Back Home...Tired but Happy.....

 We got home from our trip late Saturday night and have been playing 'catch up' since. It's tough adjusting back to reality after experiencing the majesty of the Canadian Rockies for 10days.....not to mention sleep deprivation!!! We had to be at the airport, both ways, by 4:00AM; that meant getting up at 3:00AM!

This post will be a synopsis of our trip, as I got little to no stitching done, so if you're not in to that, feel free to pass. Our trip began in Vancouver where the temps were in the 70's!!! I had planned on much cooler temps. This is downtown Vancouver with Canada Place as a backdrop. The city is very modern and VERY clean!!! We were quite impressed. 

We had a bus tour of the city and stopped at Stanley Park for a peek at some lovely gardens and views of the city.

 Then it was on to the train...oh boy!!! I was initially disappointed that we weren't on the train the whole trip, BUT, after one night of uncontrollable giggles, one night was quite enough!!! It was an experience, and I'm so glad we had it, but the compartment is soooooo tiny, it really was hard to even get dressed. Poor Rich took the top bunk and struggled to even get in it. He got up early, climbed down and crawled in next to me, begging repeatedly to "please don't make me go back up there"!!! We were laughing so hard, we were crying!!! It was FUN, but so happy to stay in hotels after.

There was about a foot between that ladder and the wall.

 

First stop after the train was Jasper...what a lovely town.....we saw our first elk right across the street from our hotel. We took a cruise on Maligne Lake.

 And a raft ride down the Athabasca River.

That's us on the left front. 

 

We had the best tour guide, who really wanted us to have  a great experience. Since our train was 2 1/2 hours late getting into Jasper,  she wrangled us free trips on the Jasper Sky Tram. We were anxious about the ride, but we DID it and I'm proud of us!

 The next morning we were off to Lake Louise with a stop at the Athabasca Glacier.

Now we're getting some cooler temps!

What we rode in to the glacier. At one point we had to go up/down a road on a 32 degree angle...very steep!!!

Here I am filling my water bottle with glacial water.....sadly it tasted like smoke due to the wildfires there in Canada. 

 

Shot of glacier at a distance; it has and is receding rapidly.

We switched things up due to impending bad weather and visited Moraine Lake on our way to Chateau Lake Louise.

The colors of the waters is spectacular...photos don't show the richness of blue. Evidently the minerals that are deposited in the waters reflect all colors but blue/green, so the waters take on a turquoise cast.

What can I say about the Chateau Lake Louise....sumptuous!!! We had a fantastic meal there and the views.....wow!!!
 

The Chateau at Lake Louise

View from hotel

Walking trail around Lake Louise

 

From Lake Louise to Banff. This is where we had the most free time to explore on our own. We had a picnic lunch in a park, visited a museum about the indigenous people, the Stoney Nakodas (more about that in a future post), and walked the downtown shopping area. 

Looking into downtown Banff

 

The Banff Springs Hotel from Surprise Corner

More elk sightings down the hill from the hotel

We spent two nights in Banff, then on to our final stop in Calgary, with a stop in the charming town of Canmore followed by a visit to Boundary Ranch for a delicious steak lunch....no need for dinner after that!!!

 Our last two nights were spent in Calgary....another vibrant city. Our final night with the tour (we stayed an extra night) was spent with a dinner at Heritage Park and entrance to Gasoline Alley...a spectacular display of restored classic cars. The guys were in heaven!!!

 

 

Our extra day was spent walking the streets of Calgary.  We walked to Fort Calgary and past the main public library...how beautiful!

Stock photo from library website

I loved the "bobbing" birds!

Video didn't turn out well, but these "bobbed" up and down

 We wound our way through the maze of the Plus15 Skyway, which are walkways between buildings where you are protected from the weather. 

 

Even the manhole covers were cool!

 

We put in over 22000 steps this day, as well as two other days on our trip...lots of walking despite riding on the bus between stops.

The Calgary Tower was right across the street from our hotel.

Overall, we were very impressed with Canada...it was clean, welcoming,  multi-cultural and eco-friendly. The scenery was spectacular...photos don't do it justice. I will end with a couple shots of the wonderful flowers that were in every town....so bright and vibrant...and our traveling companions...my brother and sister-in-law.

Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship..it is good to be home!!!

Stasi

Some ABC's.......

