by 
Southeast Alaska’s typical weather finally caught up with us in Kechikan. A light rain fell while we were in port, dampening our enthusiasm for visiting the town. I finally decided to wander around a little but got pretty damp for my trouble. It would probably be a nice place to poke around in if it weren’t raining but judging from the covered golf carts which pass for public transportation there, I think, and from the locals in their color-coordinated rain gear, that doesn’t happen often.
It was also raining when we arrived in Victoria, British Columbia the next evening about 6:30. We wanted to visit the renowned Butchard Gardens but we were tired, our NR dinner was at 8:00, the ship was sailing at 10:00 and we would be up early the next morning for disembarkation so we blew if off. Joyce visited the gardens as a youngster and remembers them as quite beautiful. Another time, maybe.
Among the people we met was a history professor from Chicago who grew up in Amarillo. Her mother and perhaps other family members still live here. She was on the NR cruise which struck me as interesting given her trade. We also met a couple from Panhandle on the tender coming back to ship from Sitka. Their name is Richardson and a brother is sheriff of Randal County.
The NR dinner-time was 8:00 each evening with a reception at 6:00 some evenings. There was also a late night get together most nights at 10:00. We didn’t make any of those with one exception: One of these was a “cigars and cognac” late night party and I challenged myself to go to that just to see what one was like. Joyce had no interest, you might be surprised to learn, so I went by myself. They handed out cigars about the size of a rolled-up newspaper and about as tasty as one. I soldiered my way through smoking my cigar, all the while staying close to the rail so I could spit over the side of the ship. Not being used to tobacco I knew I couldn’t afford to swallow much of the saliva the cigar generated. I probably didn’t raise the water level in the bay where the ship was anchored but it wasn’t from lack of trying, I assure you. As for the cognac, I’d tried that delicacy before and my opinion of it was reinforced after this little experiment. I took my punishment like a man and didn’t embarrass myself, that I can recall. Back in our stateroom I wasn’t sure whether I was going to keep it all together or not. I knew better than to lie down on the bed of a rocking ship so I sat up until I was pretty sure there would be no mad dash for the head. It’s good to try new things but I feel I can live out the rest of my life with out another C&C session.
We enjoyed the cruise. We’re not real big fans of cruising but Joyce wanted to go on an Alaska cruise, so we went. We enjoyed the NR aspect of the cruise, too. The discussion panels were interesting and we enjoyed meeting the NR writers and the other NR cruisers. Two different couples from California told us they were interested in moving out of California because of the politics and that Texas was on their short list of places to move to. Both couples expressed concern about being in the tornado belt. There was a woman that used her wheeled walker to bulldoze her way through the crowds, especially in the dining areas. It seemed every time I turned around I was getting tangled up with her. The crew of the ship, mostly Filipino or Indonesian, was professional, friendly and courteous. Our ship was the Westerdam of the Holland America line and afforded clean, comfortable accommodations. We won’t rule out taking another cruise someday, NR or otherwise.