Goofin' Off Aboard a Pirate Ship

Ahoy, mates! As Captain Jack Sparrow says:  "It's not the destination so much as the journey." Last weekend we had a famous pirate ship...well, sort of famous...sail into town. Mr. Goofin' Off and I were able to go down to the waterfront, board the ship, and take a few pictures. This ship has some Disney ties to it, so of course I'll have to share it with you.

I wasn't feeling too hot this weekend, so I kind of took it easy.  Despite that, I did manage get some work done on my newest quilt. I spent some time cutting out the pieces for my new quilt. The quilt pattern is called "Square Dance", so I'm calling my quilt "Gingerbread Square Dance".

Everything is All Cut and Ready for Gingerbread Square Dance

The first step of this pattern is to sew some strip sets together. I love patterns that use strip sets. They really make things go so much more quickly. Here are the strip sets all sewn together and ready to be sub-cut.

Strip Sets for Gingerbread Square Dance

I talked Mr. Goofin' off into stopping at JoAnn's this weekend, so I could get the last of the thread that I needed for my Frozen Fun cross stitch pieces. Here is the first finish:

Frozen Fun Cross Stitch Finish #1

Mmm, that looks so scrumptious!

Mr. Goofin' Off and I like to go walking down on the waterfront. Every year there are some replica ships that come in to the small port there. I had heard rumors that one of the ships had been used in some movies and TV shows, so I did a little research this year before they came into town. 

View from the Boardwalk

On our Friday evening walk along the boardwalk, we could see the two ships.  The ship on the left is the Hawaiian Chieftan and the ship on the left is the Lady Washington.  The Lady Washington is the ship that is sort of a movie star in its own right...sort of.  

I checked the schedule, and it looked like Sunday morning the ships would be available to go aboard and take pictures and ask questions. Here she is Sunday morning waiting for us to come on board. 

Lady Washington Waiting to be Boarded by the Goofin' Offs

During my research I found out that the Lady Washington had been used in the movie Star Trek: Generations.  Now Mr. Goofin' Off is a huge Star Trek fan, so he immediately recognized this area from the movie and had to boldly stand where Captain Jean-Luc Picard had stood before him. 

Mr. Goofin' Off Standing Where Captain Picard Once Stood

As for me, the Disney geek, nerd, enthusiast, I found out that the ship had been used in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean:  The Curse of the Black Pearl.  The ship was one of the British ships portrayed in the movie, the HMS Interceptor. There was a plaque from the movie on the ship that had been signed by some of the cast and crew of the movie. Sorry the picture wasn't as clear as I had hoped.

Plaque from Pirates of the Caribbean:  Curse of the Black Pearl

When I asked the gal volunteering on the ship the last time the Lady Washington had been used for filming, she told me just last month...up in Vancouver, BC...for the filming of Once Upon a Time (the TV series). Yep, the Lady Washington can also be seen playing the role of the Jolly Roger, Captain Hook's ship, on the TV show. I am guessing that means we will be seeing more of Captain Hook in the upcoming season. Yay!

I decided to help Hook out by steering the ship. Mr. Goofin' Off made sure I knew that this was a tiller and not a rudder...because, you know, he wants to make sure I call it a tiller and not a rudder and confuse all my blogging friends. 

I'm Steering the Jolly Roger for Captain Hook!

The ship is much smaller in real life than it appears in the movies. But I did manage to take a few more shots. 

A Replica of a Cannon

The Bell Waiting to Be Rung

The bell was all shiny and pretty...just tempting all the little ones (and more than a few adults) to ring it. There was a sign indicating not to ring the bell. Of course, the littlest ones can't read, so when Mommy and Daddy weren't paying attention, it got rung once or twice...much to the dismay of the volunteer in the area. 

The Lady Washington Herself Adorning the Front of the Ship

This is not our first time encountering a ship from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Back in 2009 we got to enjoy the Flying Dutchman. 

Me and the Flying Dutchman in 2009 at Castaway Cay

I'll leave you today with a few thoughts from Captain Jack Sparrow. Even a pirate can have some great insights to life. 

"The problem is not the problem.

The problem is your attitude about the problem.

Do you understand?"

-Captain Jack Sparrow

"The seas may be rough,

but I am the captain!

No matter how difficult,

I will always prevail.

-Captain Jack Sparrow"

Thanks joining me on my journey today. Blogging would not be the joy that it is without all of my readers and fellow bloggers.

Linking Up To:
Needle and Thread Thursday
Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop!
Finished or Not Friday
Scrap Happy Saturday

Goofin' Off Around Leavenworth and Found a Hidden Mickey

I mentioned in my last post that I didn't think I would be able to get much done on my projects because we had a busy weekend last weekend.  Well, I was right (of course).  But we had such a great time, so it was well worth it.  I'll get around to all of that in a minute.  But first, the promised project updates for all my quilting and stitching friends.

