Saturday Ramblings

Happy Weekend! We got a phone call from Corey this afternoon and he had gone kayaking yesterday and was excited about that opportunity. He sent us the above photo of his dorm room where all his kayaking stuff is drying. For some perspective, he is standing on his bed with his back to the window to take this picture. It looks a bit difficult to get around, so hopefully all that gear will dry quickly so that he can stuff it all (including the kayak) under his bed. He was kayaking on the Black River in Watertown and he and 2 buddies went to play on a wave called Inner City Strife. Corey got trashed a few times before figuring out the wave and then getting some good time on the wave. 

This next photo is of Jim's hotel in Crewe, England. He got home last night and his 2 flights from Manchester to Rochester were all on time. What an unusual joy! He fell into a deep sleep last night and got up early to go run in a race in Watkin's Glen today. He won his age-group, but said he could feel himself running out of steam in the  last part of the race (more than usual). He napped on the couch when he got home this afternoon. 

Now about his hotel. The place is ancient, but he was staying in the new, very modern wing. His photos of the original building show lots of ornately carved dark wood and beautiful stained glass windows. He didn't spend much time at the hotel, only the few hours that he got to sleep. It is good to have him home.
Jim and I went out for dinner tonight to the Beale Street Cafe in the South Wedge area of Rochester. I chose this place because it was one of the many places that accepted Simply Certificates and Tucker and Corey gave one of those to Jim for his birthday, plus we had never been there. The Beale Street website indicated that they were a BBQ joint with live blues music-sounded good to me. When we arrived there were 2 musicians playing the blues in the bar area. We were seated in an adjacent room, where sometimes we could hear the music. Our meals were good and we decided that we would go back there again, especially since we left home without taking the Simply Certificate! 

Today Greece offered a dropped off for computer equipment to be recycled. It has been my mission in recent months to get rid of all of our old, unused, outdated computer stuff. Jim was able to recycle 2 of our old computers through Apple when we bought a new one, but we still had one lurking in the basement. I took that one to the Greece Department of Public Works building, along with an old phone, and was able to get rid of them! I think we are down to one extra desktop computer and one laptop that works if you hold it just right!

I finished a knitting project but I cannot tell you what it is because it is for a reader of this blog. I have started a baby hat for a woman at work who is having twins. Her shower is in a couple of weeks and I hope to get 2 of these really cute "rainbow" hats made. I am trying again to learn to knit Continental style and have had more luck with that today. 

Time to go and knit and switch the TV between the baseball game and the football game between Ohio State and Penn State. I work with a woman who who is a graduate of Penn State and a die-hard fan. 

Tomorrow is Jim's birthday and I will post a picture of the dinner party we will have here with both sets of parents. 

Hope all is well. 

Thursday and a ball game

The end of the work week is in sight! 

Tonight I went to a knitting class with Grandma (see photo). There are 4 other women in the class and Tucker, you may be interested to know that one of the women is Lauren's mother, Mary Chris. So I spent another evening answering questions about you! Grandma and I are knitting the same style bag, but she is making a larger version of it. We got the base of the purse knit and started on the body of the bag. We have a bit of time before our next class to get to the next point where we will need direct instruction. It was a most enjoyable evening.

When I got home I once again missed phone calls from Jim and Tucker! Jim actually got done the testing they needed to get done earlier than hoped, so he was looking forward to getting some sleep before he goes to the airport in the morning. It will be good to have him home tomorrow. Tucker is off on a San Juan River trip for the weekend so maybe we will talk to him Sunday night. 

So the Red Sox whooped the Rockies last night, but right now the Rockies are up in tonight's game. There are 2 days left to vote for who you think will win the World Series. 

Continuing Jim's practice I hung the laundry outside this AM before going to school. It was all dry by the time I got home, but I did have to shake out the leaves from the clothes before I brought them in!

When I opened the refrigerator at breakfast this morning, a really nasty smell greeted me-what a way to wake up! When I got home, I got brave and went looking for the culprit and found some old field greens which looked like they should have been back in the field. I threw out a few other things that were questionable, and then washed the shelves. I guess I better buy some groceries tomorrow because the cupboard is pretty bare.

Time to watch the ball game and knit.

Hope all is well.

World Series

I just sat down to write the blog and turned on the TV in time to see a Boston Red Sox Player hit a home run in the first inning. I enjoy watching playoff baseball on TV in the evenings so I hope the series goes all 7 games. Let's have a poll. Check the upper left hand corner for your chance to vote for who you think will win the World Series.

I missed a call from Jim-I was shopping. I missed a call from Tucker-I was at Bells. I guess I better stay home more. Jim is working long hours in England and will probably come home exhausted. Tucker is going on a San Juan River trip this weekend, so who knows when we'll get to chat. Have a good trip Tucker!

