big one" to hit. In retrospect, now that it is safely over, I can say it was kind of fun. Mike and I were talking on the phone at the time, and he said, "Hey -- earthquake! I wonder if I should get under my desk?" Just after he got the words out, I felt the shaking hit here, too. It lasted a good 20 seconds or more. I had stuff in my china cabinet rattling around, the windows shook, my computer monitor was moving, and the pool water was shloshing. Such fun. So far, I have not heard of any injuries. Here is a map of the area. The star is the epicenter, right near the Diamond Bar/Fullerton area where Mike works. His mom lives about 10 miles away, and she is just fine. The print is small on the map, but just to the right of the star is Riverside, which is very close to our house.We have had several small aftershocks, but nothing as big as the original. Keep safe, everyone!

BRODY GOES BOWLING!

David sent me this cute picture of "Dad and Brody's Night Out". It was so cute, I just had to post it here. Brody was very proud to have bowled a 36!

VISIT WITH BILL'S KIDS

My brother's children - Nathan, Natalie, and Billee, have been here for the last 12 days visiting me. We have had a great time ! We've enjoyed whitewater rafting, visiting David and Lisa, spending time in our hot tob, playing games, and of course, going to Disneyland, their favorite place! Here is a picture I took of the kids while we were there. Billee is 8, Nathan is 16, and Natalie is 14: We had a blast riding Splash Mountain, Billee and Nathan got soaked! Here we are on California Screamin' -- check out the gray roots on my hair! Wow! Time for a colorist appointment! Doesn't Billee look hilarious? We went into the Innoventions exhibit, which is a huge technology exposition. Nathan and Natalie both got to try riding a Segway! Nathan has decided he needs one of these to get around his neighborhood at home. Nathan had a good time in the Pirates of the Caribbean shop, he found this great hat, and is pretending to be Jack Sparrow. His own 'fro is wrecking the image! Time for a haircut, Nathan! Sadly, the kids are heading back to Texas on Monday, till next time! Love ya, kiddos!

SIDE TRIP TO SACRAMENTO

I have been taking you through Alaska at break-neck pace for several posts now. How about a short break? Tonight I thought I would post some pictures of Lisa's new home! We visited there last week while Mike, Lisa, and my nephew Nathan went whitewater rafting on the south fork of the American River. First though, a picture of the week before! Lisa and the kids were here visiting while Charles was on a business trip. One evening, we visited an outdoor mall near us, and Faith, Jack and Mike went on a little train ride: Lisa drove back up to Sacramento, and Mike and I flew up with the kids. Faith and Jack had fun on the plane with their cousins. Here are Billee (my niece) and Faith, waiting anxiously for take-off:Well, Faith had a great time, but Jack was needing a nap at that point, and was a little 'crabby pants', as you can see. He was not happy at the prospect of sitting still on Grandma's lap for an hour or more! He fell asleep shortly after take-off though, and had a nice nap. That's my niece Natalie in the background.Lisa has a really nice home, and she has accomplished quite a lot in the short time since they moved in! Here is her family room: Charles' contribution to the decorating is this wide screen TV:Their formal living room is currently a play room for the kids (great idea!):She has a nice, roomy kitchen:I forgot to take a picture of the dining room...but so far, there is not a dining room table. That will come later! Faith's room is really cute, and Jack's is a work in progress. Faith's is decorated with the frog princess, and Jack's will be a beach theme.Lisa's room has not been started yet, and look -- her bed is not made. Shameful! :-) Guess what? My bed hasn't been made all week. Oops! She has a walk-in closet the size of small bedroom, and a beautiful bathroom with a nice, deep tub.We have a home-away-from-home in this nice guest room - also a work in progress. We even have our own bathroom! The bed is nice and comfy, too, thanks to a donation by Lisa's Grandma Jean!