Topic of the week

Hello, everybody--my favorite winter pastime is sitting by a fire while it is snowing outside, reading a great book, drinking a cup of my favorite coffee and nibble on some cookies and listening to some Christmas songs. We had a Christmas cookie exchange last night and I have lots of cookies to choose from. Have fun in the snow if you have any, if not, enjoy being in warm weather!!

Topic of the Week

I love my first cup of coffee in the morning (sometimes I pour before the pot is done brewing). I love to savor it alone, lights still off and plan my day ahead, but I also love a cup of coffee with friends, some cake or cookies to nibble and rain or snow pouring down. If all my friends are busy, I have a book keep me company.

Misc news

Hello everybody. So sorry for not posting in a while. I have been very busy with my Church. We collect food every Thanksgiving and in conjunction with other Churches and our local Food Bank we have a Thanksgiving Blessing. Our Church is one of the pick up points i.e. if you live at a certain zip code you come to our church with a piece of mail that shows your zip code and then you shop for your Thanksgiving dinner that feeds a family of 5. If you have a larger family then you shop for a larger family. The dinner includes everything to prepare a meal starting with turkey, vegetables, potatoes, apples, pie shells, gravy mix, dressing mix, etc.. While you wait for your turn there is coffee, tea, cake, and pie. We have a children room for coloring, drawing, books to read or be read to and face painting. If a person wishes to pray, there is a prayer room and people to pray with you.

This year we passed out 600 meals to feed 3,000 + people and city wide various churches to cover all zip codes in Anchorage served a total of 4,180 meals to feed 20,900+ people. I feel very fortunate to work with our Church and it makes my Thanksgiving so much better.

As for my family we are fine. We've had snow and will have a white Thanksgiving. Today my daughter Anne arrived in Virginia to spend Thanksgiving with her friend Chan and family. Thank you guys for giving her a family to celebrate the holiday with.

I will go to my crocheting class tonight. We will have a little party and I will post pictures in the next 2 days.

All of you have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Topic of the week

I am thankful for my wonderful family and friends her in Alaska, Georgia, Virginia, Alabama, Texas, Hawaii, Germany, Colorado and all over the United States. Have a blessed Thanksgiving all.

Topic of the week

Here is my answer to the weekly topic.

I haven't crochet a whole lot since my girls grew up but am doing a lot now that I am involved in all these wonderful swaps. This year I will be crocheting a pair of socks for myself and some small items to give away as presents and I will try to maybe crochet something for Katie's American doll and a coat for her new (stuffed) dog Shimmer. We'll see. I will post pictures as I get along but not until after Thanksgiving, since I'm helping our church with an event to help those in need.

My Lovely Package from KT!

As promised, here are the much delayed photos of the awesome package I got from KT! Thank you again for spoiling me so well!

This and that

It's been awhile since I've posted on my blog, but I do have an excuse, I have been sick. I know, it was "just" a cold but since I am a kidney transplant patient and have just about no immune system to speak of, even a cold turns into a major event. Enough said, I'm back.

KT, will post a picture of your package, and everybody, the gum is missing since my granddaughter took care of that. It was there, really.

As to the topic of the week on the coffee swap, here goes my answer: I do not remember when I had my "first" taste of coffee, but I do remember being about 10 and being on a train from Germany to the Netherlands to visit my grandparents, when the train stopped in the first Dutch station and vendors came to the windows selling coffee. This was coffee with lots of milk (for runner of a latte?) with lots of sugar and a small cookie. I tried it and loved it and for a long time I drank my coffee just like that. Once I met my husband I started drinking my coffee black because that was the way he liked it. Now I drink my coffee with creamer and I love a light roast. Here is a little sidebar. My Dad was dutch and he drank his coffee with cream and sugar all his life and all 3 of my daughters were given a cookie dunked in coffee by the time they were 4-5 months old. So they probably got their first taste of of coffee while pretty young .

I wish all of you a wonderful week. Keep warm with a good cup of coffee and I'll see you next week.

Dishcloth swap

Good news on all fronts. I received my package and oh, what a treat it is. Thank you so much K.T.

