Projects, Measurements, Ice Cream etc.

Jenna and Korinne are finishing up putting together the newborn kits for the Zimbabwe charity.  Jenna sewed a lot of diapers and probably worked enough hours to complete a project for her young women's award.  Corinne loved matching up gowns with blankets, socks and hats.

Jenna has been taller than Britton for awhile now but he has started a growth spurt and it looks like he is edging her out.

Jameson is into photo bombing lately.  Everyone gathers for ice cream after Sunday dinner.  You can see big bowls of tomatoes on the counter.  I have been making a lot of salsa lately and sharing our bounteous tomato harvest with neighbors.

This past week Steve worked in CV while I worked in SL.  He spent a lot of hours washing and coating the driveway in preparation for the coming winter weather.  You did a great job, Steve.  It's a l-o-o-o-n-g driveway!

On the last Sat in September I was fortunate enough to catch one of Britton's soccer games that was played locally for a change.  It was fun to watch him score the game winning goal.  Way to go, Britton!  Steve was still putting the second coat on the driveway so he wasn't able to attend.

On Monday I delivered the rest of our 105 newborn kits to the folks gathering all of the supplies to send to the saints in Zimbabwe.  Thanks to so many sisters from our ward who contributed.  We exceeded our expectations.  We are very happy to send love and supplies to those in need in Zimbabwe.

Skagway & Victoria BC & Seattle!

 Here we are early on the morning of our day in Skagway, Alaska as our ship pulls into the port.

 Skagway is the place where the railway comes across Canada and links Alaska to the rest of the world.  There were special excursions on the railroad up past the Canadian border.  We took an excursion in an extended van on a route which parallel the railroad.

 Before we reached the summit, the fog rolled in and our group chose to change our route and see other areas.

 We went to the old Skagway gold miners' cemetery.  Here our guide tells us the story of the local town thug who with his cronies controlled the people of the town like a maffia leader.  This large tombstone honors the man who stood up to the dishonest thug.  He was killed in the gunfight that ensued.  A few days later the bad guy died of his wounds too  This man who stood up for the town was honored as the hero with a large tombstone.

 We hiked up to a beautiful waterfall above the cemetery.  It was well worth the short hike.  We felt rewarded for our efforts.

 Here Steve poses by the burial place of the thug.

 Our guide also entertained us with poetry and music.  He was a fun guy!

 We walked around the small town and visited a few shops and a museum.  This entire building was made of driftwood from local streams.

 Here we are on way back to our ship.  I had to take care of a few transaction client challenges while I was on land and had access to my cell service.

 When a ship docs for the first time, the crew posts the arrival on this wall of cruise ships along with their captain's name.

 Goodbye Skagway!  Goodbye Alaska!

 On our day at sea we enjoyed resting, reading, question and answer sessions with crew members and this lunch offering of Oktoberfest German buffet.  I really enjoyed that.

 That evening, we docked at Victoria, BC Canada.  We had a few afternoon and evening hours to enjoy the beauty of this lovely place.  There were baskets of flowers all around.

 In this little tourist fishing village, we caught a water taxi and were escorted around the bay.  It was delightful.

 Here are the government buildings and the world famous Empress Hotel.

 This drawbridge was also amazing.

 The replica tall boats were built just like the original tall boats.  They are used to take young Christian groups out to sail for a few days in the summer so they can work together and learn many lessons from history as well as strengthen their Christian faith.  We were impressed by this dedicated group.

 We walked back to our ship through parks and along the parkways and then the ocean beach and boardwalk.

 It was a beautiful walk but our feet were tired when we reached the ship.

 Everything is brought to this island by boat.  I think that makes things pretty expensive.  We noticed so many cars that were 30 and 40 years old.  We recognized cars from our youth and early married years.  They must have some great mechanics in Victoria to keep all these cars running.

 We arrived in Seattle early on Saturday morning.  Our flight didn't leave until afternoon so we took the train into the city.  It was an unusual sunny bright day in Seattle without a cloud in the sky.  We went ti Pike's market which was crowded on such a beautiful day.

 We walked around and enjoyed seeing the many items for sale including all kinds of food, crafts, souvenirs, produce and gorgeous flowers.

 We sampled baked goods, corn and a fresh fish lunch.

 Here we are in the underground train station to catch our ride back to the airport.  Before we knew it our trip was over and we were on our way back home.  It was a memorable trip and one that was high on our bucket list.  Alaska is a beautiful place!