 

Just a quick 'pop in' to share my progress on Bristol Green. I can only work on this for short periods as it tires my eyes, even with magnification. It's hard to tell from the photo, but the bands alternate between a dark hunter green and navy blue. Page 1 is complete!!!

 I'm in the throes of packing. I was hoping the weather would be on the cooler side....60's, but it sounds like, at this moment...... 70's! Have had to rethink what to pack. Lots of errands to run today!

Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi

Adding to the Sampler Jar.......

 

I stumbled across this idea the other day on FB. It prompted me to recall a band sampler I had started back when I lived in Cincinnati...many, many moons ago. I didn't get very far on it and knew it was staying on the back burner, so I decided to put it to better use. I cut it up into as many circles as I could and made buttons to add to my Sampler in a Jar. I managed to get a "J" and "K" which are my daughters initials, a "B" and "C" which are my married and maiden name initials, as well as an "R" for hubby.

 

 

My jar is filling up...slow but sure!

 

 

Yesterday I received my fall exchange package in the mail, and what fun opening it up. Here is a shot of what all was included. The candies were a little "soupy" after sitting in a mail truck all day, but a quick pop in the fridge and all was well!

The quilt hanging is wonderful and I can't wait to add to my fall decorations. 

Last night we had some crazy thunderstorms...lots of LOUD thunder and streaks of lightning. Hubby and I were sitting out on our screened porch when we saw what appeared to be a "ball" of lightning hit somewhere in our neigborhood. It was like red, yellow and bright....made us both jump!!! Not sure what, if anything was actually hit, but haven't checked our neighborhood FB page yet.....we shall see.

 

Hope you have a great upcoming weekend! Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi
 

One Nation.....

 I finished up the stitching on One Nation last evening.....though while photographing, I realized I didn't put a year on. So, I am going to take care of that today. This is by Samplers Not Forgotten and was club kit I bought from a friend. It was stitched on 36 ct. WDW Beige with WDW fibers. 

This was the inside panel on the original design. But, if you know me, you know I don't care for "birds.

 So, I looked through my stash and found this chart by The Primitive Hare called Patriotic Queen of the Needles. I took elements from the original and added who I'm calling "Betsy Ross". 

 

I think I'm going to pass on the smalls with this piece, as I have so much to start stitching for the holidays and such.

I also got a few lines in on my Bristol Green, which I'm working on for Sampler September.

 

A couple people have asked how my knee is. Much, much better...5 weeks of PT and some anti-inflamatory meds did the trick. The doctor thinks it may have been tendonitis since he didn't see anything on the x-rays. I did get a prescription for the anti-inflamatory in case it starts to act up on our trip. Thanks for your concern!

That's it for today. I have lists going for our trip and errands to run.  Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship.

Stasi

 

Had to Share......

 

Happy Labor Day to my friends in the US...in my mind, the official last day of summer. But it still feels like summer...high today of 93!!! Ugh!!!

But, on to some thrilling news...at least to me. My older daughter gifted me with a piece she had recently embroidered. I am giddy with the thought she actually picked up a needle and thread! I made sure my girls learned how to sew/stitch, but they both took different paths with their creativity. So, tickled I am that she did this for me. She also informed me that she bought a punch needle kit, so there is continued hope !!!

 On my own stitching front, I worked on One Nation by Samplers Not Forgotten. I just need to figure out the wording and I'll be ready to FFO.

 

Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi
 

A Start and a Belated Finish.....720

 So, I got caught up in the September Sampler madness on IG and decided to start a small sampler from Dutch Treat Designs. This was a chart she gifted to the attendees at a DVHSG where Claudia was the presenter. It is called Bristol Green and is a reproduction sampler using 4 colors of silk. I am doing it over one on a 36 ct. fabric to stay as close to the original size as possible. The original is only 4 X 5". Those who know me, know why this one appealed to me.

My finish is way over due...the little partygoers from last years Costume Party by Hands on Design. I couldn't figure out what to do with them, so they've been simmering on the back burner. I saw recently this frame at Home Goods with  Rae Dunn art work in it.

The size and price were perfect so, I popped out the panel, painted the frame black, covered the wrong side of the original panel with some spooky Halloween fabric, glued the panel back in with the original artwork showing on the back side, added my trick or treaters  with double stick tape and glued a bright ribbon along the bottom and Scrabble tiles along the top. Voila!!!

Well, that's it for today. I hope you have a wonderful end of summer weekend. Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi

PS Bummed about the passing of Jimmy Buffett! Cheeseburgers may be in order this weekend!!!