Category Archives: spirituality

Oct4

Captain Lars

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Sept. 24, 2011

We enjoyed an entertaining presentation by our esteemed Swedish captain, Lars Bengtsson,  who showed slides of the bridge, various crew members, and the most important piece of equipment: a coffee pot. He said if that machine malfunctions the crew takes it out on the passengers. He also surmised this was why 2-3 other ships’ captains bypassed Ketchikan, AK.

(Our Norwegian Pearl was the only one to dock in Ketchikan yesterday. Nice for us to have the town to ourselves. Shop keepers offered discounts up to 50% before closing for the season. The Ketichikan residents were probably relieved when the ship’s horn sounded at 6PM and the last ship of the season sailed away.)

Back to Captain Lars . . . The Pearl was built in Germany and launched in 2006. It took 4 weeks to load all the furnishings, linens, cutlery, pots, pans, dishes, etc etc. We saw pictures of the cockpit with all  the dials and gauges. He assured us they had figured out how to use at least 75% of them. A couple of large red buttons prepare the anchors to be dropped or raised. These have been encased with transparent covers ever since a cruise director leaned back against one by mistake, he claimed.

The enormous Pearl has diesel engines that can travel up to 25 knots/hour. It features “azipods” in which the propellers can rotate 360 degrees. That means it has the ability to maneuver in any direction including sideways–handy when going through the Panama Canal with just 1.5 feet of clearance on each side. The ship needs only 1 meter of depth below the keel for docking in places like Skagway at low tide. Some ports such as Cabo San Lucas are so deep that anchors can’t be used. Instead, tillers are set to hold steady automatically. Stabilizers extend on the sides when necessary, but normally they are housed within the hull–especially when docking!

Passenger capacity is 2394 based on double occupancy (an 1197-room hotel!). There are 12 restaurants, 11 bars, and a 2-lane bowling alley, a first among cruise ships. The whole beast weighs 93,000 pounds–38.8 pounds per passenger–or divided out, our average weight gain by the end of the week. . . . (actually, we were told that 8 pounds is an average weight gain…hmm, the weight of a good-sized newborn).

We saw photos of the laundry rooms with their huge washers, dryers, and pressing machines; the kitchens, including dishwashing area; trash all sorted, recycled, or incinerated; water desalinization and sewage treatment. The ship has the best water and sewage processing in the world: Water generally boils at 100 degrees Celsius but in a vacuum it boils at 60 and saves fuel; solid waste is dried and incinerated; liquids are purified and distilled to drinking level (and here we saw a photo of bottles of Evian water when he joked that they sold it back to us.) Even at this pure a state, U.S. law requires the addition of chlorine and minerals.

After Captain Lars, cruise director Julie Valeriote (from Canada) spoke about additional areas behind the scenes–crews’ quarters (single, double, or up to 6 crew members in a room with bunk beds, storage, desk space, and bath); dining areas, classrooms, and a pool in the bow for crew members only. Not many people used any of the pools this trip–too cold–but the hot tubs were popular. When the swells were high water sloshed out of the pools then back out the other side–very dramatic to watch.

On this last day at sea we will be traveling the Inside Passage all the way to Vancouver. Until about 3pm there will be large swells and most of us look slightly drunk as we walk around the ship. Because of weather conditions (hmm, or maybe a malfunctioning coffee pot) the captain made an executive decision  to skip Victoria. That was a bit disappointing, but overall this has been a wonderful journey. It was a luxury on many levels, including being “off the grid” for an entire week without cell phone or internet. (We could have purchased internet minutes but chose not to indulge. Retreat time!)

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Oct3

Alaskan Rainforest!

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Sept. 23, 2011

For this outing in Ketchikan, AK, we dressed for cold, wet weather and boarded a Grayline bus. Five passengers were on their way to drive jeeps and do some canoeing. Jon and I were among 16 to go canoeing and take a short nature walk into the rainforest.

How beautiful!

Lots of waterfalls on the road to the Lake Ward, about 5 miles north of Ketchikan on North Tongass Highway. We were issued life jackets and ponchos then climbed into two large canoes. With that many paddles no one had to work too hard! Still, we used muscles I remember from teaching canoeing as a camp counselor many years ago.