I did manage to get the first borders cut out for the Captain America quilt.  I went ahead and attached the first border to the right side of the quilt to see if I was going to like it, and I do.  It's a little difficult to see in the picture but should be much more visible once I've attached all the borders.

First Set of Borders Cut Out

Border Added to Right Side of Captain America Quilt 

I finished another section on the Mickey and Pirate Friends cross stitch.  You can see the edge of Goofy's face beginning to appear.

Mickey and Pirate Friends - 06/28/2017

I promised a number of my readers a picture of what the finished Mickey and Pirate Friends would look like.  You can see the artwork it is based off of down below.  I bought the pattern on Etsy.  Mr. Goofin' Off picked out the piece he wanted me to work on after I finished my Tinkerbell piece.  It will go very well in our family room when it is finished (in about 10 years).

Mickey and Pirate Friends

Last Saturday, we took my parents to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie.  I won't give any spoilers (because I was scolded on Facebook when I did), but we really enjoyed a certain cameo appearance.  The movie was a lot of fun the whole way through.  The humor may be a little crude if you're sensitive to that sort of thing.  I especially liked the way this movie brought the story line full circle from the first movie.  It has set things up for a new set of movies or a nice finish to the first set.  We'll see what Disney decides to do.

At the Movie Theater

On Sunday, Mr. Goofin' Off and I decided to head to Leavenworth, Washington.  It's a little Bavarian town nestled in the Cascade Mountains.  It was a warm day, so we tended to stay indoors.  Here is a picture of the main street going through the shopping and restaurant strip.

Main Strip of Leavenworth with the Cascade Mountains in the Background

In good traffic, it's about a two-hour drive to get to Leavenworth from our house.  So our first stop after we parked was to get some lunch as we were hungry from the drive.  We ate lunch at King Ludwig's Restaurant.  It was pretty quiet in there.  Occasionally when we've eaten there, there has been live German entertainment.  It kind of reminds me of the Biergarten at Epcot in Florida. I had the Jaegerschnitzel and Mr. Goofin' Off had the Rouladen.  I'd say my lunch was good but not outstanding.

Jaegerschnitzel at King Ludwig's in Leavenworth

We spent the next two hours browsing through the shops.  Some of the shops are very well themed...such as the Nutcracker store.  Other shops just sell cheap little dollar-store type of items.  You never know what you're going to find.  We see more and more wine shops added every trip.  This particular trip called for a stop at the Taffy Shop where they have dozens of different types of taffy...including flavor options such as chicken and waffles.  You can pick your own assortment and pay by the pound.  Mr. Goofin' Off got himself a pound.  I was more interested in this shop.  

One of the Jim Shore Disney Figurine Displays

Thomas Kinkade Disney Artwork for Sale

I honestly don't remember the name of the shop that sells all of these fun Disney things, but it is a must stop for me every time we go.  Can you guess why?  They have other fun collectibles there, but the Disney things are the ones that always catch my eye.  We have spent some money here over the years...just sayin'.  We did manage to control our pocketbook this time around and didn't spend any money there.

As we were getting ready to leave I noticed this sign hanging up outside the tea shop.  

Cup and Kettle in Leavenworth, Washington

Am I the only one who sees a hidden Mickey here?  It took Mr. Goofin' Off a minute to spot it.  I know I have a few Disney fans among my readers.  I want to know do you see hidden Mickey's all the time, too?  Or is it just me?  And do you see this hidden Mickey?  

Thanks for popping on over.  I hope you've enjoyed this post.  Do you have any favorite day trips you take?  What do you like to day when you get the chance for a quick getaway...the beach, the mountains, shopping?  Let me know down below.

Linking Up With:  Needle and Thread Thursday, Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop

Goofin' Off With Projects and Disney Cruise Trip Report Day 3

I keep plugging away on my projects.  Sometimes they seem to move slow as molasses depending on what all I've got going on.  At the moment, each one of them continues to bring me smiles as I work on them.  Captain America is bringing me the biggest smiles.  I have begun laying out the blocks to see what they will look like - and I really, really like it - but I'm not sharing just yet.

During the latter part of the week, I finished these little sub-units...

Step III - D Units

...which came from these sub-units.

Step III - C Units

And for a stitching update, I am beginning to see a little of the actual picture begin to show on Mickey and Pirate Friends cross stitch.  Goofy's pirate hat is emerging...it's the oranges that you are seeing.  It's always fun to see the details emerge when working on such a large project.

Mickey and Pirate Friends Cross Stitch - As of 06/04/2017

Thanks for all the nice comments and e-mails I have been receiving about my trip report.  Always feel free to leave comments or questions below or e-mail them to me.  I love to talk quilting, cross stitching, and Disney...especially when I know someone else is planning a trip.  Now let's see...where did I leave off with the cruise trip report?  Oh, yes, we're beginning Day 3.

