Audrey Stacy (middle, seated) is seen here at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, one of many places in the U.S. and other countries she visited during a life filled with wanderlust.

As I sit to write this, we are in that beautiful transition to fall. The trees have had their glory days, grow older and are beginning to wither, but not before that one last show of color and spirit. 

Our lives are a bit like that. We start out as little buds and grow through the years with all the experiences that life gives us. At the end of our journey, we hope for a beautiful, vibrant show.

Audrey Stacy had that life and many journeys. She is the one you have probably seen in more of our travel pictures than anyone else. She developed a travel bug while married to a military man and it never went away. At 102, she was still looking forward to many more trips. She was already booked on a Mexican coastal cruise next March and wanted to go on our river cruise in April. She had even looked far enough forward to think about going on one of the July Alaska cruises.

We had just been up to Vancouver on a short trip when she became ill. We returned to her home and she went to see her doctor. He placed her in St. Joseph Medical Center, and early on the morning of Oct. 7, she closed her eyes and embarked on her final journey. Her heart, which guided her on so many adventures, finally took her on this last one.

We all need to take a look at someone like Audrey who lived life to the fullest.  She had her bucket list and enjoyed ticking off the items. 

Life is short. We can spend our last days wishing or we can spend them doing the things we have always dreamed of. Make your plans to come along with us on our senior adventures. Get out and enjoy life while you still can. Most of us will not make it to 102, but we can have fun trying.

 

Linda Finch, who wrote this article, can be reached at 253-927-8207 and linda.finch@gmail.com.

     

What could be more fun than a family vacation? I mean a real vacation of a lifetime with the entire family. Well, I just did it.

Time moves so fast, and before you know it, the kids are moving away to college, getting married and having children of their own.  I thought it would be great to make one last big trip before we were so spread out.

With that in mind, 17 of us flew to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and took a Royal Caribbean Cruise on the Allure of the Seas.  What an amazing ship — and a very good way to allow everyone to do what they wanted to do.  The teenagers learned to surf on the Flowriders and do rock climbing. Even the adults tried the zip line, and absolutely everyone enjoyed the shows.  Each could go their own way and plan to meet the others whenever.

Our first two days were at sea to learn the ship and enjoy all the available activities. We had fun finding out who had the brains to win at trivia and who had the brawn to climb the rock wall.  Of course, there were those of us who enjoyed sitting by the pool and taking time in the spa.

Our first real stop was the RCCL-owned portion of Labadee, Haiti. This is a tropical playground with water sports, a water slide through lush tropical plants, a zip line over the ocean, miles of beautiful sand beaches, and warm water to play in. We spent the entire day, complete with a barbecue lunch and shops.

The next day it was a stop in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The teenagers took scuba lessons while the rest of us explored the city. We started at El Moro, the old fort built in the early-1500s, and wandered through the adjacent cemetery with the most beautiful graves you have ever seen. A walk along the old city wall took us into old town, where not all the shops were old but certainly tempting. It was very warm, and so we made a stop at the El Convento Hotel (remember watching “The Flying Nun” with Sally Fields? Filmed here) for a cocktail before continuing our walk back to the ship.

The last shore day was in St. Maarten/St. Martin (half French and half Dutch). These countries have been peacefully sharing the island for hundreds of years.  Some of the adults did a zip line, which also included suspension bridges over jungle washes. The boys took to sailing yachts with tall sails. The oldest of us just opted for a drive around the island.

Every night we would join at dinner and hear stories from everyone  how they spent their time. We learned that communication was of primary importance and that we needed to switch seats at the table every night so that we shared with everyone. We learned to have note pads and sticky notes for letting others know what we were doing and where they could find us.  Walkie-talkies might have been a good idea, but several used an app on their phones to communicate. We had made reservations for every show for the entire group. This was just another thing that we could share and then head out to the disco, the casino, or bed.

It was an amazing adventure and something that will be with us all forever. 

If you would be interested in organizing something for your family, I would love to help. Just give me a call at 253-927-8207 or e-mail me at lindafinch@gmail.com.

P.S  Don’t forget, there is still space for Cuba in February, Viking River Cruising in April, and a coastal cruise from San Diego to Vancouver.

 

Linda Finch, who wrote this article, is a travel planner.

               

Seattle has been lucky enough to be one of two cities chosen to view the amazing Terracotta Army. This collection of terracotta sculptures depicts the armies of Qin She Huang, the first emperor of China.  The army was buried with the Emperor in 10 B.C. to protect him in the afterlife.

