Jerel brought my luggage up from storage, and I've washed all the warmer clothes I'm planning on taking. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean the clothes have been placed into the suitcase! :rolleyes:

NO action here - probably Sunday???

I have lists (and lists and lists). Being my third time to Alaska, you'd think I'd have it figured out by now....oh no.

This weekend is packing time.

I have so many things that I said to myself "oh I can take this to Alaska". Trouble is I can't remember what they were!!!

I made a packing list and e-mailed it to my SIL and her sister, but I have already lost it. Saturday is packing day for me (separating out gels and liquids to checked luggage in baggies, but packing lots of clothes in carry-on just in case luggage doesn't make it)

No list yet and no packing either. Have to keep house straight in case there is a showing. I have a feeling we will get home from work Monday and pack then. After all, we don't have to be to airport until 6:00am on Tuesday. ;)

That's time enough, Marc. We leave on Sunday at 5:45 a.m., and I figure Saturday night for packing. Just have to remember to pick up the dry cleaning and take the dog to boarding Saturday a.m. I like your style.

oh, the gels/liquids thing...that is really messing up my packing plans. I'll just have to adjust.

I can do it...I once went for over two days on a cruise with NO luggage. And the line I was on was not very generous (except to my husband)...long story.

Ever since then I pack only carry-ons when possible. I once went 10 days in Europe with only a carry-on (I wore lots of black). Can't really do that anymore since so many personal care products are now forbidden.

"I can do it...I once went for over two days on a cruise with NO luggage. And the line I was on was not very generous (except to my husband)...long story."

Who'd they give him Lauri??????

Cleaning is back from the cleaners
Toiletries stay somewhat packed from trip to trip and refilled already when I went on Monster of The Seas. I need to move them all out of my usual carry on now and put clothes in the carry on. :ohmy: Just my last minute makeup and every day use stuff there.

Started piling up warmer clothes in the guest bedroom. Just need to coordinate them with shoes and other accessories and put it together.

I always think I am so prepared ahead and then the angst of getting things all in sealed suitcases hits. Then even with my master packing list that goes from trip to trip, I think I may have forgotten something and somehow I end up with 3-4 hours sleep the night before we leave. That and worrying that I will miss the alarm clock the morning of a flight and the driver will appear and I will be in my pj's not even having had a cup of coffee.

I really wish I knew where I packed what. I'll find out, eventually.

I'm nutzoid now; if I tried to coordinate clothes, shoes and accessories I'd be living in a padded room.

I try to pack my clothes as outfits so I take less and don't forget something. That's the ideal. The problem is that I say, oh, let's take this top or those SHOES IN CASE! In case of what? In case my suitcase won't close and I have to take stuff out?

Why can't I be like my friend Anne (not LCT), who we met on the Mariner on our first Alaska cruise. She takes two carry on size pieces no matter where she goes? She takes lots of scarves, one pair of black pants and three tops and a jacket for her evenings and two pants and a few tops for days. It's all mix and match. She does laundry every couple days, which I really like to avoid when I travel.

Anne is the master of carry-on. I am the master of bringing it all. They travel much more than me. Sometimes, you just have to set your priorities.

I am almost finished packing but I am leaving Friday!

HA Ha. Packing? You must be kidding. We bought warm jackets, found our winter gloves and shoes. Packing will be reserved for the weekend. I am working through Monday and leave early on TUesday am. I will need a vacation!!

None of that packing business going on in NorCal until Monday night.

We usually don't pack until the night before a trip but this time we have an added challenge. I have to go on a business trip to Kennebunkport, Maine, from Thursday through Sunday. Mona is coming along. Since we leave early Monday for Vancouver we literally have to pack for two trips.

We have our Maine clothes and our Alaska clothes laid out. We'll we get back from Maine Sunday evening, do some laundry and then re-pack for Alaska. I hope it all works. Tom.

Tom,

Right near Walker Point is a restaurant called Seascapes. Next to that is a Lobstah Shack.
Both are out of this world dining experiences.

Roberta watched with great interest (and several suggestions)as I attempted to put most of the things on my list into the suitcase I had planned to take-Strike One-time to try the rolling duffel.

Thanks for the suggestions Kathy. One of my favorite restaurants, The White Barn Inn, is also nearby and we're havng dinner there Friday evening. I'm sure I'll have some great food as a prelude to MUSH. Tom.

