Back into the Frying Pan

Well, we're back in Tennessee. But not just any Tennessee - the sweltering hot, I'm talking 103 degrees Tennessee. All of our grass is yellow and crunchy and the plants are done for. And the poor trees! They're dropping their leaves like it's Fall.

As you can imagine, this was a maddening jolt to the system as we were in ice cold, coat-needin' Alaska for ten straight days before. I can't even muster up the courage to so much as take the sweat inducing hike to the mailbox but only peek out at it from behind closed curtains. Our poor air conditioner whines away as if it's begging us to say that we're only kidding. Even the ice cream trucks have stopped circulating, their drivers most likely figuring that the box fans will block out their jingly-jangly drive-bys.

During our last few days in Alaska and Canada, we had really spotty internet reception. Which I guess was good as it forced me to actually enjoy the vacation and concentrate on beautiful things like nature and historic bordellos. Oh yes - bordellos. I have to admit that they were one of my favorite parts of the trip and I can't wait to tell you about them. Anyway, I have a lot to share with you buckaroos about the trip as soon as my mind can get itself together again. The fifteen hour trip home along with the extreme time change and heat has not quite been registered by my body and I feel like I'm drunk on something. Quite possibly exhaustion and a steep drop in excitement.

In the meantime, check out this trailer for "Moonrise Kingdom". I highly recommend this film if you haven't already seen it. It's a great story and absolutely stunning to look at. And with a soundtrack that is heavy on the Hank Williams, Francoise Hardy and Alexandre Desplat, you can not go wrong. I wanted to see the movie again the minute that it ended.





I hope that you all are doing well and are staying cool where you are! 
Until next time,x's and o's,Eartha

What Would Lee Greenwood Do?

Happy 4th of July to my American friends! This wish comes to you from the ocean in Canada with an enormous styrofoam cake but still, it's heartfelt.

Until next time,
x's and o's,
Eartha

Three Shots From The Day

Here are three shots from the day today!

Mr. Kitsch took a helicopter ride up to a glacier and got to taste water fresh from a stream of melted ice running through it. No, he hasn't fallen. This is apparently the real deal way to drink from a stream. I've seen cowboys do this in movies so I have a good feeling that the guides weren't just trying to make a fool out of him.

Earlier in the day, he took a walk around Juneau and two guys tried to pick a fight with him outside of a bar as he walked past. This has been Mister Kitsch's most testosterone fueled day in a while what with all of the action adventure and near-fisticuffs with local nary-do-wells. 

Here is the fur bikini that I didn't buy. Very The Clan of the Cave Bear, no? 

We were sitting on the balcony of our room at the foot of a glacier watching chunks of ice go floating past. All of a sudden, we noticed this cute guy. He was snoozing and just floating through the ocean. It's so very cool  to see nature doing what nature does and not trapped in a zoo somewhere.

On a related note, that's pretty much what I look like after the ship buffet lunch. I'm not sure that I'll ever fit into a fur bikini again. Sigh. 

Until next time,

x's and o's, 

Eartha

Go (Way Far) North, Young Lady!

Greetings from Alaska! Yes, Alaska! Crazy, huh?

As you can tell by my previous post, I didn't think that we'd have internet while away but since we've got coverage here and there, I thought I'd drop in from time to time to tell you about our trip. Yes, we escaped Nashville. Where it's currently between 106 and 110 degrees. Like the face of the sun. We taped plastic over the holes in the floor, left the kitties and the destructive plumbing at home with a house sitter and went on the lam. Hallelujah!

The Mister's parents offered to take us with them on a cruise around Alaska. Talk about incredible. This place has got to be one of the most beautiful, awe inspiring and mind boggling places on Earth. I'm talking icebergs, glaciers, whales....the whole nine yards. We wake up to views of beautiful snow covered mountains and waterfalls. We simply walk out on our balcony and can see whales and sea lions and otters every day. People, it's incredible. I keep thinking that I'll wake up and find that I've slipped on a rogue puddle of cat pee and hit my head and am simply dreaming this experience.

If this is a cat pee head wound dream, please don't wake me. 

So far, it's been a little hard to get used to the constant pampering on the ship. It's SO completely different than my normal life. There are people that insist on doing everything for us. Turning down our beds each night...putting our napkins in our laps for us (which never fails to startle me. The waiters are lucky that I haven't gone into self defense mode on one of them and cleaned their clocks.)...and even scraping our crumbs away with fancy little tools after we eat because well, one simply can't be bothered to wipe one's own crumbs away from the tablecloth. Yeah, insane. Now I know how being royalty must feel. At one point, the Mister's Dad got caught brushing his table crumbs into the floor and the waiter ran over as if he were committing a cardinal sin!  "Oh no, sir! I'll take care of that!"

It's also the time of the year when it doesn't get dark here. As you can imagine, I never know what day it is...or what time it is. Or what floor I'm on. Or what town we're in. It's all just a blur with no deadlines, no nighttime and mysterious chocolates appearing on our freshly fluffed pillows. And the movie channel shows all movies that are set on boats. It's as if no life exists outside of the ship life.

And can I speak to you of the opulence that is never-ending fresh bread baskets on the dinner tables every night and that the food is perfection? Hello, Heaven. Dinners take hours with all of their courses and pomp and circumstance (and crumb brushing). And the fact that the air smells like fresh snow, clean air and rich green fir trees? And that this morning, the Mister and I were forced to have our photos taken with people in moose and bear costumes before we were allowed to leave the ship for port? Yes, don't wake me. Don't you dare.

Well, the Mister is off walking on glaciers and I think that I'll take a little stroll around deck. I hope that y'all are having a great July so far. And to my friends in Canada - Happy Canada Day! We visited your turf yesterday and it's glorious! To celebrate, the ship staff unveiled a giant cake. Which happens to be made of styrofoam. Totally weird but somehow almost celebratory.

Oh, and not only are the cakes classy here but the souvenirs are equally as grade-A. 

Until next time,
x's and o's (and icecaps and nightcaps)
Eartha