I survived

For anyone who has ever been to Germany, you can buy a t-shirt that says "I survived the Autobahn", which is the German highway system - the infamous one without the speed limit -well, of course, there is a speed limit, but we're drifting off subject - quit distracting me!


Anyway, I think I need a "I survived my lunatic family's visit" t-shirt. I don't get how it is that I work out every single day of my life, and yet, when they come to visit, I'm exhausted at the end of every day. I mean, yeah - my brother is a marathoner,

and uber-fit, but still - I'm not a complete couch potato, so what's the deal? I want to know. Not to mention my Mom is practically a fossil, (Can you believe she's 74?! And still adorable. I hope I'm that well preserved at her age) and she keeps up! Someone please explain this to me.

In the meantime, here's the story. My uber-fit brother, my sister-in-law, and my fossilized mom all came to visit this week. They came down in conjunction with the Marine Corps Marathon.

The day before the race, to keep him off his feet as much as possible, all we did was go to Ford's Theater.

And, there may have been a trip to a yarn shop in there somewhere. What can I say - he wanted to preview the course, and while we were trying to drive around, finding all the hills he'd have to run, we came close to Bethesda, MD - home of Knit and Stitch = Bliss - a shop I rarely get to visit since it's so far out of my way. I bought Rowan's Felted Tweed to make this wonderful Fair Isle vest - now all I have to do is learn how to knit fair isle - i figure I'll start with a hat and go from there. So, that was Saturday (they got in Friday night).

Sunday was the race.

And seriously, I think I was more tired than my brother - we raced around trying to get to places to cheer him on. We did get to see lots of gorgeous sites while running around - and with virtually no crowds around (since we were there at the crack-o-dawn - oh yeah - i left that little jewel out, didn't i?).

But, unfortunately, at one point, Doms (Mom's nickname - make sure you remember, not gonna tell you again!) and I got separated from my sister-in-law, and since she was the only one with a race map, that meant we were lost. Well, that and the fact that I'm directionally dsyfunctional. So, Doms and I wandered around lost for - like - ever, before we finally found a metro station, and went to Rossyln, along with the other million people wanting to get to the race finish line. We never got to see him finish, but I did make sure he knew how exhausted I was when I did see him. Silly boy - he didn't think any of this was about him, did he? Truth of it is, yeah - i was tired, but that ended up being a lot more fun than I would have expected.

So, that was Sunday.

Monday, I took a half day off work so I could meet them at the new Smithsonian American History museum. I enjoyed the exhibits - especially the new exhibit for the flag, the one about American's in War, American Presidents, and the transportation exhibit - but there is an awful lot of wasted space in that new set up. Still, I learned a lot - I even learned things the SigO didn't know - impressive, huh?

Tuesday, we all trooped down to Monticello - which is in Charlottesville, VA. And do you know what else is in Charlottesville, VA? The Needle Lady! A really great yarn shop, with a terrific selection. It's possible I bought some yarn there too. I also found a great pattern for a top for my New Year's end of P90X celebration - all I need now is to find some yarn that won't break the bank - the yarn called for in the pattern definitely will. Anyway - back to Monticello - it's a lovely home, but even nicer than the building are the grounds.

The gardens were incredible. The whole day was just one giant watercolor painting - we got really lucky with the fall foliage.

we stopped at this one church on the way there,

and took a zillion pictures

- tons of color, lots of nice photo ops.

Wednesday I had to work all day. The gall. Expecting me to earn my income. But, considering my yarn habit, that income is pretty crucial.

And speaking of yarn...The Doms and I spent Thursday visiting some of my favorite haunts. That, of course, means Wegmans. Not that I love going to Wegmans so much - but, I do have to go a lot - especially on P90X - dieting is such hard work. Then we went to Burke Lake -just so she could see how gorgeous it is in color. Then Merrifield. Then REI - a true favorite. Then Nature's Yarn, and finally, Uniquities. We didn't have time for all my favorite spots, but we did have a stellar day. And now, it's Friday, and they're leaving, and even though I'm exhausted, I already miss them.

Sigh. Texas is so far away!!

Knitting Update

This blog is 100% about knitting.

If you feel yourself dozing off already - probably want to go ahead and move on.

I finished my section of MisJaq's traveling scarf last night. To catch everyone up, this is a group in Ravelry (an online knitting community), that knits a section of a scarf, and then sends it to the next knitter. You start off with your own scarf. You knit 5", and then send it to the next lady in line. This is the lady you always send to, for the entire exchange. She then knits 5" and sends it to the lady under her, who knits 5", and so on, until the scarf comes back around to you. So, the first scarf you receive in the mail is from the lady above you, and it's only her 5". Then, the next scarf you get has 5" knit from the lady above you, and 5" from the lady above her, for a total of 10". The next will have 15" knit. And so on, and so on, until you're the one knitting the last 5" of a 50" scarf. Get it?

Anyway, I had to take MisJaq's scarf to Tiffany at Nature's Yarn (my favorite LYS) and have her rip it back to Jannit's section. I don't know how, but I somehow lost some stitches and couldn't find them again. I kept frogging and tinking and got down to where if I went much further, I'd be messing up Jannit's section - and it's a bit pointless to have a traveling scarf, where the object is to have many women knitting up your scarf for you, when you end up messing with the previous knitter's section. So, needless to say, I didn't want to push my luck any further - especially since it was going south, quickly. Luckily, Tiffany set me straight and I was able to knit my section without any more drama. I did use a lifeline though after Tiffany set me straight, and intend to do that from now on with future traveling scarves.

I used Kaffe Fassett's sock yarn, and I think it is a nice continuation of the colors MisJaq originally chose.