I loved everything. The Lion brand cotton ease (now I get to try it) The dishcloth are beautiful and I will try a dishcloth out of the pattern book you sent. Had to defend the little box with the scissors, thread cutter and tape measure. My granddaughter Katie loved it as she did the gum (her very favorite). I look forward to trying the soaps and the stitch markers will come in handy. Thank you so much for being such a thoughtful swap partner. I will post pictures on my blog within the next couple of days and I will certainly nominate you for best swap partner ever. Have a wonderful day. I am looking at about an inch of snow on my car, brrr.

Happy Birthday

You are all invited to wish Anne a happy birthday on this 24th day of October, in spite of having to have a root canal. Have a great and hopefully painless day. Love mom

Winter Wonderland

Here are my answers to the questions for the coffee swap:


What is your favorite kind of coffee? Any light roast. But i like Kona coffee and recently tried Folgers Gourmet coffee Light roast and it was pretty good. I also love German Tschibo coffee.

Do you prefer whole been or ground coffee? I prefer ground because I am lazy and don't want to fool around with grinding the beans.

This time of year, there are often Holiday Blends available , and many flavored coffee.Do you enjoy special blends? I love Kona Cookies/Cinnamon and Millbrooks Hazelnut/Cinnamon. I don't go to much for the holiday blends per se.

How do you take your coffee? I use only creamer (the liquid not powdered). And I like regular coffee but will drink decaf if that's all that is available.

Do you prefer to drink from a nice thick mug, or a matched cup and saucer? I love a thin cup which doesn't have to have a matching saucer. I'll use a mug if I have to but the thinner the better.

What is your favorite kind of winter? The end of it, lol, no, I love Christmas and get togethers with friends and family. Cookie exchanges and just about everything connected with the holidays.

Do you celebrate in December, and if yes, which holiday. We celebrate Christmas and New Year and have lots of fun doing both.

If you celebrate Christmas, do you put up a tree. Yes, indeed we do and having lots of fun trimming it. We also bake a birthday cake for Christmas to celebrate the borthday of Jesus.

Would you prefer items related to the holiday or winter-themed items that you collect. Either would be great. I used to collect santas but am trying to start a collection of ginger bread men.

Do you ever wear scarves, mittens or hats? I wear mittens and scarves sometime but no hats, they itch my head.

What is your favorite winter or holiday memory. I don't have one favorite. There are so many of them and I could never name them all. Actually they are all wonderful.

Do you knit or crochet? And how long? I crochet, and have done so for 55+ years.

Do you like, wood, metal or plastic needles/hooks. I love metal, don't like plastic to much and have never tried wood.

What sort of project do you enjoy making? Dishcloth, handbags (just finished a felted one and next week will try to start to crochet a pair of socks.

What is your favorite type of yarn you like to work with. I really don't have a favorite, just don't like to use scratchy wool.

Do you spin or dye? No, I do not do either.

Do you do other crafts such as needlepoint, scrap booking or anything else. I like to do cross stitch (not counted though), I do make some holiday cards sometime and various crafts with my granddaughter.

When is your birthday? In March.

Do you have children? Yes, I have three daughters (all grown) and five grandchildren. I live with one daughter's family and three of my grand kids and our dog Dash.

What are your favorite colors? I like all colors but purple or lavender are my favorite.

What is your favorite holiday treat? Too numerous to list. Everything I'm not supposed to eat since I am a diabetic.

Do you have any allergies? No.

topic of the week

I love fall, the falling leaves, the crisp weather which is sometimes mixed with snow. So far we've not had any. It's probably waiting til the kids go out trick or treating, ha ha. I love to bake different fall goodies but don't do it so much anymore. Everyone is watching their weight, lol. There is not much apple picking going on around here.

When I lived in Colorado we would buy apples by the bushel and freshly made apple juice and apple cider (one of my favorites).

I am counting days until Christmas because Anne will visit us to have a nice white Christmas, we hope.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend.

this and that for this week

Hello everybody. Hope things are going well for all of you. I am doing great. First of all, thanks everybody for visiting my blog. I really appreciate it. Our fall here is still very nice even though it is getting colder. There certainly is "frost out on the pumpkin", the top of the mountains is solid white. Katie's debut as a singer (ha ha) went very well. She and her classmates did a great job of singing their songs at the October Fest. Avrey turned 4 mos old and Clara is now 2 years old and my very own "Baby" will have a birthday this month but I wont tell you how young she is turning.