We started our exploration with a stop to see the IMAX documentary “Mysteries of China.”  This tells “the story of ancient China, the first emperor and the literal foundation of the China we know today.”  The documentary and its recreations make the exhibit more believable and easier to understand.

The statues were discovered in 1974 by local farmers digging a well in Xian, China. It is estimated that over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses were buried in three pits. The figures are lifesize and vary in height, uniform and hairstyle according to their rank and/or position.  There are a variety of uniforms within the rank. Originally the figures were painted with bright colors, but when exposed to the air, much of the paint flaked off.  Several re-created figures have been painted to show what they would have looked like.

Other figures of non-military types were found in other pits. These included officials, acrobats and musicians.  Presumably, these were to assist and entertain the emperor in the afterlife.

The assumption is that the figures were made in workshops using local materials. Body parts were made separately and assembled near the pits, where they were then placed in precise military order,

Most of the figures held real weapons, many of which were either looted or rotted away. However, many smaller artifacts such as arrowheads, smaller swords, and daggers have been found intact.

Ten figures and other artifacts are on display at the Pacific Science Center and will remain there until Sept. 4. 

 

Amazing mountain

 

Amazing in its own right was our trip to Mount Rainier, certainly as ancient as the Terracotta Army, and ours to view almost every day.  We live in a beautiful part of the world, and it is so great that we can appreciate it firsthand. 

We took the day to drive to Paradise, see the wildflowers blooming and even make sure we had a snow cap to melt away and send us the water we need to keep us beautifully green. We had lunch at the lodge and, of course, made a stop at Copper Creek for blackberry pie on our way home.

There is still time to sign up for the February tour to Cuba. Trump seems to be adding some restrictions on travel to this country, but Collette Tours has been qualified as a People-to-People entity and one of the ways you can legally take this adventure. 

If you are quick, you may even be able to find space on the Sept. 23 Alaska cruise on Norwegian Jewel.  This is a 10-day cruise out of Seattle with a return to Vancouver. A variety of rates are still available.

Now is the time to really be thinking about next spring.  We have blocked space with Viking River Cruises for eight days out of Basel to Amsterdam and then, if you wish, continue on for another 10 days to explore tulips and windmills. Really nice cabins and an amazing airfare are available.

We are also holding space with Holland America out of San Diego to Vancouver  on May 1 if you would be interested in a coastal cruise.

For reservations and information, contact me at 253-927-8207 or linda.finch@gmail.com

A daytrip group pauses outside Pacific Science Center in Seattle during a visit to see the terra cotta sculptures of a Chinese army that date to 10 B.C.

 

Linda Finch, who wrote this article, is a regular contributor to Senior Scene.

 Just the phrase “traveling with dementia” brings on many, sometimes overwhelming, emotions — especially if you are the person responsible for making the decision and then going on the trip. Sadly, some may result in keeping the person with dementia from experiencing enjoyment and giving the caregiver very special good feelings.

There is so much that has been written about this complicated subject, and the information keeps constantly growing and is virtually never-ending, as more is discovered.

Just the fact that you are reading this indicates that you are at least considering traveling with a loved one or relative who has dementia. In most cases, a person with dementia can travel. But it’s up to you and others who make the decision if they should. This is the most difficult decision, and you should very carefully consider all the most important decisionmaking factors.

I don’t claim to have any new and exciting approach to this complicated subject, and I know that some of you have gotten information from the Internet, as I have, along with various organizations and conferences. That’s great. But what you can’t get anywhere are my years of personal experience.

Some things to ask yourself:

  •  Why do we want to do this? Do I really have my head screwed on straight???
  •  Have we done it before? How did it go? If not good, what went wrong? Can we overcome what went wrong? How will this trip be different from before?
  •  Consider physical challenges – stairs, wheelchair access.
  •  Financial considerations: Getting and staying there.
  •  Can we do this by ourselves? Who can come with us? Can we get help there? Will we invite friends?  Will they be help or just a comfort?

There will be a lot of soul-searching and honesty involved. Many persons with dementia become irrational and even abusive. You can’t manage the person in such a situation, and you can’t rationalize with someone who has lost their ability to be rational. In such a case, traveling will only do more harm than good, because it results in more frustration and confusion. Perhaps spending your energy, efforts and money making life at home as good as you can will be the wise decision.

 

David Westin, who wrote this areticle, was a basic 24-hours-a-day caregiver for his wife, Bette, who suffered dementia. They were assertive travelers, despite the considerable challenges they faced the last several years. They started a travel agency in 2000, so David has inside knowledge of the world of travel. He is available to talk on a one-to-one or family basis, and will also speak to organizations. His presentations this fall will be announced in Senior Scene.