There's Gold in Them Thar Hills!

Finally to our first Port of Call, Juneau, and a chance to put our little piggies on Alaskan soil!(Yep those yellow tennie runners are mine! I need runnin' shoes to stake my claim! You can tell by the shoes who the novice was! *wink*)It was a fairly nice day although a little overcast. We didn’t have much time here . . . just the afternoon so we opted to do some exploring on our own!

And for those of you who think the goldrush is over -- -think again! There is indeed gold in them thar hills. We had gone to the shopping talk on the ship the day before and were given a “plethoria” (BB’s favorite word) of coupons and freebies to use in each port. We got off the ship running with our Holland America shopping bags to scoop up the loot and stake our claims before they were all gone! (see - - -BB is running in the picture below - --but clearly I am ahead and taking pics)

The best deal is the gold charm bracelet courtesy of Diamonds International . . .and then at each port and several in the Carribbean and other places you can collect a charm . . and its FREE! Of course they hope that you purchase a little bauble but many go in just for the freebies and they really don’t seem to mind!

Mom and BB purchased fur scarves for a fraction of the price here at home . . .Buy one for $19.99 and get one free! Heck of a deal and seemingly unbelievable. Well you know the old adage - - -“IF it seems to good to be true. . .. “ I had thought about getting one myself but figured it was something I really wouldn’t wear . . .and having to buy two . . I couldn’t think of anyone I thought might want one . . well except for Hallie - -I thought she’d probably love one for dressup!@ So I decided to pass . . .Good thing I did . . .. . The next day BB and Mom decided to wear there’s . . .and I do say they looked quite cute. (See how nice they look in the picture) Well they did look nice until they took them off - - -and their necks were black! At first I thought it was a shadow . . and I mean . .how do you tell someone . .. . “Your neck looks filthy!” There’s just no tactful way to say it - - -- So the bargain was a bust . . .Just like the miners of days gone buy . . . they had purchased equipment (hey scarves and jewelry are definitely “girl” equipment) and it was faulty!
We saw Sarah Palin’s house . . .and we waved . . .but she didn’t invite us in for tea or for any photos with her and the new baby - - -we were disappointed! We saw the Red Dog Saloon and were saddened to hear that our favorite comedian/piano player there has been stricken with a very serious illness and hopes to be back next year! Our thoughts and prayers go out to him . He has brought so much happiness and laughter to so many!

All in all our afternoon in Juneau was wonderful!