Monday, July 8th we left from Seattle to Alaska on the Holland America Amsterdam. Twelve years and 2 months ago we went to Alaska on Norwegian Star with friends from church. This was a last minute booking- just one week before sailing. We booked an inside cabin but were upgraded to a window cabin on deck 1. We visited Ketchican, Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria. I used Johnny Horton's original "Go North" song that later became "North To Alaska" #1 hit in 1960.
We were upgraded to an outside cabin. Our cabin was 1916 and these cabins go from 1964 to 1826 on other end. We tried to walk and not take elevator to help burn off excellent foods. My garmen says I averaged 13,609 steps last week and did a total of 101,418 steps last week. Last Sunday I did 18,169 steps. I barely kept up with Jan- will post hers when I do a video of her photos later this week.
Johnny Horton was killed on Nov. 5th, 1960 in Plano Texas because of a drunk driver, at the age of 35. He actually worked in Alaska and wrote North to Alaska for the movie with John Wayne in 1960. In 1959 his first big hit was "When it is Springtime in Alaska". There are actually two versions of North To Alaska- this version is slightly different, and not the famous one, so I am using it rather than have a duplicate of our trip to Alaska- 12 years and 2 months; since we went in May of 2007.
Our first cruise was for our 25th anniversary. We sailed from Tampa April 11th, 1999 to Cozemal, Grand Cayman, and New Orleans on Carnival Sensation. That 7 day cruise came to $1564 and spent $2500 for 9 days.
Our second cruise was February 28th, 2004 from Tampa and visited Grand Cayman, Belize City, and Cozumel. That 7 day cruise came to $1078 and was on Royal Carribean Nordic Express. It was perhaps the smallest ship, with later the ship being renamed after it was cut an extended in length.
Our 3rd cruise was May 13th 2007, to Alaska on Norwegian Star. We booked a window room but they upgraded us to a balcony. We sailed with friends from church- Bob and Marge Adams, Dick and Rosemary Rice, and Richard and Donna Novak. Bob and Char Johnson had to cancel out at last minute. We visited Ketchican, Juneau, Skagway, and Prince Rupert. It was the first cruise we added photos to for a video- "North to Alaska" by Johnny Horton.
Our fourth cruise, Oct 3 to Oct. 10th 2009 was our first to Mexico at $329 each for inside cabin. After arriving in LA, we visited Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán, and Puerto Vallarta. That video is to the song, "Come sail away".
Our Fifth cruise, was Feb 24th to March 3rd, 2013 when We flew to New Orleans and boarded the Norwegian Star. It was our 3rd time to cruise on Norwegian Star Ship. We visited Cozumel, Costa Maya, Belize, and Roatan as well as spending some extra time in New Orleans. The video used music "Sail Away".
Our sixth cruise, was April 4th to 19th, 2016 to Hawaii from Vancouver, BC. This was our first Princess Cruise, 15 days, 5 days to, 5 different island stops and 5 days back home. We sailed with Dave and Jeanette Owens, and Mark and Maureen Johnson. "Happy Hawaii" was the song for that video.
Our seventh cruise, was April 20th, 2017 when we left on a 17 day cruise through Panama Canal. We had an inside cabin and had limited internet minutes thrown in. It started out in Miami and ended in Seattle as a repositioning cruise. "Cruise Ship Crazy" was the song for that video. This Alaska cruise was advertised at 539 per person. we ended up paying about 1700 total with tips, getting to ship, and taxes and port fees. we parked our car in Kirkland and took a Lyft car to pier, about 21.00 each way. Go North - YouTube
My intent is not to look back, but rather to turn minutes in to memories and I cherish the moments as what is really important in my life. Five years ago I started making a video looking back at entire year one day at a time- this is I intend to do that, but want to try showing what 6 months would look like- this song is a shorter version of a longer song by Bill Gaither that he wrote a few years ago- come back in a few months for complete year review.
April 10th we went to Ocean Shores for a family reunion. Weather was great and it was so good to visit with family. I added some photos to the song "Under the Boardwalk" so those who could not make it can see the fun we had and I can remember the memories better. We stopped at the car Museum by Tacoma Dome on the way home and were home by 6:30 on Sunday night.
above is photo of the ship wreck I remember as a kid when we visited Ocean Shores with my mom and dad. The boat is no longer there. Some did not believe me, so I did some research.
The wreck of the Catala
Yes, a shipwreck is admittedly pretty far afield for what's supposed to be a political blog, but so many Northwesterners have memories of clambering around on the beached steamer SS Catala over the decades that I figured I'd post a recent story I did on the ship now and get back to politics tomorrow.
More than four decades after a New Year’s Day storm beached the SS Catala on a sand spit at Ocean Shores, Wash., a curious beachcomber last year poked a stick through a hole in the hull.
When he pulled it out, a gleaming, black glob of oil clung to the end.
State environmentalists were stunned to learn that the 229-foot wreck – which several failed salvage attempts had left as a rusty playground and party spot for generations of adventurous beachgoers – still contained more than 32,000 gallons of fuel oil.
Built in Scotland in 1925, the Catala was part of a fleet of ships steaming up the coastline of British Columbia until the late 1950s, delivering people and freight to logging camps and fishing communities. A network of new highways eventually drove them out of business.