Well most of the stuff I think I'm taking is out in the guest bedroom, Frank literally has his stuff already "sitting in" his suitcase. Its just last minute stuff. Bathroom bag is always packed and I just refilled everything before we traveled last month. We have Laura, Glenn and baby Lucy coming on Sunday, so we will need to be packed by then, as I don't want to miss a single second with that child because I'm packing. Lucky for us SIL Glenn will drive us to the airport Tuesday morning as they will be staying here till Thurs. So all in all we actually pretty well organized. Can't find my mittens though :mecry: and I haven't seen any in the stores, so guess I'll have to get some there.

Last night we made a list - 1 1/2 pages on legal pad - the usual - cancel the paper, leave instructions with housesitter, list clothes, stop mail, bank, so today errands (ugh I'd rather be getting little minute sunrays) Target, Books a Million, cleaners, on and on - start packing over the weekend - try clothes on (hate this part)as it is hot hot here and trying sweaters etc on is soooo boring - it'll all get done - Saturday night Mush Ponte Vedra get together, for cocktails, to rehash any last minute questions - everyone excited - can't wait to see you all - Joanna

Mark is mowing the yard, I am reading LCT, lol. I did all the chores that Joanna just listed and also filled out my "police report", we tell them we are going away and they sit in our driveway at night, lol. (a perk of living in a SMALL town!)

Tomorrow we will drop the kitten off at the sitters and be on our way! I am so excited to see everyone!!

Have a safe trip Karen - see you Tuesday in Vancouver!! 5:00 cocktails!!

Gee, Karen, and we were hoping that you were going to pack her in your carry on.

Kathy, I thought about it, I really am going to miss her! Though, sleeping all night without a kitten 1 inch from my nose will be nice, too!

Well the more I work on the packing the more frustrated I get. I mean like its 90 degrees here, I'm sitting around in shorts and sleevless T-shirt, with flip flops and I have to think about packing jeans, sweaters, sweatsuits, socks, jackets!! Not ready! I wonder if it will be at all warm enough to wear longer cropped pants with like a long sleeve T and tennis shoes? Will we need a jacket everyday? Things like that! Oh well guess I'll just throw in a mix of stuff and hope it works. Not to mention trying to keep my suitcase from weighing 3 tons!! :ohmy:

Same problem here JoAnn - it is hard to dig out the heavy things when we are dying from the heat down here! I am bringing LL Bean rain jacket with hood to put over sweaters, turtlenecks etc but no plans for heavy jacket - hope I am not making a mistake - I am trying to keep it to one suitcase for me -

JoAnn, I am bringing mostly long cropped pants and just 2 pair of jeans. Unless it's 30 degrees, the cropped pants will be fine for me!

Just checked weather in most ports. 55 high is average with drizzle

That's a heat wave, around here :)

Karen,

It's 96 here at the office.

Is that a 7 day Kathy? Or just today? 55 is starting to feel cold here.

55 would be awesome! Cool enough for a sweatshirt. I'm going to need something a little lower though to break out the fleece.

Well it is colder in Boston, thats for sure.

Where in Boston are you "princess" Andrea? Our youngest daughter and son in law just moved from the Boston area (Wrentham) a year and a half ago down to Richmond, which is a piece of cake - 2 hours, compared to as my husband says when we drove to Boston "eight states in eight hours" - lol provided of course there wasn't some major traffic issue in New York, or in some other place - which there often was!!

Speaking of Boston folks ..Carla and Frank from Boston and the Cape will be on Mush - (they are babies)...neat couple - Carla and I talked for ??? how long Carla??? when she was driving from the Cape to Boston the other day - cannot wait to see them!!! Joanna

I live in a castleminium in the South End, right in the city. I'm very spoiled with my 15 minute commute to work (I still miss my 10 minute commute to my old job).

Oh, I'm sure you enjoyed your drives to visit your daughter! Nothing like tie ups on 95, that's for sure. I let my husband do the driving in the city - I drive when we're on vacation.

Today it was 55 in Sitka, Skagway and Ketchikan when I looked at today's weather.

Snow on THE MOUNTAIN (Mt. McKinley) - they call it THE MOUNTAIN in Alaska.

I love Boston. JoAnn - that's where Laura and Glenn came on board and had lunch when we cruised there. We went to eat lunch at Todd English's Kingfish place at the Quincy Market. Love that place.

Thats right Kathy - they were living there when we did Canada/New England.

Andrea - they also lived in town the first year they were there, I don't remember if it was South End or West End, but SIL could walk to work at the Prudential building as I recall.

JoAnn, sounds like the South End. I worked in the Hancock Tower for 5 years. It's great, but you can't really use the "I can't get in because of the snow" excuse!

I lived in Cambridge and Belmont in the 60's- big change, today, no doubt -