The Found Weekend

Miss M was off visiting family near Tucson last week, so S and I planned a short trip for ourselves so as to involve picking her up on the tail end of it. We drove down to Nogales, Mexico for some shopping, browsing and noshing on Saturday (Knit In Public Day), then crossed back and stayed the night at a nice place in Green Valley. We procured the childie the next day and headed homeward.

We (mostly I) took pictures! Aren't you glad????





(My Lizzie has great Knitting In Public Day photos on her blog. She's in England, the lucky sod. Go visit her blog and leaver her a nice comment. Then come back, 'k?)

This dude was trying really hard to find the beach.


We stopped at a nice little espresso stand in Nogales (first one I've seen in Mexico--and nary a Starbucks in sight-YAY!!). I liked the warbly look of the Coke bottle reflected on the cool blue tile table top. S and I both liked the real flavor provided by cane sugar in the drink rather than corn syrup. Yum.


Actual knitting content! And how's this for international: I am of Irish heritage, wearing a hat shilling a British lager, a shirt emblazoned with the Cyrillic alphabet, knitting with Turkish cotton yarn (Oh Lion Brand! Who knew?) on US size 7 needles, being photographed by my mixed-breed hubby using a Chinese camera whilst standing in Mexico. *whew!*


Here's the Nogales K-9 unit. Such sweeties to let me take their picture! Look at that baby!


Lunch at the Hacienda Caballo Rojo.



Coming back into the U.S., we drove up I-19, through pretty mountains,


past little ranches with LOTS of horses,


and a big outcropping that I think is known as Elephant's Head. I can't quite make an elephant out of it,


but maybe we were just driving too fast.



We arrived at our destination in Green Valley. The room was lovely, but this was the best part:



Later in the evening, after dinner, more knitting was done. (I was setting up the shot when my DH plunked down my empty beer glass and said, "You gotta get this in the shot!", so I did.)


This shop has everything you might have forgotten to get in Mexico.



The Longhorn. Very well-known restaurant/bar/landmark. When I'm a better photographer, I'll go back and get a photo that shows you that the eyes glow red at night. On second thought, Gale, you need to come to southern Arizona too, don't you?


Sunday morning, I awoke early and had coffee on the patio. There were lots of birds--here's a curve-billed thrasher. This one took off after a lizard and chased it all up and down the wall of the next cottage--didn't catch it, but it really tried. I didn't know they ate lizards!


Then we come to the bunnies. They're cute and cuddly, and...


WEIRD! After hopping about, nibbling choice morsels here and there (including a couple of Cheez-Its I grudgingly parted with as bait), these two scampered off and began some sort of bizarre rabbit ritual whereupon Rabbit the First stands still and stares down Rabbit the Second. Rabbit the Second then runs full-tilt at Rabbit the First, who jumps STRAIGHT UP. This is repeated many, many times. Then they stop and hippity-hop off into the creosote bushes. Ok, whatever makes you happy, guys.....



(click on photo for larger view of cwazy-wabbit-behaviow)



Nice shadows on the trunk of the mesquite (I think) next to our patio.


Seedpods of same.


On the way home, we pass Picacho Peak. Sorry about the poor photo.


There are pecan groves on either side of the freeway just before you get to Picacho. They're lovely, mature trees. I'd like to live in one when it isn't brain-frying temperatures outdoors.




And that's about it! Next time, I'll share some of the fun that Della sent me...whatta love.

A plethora of pincushions

I want to share better photos of my recent mania with you, my blogfriends.
'Cause I know you'll understand.
And there's lots more to be oooh-ed and aaah-ed at over at the Flickr pincushion group. No, wait, look at MINE first, THEN go over there!


This one went to Jenny in the pincushion swap on Flickr. Making the bird was really fun, too.


This wee bottlecap one went to my friend Laura. We heart tequila.


This little starfish went to Lilla, also in the Flickr swap. Flickr is addicting, BTW.


Amy made this one for me in the swap. Cool that we both had starfish on the brain! And this is her FIRST pincushion! And it's mine!! There are waves on the sides, too. So sweet.


And Erica used all of my colors to make this polka-dotted beauty. I find myself just holding it on my lap, like a kitten. It's so squee!

Off to pack a quick case, then heading south of the border! No, the law isn't after us, but I'll tell you more later.

