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Take a Gander at this Goose

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   On Monday, museum director, Phyllis DeMassimo Kilgore invited Vicki and me to accompany her on a demonstration flight around the Anchorage area along with the other Lake Hood Goose. The Alaska Aviation Museum is located on Lake Hood, the world's busiest seaplane base, adjacent to Ted Stevens International Airport.  I volunteer at the museum as a docent and open up the Boeing 737-200 (its tail can be seen in the background) for the summer fly-by picnic, Kids' Aviation Summer weekly camps, and other special events.  The Aviation Museum staff of volunteers restored this Goose after 16 years of rest; it was originally used by Alaska Fish and Game. The restoration required six months of volunteer work, including from some former Alaska Fish and Game employees who had worked on N789 before. The Goose flew again on May 29.  This Grumman G-21A Goose, N789 was donated to the Alaska Aviation Museum by Sen.Ted Stevens.  Burke with his hands on the slingshot Pe...
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Caribbean Cruise: Ft Lauderdale

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Ft. Lauderdale We flew from Anchorage through Seattle and on to Ft. Lauderdale, the departure point for our Caribbean cruise.  While in Ft. Laud, we stayed at a nice old beach hotel right on Jimmy Buffett Avenue otherwise known as A1A. This gave us a couple of days to ditch our jet lag and acclimate to the east coast.  Here are a couple of photos of the lodging grounds: Came time to set sail and meet our cruise ship, the Freedom of the Seas.  Here are some shots of our cruise ship.  Captain Tony was so sociable and young that I wanted to check his ID. Sorry that I don't have a picture of him so you can see. We were docked next to the Harmony of the Seas which was the largest cruise liner in Princess's fleet  at that time .
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Hawai'ian Vacations

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  Hawaiian Vacation It's winter in Alaska and time to venture south to our sister state of Hawaii. There are not a lot of tourists yet as the season is early. The beaches are calm and the restaurants are not crowded.  Also, it's nice to celebrate Hallowe'en in Honolulu, rather like a mini Mardi Gras.  Here are some photos from the plane on our flight out of Anchorage. Sorry for their dimness; they're evening photos through the plane window: Sunset over Sleeping Lady as we climb out. And looking back on the moon over Anchorage and Fire Island. A nice photo of the mud flats with their tidal braids.   A photo of Turnagain Arm. And another sunset view. I'll be posting some photos of the Island, the restaurants and food where we dined, along with some Hallowe'en photos soon.
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Caribbean Cruise: St Kitts

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Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis is a dual-island nation situated between  t he Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.      Saint Kitts and Nevis is a sovereign, democratic, and federal state. At one point in time, Nevis tried to separate from the dual status but failed in the 2/3 vote.     
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Desert Botanical Garden

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The Desert Botanical Garden--Phoenix AZ These photos are from a trip to the botanical garden in Popago Park which pops out at the intersection of the cities of Scottsdale, Tempe, and Phoenix. This visit was when the glass artist Dale Chihuly adorned the park with many of his glass sculptures.   The first time I was there, a docent walked with the group and explained the complex desert life. On this trip, they had no guide but offered many explanatory postings. Not as good as a live person who could answer questions.                                               There are many paths throughout the park and is never far from the main routes and pavilions. Everywhere you walked there was Chihuly glass art mixed in with the desert flora.
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