In The News

Surprisingly, nature can work wonders on even the most blasé youngsters

August 7, 2006

Barbara Bova- Naplesnews.com

There's not much that can move either of our grandsons, ages of 11 and 13, to wax poetic. They're far too sophisticated to be amazed at much.

After all, they've got the Internet. They're gamers. They create and play with others the most intricate and complicated games, which all seem to encompass blowing things up or killing the other players' characters.

These games have just enough reality in them to make the boys believe they are actually doing something. Such is it that virtual reality becomes actuality in the minds of too many young people these days.

My blasé grandsons think they know it all. And, if by some chance you happen to make a slip of the tongue or make a factual statement with which they disagree, they'll gladly let you know that they know it all.

But just because they know it all doesn't mean they've seen it all.

We've just returned from a trip to Alaska with our two grandsons. As we glided through the cold, clear waters, there was much excitement.

Our younger grandson, Danny, got a chance to hold a piece of a glacier that had broken off and was floating on the water like a beautiful ice sculpture. His always brilliant grandfather explained that the ice he was holding was over a million years old. The glaciers were blue from being so compressed that only the shortest wavelength of light can bounce off them.

A couple of years ago, we had taken the boys on a cruise around the Caribbean in one of those great big Holland America ships. It was wonderful fun for them, but pretty absent of anything meaningful.

For the Alaska cruise, we chose a small ship, Cruise West's Spirit of '98. It was our home for seven marvelous and exciting days. We had only 80 shipmates, most of them older folks like us. This might have been boring for two youngsters, but instead they were treated like very special people.

The boys got to know everyone on the ship by the time we left. Danny is especially outgoing. He quickly became the crew's pet passenger. I have a feeling that a lot of grandparents on board with us will be returning sometime with their own grandchildren.

It was easy to meet people and make friends. Everyone went to eat their meals at the same time, and the seating was open. So we had many different folks dine with us.

For the boys, it was a great opportunity to sit with so many adults, all of whom had stories to tell them. Our grandsons got lots of advice, to which, had it come from us, they would have said, "Oh, Grandma," and brushed us off. But strangers could counsel them and they listened.

Parents, take note. Boarding school during a child's teenage years might save everyone a lot of aggravation. Either that, or find an adult confidant — not a relative — that a teen will respect and listen to.

The delight of being on a small ship was that we were able to get closer to the glaciers than a larger boat could. We went through fjords where the glaciers had receded, leaving sleek purple mountains standing tall above us.

But the highlight of the trip was coming to a pass where the whales play. They cavorted all around our ship, as it stood quietly in the middle of a peaceful bay. Everyone on board was thrilled and delighted at the sight of these enormous but graceful creatures doing their dance for us.

Alaska, our last bastion of what nature does best, impressed even our grandsons with its grandeur.

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Cruise West – a second-generation, family-owned business based in Seattle – offers the opportunity to explore remote, worldwide locales by providing distinctive, one-of-a-kind, personalized itineraries not offered by the traditional larger cruise lines. Cruise West’s smaller ships – ten in all – hold between 70-138 people each, and the casual style onboard encourages relaxation and congenial interaction between guests and crew alike. The experience is personally enriching through expert Exploration Leaders providing onboard narrative and lectures, special local guests from a wide variety of backgrounds, and the library provided on each vessel. All have forward lounges and ample outdoor deck space for viewing and photographing wildlife and scenery. All vessels are also equipped with inflatable landing boats for close-up exploration of remote areas and shore landings.

Destinations served include: Alaska and the Bering Sea, British Columbia, Columbia & Snake Rivers, California Wine Country, Mexico's Sea of Cortés, Costa Rica & Panama, The U.S. eastern seaboard, the Caribbean, Japan, the South Pacific, the Kuril Islands, and the Great Lakes