Category: New Things

Back to Alaska part eight

~ Spence's Girl ~ Leave a comment

Our next stop was Skagway and we took one of their most popular excursions, the Skagway White Pass Railroad Summit Excursion

You board the train in Skagway and travel 20 miles from tidewater to the Summit of the White Pass – a 2,865-foot elevation.

Traveling in vintage passenger coaches you retrace the original route to the White Pass summit, passing Bridal Veil Falls, Inspiration Point, and Dead Horse Gulch. We enjoyed viewing mountains, glaciers, gorges, waterfalls, tunnels, trestles, and historic sites along the White Pass Railroad. The railroad cars are each heated with a potbelly stove and we were comfortable.

Beginning
Great restaurant for lunch – food & service were superb
We were at the back of the train

Back to Alaska part two

~ Spence's Girl ~ Leave a comment

My two week Alaskan cruise embarked from Vancouver, a city I’ve never been to. After a long day of flying across multiple time zones, I had a fabulous meal then crashed out. I wanted to show up for my first day on the Discovery Princess well rested.

Pre-flight at the Delta Sky Lounge in Detroit
Approaching Vancouver
Free birthday drink from the hotel staff
Prosecco please!
This dinner was fresh and delicious.
Corner suite
My corner suite
Crab Scotch Eggs
Just on board, I stopped at Crooner’s for a welcome drink
Leaving Vancouver

And just like that we sailed away at sunset, the first of many sunsets……

Wizard of Oz at The Sphere

~ Spence's Girl ~ Leave a comment

When The Sphere was built in Vegas, it instantly became iconic, visible from many vantage points around the strip and beyond. The exterior is ever-changing and the creativity is remarkable. This trip, we went to see The Wizard of Oz there and it did not disappoint.

Outside The Sphere
Inside the lobby
Inside the theater

There were several special things I knew to expect as the movie began. During the tornado, it became windy with debris flying through the air, all around us. When Dorothy picks an apple from the tree and the tree throws apples back, I knew what would happen next. Lots of apples dropped from above – hundreds? thousands? I’m not sure but I got one! When they fell asleep in the poppy field and the snow started, the air got very cold and “snow” fell over the audience. I’m including a few photos followed by some video clips of what we were experiencing.

If you get to Vegas any time soon, this is so worth your time.

It begins
One of the many leaves blowing in the tornado
Munchkin Land
Scarecrow
Dorothy with the Tin Man & Scarecrow
Scored an apple!
Wicked Witch with a flying monkey
Falling asleep in the poppy field
Meeting the Wizard
The Cowardly Lion gets a medal for courage
That voice
Windy and leaves fill the air. Toto does a fly-over.
The Lullaby League and The Lollipop Guild
Caught a “snowflake”
The Ruby Slippers

Alcohol Ink Jewelry

~ Spence's Girl ~ Leave a comment

I visited my life-long BFF in Traverse City this week and as always, she seeks out new experiences and fun things to do in anticipation of my arrival. On Friday we took an Alcohol Ink Jewelry Class which was perfect as I’ve been painting with Alcohol Ink for five years and she makes stunning jewelry.

The three hour class taught by Julie Tibus included all supplies, was skillfully taught, interactive and so much fun. Julie is not only an extraordinarily talented artist but we agreed, the best instructor we’ve had for an art class. We were thrilled with our final pieces and enjoyed seeing our classmates lovely designs as well.

Julie teaches a variety of art classes and so we’re planning to take more of them – it’s not a matter of if but when! Check out her social media: Julietibus.com and @tibusstudio

Here are my creations:

Experiencing nature up close…

~ Spence's Girl ~ Leave a comment

As Spring approached this year, I purchased a new wreath for my front door. After a few days, I noticed a robin’s nest built into the wreath just below my peephole. So began several weeks of up close viewing including the thrill of watching the first fledgling leave the nest and the other three flying out simultaneously the next day. It was an incredible experience.

April 20th
April 25th
April 26th
April 27th
April 28th
May 14th
Mama Robin keeping them safe and warm
Hungry babies
Mama Robin stays close
A source of fascination for Reo and Biscotti
Fuzzy little feathers
May 22
Growing so quickly
May 24th – moments later I witnessed the first one take flight.
One of the last three who took flight May 25th, hung around for a few minutes enjoying the soft grass
And just like that, I’m an empty nester!

Moorten Botanical Garden

~ Spence's Girl ~ Leave a comment

Always up for anything garden-related, my visit to this Palm Springs botanical garden was an opportunity to see more Cacti varieties than I knew existed.

Established in Palm Springs since 1938, this privately-owned arboretum was created to share the beauty and extraordinary varieties of desert plants with everyone who visits. The featured desert trees, plants, and cacti come from around the world and range in size from miniature to giants!

The Moortens are desert plant specialists and invite you to their residence estate. Moorten Botanical Garden is a living museum of desert lore and has something of interest for everyone with glistening crystals, colorful rocks, ancient fossils, and pioneer and gold mining relics.

The classic collections on display are comprised of more than 3000 varieties of plants designed in concentrated habitats along a nature trail. In the world’s first Cactarium (a word coined by The Moortens), visitors will discover a special exhibition of rare plants seen nowhere else.

This content is courtesy of: http://www.moortenbotanicalgarden.com

Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden in Palm Desert

~ Spence's Girl ~ Leave a comment

One afternoon my sister and I headed out to explore this sculpture garden. It exceeded our expectations natural beauty in a peaceful setting – plants, trees, water features, rock formations and of course the sculptures. It was the definition of Zen.

My favorite sculpture “Walks Among the Stars” is worth photographing from several angles.