Veronica and I just got back from our vacation in Alaska.
We had a fantastic time. We are busy doing the usual....laundry piled to the ceiling and going through our mail which stands about the same height as are laundry.
Like I said...the usual upon returning from a vacation.
I have some great stories and even better photos than last year. The weather was beautiful which made taking photos a breeze.
I will start listing and posting my daily journal and photos as soon as I get a few things done around here...shouldn't be more that a day or so...so stay tuned for some good stuff.
It's Almost Cruisin' Time Again
In a couple of days we leave here and start our journey towards Alaska.
We will be heading to a hotel that is near the Norfolk Airport.
It is just under 100 miles from here.
We decided to stay at this hotel because we did not want to have to get up any earlier to make our 5:45AM flight on Friday morning.
Friday is going to be a long enough day without adding in a 100 mile drive at 1:30 in the morning.
Those extra couple of hours sleep will come in handy as Friday drags on.
After making a stop in Atlanta, we arrive in Seattle around 10:55AM PST.
Once we land, we have a hurry and get our luggage and head to a specific meeting spot, so that we can catch our shuttle bus at 12:30.
This shuttle bus takes us from Sea-Tak(Seattle Airport) to the Vancouver Airport.
This ride takes approximately 4 hours because they make a couple of stops to let people off and pick people up.
If we miss this shuttle bus, the next shuttle bus isn't until sometime after 4PM.
Once at the Vancouver Airport, we call the hotel that we are spending the night at, and they will come pick us up from the airport and bring us to the hotel.
We will be trying to get some sleep on both the flights and on the bus ride to Vancouver.
In many ways, it would have been better to fly straight into Vancouver but the flights from our location to there are very expensive.
Around 11AM on Saturday morning, we will be taking a shuttle that takes us directly to the pier.
The first 2 full days of cruising, we will be doing just that...cruising. There will be no ports of call on those 2 days.
That will be a good thing. It gives us a chance to relax and catch our breath from Fridays running around.
Veronica will find her favorite chair in the observation lounge, while I run in and out taking photos of the Inside Passage and Sawyer Glacier.
We will be spending most of our days actually exploring our ports of call rather than taking a lot of excursions.
We only have one excursion booked and that is a train ride. They call it the White Pass Scenic Railway.
This is how this excursion is described on the NCL web site:
No trip to Alaska is complete without a ride on the White Pass and Yukon Route narrow-gauge railroad that served the mad rush to the Klondike in 1898. You'll board an old-fashioned parlor car for a 40-mile round trip. A panorama of wilderness unfolds, as you leave Skagway and pass through two tunnels, sky-high trestles, and remote valleys. Outside your large picture window, view Bridal Veil Falls, Inspiration Point and Dead Horse Gulch. Your guide will announce all points of interest and tell the unique story of this railway. After reaching White Pass Summit, the international boundary between Canada and the U.S., you'll begin your return journey down the White Pass & Yukon Route.
After returning to Skagway, we will still have plenty of time to explore the town.
I am sure that I will be able to take some great photos.
I will be posting tales of our adventures and photos galore upon our return home.
We will be heading to a hotel that is near the Norfolk Airport.
It is just under 100 miles from here.
We decided to stay at this hotel because we did not want to have to get up any earlier to make our 5:45AM flight on Friday morning.
Friday is going to be a long enough day without adding in a 100 mile drive at 1:30 in the morning.
Those extra couple of hours sleep will come in handy as Friday drags on.
After making a stop in Atlanta, we arrive in Seattle around 10:55AM PST.
Once we land, we have a hurry and get our luggage and head to a specific meeting spot, so that we can catch our shuttle bus at 12:30.
This shuttle bus takes us from Sea-Tak(Seattle Airport) to the Vancouver Airport.
This ride takes approximately 4 hours because they make a couple of stops to let people off and pick people up.
If we miss this shuttle bus, the next shuttle bus isn't until sometime after 4PM.
Once at the Vancouver Airport, we call the hotel that we are spending the night at, and they will come pick us up from the airport and bring us to the hotel.
We will be trying to get some sleep on both the flights and on the bus ride to Vancouver.
In many ways, it would have been better to fly straight into Vancouver but the flights from our location to there are very expensive.
Around 11AM on Saturday morning, we will be taking a shuttle that takes us directly to the pier.
The first 2 full days of cruising, we will be doing just that...cruising. There will be no ports of call on those 2 days.
That will be a good thing. It gives us a chance to relax and catch our breath from Fridays running around.
Veronica will find her favorite chair in the observation lounge, while I run in and out taking photos of the Inside Passage and Sawyer Glacier.
We will be spending most of our days actually exploring our ports of call rather than taking a lot of excursions.
We only have one excursion booked and that is a train ride. They call it the White Pass Scenic Railway.
This is how this excursion is described on the NCL web site:
No trip to Alaska is complete without a ride on the White Pass and Yukon Route narrow-gauge railroad that served the mad rush to the Klondike in 1898. You'll board an old-fashioned parlor car for a 40-mile round trip. A panorama of wilderness unfolds, as you leave Skagway and pass through two tunnels, sky-high trestles, and remote valleys. Outside your large picture window, view Bridal Veil Falls, Inspiration Point and Dead Horse Gulch. Your guide will announce all points of interest and tell the unique story of this railway. After reaching White Pass Summit, the international boundary between Canada and the U.S., you'll begin your return journey down the White Pass & Yukon Route.
After returning to Skagway, we will still have plenty of time to explore the town.