Went to my crocheting class yesterday and just about finished up a non felted bag from the cotton Jessi sent me in my vacation package.

As to the weekly challenge I am going to describe what I carry in my little bag, which Anne made for me, crochet hooks from very small to quite large, tapestry and darning needles, my wonderful stitch markers from Jessi, a tape measure, some elastic and dental floss (from my Lily Chin class), buttons. My little bag is various shades of blue and my crochet hooks are all Boye. I will try to post some pictures this weekend.

Now I will go, have to send some e-mails and wish all of you a wonderful rest of the week and a great weekend.

Weekly happenings

Hello all, I have had a busy week and there is more to follow. Took a class with Lily Chin last weekend. Tips and tricks for crocheters, if you have a chance take it or the one for knitters, it is great and she is great. I did learn quite a few tricks and tips. Here's a picture of my daughter (on the right) and me with Lily Chin!


As you all know by now, I've tried my first felted bag, and if do say so myself, it turned out great!!

Here's some shots before felting:



And here's how it felted up:


My family is doing great. Clara my little 2 year old is on vacation with her parents, Avrey, my little one is turning 4 month this week and is growing like a weed. Katie, my granddaughter is loving school and they will be singing German songs at the October Fest this weekend. Tomorrow is last practice and the family is looking forward to going and enjoy them singing and the October Fest.

Tomorrow night we are all going out to dinner to celebrate my son-in-law's birthday. This is an annual happening,lol, and we are all looking forward to it.

Have another crocheting class tonight and I want to say, thank you again Jessi for my wonderful angel VVS package. Have a wonderful week everyone and I'll be back next week.

Oh, I almost forgot, check out Anne's Winter Wonderland Coffee Swap site. Join it cause it sounds like lots of fun. Bye now

I've been on vacation!

I received a great package from Jessi, my VVS angel.

Jessi, thank you so very much for the package. I loved everything in it. I am already using the great mouse pad and I can certainly use the planner. The pouch you sent for my crochet hook is great. You wont believe it but I have a purse with the same pattern.

The pattern book is wonderful. I love the purses in there and will try to make one soon.

The little carrier bag with yarn is great. I'll love carrying my crocheting around in it. The pad, cards and sticky notes are great also and I will enjoy nibbling on my treat which is just up my alley. The stationary and your letter are wonderful. Everyone who has seen the stitch markers oohing and aahing over them as I am.

And last but certainly not least, I love the yarn. I am taking it to my class on Wednesday to ask my teacher to recommend something special I can make with it.

Thank you so much again. You were truly an angel for me!

I've finished my felted bag - I'll post pictures of that and talk about my class with Lily Chin tomorrow!

Topic of the week

I love to cook, pea and lentil soup, beef stew, chili and taco soup.

Taco soup:

1# hamburger meat
1 medium onion, chopped finely
1 16 oz can each navy, kidney and pinto beans (or beans of your choice)
1 can of Rotel tomatoes
Taco seasoning

Brown hamburger meat and onions.
Add beans undrained with rotel tomatoes. Stir. Add taco seasoning to your taste.
Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese or chopped onions and Tostido chips.

this weeks happenings

Hope everyone is doing as well as I am doing. It is raining hard outside and I just had to clean up my blog. Thank you Tina for your help.

I am crocheting on my bag for tomorrow's class and I am preparing and doing my homework for a class I am attending this weekend.

Yarn Expo is in Anchorage this weekend and will attend a class taught by Lily Chin "shortcuts and tricks for crocheters". I will let everyone how it went next week. I am real exited about going.

Other than that everything is still the same. Everyone have a wonderful week. Talk to you next week.

picture of my bag--the beginning

Here are finally some pictures of my crochet felted bag (not felted yet). Will post more after my next class. The top photo (the darker one) is more true to the actual color. I'll be using some other colors too.

