Life is a patchwork of experiences
I am sharing the details of how I travelled from Puerto Natales, Chile to Ushuaia, Argentina to board the L’Austral ship for a cruise to Antarctica
Ushuaia, Argentina, is the gateway for Antarctica trip expeditions. My Patagonia trip ended in Puerto Natales, followed by a few days in Ushuaia before boarding the Ponant L’Austral ship for an amazing 16-day cruise through Antarctica.
These are the various things I did on the port stops on my cruise around South America
I’ve been fortunate to combine trips to South America and Antarctica twice. My first trip was on a Princess Itinerary that sailed around the southern tip of South America with 4 days in Antarctica. This was an easy way to visit many ports along South America’s coast, combined with some scenic cruising in Antarctica.
My second visit started with a three-week Patagonia exploration, followed by an 18-day sail on Ponant’s L’Austral from Ushuaia to Antarctica, South Georgia Island, and the Falkland Islands. The ship then headed north to Puerto Madryn, Argentina, and finished in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Continue reading “My South America Cruise Port Excursions – An Introduction to Wildlife and History”
Sharing all the details of my independent Patagonia itinerary combined with a few days at Iguazu Falls
I planned a three-week trip for my husband and me to Argentina and Chile to see Iguazu Falls and the highlights of the Patagonia region. Not knowing if we would ever go back, we took our time exploring each area. Many tours offer similar, shorter itineraries, but it was easy to see the sights independently, and it allowed us to do it on our own schedule with some built-in downtime.
Continue reading “My Independent Patagonia Itinerary With a Side Trip to Iguazu Falls”
I was super excited to share details about my recent trip to Patagonia.
Podcast link: Exploring Patagonia – Glaciers, Wildlife, and Epic Landscapes
We found a lot of different things to do in Puerto Natales, Chile during the week we stayed there.
Puerto Natales is the closest gateway town to the popular Torres del Paine National Park in Chile’s Southern Patagonia region. After our three days inside the Torres de Paine park, we stayed another week in Puerto Natales to explore more of the region and to give my husband time to do some fly fishing.
With three days in Torres del Paine we had plenty of time to take in the sights at a leisurely pace
Continue reading “Three Days in Torres del Paine From A Non-Hiker’s Perspective”
We went to Punta Arenas, Chile specifically to see the two penguin colonies nearby
On our three-week Patagonia trip, my husband and I side-tripped to Punta Arenas for the sole purpose of seeing penguins. For those who don’t want to go to Antarctica, this is a (relatively) easy way to see penguins up close and personal in their natural environment.
Two penguin colonies could be visited as day trips from Punta Arenas. The king penguin colony on Tierra del Fuego was a very, very long day trip. Somewhat closer on Magdalena Island was a colony of gentoo penguins.
Our Patagonia adventures started with two days in Los Glacieres National Park in Argentina
Learn how to make half square triangles the easy way. I have found this method to be the most straight forward and foolproof technique for a perfect quilt block.
I am fascinated by the many quilting geometries you can achieve with a half-square triangle block. Over the years, I have made well over a dozen half-square triangle quilt patterns, and in the process, I have perfected the easiest and most fail-proof method for how to make half square triangles.
Continue reading “How to Make Half Square Triangles – The Easiest, Fail-proof Method”
Use these ideas for pieced backing for quilts to make your quilt back as beautiful as your quilt front.
I love the process of designing quilts. Picking out the fabric combinations, figuring out the geometry, and then sewing it all together satisfies my creative soul. So, for me, the back of the quilt is as much a canvas for creativity as the front.
I see it as an opportunity to think outside the box and come up with interesting design options beyond just a plain piece of fabric. Over the years, I have tried many different approaches to making pieced quilt backs for all my quilts, and I am sharing these ideas here.
