Summer vacation: north to Alaska

This summer I was so lucky to be able to visit Alaska. What a wonderful vacation it was!

 

The nature is really beautiful and wild there. 

Summer is the best time to visit Alaska so I was able to enjoy the great summer bloom, gorgeous waterfalls, picturesque meadows and ocean. 

 

There was so many wild animals around, just living their lives right next to the humans. 

The gorgeous mountains are all around you. Besides absolutely stunning views of snow caped mountains covered with clouds, we enjoyed fresh, crisp mountain air. 

A hike to the Glacier was one of my favorites. Where else would you be able to do this!

So I had some time for sightseeing, fishing or shopping in Valdez, Homer, Seward and Anchorage. It was a great experience and I hope we will be able to do it again in the future. 

Our new Etsy friends

Our trip to Canada was one of the best vacations I've ever had. We get chance to see Montreal and Quebec City and we met some new friends!

It was a wonderful time. There is so much to see! Historical sights in Quebec City are combined with beautiful nature and lovely people. Montreal is a large friendly city where everything is so convenient and you feel like you are home.

One of the trip highlights was meeting with Monique and Geneviève who also owns shops on Etsy.

Monique's shop is blueberryfields (you will find such pretty crochet and sewed items here!) and  Geneviève (MademoiselleG) is a great artist, I just love her paintings!

 

I corresponded with Monique from time to time since 2009 and it was a great chance to meet in person!

 

We met at the cute coffee shop right across the street from our hotel and chatted for hours. I even got some very pretty gifts!

Monique and Geneviève are such lovely people! I wish they lived closer to be able to get together from time to time.

It is always nice to meet a good friend. Friendship warms the soul and that's what is important.

Summer knits at socksandmittens

Every spring we are making a small amount of summer knits for our SocksAndMittens shop on Etsy. 

Not too much since we are working on our winter assortment at the same time, so just a couple of items right now. 





This year we are offering a new lace summer top, knit from white cotton yarn.

This tank is great for wearing on a hot summer day or for the trip to the beach. 

It is designed to be short and roomy at the bottom. Very nice and breezy!

We made 2 tanks, one in medium and one in large size. 

 

This item is already available for sale in our shop, so please stop by if you are interested!

The sad post

The wonderful, one of a kind Yellowstone...


We just came back from Yellowstone park last week and there was horrible news on the Internet yesterday. A hiker was killed possibly by a grizzly bear on Wednesday or Thursday. This is the second death this summer in Yellowstone and it is very sad and scary.

Wildlife is dangerous, do not approach! You can see this signs everywhere in the park and these two deaths are just an extra reminder. What exactly happened we can only guess but this is something that could of happen to anyone.

My heart and prayers goes to the families and friends of these two people I never knew.

Please always be safe even while on vacation.

Exploring Arizona – Chiricahua National Monument

Shame on me, I never heard about this park before. So when we saw it on a map we definitely wanted to see it!

It is a hidden gem that you would not expect. As you approach the mountains it looks like any range of Arizona Mountains.

The drive from the entrance to the top of the mountain is only a few miles, but you know it is something special before you even enter the park. As you enter the Valley where the entrance is, you change from desert to a lush valley full of big oak tree. Then as you enter the park gates it changes from hardwoods to pine forest.

After you signed in at the rustic park headquarters you take a little windy road up the mountains and all of a sudden you start seeing these limestone pinnacles pocking up through the trees. The higher you get the more and more of these you see.

Once at the top there is a trail and overlooks into the park. What a beautiful and stunning site!

Hiking the trails we found many different view points and things of interest.

You have got to see that place!

Exploring Arizona - Bisbee

A quaint little mining town nestled in between some mountains close to an open pit mine.
Very few people go there in comparison to the states other many sites. It is kind of out of the way and off any major highways, but the trip is worth it. Main street boasts lots of specialty shops, coffee houses and gourmet restaurants. There are so many charming Victorian homes in Bisbee!

The city is historically known as the queen of copper production. The mine is no longer active but you can take tours if you would like.

We stopped and had a wonderful lunch with a glass of wine and walked on main street. What a lovely little city!

Back on a road, to the next destination, where could it be?

Lovely break in Sedona, Arizona

We were so lucky to be invited to join our friends for a trip to Sedona last week!Previously I was never impressed with Sedona even though a lot of people are just love the area, but not this time!What a great mini vacation!
I enjoyed everything - our half day hiking trip & photo opportunities.This trip also was a great mix of nature, architecture at Tlaquepaque and shopping for souvenirs.We tried some gourmet pizza at Picazzo's. If you've never tried it, the toppings were ground lamb, wild mushrooms, spinach, Alfredo sauce, garlic and topped with Parmesan cheese. It was absolutely delicious, right after the hike it hit the spot with an ice cold beer!

The accommodation were perfect. We had a condo that butted up to the creek that was surrounded by huge old trees. You could hear the rushing stream just a few feet from the door and we were able to sit with our doors open and watch the colorful birds and lively squirrels all day long!

We had some perfect rainy weather which we miss living in a desert. This kept the temperature cooler, about in a mid seventies.

I came back home so refreshed and full of creative ideas! I've already ran to Michael's and Jo-Anns for some supplies. Guess what? They are putting Fall items for sale already! Guys, it mean we are almost to the end of summer!






So enjoy your warm weather while you still can!