Astoria, Oregon

I’m so excited about aging with grace as I turn 67!  Cruising the Pacific we rocked the waves as we met up with friends and family. My 2018 birthday was divine as we enjoyed touring several ports with my best friend, my travel buddy, my prayer partner, my adoring husband Michael.  We may be able to hook up with Barb’s family next year. Baja Christmas  We reunited with Mike’s family while on an American Airline points cruise!  Our love boat is a fairly new cruise line called the “Celebrity Solstice” which is loaded with onboard entertainment. We flew into Seattle and met up with Mike’s daughter Heather. Heather drove for 3 hours to have a Mexican dinner with us. It was a heartwarming reunion and a great time to catch up on the latest news about her kids, grandkids and her new hair styling business! Family is important and we are excited to reconnect! Heather and family are planning to eventually buy a house somewhere in the Portland vicinity.  After dinner Barb bowed out as it had been a long day. Mike stayed and enjoyed a lingering conversation. After one night at the Seattle Belltown Inn – 2301 3rd Ave (206-529-3700) and quality time with Heather, we  boarded the Solstice. We shared a shuttle to the port with a lively bunch of Texans who were interested in our life in Mexico. The Seattle Pier was very organized and bustling with tourists from around the globe. With our XPRESS pass and passport in hand we sailed out on our international Pacific Coast Adventure! While unpacking our bags in our Stateroom suite,  we were both thrilled at our fantastic ocean view room. Cruising affords each traveler the luxury of visiting several landmarks without having to unpack over and over. Onboard we had various activity options. Bocce ball, table tennis, hot tubbing, dancing, comedy acts, or just strolling the decks. We dined in an Old Fashioned Hollywood styled setting and shared adventures with very interesting people. The ship quietly parted the waters along the California coastline and we were blessed. Our final destination was beautiful BC, Canada. Our first port stop was in the beautiful bay of Astoria, Oregon. Our combined efforts to call or text Bob and Lisa failed. Mike regrets not getting off the boat as we waited on deck for a call or text. We only had online capacity for an hour in port. We did not get a correct phone number for Bob until we arrived in Victoria, BC.  Memories as we watched the rain pouring down. On our honeymoon, Mike and I stayed at a B & B in Astoria. Vacationing in familiar places with a different view and perspective! We cruised the Pacific and enjoyed a buffet of delights on deck 14!  The Solstice sliced the Sea towards our next port stop is San Francisco to arrive on Sept 17th and depart on the 18th. Michael’s mom and sister and her hubby Kevin greeted us with big smiles and a few package exchanges.  Living abroad has many advantages, but we truly miss the ability to just pop over and visit with our beloved and missed family members. Miguel and Stephanie and their brood of kids will visit in July 2020.  They must wait until their daughter is old enough to enjoy travel and remember her relatives in Mexico.Kevin and Paula hummed up in their very cool ride … right in front of Pier 27! The weather was perfectly chilled in San Francisco and we enjoyed a yummy bread bowl of clam chowder. Kevin was very animated as he told us all the latest news of Nathaniel and Jennifer’s legendary acquisition!  The “Lyon Estate”, a place where the FAM hangs out while overlooking Camanche Lake. We tourist shopped at Fisherman’s wharf and Mikey got a new T-Shirt and ballcap to wear while in Israel for his birthday! Back to the Solstice to stand on the bow of the ship as it crossed under the Golden Gate. We were out to Sea for Barb’s birthday on the 19th and we dined with peeps from Texas and Colorado. A sweet birthday cake was delivered to my room!  We arrived in Victoria BC on the 20th. Click on pictures to see slideshow.

We enjoyed our favorite new Green Tea made by “Mighty Leaf” in Victoria.  We discovered we can order Mighty Leaf on Amazon! A slight drizzle kept us in a perky mood.  The ship sailed at 10:00 pm on the 20th into Vancouver, BC.  With our bags in hand, a shuttle from the port took us to a great Vancouver airport hotel. Barb walked the neighborhood before she devoured a legendary burger at the famous hotel cafe.  We binged on TV before the sunset on our last night in BC. I would highly recommend the Coast Vancouver Airport Hotel.  Taxi: 1041 Southwest Marine Drive – Vancouver (604-263-1555).  Our American Airline flight got cancelled so we hung out at the BC Air terminal and then flew to Houston with a connection to Guadalajara.

Barb was the travel agent on this trip.  A one way flight to Seattle, hotels and then a direct flight back to Mexico. Our neighbor Rosa will be house sitting with Rags.

This photo journal will serve us well in the future. Thanks to all who made a special effort to meetup for a memorable reunion cruise. Remembering the best of times is easier through stored pictures under the TRAVEL TAB on Barb’s blog. The Alcan Road Trip, Israel, The Sandi Patty Caribbean Cruise, and Cruising the Pacific Northwest.