Purling Oaks

Oops

/sigh

I am so glad I had a lifeline.....I just wish I had run one more recently. I think I have all the stitches back on the needles. I am getting faster though. :D

I'll be home Thursday night and I better go to bed early. I've been going to sleep on Central time but waking up on Eastern time. Not a good thing to do on a long term basis, I will say.

Refreshing Start

Iced coffee with a bit of skim milk start my Mondays when I am in the airport at 5 am. I like the refreshing chill combined with my necessary hit of caffeine.

The east horizon was showing pink at 4 am as I started my drive south to catch my flight this morning. I usually see just darkness or moon and stars, if I'm lucky, at that hour. Today was lovely with the pink though just a bit disorienting. I checked several clocks to be sure I had not overslept! But no....just the effect of the approaching solstice.

Happy Monday!

Does this look like a woman's undergarment to you?....

I was spreading out the Simple Yet Effective Shawl (in progress in Noro Sock yarn) in preparation for a photo and Wilson asked me what I was knitting.  When I replied that it was a shawl and would probably be a smaller rather than larger one, his comment was "Really?  It looks like a woman's undergarment to me."  O.o  After some study, I do see some resemblance and it just goes to show it is all in a person's perspective. 

Last week's hole was fixed using Cookie's advice and now I can't even tell where it was.  Thanks, Cookie! 

I just have a few random thoughts gripes to share, which is a hint of my state of mind, if I ever find it......

• I would like to meet and speak with the brilliant engineer that designed those toilets that flush while you're still sitting on them, with no action on your part, except perhaps leaning down or over to perform actions that women perform in a restroom.   There are a few things I would like to tell him.  Don't ask me why, but I really think it is likely that my use of "him" is correct.
• I just purchased some barrettes that immediately broke at the hinge.  Argh.  I'm using these hair devices as my humidity defense while growing out my bangs.  I want to go back in time to the 80's so I can purchase some decent barrettes and hair combs, again.
• Don't let me color my hair again.  Highlight, maybe.  Color, no.  Humidity + damaged hair = big mess.

Okay, now for the less than random stuff:

• I tried posting this week from my iPod Touch but something ate my post between my hotel room and the Innernets.
• I stopped by Best Buy to take a look at a couple of netbooks.  It's all Kathryn's doing!  Honest.  :D
• I didn't walk the Mall this week but I did walk to and from Trader Joe's on Monday and spent some time on the treadmill later in week due to all the rain and thunderstorms.  I need to get on the treadmill more often.
• Wilson and I are having pork carnitas or fajitas or whatever you call them this evening with freshly made pico de gallo.  Yum.

Happy Saturday!

Some actual knitting...

I have been knitting and here's some evidence.     I've been working on increasing my speed but, of course, for me with speed (I use that term loosely) comes .......... a hole.  I found it yesterday just as my plane reached cruising speed to Madison; a short flight so not that much of a loss.    I think I have a spare yarn-over there but I'm not sure.  I've been researching my Knit Fix book for a solution to that and all Lisa Kartus says is to tink.  /sigh.  Is it possible to just "drop down" and fix it?  I've got errands to run this morning so I won't be playing with it too soon.  I will be seeing my DSIL Anne tomorrow, I think, and she will probably know how to fix it....besides tinking, I hope.  *g*

I walked around outside early this morning and found some things to share with you.  Here's a blue flag iris growing in the stream, which is still flowing but the volume of water is much reduced.

The thyme is blooming...... 

I've been walking a lot lately and feeling really good.  I've even been feeling skinny-er but when I step on the scale it says "so what if you've been walking.....walk more!"  So, I'll take the mood improvement and hope for more as I keep walking.  I've found a place to stay about two blocks from the office in DC so I'll be able to avoid the "sweaties" in the morning.  I plan to walk to and on the "Mall" in the evenings so I can keep up the walking and walk in a place where there will be a lot to see.  I'll have to walk a few blocks to get to the Washington Monument end.   I'll be able to gauge my progress by how far I get on the Mall.

Happy Friday!

Recap! (and some tasty salted pig parts.......)

Here's a few views and a little narration from my visit last Friday in San Francisco with Carrie K. 

First, Carrie K. is a wonderful person.  I had to say that.  :D  Someone needs to invent the Star Trek transporter beam so we can spend more time with friends that are miles away.  Really.  I had a very fun day with Carrie.  How can she not be wonderful when she humored my request to ride the cable cars?  We rode the cable car from Market Street down to the Wharf.  Here's a view that shows part of the bay on our way down there.  And I do mean down.  o.O  Good thing there is no ice or snow there or many folks would slide down the streets into the bay. 

