Good yarn + pointy needles + a great pattern = a big finished lace project. It is also my reason for not blogging much this week. Bee Fields is now finished. Thanks yet again to Anne Hanson for another glorious pattern! The yarn is Wooly Wonka Fibers merino laceweight in the colorway "The Silk Road."
The part that was not quite clear to me until the critical moment was that you have to scoot yourself off the platform to go down the zip line. Since you are seated, it is hard to consider it jumping off. I don't know what I was expecting, but I learned that it wasn't enough to climb the tower and sit down. In order to overcome my fears and excuses, I had to willingly take that last, very scary step. Or scoot, as it were. I had to take the risk to go from the nice, solid tower to the unknown of the zip line.
I did it. Twice, actually. I'm not sure "fun" is the word I would use to describe it, but I am proud of myself. I think my husband was shocked - and pleased. The whole experience meant a little bit more to me the next day when I learned that a friend of a friend had just lost her husband. He was a few years younger than I am - no obvious life-threatening issues...he simply had trouble breathing one night and died soon after arriving at the hospital. 
We had snowcones our last night at Gull Lake. I'm not fond of the blue ones, but Natalie is.
I go for cherry if it's your basic carnival snowcone. If it's something more high-end, like from a proper snowcone stand...well, that changes things.
A few days of my recent travels were spent in Palm Springs, CA. I have spent very limited time in California and even that was years ago. All I knew about Palm Springs was that it was popular with golfers. A quick search about weather told me to be prepared to be exceedingly hot while I was there.
The extra-nice part of the trip was that since it was off season in Palm Springs, we were able to stay at the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort. While I wouldn't say the rooms were luxurious, they were very nice and the bathroom was huge. The biggest perk for a family would be the pools. There are seven! None of them are massive, but having several allows you to have plenty of room. I'm sure that isn't the case during peak season, but it was true while we were there.
Our children were not with us on this short trip; they stayed with Greg's parents in Missouri. So do you know what my favorite part of my resort experience was? The pool that was for adults only. In reality, I spent very little time there, but boy it was nice.
I wish I could go back. At the same time, the scenery and lifestyle were so foreign to me. It seemed to be an entirely different world than the one I'm used to.
Hey Ragamuffintops - I'm back! I really expected the past three weeks to set me back a few pounds. I mean, it was vacation for pete's sake. While we were in Palm Springs I got to eat at PF Chang's, California Pizza Kitchen and The Cheesecake Factory (complete with White Chocolate Caramel Macadamia Nut Cheesecake). There were also several fast-food stops since we had so much driving to do after the California trip. Then at Gull Lake I had ice cream pretty much every night.
We're home! We left Michigan at 8:30 yesterday morning and got back to Nashville at 11:30 last night. It's not that long of a trip, but we had to make a lot of stops along the way - so we just took our time.
I have to get started on packing today. I don't really want to. I also have to mow. Don't really want to do that either. I made some poor food choices yesterday and feel like a big ol' slug.
This dock is just feet from the back door of the house we'll be staying in.
"Don't even think about it," she said. I have started working with Natalie at the piano. We are not on a regular schedule with it yet, but I work with her when she asks. Last week, she was very focused on picking out the melody of Mary Had A Little Lamb on her own, so I left her to her devices.
I believe there are at least two of them, perhaps more now. You always knew he was there if you saw the chicken car. Of course, you also knew where he was, regardless. The chicken car is not subtle.
I've mentioned before that my family is going to Michigan on July 11 to spend a week at family camp. Needless to say, this event is looked on with great anticipation by all of us. Last night, though, life through us a curve ball. A good one, but a curve ball nonetheless.
Right now I am reading All Hallows Eve by Charles Williams. It is an excellent book, but not one I would recommend for everyone. If you click the title, you can read the summary and reviews on Amazon. The story is rather difficult to explain, so I'll leave it to you to check it out if you're interested. I will say, though, that Williams was a member of the Inklings group, along with J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and others.
It was with great joy that I realized I had enough leftovers of two favorite yarns to knit a pair of of these - the variegated yarn is Socks That Rock (colorway: Moss Agate) and the nearly-solid is Dream in Color's Smooshy (colorway: Merlot).
But I don't think anyone has seen this sock...it's Judy "Magic Cast On" Becker's Tangled Up In Blue pattern:
It shouldn't take long to knit the cuff and then I'll be ready to knit the second sock. This yarn is what I received ages ago in the Dye-o-Rama Swap - it was dyed with Kool-Aid!"If I am a field that contains nothing but grass-seed, I cannot produce wheat. Cutting the grass may keep it short: but I shall still produce grass and no wheat. If I want to produce wheat, the change must go deeper than the surface. I must be ploughed up and resown."
I would love to hear from you guys today - so let's think of today as a little bloggy meet & greet. Brad did this yesterday on his blog and I realized I've never asked you to do this.
Here's a close-up...the bottom third is where I cast on and got it started last year, also where she knit along with me (operating the right needle). The rest is all her own handiwork, even the bind-off.
And here it is, in its intended use...a blanket for her dog, Otis:
