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We started in Vancouver. The terminal has a wonderful native art area, set as a nature trail, and I only got a couple of good photos, but this is one.




















Granville Island is one of the coolest places I've ever been. The market is superb.




















Juneau Public Library; some of the ever-present flowers in Alaska.



























The islet was near Sitka, seen while we sought (and saw!) otters.
The stand of trees is at Icy Strait Point on a short trail not too far from Hoonah.
Our party agreed that Icy Strait was the best stop on the cruise--I spent ten minutes after this short trail standing beside a small pond, giving myself whiplash trying to look at and identify all the birds that I'd never seen before. It was fabulous.









As I mentioned, there are a few more photos in my Flickr set if you're interested.

M is off to Oregon with Seth's folks tomorrow, and Seth and I are still deciding if we are going to San Diego for the weekend or just hanging out at home. Both options sound good, and from what I hear, the weather is about the same either way! The fact that we have friends in SD who we've not seen in some time may well tip the scales.


And here, because all of you fashionistas DEMAND it, is herself in the latest summer coif......enjoy.

Honey, I'm home!

(Blogger won't let me post photos right now....ok, FINE)

Ok, here I am! The trip was wonderful, relaxing, stress-free and COOL!

Vancouver was as delightful as I recall it, and the people were just as kind, too. I love Canada. I speak Spanish pretty well, so I'm about ready to tackle French so's we can git on to the eastern parts of the Great White North as well.

The ship was wonderful. My hubby used to work for Holland America, and it was very interesting to see him go aboard as a passenger this time. He took the change quite well, and we were pleasantly surprised to find that the captain was someone he'd sailed with (and liked) before. He went fishing and two mid-size halibut are flying here as we speak. YUM.

The Inside Passage is just stunning. We had great views of the land all the way along, and the naturalist on board said that we were getting to go more slowly and see more than most ships he'd been on previously. I'd been lucky enough to take that same trip almost 10 years ago, and my memory served me well. It was just as gorgeous, and all the towns along the way (Ketchikan, which has a SUPERB yarn store, Juneau, Sitka, and especially Hoonah) were terrific.

My photos are none too good, but you can see them on my Flickr set. For anyone who wants truly spectacular Alaskan vacation photos, may I please send you post haste to Siri's blog? You will not be disappointed.

Anyhow, the return to the heat and the mountains of laundry (both clean and not) have slowed my blogging return, and we may well pop out of town for a few days this weekend, so fear not iffen youse don't hear from me for a few days again. I am trying desperately to catch up on everybody's blogs, and falling far short. But oh well.

Talk more at you later.

Auf Fwee Gogh!

Heading off for about 2 weeks--

VACATION! YAY!

Photos and stuff when I get back.

Party on, dudes & dude-ettes!

Probably more than you want to know...

For the August Birthday Swap!

(And if my partner is a tech-minded person, I'm not ashamed to say I'd love a tutorial in saving the birthday button from Abigail's blog! You can tell by my rag-tag collection that I have yet to master this part of blogging.)

What day is your birthday?

August 6th. My 44th this year, and I'm not ashamed to tell anyone!

Are you crafty?

Well, I like to think so. I'm a dabbler and I do like to try new things. Knitting is something I've really stuck with, and I like playing with wire for jewelry and figures, and noodling with wood is an interest as well...

Would you enjoy things like: Buttons, ribbons and embellishments?

Yes! I'll find a use for almost anything.

Do you dye your own wool?

Haven't yet, but I'm game.

Do you like to scrapbook or make homemade cards?

No on the scrapbooking, yes on the cards.

What small project would you be interested in making?
Socks, mittens, scarf, hat, baby items, wash cloths, doilies, shrugs etc

I'm still working on my first pair of socks, but anything in the list would be worth a try.

What are your favorite scents?

I haven't yet found a cologne/perfume that I like for me, but I'm partial to citrus-y scents, and I like things that have really clean, cotton-y smell.

Do you like stationary and cards?

Yup.

Do you like hand lotions or soaps?

Soaps, yes. I'm picky about lotions--most are too strongly scented for me.

Do you like to sew or embroider items?

I'm in remedial sewing with my very patient mother-in-law as my mentor, and I'm starting to embroider, so yes (with training wheels).

Do you like beads?

Yup.

What kind of mail-able snacks do you like to eat?

Salty, crunchy or nutty things. Can't really mail chocolate here this time of year (sob).

Do you like to wear costume jewelry? Necklace, earrings, bracelets etc.

I have a few pieces of jewelry that I wear every day, so not really, but I'm always looking for interesting earrings, so they're a possibility. I like small ones and mostly wear the French or fishhook style.

Do you like to play cards or board games?

Yes!

What are your favorite colors of yarn?

Greys, greens, deep reds and purples.

Do you like solid, variegated, heathers, or self striping yarns?

All of the above.

Do you like kitchen magnets or key rings?

Yes to the magnets, but I'm well-covered in the keychain department!

Do you like picture frames?

Yes, if they aren't too fussy or foo-foo.

Do you like to make/or use stitch markers?

Yes.

Do you collect anything?

Elephants (again, not so much the fussy or uber-cutesy ones) and things with realistic leaf motifs or designs.

Do you have any allergies?
Smoke, food, fiber, pets, etc..

The best birthday present I ever got is one I get each year since I was pregnant. My husband quit smoking. Can't stand cigarette smoke.

Do you have any hobbies?

I putter in the garden, I birdwatch, I play softball. I have a concertina, but haven't noodled with it in some time. Like to doodle, knit, read and spend entirely too much time on the computer perusing interesting blogs!

Do you like scented or unscented candles?

I'm not a candle collector, but probably would go for unscented if the candle holder was attractive.

Are you a fiber snob?

I guess I'm becoming one. I like wool, and I like having the option to felt or not to felt. I'm starting to use cottons as they are a good desert option. Wouldn't complain about any natural fiber--would love to try hemp.

Too Fun To Pass By

Go visit Pea Soup for the geneology of this once. Heck, go anyway, 'cause Suse is hilarious and someone I'd love to sit and yack with if only the mighty seas wouldn't keep us apart...*sniff*...

YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME
(grandfather/grandmother on your father's side, your favorite sweet/lolly):

Eileen A. Roca (nee Toffee)


YOUR FLY GIRL/GUY NAME (first initial of first name followed by "izzle", first two or three letters of your last name followed by "dizzle"):

Kizzle Murdizzle... 'nuff said.


YOUR DETECTIVE NAME (favourite color, favourite animal):

Brick Elephant, or perhaps Leaf Seahorse.


YOUR STAR WARS NAME (first 3 letters of your name- last 3 letters of mother's maiden name, first 3 letters of your pet's name repeated twice):

Katler Spospo (That's MRS. Spospo to you, buster...)


YOUR SUPERHERO NAME ("The", your favourite color, the automobile you drive):

The Grey Mighty Max. And you'll never, ever see me without my super X-ray specs, so don't even try to catch a peek...

Margarita

My first attempt at the bottlecap pincushion.

I'm a believer now! If you haven't seen this
wonderful tutorial, go NOW!!!!

Book Meme:

a) pick up a book which is the closest to you at the moment

b) open page 123

c) find the third sentence

d) post it in your Live Journal (plus the instructions)

e) don't choose the book, just pick up the one closest to you


Ok, today we bring you:

Barnes & Noble BASICS: using your digital camera

written by that huge literary wunderkid, Dave Johnson.

"To find them, look in the menus of your image editor and keep an eye out for words like Filters or Effects."