Lori Stamps

Alaska Cruise Day 7 = Victoria, British Columbia

Our last day of this fabulous adventure took us to Victoria, British Columbia.  The flower gardens in this city are really a beautiful sight to see.  Before we got off the ship though....we once again saw whales jumping right outside of the cafe.

See the whale tail?

 
The Sushi was great on the ship according to those who ate it!  (not me!)

 
Sandy and Tom & Tom and I rented a pedicab to give us a city tour.  What a fun way to see the sights!  This guy really had a workout with the four of us behind him!!! 

 
One of the many beautiful yards in Victoria.

 
We went through a city park and the peacocks and tame!  They were eating peanuts out of the bikers hand.

 
The Empress Hotel

 
The capitol building all lit up at night.

 
Hope you have enjoyed my photo journey!  Once we got home to our own home it felt great to be in the yard and check out the garden, mow the lawn, see how the baby birds have left their nests, etc.  Here are a few photos I took of our life in the country.  I suppose I could charge an "excursion fee" for some travelers to come and take a tour at our yard!

Three nests that were laying beneath trees in our yard.  Not sure if the wind did it....or ???

 
The view we have while standing on our front porch.  God's Beauty of the earth!  You can see for miles while standing in our yard.

 
New growth on an evergreen.

 
The amazing sunset on May 28th.  We can see the sunset almost every night.  Thank you God!

 
Have a great day!  Lori :)

Alaska Day 6 = At Sea

We started out the day with the SUPER STYLE BRUNCH EXTRAVAGANZA.  I don't remember the official name of it...but it was a sight to see!  There was every kind of breakfast food imaginable PLUS a full spread of lunch/desserts and more!

 
This is just part of the dessert section.

 
Take a close look at the cute fish on this display....it is a dessert!

 
In the afternoon we got to do our make & take projects.  Our group worked together so we could finish in record time.  We did have a great system!

 
Here we are at dinner. 

 
Tom and I

 

After dinner the show included the magician.  We were happy to volunteer Tom to help....so he got to go on stage and help.  It was a great time.  I do a a little video of that!  :)

And a toast of Bechrovka for all!

 
Have a great day!  Lori :)

Check out the retiring list of stamps and accessories.  They are gone this month!

Alaska Day 5 = Skagway

What a fun town full of lots of history!  In a single year from 1896-1897 this remote town went from a few tents to a city of 20,000 gold seekers.

Before we got off the ship, I had time to go to the Hospitality Room and spin for a prize.  :)

 
Mom and Dad on the dock...huge ship (Celebrity Infinity)

 
I love the feel of this "frontier town."

 
I took over 150 photos today....as we headed up the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway.  We actually rode a bus up to the top.  We crossed the Canadian Border and had to show our passports.  Then on the way down we rode the train.  It used to be open year round, but since about 1989 (?) it is only used in the summer season.

This photo is taken while we got out of the bus and took a look at some of the amazing views.

 

Can you see that water all the way from the top to the bottom?

 
The scenery is gorgeous!  I love to imagine how those trees can even grow in conditions like this.

 
Back on the ship...our great group of 8!

 
Here is a look at our cabin.  Love having a balcony!

 
The evening show was fantastic with an "Around the World" theme.  At the end they had all these show girl type costumes.

 
Late at night (11:30 p.m. til 1:00 a.m.) there was a special "share night" for the stampers.  It is fun to see all the ideas and the display of food.

This ice sculpture says "Stampin' Up!" at the bottom.

 
Here is the bread/cheese display...yummy!

 
Enjoy!  Don't forget to check out all the retiring stamps and accessories.  If you would like to see the complete lists, click on the links at the left side.

Lori :)

 

Alaska Day 4 = Tracy Arm Fjord and Juneau

We were told to rise early so we didn't miss the wonders of the Tracy Arm Fjord.  We sailed through this from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.  (You actually get really close to a glacier and then turn around)! 

In the brochure it says "Amidst the pure silence, you'll sail past transluscent blue icebergs silhouetted against a most dramatic background of waterfall-laced rock walls ascending thousands of feet into the sky.  Once seen, it is never to be forgotten."  This statement really sums it up.  It was an amazing experience!!!

