Back in Alaska! Now What?!?

First, opening 6.5 months of mail. Lots of holiday cards. Two of which had glitter on them. One from my side, one from Brian’s, so the blame is evenly cast. Now we get to add the new decorations to the fridge.

 

Second, celebrating my dad’s 80^th birthday! We had a family gathering, ate tasty food, and joked about niece Kayli missing her April 15 due date – to the relief of her CPA spouse. And we're still waiting on our new family member's arrival.

 

Third, after a mere 3.5 days home we already booked two trips. One to Fairbanks to celebrate godchild’s high school graduation, another to Hawaii for a massive family Thanksgiving gathering. Other trips will surely appear soon. Oops, yes. I forgot a camping trip in August. Does that count?

 

Fourth, as a gift to both of us, I went skiing with Dad. I haven’t had the energy to even put my boots on for the three years I’ve struggled with long Covid. So enjoying a bluebird day on the mountain with my dad was pure magic. He continues to act as the action photographer.

 

The fabulous view over Turnagain Arm

Muscle memory is a beautiful thing

Still stuck to the cruisers

Plus one bowl run

An awesome day

 ~Lucy

Almost Home!

 

Exotic Locale - Seattle!

Okay, obviously not really. We left Spain, flew through Frankfurt, and managed to upgrade from economy plus to business for the 11 hour flight. Definitely a win!

We had a hard date for return to the States, because I had medical appointments in Seattle for the Long Covid study I am participating in. All went well, except I did not get the good phlebotomist this time. That meant a total of two appointments, 6 needle stabs, and 17 vials of blood drawn. 

Being in Seattle also means getting the chance to visit with our wonderful family and friends. One thing about being on the road so long is the distance from people you love. It's been special catching up. And Seattle is in spring bloom! Camellias, cherry blossoms, tulip trees, manzanitas, (more!) jasmine, tulips, daffodils are all showing us their good sides. That said, we've basically failed to take any photos other than of our cousin's cats. Because they are endlessly amusing.

[The alpha and omega of our time out of the US - we left our friends in Philadelphia who have a cat named Mabel, and returned to Seattle where we are staying with felines Felix, Quincy, and Mabel. Popular name!]

Brian has managed to go to both a Mariners baseball game and a Kraken hockey game.  I'm sure he had fun.

In addition to the medical and social aspects of Seattle, we are indulging in a little retail time. Mostly for others. We have bought a car (as a concierge delivery service to my brother), various IKEA goods (for friends), liquids that won't ship to Alaska (various family members). We have about an hour, and then we will launch ourselves north on the AlCan Highway. We hope to be home in Alaska this week.

Cats. Really.

Goofy Cat

Cordoba

We're winding down our time in Spain and opted to take the train from Malaga to Cordoba. Honestly, it wasn't a mistake, but Cordoba isn't really the place we'd hoped it would be. It's certainly warm, and the jasmine is in bloom here too. Tho after a little botanical confusion I will admit we are enjoying both jasmine AND orange blossoms. Chemically, their scents are very similar. But Cordoba is a place that just feels like it missed the mark.

It has a pedestrian zone, but allows in a large number of vehicles. So even then you think you are on a car-free street, a car or scooter will roar past you. There are large dead zones. Whether this is due to zoning, or loss of businesses from Covid, or something else entirely, it feels odd to have a busy area and then blocks of just nothing. Shutters down, nothing open, deadness. Feels a bit creepy. The tourist shops are unbelievably kitschy. There are hideous flamenco dresses for sale everywhere, made of very flammable materials. Bad music is abundant. It is also the run-up to the Easter holiday so group and student tours clogged up the streets. There's something terrifyingly zombie-ish about 50 people with earpieces shuffling past.

And even the crown jewel of Cordoba - the Mezquita-Catedral (Mosque-Cathedral) - left us depressed. It's an architectural abomination. The original and expanded mosque had glorious, mathematical aesthetics. Then a Renaissance cathedral was chopped into the space, destroying sight lines, arches, and leaving a trail of overwrought and overdecorated ugliness. It's bizarre, and sad. If you've ever watched the Yellow Submarine movie, you might recall the leader of the Blue Meanies saying, "A thing of beauty: destroy it forever!" This was an embodiment of that.

So, we adapted. Lots of walks. A visit to the (blessedly empty) cemetery. Several ramblas over the Roman-Era bridge and along the river. Adherence to the siesta rest periods, as it hit the 80s. And enjoyment of the very. very strong sangria.

At the Eastern Side of the Roman Bridge, Moorish Additions

All Roman Temple Ruins Should Come with a Cat

The Princess's Path

Up in the Former Minaret, Now Bell Tower

The Mosque-Cathedral Gardens

Arches Destroyed

Glorious Wisteria

In the Alcazar Gardens

Excellent Topiary

Blooms and a Butterfly

Alcazar Gardens from the Tower (we did a lot of stairs)

From the Alcazar Tower to the Cathedral Tower