Monthly Archives: October 2015

This was my first cruise on Holland America but my ninth cruise overall. I’ve also cruised on Royal Caribbean and Carnival, but I’m a loyal customer of Norwegian. Or I should say I was loyal until I found a better price with Holland America. That coupled with recommendations from friends for the HAL Alaskan cruise caused me to “jump ship.”

As I explained in an earlier post, we upgraded our cabin to a suite which was sweet. We appreciated the increased square footage in the room and on the balcony, but the bathroom was really sweet with double sinks and a whirlpool tub that I used several times.

Stateroom 6113 on the Oosterdam

Vanity area in our cabin

Our cabin looking out to the balcony

Sofa in our cabin aka Sheryl’s bed

Double sink in our cabin bathroom

Whirlpool tub in our cabin bathroom

Separate shower in our bathroom

Setting sail from Vancouver —Jim on the balcony

Sheryl sitting on our balcony

We typically spend very little time in our stateroom on a cruise but with a balcony, we actually spent more time than usual, especially once we got to the glaciers. But there’s so much more to do onboard than sit in your stateroom. When we were in port we were usually off the ship but we had plenty of time to explore the ship and experience the activities onboard.

HAL Oosterdam

Overlooking the pool on the HAL Oosterdam leaving Vancouver

HAL Oosterdam

HAL Oosterdam

An early experience included Jim as part of the show for the axe throwing competition. Instructed by a real Alaskan lumberjack on his way to a competition in Ketchikan, the two teams of four men each faced off. Jim was the first competitor and he buried his axe into the target on his first try. While Jim didn’t win the competition, the final winner was on his team.

Axe throwing competition on the Oosterdam

Alaskan Lumberjack on the Oosterdam

Jim and Jamie the Lumberjack

Sheryl and Jamie the Lumberjack

We attended several cooking classes where we learned how to cook the halibut Jim caught on his fishing excursion and the salmon we purchased in Alaska.

HAL Oosterdam cooking class

And the wine tasting was one of my favorite activities.

HAL Oosterdam wine tasting

I think we took in the entertainment every night while onboard and I was impressed by the quality of the stage shows. Photography isn’t allowed so, unfortunately, I can’t show you. But when we returned to our stateroom, our steward would often leave a little surprise when he turned down the cabin.

HAL Oosterdam towel art

Later in this series of posts from our Alaskan adventure, I’ll likely post food pictures because the food was good and the presentation was definitely photo-worthy.

But all of this pales when compared to the scenery we saw both on and off the ship in the inside passage and in Alaska. Check back next time for scenes and stories from the inside passage and our first port at Ketchikan, Alaska.

Based on events in June 2015.

Charles City, Iowa calls itself America’s hometown and once you visit, you’ll understand why. The North Iowa Bloggers were prepared to enjoy our visit to this delightful town of 7,500 people but I, for one, was unprepared for the warm friendly welcome we received beginning with Ginger Williams, from the Chamber of Commerce. It was the same everywhere we went.

My day normally begins with coffee but on this trip, one of our bloggers, Mary Hopper from Natural Plus Nursery, led us first in a yoga class which was awesome and heightened my anticipation for my morning coffee at Aromas.

Aromas Coffee is a world-class coffee shop. Bryan Elsbury really knows his coffee and the information he shared with us was almost as good as his coffee. Did you know the first coffee came from Ethiopia? Did you know one coffee tree produces just 2 lbs. of coffee in a year? Or that there are only two kinds of beans, arabica, grown above 3000 feet and robusta, grown below 3000 feet? The best tip I learned though is that a medium roast releases and reveals the most flavor from the bean but a dark roast hides it. A dark roast is like eating a well-done steak–which I would never do. Fascinating and educational. If you’re a coffee lover, you must check out Aromas.

Aromas, Charles City, IA

Aromas, Charles City, IA

Downtown Charles City in October was definitely decorated for autumn and we felt like they were putting on their best for us.

Fall Decorations on Main Street

North Iowa Bloggers on Main Street, Charles City

They even had a parade. (Not really for us. It was homecoming, but lots of people turned out to watch.)

Homecoming parade in Charles City

And then because it’s Pinktober, we all got pink hair extensions in Central Park as part of a fundraiser for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

NI Bloggers support Breast Cancer Awareness

We ducked in and out of shops all along Main Street, but one of my faves was definitely Darbe & Co. Boutique. Deb McNeilus provided us with darling gift bags, a wine tasting, and royal treatment. The shop is full of fashionable women’s apparel that was a big hit with all of us bloggers.