Then we walked along the Wharf for a while until we were motivated by the wind to take another touristy form of transport that I didn't get a photo of and I'm gonna call it the old timey cable bus.  :D  We stopped at the Ferry Building where one of the first things I saw was.......

And......
Really.  Say "Tasty Salted Pig Parts" several times.  Doesn't it make you smile?  No pig parts came home with me but I do guarantee that if I lived nearby, I would be disturbing the pig parts to take some home.

It seems that there was a bit of a theme to our visit since the next place we visited was............

However, the parts were of the sea and not porcine.  Lunch was great and we shared some of these: 

YUM.

Oh, and salad for me and chowder for Carrie. 

Then more shopping where there may have been some chocolate but I'm not telling (and believe me, there is no evidence).   However, caramel with sea salt and chocolate is a good thing.  Theoretically, of course.

Then more cable bus riding, talking, more walking, and some waiting for a cable car where Carrie, under persuasion from an evil one, suggested I get a tattoo.  Several times.  o.O  Then the cable car arrived.  :D

The ride back up was fun and even more entertaining listening to three small children with Irish accents discuss a number things, including showering habits.  I'm afraid if I visit Ireland, I'll be so charmed by the Irish speakers I won't want to return.  Anyway, by the time we got back up to Union Square, it was time for dinner!  So we had some dinner and some dessert because it was the thing to do.  I had a lovely day and I guess we got on okay, considering we spent a good portion of the day together and didn't visit a yarn shop or stop to knit.  However, we did discuss knitting so I may be that bad of an influence.  First no knitting with Nora and now Carrie K!  I hope I'm not booted out of the knit blogging community.  Thanks for a fun day, Carrie K.!

The Golden Gate Bridge in the haze of late afternoon.

No tattoo.  :D  Love you all with body art!  It just isn't my personal thing. 

A quick lunchtime peek

One of the many new and temporary stands and structures in front of the White House in preparation of the inauguration next Tuesday. There are stands that are supposed to seat 5,000 folks. It was very interesting to see. I am glad I won't be here for the event....my crowd-hating self would be miserable. My class was good but complex with a knowledgeable and good instrctor. The british accent didn't hurt, either. I am on my way home and will hopefully be there before midnight. o.O

They said it might do that......

I've been making bread the 5-Minute artisan way since DH gave me the book for Christmas. Today I had a loaf in the oven while I was packing my suitcase. There was a loud noise and when I took the bread out, the cause of the noise was very apparent! Oops.

The bread is delicious. The stone was old and not as thick as suggested but it served me well.

I'm in DC this evening and 34 degrees feels balmy. I hope I feel the same way in the morning.

Saturday's update

The travel home from Philadelphia yesterday was uneventful* outside of having an excellent salad from one of the in-terminal food providers...Salad Express or something like that.  I had a Turkey Club Salad and it was amazingly good.  No slimy greens, just nice romaine with diced turkey, a sprinkle of bacon bits (real), a little cheese, some decent tomato chunks and some ranch dressing on the side.  Remarkable.

The little exposure I had to Philadelphia was all positive.  The people I met were very nice, the weather, although ranging from sun to lots of rain, didn't get into the snow or ice stuff, and the hotel was decent as well as convenient to my work location.  Next time, I hope I'll have time and a car to explore the city.

It was a bit of a shock to arrive back to 12 degree F temperatures and the huge piles of snow at home from the plowing.  Our yard looks like it did last January!  I can take the hint from Mother Nature that holiday decorations need to be moved near the top of this weekend's list of to-do's.

*Well, there was this one incident where a co-worker tracked me down at my gate in the airport.  He was peering at everyone sitting at my gate while I was sitting across the corridor from the gate and able to observe his actions.  He eventually found me.  Very weird.  Fortunately, my flight was called to board and I avoided the need to call Nora for advice or bail. :D

Happy Saturday!

Made it Monday

Guiness on tap via room service. Tastykake from the lunch deli.

Happy Monday.....yawn

Wednesday afternoon sunset

This was the view from my studio at a bit after 4:30 PM this afternoon. It was a very pretty consolation prize for the lack of sunshine/daylight.  Darkness at 5:15 PM is making me into (more of) a hermit.  At least I have the solstice to look forward to since the days get longer, in theory at least, after that day.  We had a few inches of snow today with it tapering off early this afternoon.  The driveway isn't plowed yet and it is 20 degrees F outside right now.  The contents of the mail box are going to wait until morning unless the plow guys show up soon.

I had a productive day of teleworking and ate the last of DH's yummy chicken and sausage jambalaya for lunch.  I am preparing for a work trip to Philadelphia next week.  The week is going to be pretty jam-packed with work so my first visit to the City of Brotherly Love won't have much time for sight-seeing or fiber shopping.  However, just in case, I'm accepting food and/or fiber recommendations.  :D