So this is the first photo I took at 6 a.m. from my balcony.  See that beautiful BLUE iceberg?  I have never seen anything like it.  And the waterfall ....there were so many of these as we ventured along the 30 miles of the Fjord.

 
Notice how close our ship is to the rock walls.  This huge ship is going down this narrow passage....so cool!  We were moving slowly...and that all played into the beauty of this experience.  God is very much present in this beautiful creation!

 
See the reflection?

 
 
I was glad to have my winter coat for this part of the trip.  The temp was 42 but it felt colder to me...maybe that was because of all the icebergs we were seeing??

We came upon this "S" turn and it was amazing to see how the ship got through it.  Another cool thing was that we had a Naturalist onboard.  He was sooooooo passionate about Alaska and was very informative.  As we were going through this Fjord he was explaining all kinds of things.  It was very educational!

 
 
Here is our first look at this HUGE GLACIER!

 
Then we had to turn around in this narrow passage.  We were told that this was the closest that the Captain had ever gotten to this glacier.  He was a skilled Captain!

 

I like the perspective you get from this photo....the big ship, the people, the big mountains...

 
This is Sawyer Island.  We got quite close to it and were able to see a BALD EAGLE sitting in a nest.

 
I absolutely loved going through this TRACY ARM FJORD.  It is a highlight of the trip for me!

When we got to Juneau we rented a van and went to Medenhall Glacier Visitor Center.

 
 
We were able to get really close to this one by walking to it :)

 
This waterfall was gigantic!

 
After a great day of enjoying the great outdoors, it was a perfect bonus to receive this super cozy blanket from Stampin' Up!

 
Have a great day!  More on the journey tomorrow...

Lori :) 

 

Alaska Day 3 = Ketchikan

Our first day to explore on land!  This fishing town gets 13 feet of rain a year....and there was none today!  It was gorgeous!

 
Lots of totem poles.  Tom and his Mom :)

 
And look...it's BIG FOOT!

 
One of my favorite parts was Creek Street...it is a wooden boardwalk in the old "red light district".  All the shops are resting on pilings above Ketchikan Creek.  The sound of the water was wonderful!

 
This is only the 2nd week of the cruising season for Alaska.  The flowers were wonderful.

 
Here is another spot on Creek Street.  Love that water in the background.

 
We took this tram up the mountainside for some more great views.

 

Time for some fish & chips and beer at the Pirate's Saloon.

 
It amazes me how these huge ships can manuever in these tiny passages.

 

Back onboard....we all watched the ship leave the dock.  Made for some great photos!  They say that 1 in every 9 people in Alaska have a pilot's license.  We saw a lot of float planes coming and going all the time. 

 
 
Another yummy food photo...this was a pear/apple appetizer!

 
And a beautiful sunset!

 

Tomorrow we get to Juneau.

Have a great day!  Lori :) 

Alaska DAY 2 = At Sea

I do like the good sleep that I get on a ship...it is like rocking a baby to sleep.  But when I woke up this morning it was a little more than rocking.  I reached over for my eyeglasses...and they were not on the bed stand...they were on the floor!  As was my watch and little booklet.  The boat was a-rocking!  My tummy was a little rumbly already and I thought I better take some Dramamine to help conquer this. 

Time to grab a little bit to eat and see if that will help.  Then off to the Stampin' Up! General Session.  This was held in the big theater.  They told us that there were 260 demonstrators that achieved the trip onboard.  Then with all the guests it added up to about 650 Stampin' Up! people on the ship. 

Here is Shelli (co-founder) telling us some fun news.  She also did some stamping with new products.  We can't show any new product until July when it comes out.  But we can show some samples in June.

 

We did receive a pack of the new In-colors.  There are 5 new colors...think summer colors!  They will be here on July 1st and stay for 2 years.  The current In-colors will be here for another full year.  Then one of the biggest surprises....we all got a copy of the new catalog!!!  There was just a little bit of excitement over that.  But we had to agree that we would abide by the rules and not look at it in public places on the ship.  I thought that was so funny...as many people went straight to their cabins to cuddle up with the new catalog. 