Today I had my annual observation at school by the Assistant Principal. All went well. This is the second year in a row that the same person has observed me which I appreciate. 

Last night I had dinner at Gram and GrandDad's  and Gram made sauerkraut and pork-it was delicious! Gram and I then went to the AAUW (American Association of University Women) to hear a spokesperson for Wegmans talk about the history of Wegmans. It was very interesting and I learned a few things. Wegmans now has 71 stores and they are opening a Tea Room in the Pittsford Store to test market that service. Gram and I are going to go out for tea sometime! Tucker, Neva Benson (your 6th or 7th grade English teacher) is a member of AAUW and she asked about you and wanted me to say, "Hi!"

Tomorrow evening Grandma and I are going to Spirit Works (local yarn store) for a class on making felted purses. We went over to the store a week ago to select our yarn for our purses and will get our instructions and our knitting started tomorrow night. 

To our family and friends in Southern California, we send our thoughts and prayers. The news reports are so sad. It will be interesting to see the governmental response to this disaster as compared to the response to Katrina. 

The sunset here tonight was spectacular and if I had not been driving 60 mph on the interstate at the time, I would have taken photo of it. You will have to take my word that the oranges and pinks, in the different layers of clouds, were memorable. 

Hope all is well. Get your World Series vote in. I will only keep the poll up for a few days.

Rhinebeck and SU

Sunday was one of those days in your life that you will long remember for the joy, the beauty and the freedom felt. After a dead-like sleep on Saturday night, I awoke to a glorious sunrise and got myself showered and packed up for my Sunday adventure. The weather could not have been better-those deep blue skies that remind me of western skies and temps that were perfectly pleasant. My drive from Lee, MA to Rhinebeck, NY was easy and relaxing.  After 20 miles on the Mass Turnpike and NYS Thruway, I exited onto the Taconic Parkway, heading south. I pretty much had the road to myself and was in awe of the fall colors in the early morning sun. The NYS Sheep and Wool Festival is held at the Dutchess County Fair Grounds in Rhinebeck, NY, about 50 miles south of Albany. 

My plan was to go to the Author's tent to get a few of my knitting books signed by the

authors. As I was walking towards the tent, I saw this woman walking in front of me and thought, "I know that sweater!" Sure enough, it was the woman whose autograph I wanted and she was wearing the sweater that she had knit and blogged about! Her name is Stephanie Pearl McPhee and she has written 4 books and writes a knitting blog. We chatted for a few minutes and then she signed the 2 books I brought along. Later, I returned to the Author's tent to  hear her presentation and laughed until I cried! She has a keen eye for finding humor in the knitting world. Her talk was a most enjoyable 45 minutes, but I think if you weren't a knitter, you would have not "gotten it." She just turned another manuscript into her publisher, so I look forward to her next book. 

I also got my Mason-Dixon knitting book signed by the authors. They too have a blog that I read regularly

 and it was fun to meet them and chat for a minute. 

I walked around the grounds looking at all the offerings of the various vendors. I was at the Festival on the second day and it was obvious that there were many less yarn choices after the first day frenzy. I was quite restrained in my  yarn purchasing. I only bought a skien of

 a blend of merino wool and Tencel in a deep shade of purple. It is lovely.

I got many compliments on my sweater and I saw many other beautiful hand-knits. It is inspiring. I peeled off my sweater for the ride home, because by 2 PM it was too hot for a wool sweater.  I've included a photo of a sheep just to give a full representation of the

 event! Now that I have attended the Festival on both a Saturday and a Sunday, I think in the future I would prefer to go on a Saturday so I can drool over all the varieties of yarn. 

The drive towards home was equally as breathtaking as the drive to Rhinebeck. I think one of my favorite stretches of road is Route 9G that goes north out of Rhinebeck . It parallels the Hudson River, although it is not right next to the river. The view to the west is spectacular as you look across the Hudson River valley and towards the mountains, especially when the mountains are in their full autumn color. 

I drove to Syracuse University where I met Corey and we went to the Armory Square

section of downtown Syracuse for dinner. What a treat to have a quick dinner with Corey and catch up with him in person! I got a tour of his room, which he has re-arranged since I last saw it 2 months ago and brought home a few things that he didn't need anymore. 

I arrived home at 9:05 PM and figured out that I drove 904 miles since I left school on

Friday. It was a great weekend. 

Jim arrived in Crewe, England after 2 uneventful flights to get there. He has a crazy work schedule while there, but will try to find a local  yarn store to get me some English wool. 

Pretty quiet around here. Hey, how about those Boston Red Socks! They sure know how to make a series exciting. 

Hope all is well.