Timeless Treasures

I have a friend, Judy Beskow.  She has entered the Timeless Treasures challenge.  Check out

www.sewtimeless.net/?p=1337

Her quilt is gorgeous. 

Russian Church and etc.



Russian Orthodox Church at Kenai, AK



In Kenai there is a Russian Orthodox Church built in 1893.  It was very pretty and well kept.  We were there in May, so many of the trees were not leafed out as yet and the day I took this picture it was rather gloomy.  The plaque in front of the church tells the story of the church.  We could not go in, it was closed. 

Thread from Anchorage, AK

My friend Ina, lives at Eagle River.  It is about 15 miles or so from Anchorage.  The day that we flew back we went to the airport early so that Ina could meet us there.  I hopped into her car and she took me to 4 quilt shops in a very short period of time.  I wish I had pictures but I don't - they were - Quilt Zone, Seams Like Home, The Quilt Tree, and the Quilted Raven.  I did buy a little fabric, but I had purchased a lot of fabric before ever getting to Anchorage, so I thought I would leave it to another trip.  And I would like to do another trip.  Alaska is such a huge state, just being on the penninsula, I am sure I missed a lot.  In one of the shops they had yarn.  This was the end of my yarn purchases.  I could not pass this one up.  It reminded me of batiks.  That is the extent of my thread purchases and shall be the end until I get all of them made into something.

Its All Greek to Me

This is a quilt that I have just finished and I sent it to my brother-in-law, Gary.  I thought it made into a nice man's quilt. 

I still have more to tell you about my trip to Alaska, so it will be continued, and if you wish to read more, read the previous posts.

Eeeek!!! It's a Bear

Swanson River at Captain Cook State Recreation Area

When going to Alaska the first thing you have to know is they have moose and brown/grizzly bears that roam free. The difference between Alaska and Louisiana is that if in Louisiana you see either a bear or a moose immediately (if not sooner) you would call the police and scream "there is a bear walking down the street."  In Alaska you only report a bear walking down the street, if it attacks someone.  Thankfully, although we saw a lot of moose, we did not see any bears.  We didn't see them, but they were there.  My friends, wanted to collect rocks off a beach at Captain Cook State Recreation Area.  When we got there several people were there on four wheelers.  We parked at the top of a bluff and my friends walked down to the beach.  I stayed in the pickup - there was no way I could do the walk.  While on the beach one of the guys on a four wheeler with a large gun tied to the front, came up to them and advised them that they were in brown bear country.  That ended the rock hunt.  And thankfully I did not have a visitor while sitting in the pickup.  That would not have been good. 

I am sure that all of you are dying to know the price of gas in Alaska.  It is high, very high. 

We visited a museum at Kenai.  It was very interesting.  This is a picture of a quilt made in 1991 for the Kenai Bicentennial. 

Quilt - at the museum Kenai, AK

Yarn, bought at the Kenai Fabric Shop in Kenai.  This is a large shop with many, many bolts of fabric.  Along with fabric they have a nice selection of yarn.  I dropped a few dollars there.  They had an unbelievable selection of batiks.  I think we made three trips to this store.  Each time I added to the batiks previously purchased and then we discovered yarn.  I could have bought more, but if I am in my right mind I will not have a stash of yarn.

For more on Alaska, see the previous postings.  To be continued......

Spectacular Alaska and a Yarn Trip

Alaska

Yarn from Soldotna

From Kenai we went to Soldotna.  In Soldotna there is a lovely yarn shop.  The lady there was so helpful.  Beth crochets and she wanted to visit this shop.  When I was young, like about 20 or so, a wonderful lady taught me to crochet.  I crocheted for many years until into the 1980's.  Then I went on to something else.  I was looking through a crochet magazine and found a jacket that I just had to have.  Well in order to have it, I had to make it.  So, I bought yarn. 



Yarn shop at Soldotna





I am surprised at how much I remembered.  I started off just as if I had never quit.  The problem that I had was I crocheted tight and I wanted it looser.  I bought another needle that was a size larger and with practice I loosened the stitches up a bit.  I have more yarn to show you but that will be in another post. 

These are pictures that were taken at Homer.  In the last posting we had eaten at the Land's End.  Land's End is at the end of a spit that is at least a couple of miles long into the water.  Behind the restaurant I took pictures.  The scenery here is spectacular.   These pictures were taken on a cloudy day, can you imagine what they would be if the sun had been shining.  Look close at picture #2, you can see in the background the snow covered mountains.  What a sight this was.  You can click on the pictures to make them larger. 

More from Alaska - to be continued.  

What is Meaner Then a Junk Yard Dog?



Moose #1 in town



Moose #2 at cabin

What is meaner then a junk yard dog?  A moose....

 During my trip to Alaska we saw at least one everyday we were there.  They are munching on new grass.  It was a long winter for them.  Alaska set a record for snowfall this year at about 315 inches of snow.  That is a lot of snow.  I understand that the moose would walk up on top of the piles of snow (from cleaning roadways, drives, and etc) and munch on the trees,  so the grass must taste good.  Nearly every moose I saw was eating grass like there was no tomorrow.   As you drive down the roadways you can see where the trees have been eaten away.  These animals are large, very large, and what I have been told very mean, they will kill you.  In other words you cannot give them a hug.  The first picture I took of one was walking around the town of Kenai.  This girl had to be a young one.  It was pretty small.  Even being small I would not have wanted to run into her in a dark alley.  Moose #2 came to visit at the cabin.  He was thirsty and drank a lot from the lake.



Moose #3 at cabin

Moose #3 was big.  I took her picture from inside the cabin.  She was much too close to go outside to do it.  I went from room to room taking her picture.  She was a hungary girl.  She just kept munching on grass as she went. 

I have many pictures of moose.  If I can figure out how to do a "flicker" I will add it to the bottom of my blog.

Alaska Batik Fabric
Alaska/Nebraska quilt

Fabric
Alaska/Nebraska Quilt

During my visits to the quilt shops I picked up enough pieces of fabric mostly 1/2 yards to make an Alaska quilt.  I thought it would be nice to make a quilt only from fabric that I had purchased in Alaska and to note it on my label.  These are all batiks.  They had a few that had been made for Alaska.  As you can see from the prints they have, bears, wolves, moose, puffins  fish and etc.  The fabrics are lovely. 

For more on Alaska check the previous posting and this will be continued............