Surprise! And Some Background.

It’s early morning, and we are in a fog bank somewhere in Southeast Alaska. Carol, Maddy, Torie, and I are on a cruise from Seattle to Alaska on the Westerdam – part of the Holland American line.


Every so often the foghorn blows – visibility is not great, and even with radar it must be nerve-wracking for the captain and navigational crew.

We’re on this cruise because I was invited to be a speaker by CPAC – Conservative PAC – on their cruise. There are other, more famous folk here – Sec Def Rumsfeld, who told a great Margaret Thatcher story yesterday, Grover Norquist, and Ralph Reed are the featured. But, my presentation was very well received.

It’s a little strange traveling without Julia – she’s busy dodging Hurricane Irene back east. It’s also a little weird traveling this close to our most recent European trip. Carol and I weighed the pros and cons of going – when would we get an opportunity like this again, should we really go this close to our last trip AND this close to the start of the school year. Obviously, we came down on the side of taking the free cruise.

Well, it’s not really free – I’m free, and Torie is a very reduced rate, so we are getting four people for the price of 2.5 or so. Plus, there’s airfare for all three. But, all in all, for the chance to go to Alaska in style, this seems like a pretty good (and affordable, relatively speaking) way to do it.

I also debated blogging the trip. Finally decided I had to – it is a Bolger family travel after all! I’m not sending it as far and wide though – lower key blog this time.