Tuesday in Homer, AK

We arrived here midmorning.  We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and rest of the morning as our tour didn't start until after lunch.  Homer claims they are the halibut capital of the world.  Hard for us to tell as we barely leave the pier.  Lots of fishing boats in the harbor guarantee that fishing is a way of life in this little community of 5,000.  Our tour is a short school bus ride to the community theater where we are treated to Johnny B's " Rhythm of the North."  Johnny is an accomplished pianist and also shares many photos and videos of Alaska.  One of the best videos is of a young eagle fledgling learning to fly.  Quite enlightening as we have watched many eagle chicks grow up in their nest-- rarely ever getting to see them fledge.

The weather isn't too conducive to much walking around, so we head back to our ship.

Anchorage: Part IV

Before lunch, we visited the Visitor's Center in the Federal Courhouse.  There are numerous exhibits and all sorts of information about Alaska.  What we wanted to see was the Alaska Center Theater where 7 different movies about Alaska are shown one after another.  We watched movies of the Alaskan Railroad, The Day the Earth Shook-- 1964 earthquake--9. 2, and Bears, Volcanos and Katmai Penninsula.  Great opportunity on a rainy day.  

After lunch, Shelly had a special birthday party planned for Oak and Shirley.  Oak's birthday was yesterday and Shirley's is next Monday.  We had fabulous carrot cake and a little local wine from Homer, Alaska.

This is Alaska Visitor Center. Check out the roof!!

A great big shout out to Shelly for our personal guided tour of Anchorage.  We saw a lot in a short amount of time and Shelly even saw a few new places.  

Anchorage: Part III

We ate lunch at a cute bar and grill called Humpy's--probably after the pink salmon which has a hump.  We all had haddock--fresh from the Alaskan waters.  Great meal.

This hotel is historic as the plaque indicates.  Only has 26 rooms.  Enjoyed the bar and saloon area.

Anchorage: Part II

The musk ox wool is 8x warmer than sheep wool and does not shrink like other wools.  

These were once nearly extinct in Alaska, but have made a come back.

Flowers are beautiful as we remember them. The cool, moist temperatures in summer make these flowers look so gorgeous.

Visiting Anchorage

We have had a very nice day in Anchorage.  Weather is typical Alaska with drizzle and upper 50s.  We took the shuttle from the port into town where we met Oak and Shirley's daughter, Shelly. She is a Delta flight attendant and planned a trip just to be here and meet us.  She had scoped out the best things to see in a " walkabout " tour of Anchorage.  We started with a visit to a tiny little cabin where we saw musk ox products for sale.  In order to survive the severe winters, musk ox grow a thick layer of Qiviut ( pronounced KI-VEE-UTE ) over their entire body.  This fine under wool is shed annually each spring. It compares with cashmere and vicuña and has no barbs and does not scratch like wool.  The wool is sent throughout Alaska to  native Alaskan women in a co-op.  They knit items, then send to Anchorage to sell.  These women, their families and the communities benefit from this effort.

Sandra was on duty today ( Labor Day ) as we enjoyed our visit.

Here we are after great day in Anchorage

Oakley, Shirley, Shelly, Joyce, Bob

This was a view from dining room

This was on Saturday evening as we left Icy Strait Point. Absolutely gorgeous with a perfect sun.