I am sure that I will be able to take some great photos.
I will be posting tales of our adventures and photos galore upon our return home.
T.J. MAXX Arrives On The Outer Banks
When Veronica and I first came to the Outer Banks to check the area out, the "buzz" about TJ Maxx coming had already started.
Everyone that we spoke to was very excited about having a new TJ Maxx locally.
Although there are other retailers in the area, we kept hearing about people driving for 1 - 1 1/2 hours to do their shopping in the Virginia Beach and Chesapeake and going to the TJ Maxx stores in those locations.
As time went by, the "buzz" and the excitement grew amongst the locals.
Yesterday was a big day, not just for those living on the Outer Banks but for Veronica also.
She has been putting in very long days and nights, leading up to and culminating in the Grand Opening of the new TJ Maxx, that is located in Nags Head.
Veronica got up early yesterday morning and headed to the Grand Opening of her new store.
I arrived in the parking lot shortly after 7AM, with my trusty camera in tow.
When I first arrived, the parking lot was just about empty.
It didn't take long for the people to come.
It was like one of those "Field of Dreams" moments...build it and they will come. And came they did!
One of the first groups to arrive was a group of local ladies. I watched as they pulled out a couple of tables and various other items and started to setup "shop" right there in the parking lot.
At first I thought that they were part of the TJ Maxx crew or someone hired to hand out drinks and food to the people that showed up for the Grand Opening ceremony, but I soon found out that they were having a tail gate party...kind of like what you would see on race day or at a football game, but minus the bar-b-que grill.
They saw me standing around with my camera in hand and asked if I was with some of the local newspapers covering the event. I told then no...that my official title was husband of the store manager.
They requested that I take a photo of them together. Not being one to shy away from a photo opportunity, I eagerly took their picture.
The area quickly filled up with local politicians and dignitaries, people from the TJ Maxx company and quite a number of locals, who were all eager to get inside the new store and commence their shopping experience.
During the overall ceremony, Veronica handed over a sizable donation to a local charity and there was an official ribbon cutting after a few brief speeches by various people, Veronica included.
As soon as all of the ceremonies were completed, the doors of the very first TJ Maxx on the Outer Banks were officially opened to the eager shoppers.
A local tailgating party for the Grand Opening of TJ Maxx...never seen this done before, for the opening of a new store, but you got to love their enthusiasm. I do believe that this might be a group of Maxxinistas. And what are Maxxinistas, you might ask....
Everyone that we spoke to was very excited about having a new TJ Maxx locally.
Although there are other retailers in the area, we kept hearing about people driving for 1 - 1 1/2 hours to do their shopping in the Virginia Beach and Chesapeake and going to the TJ Maxx stores in those locations.
As time went by, the "buzz" and the excitement grew amongst the locals.
Yesterday was a big day, not just for those living on the Outer Banks but for Veronica also.
She has been putting in very long days and nights, leading up to and culminating in the Grand Opening of the new TJ Maxx, that is located in Nags Head.
Veronica got up early yesterday morning and headed to the Grand Opening of her new store.
I arrived in the parking lot shortly after 7AM, with my trusty camera in tow.
When I first arrived, the parking lot was just about empty.
It didn't take long for the people to come.
It was like one of those "Field of Dreams" moments...build it and they will come. And came they did!
One of the first groups to arrive was a group of local ladies. I watched as they pulled out a couple of tables and various other items and started to setup "shop" right there in the parking lot.
At first I thought that they were part of the TJ Maxx crew or someone hired to hand out drinks and food to the people that showed up for the Grand Opening ceremony, but I soon found out that they were having a tail gate party...kind of like what you would see on race day or at a football game, but minus the bar-b-que grill.
They saw me standing around with my camera in hand and asked if I was with some of the local newspapers covering the event. I told then no...that my official title was husband of the store manager.
They requested that I take a photo of them together. Not being one to shy away from a photo opportunity, I eagerly took their picture.
The area quickly filled up with local politicians and dignitaries, people from the TJ Maxx company and quite a number of locals, who were all eager to get inside the new store and commence their shopping experience.
During the overall ceremony, Veronica handed over a sizable donation to a local charity and there was an official ribbon cutting after a few brief speeches by various people, Veronica included.
As soon as all of the ceremonies were completed, the doors of the very first TJ Maxx on the Outer Banks were officially opened to the eager shoppers.
Early morning before the ceremony began..an almost empty parking lot, but not for long. The vehicles on the right hand side of this photo was where the tailgating party was.
A local tailgating party for the Grand Opening of TJ Maxx...never seen this done before, for the opening of a new store, but you got to love their enthusiasm. I do believe that this might be a group of Maxxinistas. And what are Maxxinistas, you might ask....Maxx-in-is-ta (max-uh-nee-stuh) noun: a fashionista who gets it all for much, much less at T.J.Maxx
Veronica greeting one of the local Mayors that attended the event
Veronica handing over the charity donation
The early morning crowds before the official opening
The ribbon cutting ceremony
Let the real festivities begin...it's time to SHOP!!!
Before I left the area, I took a few photos of the full parking lot.
Veronica greeting one of the local Mayors that attended the event
Veronica handing over the charity donation
The early morning crowds before the official opening
The ribbon cutting ceremony
Let the real festivities begin...it's time to SHOP!!!
Before I left the area, I took a few photos of the full parking lot.
Veronica worked a ton of long days and nights to make this all happen on her end of things. I am very very proud of everything that she accomplished. Great job hon!!!!
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