Ketchikan

Since our time in Ketchikan was short, and we were unable to include both kids in our time in Juneau (helicopters and zipping were not Emma friendly), we decided to make sure and choose something that would be fun for the kids while there.  Nothing seemed more fun to us than taking a tour around the city on a duck boat!  Duck Tours are popular in lots of large cities that are connected to water, but this is the first time we have done one.  They allow you to ride the city in a huge boat (with wheels), and then drive straight off the dock into the water.

And what fun is a duck tour without the sounds of a duck?  It was a pretty neat experience to see and hear different local things.  The homes above are old brothels on Creek Street.  Each house has a secret entrance located under the home accessed by boat that locals would use to escape police.  Sneaky!  And that totem pole below was a specially designed gift for a wife that cost over $20,000.  Wowza.

And of course we enjoyed the duck part of our tour as well, checking out the view of the small city and its docks from the water, as well as being passed over by seaplanes.

While our time in Ketchikan was short lived, it was still a stop that we were happy to make.  Especially since our time was coming to a close.  Hard to believe only one more stop.  But as the saying goes, "All good things ..."

Juneau, Alaska

All right, are you ready for Alaska's state capitol??  I have a little story first though.  If you haven't yet figured it out, Alaska gets a LOT of rain and fog.  So, our arrival at Juneau came with fog so thick that you could barely see the trees 50 yards away.  For us, this unfortunately ended up cancelling our plans for a helicopter ride - twice.  What we did end up doing was going zip lining.  While I was able to mark this off my bucket list, I found that I was not a fan, to put it mildly.  Especially since zip lining meant no nice pictures of beautiful scenery.  Of course, that was only our morning and since we were in Juneau until 2 or so, we still had some time for exploring.

For zip lining, we got to take a short trip across the water and see some lovely sights, including the amazing houses that dotted the coast line.  After zipping, we ventured into town for a little bit and wandered through some of the shops.  I do wish we had had more time in Juneau, especially since that pesky fog lifted shortly before our departure, but it just wasn't in the cards.



None the less, we had an amazing afternoon at sea, with more evergreen covered mountains and rolling clouds spread out over the ocean.   Our evening at sea was capped off by yet another fantastic sunset, with a little whale watching to boot!  It was so fun to stand on the deck and watch all the little spouts pop up.  They typically only lasted a second or two, but it was still neat to see.  And one of my favorite things in nature is streaming light, whether it is through clouds or trees, so we spent some time just standing on the deck watching those lovely clouds float under the sunlight.

And of course, the colors in the sky as the sun slipped under the horizon were such a magnificent sight to see.  I love watching God use broad strokes to show how present He is within His creation.

Only two more stops left.  I can hardly believe it!  Stick around to see the end!!!

Skagway, Alaska

So, our first official stop on our cruise was Skagway, which was a pretty neat little town.  Only about 50 blocks total, Skagway is home to the Klondike Gold Rush and White Pass Railway.  The town itself has held on to some of the original look from the late 1800's, making it a fun little strip to wander.  Not only did we feel like we had stepped back in time, we also got to enjoy some of God's awesome creations.  We saw things from salmon spawning in the local creek bed to wildflowers growing right along the road side.  

Of course, the one thing we saw the most of was the train!  There are 3 different trains that take the same track all the way up into the mountains, giving you the most amazing view.  And even though it was sprinkling the entire 3 hour ride, I still enjoyed standing out on the platform in the cold and shooting the whole way up the mountains.  And the air - the air was amazing.

While the view is amazing, it's also crazy amazing to think about the path you are on.  Or how treacherous it would have been to take before the railway was there.  And then the idea of building the railway.  It all just boggles the mind.

I won't lie though, the absolute best part of the trip was when my daughter fell asleep on my lap for about an hour of the ride back down.  Some moments are for remembering and not for photographing.

More of the Inside Passage awaits us!   Only 3 more stops until our cruise ends, but still plenty more of beautiful Alaska to see!!!

Hello Alaska!

So, we have officially arrived at our destination - Alaska!  It is nothing like I had imagined and yet more than I had ever imagined, all at the same time.  Day one, we cruised our way through the Tracy Arm Fjord, seeing glacier after glacier amidst the mountains.  And while the sights were amazing, so was the fog that covered it all!  As a photographer, I learned that a dense gray covering miles away makes for some amazing black and white landscape images.

