School Starts ... Eventually

The kids are back in school this week, and I've never felt so relieved. That's because the teachers in our school district went on strike last week, and we were all afraid that they would be home so much longer.

The teacher's contract ended last Sunday, which was the day they voted not to accept the school board's contract proposal. That was expected -- the union had filed an intent to strike 10 days before. What it meant in practice was that the teachers began picketing last Monday. School was supposed to start two days later, on Wednesday.

Negotiations continued on Wednesday, and a contract was agreed to in the wee hours of Thursday. School was then scheduled to start on Monday -- yesterday -- after the union officially approved it on Sunday evening.

As it was, the district arranged asynchronous learning -- basically a list of links with a short Zoom meeting -- for the three days they missed being in school. I won't get into the nitty-gritty of the contract, what each side wanted and where compromises were made. Some people were happy with the final result (looks good to me!), and other were not.

But whatever side parents were on, I think we can all agree that we are happy that the kids are back in a school building, meeting new teachers and making new friends. With Covid impacting the last three school years and followed by this strike, I'm also hoping that we can get back to normal for the rest of the year.

A Day at Mount Rainier

The day we disembarked in Seattle from our cruise to Alaska was ridiculously hot, and the forecast for the next day was no better. So we rented a car and took off for Mount Rainier.

It was a two-hour drive, and what a change! We drove up about 5,000 feet, or about a third of then way to the top, and the weather was about 10 degrees cooler, in the high 70s. And there was snow! It was melting, but we actually couldn't take our planned walk because the trail was completely covered. As Atticus said, he now knows what it feels like to wear Crocs in the winter. We even made snowballs ... in June!

Paul picked up some cherries from a roadside stand on our way back to Seattle, so at least I had a good snack at our airport hotel that night. The next day: home.

Two days over two weekends in Seattle

We were in Seattle for a day before our Alaskan cruise and a day after, and it seemed like we visited during two different seasons. The day before was gray and chilly, a week later it was terribly hot -- the first heatwave of the summer, from what we heard.

Whatever the weather, we spent our time wisely. During the gray day, we walked to and through Pike Place Market and grabbed some empanadas outside. Then we strolled to Olympic Sculpture Park and the Space Needle. The nearby Artists at Play playground was a grand surprise for and big hit with the kids, and we probably spent an hour there, watching them climb ropes even I would have been too scared to do!

Our second day in Seattle was the day we disembarked from the cruise. All in all, it was pretty miserable -- through no fault of the city's! It was already a sad day since the cruise was over, but the heat really put it over the edge. After we dropped off our luggage at our hotel (right across from the Space Needle!), we walked to Kerry Park for the iconic views. It was clear, so we even got Mount Rainier in our photos! The temperature at this time was warm but not awful, but the walk was nearly all uphill. Commence complaining -- mostly from the kids, but in my head, too. Luckily the views really were all they were cracked up to be.

Then we made the long, steep, downhill walk to Lake Union and ate lunch by the water. Saw the views but couldn't appreciate them in such oppressive heat. We walked back to the Space Needle area, which was enormously crowded due to the Pride Parade. Sat under a tree for a bit before we gave up and waited in the hotel lobby (and air conditioning!) before we were able to check in at 3 p.m.

We didn't even venture outside again until nearly 6 p.m. The sun wasn't as high, but the heat hadn't dissipated. Pike Place Market was all but empty, so no fish throwing for us! And the restaurant that Paul had chosen was closed despite its online listing. Ended up at a random Turkish restaurant that wouldn't have been good if it weren't for the heat. I could barely eat.

The walk back to the hotel was better. Checked out the hotel's rooftop terrace but didn't stick around. Paul and Atticus stayed behind while Edith and I went to the cool Artists at Play playground that we visited the weekend prior (fun!) and for a bit earlier in the day (waaaaaaay too hot!). It was now much cooler and there were far fewer people, so she had the run of the place.

Edith and I visited the gift shop at the base of the Space Needle so she could say she's been there, if not to the top! Atticus got to go inside the next morning so he could say the same.

Alaska Cruise Day 7: Victoria, B.C.

The last stop on our Alaska cruise was short, late and not even in Alaska! At 8:30 p.m. we disembarked in Victoria, British Columbia -- the kids' first time in Canada and Paul's and my first visit to this province. The late hour didn't stop us from a bit of exploring.

We walked along the water to Fisherman's Wharf and to the busy Inner Harbour, where the government building was aglow when the sun went down. The kids were in extremely good moods, even holding hands much of the way. (Be still, my heart!) We navigated the crowds, took a look around and snapped some photos. It was a pleasant evening but late night. We got back to the boat around 10:30 p.m., in plenty of time for our midnight departure.

The lido was open for a late-night snack for our last night aboard -- the last supper, a staff member joked. The kids went to bed a bit before midnight, and we disembarked in Seattle at 9 a.m. the next morning for good. But vacation wasn't quite over -- we still had a few days to explore the state of Washington. Stay tuned ...

Alaska Cruise Day 6: Ketchikan

The four hour time difference between Ohio and Alaska generally made getting up in the morning easy, but Friday was the first day during the entire Alaska cruise that I used an alarm to awake: 6 a.m. But we had only five hours in Ketchikan starting at 7 a.m., and I didn't want to miss a minute.

Off the boat to find Creek Street, with its colorful shops on stilts above a gurgling stream. We walked around and watched the boats and a couple of fisherman before entering the Alaskan Lumberjack Show. It was unexpectedly fun, with Atticus especially getting into it and loudly rooting for our assigned team as the entertainers chopped and sawed.

We strolled along the waterfront and ended our time in Ketchikan climbing 100+ steps (Edith counted!) to some streets and houses above the main drag, looking down at the town and at a level nearly to the top of our ship. As the time ticked ever closer to noon, I reluctantly made my way back to the ship, knowing our time in Alaska was at an end. The next day would be our last full one on board, with a quick stop in British Columbia.