dedtired, Hints for seasickness... 1.) Look off the stern instead of the bow; 2.) Fix your eyes on the horizon instead of looking a few feet ahead of the boat (you'll be out of sight of land); 3.) Sip on cold Diet 7-Up; 4.) Many people do fine underway; but when drifting they start feeling queasy. Whale watch boats stop frequently for whale sightings. While drifting, stand at the gunnel stanchions & hold on to a rail if it's rough rather than sitting down...much better. Actually, more people get seasick in calm water than in rough seas (within limits, of course!) When there's good wave action your body gets into a rhythem. In calm seas, there's just a slight up/down, up/down that gets to some people. Beam seas are the worst! That side-to-side motion can do in even the saltiest of seamen! Since I've been a boater, I can't imagine WHY people stick babies in cradles! Inhumane punishment, IMO! Also, if you're focused on looking for the blow spouts of whales your body won't notice the rolling sensation nearly as much. We need Lori. She's more local to Newport...I'm about an hour away. But here's a place to start...a fun lunch spot in Newport is the Red Parrot. Allow about an hour just to read the menu & make your selection. It's also a great place to people watch. And go hungry! Parking is tricky. Don't be a hero & try to find a parking spot on one of the side streets...it's mostly "Residents Only". Just pay your $15 & chock it up to a good day in Newport. You can also rent the most adorable two-seater scooters in Newport. The shopping is one of two things...either touristy or very expensive boutiques, gallery quality art, designer jewelry, home decor, etc. There are also some great bookstores. History lesson on Newport: Did you know that most of early Newport was built with slave labor? Most people don't realize the extent Newport relied on slaves. The wonderful granite cobblestone roads, the houses, the ships...all slave labor. By 1770, the entire workforce was slaves mostly from Ghana. They came as children & were different than the southern plantation slaves. In Newport, most slaves lived in the same house as their owners often slept in the same bedroom as the owner's kids. They were taught skills & became highly trained. By 1830, most Newporters had freed their slaves. They went on to found businesses, become councilmen, teachers, policeman, fireman, & held high offices. But they came to America as slaves. End of history lesson. Follow the signs for Ocean Drive/Mansions & go to Brenton Park. It's right on Ocean Drive. On weekends, it's a popular place to fly those huge kites in different shapes. The water is right across from the parking (free). Actually, you could just sit in your car & stare at Newport Channel for hours watching the boats. You'll see many huge international & corporate yachts. The rocks at Brenton Park are also a popular dive spot. Look for small boats with a red flag floating in the water near the boat. The red flag means, "Diver Down". When's your trip? /tricia Here is a link that might be useful: The Red Parrot

Let me start by telling you how sorry I am that your sister died. I'm 47 and can well understand that your sister probably left a lot of important things behind, like her family, as well as a beautiful future. I've very, very sorry. That's tragic and I am trying to understand your feelings about life and death matters vis a vis the sort of spiritual experiences described in the link in the original post. I should say now that I do believe that these miracles do take place, I've seen them. But I also believe that most of the miracles that change people take place in the spiritual realm, only a fortunate few experience the levels of physical healing documented above. In other words, for the majority of those who are beseeching God for a life-altering miracle, their prayers are usually not answered in the way that they hope for. Which on so many levels is absolutely crushing. So it does seem like miracles *or* fear and dispair. And this is where faith fills the gap. Unfortunately, I don't have the time tonight to get into a discussion on a political or religious level any deeper. I did view part of the video on your link, but after about five children interrupted I just decided to post here rather than watch the link. I'm sorry. However, like most of us, I guess, I do find myself absolutely boggled by what is happening in our society and globally, so I really can't address the larger issues that you are raising in any way that would make any sense, because I can't make sense of it myself. Nor do I want to say something trite or snobbish that may perhaps make you feel more frustrated about such things. Two figures from the twentieth century that I look to for inspiration are Maximillan Kolbe, who was executed in a concentration camp because he traded places with a condemned prisoner, and of Mother Theresa, who worked tirelessly to give dignity to the poorest of the poor. It is very hard to stay focused on good things when so much evil seems to have so much power. But we have as much personal power to do good as people like they had. I only ask that you not tear down the good things that are posted on this thread, even though you might not understand. I think that being a peacemaker means having a very open mind when it comes to differences of opinion. I wish we could go to Starbucks to talk about these things at length, but I have to get my children to bed, so I've got to go. Stay hopeful!

