 |
||
|
||
|
Árbol del Sol
Thought for the Month The SunTree Traveler
[Thanks to musically inclined Peter and Ellen on submitting these comments to share with the SunTree community on their recent cruise.] SunTree was well represented – 6 people (3 couples) set out on the Bare Necessities Holland America Line cruise ship Amsterdam on Friday, July 20. This report is by Peter & Ellen Young, who met SunTree members Bob & Nancy and Dick & Jeanette onboard. There were only about 1,300 other passengers on the cruise! We enjoyed everything about our Alaska Cruise. We had been warned to expect much rain - well, it didn't rain at all for our 7 day cruise! We had some clouds, some sun, and comfortably cool but not cold breezes. The highlight of the cruise for us was Glacier Bay - a U.S. National Park Ranger, his assistant, and a Tlingit Native Alaskan came on board and did an excellent job of explaining the wonders we were seeing. In Juneau, our first stop, we were introduced to the Native American totem poles, rode the tramway 1,800 feet up into the mountains, where we had lunch - the best tasting crab cakes ever. In Sitka we discovered a small Lutheran Church in the shadow of the Russian Orthodox Cathedral. The Lutheran church had inside a small pipe organ built in Russia in 1842 and brought by ship to Alaska. The organ suffered severe fire damage in the 1960's, and was beautifully restored in the 1990's. They let me play the organ - what a musical surprise and treat. We also took a small shore excursion boat trip into Silver Bay where we saw a very lively playful hunchback whale, several bald eagles, and a salmon fish hatchery. In Ketchikan, besides some obligatory shopping (we were fortunate to find a locally owned store) we visited more totem poles with a native (i.e. second generation white) Alaskan. And onboard the Holland American ship Amsterdam we were well taken care of, including wonderful food - the best being charcoal grilled salmon served pool-side for lunch one day. And, yes, we enjoyed ship-board life nude except in the main dining room and when the ship was in port. We are looking forward to some time home again in Las Cruces. Peter & Ellen
Swim Time in El Paso Several visitors had indicated that they wanted to join us, but we only had one who was there. It was good to meet you Josh. The pool was a very welcome cooling device during the warm and humid (by desert standards) August day.
After several months of having only a single event on our calendar, we are trying to make up for it with three in September. It will be a busy month for anybody who tries to go to all of the events. Labor Day Campout in the Gila National Forest This camping location is remote enough that your cellular phone will not work there. There is no water available, no hot tubs, no swimming pools. There are no cafes either or snack trucks. Bring everything that you will need for the entire time that you are there. The campsite is a 'forested meadow' with natural grass cover and mostly shaded. If you want to take part in this camping trip, contact SunTree for directions and give us a phone number or some way to contact you in case there is a change or cancellation of this trip. You will not be able to be contacted in those mountains unless you have a satellite phone. More Swim time in El Paso This will be a potluck event as well as a good time in that beautiful swimming pool and hot tub. Contact SunTree to let us know if you plan to attend, when you expect to show up and what you plan on bringing to the potluck meal. Happy Tenth Birthday to DeAnza Springs Resort
Venus Returns to the Skies But on the “Other Side”. Autumn Arrives. Evening: Dim Uranus will be about as bright at it ever gets in September. It will be shining at magnitude 5.8 which may not seem very bright, but the aqua-green planet can barely be glimpsed by the unaided eye. Jupiter remains bright in the west after sunset, above the red star Antares in the southwestern sky. Soon after Jupiter sets in the southwest, it is replaced as the bright “star” in the sky by Mars which will start the month by rising about midnight. On 21 September, about a half hour after sunset, you can see a bright spot in the sky just over where the sun set. That is the star Spica hanging in very close to its good buddy, our cute little planet, Mercury. They are so close together that they look like a single object. Morning: This month, we welcome Venus back, but this time she is serving her time as the morning “star”. She rises each morning before sunrise, getting brighter each day until she “peaks” at magnitude -4.5 on 12 September. She maintains that brightness for the rest of the month. Saturn, now a predawn “star” is close to Leo’s bright star Regulus during the first half of September, the duo hovering between Venus and the point of sunrise. On 9 September you can see the thin crescent Moon just above Saturn and just below and to the left of Venus. Autumn officially begins with the equinox on 23 September at 3:51 AM
© 2004 SunTree Travel Club - Site updated Summer 2008 |
||
Alaska Nude Cruise