One of the amazing things about our time in Alaska was being able to see so many different types of landscapes all at once.  Ocean, mountains, a forest of evergreens, and a glacier, all in one spot!  It really does take your breath away.

I loved seeing the sky line dotted with evergreens in so many of the places we saw.  The small patch above gives you an idea of how many you would find in the long spans.  It just seemed unbelievable that there are this many evergreens in the world.

I wish that photos came close to seeing it in person, but hopefully it makes you want to get up there and see it all for yourself!  God creations are surely worth seeing.  Next up, our first city along Alaska's Inside Passage!  Do you know?!?

Oceans, Mountains, and ... Dancing?

So, our first official day was over and done and we were getting more views of the beautiful, endless ocean.  It really is magnificent to see open water and no land in front of you.  It makes you understand how very large our world is and how truly small you are.  And yet, when rainbows appear on the horizon, it is a lovely reminder of God's promises to us, no matter how small we are.

The kids had fun on the ship exploring some and little miss enjoyed standing in the windows and dancing in the open spaces.  Which reminded us how much she loves singing and dancing, so we decided to give the music show on board a try.  No surprise, she loved it, as did the rest of us with such amazing talent on the stage!

We capped off the night with a few steps out on the deck to watch the post sunset and rain that was settling in.  After all, sunset wasn't until almost 10:00, but that chill in the air could only be stood for a few minutes!  While rain doesn't typically make for colorful, and what some might consider pretty, pictures, you can't deny God in all His splendor.  From the oceans to the mountains, He sure does make amazing things.

Ready for our destination?  Are you paying attention to the details?  There's a few clues up there to give you hints as to where we are heading.

Next Stop - the Open Seas!

So, our brief stay in Seattle was over.  To get to our next destination, we had to board a rather large cruise liner and head out to sea.  On our way though, we got to have a fantastic view of the city, harbor, Mt. Rainier (FINALLY), and the coolest Navy ship with service men and women lined up in formation along the entire (enormous) ship.  It was the most amazing thing.

Our evening at sea was quiet and gave us a chance to simply relax and enjoy the view.  I settled in with an evening coffee over a lovely sunset on the ocean, while the family played in the indoor pool (I neglected to bring a suit - darn it).

Once asleep, I snuck out to catch a glimpse at an almost full moon reflecting off all that endless water.  It was fantastic.  I'm still in awe of what God does every single day I watch Him work.  Which is pretty awesome because I was about to get to be awed by Him over and over again.

Seattle Space Needle

So, our final stop in Seattle, after Pike's Place Market, and our Downtown Seattle Wandering, was the Space Needle (you knew, right?).  When we were in NY, I has so much fun being at the Top of the Rock and watching the sunset over the city, I knew I wanted the chance to do that over Seattle too!

Our time at the top was a ton of fun.  The view from the needle was pretty neat, and I always enjoy learning the history of buildings.  Did you know the needle was built for the 1962 World's Fair, and the idea all started on a napkin!?  While the city doesn't have tons of land marks to easily pick out, being able to see the city streets (and enormous hills), along with the harbors and landscapes is lovely.  On a typical clear summer night, you can see Mt. Rainier from the needle, but we were not fortunate enough to have that sight.  What we WERE fortunate enough to have was a Mt. Rainier sundae as we watched the setting sun.  It was a very sweet time.

My kids and husband were wonderful sports for me as I walked around the top taking pictures with the different light.  The clouds kept breaking and streams of sunlight would come pouring through and hit the water - God was definitely at work with His creations!

  And as the night wore on, the city began to come alive with lights!  I love to see a city transform from day to sunlight to night time.  It is such a unique experience to watch and take in.  Of course, by the time night had set in, my crew was ready to head back to our hotel and get to our actual destination.  Any guesses?  There may be another clue for you in the pictures, but you sure would have to search hard to find it!

Downtown Seattle Wandering

So, we started out in Seattle.  Now, we only got to spend one day there, but it was a ton of fun.  We definitely enjoyed our morning at Pike's Place Market, and spent the afternoon walking around to find some things the kids would enjoy.  We made a pit stop at the larger than life Ferris wheel and walked down to the pier where the boys played some table tennis.