We passed a steep waterfall (though not too closely!). Several times we stopped in the quiet and shouted to hear echoes sounding for as long as 20 seconds. Halfway around an Blueberry Island we stopped for a snack of dried salmon, bread and jam, goldfish crackers, clam chowder, and hot chocolate or coffee. The tour hosts joked that since we had been on a cruise we couldn’t go more than an hour without eating. The chowder and hot chocolate tasted especially good to me.

After the snack, Matt and Christina led two separate groups on a short mile-long walk into the rainforest. Among the hemlocks and other beauties we stopped by a creek with shale in it. Some of the shale has stripes of gold that gold miners used to mistake for the real thing. Alas, it is not even fool’s gold.

There are snags in the forest–dead trees that are still standing; and nursery trees–fallen logs; all of which provide shelter and nourishment for other forest life. A particular tree fungus called “bear bread” is also used by totem pole carvers to make a model for the actual pole. Rituals and prayers precede the use of any log. In the Tongass National Forest, nature takes its own course. Only logs that fall across the designated trail are cut away.

One tree was hollow enough for Matt, a good-sized young man, to get inside. A little mud won’t deter a guy who will spend his second winter in these woods. We made our way back to the canoes (more snacks available if desired!) then on around Blueberry Island. A light rain was falling and I was fascinated by drops of water that formed bubbles on the surface of the lake and remained there for several seconds before they popped. I haven’t ever noticed so many raindrops do that before: was it the relatively smooth lake surface, the air and water temperatures, the lightness of the rain? By the time Matt finished talking about points of interest around the lake I had forgotten to ask him.

Back to the dock to turn in our paddles and such then head back to town. Shops there were closing for the season so shopkeepers were eager to offer discounts and bargains galore. First we spent about an hour in Discovery Center until it closed. I could easily have stayed another hour there to view its displays of marine and forest life as well as the history of industry like logging, fishing, and mining.

When the Discovery Center pushed us out the door, we did do some shopping. There are some beautiful handcrafted items actually made in Alaska. One shop was way out of my price range but they do carry some wonderful items. In another shop I couldn’t pass up a small wooden bear holding a salmon, a signature wooden whale tail,  or a metal sculpture featuring whale and sea turtle.

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Oct2

Glacier Bay

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Sept. 22, 2011

The cruise ship Norwegian Pearl entered Glacier Bay around 6:30 AM, before most of the passengers were out and about. What a day of beauty!

Two hundred fifty years ago there was no bay. Ice filled the entire region. Glaciers have since advanced and retreated multiple times but the net result has been the gouging out of stone into sediment, shoved into the sea or broken off at the edge in a process known as calving. The ice appears blue because all other colors are absorbed.

Last night decks were cleared due to 60 knot winds. No one was allowed on the open decks. Tables and chairs were pushed to the sides; in the chapel, furnishing were laid on their sides. The captain announced that we might not even be able to enter the bay through a narrow strait. Until 8 or 9 in the morning rain poured. (Remember rain? Austin could surely have used 30 minutes’ worth of this downpour!) We were afraid our view of the glaciers would be heavily obscured by rain and fog.

The skies cleared just enough for a beautiful view of mountains of various elevations, shoreline, rivers thousands of feet in length, glaciers two miles wide, and moraines, We spent an hour in sight of Margerie Glacier, circling around so that both port and starboard had plenty of viewing time. From time to time the sun would come out just enough to illuminate fresh snowfall on mountain peaks.

Three National Park Rangers had boarded the ship early in the morning. Throughout the day they made presentations, answered questions, and provided maps and info about Glacier Bay National Park. As we moved south we marveled at other glaciers such as  Johns Hopkins, Lamplugh, and Reid Glaciers .

Between glaciers and ice fields, the trees were gloriously colorful for the Fall Equinox. Plants of gold and red contrasted with evergreen and deciduous trees, dark rock, white snow, and blue ice. Within two or three hours we had come far enough south to see more signs of life: hundreds of sea lions, several sea otters, and a humpback whale coming up for air with a big blow to clear its nose.

The sea lions appeared to be resting on several small islands, but occasionally they would slip into the water to feed. Sea otters lay on their backs out in the water–we could see both head and tail above sea level. Birds flew or floated on the water. A bald eagle sat in a tree at my eye level.