In 1961, the ship was rescued from a Canadian scrapyard by investors, who fixed it up and parked it on the Seattle shoreline as a floating “Boatel” where people could stay during the 1962 World’s Fair. Then it moved to Ocean Shores, serving as a moorage and recreation spot for fishermen and boaters.
“She was nice inside. She was an older ship, but they had white tablecloths on the tables,” recalled Ocean Shores Interpretive Center worker Janna Hoflin, who had lunch on the ship about a month before it was beached. Decades later, cleanup crews would find dozens of pieces of sturdy Syracuse china – black with oil – in the bowels of the ship.
The ship – smokestacks and all – was a local landmark for years. Around 1980, tired of people getting hurt climbing around on it, the last of three salvage companies that owned the wreck cut off the stacks and everything else down to the sand line, then buried the Catala.
“It remained buried for the next 25 years,” said Jim Sachet, an oil-spill response supervisor with the state Department of Ecology. Then wind and more storms began to expose the wreck again, leading to the discovery of the oil in the tanks.
On a recent afternoon, workers clambered over the wreck, slicing it up with cutting torches and hoisting out 20,000-pound chunks of rusted hull with a large crane. Chains clanked and sparks flew and the skeletal beams of the ship were like the ribs of a long-gone beached whale.
The oil in the tanks is gone, scraped and steam-cleaned off the steel. But on a warm day, it still oozes from rivet holes and seams in the metal.
“Some of the oil was so thick it was almost like asphalt,” said Sachet.
By August, the crews say, the Catala will be gone, remaining only in memories and a landmark in family beach photos. Workers will level the hole where the hull sat for so long, and will dot the beach with driftwood, to make it look like the ship was never there at all.
“Those of us who’ve been here a long time kind of wish it could have been left,” said Hoflin. “But because of the oil, we realize it couldn’t. We’re gonna miss it. We’re going to miss it a lot.”
The Catala, part of Northwest lore, ran aground during a storm on January 1, 1965. Years later, after the upper portions of the ship were cut off, the hull was buried in the sand. Time, winds and tides shifted the beach, once again exposing the rusty remains. Then, in April 2006, a beachcomber poked a stick into an opening on the hull’s side and discovered an oily, thick sludge inside. The state Department of Ecology (Ecology) and four other natural resource agencies quickly teamed up to plan the cleanup of oil from the Catala and prevent the threat of an oil spill from her unstable tanks Following her grounding, efforts to re-float Catala failed, and the wreck was left to decay at the beach on Damon Point, Washington. Over the years she was vandalized and pillaged, and in the late 1980s a girl fell through a rusted portion of her deck, breaking her back. Her family sued the State of Washington, which in turn ordered the wreck cut up. Catala was cut down to sand level and buried, until a series of winter storms unburied her in the late 1990s. Subsequent storms gradually exposed more of the hull until in April 2006 a beachcomber noticed that oil was leaking from the wreck. The State of Washington Department of Ecology cordoned off the wreck and removed 34,500 US gallons (131,000 l) of heavy fuel oil before scrapping the rest of the ship. Several endangered bird species nest in the area, including the snowy plover.
Under the Boardwalk; The session to record this song was scheduled for May 20, 1964, but The Drifters lead singer Rudy Lewis was found dead that morning (the cause of death is unclear, but likely either a drug overdose or heart attack). The session was rescheduled for the next day, and Johnny Moore was called in to replace Lewis. Moore was with The Drifters in 1958 when their manager fired everyone in the band and brought in new members. He was a convenient replacement for Lewis, and stayed on as their main vocalist.
The group was distraught over Lewis' death, and their subsequent performance added a tinge of melancholy to the song, which is about spending some time under a seaside boardwalk with a love interest, out of sight from the crowds above.
In a previous Drifters hit, they had a tryst with their baby Up On The Roof. In this song, they decide that it's too hot up there, and seek out a cooler location. They sing in the first line: "when the sun beats down and burns the tar up on the roof..."The Drifters released a sequel to this a few months later called "I've Got Sand In My Shoes." It hit #33 in the US.
Stuart Hamblin sang/wrote Remember Me, I am the One Who Loves You, in 1954- the year Jan I were born. Later Dean Martin, Johnny Cash, and Willy Nelson would sing that song. I added a few photos of Jan and I, since 1972. Photos of both of us since I don't know who works harder to make our marriage work. I am thankful for marriage as God ordained it and Marriage is still alive and well. My goal is to make it better.
On April 12th, 2014, we went to our first Tulip Festival, near Mt. Vernon. We left around 8;30 and headed west across Stevens Pass and immediately noticed traffic backups on I-5 approaching Mt. Vernon. We ate lunch at Arbys and the traffic got even worse on county roads- but we finally arrived at Tulip Town Farms and although there were lots of people, it was spread out and no more waiting. There was a 5.00 entry fee but a tremendous photo opportunity and lots of fun. I would encourage you to visit a Tulip Farm soon, you may wish to avoid the weekends for crowds/traffic. The tulip festival started in 1984 and normally is the month of April, although the peak dates may vary. I added some photos to the Tiny Tim Song called Tip Toe Thru the Tulips. Tiny Tim sang this song back in 1968.
Q: What kind of flower grows on your face? A: Tulips!
What do you get when you plant kisses? Tulips!
What did the bride say when she dropped her bouquet? Whoopsy daisies!