My araucania hoodie is still coming along well. One more sleeve, then on to the hood and the button band. No pics of that yet.

Finally, I'm working on a scarf for the SigO. It seemed only fair that he should get something more than one pair of knitted socks. Although, he'd better use this scarf more than he wears those socks, or else!! I found the yarn in NYC, and found the pattern in Ravlery (of course). It's a multidirectional diagonal scarf. I think it looks very manly, and want him to buy a peacoat to wear with it.

See, there are all sorts of hidden expenses with knitting!

Gettysburg

So, we were desperate to get out of town. What's new, right? And the SigO chose Gettysburg. I had this great camping location all picked out in MD. And no, I didn't make reservations. It was supposed to rain and drop into the low 40's. How many maniacs could there be like us, out on this particular weekend.

Apparently, a lot. So, that campground was full - "We're full every weekend" said the registration lady - rather snottily. Then why do you close 3/4 of your effin' campground in Oct, I'd like to know!?!

Anyway, I did a quick search on SigO's iphone and found Codorus State Park, which is only 18miles out of Gettysburg. Not the most private camp sites, but we got a pretty good one, without anyone immediately next to us on any side. So, after setting up camp, we headed down to the battlefields and did some riding.

Encounted a few problems there too. The map we were using was out of date, and the Visitor Center isn't where it used to be. And they've changed the direction of the traffic, so following our map had us riding against traffic the whole time. Which got real un-fun, real fast. So, we turned around and simply tried to follow some signs. Which was OK, but still, not the best ride ever. The SigO was a tad grumpy when I tried to take this shot, but I put on a pouty face until he smiled at me.

We got a nice shot from the top of Little Round Top,

and a nice one from close to where the visitor's center used to be.

Then, we headed on out, to continue the ride, but it tried to drop us onto another busy road without much of a shoulder. By this time, my fun meter was pegged, so we loaded the bikes and wandered around thru town on foot instead. Lots of folks wandering around in period clothing. Nice.

It was quite dark by the time we got back to our campsite, and with temps dropping fast, the highlight of the evening was to see how big a fire we could build.

Too bad I couldn't take it into the tent with me, because it was seriously cold that night, even with two heavy blankets and us huddling together for warmth. I cursed at him every time he got up to pee - which, quite frankly, was one too many times - but then, once would have been one too many times. And yes. I know. If you think I was cursing...

I'm sure he wasn't loving life out there either. The one time I had to get up to pee I thought my bum was going to freeze off. Can you believe I still want to go camping in the snow one day?

News from the knitting front is good, but since I have no pics to share, you'll have to wait on that one. I'll try to remember to take some shots tonight, and post again tomorrow.

Until then...

Crazy Busy

I know - I'm late in posting, but I have been crazy busy lately. Crazy busy getting ready for a business trip next week. Crazy busy doing P90x. Don't even try giving me that deer in the headlights look. I don't even watch commercials and I've heard Tony's obnoxious promo's on the product.

Ab Ripper!! I hate it. But I love it.

Blech.

Needless to say, I curse at the TV a lot while doing these routines, but I can't argue with the results so far.

So, but, I have a few minutes now, so thought I'd tell you about my weekend.

We went and looked at RV's.

You all probably know by now that the 5-year dream/fantasy/plan - call it what you want - is to sell everything, buy an RV and spend our golden years traveling around. The RV will be home. As such, that means it needs to be a monster RV. Which is why we're looking at a 42 footer. The one we liked the best (where we were looking - and yes, it was the only 42' model on the lot) was the Timmons Phaeton. We looked at some smaller ones, and as soon as we walked in, I thought "there's not even enough room for all my yarn in here!!!" But, I think we could fit into this one. It's got a bath and a half. It's got a king size bed. It's got a full sized fridge.A washer/dryer. And a bigger kitchen than the one I have now - I'm just sayin.

Let me tell you though - as you're driving down the road, and one of these beasts passes by you (and if so - you're driving too damn slowly - again - just sayin'), you see all these compartments along the side. I've always thought those were storage compartments. And some of them are. But most are just places for the sewage, or the propane tank, etc. Not nearly as much storage space as you'd think. We'll have to get one of those roof luggage things, put that on top of our tow vehicle, and stow all my yarn in there. Cuz you know, it's all about the yarn.

Anyway, that night, we went to Cavalia. This is a show out of Canada that mixes Cirque du Soleil and horses. We had a very nice time, and the show was quite spectacular. My favorite part was right at the beginning - this girl was on a trampoline, flipping her legs over her perfectly straight, horizontal body - over, and over, and over again. Quite the sight. Also, there was this one scene where it looked very much Lord of the Rings.

That was very pretty. Another scene had a group of rather gorgeous men standing on the backs of two horses and galloping around, jumping, doing tricks, etc.

H and I lamented over the fact that undoubtedly none of them are interested in women. So many gorgeous men. So few straight.

The show effectively ended with several stunt riders, one after the other, while also featuring several acrobats and aerialists doing their thing.

A nice show, all the way around.

As far as knitting goes, after the RV lot, we went to Old Town Needlecrafts in Manassas, VA. Like In Stitches, she sells knitting, needlepoint and cross stitch. She also sells some quilting supplies. I was only into the knitting. I got the yarn and pattern for a Filatura Di Crosa cardigan that I intend to start just as soon as I'm done with the Araucania Hoodie. I know - amazing - I'm finishing a project before starting another. That's just because I really want to wear the hoodie this fall, and time's a ticking. So far, I have the back and left front knit up. The sleeves are short, so those won't take long, but I just finished the ribbing on the right front, so I have a lot to go on that, plus the hood. Damned P90X. It's interfering with my knitting!!