...and many more

Get Out da Way!

Check your rear-view mirror... that's Ali at the wheel. Of course, she's nowhere near old enough to get her permit yet, so her driving is restricted to taking the truck down a quarter-mile to the end of the country road -- there's a little turnaround that would be called a cul-de-sac in the city -- and back up to the dome. Driving is one of those things that gets better with lots and lots of practice, so we figure the more familiar she is with vehicles, the better.

L is for Lettuce

Greens from the garden! And radishes too!

K is for Knotwork

Here's the post where I show off my Celtic heritage. I love knotwork, and always seem to have some knotty projects somewhere in my world. As always, click on the picture for a larger version.

Ragna is coming along slowly. Here it is eight repeats in. I have to say I am disappointed in the quality of this lot of Elann Highland Wool -- I seem to cut out two or three knotted joins in each skein. I definitely don't like those kind of knots!

Another fun project was a pair of leather scabbards for two of Mike's swords. (Don't forget that we're reenactors, just in case you're wondering why he has multiple swords.) I drew the knotwork, Mike did the tooling.

I carry this knotwork around with me every day -- it's on my right ankle. It was inked by Pat Fish, "the Celtic Queen of the West", in her studio in Santa Barbara in 1996.

Summer Vacation

Just got back from a week's vacation -- visiting family in Carson City, NV. While we were there we took a couple of touristy side-trips! (Click the pics for a larger view.)

Trip 1: Lake Tahoe

We drove up to the lake one morning for lunch and a little shopping. We stopped at Vista Point along the way to admire the view. The kids complained mightily, but we made them get out of the car anyway.

There's a rocky little outcropping perfect for a little climbing.

Afterwards, we drove over to an outlet mall on the California side. Tahoe has a funny art project going on all over town -- fiberglass bears, all in the same pose, but all painted differently & fancifully. We saw dozens of them as we drove around the lake. This one, standing on the grass at the mall, is titled "Big Water Bear" and is supposed to represent deep water.

This one is titled "Beary Fast" and stands in the little village at the base of the Heavenly gondola. We ate lunch there, at a Mongolian barbecue place. Yum!

Trip 2: Virginia City

Two days later, we went up to Virginia City, which is nothing like the old TV show made it out to be: it's an old mining town perched on the side of a hill riddled with mineshafts. In its heyday, over 40,000 people lived there, drawn by the discovery of the Comstock Lode. Now maybe a tenth of that inhabit a touristy ghost town.

We visited "The Way Things Were" museum, long on mining artifacts, if a bit dusty & dull. They also had this bit of silliness in the front yard.

A mine tour was a welcome relief from the heat of the day -- the temperature inside the mine is a constant 55°F. A goofy old guy, approximately as old as God's uncle, gave a very imformative tour of the old Best and Belcher Mine, which managed to produce next to nothing despite being right smack next to the Comstock Lode. It's a fun tour & highly recommended if you are ever in the area.

Of course, there was also some shopping for saltwater taffy.

As always after a trip, it's good to be home.

New Adventures

I've started my new job in Sweet Springs. A bit of a drive, but I like it. Yesterday afternoon I eschewed the interstate and drove home via two-lane county roads... such a pretty day.

I've cast on for the new Six Sox pattern, a stash-buster project. Not too thrilling but I'll play along.

Also, the garden is coming along nicely. I swear the beans grow about a foot per day. I'm looking forward to putting up some dilly beans & relish! :-)