Happy Knit-in-Public Day, all!

I love swaps and my goofy dog.

Here, just for fun, are photos of the two sweet pincushions I received in the Flick'r pincushion swap. The wee bottlecap one is from Amy, and the polka-dotty one is from Erica. Such fun! There are a couple of other shots on my Flickr page, too. I'll post the two I made after I'm certain they both arrived at their destinations. Spot thought they looked interesting.

I'm doing more softie/pincushion stuff of late; the knitting is still going, too, but not as quickly. Will likely do a fair amount this weekend as S and I run away for a gownup overnight trip this weekend to Nogales, Mexico.
Oh, and it IS Knit In Public Day on Saturday, so do it!

Speaking of Spot, here is my latest favorite shot of him:

He's come a long way from the kennel-bred dog who urped after first tasting bacon. Now, the kitchen floor is his banquet table. Thank you, Spot! Good Dog!

More posting this weekend seems likely. Happy Thursday, all!

Where have I been?

I could make up some fabulous story about running away for a whirlwind journey with magical overtones and lots of time spent in quiet contemplation of the curiousness of life as we know it, but instead, let's just say I've been busy.

Crafty photos to appear soon... (I know, promises, promises...)

In the meantime, here's a biker chick, a harbinger of summer and a purty lil' thing, in that order, followed by a fun meme.








Swiped from Badger via Blackbird:





If I was an hour of the day... I would be 11:oo AM.





If I was a planet... I would be Pluto. Yes, it is!





If I was a direction... I would be up.





If I was a piece of furniture... I would be a comfortable camping chair.





If I was a liquid... I would be tequila.





If I was a sin... I would be Sloth. (Oh yeah.)





If I was a rock... I would be malachite.





If I was a tree... I would be a Cascalote (Caeselpinia cacalaco).





If I was a fruit... I would be a naval orange.





If I was a flower... I would be a sweet pea.





If I was a climate... I would be rainy.





If I was a musical instrument... I would be a concertina. (English, mind.)





If I was an element... I would be Earth.





If I was a color... I would be dusty brick-red.





If I was an animal... I would be an elephant.





If I was a sound... I would be my husband's from-the-gut, wonderful bwah-ha-ha laugh.





If I was music... I would be big-band.





If I was a music style... I would be Hoagy Carmichael type-tunes.





If I was a feeling... I would be pleased.





If I was a book... I would be worn and well-read.





If I was a food... I would be fried. Probably potatoes.





If I was a place... I would be a garden anywhere.





If I was a flavour... I would be cumin.





If I was a scent... I would be citrus.





If I was a word... I would be zippy.





If I was a verb... I would be fling!





If I was an object... I would be a surprise parcel wrapped in brown paper from Dorset (!)





If I was a part of the body... I would be a freckle. (Ha! Thought I'd say eye, didn't you?)





If I was a facial expression... I would be a grin.





If I was a cartoon character... I would be Rocket J. Squirrel.





If I was a movie... I would be Notting Hill.





If I was a shape... I would be a wiggly, imperfect circle.





If I was a number... I would be 9.





If I was a season... I would be fall.





If I was a sentence... I would be "Always take a no-thank-you portion".


Consider yourself tagged and leave me a note if you play! I'll try not to stay away so long.

Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you.

(Today is my mom's birthday, in case you hadn't guessed. Just wanted to shout it from the rooftop a bit.)

Ok, today was THE day! I found out that Stitch-N-Pitch was indeed coming to Arizona, and Marion asked to come along! Here we are in the stadium--please don't ask me why the dome was closed when it was in the 80's and breezy outside--I was ANNOYED. Anyhow, M brought some embroidery and I was cranking a Dulaan hat, and the charming redheaded lady next to us agreed to shoot us for the blog. I do so LOVE me them redheads.



There's that short summer haircut I warned you about. I'm still LOVING it. (Personal self-centered note: if you click on the photo, my crooked teeth look a trifle less Austin-Powers-ish and my daughter's bad case of pixil-itis clears right up! Magic on the internets!)


Below is the uber-cool (pardon the lack of umlaut-I'm still a newbie for international puctuation on my very US keyboard) Perpetual Motion Baseball Device. I've no idea what it really is called, but it's my favorite thing at the park. The red thing on top is a base, and there's a bat and ball as well; they're all swinging around and around.



