Tag: travel

Tourist

“Tourist” is not a bad word. It can be said, at times, so that it does sound like a a bad word. “look at how they are driving, they must be a tourist”, “That person has a few cameras, they must be a tourist”. “Tourists, should go home and leave our town/city/state alone”. Traveling is and can be fun. Being a tourist can be exciting and fun also. AS a tourist, I have hiked, snuba dived, in the Bahamas, explored caves and caravans in Mexico, I have zip lined, Used a wave runner in the Bahamas, Explored volcanoes in Hawaii, took a tour of Puerto Rico, took another tour in Mexico, walked the beach in Haiti, walked the beaches in Hawaii, traveled across the international date line, took many of pictures, and spent money in each and every community we visited. Tourism can help states, countries, and the local economy. Yes it can also hurt the same, it can destroy nature, it can cause many of headaches. Living in a tourist area, I have seen both good and bad. Every where my wife and I go, we are always telling those that we meet that we are from Alaska. Often it will open a chance for people that have not been to Alaska to ask questions. Sometimes we share some of the lies and misconceptions about our area (Ketchikan). Alaska is on many peoples bucket list. We are proud that we have had a chance to live here. We enjoy being a traveler, a tourist, but we also enjoy being an ambassador for Alaska. There often is a energy and excitement when people travel. Our advice to those we encounter is just to make it happen, don’t continually put it off. No one is promised tomorrow. As I told our granddaughter the other day, today is a gift, that’s whys its called the present. Don’t let fear still your dreams, your things on your bucket list.

A friend of a friend

Living in SE Alaska can be challenging at times, many places wont’t ship their products to Alaska without charging lots for shipping. We do have a hospital in Ketchikan, but for major things it’s often better either to fly toSeattle (1 hr 40 min) or to fly to Anchorage (about a 5 hr flt). The other day my wife said that she was having trouble with one of her eyes, so I called the local eye clinic, explained that she had a area of blackness in her sight of one eye. They wanted her in to the clinic instantly. About a half hr later we were there, they did an exam and said that she had a tear in her retina and needed emergency surgery or would loose vision in that eye. A friend at our church made a phone call to her friend and explained the situation, turns out that our friend’s friend also went to church and believed in the same Bible that we do. This friends friend picked us up in Anchorage at the airport, took us to my wife’s eye exam appointment, her and her husband opened their house to us, as if we had been friends all our lives. My wife’s surgery was scheduled a few days later as they didn’t do surgery over the weekend. The husband of my wife’s friend friend took us to the surgery place today. I am writing this from the surgery waiting room, as my wife is in surgery now. It has been said that you don’t know what you don’t know, which is true, but I would like to change it, you don’t know your friends friends often, but when you have a chance they can be a true answer to prayers and the strength and blessing that you may need in times of distress, times of trials and troubles. I also believe maybe when FB started that’s why it would recommend your friends friend as a possible friend to you. If you get a change meet some of your friends friends expand your people circle, there are many good people out there.

Instagram pictures

So a while back we had our portfolio on Zenfolilo, that cost over $100 a year, since our return on that was almost non existent, we cancelled that. since then we have displayed some of our pictures on Instagram, here is the link to it. If your looking for pictures of cruise ships, Alaska sunrise or sunsets, totem poles, eagles, black bears, or some travel pictures let us know. Trying to make it so that people can order digital copies of our pictures, without the watermarks, to use as they see fit or just to print and display.

https://www.instagram.com/sp8s_studio/

Bears

So we just finished another E-Book. This one is a picture book of black bears that are seen in and near Ketchikan Alaska. Many people travel as tourists to Ketchikan every year, most want to see black bears in the wild. Some get a chance to see them, many do not. Seeing them depends on the tide and the time of the day as well as bears can’t tell time, so they show up when they want. This book is a combination of many years, just waiting until they arrive.