Fall into..............dishcloth topic of the week

Hello, here are a few of the many reasons why I like fall. I love fall colors, I love that we are getting closer to Halloween and Thanksgiving and most of all we are getting closer to Christmas and my daughter will come and visit so she can have a white Christmas which we usually have and she certainly does not. This coming weekend I will get my few Halloween decorations out of storage and put up my summer clothes and get my fall and winter clothes in order and wearable condition. I love it when seasons change because it seems like I have a brand new wardrobe.

Thank you hostesses for all the work you do.

Great fall

I'm late with my blog this week. Had a sick granddaughter who for the first time is fever free today. She was sent home from school last Monday and has been sick ever since and as I said today is the first fever free day.

Didn't go to crocheting class on Wednesday. I had car trouble and a man from church came by to check it out--result I'll need a new radiator.

Our fall has been wonderful. Lots of rain but also some sunshine. And turning of the leaves is great. No snow yet and temps are not too bad.

I hope every one has a wonderful week. I am planning to.

Topic of the week

I prefer to use metal crocheting hooks. They feel better than plastic (never tried wood). Plastic hooks feel unsubstantial to me whereas the metal ones feel like I have something in my hand.. I will use them (plastic hooks) when I have no choice. The brand I usually use is Boye. I checked all my hooks and they are all Boye. No other brand; now I have to go its lunchtime for my little munchkins.

Crocheting Class

Hello everyone. Just a short note. I went to a crocheting class last Wednesday to learn how to crochet a felted bag. I learned and I have the bag about 1/3 done and will post a picture soon. I really enjoy the class and making the bag. Now I have to go as my little charge Avrey has arrived and she will be wanting a bottle soon. Have a wonderful weekend all.

dishcloth exchange and odds and ends

Hello, just my very short answer to the topic of the week. No, I don't change yarns when the cooler season comes. I mostly crochet and use cotton. I do try to change colors. Kinda stay away from the very pastels.

Now to the odds and ends. I've been crocheting dishcloth and today a small blanket for my granddaughter's small, plush puppy. Dishcloth are easy to do for me while I'm babysitting. My little charges are Avrey who is 3 months old and Clara who will be 2 years on the 1st of October.

All of us, baby, toddler and I have been having a cold. But thank goodness , we're at the tail end. In the afternoon I pick up my sweet granddaughter Katie from school. This is her first year and I miss her a lot being gone during the day.

Tomorrow night I am going to a crocheting class to learn how to crochet a felted bag. It might take me awhile.

I will go for tonight and make myself a cup of hot lemonade and then go to bed with a good book. Pictures might be posted later. Ingrid

Fall Into Autumn Dishcloth Swap Questionnaire

1. Do you knit or crochet? How long have you been doing it?

I crochet and have been crocheting for over 50 years.

2. Have you made dischloths before? Do you use them yourself, give them as gifts, or both?

Yes, I have made them before, and I use them and give them as gifts.

3. What's your favorite cotton to make cloths from? What cotton would you like to try that you haven't before ?

I like Sugar N Creme yarn - I don't really know a lot of other ones much. I've crochet with some before, but don't know their names. I'm not really sure of others, I have heard a lot about Cotton Ease, it might be neat to try that.

4. If you knit, do you prefer circular or straight needles? For all, do you prefer wooden, metal, or plastic needles?

I always use plastic and metal needles. I've never tried wooden before.

5. What are your favorite colors? Any colors you don't like much?

I like all colors; there aren't really any that I don't like. Gray, I like it mostly with other colors rather than alone, and purple and lavender are my favorite colors.

6. What do you like best about Autumn?

I like the change of colors in the trees and looking forward to Thanksgiving.

7. Pies: Pumpkin? Apple? Pecan? All of em? or No Thanks!

I like Apple and Pecan, but my very favorite is Mincemeat pie!

8. When you were a kid, were you the one who couldn't wait to get started with school , or the one who overslept on the 1st day?

I couldn't wait for school to get started, usually.

9. Do you celebrate Halloween? (The real key here guys is especially knowing if you have an aversion to the holiday or little goodies/decorations associated with it, given the timeframe of the swap)

I don't celebrate it, per se, but I do decorate for it and hand out candy to the kids.

