The Sanduskys are on their way back to the lower 48 as their cruise ship steams its way back to San Fransisco, California; then they will spend the night and will fly home to Tennessee tomorrow. Louisiana shares her thoughts and feelings about Alaska and her people in this story.
It is hard to believe; but it seems that it was only yesterday when we first started our vacation to Alaska. But now we are leaving to go back home; and the mood is much sadder as I think about the fun we had during our Alaskan cruise.
If it wasn't for this cruise, my husband, Bill, and myself, wouldn't have met wonderful people like Sikik Eegeesiak (we met her at one of the malls in Anchorage; she lives all the way up in the Arctic Circle, in Barrow, but she was in Anchorage, visiting some friends), or Jenna's sister, Jerrica, and her family; or even Jenna's doctor, Dr. Harvey Feinstein, who is her orthopedic surgeon. And my kids (and my husband) wouldn't have gotten the chance to meet Jenna Aurora Whitson and her fiance', Michael Doucet. Now we have some brand new friends, and they made our trip all the more pleasant and enjoyable. And Jenna and Michael were so good with Johnny and Ronee' when Bill unexpectedly got sick and had to be hospitalized for two days; they were absolutely wonderful with them, and the kids just fell head over heels in love with both Michael and Jenna.
We saw many magnificent sights in Alaska: majestic mountain ranges that seemed to scrape the Arctic sky, astounding numbers of wildlife, including eagles and hawks, gulls, geese, ducks, terns, ptarmigans, and other smaller birds such as blue jays, cardinals, and sparrows, fox, wolf, deer, caribou, moose, elk, bears, ermine and mink, otters and beavers, lemmings (small, furry rodents), and so much more, massive ice floes and glaciers that reminded us of a long ago and very distant past, glimpses of Inuit and Native Alaskan Indian culture, incredible auroric displays as the Northern Lights blazed and danced across the starry Alaskan sky, dense forestry and uncharted landscape that man still had yet to inhabit or visit, and crystal-clear, pristine waters that teemed with copious schools of fish, sharks, whales, seals, walruses, and sea-lions. We saw stuff that we could never have seen back home in Tennessee, and just to see the sheer emmensity and grandeur of what is Alaska suddenly made us feel like mere specks on this Earth; and it was mind-blowing and breath-taking at the same time!
We also had fun on the ship (and we will continue to do so as we chug our way back to California; we should be arriving sometime later tonight, where we will then spend the night near the airport and then fly home sometime tomorrow); we saw dinner and movie shows, played games, visited with other passengers who probably had as much fun as we did, ate at some incredibly fancy (and even some not so fancy schmancy) restaurants, and got spoiled at the spa and sauna (boy, did THAT feel sooo good on Bill's and my arthritic bodies!), and even managed to go swimming and get in some needed exercise at the gym. The kids had their own areas to go to while Bill and I were busy at the spa, the adult restaurant/dance club, or the gym; and they were never bored, not one bit. The crew saw to that, and so did various Disney characters who kept them entertained. It was akin to being at Disneyworld, but this time on the sea; and it was a blast for all who went!
I know Bill and I took gobs of pictures; we probably have at least 20 to 30 rolls of film easily, and we got ourselves (and the kids) some lasting momentos to remind us of our Alaskan cruise in years to come; and we can always ask Johnny and Ronee' "Do you remember when..." Johnny probably had more fun in his little life than most kids his age or kids in his predicament, and he will probably never forget his Alaskan vacation as long as he lives. This will probably be one of the last good memories he will have before he dies. And Ronee' will probably never forget her first glimpse of TRUE Northern Lights, or seeing her first whales or walruses, and she will probably never forget her first tastes of whale, caribou, or reindeer meat, and she will never forget the kindness of the Inuit people who were more than happy to show her some crafts, some parkas or mukluks, or even some basic Inupiat phrases (which Ronee' promptly butchered; and they laughed!). She will probably always remember what Alaska, and Alaskans, had to offer, and she will no doubt have a new appreciation for "all things Alaskan" and will probably want to return to Alaska when she is older.
We are happy to be returning home to Tennessee; but at the same time, as we gaze at the water, we can't help but get a bit teary as we think of the memories we are leaving behind, and we can't help but feel sad as we say goodbye to Alaska and hello to our home back in Tennessee. But even as much fun as we had on our 2-week-long Alaskan vacation, it WILL be good to get back to the other kids, and it WILL be good to get back home and get back to the "swing of things" once we have all recovered from our "sea legs"!
But alas...our respite is short-lived; for next weekend we go to Louisiana, to Breaux Bridge, for the annual Crawfish Festival. We will be there for five days total; but at least THIS time we get to go as ONE family and NOT leave MOST of the kids home like we did when we went to Alaska! FINALLY, then after the Crawfish Festival, we CAN rest and get back to some semblence of normalcy until the CMA Music Festival/Fan Fair comes up in June...
