Baked Alaska

And so we have successfully returned from a week cruising the atypically sunny and warm shores of Alaska.

Not the Alaskan bear we saw.

Karen's Glorious Bucket List Cruise of Doom was a success pretty much all the way around. Since we didn't go on a Carnival cruise we were spared the indignity of defecating in the hallway. This made the cruise much more enjoyable. I must admit that while I still don't particularly care for cruises and did at times feel trapped on the boat, I did basically enjoy myself. Winning $300 at blackjack helps. Absolutely crushing a roomful of strangers who mistakenly thought they were participating in a couple of lighthearted trivia contests and not a bloodsport really helped. Not that I'm pathologically competitive or anything.

Karen had a great time and the trip was everything she hoped. She saw a glacier "calve" from the helipad on the bow of the ship, witnessed a whale breaching just a few yards from her whale watching boat, and even got to see a bear in the wild during our visit in Skagway. The entire thing was relentlessly documented by Karen's sister, Liz, who took a photo every time she inhaled. The kids had a good time as well, including, however improbably, Dash, who made a bunch of friends and kept so busy we hardly ever saw him. He spent the final night at sea lounging in a hammock with twin sisters.

And now we're back and work starts again tomorrow (except for the kids who actually had to return to work about 12 hours after we got back home). Karen is feeling well, we've got more friends and family lined up for visiting and except for the hellish heat things are pretty good.

If it weren't for the cancer this would be shaping up to be one of our best summers ever. It's still not too bad.