10. If you had to choose just 3 edible 'goodies' to eat for a full year, what 3 would you choose?

Macadamia nuts, cashews and bread n butter pickles LOL. Hey, it counts as a goodie! I love em!

11. Do you have any pets? Kids? Husbands who seem like kids? ;)

I have grandkids and kids - my kids are grown, but I live with 3 of my grandkids and my daughter and her husband.

12. If you were to describe a particular yarn that shares traits of your personality, what would it be and why?

I don't think there is a yarn that describes my personality unless there's something scratchy ;)

13. Do you use your cloths mostly for dishcloths, or as facecloths?

I've used them for both, but mostly for dishcloths.

14. Favorite Fall Holiday: Halloween or Thanksgiving and why? (Feel free to share another fall memory if you do not celebrate either of these holidays)

Thanksgiving, because it's a family holiday. Everyone gets together and you can eat lots of good food!

15. Do you have any allergies or aversions your pal should know about?

Nope, none that I can think of!

I Got My Dishcloth Swap Package!

Hi, my pal is Diane; I loved your package. All the yarn, I better get
busy. I love the pattern; I will think about you every time I make a cup
of tea for a long time. The dishcloth you made for me is beautiful, and
I love the goodies as well as the lotion, the soap and body spray. What
can I say, I loved everything in my package and you were a great pal
throughout the swap.

Stephanie's Package from Dishcloth Swap

You saw previews of this recently, but mom had asked me to get a picture of the entire package in all its goodness! I'm slow, but here it is! - Your loving daughter :D

My answers to contest/Dishcloth

1. Ingrid M.

2. Risa J.

3. Madonna B.

4. Mary B.

5. Stephanie B.

The end nears--my vacation

Hello everybody, this will probably be the last time you will hear about my vacation. I have spent the last week here at Annie's, going swimming and just hanging out. On Friday (the 29th) was one of the highlights of my trip. A coworker (Mike) gave Annie tickets to attend the RUMC (Roswell United Methodist Church) 26th Annual Patriotic Celebration. What a treat. The Atlanta Wind Symphony (Mike's Band) was playing and the RUMC Sanctuary Choir was singing. The playing and singing of Patriotic songs was heartwarming. The Twentiana Dancers entertained us with a dance. All services were recognized and veterans were asked to stand when their anthem was played. Various little films were shown to let us know how far our country has come over the years. All I can say, what a truly inspiring evening. Thank you Mike for the tickets.

On Saturday we drove to Helen, which a friend, Alisa, had recommended I see. A small Bavarian town in the middle of Georgia. Very nice but oh so hot. This was the first time felt hot since coming to Georgia and during all my travels. We bought an ice cream cone and it melted faster than I could lick it.

On our way to Helen we found a couple of treasures, One, an outlet mall with a Coldwater Creek, Big Dog, Dressbarn and many more stores to browse thru. Oh, what fun. Annie bought me two very pretty and a black cardigan like sweater. Thank you Annie.

A bit farther down the road we came upon a roadside stand "The Tomato House". We bought fresh Georgia peaches, huge, delicious tomatoes (I'm still eating them), fresh white corn and okra. peaches, corn and okra are gone. We ate them ALL up!!

On Sunday we went downtown Atlanta to Annie's favorite yarnshop. She had fun browsing and I had fun watching her.

For the 4th of July we have planned a quite day st home. We'll eat some BBQ'd ribs, deviled eggs and potato salad together with a glass of wine to salute our country.

Thank you all for reading my blog and letting me come to your home to share my wonderful vacation with you.

I will blog about the VVS and the Dog Days of Summer swap. Until then,

Auf Wiedersehn and Good Bye.

Dishcloth Swap Received! And more of my vacation

Hello everybody. I'm doing great and my visit to Dallas, Texas was great, just a little short. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law came to the airport to pick me up. They had my nieces two daughters, Celeste and Caroline, with them. I had never met either of them. They are two beautiful young ladies.

