North to Alaska

The last month or so has been very busy here in Arizona. In a three week span, I took two Advanced Placement Tests for European History and English Literature, took the SAT and scored an 1880 out of a possible 2400 on my first run, and took four final exams as well as finishing a final project for my graphics class. This was all due to two factors: the end of the school year and the annual Stampin' Up cruise through Mum's work. This year's destination was Alaska and British Columbia.


We flew from Tucson to Seattle to catch the boat at the docks. Our cruise line was Celebrity, a favorite of my family's after having done a western Caribbean and Mexico cruise about six or so years ago. Also, for once, it was NOT raining in Seattle. Thankfully, I didn't need to quote the movie Sleepless in Seattle in which David Hyde Pierce (famous for portraying Miles on Frasier), who is playing Meg Ryan's brother, says, in a very calculating, monotone way, "It rains nine months of the year in Seattle."

Our first stop on the cruise was Ketchikan, Alaska, the first official city. It resembled more of a fishing village than anything, but it did have a very awesome and entertaining lumberjack show (see picture below). Something interesting though is that all of the towns we visited in Alaska are "landlocked" where you cannot reach it by road. You have to either fly in on a sea plane (which about 25% of the population are licensed to fly), or come in by boat.

The guy in the middle was, quite obviously, one of the lumberjacks.

The second stop was the capital, Juneau, which isn't much different from Ketchikan. However, I did manage to buy a very cool book on how to make "chain mail" jewelry, which is basically just necklaces and things made out of metal chain. On the way to Juneau, we sailed through the Tracy Arm Fjord, which looks a lot like the Grand Canyon if it was brown stone, covered in trees, and in an environment with a lot of snow.

The Tracy Arm Fjord near Juneau, Alaska, home to a giant glacier.

The third stop was the final one in Alaska: Skagway. It is possibly one of the worst named towns in all of the world. Dad lovingly (or so I think) calls it Skankway. It was the most charming of the three Alaska towns we visited and tried hard to keep the gold rush era atmosphere, restoring a bunch of their old buildings.

This was taken in downtown Skagway. Those mountains are not a backdrop. They are real.

The official final stop was Victoria, British Columbia and by far, my favorite. Its a tourist stop to be sure, but because of the large number of Irish pubs, it feels kinda like a college town without the college. The Parliament Building, which was built just in time for, I believe, the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's (whom the town was named after) reign. Covering the building are a vast number of little lights, matching the number of diamonds on the British Queen's crown.

This is us in the garden in front of the Empress Hotel in Victoria. Thankfully, the weather was slightly more temperate in BC, but we still had the wear what was basically the warmest clothes we owned. Dad bought his specifically for the trip and my jacket is one that I mostly wear to school on days when they forget to turn the air conditioning off in my class's main building (which can get very cold in the middle of winter when its only 60 or so outside).

Special Note: my jacket is referred to by my friend's as the "Napoleon jacket" or the "Rasputin jacket" depending on who you talk to. Reasons for calling it a Napoleon jacket: because it is designed to look like a military jacket from the 1800's, and because I am very small, adding to joke about "little" Napoleon (even though he was actually average height for the time which was 5'8"). Reasons for calling it a Rasputin jacket: because it is slightly longer and resembles a Russian coat a little. Also, on my biological father's side, I am Russian (even though on that same side, I am also French).

Our trip overall was cold, but a lot of fun. We spent most of our time hanging out on the boat, playing cards or chess (which I have, excitedly, finally beat my dad at), or eating coconut cookies (my dad's new addiction). However, when we returned from our week long trip, our cat, Sasha, was more than mad at us and has willingly taken revenge by crying for most of night, much to Mummy's chagrin.

The desert flowers are blooming now so stay tuned for more!

Puggy Dreams

Last week, my mum went to Salt Lake for a Stampin' Up convention and my dad flew to Madison for the annual Woodrow Golf Tournament (which consists of only him and fifteen of his closest friends). Meanwhile, I stayed here, in Tucson, with a friend of mine who just returned from Japan. She'd been living there the past six months so this was a great time to reconnect. Before I left the house however, I took a video of our dog, Isabel, to remember her by. Now, for those of you who know Izzy, you may have realized that she is a VERY hard sleeper. You can walk over her several times, slam doors, and such, but she won't wake up. This video proves it. Also, Mozart, our tabby cat, makes an appearance and my dad can be heard in the background, talking to the man who was fixing our security system (that's what all the beeping is). Enjoy this funny little video courtesy of my new 5th Generation, RED-Bono's-new-clothing/accessory-line version iPod.

Sonoita: the "Tuscany" of AZ

What are two things that you never think would go together that do so perfectly in AZ? The answer: desert and vino.

Yes, Arizona has a wine country, mostly the south-eastern corner of the state. Patagonia is the wine capital of the state, but the area with the most wineries is a small town a few miles north, Sonoita. Boasting over nine wineries in its vicinity, Sonoita is the kind of place where there are only two great restaurants (one being a saloon joint called the Stake Out, the other Italian) and two gas stations, one at each end of the main road. The entire area is made up of nine streets (two of which are major highways), but the rolling hills and snow-capped mountains offer one of the most scenic drives in the entire state.



The center of Sonoita is only an hour and fifteen minutes south of Tucson and makes a wonderful day trip. Our first stop was the fairly new winery, Kief-Joshua. It is a small, family owned vineyard set on 20 acres of land. Their tasting room and shop are set in the first floor of their house, making it the perfect setting for a family buisness. The owner, Kief Manning, has a degree from the University of Melbourne in Viticulture and Enology (yes, that is an actual degree). He personally runs the tasting room, which is open every day except for Christmas. However, it is not just people who love this vineyard retreat set in the middle of nowhere. Petey, a local roadrunner, is a daily guest, followed Kief around the property as he does his work. This little friend has even made a point of greeting guests and he is a charming bird to be sure.

Our second vineyard that we stopped at was The Village of Elgin (named for the local area, which is Elgin). It is also called Four Monkeys Winery, but it goes by either name, if not both. Although the interior setting of the tasting room is not as romantic, it shows all of the different kinds of wine that Four Monkeys offers. Each wine is divided into three catagories: White, Rose, and Red. The names differ based on where the grapes could be from, the names of saints, or even the niece of the owner. Online ordering is possible for they sell their wines in local liquor stores across Arizona.

However, one of the greatest parts about our day trip was not just the wine, but the food. At Kief-Joshua, we picked up a jar of their Chardonay Artichoke Salsa. One bite leaves a burn in your mouth that won't even go away with a glass of milk. Viaggio Italiano, the local Italian restaurant, has views of mountains to dazzle anyone and the food is as authentic as it is delicious. On the walls hang retro Italian posters from various operas such as La Boheme, mixed in with a signed photo of Pavarotti and framed copies of the recipies that the owner's grandmother used for her Italian cuisine (which are now offered as meals on the menu).

If one is spending a week in Arizona and doesn't want a traditional touristy look at the state, the Sonoita-Elgin Wine Country is the place to be.