Archive for March, 2010

Dennis and Nola Palmer took me on a boat ride on Lake Union in Seattle the other day. We motored through the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks between Lake Union and Puget Sound. Check it out!

Coming in for a soft landing in Mukilteo on the m/v Cathlamet. Photo: Scott McMurren

Wow. The ferries in Washington are completely different than our big ocean-going rigs.  These double-ender short-haul ships schlepp cars and commuters across Puget Sound at several choke points. Bainbridge-Seattle. Clinton-Mukilteo. We took a great day-trip up to Port Townsend, calling at Bainbridge, the floating bridge over Hood Canal, Pt. Townsend, Whidbey Island, etc. FUN. Watch the video! Oh, you’ll LOVE the music by Justine Bennett (“Lost in Love”).

I spent a week in the Emerald City. And it’s true: you don’t have to shovel rain! HA! My home-away-from-home was the Homewood Suites in downtown Seattle on Pike Street, just upstream from the Washington State Convention Center. It’s a quick walk to the Paramount Theater, Nordstrom‘s and Pike Place Market. Plus, if you have the Seattle TourSaver, you get a 2-for-1 coupon for the Homewood Suites, in addition to the Seattle Aquarium, the Seattle Art Museum, the EMP, the Pacific Science Center, Argosy Cruises, the Victoria Clipper, Kenmore Air and MUCH MORE. Oh–did I mention the Seattle TourSaver was on SALE for just $59.95? Hmmm. Check it out.

And watch the video about “My Suite Life”!

Here are some great packages now available at USTravel:

a. Here Today, Gone to Maui. Kick back in luxury at the Wailea Marriott. Here’s a four-night package that includes daily breakfast for two right on the ocean in Wailea. Children 17 and under stay free. Extras include fresh-baked banana bread and assorted juices on arrival. Four nights, from $749 per person, double. Air fare extra.

b. Tahiti-bound. Stay at the Hilton Moorea Lagoon resort in French Polynesia. This all-bungalow resort sits right on the ocean. Children 14 and under stay and eat free.  Two grown-ups get a free American breakfast each morning. Five nights, from $679 per person, double. Air fare extra.

c. Surf’s up in Puerto Vallarta. Punta de Mita overlooks some of the finest waves around Puerto Vallarta. Oh–and it’s got golf, too. Stay at these condos, with plenty of room to move around. Ask the resident concierge to get groceries for you–or to assist with daily activities. Five nights from $739 per person, double. Air fare extra.

Get the picture? Count on our friends at USTravel to line up the right package for you–from Mexico, to Hawaii, to the South Pacific–and beyond. Call today. In Anchorage, dial (907)561-2434 or toll-free (800)544-2217. Check the website for office locations in Fairbanks, Kodiak, Seattle, Spokane, Ketchikan, Dutch Harbor, Prudhoe Bay, etc.

I finally figured out my cell phone plan with GCI. Here’s how it works best for us: I sign up for theunlimited/unlimited plan. It costs about $100 per month. Right now when you sign a two-year agreement, you get your choice of several Blackberry phones–free!

Here’s the good part, though: I signed up the wife and two kids as “partners” on the plan for $50/month. That’s where this stuff finally starts to make sense.

No roaming fees–and there’s unlimited local and long distance calling. And yes, that includes text messages. My fat fingers can’t push the right buttons, but the kids have it dialed in…that’s for sure.

Now, when the kids want to go to town with Grandpa, we have a way to keep in touch with them without relying on Gramps’ cell phone, since he left it at home…again. HA!

So, here’s the lineup: I have the Android phone–and use it to update Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare on the run. Christy has the Crackberry. She’s more comfortable with the actual keys and a keyboard–as opposed to my touchscreen. One child has a Nokia with the touchscreen. The other chose a Samsung with a slid-out QWERTY keyboard.

Go to GCI’s website. There are MANY phones that are available free with a two-year agreement. And I’m happy with the unlimited plans–because I…Just…Can’t…Keep…Track…of…my…Minutes…ACK.

Smiling…Dialing…s