Ah Mondays, how I missed you.

Not.

I was sidelined for most of last week with a crummy chest cold. So my travel photo progress is not what I would like, but I do have several pics to liven up this post in the meantime.

But before all that, a couple of thank you's are in order. I received a fantastic little pressie from Jenifer over at cast on, cast off. She got my name in the stitch marker mania draw and sent me the following beautiful markers and a set of great knitting notecards. (Perfect for RAOKs, no?)



Each marker has an inspirational charm at the end, encouraging me to live, love, and laugh (and knit, of course). Perfect!

And while I didn't snap a pic, the most thoughtful Julie over at Stoneview sent me a pretty little origami crane over the weekend. Her RAOK came just as my coughing and sore throat were at their worst -- a well-timed mood brightener.

As far as Alaska goes...

For a view of my stash enhancements, check out Anatomy of a Stash.

While on the trip, I also started and finished two projects. The first I did on the flight over:


Mittlettes for me. (BTW, same dyelot, different colors!?)

And, Mittlettes for my intrepid tour guide, "Just J":


J kept us entertained with great stories, fun facts, and amazing views all week.

I used stash Koigu Kersti for my mitts and I bought some Jo Sharp Tweed Aran en route for J's. Both are my designs. (I tried to follow a pattern on the Kersti mitts, but I think there were too many mods in the end to be anything more than "inspired by" the original.)

Here is a pic from the trip:



This is me after climbing over 1500 ft in about a mile and a half. Wilted? You betcha-I still had 1500 ft to go! In the background is the impressive Exit Glacier.

What's a vacation without Sheep?!:


A Dall Sheep on the banks of the Savage River, Denali National Park.

I sat with a fellow traveller for about 15 minutes watching this little guy eat grass and salty dirt. Even though he was very close, he knew the crumbly, steep hillside kept him safe from us.

Here are some fun facts about Dall Sheep:

• Their horns grow in Spring, Summer, and Fall - but not Winter. The stop-and-start growth creates ridges on the horns which can be counted like tree rings to determine the sheep's age. The sheep above doesn't have quite a full "turn" yet, so he is likely around 5 years old.
• Coastal Native Alaskans call the sheep Imnaiq.
• Dalls are North America's only all-white wild sheep.
• Lambs weigh as little as 5lbs at birth and often fall prey to Golden Eagles.

I have two WIPs from the trip and a few hundred more photos to sort, so stay tuned!