find me

well it seems I just can't keep up with the blog so if you are still interested in my travels and pictures you can find them in two places:

short snip ts on instagram
http://instagram.com/stampmouse

or my albums on flickr:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/9745749@N03/sets/

until I have more time this is where you will find me

south of the border

We tried a bit of a different vacation this year.  Headed out of the gloomy skies of Spokane to Puerto Vallarta Mexico for a week in the sun and warmth.  The difference is we made no plans other than where we were staying.  No planned trips no extensive research on what to do.  Nothing   Yeah that is so unlike me.  But I had a rough year last year very stressful so we decided to just go and have fun.

We flew out on a cold day, praying the whole way to the airport that we wouldn't get stuck here and not get in an accident on the foggy and slick roads.  First time I had to fly out on a plane that needed deicing too.



Once airborne I felt much better.  A brief stop in Seattle then a stop in LA and we arrived

This was the view from our room at Los Arcos an all inclusive resort right on the beach and extremely affordable especially since we were booked in with a group.



i have to say the bathroom was so dang cute.  I have to share the sink.


we had such a relaxing time it was just what the doctor ordered.  thought about para sailing but never got around to it  looked like fun though, next time.



I read 5 books while gone that's how relaxing it was.  Didn't get sun burned (neither did Dave thankfully) we had umbrellas at the beach but ended up with a nice glow. A view of our beach area and hotel.


just a short walk from our hotel was a beautiful pier that was built a year ago



the night we arrived they had a firework celebration.  Nice of them to do that for our arrival I thought. well it was actually the anniversary for the pier



the vendors that came through the beach area were not pushy though they did come around many times.  My favorite was the nut man. yummy



we had one cloudy and a bit rainy day but it still beat Spokane.  It just meant I read more in my book



the food was good and they even put on a little bit of a show.  At the side cafe several in the group ordered Mexican coffee.  It has ice cream in it and liquor that is lit on fire



this is them preparing to the alcohol (actually was for my banana foster but same procedure)


and ends with a cherry on top



and at night the sunsets were always great


will share a few more pictures in upcoming posts.

Bayview Eagles

Its a tradition that every New Year's Day we go visit the eagles in Idaho that come there to eat off the salmon.  they are usually only there about a month starting in December and ending just after New Years.  Normally we go to Coeur'd Alene near wolf lodge bay but this year we went a little further.  we went to Bayview Idaho and we weren't disappointed.

this was my favorite shot:


I only have a 105 and this was cropped down from the original shot.

can you spot the eagle in this shot? shows off some of the town too




bayview sits on Lake Pend Oreille which also is home to a Navy research center they use to do a lot of submarine testing there not sure if they still do or not but legend says this lake has a few spots where they have not been able to find the bottom with the echo testing



here is a close up of one of the navy's research sites:


the eagle has landed well just about





I just can't get enough of these creatures they are amazing to see.  if you ever get a chance to see one even in captivity do it!!!


this looks like a juvenile




ok enough with the eagles right?  more on my flickr page if you go there.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9745749@N03/sets/72157639288500106/

but back to the town of bayview a small quaint town that looks like a beautiful place to live.  Would hate to see the prices for the homes though with that kind of view.



now this house boat is one I would LOVE to live in


nature is good

after race, clean up and a nice dinner my race partner needed to rest I got restless so I went for a walk.  Yeah I know i just did 21 miles I must be insane but just outside our bed and breakfast was a beautiful place


do you spot them?



yep those are sea lions basking in the daylight


just across the street from where we were staying!!!!


so I walked along the rocky shore for a while




i fell in love with this tree


this is where we stayed such a charming place.


lastly a few more shots of monterey






don't even ask what that white stuff is


we took a quick ride down to carmel to see the sites


that is the world famous golf course


beautiful beach


i love these trees


even a banner for the race we came to do


and then it was time to head home.  I made it past security with only a few glaces by now my face is so swollen i joked with coworkers the next day about our other coworker that came with me saying she gets a little angry when she doesn't get her coffee in the morning. hahaha

ever take photos from the air?  here are a few I took this trip






i love this shot too

Monterey Aquarium

while in Monterey for the big sur 21 miler we had time to go to the aquarium.  I haven't been there since i was a small child.  And loved it then and it didn't disappoint this trip either

 the big draw was the jellyfish and the seahorse exhibits.

they had all kinds of jellyfish like this neon jellyfish


the moon jellyfish are one of my favorites



these actually looked like spaceships in outer space



they had many varieties most of which I don't remember the names of



this is one of my favorite shots of them.  Its hard to get a really good shot with all the glass but this one made me happy





do you get the picture that they fascinate me?


then came the seahorses.  so delicate so precious



my husbands personal favorite





and for a last shot on seahorses:




and of course there were sharks


weird and ugly fish


the penguins were just not very social today and this was my favorite shot it made me feel sad for them.  on display for so long that must get frustrating.



this was cool to see.  I have never seen anything but dead sand dollars


and this shot made me hungry



if you ever get to monterey GO to the aquarium there is so much more than this there and it really is a wonderful aquarium.