...and the world slid sideways

Everything slid a tad off kilter as the enormity of slurping lusciously fresh watermelon on Memorial Day weekend in Minnesota landed in my head.

Our world is at times ever so surreal.

On Superior Fish Names...

Halibut.

I like saying "halibut". Even "tuna". Try "mahi mahi" out.

Lake fish...not quite so poetic. Northern. Walleye. Muskey. Pike. All best said with thick Minnesotan tripping off the tongue. Then we reach the ever lovely "crappie".

SIGH.

Ah, the wonders of nature.

One must admit, one was not expecting to arrive at the homestead fresh from one's intrepid adventures in the wild to find odd natural phenomena right in one's own back yarn. Or one's garage for that matter. It seems some of the local squirrels have not only developed thumbs, but have gained the oppositional abilities necessary to use said new evolutionary leap appendages to both open car doors and reprogram the stereo buttons found within. Apparently they have a predilection for country music yet unheard of in indigenous populations. One can only marvel at the ingenuity of urban wildlife...

Yo Ho, Yo Ho...

...a pirate's life for me!

Yes, the great sea voyage quite agreed with me. Great folks. Great scenes. Great yarns.

Um, perhaps a few too many great yarns.

I'm still staggering around like a drunk puppy though so for today I shall leave you with this not even a fragment of how stunning it was in person shot of Hubbard Glacier.

Can one be in lust with a glacier? I'm starting to wonder, because all I desire at this moment is to be in it's majestic presence once again. (as I penned in my kayak journal just moments ago...) If I could live on a float in the middle of this bay without freezing to death I so willingly would. We're about a half mile off the ice cliff itself here, what our captain informed us was the legal limit for closeness between such a large ship and such a large lump of ice. And yes, those lumpy things in the water are indeed icebergs.

I know, I'm a tease. The pictures shall start flowing once I have some time to play with them.

It's A-live!

'Tis true. I am slowly climbing out of the pit of sick, clogged, flu-ish allergy ridden days that became my April. A pox on April. It also snowed here like 4 times. Foul month.

Playing major catch-up, so there shall be more pretty, pretty pictures for you. Lucky dogs. (and speaking of, yes, I still miss Willy daily, particularly when the 2 year old wanders about looking for him, but our little girlie doggie is taking a turn for the frisky and has anointed herself protectress of the realm. Single dog-dom just may suit her.)

Twas a month o' socks. I finished the first of the Family Adventure socks in Paca Peds:


The Sock Madness rounds flew fast and furious over the past weeks, and as vacation, dog mourning and illness subsumed my life and knocked me out in round 2, I have me a new host of socks in progress to share:

Reversai. In a Trekking tweed. Totally reversible sock. Same patterning inside as out. Sole is garter and quite comfy squishy.

Round 3. Slippin' Strippin'. Double stranded laceweight. I'm using Dream in Color Baby. Quick workup but a bit futsy as you change up the color combo every 10 rows.

Round 4 was the Hippie Ripple sock. My first successful toe up attempt, though man I ripped Judy's magic cast on and EZ's firm backward loop increases about a bazillion times before I got it right. (thank you once again knittinghelp.com!) More Paca Peds. Better pic tomorrow. They rock.

Skipped round 5 completely though I scored some undyed from Aisha Celia to do it up right in later. Very purty lace pattern you overdye after it's done. Afterthought heel scared me. Currently have 2 at a time toe up going for the optional all play round while the front runners get a bit of a rest. Another great pattern. Pics soon.

...and last but certainly not least my Seven Deadly S(p)ins Club project #1, which just happened to be a sock also:

That brings the sock tally up to date. I've also got a recipe for you soon. And a crochet treat. And an update on the crazy packing going down this week. There's a trip on the horizon. And a mystery person sent me a book! A Diana Wynne Jones even. SO the best surprise ever. Whoooooooooo are you, (who who, who who) mystery benefactor???