Each afternoon our group would meet at the Jova Cafe on Deck 5.  You could help yourself to cookies (my favorite were the caramel).  I think I had at least a dozen of them during the cruise!  Then there was a pastry and deli counter that always had fun things to look at!  You could eat them...but it was more fun just to see what was on display each day!

 
Tonight was our first formal night.  People wear all kinds of things...you can go from casual "church" clothes to a long evening gown/tuxedo style.   Here we are :)

 
At the sit-down restaurant you get the full show with all the silverware and glassware on the table when you sit down.  We had to laugh as none of us knew exactly what the purpose for each of the 5 forks, 3 knives and 6 spoons were!  On the menu is a section for appetizers, salads/soups, entrees, desserts.  It is fun just to see what everything is called.  There are usually a few ingredients that I have no clue what they are talking about.

Frog legs were on the menu tonight...so we HAD to order them just to see them.  And they were actually pretty good...tasted like chicken!

 
After dinner I checked my cabin to see if there was a gift waiting for us....and yes there was!  We received sunglasses...and not just any sunglasses.  They are Maui Jim!  Honestly I have not heard of them.  This is the girl who spends $10 on a pair of sunglasses.  Tom and I were able to pick out the style that worked for us.  Cool!  The reps told us the value.....$150 - $300 a pair...that is crazy!!!

 
The evening show was a mix of the comedian and these 2 dancers.  They were swinging from this fabric above the audience...it really was great.  Here are Mom and Dad after the show.

 
And now for some stamp samples.  Each day you can go into the Hospitality Room to spin for a prize and check out all the samples.  Of course I took lots of photos!

This sample uses the TRAVEL LOG stamp set.  It is available in the SUMMER MINI CATALOG.  It also has the TOP NOTE DIE peeking out the top. 

 

This typewriter is from a set called PUNS FROM THE PAST.  Love the FIRST EDITION DESIGNER PAPER used with this project...makes it have that vintage look.

 
Tomorrow there will be lots of scenery photos....as we land in Ketchikan.

Have a great day!  Lori :)
 

I am back...Alaska Day 1

Wow - what can I say?  It truly was a fantastic vacation to Alaska!!  I tried to use the Internet once on the ship and it took a super long time and then quit on me...so I said enough of that.  I will share some photos when I return.  So...for the next few days I will be posting photos from the trip.  Enjoy!  I only hope that the photos can do the awesome beauty of Alaska justice!

May 20 - we flew from Sioux City to Seattle.  We changed planes in Minneapolis where we met up with Tom's parents, Joe and Evelyn.  What a great adventure we had together :)  Now we had been told to expect rain every day while we are on this trip...but guess what???  We had the most beautiful weather!  It rained on our last sea day so that didn't really matter as we were doing things inside anyway.  Thank you God!

On the ship in Seattle.  You can see the Space Needle in the background.  It was nice enough to wear short sleeves!

 
Once the ship took off it got a little cooler.  I am wearing the great jacket that we got from Stampin' Up!  The mountains in the background were just a taste of what we were about to see each and every day of this cruise.

 
We met up with our friends Tom & Sandy, Mike & Barb.  We sat in the back of the ship and watched out the windows as we ate our very first (of many) meals!  They say that it is best to graze all week long.

 
Our first glimpse of a whale....of course I didn't have my camera ready!  You can see the splash...

 

The nightly entertainment was fantastic.  We had a magician, comedian, singers/dancers and this couple here...  They definitely were gymnasts.....holy cow were they strong and limber!

 
After dinner each night it is a big thrill to go back to your cabin and check to see what "pillow gift" you received from Stampin' Up!  The first night we received this super cute tiny purse.  Just the right size to carry my camera, SeaPass card, lip balm and my sunglasses.

 
And now for some stamping....these are taken from the display boards in the Hospitality Room.

Since we are on a ship...it is only fitting to start with a ship!  This is the SAIL AWAY stamp that is in the SUMMER MINI CATALOG.

 

This sample is made from the stamp set, THE OPEN SEA.

 
More tomorrow....

Have a great day!  Lori :)