It Was 30 Years Ago Today...

That Mt. St Helens blew its top. Hard to believe it's been that long! Big Tony & I were enjoying a weekend in Vancouver BC, and we actually heard the bang all the way up in Canada. Today is another important day: Big T's birthday! I'll have to see if I can find a picture of him with his giant afro hair from back in the day. Happy BD Tony!

Blooming Stuff!

We've got some things blooming in our yard! A scrappy lilac bush, a beauty bush (I think), a healthy peony about to bust into bloom, and this plant, which is right outside my desk. I couldn't figure out what it was:

Until it opened up and I realized it's a rhododendron! A pretty one too! Rhodys don't usually do well here in Spokane, nothing like the lush plants they are in Seattle. So this is a happy surprise.

More Sockies

Still plugging away at sock knitting. I'm ready for something else though :-0

The single (red) is my current "Mystery Sock", this one is designed by Cookie A, who is a sock genius. I'm using Schaefer Yarn "Nicole" in the "Clara Barton" colorway. Too bad you hate hand knit socks, Katie, cuz this is a nurse color if I ever heard of one...

The mismatched pair are finished socks, which are about to become 'unfinished' socks. As you may be able to see, they are 2 different sizes. GAK. I must have used a different sized needle for the second sock. This is what happens when you put a project down for 4 months... Off to rip these suckers apart.

Happy Birthday, Little Sis!

Happy Birthday to The B, best little sister in the world (though I would not have believed this during our childhood, when I was busy hitting her with a wooden tennis racket, my arm cast and anything else I could use as a weapon).

Here she is in all of her blonde, apple cheeked, gappy front teeth glory!

Hope your day is fabulous!!

Author! Author!

I got my "Think Outside the Sox" book(s) today, and I was soooo excited to see my contest socks pattern in there! Not only was my pattern included, they used a picture of MY socks to illustrate 'anatomy of a sock'! Now if I can just get rid of my double chin, I'll be completely happy.

Cute and Cuter!

Jon gave Mikey a haircut this weekend. We all agree it's a little bit Lloyd Christmas (from Dumb and Dumber) but that's what you get when you cut your own bangs BEFORE the haircut.

A Fun Weekend!

Katie invited me to join her in Seattle for the weekend, so the two BEST ROAD-TRIP PARTNERS IN THE WORLD (plus Lucy) headed over for a fine weekend. After our initial two hour construction delay in getting over Snoqualmie Pass, it was all fun and games:

We attended a Mariners game with the B and Mimi. The M's actually broke their hideous 22 inning scoreless streak, but still lost the game. As I predicted, their hitting coach received his walking papers the next day...

Sunday morning, we met up with B-Z, Kip, Lis, Mads and Allie Pallie, plus grand-dogs Rudy, Rudder and of course Lucy, at Marymoor Park in Redmond, where the best dog park in Washington is located:

Cute Maddie pushed the stroller through the entire park (Allie wisely decided she should be carried by her Zaide). This skirt she's wearing is TDF. Last time she wore it, she decided that underpants were optional. I was hoping for a repeat, but no luck.

Lucy gingerly waded into the slough a few times, Rudder was the champion swimmer/ball fetcher, and Rudes was having none of this nonsense.

Here's darling Allie with Zaids. This little girl is too cute for words!

Additionally, I broke the 'yarn diet' by going to West Seattle with Sue and her pal Pat. We visited two yarn stores and of course some nice yarn found its way back to Spokane with me :-) We also got to visit with Pam and her girls (who are getting WAY TOO BIG), and enjoyed the hospitality of the Falcones. Lucy got invited to Sue & Tom's next door neighbors' for a play date with their incredibly fluffy Keeshond Lily. It was great, those two puppies chased each other all day, Luce got invited to 'eat over' with Lily, and then she crashed. You've never seen such a tired little girl.

A fun trip, hope to do it again soon!