H-O-M-E

Well, we are starting to get a little more familiar with our new "home."  I know home is where your heart is.... so technically my heart is in heaven, but physically, home will always, always be Chillicothe Texas.  We can travel all around the world and live and breathe all over God's gloriously green (location depending) earth and still my heart will long to go home to Texas.  There is nothing particularly beautiful about it, and it gets way too hot in the summer and way to cold in the winter.  I have even questioned why my parents still live there.  But no matter the good or the bad home is home.

home: a place in which one's domestic affections are centered.
          YEP  that's Texas for me.

Views from the Ferry

Aboard the ship to Alaska on the Alaskan Marine Hwy.  We stayed in a cabin that had 2 sets of bunk beds.  I guess I got spoiled by the other cruises I have been on b/c I was floored when I found out that after all of the money we paid for our tickets, we still had to pay for our food.  And it wasn't cheap. 

Emari liked spending time in the mini arcade.

There was also a "theater".  Zoey enjoyed watching "The Smurfs" and "Happy Feet 2."  The theater had 2 large screen TVs and really cool theater seats that could be made into recliners.

There was not a lack of beatiful scenery.  God is indeed talented!

Both girls were asked to help with putting away the gear from the safety briefing.

Then they got to try on the crew helmets and life jackets.  So much fun.  They even got a free ice cream out of the deal.

Here we are eating in the dining room.  It was on the back of the ship and had windows all around.  Not a bad way to dine if you ask me!

This little tug boat is pulling 2 completely loaded barges.  This is how most of Alaska receives their supplies.

I assume this is a decompression chamber, but I have no idea if I am right.

There were lots of islands that the captain had to maneuver around and thru.

Here, I think Wes is enjoying a smoke break.  There were only smoking sections on the left side of the boat.

Yes, that is a tent.  There were several.  Most people who didn't buy a room ticket for the ferry brought camping gear (sleeping bags and stuff) and slept outside.  On the front top deck was a covered area that had heaters and lounge chairs.  People were sleeping day and night up there.  There were public showers for both men and women for them to use.

This is all we saw of the whales.  Several times we saw where they were blowing water out of their blowholes but they never again broke the surface.  We saw seals and otters.

Doesn't he look so handsome with the background mountain view!!!!

Zoey has never met a stranger.  These two little girls were moving to Anchorage b/c their mommy is in the Air Force too.  Zoey got so comfortable with their dad that she would climb up and sit in his lap.  He just treated her like one of his girls.

This is a view from the front top deck. 

Seagulls sitting on a floating log.

I thought that this place was georgeous!

As you can see, this lady was doing a live drawing of the scenery.

Ice melting and flowing toward the sea.

These two paintings were huge

Wes said that this was the Alaskan flag.

These eagles were perched on the dock when we arrived here in Ketchikan.

We got off the boat for a little while.

This airplane took off from Ketchikan right over our heads.

She is trying to open the lid to the kids life jackets.

Our first iceberg.

Finally! A real lighthouse!