A knitting connection and hope for good things

Many of you know that one of my passions is knitting.
There are a number of reasons I like to knit. It is a pleasurable way to spend my time, it helps me wind down, I learn new techniques, I am mentally stimulated, and I get to produce beautiful things. But I also knit for the good company.

About a month and a half ago I was faced with a sad situation. I have been knitting a shawl and ran out of yarn so I couldn't finish the project. I agonized for a few days about what to do. A few friends suggested I turn to Ravelry, the online kntting community, to look for a match. I was not quick to jump on the suggestion. Instead I went back to my yarn shop, looked through the shelves and sulked. There was no more yarn and a new order wasn't going to be placed for some time. I was also worried about finding a good color match so hunting down the corresponding dye lot felt like a daunting task. Again, my knitting friends gently encouraged me with more specific ways in which I could get help from the Ravelry community. So I took their suggestions.

Since I already belong to Ravelry, I started with a yarn search. Then sent a short but cute email to 5 members who had the Corte D'Azul Malabrigo yarn that I was looking to match. Jean from MN was on of the first to reply but sadly the yarn dye lots didn't match. Again I got discouraged. So I went back to my knitting group with my head full of rational excuses why I should just RIP back all the knitting I had done and frog the project all together. I even remember telling my friend Diane that I couldn't see myself wearing the shawl because of it's round shape. Crazy! Yet again my knitting friends kept encouraging me to try again, to not give up. So when I went home. I had a thought. What if I send Jean from MN a little clipping of my yarn and if she determined there is a match then I could go ahead and buy the hank of yarn from her. If there was no match with Jean then I could try with the other knitters from that original search.
So I ran to my computer, sent her an email and she was quick to reply with an enthusiastic "Yes, let's try." The next day I mailed a 4-inch piece of yarn to MN. A few days later Jean emailed me back ataching six pictures of her hank of yarn next to my swatch of yarn and a cheerful message of hope. It was a match! Jean was also kind enough to send me a darling stitch marker with the yarn.

This week I got the yarn in the mail and it is perfect.
Thank you my lovely knitting friends, thank you Jean from MN, and thank you Ravelry!

I am joining the party!

Katie Evans Photography is hosting and I am joining the fun.

Week 1: Food Photography Contest

Purple potatoes harvested from my garden.

A special place and a bit of history

Thomas and I took a quick overnight trip soak in the Point Arena Hot Springs.

It was a 6 - 6.5 mile hike in.

We interrupted someones dinner.

Fall is here and it shows.

I was so happy just being out in nature. It was nice to get a study/school break.

I couldn't say it any better...

"The Point Arena Hot Springs were a resort in the early 1900s, accessible only by horse carriage. With the advent of the car, they weren't accessed as much. They have mostly disintegrated, although volunteers occasionally rebuild the pools. The main pool (the hottest) is in a tall, narrow cement tank, big enough for one person to stand in. There are four pools total, all with earth bottoms/leaves etc.
The property is owned by a now-defunct logging company, and the parking area is public access.
The hike in is tough, but worth it. Be prepared to camp there." Remarks by Kim Sturmer found on SoakersForum.com

It rained but we didn't mind.

We soaked and relaxed.

... and relax we did.

The earthen bottom of the hot spring.

New friends, a new place to hike and some good advice.

In September we were invited to go hiking at the Willow Creek Land Path. This invitation was a fun one to accept because it was from a couple that we both have been wanting to get to know.

If you are not familiar with WCLP check out their web site. There are a number of Land Paths that are supported by volunteers so you can both get involved and have access to magnificent places.

Minutes from the start of our adventure we were kindly greeted by this little creature. I like to call him Freddie.


We took several breaks to take in the beauty.

Aah...


This tree was huge.

I really mean HUGE!

Thomas and I have had many conversations about our friends or lack thereof. It is one thing to have friends as a singleton but another to be friends as a couple with another couple. We are childless and when we hit our thirties we slowly lost all our friends. They were off having children and we were not joining in the fun--I suppose. Through the years, we have met great couples but sadly one-by-one they have all moved out of our area. Long distance friendships take on a different dimension.
So were were ecstatic to get along with K&A and we look forward to many more adventures.

At the end of a great afternoon of hiking we were greeted by some good advice. I love how the Universe works.

Sun set out at sea

Tony my brother has been working for a sailing school out at the Berkeley marina for several years now. It is a shame that I haven't accepted any of his invitations to go out for a sail until last week. My excuse not to go has always been RN school. No more, we had such a good afternoon out at sea that I will say yes to any future invites.

So here is the crew ready to go out for a night of sailing fun. Can you say matchy-matchy!


The sea was calm and the wind strong. It made for a smooth ride out.

We talked, listened to music and had an all around good time.

Lily was fascinated with this seagull as it few so close to us and for so long.

Tony kept us entertained, he is a good host.

Thomas' is a pro behind the wheel. He is no beginner at sailing so it was fun to see him in action.

It was a clear night.



We cheered.

The sun set was beautiful.

It's your birthday, it's your birthday!

Today is my 40th birthday and to follow tradition I am posting a picture from a long time ago.
See the picture from last year here!



It has been a great 1st 40!

Trees, Ocean, Spider and Mom.

My mom is in town for a few months. I get so excited when she comes because there are so many fun things to do here in the USA. So when she visits I make a list and we check it twice. My list read, "take mom on a spectacular hike", so we did.

My mother is a great role model for health so I challenged her to a beautiful hike near the ocean. We took her to Pomo Canyon and hiked to and from Shell beach. It was a cool and fun day. The map details say it is a 5.5 mile round trip with about 720 feet of elevation gain each way. I was more concerned about the cold climate, so we packed some tea to enjoy by the beach. Overall it was a spectacular way to visit with my mom.