I heard that there was an Andrew Wyeth exhibit at the SAM and discovered there were a few more days left before it closed and moved on. Wyeth was my watercolour drybrush inspiration since high school and this exhibit fulfilled a long held dream. It was easy to recruit Blogless Marsha to come along, unlike…

The  mild, but rainy, NW part of Washington state, is a wintering ground for Bald Eagles and Trumpeter Swans. Despite the weather we've made it a point ourselves, to winter by exploring the small towns of Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish counties. Our first stop was on an unusually dry and warm day where we saw…

One more post from the past, this one from California, then back to the very rainy Pac NW, where we've sought comfort in cooking….in our…wait for it…Instant Pot. Yes, I've fallen prey to the epidemic of home chefs who have bought this Canadian invention. Did you know it's Canadian? I did the patriotic thing by…

Sydney, Australia (as opposed to tiny Sydney, BC, population 11,600) has 4 million people in its boundaries. Although only a third larger than Melbourne, it feels like a crowded place. After docking early in the morning, and locating our hotel for our one night stay, we texted our Aussie friend back home. If you had…

Eden, Australia is a pretty area with rolling hills and sapphire coloured bays, but was not named for the Biblical garden, but after George Eden, the first earl of Auckland. Outside of Eden we were escorted by dolphins. We took our only shore excursion of the cruise, as I had wanted an up close and…

If I were to return to Australia, Melbourne would be at the top of my list for go-to places. I generally find a population of over 3 million daunting, but this city had appeal. Then I realized that it has something in common with Vancouver – both are considered in the top three of most…

Excuse this post, out of order travel-wise. I mentioned in the Akaroa post that the next stop was Tasmania, when in fact there was one more port of call in New Zealand. It was a rainy day so we stuck close to the ship, not making it into Dunedin, the Edinburgh of New Zealand. Dunedin…

Had to share this moment of the two sweet grand boys: Apparently he was surprised by the flash and not doing a Home Alone imitation. Wishing all a Christmas filled with joy and peace.

It's frustrating to read a book that jumps back and forth in time. You begin a chapter with a feeling of disorientation until you realize what's going on. That's what's happening here, this being a brief interlude of updating prior to slipping back into the latter part of our time down under.  I've been writing…

Two sea days, finally my favourite part of a cruise vacation, total relaxation and relinquishment of control. The first day, though, was filled with spectacularly dramatic scenery in New Zealand's Milford Sound. At first it seemed similar to our British Columbia Howe Sound. Then it turned into the sights of an Alaskan cruise. But then,…