Alaska!

What a Week!  Thank you all for the Bon Voyage and Birthday messages and comments.  Alaska was just as I had hoped.

Mainly I loved the majesty of its natural unspoiled beauty.

Here is an IG collage of our funny start.  A flight on a Beechcraft prop plane to Toronto to catch our flight to Vancouver. 

No services at all - in fact the bathroom is right behind Hanna's seat, lol!  I did have nice natural stitching light as we flew by Niagara Falls.

Here is a few photos of our floating home:  The Volendam.

After a day at sea, I had a fabulous 54th Birthday Aboard.  It was the first of 2 Gala nights.

Most people hate the the funny photo opps....not us!   We had to buy coats on the ship as it was a lot colder than we expected.

I was very excited to see my first glacier: Mendenhall in Juneau.

It is very hard to capture the size and scope of the glacier.  It is about 12 miles long.

We also went Whale watching in Juneau.  If you have ever gone whale watching you know there is more "watching" then "seeing".

Here is a baby humpback trying to breach.

We watched a Mama and baby for a long time.  While the Mama was below feeding, the baby was fooling around and kept trying to breach.  

Mama came back and showed the little one just how to do it!  The ranger on board said this was very rare and he was thrilled to see it.

I won't bore with a million that look the same, but it really was a life's dream to see this in wild.

I also was thrilled when we got a peek at her flukes.

In Skagway we boarded a narrow gauge train for a ride through the White Pass & Yukon.

How fun!  This is family camping in this old rail car.  They came out and waved.    I must get dropped off and picked up.

I have to thank my friend, Shaula, in Clyde, Tx for recommending we not miss this incredible ride.  The views were stunning.

 Here we are at the top of the pass - our train looks like a toy.

Our excursion stopped at Liarsville - I can't recommend it, but we had some laughs.

Here is an IG at the Canadian/US border and Liarsville.

Back in town we met these 2 huge dogs.  A Tibetan Mastiff and a Leonberger.   That is a full grown man standing behind Dervish....

Most photographed building in Skagway.  It is covered with driftwood.

It rained the day we visited Glacier Bay National Park.  We saw 3 different glaciers.  It was rainy, cold, rainy and did I mention the all day rain?

The boats in the foreground give you an idea of how big that glacier actually is.  It is huge.

 A panoramic view from our stateroom balcony.

We saw lots of birds and some eagles, but no whales.  We heard other people did.  Isn't that always the way?

We celebrated Hanna's 23rd Birthday aboard on June 6th.  What a fabulous double birthday week we had.

We graduated from a Grey Goose Mixology Class learning recipes for 4 different Vodka cocktails.

We took 2 of our drinks to Bingo where I finally hit it big.  I won $260. on very last bingo game of the cruise (a coverall on the yellow card).

Last stop

We took a Cultural Tour in Ketchikan which was fascinating.   I loved seeing the Totem poles and learning more about them.

 Did you know that each one tells a story?

 they are such great examples of regional folk art.

As we sailed slowly through the inside passage, we saw many hauntingly beautiful views like this one.

Back in Vancouver we spent the afternoon in Stanley Park.

 Roses just love that climate.

 This rose had about a dozen different shades on one bush.

The air was scented with roses.

Before leaving for our trip I told Hanna I hoped to find a nice Inuit Dolly and I sure did.

I've named her Bird Song.  Isn't her fur costume cute?  At some point I'll make her a special doll quilt.

 Yay!  I also pressed 2 pennies.

I stitched almost all the stems and berries on this trip and will share progress next week for sure!

If you are still with me, thanks for letting me share my trip.

I went very far from home and found what I was looking for:
Wonder.

xo