Alaska and Camping

My parents went to Alaska on a 7-day cruise the first week of July. It sounded so totally awesome - now I want to go! They took so many pictures that it's going to take them quite a while to get them organized and available to family. I can't wait! My mom gave us a little preview while we were eating dinner right after they got off the plane. I think she ate her food in 5 minutes, and went back to scrolling though the pics and showing us the highlights. They were really nice pictures - and here's a little preview:


This is a display at the Anchorage Airport. All those items are made with "Qiviut" - which is musk-ox down. One of the rarest fibers in the world, there is only one true farm that collects the down on a regular basis and breeds the musk-ox (located in Alaska - my parents went on a tour of it.). Any other musk-ox or bison down is collected in the wild after the animal has already shed it. Qiviut has no know allergens and to me feels softer even than cashmere. It is also more expensive, and more insulating than cashmere.


The week before they left on the cruise, I asked my mom if I could put in a request for a souvenir. Can you guess what I asked for? :-) Check these out:

They generously brought back 2 balls of navy blue 100% qiviut!! Oh, it is gorgeous! Gently blooming, so soft you never want to stop petting it! I already know what I am going to do with it and already picked out a pattern. Of course it has to be an "Arctic Lace" pattern - how can it be anything else.

I also had a mini vacation. This last weekend I went camping with a few of my friends. It was so much fun. I brought my camera, but I'm not that big of a picture taker I've found out. I did take a few of the lake and the group eating (added later.)

This is a "Crater Lake" in CA right on the border of Lassen Nat'l Park. My dad took us (my bros and I) there fishing a few times when we were growing up. A tiny little lake - not more than 1/2 mile across - it is as clear, if not clearer than Lake Tahoe! Rainbow trout usually abound in the lake, but they weren't biting this weekend. It was really warm, so they were probably at the bottom were it was cold.


(Check out the reflections!)

I haven't been camping for a long while, but it was a lot of fun!! Nice and relaxing, cooler than down in the city, nice and cold at night. Campfires are always fun - can you say roasted marshmellows!! :-) I'm such a kid at heart!! The food was excellent, and the company better. Being in the heart of God's creation is always a refreshment. The evergreens, the singing aspens, the clear blue lake, clear fresh air, osprey, hawks, deer, and yes even the chipmunks and flies, and the stars...oh, my the stars!!! Saturday night we walked down to the lake to get a better view with out very many trees obscuring the view. All I can say is wow! I teared up at the beauty of it. You can clearly see the swath of the Milky Way arm across the north-eastern part of the sky. I've seen it like that before while growing up, but I appreciate it so much more now. Once our eyes adjusted to the might, we could see enough to walk around - the profusion of stars was that bright! Did I mention there was no moon? That made it all the better. Someone should have brought a telescope! Oh, well, next time, eh?


When I got back yesterday afternoon - I put my stuff away, then had one of the best showers. I tell you, being dirty for even 2 days, really makes you appreciate warm running water, flushing toilets! :-) I really appreciated my nice, soft, comfortable bed later that evening. ;-)