Finished!

I finished knitting and seaming my sweater! It is now laying on my basement floor drying. After knitting most wool things, they need to be "blocked", which involves wetting the object and laying it flat to dry in the shape/size you want. In this photo, it looks like the sweater almost has a turtleneck, but it doesn't. That collar folds down and lays flat.
I am pleased with how it turned out-it is going to be warm. I tried it on for a minute and it fits and I love the pretty shawl pin that I bought to close the top of the front edges. I will post a photo of me modeling the sweater when it is dry. On second thought, I may wait and have Sally or Sandy take a photo of me wearing my "Rhinebeck Sweater" in Rhinebeck next Saturday!

Today was the 3rd day of absolutely gorgeous weather. There must be some kind of big, old high pressure sitting over us and I'm loving it. After lots of chores this morning I drove to Letchworth State Park for their annual craft show. It was a beautiful drive to and from the show, but I'm not real good about walking around craft shows for long. There were over 300 vendors so there was plenty to look at, but half of western New York had the same idea I did and most of them were there with their dogs.
So after a "once through" walk, I made my way back to the car. I did stop at one of the overlooks on the way out of the park and went for a short hike which was most enjoyable.

Jim went for Greensboro today and his 2 flights went just as planned. He races tomorrow in the late morning and then takes an early evening flight back home. 

Corey called tonight (while his Huevos Rancheros were baking in the oven) and we had a nice chat. Yesterday Gram and GrandDad drove over to Syracuse to visit Corey. He gave them the campus tour and then they took him out to lunch. A good time was had by all. Corey spent most of today in Robert Treman State Park with his geology class. He enjoyed looking at the rocks, but said the trip was a bit unorganized. He did get back in time to play some volleyball with some of his XC teammates. He said that some friends were coming to his apartment to watch a movie tonight.  He sent me some photos of the pumpkins he and his buddies carved. I've included 2 here. 

Jim and I took our laptop out to the Apple Store in Eastview Mall last night and then had dinner at Biaggi's Italian Restaurant. The laptop needed to have its hard drive replaced and Jim got a call today saying that the work is done so I may go out to Eastview tomorrow to pick it up. 

I guess that is all for now. I think I will go and bask in the afterglow of completing a big knitting project!

Hope all is well. 

Girls' Night Out

There is nothing better on a Tuesday night (or any night for that matter) than sitting in a movie theater with a bunch of women (and one sensitive kind of guy) watching a chic flick starring Richard Gere! When his face first appeared on the big screen you could almost hear the single intake of breath of all the women. That man is sooooo good looking! 

The movie was the Nights in Rodanthe, with Diane Lane, who was a wonderful supporting actress for Richard. The movie was based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, which I also enjoyed. There wasn't a dry eye in the house when the lights came up (well, maybe Mr. Sensitive was able to keep his act together) and I was glad that I went to the show with Sally and Krista (although I know that Jim  would have gone with me if I had asked). So if you are looking for a movie with a good story and one good looking man, check out the Nights in Rodanthe. I give it Two Thumbs Up.

And now for Two Thumbs Down-Cloris Leachman on Dancing with the Stars! I cannot stand watching her on that show-last night I left the room when it was her turn. Now I missed  the elimination show tonight so I still have hope that she got voted off and the show can return to its previous level of respectability and class. By the way, I am rooting for Derek and Brooke-Derek has been my favorite pro for the past 2 seasons. 

I got an e-mail from my  niece, Amy in Michigan, who reports that her son, Andrew was the star of his football team at a recent game. As the QB, he scored TD's by passing and rushing! Andrew is a multi-sport athlete and as a middle schooler, the high school coaches have got to be looking forward to his arrival on the  high school scene.  Congratulations Andrew! Keep up the good work and keep us posted onfuture games. 

I have had a few requests for additional photos from the wedding weekend so here are a few more, in random order, with captions below them.

You know you are in the south when you drive by cotton fields!

Here is a view of the pool with the waterfall, which is in front of the hot tub. There are rocky steps leading up to the hot tub. Click on the photo to enlarge to see the details. 

Jim, Tucker and I toured the Gibson Guitar factory in Memphis.

Saturday lunch on Beale Street with 3 Beale Big A$$ Beers.

Tucker served as a golf cart driver at the wedding, delivering sweet young things from where they parked their cars up to the wedding grounds.

I guess I will go to bed. The Presidential debate drones on. I have tried to be a good citizen and learn what I can about the candidates but I've reached my limit tonight.

Hope all is well.

The Wedding

Michal's and Elizabeth's wedding has come and gone, but our wonderful memories will last forever. It was a spectacular event, in an incredible setting, with Mother Nature smiling down on all of us. 

First of all the setting- Elizabeth's parents have spent 3 years building this 12,000-plus square foot house with a pool and 2 ponds. In the back yard, 250 chairs were set up in a grove of trees, where the wedding would take place. The reception was in the house and around the pool area. Lots of round tables were set up with long burgundy or green tablecloths. Each table had a few candles and some seasonal flowers on it. There were flowers in the woods and floating in the pool. I guess a picture is worth a 1,000 words so here are a bunch of photos with some captions to give you a flavor for the evening. 

About half of the front of the bride's parents' house.

Back of house, 2 hours before the wedding. There is a hot tub in the lower right corner of the photo. There is a waterfall in front of the hot tub, dropping into the pool.

One end of the great room. This photo was taken the day before the wedding at the rehearsal dinner. For the wedding, the wrought iron railings were decorated with vines and fresh flowers. The wedding cake was on the landing above the 3 tables on the floor.

2 hours before the wedding-the 9 piece band is setting up their lights and sound system at the other end of the great room. The doors on the right lead out to the patio overlooking the pond and pool. The doors must be about 12 feet high.

Because we got there so early, we found a perfect spot for the grandparents of the groom, in the shade in comfy seats, where they could see all that was going on around the area.

The photographer setting up a photo of the bride and her maids. 

The father of the bride is in his jeans!

View of the back of the house, about one hour before the wedding. 

Michal and his groomsmen are gathering on the left side of the photo.

Michal and his cousin, Kenn, just before the ceremony.

Parents of the groom-looking good!!!

Jim and his sister Terry, just before finding our seats for the ceremony.

The table (altar) where the ceremony took place.

Kenn walking Grandma down the aisle.

Here comes the bride....

Michal and one of the 2 ministers.

Exchanging rings . . . . 

Mr. and Mrs. Michal Grivetti!

Grandma, Grandpa and Tucker celebrating and waiting their turns for family photos.

The Robinson side of the family. 

My camera battery died right after this photo, but that is OK because what happened at the reception, stays at the reception! However, I will tell you that there was a marvelous spread of food and drink and that the band was awesome and we danced until our feet ached!

When it came time for Michal and Elizabeth to leave, all the guests were given handfuls of dried lavender and super long sparklers. We all lit our sparklers and made a wonderful arch of light which the bride and groom ran under to get to their get-a-way car.

I will do another post in the next couple of day with some more photos, especially of things we did before the wedding. 

It was a wonderful weekend and we are so thankful that we were able to witness Michal and Elizabeth's union and be part of the festivities. We got to see some family and friends that we haven't seen in forever. And we got to meet Elizabeth's delightful family and friends. 

I am exhausted and am going to bed. 

Hope all is well.