Inside, there are tracks and pulleys and lifts and gongs and all manner of things babseball, and the balls roll around non-stop and things flip and twirl and clang and drop and it's just outrageously great. The area that Marion's looking at has a set of xylophone bars, and when the ball rolls down a certain tube, it hits the end of the blue mallets, which strike the bars and play the well-known notes from, "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"!!!




People were knitting, crocheting, cross-stitching, embroidering and needlepointing all around us. Oh, and there was a ballgame going on, too. (Diamondbacks won 3-1)




Scoreboard highlighting two really sweet new LYSs near me. Yay!





These guys weren't at the game, but I haven't told you about them, and I should. We bought them as eggs several weeks ago, in a kit with food and rocks and a plasic dish. I thought they'd be Sea Monkeys, but I WAS WRONG. They started as little eggs the size of pinpoints and now are about 3" long each! They're "Triops", and supposedly date from dinosaur times. They'd flourish in a short stretch of time (a month, give or take) in temporary ponds. They'd eat and lay eggs and die when the water evaporated, but the eggs would hatch in the next rainstorm. They're really quite cool. M gets grossed out when they shed (exoskeletons, ya know), but I think they're pretty interesting. Must go change their water now.




Bye all! Have a great week. Will try hard to get some actual photos of knitting posted soon, but don't hold your breaths. Instead, go look at Kathy's most awsome sweater. Damn, that gal knows her way around them pointy sticks!

Title? We don't need no steenking TITLE!

I think that this is one of the best little web-thingies I've seen.

As is this.

Anone else ever spen a lot of time here? Oh, my long-lost youth.....

It was a busy day--poor Spot went to the dentist for a teeth-cleaning. His breath is immeasurably improved, but he's still pretty unsteady on his pins.

Hubby had a big job today that he fretted about, but it went very well. Hooray!

We got our new bed delivered. He's testing it right now. I could sleep on the sidewalk if I had to, so anything's ok with me, but this one should help his back.

Softball starts this weekend! Stitch-n-Pitch at the Diamondbacks ballpark (can't recall the proper name as the "whatever" corporate ownership changes hourly) on Sunday! Thinking seriously about attending the Shindig in Seattle in June!

Photos and knitting stuff coming soon to a post near you!

(P.S.--Thanks for getting my "Flash" to work, Mr. Computer Guy!!!)

Knowledge

A few things I have learned and/or realized/remembered in the space of the last two weeks.....

Travelling with a gaggle of 4th graders can be quite a lot of fun.

Radishes are really, really yummy.

Never allow a genius to "hot-wire" your dead truck battery.

Even though my redhead is not amused, I am liking my short summer haircut.

The Grand Canyon is a beautiful place; even more so when it snows.





Snails come in many colors and textures. This one needs a name...anyone care to suggest one?

Four-day work-weeks SOOO rule.

Harry Nilsson was right!

Here's why I did not go to work today...

Thursday's such a crazy, lazy day,
Thursday's got it's own peculiar way of saying "hey"
Sometimes thursday almost makes me want to run away
Thursday's such a crazy, lazy day,

Thursday's such a crazy, lazy day,
Let's go have a picnic,
Thursday's such a crazy, lazy day,
Hope it doesn't rain,
When I'm feeling thursday, I go and have a drink,
If thursday was a boat, I bet it'd sink.

I tried on monday, I did it on tuesday,
Wednesday's really not my cup of tea,
Thank heaven it's friday, thank the Lord for the weekend,
But thursday, now that's a crazy, lazy day.

They say monday's child is full of grace,
Tuesday's child is fair of face,
Thursday's child has far to go, and it's no wonder,
When the week becomes a rat-race,
You can bet win, show, or place,
But never bet on thursday 'cause God's not on it's case.

Monday's a blues day, that goes for tuesday,
Wednesday's just the middle of the week,
Friday's just another payday, the weekend's just another heyday,
But thursday's surreptitiously unique.

That's why I did not go to work today,
Thursday's got it's own peculiar way of saying "hey"
Sometimes thursday almost makes me want to run away,
Thursday's such a crazy, lazy day,

I said thursday's such a crazy, lazy day.

Thanks, Harry.