Alaska - Part 1

I came home from the cruise with a box of fabric waiting for me!  So, no time to write a report about our trip. The fabrics have been turned into quilts so I can finally sit down and write about the trip and enjoy looking at the pictures we took.

I met the students travelling from Vancouver Island at the Victoria bus depot and we boarded the bus with 14 sewing machines (THANKS Sawyer Sewing Center).  The bus took us onto the ferry, and directly to Canada Place in Vancouver. What a great way to travel! First on the ferry and first off, I didn't have to navigate, my husband didn't have to drive and our bus driver was lots of fun.




The embarkation process was simple - our suitcases and the sewing machines were wisked away as we arrived and we soon settled in to our stateroom. This is the view from our balcony looking at Canada Place. I love this image that invited visitors to Explore Canada. The images show the wonderful diversity of animals, birds and the things that make us Canadian.

Our home for the week was Holland America's Zuiderdam - one of those 'dam' ships!  This is the same ship as my Caribbean quilting cruise several years ago so I was in very familiar territory.

We were up bright and early the first morning to set up the sewing machines and get our room ready for the students. Peggy F. and my husband did a great job getting the machines set up while I arranged the kits and welcomed everyone when they arrived. Soon the machines were humming and there was a whole lot of 'quiltin' going on'!

Our first port of call was Juneau. They get 44 days of sunshine each year - and WE HAD ONE OF THEM!  My husband and I joined a tour to the Mindenhall Glacier where we had a chance to walk around the area and enjoy the great day.

Then a quick visit to Changing Tides quilt shop where I bought Cindy Shake's Berry Button Ravens! pattern. This is will be a wonderful remembrance of the trip. I also found earrings to replace the ones I lost on a teaching trip.  I had bought the original ones on the last quilting cruise to Alaska and had forgotten where I bought them. As soon as I walked in the door I knew they had come from Changing Tides and they still had a selection for me to choose from.

I'll post a few more pictures from the rest of the trip soon.