Short Story Long

HOW did I reformat my whole blog after I spent hours customizing it?  I clicked something irreversible and have not had time to go back through and edit it all again.   Moving on.  Happy autumn!  We're in the thick of it now, with leaves changing and the garden done.  Cool mornings, no more cricket sounds, and that light that gets a little lower every day.  At my house, we are cooking dinners inside instead of out on the grill.   We have spent too much time at home this year.  None from fear; mostly because the things we would do are not open, and possibly a bit of laziness.  It is easy to stay home and not do hair - or cut hair; not worry about matching clothes; not worry about timeliness.  It all blends.  I know you are there, too.  We have spent most of our church hours watching church online; it has been nice to have a quiet morning in pajamas, with hot drinks and fresh pancakes while we listen to a sermon.  ...

Snows, like snowflakes: there are never two alike, and not all snows yield good snowflakes for photographing.   a January snow a November snow Any snow day is a good day for knitting.  Or reading.  Or looking at old photographs.  I was tempted to stay inside but I was in and out all day so I thought I might as well head down to the park and see what I could find.  No good snowflakes, but some lovely little ice globes on pine needles.  I'm knitting a Christmas present, and enjoying Lark Rise to Candleford .  It's time to break out the seasonal favorites .  If it is snowy tomorrow, I might get around to making some pizzelles.  Who knows!  What's your favorite snow-day craft??  

A year or two ago, I joined a local photography group.  I was really hoping to make friends, and have a group to learn with, as I've had with my knitting group.  Photography is not quite the social setting, though.  What I have gotten out of it is a never-ending list of local places for photo-ops!   Recently, one of the members shared a local iris farm, and several members spent a morning taking pictures there.  Unfortunately, the excessive rain we've had this spring meant that the irises were not in full bloom as expected, but it was still an interesting find.  The owners live on sight and also have a beautiful little spot of "red" poppies.  Here are a few of my favorite shots from the day...   Maybe you can spot one of the challenges of this type of group?   And lastly, a shot from their vehicle graveyard, in case flowers aren't your thing: It's always nice to find new places in one'...

We don't often have fog; by the time I had kids to school and time to stop for pictures, it was half gone.  Like all things in life, we have to appreciate what is here and now, and plan well for the next time.  (read: keep the camera batteries charged!) I am working on a new mitten pattern for Windy Valley.  It's simple and to the point, with a fairly simple cable design, and I love it.  More on that when there are photos.   Stay warm!  

This is not a comprehensive post about fleece judging; I just want to share with you one of the things I've done in the last couple of weeks - observing fleece judging!  Let's call it a photo essay.  A friend invited me to join her at the National Western Stock Show, and I learned a lot.  However, most of it would be more applicable to someone raising sheep, which I'm not, so it is hard to quantify what I learned - and repeat it accurately.  It was very fun, though!  One of the competition assistants surveys the entries  One of the judges evaluates the micron count Pulling out pieces of fleece for a closer look A collegiate team getting a lesson on what to look for in a prize fleece Detail of crimp and dirt Judge explaining the difference between these two locks Have you tried something new or learned something new this year?? 

We seemed to have a warm late-fall, leading into the holidays and through the new year.  I am happy to see the snow during the snow months; it gives me hope that the spring months with be springy, and the sunny months will grow lots of tomatoes.   I look forward to March, and its green promises of St. Patrick's Day and the First Day of Spring.  In between now and then, I'm just knitting and reading and trying to achieve small victories, so that when April and May arrive, I will be ready for hours outside in the dirt!  

Estes Park has long been a favorite day-out excursion with friends and family, and although it can seem very touristy, there are lots of fun things to do.  Currently, my aunt (Aunt Banana) and uncle live there, and we spent the night at their house to have a little extra time to explore (and because we like hanging out with them!)    We had never been to the famous Stanley Hotel , although it is a grand presence above the lake as we enter town from the east.  It is said to be haunted.  We walked up from our parking spot on the main strip to get a closer look at this lovely example of Georgian architecture.  Luckily, we encountered no ghosts.   What a gorgeous staircase; we learned later that the four different balusters on each step were designed to represent the four seasons.   What we didn't realize when we planned this trip was that the town of Estes Park is celebrating its 100th year this summer!  Aunt Banana call...

We decided to track down a hot air balloon festival this summer, and spent the weekend in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.  This beautiful little town has good food, beautiful hikes, friendly locals, and a yarn shop!  What more could you ask for??   We watched balloons from sunrise to sundown, seriously.  I am going to mostly let the pictures do the talking but wanted to point out two things.  The "rodeo" portion of this festival is when the balloon pilots attempt to touch down on the surface of the lake.  I think most of them managed it without any problems.  You can see the yellow balloon with the flowers is still dripping as it rises.  Also, out of twelve hand-painted balloons in the world, there are two in this crowd!  They are the circus balloon and the cowboys.   To see more, including a time-lapse video (my first attempt at that,) you can check out the whole set here .