northern exposure

Oh man, I LOVED that show!  Traveling in Alaska last month reminded me about the series.  Kooky show . . . . right up my alley.  I searched for the show on Netflix, but it is not available for instant streaming.  Ppppffftttt.  I guess I will have to settle for some Northern Exposure trivia facts:

  ~  The series is set in the imaginary town of Cicely in Alaska, and it was shot in Roslyn, Washington. Characters named Roslyn and Cicely appear on the show as the founders of the town

  ~  The fictional town of Cicely is based on Talkeetna, a small town 80 miles north of Anchorage by the Alaska rail.  *We were very close to this location!!!

  ~  Joel Fleischman had at least one good reason for being hesitant to get romantically involved with Maggie O'Connell. Five of Maggie's previous boyfriends had died and she even kept a "shrine" devoted to them on her mantel!

  ~  When Rob Morrow left Northern Exposure, the original idea was to replace him with a new actor in the same role. They would have (comically) said that he really looked different because of his new haircut. Maggie O'Connell would have said that she liked the new look much better. After thinking it over for a while, it was decided that Rob Morrow's fans might not care for that so Paul Provenza was cast in a brand new role as "Doctor Phillip Capra" and they left well enough alone

Yep; good TV, people.  Too bad they don't make them like they used to.

 Speaking of Alaska . . . . how about some more photos?!?!?!

This sweet ride took our entire crew (12 of us) whale watching!  The cruise ship docked in Juneau and we promptly took a shuttle down to bay and climbed aboard the Red Dolphin.  We had pre-booked this offshore excursion and were not certain what we were getting into, but this adventures was one of the finest we experienced.

With Captain Tim and tour guide Ben, we set off for a 3-hour tour . . . a three hour tour.  Hehe.  Just a little Gilligan humor to wake you up and see if you are paying attention.

I do not remember how long the jet boat sailed, but I do remember what we saw. 

Whales.

Seals.

Bald Eagles.

Oh, my.

An incredible experience I will replay in my mind over and over again.  And, even better, I got so see my kids faces light up with excitement and awe.  So cool!!!

Look!  Yet another family photo! 

We are all squinty-eyed because it was overcast . . . yet bright . . . and we were sitting on the bow of the boat . . . . the water reflecting. 

Ben's head looks like it is suspended between my and Maddi's shoulders. 

Ellie's expression makes me think she sat in something wet.

I look like I just got done saying "Would everyone just sit still and smile so we can get this photo taken!!!" 

But Dave; look at Dave!  He is smiling something fierce. 

Forget the not-so-great photo; we will look at this picture in years to come and only remember the whales.   And seals.  And bald eagles.  Did I mention whales?


Juneau.  Oh, Juneau.  You are so cute I could eat you up!

Views compliments of the 11th floor outdoor balcony of the cruise ship.  This was one place where I could imagine myself picking up my family and moving here.  Then I found out Juneau is an island only reached by boat or aircraft.  ::poof::  day dream exploded.

And that, my friends, is the end of my story.  Juneau?  (ju-know).  Hehehehehehe