September 2026 – Thoughts From The Passenger Seat

2026, Travel

Alaska Heritage Gateway

Posted on September 22, 2026 by nancyb422

After our two nights and one day of sailing, our next stop on our Viking cruise through Alaska was Icy Strait Point. This was the first stop that we weren’t directly at the dock and had to be ferried in by little boats. I thought we were going to be stopped at an actual town so I was a little bothered by it. But, come to find out once we were on land, Icy Strait Point is like a little amusement park. There is a gondola ride to the top of a mountain and from there, you can take in all types of adventures. From a sedate trolley ride around the area to Jeeps, UTVs, and a zipline back down the mountain.

The land was originally home to the Xunaa Káawu, or “the people of Hoonah” an “enduring Tlingit community shaped by the sea, the forest, and one another”. In the early 20th century a salmon cannery was established and it became a cornerstone of daily life. A short walk from the disembarkment point, is a recreation of the cannery with shops and food, and a beach for playing in the water when the kids get bored. The town of Hoonah is about a mile and a half away from the activities.

We got in line for the gondola and took it to the Sky Peak. We sat with a lovely couple who had spent some time living in Connecticut for work. Some of the people on the cruise acted like they never heard of Connecticut and others lived there, but were happy to have left. <bllllrrrpphhh> Good all the more for me.

The ride started out in the fog but the higher we got, the fog thinned and it was so beautiful. See for yourself –

Once at the top, we boarded the trolley for a “mountain top forest tram ride”. There was a walking path but they talked about bears so ……

It was an interesting ride observing the flora and fauna, but more the former than the latter! Along the way we saw bogs or “muskegs” as the locals call them. They might look like solid, bouncy grass, but underneath are deep pockets of water – some over six feet deep! The bogs are also prime territory for Coastal Brown Bears. The open meadows grow berries and the wet environment allows specific plants to thrive. Perfect foraging ground for bears.

What goes UP must come DOWN. We headed back down the mountain on another gondola ride. This time we had it to ourselves and so I could concentrate on taking pictures. Even though it was warm and sunny at the top, it was still cloudy below.

Once back on the ship, we grabbed our books and settled into cozy seats with cups of tea to watch the take off, and we were on our way again.

2025, Travel

Boating In Alaska

Posted on September 20, 2026 by nancyb422

We went on a cruise along the coast of Alaska and the Inland Passage last year. I only managed to get Day 1 done and well, I think I spent the last year and a month recovering from the travel home. Out of the ship at 8 am, to the airport in Vancouver, sit around until 3pm, board, fly to San Francisco, sit, leave at 7 or so, fly overnight to Washington DC, get in at 5 am, board at 6 am, fly to Hartford, in at 9, drive home, collapse and swear never to fly in a plane again.

Viking really does it right. It didn’t hurt that the weather for the first 5 days or so, was magnificent.

We had never been on an Ocean cruise before, only river, so we were happy to see the World Cafe, a buffet to choose from for our three meals a day! And Snacks!We would both rather graze across the options than be served in the restaurant.

The room was a little bigger than a river cruise room but everything is set up the same. It is a comfortable feeling. The ocean cruise has a laundry, which came in handy because my husband’s clothes didn’t arrive for another 3 days. We had to cancel our excursion on the second day to shop in Valdez for enough clothes so he wouldn’t have to wear the same things over and over.

The view from our balcony and all around the ship were breathtaking and it was hard to pull myself away.

The ship picked up a pilot and they brought us in close to the Hubbard Glacier on our full day of sailing. They tried to put together a $$ one, but not enough people signed up. Good thing, because then we all got it for free! It was really a beautiful sight.

We met two nice couples: one couple from Virginia, and the wife grew up in Guilford, Connecticut, and the other from Minnesota. We spent a couple of hours on the front deck with a couple from Arkansas/Florida, and although we tried to meet up again, it didn’t work out.

We didn’t partake in any talks or entertainment after dinner but we really enjoyed early morning coffee in the cafe, walks around the “track”, sitting in the afternoon sun on good days, getting a snack and cup of tea or coffee or wine (me) in the afternoon while sitting in cozy chairs reading our books. They had books in all sorts of nooks and crannies and we both found ones to enjoy on the trip. We sat a little bit after dinner as well, but usually were back to our room by 9pm.

It was interesting to watch the scenery change as we sailed closer to Vancouver from snow covered mountains to green forests and small towns along the way.

