Hodgenville KY- Lincoln Memorial

I absolutely love this black and white photo of a couple at the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Park.  I found it with other photos dated in the early 1970s.

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Park Hodgenville Kentucky

I am still on an Abraham Lincoln kick, and I enjoyed another recent visit to the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Park in Hodgenville Kentucky....  In this video, there is some discussion about Jefferson Davis' connection to this tribute to Lincoln.

Alaska Public Lands Information Center Anchorage 09 2022

While in Anchorage Alaska, we saw that there was an Alaska Public Lands Information Center!  This is a National Park Unit, so we knew it would be worth a stop!  

Sea Otter in Seward Alaska

 

I got a nice video of this SEA OTTER from the balcony of our hotel (Harbor 360) in Seward Alaska!

Cocaine Bear at the Kentucky Fun Mall Lexington KY

I know the Cocaine Bear movie is coming out.....  so I stopped by Kentucky for Kentucky in Lexington to see the inspiration for the new film!

Seward's Alaska SeaLife Center

 Check out my video on the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward!

Resurrect Art and Coffee House, Seward Alaska

A very short walk from the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward Alaska was the perfect coffee place, Resurrect Art and Coffee.

It is in an old historic church (see historic marker photo). 

We stopped by both days we were in town and there was a good crowd each day.  Still, it had a very cozy vibe.  As we looked around for seating one day, a nice lady invited us to share a table with her.

The whole shop had a feel like that.  Friendly and welcoming.

You know I love a perfect, unique, independent coffee shop and Resurrect was all that.

We REALLY liked the town of Seward too.  If you live in Seward, I am straight up jealous.  Your town is beautiful AND you have this great coffee spot.

 

Seward Alaska September 2022

We had such a great time in Alaska.....  We ended up flying to Anchorage, and then taking the train to Seward (see previous videos) and then getting on our cruise ship in Seward.  Seward is a great town, and he wad a great time!

Ghostlight Coffee Midtown Dayton Ohio

 We stopped by the great little Dayton Ohio coffee shop, Ghostlight recently!

Lebanon Ohio January 2023

 While staying at the Golden Lamb, we took some time to walk around the great town of Lebanon Ohio!

Golden Lamb Inn Lebanon Ohio

I have brought up the great little town of Lebanon Ohio several times on this blog.  I have also praised the historic inn in town, the Golden Lamb, many times.

We really enjoy the place, and its a treat every time that we get to visit!

We recently stayed in the George W. Bush room while there.

Sitka Alaska Post Office

On our trip to Alaska, we DID NOT get to visit Sitka....  I do collect postmarks though, and I corresponded with the post office in this great town, and they provided me with some great info and items for my collection!

 

Alaska Railroad trip from Anchorage to Seward September 2022

Being able to spend several hours on the Alaska Railroad going from Anchorage to Seward was a huge treat.  We were in one of the glass domed cars, and we were able to enjoy a great breakfast!

This was a great experience and possibly the highlight of our trip to Alaska.

"Ride Guide to the Historic Alaska Railroad" by Anita Williams and Linda Ewers

I wanted to mention the fun souvenir book, "Ride Guide to the Historic Alaska Railroad" by Anita Williams and Linda Ewers that I bought at the gift shop before taking my ride on the Alaska Railroad.

This is a short book that gives a rider kind of a play by play about what they will be seeing on their journey.  Of course most people, myself included, don't take the full ride, so it is fun reading about what else can be seen on the Alaska Railroad.

This is a fun read on its own, or to follow along with while on the train!

 

Late 1960s Mt McKinley National Park brochure

 

As I am sure you know, Denali was once called Mt. McKinley.  I was thrilled to find this old brochure, with the former name, at a small shop while in Alaska.  I picked it up for a few bucks.

 

Harbor 360 Hotel - Seward Alaska September 2022

Seward is one of my favorite towns visited on our Alaska trip.  It was great.  We were able to spend a night here, at the Harbor 360 Hotel, before getting on our cruise ship.  

My wife got us a great room looking out at all of the boats and we were even able to watch as our cruise ship, the Norwegian Jewel, pulled in that night.  It was a great experience.

AND, the Harbor 360 just ended up being a great hotel- clean, classy, nice staff, etc.  Staff would wait for guests to get on the elevator.  People at the front desk  would say hello when you came in.

Concert Memories: Warren Zevon- his last two shows in Cleveland, Ohio 2000

I am THRILLED to hear that Warren Zevon is on the ballot for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Actually I thought that pretty much all of the nominees this year are good.

I started thinking about the times I was fortunate enough to catch the late Zevon....  at his last 2 shows he performed in the Rock Hall City- Cleveland.

My buddy Dan REALLY loves Zevon, and he invited me to the first show.  It was great, and we would catch him again later that year.

Even in 2000, those tickets, priced at just over 20 bucks with fees was a great deal to see the legend.  I have mostly stopped going to big name concerts anymore because of the high prices.

I remember both of these shows being great.  Jill Sobule (who I also love) opened both of them, making these particularly memorable shows.  At one of them, he brought her back out to sing a song that he explained was one of his all time favorites, "You Were On My Mind."  I appreciated this because it is also a favorite of mine, and I listen to the legendary recording by the We Five often.

The crowds seemed good and appreciative at both shows.  I did get a CD signed by Jill Sobule at one of the shows, and had a nice, brief chat with her too.  

There was no backing band, these shows were just Warren by himself.

I would read his huge biography later....  compiled by his ex-wife (he gave her his blessing to put it together before passing away).  Man, what an incredible read!  He wanted her to make sure she including all of the good and bad stories about him and his character.  

Anyway, I am so happy to say that I was able to catch this brilliant songwriter/musician/artist while he was still with us.

"Wilderness Blues" by T.B. Botts

 An interesting and enjoyable read while we were on our Alaskan cruise was "Wilderness Blues" by T.B. Botts.  Signed copies were readily available at the shops in Icy Strait Point.  I love local author type books relating to an area that I am visiting.  I had this one finished before we left the ship.

Botts tells his story about leaving life as he knew it to move with his family to Alaska- to join an end of times religious group.  Life is a bit more primitive in his new situation, and he does struggle to earn a living, especially as the religious group claims a chunk of his earnings.

The book does have a very casual feel (you do feel like the author is telling you about his life over a hot drink at a coffee shop).  Some of the stories are funny and comical, but you do feel for T.B. as he does all he can for his family, while trying to fit in with his faith community.

Alaska Airlines Flight before our Cruise, luggage issues, and the Anchor...

Our wonderful Alaskan Cruise started with a flight to Anchorage.  We swapped planes in Chicago, getting on an Alaska Airplanes vehicle.  

Well, as we were in the air, the flight attendants announced that they had to take some of our luggage off due to weight and wind issues.

When we got to the airport, we waited, and our 2 bags did not come through.  We had to wait in a line for about an hour to let some of the staff know where we would be this evening.

It actually ended up not being too big of a deal, though an hour of vacation time is an hour of vacation time.

They did hook us up with some points or miles...  which I may or may not be able to use again.  I don't think they were charging for drinks on the flight either.

Honestly, I don't think anyone was overly ticked off though.  The flight had the kindest crew I have ever experienced.  They joked a bit about the situation.  They didnt charge for drinks and they were sugary sweet.  This went a long way.