August had been very hot at home… but we have been on a cruise to Alaska where it was fairly cold and wet most days 
. After dropping Doug the Dog off at the kennel we went to Toronto and flew out the next day (Saturday) to Vancouver. It was pretty cloudy the whole way and didn’t get to see any land until just before we landed. We took the Skytrain from the airport down to the waterfront station… very quick trip, only about 20 minutes, and only about $8 Canadian each… a lot cheaper than taking a taxi . It was only a short 8 minute walk to the cruise terminal and we were onboard the Konigsdam within 30 minutes of arriving . It was a hot day in Vancouver… 26C.. and a beautiful sail away going under the Lionsgate Bridge. The next day was a sea day… and very cloudy and cold. But we had an amazing Alaskan Brunch in the Main Dining Room. We had Salmon Chowder in a Bread Bowl; Crab & Hot Smoked Salmon Cakes; Kodiak Steak & Egg Skillet; … and to finish it off, a Caesar . It cleared up during the afternoon but it was still pretty cold. We spent the afternoon reacquainting ourselves with old friends among the staff and later dressed for dinner and went dancing at the Rolling Stone bar. The next morning was very cold and foggy, the ship dropped off some passengers for an excursion into Tracy Inlet and proceeded to sail to Juneau. We watched the approach from the Crow’s Nest – that brought back a lot of memories for me as I had last navigated this channel 40 years ago in the Navy. Juneau has changed a lot – it’s mostly souvenir shops and tourist traps now. It rained heavily throughout the day and it was a pretty miserable experience walking around the town 
. That night we ate at the Pinnacle Steakhouse – it’s usually a pretty good experience but unfortunately the food and the service were a little off that evening . More dancing later that night at Rolling Stone and BB Kings . The next day saw us sailing into Skagway – the fog lifted quickly and it turned out to be a beautiful sunny day . We had booked a 7 hour excursion that basically traced out the history of the gold rush in the Yukon back in 1898. It started out with a tour bus taking us through the town and stopping at Liarstown – a settlement where the gold miners, journalists, and hookers lived before either trying their luck at getting up to the Yukon over White Pass or earning their living at the settlement on the riches gained by the successful miners. There were several buildings and tents at the site – hardware store. barber, newspaper, brothel, and an open air theatre where actors dressed in the costumes of the 1890’s put on a musical and theatre display. It was pretty good…. And there was a full buffet afterwards – smoked salmon, baked beans, salads, everything!! …And very delicious!! The tour bus then took us to the train station where we boarded the WP & YR train for a 40km trip through a panorama of mountains, glaciers and gorges up 2,865 feet to the White Pass. At Fraser, British Columbia we disembarked the train and reboarded the tour bus to descend back to Skagway. The views and scenery going to Fraser and returning to Skagway was amazing!! Back in town we walked around the main street exploring shops and bars before returning to the ship. The next day was a sea day… or I should say a fjord day … as we explored Tracy Arm Fjord, known for its steep granite cliffs, numerous waterfalls, and the twin Sawyer Glaciers at its head. This protected park is part of the Tongass National Forest and offers opportunities to see calving glaciers, wildlife like seals, otters, and bears, and stunning scenery. We were very fortunate to have another sunny day without rain … the views were spectacular!! Later that evening we went to a Morimoto popup in Tamarind where we had an amazing dinner … Tori Ramen Noodle Soup and Gyozo Dumplings to start, and Ishiyaki Buri Bop, Angry Lobster Pad Thai, and Shrimp Three Ways as the entrees…. all absolutely delicious!! …And of course…dancing after dinner . The next morning saw us sailing into Ketchikan … the ‘Salmon Capital of the World’ …. through mountainous islands and past little fishing ports. It’s a popular destination famous for its rich Alaska Native culture through totem poles at Saxman totem Park; Creek Street … which was once a notorious red-light district; canneries and salmon spawning ladders; and of course axe throwing competitions put on for the many tourists that visit Ketchikan … well over 1.2 million a year!! It’s a quaint town with many parks and stores to explore and we enjoyed ourselves immensely The next day saw us heading back south through the Canadian Inside Passage to return to Vancouver. It was pretty cool to see Northern Vancouver Island, especially at sunset… I spent many years sailing around that area . That night we had our last dinner onboard – at Rudi’s Sel De Mer, a seafood and steak restaurant. An excellent meal – we had Crab Bisque; Prosciutto and Burrata Salad; Escargots; Filet Mignon with a Lobster Tail; and a Grilled Seafood Platter . Delicious!! . Our return flight to Toronto from Vancouver was supposed to be the next morning, Saturday. Friday night we learned that our flight had been cancelled due to a strike by the airline’s stewards . As this strike affected almost all of Air Canada’s flights there were a lot of travellers around the world stranded and having to make new travel arrangements. We weren’t able to find a flight for the next day but did manage to find one for Sunday. …Out of Seattle. And a bus ride… to Seattle. So, the next morning after saying goodbye to our friends we disembarked from Konigsdam and headed out on the monorail to the bus station. …Where we were 4 hours … waiting for the bus to depart. It was actually a nice ride … except for an hour stop at the border for customs … and we got to see a lot of Washington’s countryside and Seattle as well. We stayed overnight at a motel… very reminiscent of the Bate’s Hotel in Psycho… and the next morning flew from Seattle… to Phoenix. Finally we were able to fly from Phoenix to Toronto, pick up the car, and drive home. So… the cruise was good, the food was excellent, the scenery spectacular, and we had an interesting little side trip . And less than 3 months from now will be our 12 day cruise onboard the Zaandam to the Sea of Cortez and the Mexican Riviera. And a month after that will be an 11 day cruise to the Caribbean… again on Konigsdam . The weather in September has definitely turned cooler… meteorology autumn has begun. So time to clean up the yard to prepare for fall and to get ready to start raking leaves in about a month’s time.
