I was minding my own business, working at my desk, when I heard a cat-related commotion behind me. I kept looking back and not seeing Mei Mei. I finally found her nestled in my other desk, which holds the apartment server, printers, and misc. other things.
ATVs, Wildlife, and More
So I’ve been a slacker on updates, I know, but the cruise is going wonderfully. Icy Strait Point is actually not the real name of where we were (I think it’s just where we were anchored, then we took little tender boats to the actual destination). The real place was the village of Hoonah, a neat little town mostly populated by the native-Alaskan Tlingit people (pronounced ‘klink-it’) and/or fishermen.
On the Cruise; Doing Well
Leaving Detroit on Friday, we pushed back from the gate and sat there for 10 or 15 minutes before the pilot said there was a minor mechanical problem (something with an air conditioning valve) and they would need to return to the gate. Before returning to the gate, a woman up front somewhere started having shortness of breath so they had to call out the paramedics too. After an hour, we finally got in the air headed to Minneapolis.
Quick Vacation Update
Just a very quick update for you (from the Detroit International Airport terminal at the end of the first of three legs to Alaska). Annual Conference was good, though tiring, and Melissa spent most of the time trying to get all the passport stuff worked out. Despite the relaxation of the rules, there are persistent (though scattered) reports of travelers running into problems. Melissa’s passport arrived, though below mine in the queue, and mine—supposedly—will arrive today or tomorrow. Lots of good that will do me. Se we embarked on our trip with Melissa’s passport, my alternative documentation, and hopes that all will go well!
Passport Madness, Government Reliability
Melissa and I are going on vacation. On Sunday we leave for the Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in Roanoke, Virginia. We arrive back home next Thursday afternoon, then fly out early on Friday (the 15th) for Anchorage, Alaska to board a Holland America 7-day cruise that ends in Vancouver, British Columbia. This will be our second Alaska cruise, the first being our honeymoon two years ago. Two years ago, doing a cruise that went the opposite direction (from Vancouver to Anchorage), we didn’t need passports to enter Canada. With a birth certificate (proof of U.S. citizenship) and a government-issued ID card (like a driver’s license), the border was open for us to cross.
Scott Bradford is a writer and technologist who has been putting his opinions online since 1995. He believes in three inviolable human rights: life, liberty, and property. He is a Catholic Christian who worships the trinitarian God described in the Nicene Creed. Scott is a husband, nerd, pet lover, and AMC/Jeep enthusiast with a B.S. degree in public administration from George Mason University.