Main Street is a treasure trove of old architecture and I just had to capture a bit of it.

Main Street, Charles City

Although not on Main Street, we stopped by Otto’s Oasis, with “Florist, Gifts, Home and Garden Decor Greenhouse and Landscape Services,” where they also had a goody bag for us and gave us a tour of their greenhouse and garden decor. It was fun to see hundreds of green poinsettia before they turned their vibrant Christmas hues.

Charles City has a number of beautiful parks and the ones we visited were especially gorgeous with fall foliage nearing its peak. The historic pedestrian suspension bridge was destroyed in the floods of 2008 and has been replaced with a new one which was very impressive.

Central Park, Charles City

View of the Cedar River from Kate McLeod Park at sunset

View of Charles City Suspension Bridge from the park

NI Bloggers on the pedestrian Suspension Bridge across the Cedar River

I can’t visit a place without talking about the food. We had pub grub the first evening at The Pub on the Cedar. Good food, great service and if you’re a sports fanatic, plenty of screens to catch whoever is playing. If only it had been warmer that evening, I’d love to have eaten on the deck with a view of the river.

The Pub on the Cedar, Charles City

Or, if you’re more into fine dining, Three C Bistro is my definite recommendation. (Three C stands for Cavanaugh’s Charles City.) The owner and chef, James Cavanaugh, has created an attractive venue with excellent food.  I had the special which was a steak with braised cabbage and potatoes. How often do you see braised cabbage on a menu? It was delicious.

Three C Bistro, Charles City

There is so much more we didn’t have time to see and do in Charles City including the Carrie Chapman Catt Girlhood Home, the early 1900’s tractors at the Floyd County Historical Museum, and Iowa’s first Whitewater Park, to name just a few. I guess another trip is in order.

Come home to Charles City, Iowa. You’ll be glad you did.

All Things Travel receives free products for review purposes, and may sometimes be compensated for posts. All opinions expressed are solely from lclalor.wordpress.com. My opinions are my own and were not influenced by any form of compensation. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

As a member of the North Iowa Bloggers, I was provided a free art class by The Rustic Corner. All thoughts and opinions are 100% honest and my own.

No one has accused me of being especially artistic. EVER. Least of all anyone who actually is artistic.  As a North Iowa Blogger, I’ve managed to avoid several opportunities to get in touch with my artistic side. So, I had some trepidation when I learned the Blogger Getaway to Charles City, Iowa, included an art class at the Rustic Corner.

The Rustic Corner

On the other hand, I am an expert shopper. I love to shop. When we arrived at the Rustic Corner, I saw an attractive shop stocked with lots of home decor, gifts, and accessories, and my natural inclination was to shop. It was hard to tear myself away to report to art school, but I dutifully followed the others upstairs and found a place at the table.

In the interest of full disclosure, I immediately informed our instructor, Robin Macomber, from Art Box Painting, that this was my first art class and that I suffered from a lack of artistic ability. She took it in stride and assured me I could do it.

Robin, our art teacher

Robin took us step by step through the process of putting paint to canvas with a lot of fun along the way.

Step One

The process actually fascinated me. We started with the yellow sun, then added one color after another in a widening circle using the same process each time to blend with the prior color.

In Process

Then we added the leaves which were actually easier than I thought.

My painting in process

Once the canvas was covered, we took a short break for lunch and admired our progress.

Nearing completion

Then it was back to work to add the final layer of trees. Finally, we proudly displayed our final products.

Finished Products

I’m so happy to have been given the opportunity to experience the fun and satisfaction of creating a piece of art. Robin is a good instructor, very encouraging, and a lot of fun.I will definitely repeat the experience in the future.

And following our art class, I had time to shop. I found these deliciously warm and cozy mittens which I just had to buy.

My purchase from the Rustic Corner

Now that I’ve discovered the Rustic Corner and confirmed that it’s “worth the trip every time”, I want to share it with all my friends. In addition to the art classes and the shop, their website shows Wednesday Wine Down on the third Wednesday of each month. Who wants to go?

Lclalor.wordpress.com receives free products for review purposes, and may sometimes be compensated for posts. All opinions expressed are solely from lclalor.wordpress.com. My opinions are my own and were not influenced by any form of compensation. This disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.