The Ukraine / Russia war continues … and will probably continue indefinitely.. there is no end in sight despite Trump’s attempts to force a ceasefire between the two countries. Trump held a bilateral meeting with Putin in Alaska on August 15. Nothing came out of that with the exception of Putin getting to be on the world stage and upstaging Trump in the process. Trump has basically washed his hands of settling the conflict and has said it is between Putin and President Zelensky to get together and resolve the issue themselves. Putin continues to stall saying that a memorandum has to be created to solidify terms and demands. None of his demands have changed and Zelensky will never agree to giving up Ukrainian territory. It’s ridiculous for Russia to demand territory that it doesn’t even control. About the only way that this war has a chance of ending is if Trump imposes the heavy tariffs on countries that do business with Russia such as China and Brazil – India has already had an extra 50% tariff imposed on her. Meanwhile all these talks of peace are going on Russia is continuing heavy missile and drone attacks on Western Ukraine and Kiev – the latest attack killing at least 20 civilians including 4 children. Russia continues to attack civilian infrastructure; Ukraine continues to attack military installations and oil fields and refineries.
President Donald Trump continues to call in the National Guard to protect some of the United States biggest cities including Baltimore, Chicago, and Washington D.C. . He insists that this is to reduce violent crime even though facts don’t back him up as the crime rate has actually reduced in these cities over the past year. Protests across the country are planned for Monday, Labour Day, against policies created or removed by Trump. CDC director Susan Monarez was fired by the Trump administration for criticizing Health Director RFK Junior’s stance on vaccines. Four senior officials have resigned in protest from the CDC over Monarez’s firing. The de minimis exemption in Canada , which allowed goods under $800 U.S. to enter the U.S. without extra fees has ended sending many Canadian small businesses into shock as they won’t be able to survive if tariffs are now placed on their goods. More Trump inanities have occurred over the past few weeks … the man is plainly crazy.
The tragedy of the war in the Middle East is still ongoing – more than 61,000 people have been killed since the start of the war and over 150,000 wounded . Hundreds of people are still starving as Israel is blocking access to food and supplies. In the latest atrocity committed by Israel four strikes on a Gaza hospital resulted in at least 20 people being killed including 5 journalists.
On the cooking front over the last two weeks we have had: Pork Tenderloin with Udon Noodles and Oyster Sauce; Ham and Cheese Quiche; Peppers stuffed with pulled brisket; Steaks; Hamburgers; Chicken Curries; Chicken Paninis; and many others
On the Netflix front: There hasn’t been many new series to watch lately so I have been rewatching all 5 Seasons of ‘Money Heist’ … that makes it about 7 times that I have seen it but I love watching it .
On to Sports:
On the NHL front – Not much going on except Maple Leafs continue to sharpen their golf skills .
On the MLB front – 134 games into the regular season and the Toronto Blue Jays are 78-56 and are still in first place 4 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox. In the AL West it’s Seattle in second place 72-62, and only 1 1/2 games behind the Houston Astros.
On to golf … The FedEx Tour Championship completed last week with two Canadians – Nick Taylor and Corey Connors – making the top 30 in the FedEx rankings. Tommy Fleetwood of England finally posted his first PGA Tour win in 163 starts and 30 top-five finishes to become the newly crowned FedExCup champion. He took home not only the cup but $10 Million U.S. . Connors tied for 4th place (his best FedExCup finish ever) for $2.6 Million U.S. and Taylor tied for 19th taking home about $455K U.S. . Now that the regular season is over the FedExCup Fall series will start allowing players that didn’t make the top 50 to play for points to allow them to play in signature events. The Procore Championship will be September 11-14.
NFL news – All 3 pre-season games have been played – the first game of the regular season had Philadelphia Eagles beating the Dallas Cowboys 24-20. The rest of the NFL teams start playing on September 7. Go Seattle!! Go Raiders!!
Have a great and safe month … we will see you in a bit!!
I would like to apologize for all the extra pictures that I have put up this blog... but I could have put up many more... it was such a photographic cruise