Higgs Seascape Stole

Looky what I made for Kristin! I insured this package with the post office and they rolled.their.eyes when I told them what I thought it was worth. Or maybe they were incredulous that I would actually spend 120 hours knitting.

Here is the Higgs Seascape Stole modeled in front of the beautiful Atlantic Ocean.

Here it is modeled on me. I was standing at the end of the Higgs pier on a VERY windy day, and praying I wouldn’t drop the scarf in the water.

Me again with my artfully wind-tousled locks.

Here it is modeled in the empty chocolate box I sent it in. (I hope Kristin wasn’t disappointed that there were no chocolates in that lavender box!)

This pattern is Seascape from Knitty, and I used a LOVELY, softy-soft teal alpaca lace yarn from Cascade. I wish my photos had captured the subtle heathered hues in this yarn.

Happy Birthday Kristin!! I love you!

Camera Contents

Sometimes, I forget that I have been carrying my camera everywhere, and I download the photos and find things I’d forgotten all about.

A folding car we found at the neighborhood playground.

The stick-bug-guy I made to ride inside.

Chilly Thanksgiving at the beach with storm clouds.

attempting to climb the light pole

While walking to the playground one evening last week, I heard music coming from a side street and we went to investigate. These guys were warming up on their homemade PVC instruments for a gig downtown later that night. We sat on the curb and listened with the neighbors.

a seed pod on our sidewalk

 

Orchids and Naturism

I have vowed to become an orchid person, now that I live in their proper climate. But on my budget, this involves picking up a clearance ($5 ) orchid, which is in the last throes of a bloom, and hoping that I can muddle my way through the next 6 months and get another bloom stalk.

I bought the first orchid last week and went back to MARC plant store today for another couple. One has a very long flower stalk that dropped its final yellow speckled blossom when I picked it up for inspection.

Come January, Gary at the MARC plant store offers a FREE orchid class, for 6 weeks!! I will be taking this class.

The rack was an urban street find. Someone had put it out near their garbage cans for free. This is quite possibly the best free furniture I’ve ever brought home. On the second shelf is a little orchid from my sister-in-law and an air plant.

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On Monday we went for a 10 mile drive to a clothing optional beach. We had to walk 15 minutes along a very scraggly, rocky, mangrovey beach (with most of our clothes still on) just to get to this sign:

At one point we waded through waist high water (chilly right now), but here was the view while we sunned ourselves.

This was worth the trek, but next time we take water shoes and the dog. And BUG REPELLENT…the mosquitoes, fire ants, and jumping sand fleas (we dubbed them) descended on us as soon as we stopped hiking. They didn’t have to contend with fabric, so they made a big impact before we hightailed it out of there…picnic abandoned.

Ibis spotted on the way back to the van:

First Day of Preschool

Yesterday I dropped the Boogedy off for his first full day of preschool. He was so excited! Zach and I rode our bikes to the Southernmost Beach Cafe for our first breakfast alone together since….um…since….well, I don’t know when the last time was.

Their sign:

Interior (I love the paint colors!):

The view from our table. (All this and the food was good, too!):

Later I rode my bike over to the KnitWits yarn shop, without man or boy to distract me or hurry me up. YES! There is a yarn shop in Key West, and it carries gorgeous yarn!!

After picking the Boogedy up from school, we headed to the dog beach with a tennis ball and a bag of sand toys for diggin!

The dog hasn’t been this happy since we left Hollywood and he stopped getting his daily walks in Griffith Park.

Once in bed for the night, it took the Boogedy a full hour to wind down, stop talking to himself, and go to sleep after the big day.

Family Weekend

On Wednesday, the Boogedy was babysat and we walked to our beach for a lovely sunset

And went to dinner at a Japanese steakhouse, where they cook the food on the grill at your table. I did not photograph the chef, but will show you the fountain outside.

On Thursday, we found a listless frog on our porch. He allowed his head to be pet, and I picked him up and placed him under the bushes. He wasn’t there on Friday.

On Friday I took Zach a picnic lunch at work. It was pouring rain, so we asked permission to sit at one of the tables outside the coffee shop, under the eaves.

On Saturday, we rode our bikes hard for 8 miles, then stopped at Thomas’ Donut Shop across the street from the beach.

And tried something I’ve never seen in donut form, Red Velvet.

We bought an umbrella because the rain has started to be just a little chilly, and it looked like it wouldn’t stop.

While we were at the farmer’s market picking up raw milk, the Boogedy rolled down the grassy slope in the rain, getting completely soaked.

There was some puddle twirling and jumping.

And we grabbed Pizza at Brunos, which has the most wonderful garden/swamp in the back of the building.

To finish the day, the dog was wrapped in blankets and piled with pillows.

And dad was forced to take his own medicine: The Bravery Test.

Maximizing our Beach Time

Today was Zach’s day off, so we went to the beach…the same place he works all the other days.

8am-Sunnyside Beach, 5 mins walk from our house

9am-Rosemary Beach, where Zach works

9:30am-The gulf was glassy today, perfect conditions for me to learn how to do this:

10am-The Boogedy says “My feet are Dancin’!”

Then we spent the afternoon resting up for an evening stroll

Questionable Color Scheme

This is the linoleum in my dining room:

This is why Floridians think these colors go together:

florida vacation 2/3 done

The other night we went to an outdoor concert in Seaside. The Boogedy is still singing “Put your hands up!!”.

Today the sky was grey and the water kind of choppy, but he insisted on swimming anyway!

Florida Vacation

We’re staying in Rosemary Beach, Florida at the moment. We’ve driven west up Scenic Highway 30A so that I could find a coffee shop with wireless, just to post some pictures for you! Tonight we’re at Sundog Books in Seaside. This town is just gorgeous! Can’t write too much though, as the Boogedy is just about sick of jumping off their overstuffed ottoman onto the couch.