Day 11, Wednesday, June 8, 2023
Personal City Tour, Hangin’ With Family
My partner was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio, in a large Irish Catholic family. His dad was the fifth of six children, all of whom stayed in Youngstown when they became adults, with some moving away some time after marrige and children.. Jas was the third of three children. One of his dad’s siblings had 13 children, another had 10, and the rest were threes and fours. So there were cousins everywhere! Jas has been one of those cousins who keeps track of his extended family. When someone moves away, and he visits your new hometown, you can count on a phone call or email checking to see if you’re available for a playdate when he’s in town. Well, Cousin Michele was available, and we had a terrific day visiting with her.
She picked us up at our hotel after breakfast and showed us places she and her family had lived, where her kids had gone to school, places shed had worked, and notable buildings and locales. Then she took us out to her home, high on a hill south of town, with incredible vistas out over Cook Inlet. I was thrilled to learn she was a quilter, and she generously showed me her beautiful body of work. Magnificent, colorful quilts. We had a lovely day together.
About 5:00, Michele took us to the airport. We thought we’d just be able to check in early and go to the American Advantage lounge until flight time. But the ticket counter wasn’t open yet, and there were probably a hundred people standing in line. Oh, and this airport is too small to have an AA Lounge. We found a place to get something to tide us over until dinner on the plane, and hunkered down reading our phones until check-in and time to board. I try to always book first class when I’m on a redeye as this allows me to sleep. And sleep we did until a half hour before we arrived in Chicago. A quick plane change and we were on our way to Cleveland. An hour later, we were on the hotel shuttle, retrieving our car from the Crowne Plaza, and driving an hour to Youngstown.
It’s good to be home, but that sure was a great vacation. I hope to make that trip again!
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Here’s a news flash. While I’ve been trying to get this travelogue finished, I’ve been planning the next Alaska cruise. Granddaughter, Miss C, expressed an interest in cruising with us. Then Tyler said, “Maybe we could all go.” And that ball started rolling downhill. Scott said he’d like to be in the party. So in October of 2023, I booked a cruise with three cabins and seven people. My first-born and his lovely lady; my baby and his precious wife and 15yo daughter; and Jas and myself will sail round trip from Seattle in early June, 2025, sailing up the coast of B.C. and Alaska. Our itinerary includes cruising Puget Sound; scenic cruising in Stephens Passage; a ten-hour stop in Juneau; cruising Glacier Bay; a five-hour stop in Icy Strait Point; an 8-hour stop in Sitka; a 5-hour stop in Ketchikan; four hours in Victoria, B.C.; and disembarkation in Seattle. I can hardly wait!
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