Ice Cream Tuesday

Keith's favorite wedding present was an ice cream maker. He was like a kid on Christmas morning when it arrived. So, Tuesday he went to the store and bought stuff to make our first batch of homemade ice cream. After 40 minutes, it was done and delicious! We also found out that Blazer likes ice cream. Who knew?

Some of you are wondering about the look on Keith's face, I know. Well, sadly our new ice cream maker's motor died after 15 minutes of turning so he had to hand-crank it the rest of the time. Not so bad, right? Wrong! Part of the hand crank broke and it sounded like a car that doesn't shift gears correctly. It was a nice present, but it didn't work well and parts of it broke after one use. We will be returning it for a credit shortly.

Home Improvement Saturday

Several months ago, I had a slight run-in with our old screen door; specifically, I had to break the glass out because I accidentally locked myself out. So we decided to buy a new screen door for the kitchen door. Before the door could be installed, Keith wanted to paint the kitchen door which, of course, led to painting the gate. It took the better part of four hours to install the door and even then, we didn't finish because part of the closer instructions are missing. Hopefully, we can find them on the Internet soon.

Keith, hard at work (and not at all amused by my picture-taking!)

The finished product - I love this door because the screen is inside and you just pull the glass down to bring down the screen.

Our fearless canine helper, fast asleep on his toy that now has no head.

The gate looks 1000 times better!

Happy dog! Blazer is finally acting like a dog today - running around, playing keep away with me, and following Keith around the yard.

Blazer

Meet Blazer, the newest addition to our family. We adopted him from an older couple who wasn't able to take care of a two-year old lab. The first day we had him, he was lethargic and slept most of the day but he's perked up since then. He's a very mellow dog and is very eager to please. During the day, he follows me from room to room; the only place he won't go is down to the basement. Today Blazer didn't have a very good day - he got his yearly shots and we had him neutered. Poor puppy.

Blazer on the first day we had him - he looks a little dazed and confused, "Hey, these aren't my people and this isn't my house. How'd this happen?"

Keith playing with Blazer before work - He's teaching Blazer the fetch and give commands.

Keith comforting poor puppy after his surgery - Poor thing, he doesn't even feel like playing or chewing his rawhide bone (Blazer, not Keith!).

Margerie Glacier

Two of the days of our cruise were called "scenic cruising" where we just stayed on our boat and looked out at the wonders around us. One day we spent at Glacier Bay National Park where Keith shot this video of Margerie Glacier calving, breaking off chunks into the water. Glaciers can move anywhere between a couple of inches to several feet a day, depending on friction and incline. This one moves 5 feet a day, if I remember correctly. You can't tell the glaciers are moving just by looking, but you can hear creaks and groans. And, if you are patient enough, you can see chunks of ice breaking off like this one. Keith really enjoyed having a balcony on this cruise, because he didn't have to fight for observation space like others did. He could just walk out on the balcony and take pictures or use his binoculars. That may have been his favorite part of the ship; it was definitely my favorite part!

Honeymoon Day 2

Tuesday night was formal night in the dining rooms. Keith and I dressed up and went to the picture spots around the ship to get our picture made. You won't believe this, but they will sell you the portrait, framed and everything! After dinner we walked around the ship and then caught a show by someone named Adrian Zmed. (The last picture in this series is of the gigantic wake of the ship. Clearly, it has nothing to do with formal night!)

Honeymoon Day 1

Sunday, we flew from Memphis to Houston and then onto Vancouver, BC. It was around 1:00am when we finally arrived at the Cascadia Hotel in downtown Vancouver. That's 1:00 am local time - roughly 3:00 am Memphis time. Needless to say (I know, then don't say it!), we were supremely tired. The room was nice, but there are no pictures due to the aforementioned super-tiredness.

Monday morning, we cleaned up, repacked and caught a taxi to the cruise ship terminal. After dropping off our bags, we walked around until boarding time. This whole cruise ship operation is a big one - lots of smiling people waiting to check you in, take your bags, and make sure you aren't on any known terrorist watch list.

At the Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver

Pre-cruise picture

Downtown Vancouver

Canada Place

Our tiny bathroom, complete with shower

Our stateroom with balcony - I have really enjoyed having a balcony!

Keith, a pool, and downtown Vancouver

Leaving Vancouver

We sailed under this bridge to get from the harbor out to the open water. It connects Vancouver with East Vancouver and North Vancouver.

No Trespassing

Apparently, the geese can't read.

(If you look closely, the sign says, "NO TRESPASSING.")