 After lunch, we found an awesome glass blowing shop and got to watch glass blowing happen in their work area - it was very neat to watch and then see a shop that had so many amazing pieces made from glass!

Then as we continued to explore,  we came upon an ENORMOUS water feature, the International Fountain at Seattle Center.  It was so amazing!  The giant ball sprayed water choreographed to classical music and it was awesome!  The kids ran screaming and trying to both get and avoid being drenched.

And while the big kid loved it, the little one wasn't a huge fan.  But, a water attraction is still a fun place to stop on vacation.  And it allowed us to remain downtown for our final stop in Seattle.  And really, if you need a clue (you don't though, right?), you'll find it hiding in one of the photos.

Pike's Place Market

So, our recent travels have finally started to unravel through my camera.  It's neat to get to experience vacation a second time and roll over the details, colors, and wonderful experiences that we got to do.  Since pictures are my way of telling stories, I hope you'll enjoy watching our travels unfold here.  If not, you might want to come back in a week or two.  He he.

Our first stop was Seattle, WA.  While this was not our final destination, we couldn't be in Washington for the first time and not at least experience one day of the city of Seattle.  We headed straight to Pike's Place Market downtown.  It is a VERY large farmer's market that plays home to local fruits, flowers, fish, and many local artists - however, most art products were off limits to photos.  We enjoyed a trip into the city on the local transit with an amazing scene of evergreens all around and just spent the morning wandering the market.

We entered at one of the flower shops because little one loves to point out flowers, and Daddy had to buy her one of course.  The amount of fresh fruit and flowers was amazing - and the smell was divine!  It was a wonder that all of it looked and smelled so fantastic.  Now the fish - well, I'm not a big fan of the smell of "fresh" fish, but they sure looked awesome.

The other awesome thing was the Gum Wall.  You read that right - an entire wall covered in gum.  As a photographer, textures, colors, patterns and uniqueness are all way cool to me, so you can imagine that this was right up my alley (pun intended - the wall is really an alley).  We continued on to find more local arts and musicians - tell me how crazy it is to see a real PIANO on the street?!? - and then we discovered the infamous Pike's Place Fish Market, where purchased fish are thrown!  Of course, there were probably 100 people with cameras, but not a single fish bought.  Oh well!

It was still an amazing experience, even without throwing fish, capped off with PURPLE cauliflower - who knew?!?  Definitely a must see place if you ever visit Seattle, which I would completely recommend you do.  Stay turned for our next stop.  We're not done with Seattle yet!

Sending out Summer in Style!

I don't know about you, but when it comes to the end of good things, sometimes you have to make the best of it.  In this case, the end of something good was summer.  Ahh summer.  Even though you aren't gone on the world's calendar, you are gone on the schools' calendar, and slipping away from the hearts of children around the world.  So, to cap off the end of those long, beautiful, and sometimes hot, days, what better way is there than ICE CREAM?!

And can I just tell you how sweet my kids are sometimes?   They snuggled in tight when they first sat down.  Make my heart melt.  Then Little Miss stole the ice cream we were supposed to share.  Maybe not so sweet.  Oh well; less calories for me!

She made me chuckle when she asked to drink the ice cream!  That was a first, but sort of a family thing.  And then it was play time.  The newest game is to have Daddy flip her.  Of course, Daddy doesn't do much without pay - so kisses were required every time.

And then brother wanted in on kisses too, which is a sweet stage to be in, because I know it will pass before I realize it.  And finally dancing - because the music was playing and summer is too good to end without a little dancing - even if it's from your seat.  Here's to the start of a great school year!!!

August 5 on 5: My Resting Place

As a stay-at-home mom, there are places in my home that I see more of than others.  I am sure this is true for all of us.  Sometimes, in a beloved way; sometimes not.  For me, our living room couch is my "place".  And at one point or another, it is a place for everyone in our family - often times together.  There are many wonderful memories there.

Memories of my place for snuggles and kisses.

Memories of a place for cartoon watching.

Memories of a place for time with close friends.

Memories of the place my son is growing up into a young man.

And memories of the place where my husband and I relax at the end of a long day.

It's a place where I look forward to loving the people that land on my resting place and holding tight to the time I get with them there.

Ready to blog hop??  Heading on over to see Jessica's story at Sa,arie-Lei Photography!