Columbia & Snake Rivers plus Missoula MT

 

Columbia & Snake Rivers Cruise

Plus Missoula MT

June 2025

We do enjoy river cruises, many with Viking on European rivers. We also love the Pacific NW, multiple trips including Oregon, Washington, and up to Victoria & Vancouver BC. American Cruise Lines combines these with a Columbia & Snake Rivers Cruise. And we’ll add a short trip after the cruise to visit niece Annie, hubbie Garrick, and daughters Lillian & Cora in Missoula MT; haven’t seen them in way too long. Agent Dora (the Explorer?) helps me reserve (with a good discount) for June 2025. Marjorie’s cousin Jim & wife Susan will join us.

            We’ll sail on American Pride, a paddle-wheeler (Marjorie insisted) built 2012 that holds 150 passengers on 4 decks plus sun deck. We have a 2^nd deck stateroom with twin beds & balcony. Susan & Jim find a stateroom across from us. We discuss excursion options during a March visit with them in Florida. Ship amenities seem quite comparable to Viking river ships. Several lounges offer quiet spaces and/or scenic views (plus 24-hour snacks!) & restaurant. Evening cocktail hour, complimentary beer & wine with lunch & dinner. Daily activities & evening entertainment.

           

Things are busy leading up to the trip. We have to coordinate our schedules when son Matt borrows a car to move percussion stuff to Skidmore for the Mostly Modern Festival, where he’s again in residence (and we enjoy a performance). Then we offer lodging to Matt’s Korean friend and former student Han Sol (who calls him “Doc”) and fiancé Euna for a composition workshop with the Albany Symphony. We continue our chiropractic “couples therapy,” Marjorie participates in volunteer events, I do my Red Cross blood delivery driving. I also have a return Mendelssohn Club gig singing to kick off Belmont Festival races at Saratoga track. We need a vacation from retirement. Some hot/humid weather & heavy rain here; looks like we may hit temps up to 100° the 1^st couple of days on the cruise but no sign of rain along our route.

Florida 2025

 

Florida

March 2025

 

            A 4^th “snowbird” adventure, with repeats of enjoyable 2022 & 2023 visits to Sarasota with friends Deb & Chris and Naples with Marjorie’s cousin Jim & wife Susan. Our winter hasn’t been too hard. Snow’s been cleared by very diligent Josh, working for Matt’s high school friend John. A busy end of February and beginning of March. “Warmth of Winter” fundraiser for Colonie Senior Service Centers. “Mardi Gras” celebration at St. Pius X. “The Garbologists” play at nearby Curtain Call Theater. Albany Pro Musica’s concert “Considering Matthew Shepard,” a very moving “choral drama” about the young gay man murdered in Wyoming in 1998. Russ singing with Mendelssohn Club at CSSC’s Beltrone Living Center, and the previous night friend Dennis singing there with the South Colonie Dance Band. Marjorie has started her annual fundraising for “Relay for Life” and selling tickets for Mendelssohn Club’s Spring Concert. And exciting news: she’s been accepted to be an “Artist in Residence” for a week in July at Wiawaka Center for Women, a retreat on the shore of Lake George. She also displays her work & classes at CSSC’s celebration of International Women’s Day.

As usual March is teasing, sometimes seems like Spring but then Winter comes back. So a break is welcome, especially when it includes warmer temps (we hope) with friends & family. There is a sure sign of Spring: Guptill’s Ice Cream opens Saturday!

Christmas Markets Along the Danube

 

Christmas on the Danube

December 2024

 

            We do love a Viking River Cruise: 6 in Europe, plus 1 on the Mississippi. Marjorie disrupted the pattern of togetherness when she and her sister Mary took a Christmas Markets cruise along the Rhine in 2012. She showed no feelings of guilt about leaving me behind [tho full disclosure: I traveled with my brother Doug to South America in 2013 and on a “Midnight Sun” Viking Ocean Cruise in 2018] but is quite happy to do a similar cruise with me, this time along the Danube. We’ve cruised on both the Rhine & Danube in summer, the latter covering much of the territory on this cruise, but expect different looks at Christmastime.

The 2nd-longest river (1700 miles) in Europe, after the Volga, the Danube originates in Germany, passes thru or borders Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine. European Christmas markets have a long history, dating to a “December market” in Vienna in 1296. In the 14^th C craftsmen set up stalls under the name "Saint Nicholas market" to sell little Christmas gifts for children. This evolved into Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) or Christkindlmarkt (Christ child market). Many towns usher in Advent with market openings.