Alaskan Cruise Day #7! Victoria with Pondside! Saturday at Pikes Market, Washington and Portland, Oregon!!

This cruise - these days seeing Alaska and Victoria and ever so many amazing places that I never dreamt I would ever get to see - has been such a gift.

We spent all of our last morning on the ship in our stateroom repacking and preparing for our disembarkation the next day.

I do not pack well. Ever. I packed things we did not need and not enough tops or sweaters to go with the more than enough bottoms. We have two 'problem' suitcases that have not performed well. One is my computer bag that refuses to release the handle so I can pull it. The other is Louis Dean's suitcase that has distressed rollers and will only roll on two of the four - and those two do not play well with one another. We repacked everything and will leave the bulky pieces of luggage in the trunk as we move on to our road trip.

I left Louis Dean in the stateroom to rest while I floated around the ship visiting all my special places.

The decks are one of my favorites.

I wish I had spent more time out here with a book and/or a vacant mind.

What a gift to sit and stare out into the distance over the sea.

That's not something I get to do everyday.

And I wish I had done more of it.

I attended a few lectures and just rambled around.

These last hours were perhaps the most precious to me.

I went back to collect Louis Dean.

We had an early 4:30 dining time since we were to be in Victoria at 7:00.

We went up to the 15th floor - Lido deck - and had a glass of wine before dinner.

I love the sea and the roll of the ship.

Strange since I can't even swim and I don't like being IN the water!

Louis Dean spotted whales as he sat at the window!

They were there.

We promise we saw them. So did so many others.

However, I did not get a pic.

But I can still see them in my mind's eye.

Our last night at dinner was a memorable one.

I am going to miss this food!

I ordered Surf and Turf.....

Louis Dean had turkey and dressing.

Everything was absolutely delicious!

Then came the parade of the Baked Alaska!!

It was so much fun!!

Louis Dean had the Baked Alaska ......

and Brenda and I had the Cherries Jubilee.

We are going to have a dinner together after we get home and this will be what I serve for dessert - as we remember this special Alaskan adventure. 

Our wonderful waiter also brought us the featured chocolate dessert to share.

It was really rich!!!

Dinner was early because we were going ashore to Victoria that last evening of the cruise.

We docked at 7:00 PM and the ship was sailing at 11:30 so that did not give us very much time.

Welcome to Canada!!!

There's our ship as we left it in port....

We were met by our wonderful friends from Pondside!

This is the beautiful Honora.......and her husband is known as the Great Dane.

They met us as we came off the ship.

It was a moment to remember for me!

You how you see people being met by those who hold a placard with their name??

Well, that happened to ME!!!

It may seem silly, but I just loved i!!!

It was just like in the movies!

 that God had already knitted mine and Honora's hearts together long ago and we embraced one another as sister kindred spirits!

They took us on a tour of beautiful Victoria - the tour buses run right through their neighborhood - and into their home! 

Hahahahahahaha!!!

 It was late when I published last night - that's me excuse for the previous sentence!

I was sitting up in bed reading and started laughing out loud!

No, the tour bus does not 'run right through their neighborhood and into their home!!'

I'm still laughing!

We had some fine wine and then tea and/or coffee and sweets!

It was all delicious!

It was a magical evening and I could not believe I was really THERE!!!!

I have loved and prayed for my friend and her family for years and - just like magic - I am sitting in her living room having tea with her!

It doesn't get any better than this!

An evening I will forever treasure!

,

The Great Dane had raised the US flag earleir in the afternoon.

Now how wonderful was that??

Thank you, Honora, for this picture.

Victoria is a beautiful city.

It was a tiny bit chilly and a little bit rainy.

Perfect weather!!!

The Great Dane slowed down so we could take pictures on our way way back to the pier.

Thus ended our evening in Victoria.

Our husbands!

I had brought a tin of my Fruitcake Cookies to give Honora - but Louis Dean was so freaked out by all the announcements of what you could and could not bring into Canada that he convinced me to leave the tin on the ship! I needn't have! They never checked a thing! So I will make a fresh batch when we get home and simply MAIL them to her!!!

I will treasure these gifts from Honora....

see that photo?

That's her view each morning as she walks her beloved dog - who is such a sweetheart!

She loves her life!

The evening ended long before we were ready.

 Honora and I picked right back up on all the conversations we've had in life and our blog posts over the past few years.

Thank you both, Honora, for the blessing of this visit.

We returned to the ship with happy hearts!

Louis Dean and I had one last glass of wine together on the Plaza to celebrate this Alaskan cruise before we went to bed abroad the Princess Ruby for the last time.

This ship has rocked Louis Dean to sleep every single night!

This trip was to celebrate Brenda's 60th birthday and my 70th - which will be on the 24th.

But in a way, it was also a trip to honor and remember Mary Campbell, Brenda's beloved mother.

Brenda  knew this milestone birthday would be a hard one to celebrate without her mother.

That's when she planned this cruise and invited us to join her.

Thank you, Brenda. It really was both a blessing and an honor to sail with you.

Brenda wore some of her mother's jewelry and I wore some of Mary's clothes.

I hope I leave as beautiful a memory as a mother with my children as Mary did.

We were late to bed and early to rise!

Saturday morning we had a 6:00 wake up call and were awake, dressed, packed and leaving our room by 7:30 AM! I know.....I impressed myself!

We went up to Lido Deck - floor 15 - for breakfast.

Coffee makes up for having a 6:00 wake up!

Then we went to our disembarking stations and left the ship.

I admit - if I had the wherewithal to do it - I would turn right around and sail again!

On the other hand - Louis Dean was a happy camper once again!

We are back in Seattle!!

Leah took this pic of the Princess Ruby from their stateroom aboard the Norwegian Bliss.

And I took a pic of them from the Ruby Princess!

Louis Dean walking away from the breakfast buffet......

he will miss this!

We regrouped - the Cumby's and us - and picked up our rental car at Budget.

They were ever so helpful! Our driver took us to the wrong Budget location but they said if they could find a car big enough, they would do it without us having to haul all our stuff somewhere else!

They fixed us up and we were off to Pike's Market!

WHAT an amazing place!!

Oh, my!!!

The flowers were beautiful and inexpensive!!

We took Brenda and Billy to their hotel near the Portland airport and then we all went to one final lunch together. They will fly out tomorrow......and we drove on to Hillsboro.

I said I did not pack well so a trip to Goodwill fixed all that!

Louis Dean found a couple of treasures.....

and so did I!!

Okay! Louis Dean is sawing logs as I close out this journal entry.

I better get in bed as we have another great adventure tomorrow!