From the airport we went to Fuddruckers (a first for me) to eat lunch. Then we went on home and talked trying to catch up with 13 years of not seeing each other. That afternoon my niece Maria came by and I had not seen her in 13 years either. My, my where did the time go. After talking awhile we realized that she deals a lot with my daughter Annemarie without knowing about each other. Dinner was a delicious baked ham, green beans, corn, deviled eggs, and my favorite green jello mold. I felt like a stuffed turkey when I was done. Thanks again Maxine.

The next day we drove to Oklahoma and did some gambling in a casino there. Driving there, gambling, and driving home took pretty much care of Thursday. Again we spent the rest of the evening watching a movie and talking, trying to catch up. Also, not to forget, my nephew Marty came over to say hello. It was wonderful to see him. He and his wife were getting ready to go to an archery competition. I believe they both took 3rd place. Way to go guys.

On Friday we went down town Dallas, Went to the J.F.Kennedy memorial, visited the old court house and just looked around down town. Then we had a yummy lunch and went on home. In the afternoon Mitch and Darren (Marty's boys) came over to visit. Mitch is an accomplished Saxophone player and he is going to college to get hist masters so he can teach music in college.
Darren is in the Army National Guard. He served in Afghanistan and various other places. Presently he is going to Paramedic school. Both are fine young man.

In the evening Maxine and I went to have some great Texas BBQ and then went to a Dollar Tree store. We don't have those in Alaska.

The next day it was time for me to leave. On the way to the airport Maxine called her brother J.L. and we sang happy birthday to him over the phone. In the Dallas airport I had to throw my water and my toothpaste away.

Maxine, Morris and extended family, thank you so much for making my trip a memorable and fun one. I will post pictures as soon as I can.

Now I need to thank Stephanie for my dishcloth package. Thank you so very much. All kinds of Milka chocolate (my favorite), various soaps, cremes. candles (tea lights) and two holders for same. Great dishcloth patterns and a beautiful dishcloth and some of the softest cotton ever. You truly spoiled me a lot. Thanks again for your thoughtfulness.

[Daughterly Edit: Can you tell that she's on vacation and had just woken up when I brought Mom her package on my LUNCH BREAK??? :D Here's the shots I got of her opening her package - Mom was so excited :)]

[Second Daughterly Edit: I thought I'd taken the photo of all items together - but apparently not (as mom was just more than happy to say "I told you so" about - it's forthcoming. Here, however, is the yarn goodness]

I am now back with Annie and we've been going to the pool, sitting in the sun and waiting for the weekend for some more short trips in and around Atlanta.

Dog Days of Summer Questionnaire

1. Do you knit, or crochet, or do both? How long have you been knitting\crocheting? I have been crocheting since I was in first grade - since 1949. I know how to knit, but I don't like it, so I never really knit.
   
2. Have you knit dishcloths or dishtowels before? I have crocheted dishcloths before. I haven't crocheted a full dishtowel, but I have made and sold towels where I add a bib up top to hang it on the fridge.
3. What are your favorite cotton yarns? Is there a cotton or linen you’ve been dying to try but have not? I've only really used Peaches N Creme and Sugar N Cream, along with a nice cotton my daughter Martina picked up that I used to crochet for my pal in the last swap.
4. Are there any cotton yarns you don’t enjoy knitting with? Not that I've found yet!
5. What type of needle do you prefer using? (Metal/Wood/Plastic) I prefer metal needles. I've never tried bamboo.
6. What other projects do you enjoy knitting or crocheting? I like to make baby blankets - I also crochet squares for Warm Up America.
7. Do you have other hobbies or enjoy other kinds of crafting? Reading - Reading - Reading. And I also play games on Pogo.com and earn badges. I also like planting herbs.
8. What kind of treats do you like? Chocolate? Candies? Nuts? I like nuts (Macadamia and Cashew are favorites, but I eat others too) most of those. I enjoy chocolate now and then, but should limit it as I'm diabetic.
9. What colors are your kitchen and bath decorated in, if any? The kitchen has black appliances, and the bathroom I use is decorated in Sage and Beige.
10. What are your favorite colors and what colors do you dislike? I like all colors, but my favorite is lavender\purple. I even like yellow.
11. Do you drink coffee? Tea? Other beverages? I drink coffee and tea. I enjoy Chai Tea, and Cinnamon Hazlenut Coffee.
12. Do you have any kids (human or pet variety!)? Yes, but they're all grown. I also have grandchildren.I live with my oldest daughter and 3 of my grandchildren now, and they have a beagle named Dash.
13. Do you have any allergies? Not unless you're sending penicillin!
14. Please share 3 tidbits about yourself that you think your pal and other swappers might find odd or interesting.
1. I live in Alaska.
2. I didn't become a US Citizen until 1985. (I was born in Germany and lived there until 1979)
3. I am Kidney Transplant Recipient, and my Kidney will be 5 years old in August.
   

