C O M M E N T A R Y
Alaska, Our
Family Frontier
By John Wilson
John Wilson
Eagles flying above. All of this put us in
the heart of extraordinary scenes, from
the earthquake fault lines to beautiful
mountain vistas, all glories of nature that
defy description. One hundred-year-old
totem polls told us a lot about the history
of Alaska’s native Indians, who carved
them as memorials and monuments to
their own families, people and places to
be remembered for posterity. At the Seattle
Aquarium, the marvel of nature begged
us to stay, and reminded us that there is
so much more that lives in the water than
we know. We finally ended our voyage at
Seattle’s famous Pike’s Fish Market.
We had a glorious time aboard our ship
that held 2,700 people from all over the
world including several from our own
Tampa Bay area. However, the best part
of it all was when our family sat down
for meals, when we shared stories and
played our own games without iPads or
I CALL IT THE TRIP OF A
lifetime. All the Wilsons (14
people), our three sons and
their families that included six
grandchildren, set sail for Alaska
from Seattle aboard the MV
Norwegian Pearl, a big cruise ship
that is described as “family friendly.”
With bowling lanes, karaoke, and
all kinds of games and fun stops for
the young ones and a spa, first class
lounges, bars and entertainment for
the more mature, it lived up to its
reputation. Mary K. and I had taken
an Alaska cruise five years ago with
retired members of the US Air Force
Thunderbirds, as Mary K.’s brother,
Joe Burton, had served two tours of
duty with the team. That trip was very
different; as on this one, everything was
about our family being together.
We also found it to be the perfect way
for us to celebrate my retirement from
my long career in TV news. Having our
family together to share memories and
good times was pure joy. Whale watching,
sea lions, harbor seals, black bears, more
salmon than you can imagine, water
falls, towering mountain peaks covered
with snow and incredible glaciers that
are melting and growing at the same time
fascinated us, as we visited quaint villages
and towns built on little more than solid
rock. Our memories began piling up as
we went from Glacier Bay to Skagway,
Ketchikan, the capital city of Juneau, and
then on to Victoria, British Columbia.
The cable car ride up the side of Mount
Roberts in Juneau took our breath away,
as we watched stately and graceful Bald
cell phones. Each family member
got to perform and then watch the
dynamics of a bevy of proud parents
and their creative and really talented
offspring, as they enjoyed being
together.
Living in close quarters on
a ship for a week has a way of
forcing resolutions to unpredictable
circumstances that might otherwise
go unresolved someplace else.
However, aboard a cruise-ship, there
is nowhere else to go; and the cruise
becomes a crash-course on how to
be together and share everything
intimately.
We are already planning our next
family trip together, and that restores
the faith I have in the joy of family and the
unity of just being together with people
you love. I’m looking forward to sailing on
with my whole crew to our next port of call.
9
EDITOR’S NOTE: John Wilson ended
50 plus years of radio and television news
broadcasting with his final goodbye on WTVT
Fox 13 on November 26, 2014, the day before
Thanksgiving.
126 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015