Day 855

The reason this trip happened, this trip to Alaska, is hubby.

On this exact date a year ago -  on this exact same cruise line, leaving and returning to the exact same ports in Alaska - hubby got sick. Last month when we traveled this same cruise line to Alaska, hubby realized he did have some of his strength back. But last month he didn't think he had enough strength to attempt that long-awaited salmon fishing trip he missed last year.

So we’re back. And he’s going salmon fishing tomorrow. Finally, after one year of doctors and hospitals and tests and physical therapy he thinks he’s ready. And even ready to use a camera to document his adventure.

He spent the day taking pictures around the ship, a first for him. Even took a picture of the Wheelhouse Bar, the place he spent his time last year when he was too sick to sleep.

Take a look at all his pictures. Not so bad.  (Now I’m afraid he’ll think he deserves his own blog.)

Day 854

When I told kiddo where we were going today she had some big reactions. No. Stop it. You can't go there anymore. Go somewhere else!

While I'm sucking the marrow, hubby is redeeming himself again. If you take a look at exactly a year plus one day, on July 4, you saw these pictures. That trip was the beginning of a big illness for hubby. An illness that shut his kidneys down, put him in the hospital for a month, kept him in a wheelchair for a while, and prevented him from working for several months.

But that was a year ago. Things are different for him now. We're calling it Ed's Redemption Tour 2.0. Yep, we're back, and I'm not talking about home. Can you tell where we are? Or better yet, where we're going?

Day 853

When we woke up this morning we had two choices.

Downtown Seattle and Pike Place Market or drive to Mount Rainier. You can tell by the pictures what we chose.

Check out the rainbow in the falls.

 If you look really carefully you can see climbers coming out from behind the tree on the left.

Yep, Scooter made it too.

How lucky are we to have this beautiful mountain in the background for our picnic lunch? (Except his apple had a little bump along the way. I accidentally knocked it off the table and it rolled. And kept rolling down the little gully of spring runoff. He had to chase it around the bend to finally catch up to it. Oops.)

Everywhere we've gone I've been adding things to my scooter. Charms, stickers, bracelets, jewels. I was about to choose a cute little sticker while up at Mt. Rainier but hubby found one that worked even better for my particular situation. 

Day 852

I don't like using the words bucket list. To me they suggest that your life is over. Or at least near the end. I still come back to the sucking out the marrow tour.

Mt. Hood, Timberline Lodge. Check.

Tillamook Cheese Factory. Check.

Cannon Beach. Check.

Mount St. Helens. Check.

All places I've wanted to visit and never did it. Until this trip. In just a few days time. Today was the Mount St. Helens Day.

In 1980 I was in California and hubby was in Fruitland, Idaho, his hometown. When Mount St. Helens blew, Fruitland - hundreds of miles away - was one that received ash. 

Now Mount St. Helens has trees and shrubs and wildflowers in some places and is still pretty desolate in others. I even caught some steam coming out. I took tons of pictures and these are my best.

Day 851

You could say Portland, Oregon is an interesting town. A town full of interesting people.

Portland Saturday Market - held on Sundays too - is a great place for people watching. And music listening. And food eating. We did all of the above.

Music listening and people watching.

I thought food eating was going to happen when I stood (sat on my scooter, that is) in the long line here:

And picked up an apple fritter for me:

But hubby had another idea for his doughnut. When I found him sitting in the shade and gave him a Mango Tango doughnut he had already started on his own unique lunch combination.

A dark beer, a plate of fries, and a mango-filled doughnut. 

Guess I'm married to one of the interesting Portland people.

Day 850

Every day just gets better for Scooter.

First she stopped at the Forest Service office and ran into Smokey the Bear.

She then found a suspension bridge behind the building. Too wide and secure to invoke much fear.

While on the suspension bridge she caught several butterflies frolicking.

Scooter then made a stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory.

Where she shared some of the factory's tasty ice cream with Deb and Ed.

She then discovered a view of Rockaway Beach.

And ran across a Pirate Festival where Captain Jack Sparrow took her for a ride.

She watched Ed collect seashells at Cannon Beach.

Quite a spectacular day.

Day 849

My life is flippin' awesome. 

How can it not be when you start your morning off with a free breakfast on the outside patio overlooking the Columbia River?

How can it not when you see a sign for a lavender farm and decide to stop to take a look?

And find poppies in bloom, too?

How can it not be when you stop at a fruit stand that also sells bakes goods, like the marionberry hand pie? 

How can it not be when you get as close to Mt. Hood as you'll ever get?

How can it not be when you get to see Timberline Lodge, the hotel that was seen in The Shining?

How can it not be when, while at Timberline Lodge, search and rescue crews work on the ground and the air to find a hiker missing for the last few days on Mt. Hood?

How can it not be when you see a banner for a quilt show in a town's old high school and you get to see spectacular quilts?

Look at the tiny fishing lure someone made on their quilt.

How can it not be when, while at that quilt show, your ticket number was called to win a door prize - a DVD and a pattern of your choice? (Hubby pitched in for the rest of the goodies.)

It's amazing the gifts life has to give - in just one day - when you slow down, take a leisurely drive, and appreciate everything that comes your way. Oh yeah, and when you work on sucking the marrow.

Life is flippin' awesome.

Day 848

Did you know?

Did you know that when you stand under huge power poles like these

that they emit an electrical sound? Not a hum, not a buzz, but a noise that sounds like, well, electricity? A bit scary sounding. I only know this because the Suck the Marrow Tour Part Two took us down into the Columbia River Gorge to see the John Day Dam.

Did you know that when you are on a Suck the Marrow tour you try things you might not usually try? Like a sip of a local amber beer hubby had at dinner at our hotel. On the patio. Overlooking the Columbia River.

Did you know that logs are brought down the river on barges?

And did you know?

Thanks for the sticker, you know who. It's on my scooter.