A Tropical Moment
Hello Everyone:
Thought it was time to try a post and wish you all a good week. Got to talk to Jean this morning, Jon, Ben, and Isaac this afternoon. Wanted to share this photo with you all…I can almost smell the air surrounding this garden!
Jean will check with the Garden Club about adding Saturday for us. Guess everyone is cool with that? It will give us a place to meet and alternative to where we are staying and Jean’s house if the weather is crummy. Sounds like she is on the road to recovery, but is still in some pain. She’ll be in the sling for six weeks, but is beginning therapy this next week, I think. We arrive in Seattle at the terrible time of just after midnight on the 5th, so we’ll get our car and just get a room nearby for a few hours. Wednesday, we’ll most likely go to Robert’s to visit (and hopefully ride his new motorcycle a little) and then stay downtown somewhere that night in preparation of going on the Victoria Clipper Thursday. Most likely we’ll stay downtown or there abouts again Thursday night, then head for LaConner on Friday morning. We are still shopping for a car and lodging. We may stay up near LaConner at Samish Island Monday nite, although we need to be at the airport by 7:30 AM on Tuesday the 11th. Will play that by ear. What is everyone else planning? Am getting anxious. Should be a fun weekend. Love, Pete
January 20th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
I’m collecting a few Victoria options at http://del.icio.us/isaacwedin/victoria - mostly tea stuff so far but I’m sure there are other things to do. The more the merrier - I think the ferry gives us about 6 hours there, depending on what sort of customs scrutiny occurs. I think passports are required now?
January 21st, 2008 at 7:43 am
Yes they are Isaac…I haven’t been up there for years but they did pass that law about the passports. Sounds like a fun thing to do before the big weekend!
January 21st, 2008 at 8:43 am
Debra and I both have passports (thank to Debra, with a nudge from I+M). Funny thing, the first stamp in mine will be the very same place that I ever set foot out of the USA when I was in high school. Back then, we rode the “Princess Margaurite” and it took alot longer than a couple of hours. Nice that we’ll have six hours there. Hope others join in. Priss, any news on June dates? I will need to block them off soon, as we are getting some bookings coming in. Love, Pete
January 21st, 2008 at 12:37 pm
According to us border patrol site http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/ready_set_go/land_travel/ all you need is a government issued id and proof of citizenship, i.e. birth certificate.
Jon
January 21st, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Wow thats good to hear Jon…they announced on the news down here awhile back that you had to have a passport. Interesting. Canada is the only foriegn country I’ve been in too Pete. Duke and I used to go up there for our anniversary for years. I never got to ride the Princess margaurite though…but I can sing the jingle!!!
January 21st, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Just to muddy the waters… The State Department says you need a passport when traveling by AIR to Canada but not land/sea…until some later date, when you’ll need either a passport or a “passport card” (which won’t work for air travel!): http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html
Get a passport! Then you can go other places too, like Berlin and Nice…
January 21st, 2008 at 9:45 pm
I guess I will move getting a passport up on my to do list. I am glad I don’t need it to go to Canada. I heard it takes awhile so even if we went out today and started the process I am not sure we would have it by the time we go down. Maybe we should try. I don’t like the idea of having to travel with my birth certificate. I vaugely remember visiting Victoria as a child it was quite lovely and would love to go again.
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:45 am
Here’s the State Department’s page about getting a passport: http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html
If you pay more for “expedited service” they say you’ll get your passport in 3 weeks, otherwise it’s 4-6 weeks. They must have gotten through the backlog they had last year - I remember hearing 2 or 3 months.
January 22nd, 2008 at 2:19 pm
lisa…glad you remember victoria…there are a few pictures from one of our trips up there (did i give those to you?). the harbor is pretty incredible and butchart gardens is wonderful, too. anyhow, the trip sounds like big fun. we’ll kick it around. we had talked earlier about going after the reunion, but either way, it would be a short trip. we don’t have passports, either…let us know what the timeline on those is. jean just called and wanted me to confirm that the garden club is booked for saturday, too. we can hang out there after 10 in the a.m. l, j/d/gp