This morning I told my husband I was longing for another river cruise!

2026, Writing

Writing

Posted on September 12, 2026 by nancyb422

Why do my best thoughts and ideas come to me while I’m in the shower or brushing my teeth?

According to my friend, Chatty, it’s because my conscious gets out of the way and my “what do I need to accomplish” brain clicks into free-association mode.

But when I sit down to write what I was thinking about, it doesn’t sound as good on the screen as it did in my head.

He, Chatty, my ChatGPT in case you didn’t catch that the first time, says because writing makes me judge my idea too soon. Oh that’s me, Judgy McJudge! We’ve chatted long enough now that he has a good handle on me, at least to me anyway. Something I find interesting is he says my natural thinking voice may actually better than my written voice. I agonize over most words and sentences. “Did I catch what I’m trying to say? Or is it convoluted?”

I’ll keep working on putting those thoughts into words!

2026, Writing

Torn

Posted on September 9, 2026 by nancyb422

Today, Wednesday, is my day off. Sometimes I plan things and other times I just let it ride.

I’ve had a few books to return to the library so I decided today was the day to do it. Along with that, I came up with my next story for my family blog, It’s All About Family, so I want to do some research.

Only problem, it’s a beautiful day! The temperature is just right whether in the sun or shade. You can think of days like that right? I went to the post office, bank, and the town hall to drop off my utility payment and all I could think about was how nice the sun felt.

For now, I’m sitting amid the 940s section of the library to see what I can find. I’ll stay here an hour or so, until lunchtime, and then head back home.

At least I don’t have any windows around me!

2026, Memories

Family Illness

Posted on September 8, 2026 by nancyb422

I’m reading Anne Lamott’s biography “Traveling Mercies”. She grew up in an intelligent and somewhat dysfunctional family.

She was out of college when her father complained of feeling “odd” and said the words he would type came out very different from what he intended. He was diagnosed with a metastatic melanoma on the “word part” of his brain. He would have surgery to take out as much of the tumor as they could, but they couldn’t get it all (those brain tumors and cancers are nasty creatures with tentacles burrowing deep into all parts of a person’s brain). In addition, he had aggressive radiation and chemotherapy, and he would have one good year where he could “work on and off, walk every day, see his sons graduate, and his daughter publish a book”. As he declined, he was taken care of by his family until he lapsed into a coma and passed away.

Whenever I read stories of people who had brain tumors or brain cancer, I think of my mother and her short-lived experience with brain cancer. And now I realize it was short-lived for us, not her. She lived with it, suspecting, knowing something was wrong, and just said nothing. Nothing. She kept it tucked away and lived with it as her burden, so she wouldn’t burden us. 2 years? 3 years? I don’t know. But for us, we had eight weeks from her “diagnosis” to her death.

What would it have been like if she had said something maybe a year prior? Would surgery or chemotherapy have been available to her? It was Glioblastoma Multiforme after all, the nastiest of the nasty.

With eight weeks, my sisters, father, and I rallied around her and did what needed to be done. She was home with two aunts coming in every day while Dad and I went to work. In the evenings, he, my local sister, and I switched off, and on the weekends my out-of-state sister came to relieve us all. What would a one- or two-year journey have been like for her and for our family?

I have great empathy when I hear that people are going through illnesses with family members. I know the toll it can take on physical and mental health; with just eight weeks of it, I cannot imagine years’ worth.

Healthy Living, 2026

My Thyroid Experiment

Posted on September 6, 2026September 5, 2026 by nancyb422

It’s been a week and a few days since I changed my routine to wait one hour after taking my Levoxyl before I eat or drink anything other than water.

No lie – not having my coffee when I wake up is tough because it is warm and comforting. I also miss the salty raspberry of my LMNT in my water. So, yeah, it is a little tough.

But! I am getting out the door to my workout room about fifteen minutes earlier than before (I drink my coffee really slowly), getting back home sooner, in the shower, etc. and you get the picture. Depending on the day, if I have a little time, I have my coffee after breakfast, or I just wait until I get to the office.

Now, how do I feel? I feel really good! I have more energy throughout the day and my brain feels clearer.

I started using my Fitness Pal again to track what I eat and my water intake, and my husband stopped buying ultra processed snacks that neither on of us can resist.

Tomorrow is my weekly weigh in morning and I’m hoping the scale reflects my efforts. But if it doesn’t, I know I’m on the right track because my clothes fit better.

Feel Good, Look Good.