People lined the edges of the ship, from the 7th deck all the way up to the 14th, with our cameras and binoculars and the warmest clothing we had managed to bring with us. We could retreat for warmth to the Spinnaker Lounge where windows surround the entire bow of the 13th deck or to a restaurant for a hot drink. How many gallons of coffee, tea, and hot chocolate can approximately 2300 passengers and 1100 crew members consume?

pix and videos below. A longer video captures a Park Ranger describing the landscape; a brief 5-second one captures a small icefall calving into the ocean just left of center.

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Landscape

Ice falls into Glacier Bay

Oct1

Almost Missed the Bus!

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Sept. 21, 2011

Skagway, AK. An early docking where we would meet a guide to take us up to White Summit Pass. Big problem–in our haste to get off the ship and to the bus we forgot our passports! Since we would be going into Canada we had to have them.

Fortunately driver Shawn said he could pick up a couple of passengers from another ship and swing back to meet us. If we made it back in time he would pick us up. We ran back to the ship, got through security, rushed to our stateroom and retrieved those small but essential items. It was a good aerobic workout. We actually beat the Shawn by 5-10 minutes and almost gave up on him. All the passengers cheered when we got on this time. Hooray! (Shawn earned a big tip for coming back for us!)

Instead of taking the narrow gauge train up the mountain, we opted for an over-sized van equipped for about 25 passengers. Instead of the trains or large buses, our driver could stop at many overlooks on the way. At the Canadian border we basically had to hold up our passports while an agent compared the terrible photos with our gorgeous faces. (When we crossed back into the States, the U.S. guy didn’t even look at them, but questioned the driver. After all, he could say it was the same group he had taken with him from Skagway . . .)

One point of interest was a 400-foot steel cantilever bridge built of three hinged arches. Though major earthquakes are rare here, there are hundreds of tiny ones daily. This bridge, constructed in 1901, is designed to allow for that. In a really strong earthquake one end will separate yet leave the bridge attached safely at one end. (No, I can’t quite figure that out, either.) The Gold Rush enjoyed no such amenities, just a hard climb with tons of supplies carried over White Pass.

Scenery was spectacular in every direction from meadows to mountains. So many waterfalls, a range of plant colors, and black or gray rocks. I took a picture of a waterfall with just a little bit of blue sky at the top of a V. We got our passports stamped in Fraser, AB, just for fun. Shawn took pictures of us with our own cameras in front of the Welcome to Alaska sign on the way down.

Back in Skagway, Jon actually found a good sale on shirts and bought a couple of them. Guess what color they are? I bought some souvenir socks!

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Sep30

Whale Watching!

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Sept. 20, 2011

Juneau, AK: Whale Watching!

We docked in Juneau and disembarked to find an Adventures Galore  guide. A small shelter conveniently protected our small group from the light rain. When everyone had arrived, we traveled by shuttle to a dock where a small boat awaited our arrival. It had an enclosed cabin plus space to stand in the bow and stern.

Twelve passengers, a driver, and a guide set off in a hurry across Auke Bay. Two outboard motors pushed us across the cold, choppy waters. In the distance we saw some spouts (“blows”) from whales, but we went further and saw, in quick succession, 7 whales! At least one of them was a calf.

These humpbacks normally live independently (or with calf) unless the feeding is very good. Apparently the herring were plentiful and the whales were on a feeding frenzy. Each herring has about the same calorie count as a Big Mac, and about that size. The whales are fattening themselves up for migration  all the way to Hawaii. Some of them have already begun the journey; the ones we saw will be gone by the end of the month.

The whales do not eat after they leave Alaska. They lose 10 of their average 40 tons (roughly one ton per foot of length). Perhaps one third of the females will breed in Hawaii. Gestation is 18 months, so the calves will be about 6 months old when they make the first trip, still drinking mom’s milk. Whale and calf will stick together another year.

We saw some of the whales roll, showing off their lateral fins. Sometimes we would see the humped back then the famous notched tail arching high over the water as they make another dive. They surface 3-6 times then submerge for about 7 minutes, though they can stay under water for up to 40 minutes according to our guide David. We were too busy watching with scanning the surface with eyes or binoculars to bother with cameras. The whales were pretty fast!

