April 22
I was given a set of books for grieving which I read last year, and then I pulled them out to read again before I return them to my friend. They contain excellent encouragement and help. Probably the most valuable advice, don’t grieve according to others time table. It will take as long as it takes.
When I reread them, it mentioned looking at old photo albums can bring up happy memories, but also cause some sadness. I realized, I have not looked at our photo albums since I had to go through them for pictures for Norm’s celebration of life. I’ve avoided the activity.
I’m going to spend the next few blogs, sharing what the experiences Norm and I have had…of which I have pictures.
The first is our 40th anniversary trip to Alaska, that actually took place on our 42nd anniversary. Covid did disrupt a lot of things, including our celebration. And even for our trip in 2022, we had to pass the covid test to get to Alaska, and again to get on the ship. Masks were often required. We passed both tests and did not get sick on the cruise. One lady however, was not allowed to continue on the ship…
We started out on a land tour to Denali. We spent a few days there, the view was totally socked in…no Denali, not even a little glimpse. No Aurora Borealis…again, totally socked in. Disappointing, but we had a good time walking around. We took a bus ride through the park and did see a few wolves…in the distance.
We left the park to go board the ship and the bus driver pulled over about 10 miles outside the park. We all got out and there was Denali in all its glory. Not quite the experience we were looking for…but fun all the same. We stopped at some native villages, saw dog sledding, an old automobile museum, and several historical sites and museums…Norm and I enjoyed those thoroughly.
At one stop, we saw a gathering of cranes at their northern migration point. Norm went to their southern migration point in Tennessee. He loved taking pictures of large groups of animals.
At one port we went to a river to watch bear catching fish. One bear sat in the water and watched us in the bus on the bridge. Norm got a lot of pictures. Then the bear got tired and moved on, so did we. In Juneau for our 20th, we had gone to the Red Dog Saloon. We went back on this cruise…so crowded! It took away from the enjoyment, but still fun.
When we made port in Vancouver, while we waited to board our plane, we took a tour of Vancouver. It was a great conclusion for a great trip. Getting home was a different story…delays at customs and a missed plane…but we finally made it.
TRICIA LATHROP 