Day 3 was our first full day at sea as well as "pirate" day on the ship.  All of the character meet and greets were with the various characters dressed up in pirate attire...very similar, actually, to my the attire that will appear in my cross stitch picture.

We began our morning with breakfast at Cabanas buffet.  From there we decided we would participate in "Anna's Chocolate Scavenger Hunt"...Anna being the Anna from the movie "Frozen." It was actually an odd day for them to hold the scavenger hunt because there was a "Frozen" day later in the cruise, and it would have made more sense to do it on that day.  There were symbols from the movie "Frozen" hidden all over the ship.  There were clues as to where you could find them.  If you found them, you could add them to your "Chocolate Chase" paper and leave your paper on your bed...and then, voila, this little baby would magically appear in its place while you were out.

Prize for Anna's Chocolate Chase Scavenger Hunt

I mean, seriously, it was like the chocolate fairy was coming to our cabin all the time and would leave us chocolate...all...the...time.

After the scavenger hunt, we headed to the movie theater for a movie.  One of the unique things about a Disney cruise is that they show first-run Disney movies in their movie theaters.  Every movie that Disney had released during the past year (including Marvel movies and Star Wars) was shown in the theater.  It was a nice way to catch up on the movies I had missed.  The movie we watched this day was "Born in China".  I absolutely loved it despite the fact that I didn't follow my own rule of not getting too attached to the animals in a Disneynature movie.  Well, the circle of life, you know...I won't give away any spoilers in case you haven't seen it yet...but don't get too attached to the animals no matter how adorable they are.  Here is the official trailer:




When the movie was over, it was time for lunch already.  It felt like we just ate.  We hurried to the buffet for a light lunch then went and watched "The Great Dubois".  It was a live show featuring magic and a few aerial acrobatics.  In case you're thinking, Wow, they sure were inside a lot for a cruise...yes, we were.  Our days at sea were all overcast, gray, windy, and chilly, so we did a lot indoors.

After the show, Mr. Goofin' Off and I walked some laps on the track outside.  We had to work off breakfast and lunch because it wasn't going to be too long before it was dinner time.  At dinner, everyone was encouraged to dress up like pirates...even the waiters and assistant waiters were dressed up.  Here is a picture of our nephew dressed up in his pirate attire for the night.

Pirate Night in the Dining Room

Mr. Goofin' Off even noticed the menus were printed specially for the night.  

Pirates in the Caribbean Dinner Menu

After dinner, it was time to head to the show for the evening.  Tonight's show was "The Golden Mickeys".  It's a take on the The Oscars awards show.  Various Disney Broadway-style musical numbers are performed as Mickey receives awards in different categories for the various Disney movies.  It's fun to enjoy listening to some of my favorite music from the Disney movies while watching them being performed live.  

After dinner was the "Pirates in the Caribbean" party up on the top decks of the ship.  There is a dance party with the crew all dressed up as pirates.  The dance party is followed by fireworks off the ship accompanied by various pirate music.  It was very chilly outside that night, so everyone was bundled up in blankets on deck.  It didn't stop me from enjoying the fireworks, though.  The fireworks off the ship are one of my favorite things about a Disney cruise.  

After the pirate party ended, we returned to our room where we found this on our bed:  

Pirate Night Towel Folding by Cabin Steward

It looks to be some sort of sea monster and/or pirate.  Did you notice the chocolate gold coins for the eyes and embellishment?  Yes.  More chocolate...always more chocolate waiting for us in the cabin.  It's a good thing I love chocolate.  

Thanks for following along with my adventures.  And as my friend Tigger always says:  "TTFN...ta ta for now."

Super Bowl, Pirates, and Quilts

So yesterday was the Super Bowl.  I have to admit, I watched very little of the game.  Had our Seahawks been playing, that might have been another story.  It would have been great had our Seahawks made it further in the playoffs.

During the Super Bowl, Disney debuted a few new movie trailers.  Among them was the trailer for "Pirates of the Caribbean:  Dead Men Tell No Tales".  I am a huge fan of the Pirates franchise.  I have been waiting to see a trailer for some time now.  In honor of the Pirates trailer, I have themed my update pictures with a pirate theme.  A big thanks to FranB Designs for her fun digital artwork that she allows me to use on my blog.  (Hint:  If you missed the trailer, you can find a link to it on the bottom of this post.)

The above picture represents a finish of Step 4 of my current quilt.  It is the completed center of the quilt.  I think I mentioned before that this was a "scrap" quilt.  I did try to coordinate the colors of the scraps and really like how it turned out.  I just have the borders to pop on.

Above is my Australian Square Dance quilt which has been tied and bound and is now completed and ready for donation.  You can see the cute Australian critters that were on the fabrics.

Now for the updates on my Tinkerbell cross stitch.  I actually finished stitching two more little sections on my piece.  Below are pictures of each of those updates.

If you happened to miss the "Pirates" trailer (or you just want to see it again), you can follow the link below to the official trailer on YouTube.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Trailer