My vacation continues

Hello everybody. I am back in Georgia. We came in last night and slept late this morning. I am doing great and we had a wonderful time in Virginia. Thank you so much again Channon and Mark. You were great hosts and taught me a lot about Virginia during my visit. Thank you again.

We left on Tuesday and went to Alexandria to visit various yarn shops including one in D.C.. It was fun for me even though I'm not a knitter. I "just" crochet. Here are some photos from the yarn shops - of me, and Annie, as well as Chan and Amy, who was Annie's spoiler in an exchange. They were all really great, and it was fun meeting them.




Channon and I


Amy

On Wednesday Annemarie and I went to Washington D.C.. We parked the car across from the Old Post Office, which is a beautiful building:


From there we went on a tour bus down Constitution Avenue to the Capitol Building.



We continued to all major buildings all over town, as well as the various memorials from the World War 2 to the Vietnam memorial. We also went to the Thomas Jefferson. Lincoln and FDR memorials.

The Jefferson Memorial:


Lincoln Memorial



Annie at the FDR memorial



The Washington Monument



We drove by the "Watergate" hotel, embassy row, the IRS building, the Supreme court, the National Archives (this is a place I'd like to go in sometime), the various Smithsonian museums, the Pentagon and we ate at the Pentagon mall. The last stop was on Pennsylvania Avenue at the White House. President Bush did not come out to invite me in for a cup of coffee.



What I saw of Washington D.C. is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. After the tour we drove back to Charlottesville, to Channon and Mark's house. Here's the view from their back porch:



Thursday was a trip to Richmond for a leisurely lunch and more yarn shop visits and on Friday we went to various stores (surprise, surprise - you can see all the shops and yarn on Annie's blog) and visited Monticello. Wonderful gardens, great park and a great hose. Did not go inside because we would have had to wait for almost an hour before our tour would begin, it was raining and I was sleeveless and in shorts. I did buy a book and hope this will suffice.

Monticello Gardens:


More gardens:


As close as we could get to the house (without waiting even MORE time in the rain for our tour):

Friday night dinner out and Saturday morning one more yarn shop....


and homeward bound we were.

The next few days will be relaxing and then it goes on to Dallas for three days and I will have more to report then.

Vacation continued

Hello family and friends. Hope this finds you all well. I am doing great. Am in Virginia near Charlottsville and what a beautiful countryside. Channon and Mark are great hosts and I feel truly pampered. The weather is great sunny and warm, but not hot.

The trip up here was great for me. I think Anne got kind a tired as it was a long drive and I am no help driving. South Carolina as well as North Carolina are wonderful looking States. I had not been to either. As you can see on some of the pictures North Carolina has fields and fields of yellow lilies and even though we traveled on the interstate it still looked so pretty.

















Martina, guess what, yesterday on our way to shopping , we drove through Abermarle county and passed the city of Cozet. Yes, Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown live right here, a country side we are quite familiar with from the books.





We went shopping in Waynesboro and there are quite a few historic sides all around. Tomorrow it goes on to Alexandria and Washington D.C.. I am so exited to to go there and see sights that I know from history books. We have booked a sight seeing tour and will meet our bus at the old post office and go from there to see a lot of the various monuments and catch a glimpse of the White House.

Jacob and Martin, I hope the Ina K soccer tournament went good for you, and Katie how do you like soccer and your dance classes? Martina, congratulation again on your new job and Kirk, I hope all is well for you . I love and miss you all, mom.