I know I haven’t finished posting my trip stuff yet, but I’m going to take a moment to highlight my favorite photos of the trip for today’s Sunday Coffee. Somehow, I managed to choose 17 photos – out of the hundreds I took – as favorites!

This collage represents portraits of strangers. On the top left is a woman I spoke to after taking a photo of her and her partner together. While her partner left to get drinks, I asked if I could take a photo of her. She had the most incredible smile! Next to her, these two women accidentally walked into a photo I was taking in Ketchikan. They apologized but I told them not to worry about it, and I took their photo together for them, and then got a photo with my camera as well. They were so kind and I loved how bright the flowers and leaves were around them. On the bottom left was the very nice couple we stood with and spoke to as our ship approached the Dawes Glacier. We took turns taking photos for each other so no one had to take selfies. Lastly, the man on the bottom right had the most incredible beard. I wanted to ask him for a photo so badly, but I’m still so very timid about asking people if I haven’t had a reason to speak with them beforehand! So I took this photo from afar as he looked out over the water and mountains.

Top left: a scene from the streets of Seattle that was too iconic not to shoot. Top right: I loved this mirrored sectional wall by the Sky Lounge on board. Because the windows in that area let in blue-tinted light, it was difficult to get any photos colored correctly in post-production. I ended up going the b&w route for this one, which Jason wasn’t actually posing for (he didn’t realize I was taking a picture at the time). On the bottom left is the only phone photo in my collection of favorites. I only meant to take a quick pic of my iced bianco, but Jason made this ridiculous face in the background, and it makes me laugh every time I see it. Lastly, we have my final photo from our Ghosts and Goodtime Girls tour, which I’ll post about tomorrow. I took this one with soft light and a slightly blurred focus to capture an old-timey feel!

Top left: This seagull was strutting around the back of the dining area as we waited to disembark in Seattle. Top right: I loved all the little antique details at the Moore hotel, including the carved clawed feet of the tub. Bottom left: One of the Tlingit carvings seen in Ketchikan. Bottom right: In the gardens we visited in Juneau, there were all these tiny details in among the trees. I used to have an elephant statue carved like this one, with little holes throughout, and another tiny elephant carved inside. Sadly, it broke during my last move, so I was very excited to see this similar tiny statue in the crook of a moss-covered tree.

Top row: ferns and flowers in Ketchikan. Everything was so vibrant there! Bottom right: a photo of our reflections in the shop windows along Creek Street in Ketchikan. Bottom left: the edge of town by the old train depot in Skagway. Again, I love how vibrant all the colors were, and I cannot imagine living with the mountains just there every day!

Last and definitely not least, this is at present my favorite photo from the trip. These mountains lined the Endicott Arm on the way to the Dawes Glacier. Despite our ship moving through these waters, everything was so still. It was maybe an hour or 90 mins past sunrise, with the sun still very low in the sky, and mostly cloudy. Just enough sun to bring out brilliant reflections in the still waters. This turned out looking like a painting, and I just love it!