It was a busy day at work trying to tie up everything before abandoning ship for two weeks so I couldn't write much earlier. So now I'll address individual suggestions... Glenda I'm not sure we'll be doing the lumberjack show, I already feel like I've met them all through you and it's quite evident they have been spoken for. ;-) No Talkeetna so I'm sad to say, no moose poop :-) Talkeetna is one of the checkpoints on the Iditarod so I'm sad we're not going there. Nanny You and others have suggested Mendenhall and White Pass et. al, so they are a definite consideration. The idea of seeing the suburbs really appeals to me too. I agree, museums in AK are quite well done. Interesting, one of the most impressive museum-like exhibits I've seen was at the Alaska Native Medical Center. Happyladi I like the idea of renting a car in Skagway and taking that drive to Emerald Lake unless the train goes that way as well. I love trains. I subscribed to cruisecritic.com about a month ago to learn more about different cruise lines. I've been so busy at work that I barely had time to read it. I'll go back there tonight and take a look. And I'm all bummed out ... because of my busy schedule, I wasn't able to dedicate much time looking for my new frames/lenses until just this last week. I finally found frames I loved. After the eye exam at a place that doesn't honor VSP, it was determined even with short lenses, my script would not fit. I found another pair at another optometrist that does accept VSP. I go for another exam tomorrow morning and will see if they can fit my new choice. Why am I sad? Because of course I've sat on this project too long and now I will go on vacation with old glasses which no longer work for distances. Hmmm, maybe I'll pay for the $100+ exam for contact lenses and just wear my sexy new frames without any lenses at all, I hear it's all the rage in Asia. :-) Carol I sure wish DH and I liked salmon because people rave about the barbecues. I do love just wandering around places I visit. Sitka was my favorite stop last time because my travel friend booked a tour and I did not. I just wandered the shops, streets and neighborhoods. The glacial silt soap sound interesting. I'm a real sucker for unusual soaps. Cherbo Have not been to Denali yet, but one day. Kat Fortunately I have family in Seattle to ease the pain of not meeting you. :-) Socks We rented a Netflix documentary last night that talked about Haines so I jotted down the name. While walking around Sitka, I found the Sheldon Jackson Museum but didn't go in. Can't remember if it was closed or I just decided not to go in. The school next door was all boarded up and made the area feel kind of ghost-town-like. The Rainforest Wildlife Sanctuary sounds just up my alley! The ship we're sailing is the Celebrity Mercury. I was born in Seattle so family is meeting us down at Pike's Place. Where we're going from there, I'm not sure. We might drive down to Gig Harbor to see a friend of mine and my sister who probably won't be going to Pike's Place. Jodi-

Your time alone this summer while SO & his kids are off at summer camp has brought home the reality that you're alone in this relationship. You're not part of their family, you're not getting the respect & support you need & deserve, you're the photographer who's never in the picture. Your boyfriend doesn't *sound* like a wonderful loving person at all. He sounds like someone who has you where he wants you. & "selfish" is not a nice thing to say to *anybody* who's alone & feeling abandoned. "Selfish", in fact, sounds like a very accurate thing to call someone who's having a great time & who doesn't want to hear about anyone else's pain or loneliness. Children who remind you that you don't share their last name are *not* signs of a good, loving, 'family' environment, & I wonder how it occurred to them to say such a thing; my very strong suspicion is that they heard it from their mother or their father. According to my uncle & my brother, both of whom know, grieving for a lost child is the worst grief there is. & you not only lost a child, you lost her before you knew her. You lost her when your anticipation was at its height, when your maternal hormones & feelings were at their most intense. It sounds like he!!, & evidently nobody has acknowledged the depth of your grief & the pain you feel every day. Although you must make your own decisions, my impulse is to say, shake the dust of this relationship off your dainty slippers & find someone who is thrilled to have you, who will be ecstatic & honored to share his family with you, who'll be open to marriage & adoption (how many children do you suppose are living in foster care because women who would love to be mothers are tangled up with men who are satisfied with the number of children they have & who don't care if their partners are happy with their position on the perimeter of family life?). Those nice men are out there, & they'll never get a chance while you're living with this guy. Take very good care of yourself. I wish you happiness & fulfillment.