After that visual feast, we motored back pretty darn fast over very choppy water. I stood in the stern, tucked into a corner, enjoying the speed, the wind and cold, and occasional splashes of water. Even the tour guides were excited to see so many humpbacks in one place. We didn’t see any orcas, though. David had wanted to bid farewell to them as well.

After a bit of poking around Juneau shops we headed back to the ship for a warm shower and dinner. On a cruise, there’s never a need to skip a meal no matter what time of day or night! The Pearl set sail again at 10pm.

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Sep29

Patti Tana at Sea

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Sept. 19, 2011

My feast of poetry on this cruise included Patti Tana’s This Is Why You Flew Ten Thousand Miles. The ‘why’ refers to Lilliana, a girl adopted from China whose parents flew that long distance to bring her to a new home. The parents had prepared a home surrounded by love and decorated the nursery

Parents and prospective parents will go long distances to give birth, adopt, or foster a child. Then for a lifetime they will strive to protect and empower; to love and let go. Ten thousand miles or about ten thousand days may be what it takes to launch a child. She or he is still very much our child, no matter how long we live.

For a time we find ourselves in the sandwich generation when we have both children and elders for whom to care. Parenting is one way to learn the skills needed as parents and grandparents become increasingly frail and vulnerable. Our children may in turn have a chance to assist us in our later years.

Patti writes about living, loving, and “daughtering.” She writes of the delights of parenting and the despair of loss. Many of her poems are very sensual in nature.

I “met” Patti on the phone shortly after I repeated an error in a newsletter. The article had attributed her poem about a garden/gardening to Anonymous. The closing line, “That Patti, she was one hot tomato” did not refer to her demise but of her own wish for her personal legacy. At least that’s how I remember it several years later.

At any rate, Patti tracked me down and gave me a call to correct my mistake. “I’m not dead,” she told me. I enjoyed a delightful conversation with this New York Jewish poet who teaches as well as composes poems. I bought a couple of books from her and she sent me an extra. This Is Why You Flew Ten Thousand Miles, her latest publication at the time, became part of my collection. I loved it so well I bought a second copy for a friend who had adopted a Chinese daughter.

By the way, I also read a book of poems by Hafiz on this trip, but I think he will not call no matter what I say about his poetry!

Here’s a short poem by Hafiz:

The Happy Virus

I caught the happy virus last night

When I was out singing beneath the stars.

It is remarkably contagious –

So kiss me.

“The Happy Virus,” The Subject Tonight Is Love:
60 Wild and Sweet Poems of Hafiz, versions by Daniel Ladinsky
Pumpkin House Press, 1996, p. 40.

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Sep28

Precious Times

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Precious Times Sept. 17-18, 2011

Anticipating ten days away in a cooler climate, two extra blessings preceded and accompanied me on the trip. A 92-year old member of the church quietly passed away about four hours after I visited her. This time she probably did not hear my prayer, song, and farewell, but she is fully at peace now and that is a blessing.

On the day of our departure, a long-awaited and healthy baby Sophia Elizabeth was born at home. Her parents, big sister, and countless others count her birth as a special blessing.

These two life transitions filled my heart with a wonderful sense of peace while I packed last minute items for our journey: an Alaskan cruise! Jon planned it all and gave me this gift of a lifetime–something I have imagined only in my dreams.

We flew Alaskan Airlines non-stop from Austin to Seattle. There is just one flight per day, so we spent one night in Seattle before the cruise. We took light rail–SeaTac to the closest station to the port and walked through Pike’s Market to watch fish being tossed around for customers’ entertainment.

A guy named Russell walked with us from the train. He is a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines, based in Chicago. Every time he comes to Seattle for the day he makes this trek to the Market. He told us where to find an elevator down to sea level. Walking along the boardwalk, we cheered on a Susan G. Komen fundraising walk. Lots of pink ribbons, outfits, and tutus. Several decorated vehicles carried other happy participants in the fight against breast cancer.

There was no need to ask directions any more–the Norwegian Pearl loomed over the dock with its 14 decks. Embarkation was smooth and efficient. Fourteen staff members checked us in and gave us key cards. That was all we needed to make additional purchases on the ship. Meals were included in the cruise fare unless we wanted to go to a specialty restaurant, drink sodas or alcohol, gamble, or buy clothing, jewelry, art, or souvenirs on board.

