Outside of Phoenix is the winter home/studio of Frank Lloyd Wright. He and his apprentices built the structures trying to coexist with the surroundings. I especially like his attention to the small design details that show up in corners and ceiling designs and fixtures.

The canopy of trees towering above our heads as we walked was beautiful. The guide said it was a competition about which trees could grow tall enough quickly enough to get to the sunlight. Other trees were useful for capturing the nitrogen and enriching the topsoil, but they seldom made it to the canopy. The banana slug inhabits the forest. We saw several. This one was about seven inches long. It is supposed to be good luck to kiss a banana slug, but I decided to take my chances and pass up the opportunity. The growth on the tree is called Bear’s Bread. The guide told us that the bears eat it before going into hibernation because it causes constipation, which is useful if you are trying to hibernate.

The island trek was pretty easy. There was a boardwalk to follow with only a few wobbly boards. The temperature was cool, but since it was not raining, it was really a pleasant walk. We did not look for Pokémen because there was no internet service. You gotta get off the grid once in awhile. We saw big slugs and heard birds, but did not see any.

In Ketchikan, Alaska, we boarded a speedboat and sped off to Betton Island which is part of a temperate rainforest. We hiked through the forest and saw various plants (lots of mosses, lichens, and fungi) as well as the native trees. The tour was really interesting and we even saw whales on the trip home. Luckily, it was beautiful weather for the hike, but we got rained on during the trip home and arrived at the ship dripping wet.

Early one morning of the cruise, the ship traveled up a narrow channel to see Dawe’s Glacier which was at the end of the channel. The glacier is an ancient accumulation of compacted ice. As glaciers slowly flow, they carve out valleys and also carry huge boulders with them. We passed chunks of deep blue ice which is characteristic of glaciers due to the trapped and compacted gases that absorb red light. The blue light is transmitted and makes the ice blue. When we arrived at the glacier, the Captain was able to turn the boat 360 degrees so we all got a good look at the glacier and some pretty waterfalls near the glacier. It was cold and wet which was not unexpected, but the sun did not shine much, so the pictures of the glacier were not very clear. Finally, we were hoping to see some “calving” where huge chunks of ice crack off of the glacier with an impressive thundering boom, but no luck there. All in all, however, it was strange and beautiful to see.

I wanted to get ONE shot of the two of us starting out on this cruise. I am not very good at selfies and refuse to buy one of those selfie sticks. Here we are in the main parlor of the ship. There is a nice chandelier behind us. Off we go.

I am always impressed with cities that take some time and effort to provide art throughout the city. Seattle seems like a really cool city anyway (Starbucks, for one thing). This giant eraser is part of MY past when we did all of our typing on typewriters. Most of my students would use white-out tape nowadays. It was fun to see this giant sculpture.

We are in Seattle to board a cruise ship to Alaska and Canada. Of course, we had to explore early in the morning… for exercise, for sightseeing, and especially to catch some Pokemons. This is a great picture of the Space Needle seen behind the EMP Museum (the Experience Music Project Museum). It is a cool museum in a cool building.

Just passing through the mountains gives glimpses of mountains set off by clouds. The sights are wonderful.

Looking out my train compartment window, the blue sky and the white clouds made a very interesting combination of shapes and color. Sitting on the train for hours really gives me a chance to practice being quiet and being in the moment. I am so used to doing things constantly and being bombarded by information. Quiet is nice.