Our only additional expenses were a room service fee (added automatically), one glass of wine, and one embarkation photo. Souvenir shopping was all on shore.

Tomorrow we will be at sea all day, on the way to Juneau. Stay tuned for more!

Sep16

North to Alaska!

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Tomorrow my husband and I will be flying to Seattle in preparation for a cruise into the Inland Passage! The Norwegian Pearl sails (metaphorically speaking) on Sunday afternoon for a week of wonder. I have wanted to do this for years. Thanks, Jon!

Ports of call include Juneau, Skagway, and Kethchikan, a few hours in Victoria, and finally to Vancouver. It is the last cruise of the season. Expected highlight is the cruise through Glacier Bay–everyone raves about it.

Day trips so many thousands of tourists have taken:
Juneau: a smaller boat to go out looking for whales;
Skagway: up to White Pass Summit;
Ketchikan: rainforest canoe and nature trail.

We’ll spend one night in Vancouver then board Amtrak to get back to Seattle. Jon’s daughter, some cousins, and an uncle live there, but alas, we won’t have much time to visit. Back to Austin late the 27th, ready to pick out the best photos to share!

What a grand adventure awaits! Now, let’s see if I can pack an extra sweater….

Aug5

a meditative moment

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A new (to me) meditation CD helped me relax so nicely. Psychologist Paul Overman has a series of 10 Minutes to Relax CDs. Guided meditation for about 10 minutes and another 10 minutes of relaxing music (Jim Oliver on synthesizer). It’s a great reminder that meditation does not need to take much time. It just needs the space–your personal space–that will bring you back to your center. Doesn’t that feel so good when you let it happen?

So for just one minute, breathe with me.

Let your rib cage expand, . . .

let your breath come smoothly and easily. . . .

Let tension flow all the way through and out of your body. . . .

Let wellbeing flow into you, . . .

from toes and fingers . . .

all the way through to your head. . . .

Then take this moment with you into your day. . . .

Be well.

Jul24

Heat, Dry Bones, Dust, and Wind

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Days and weeks of drought affect so many residents of this country, trapped under a heat dome held firmly in place. Sunlight and drought are too much with us. Soothing, refreshing rain is too distant a memory. We are grateful, most of us, that we live in homes with fans and air conditioning. We drive in cool cars on our way to another cool place. Meanwhile, construction and farming, soldiering, policing, firefighting, and emergency work go on as best they can. Ranchers struggle to draw water from deep wells or dig trenches to irrigate. This is merely a taste, a test of solidarity with desert dwellers.

Rain (and drought) fall on the just and the unjust alike. God, is it in your power to send rain to the thirsty, to dry up flooded lands and homes, to extinguish raging wildfires, to keep all living things safe from harm?

No, it is not. It is for all of us to help one another cope. We can’t fix the weather though we can be smart about energy and water use. Some say to pray for rain. I say, pray for life in hard times and good.

Yet now we know about Somalia, where so many are dying of thirst, hunger, and warfare. Thousands have walked for 10 days or more to relatively safe camps in Kenya. Many have been attacked on the way and everything they carried was taken away by thieves. Many have died on the way, especially children. There is no time to grieve; only time to save the living. Dust to dust, bones to dry bones, wind where there is nothing to tame it.

We struggle with problems of our own—keeping ourselves cool and nourished, watching billionaires fight for every dime they can control, indulging our children with possessions, desperately trying to find and keep jobs, cutting budgets at home, and in all levels of  government, into the very marrow, averting our eyes.

Slowly we ourselves become the dry bones, the dust, then nothing but the wind.

Let us instead become the rain.

. . . And there’s more:

A terror attack in downtown Oslo and a related shooting at a youth camp there has taken at least 92 lives. Massive damage to buildings around downtown by the car/truck bomb and a horrific shooting at an annual political camp for young adults has shattered Norway’s peaceful existence. We are saddened, angered, and discouraged about the state of the world and the latest unfolding tragedies.

All these we hold in our hearts with compassion, blessings, and healing prayers.

Amen