Tuesday, August 22, 2006

My current project


This is an afghan that I am making for my step-brother Tim and his wife Gigi. They are moving into their first house. It should be finished the first week of September. The afghan pattern is called Warm Thoughts by Patons. I used the suggested yarn which is Patons Decor in Autumn Variegated. The picture doesn't show justice to the true colors of brown, rust, gold and green. It is worked with 2 strands together on size 10 1/2 needles. It is a very simple pattern of 24 rows repeated.

TA DA ... my second pair of socks!!


Not sure what happened with the bottom sock. I had to add another skein of yarn, and it was the exactly the same as the first skein, but for some reason, it's own pattern emerged. Oh well!! The are really thick socks so should be nice and toasty in the winter :) It is knit on 2 circular, size 2 needles. The yarn is Merino 2000.

A couple days of fantastic sunsets


Need I say more about the Great Pacific Northwest???

Marymere Falls, Washington






This adventure was to Marymere Falls in Washington. Another fantastic area we have up here. The white picture is called Saprophyte. According to the ranger, it is indeed a rare thing to see here. He was going to lead a group to go see if he could find it himself!! Around the huge tree is my Dad, me, Isabel, Corey and David. There were many huge, wonderful trees throughout the whole forest. Then there is David and I at the Falls. Breathtaking. A couple of the bridges that cross the stream. Wonderful plant life that has taken up residence in one of the fallen trees.

Monday, August 21, 2006

Cape Flattery, Washington




These great pictures were taken at Cape Flattery, WA. It is the most north-western part of the continental United States. It is truly amazing. After a 1/2 mile trek, the first views you get of the water, are the first three pictures. In the first picture is my Dad Bob, my son Corey and my step mother Isabel. The next couple pictures show the fabulous water caves, that you see after the last 1/2 mile (or so) hike. The last picture shows a sampling of the trail.

Be sure to click on the pictures (any of them) for a larger detail.

My favorite Sand Sculpture




My absolute favorite of all the sand sculptures was this one of Pigs enjoying the surf. There was one with a snorkel, one holding her nose as she prepared to go into the water, one with a surfboard, one with flippers on and several just soaking up the sun.

More Sand Sculptures



A few more of the wonderful sand sculptures!

Sand Sculpture Contest, Hollywood Beach, Port Angeles, WA



We had a sand sculpture contest in our little town the weekend of July 22, 2006. There were many talented artists and their sculptures were amazing. The process started a few days before, with the artists making wooden forms and pounding the fine sand mixture into walls of sand. Then the sculpting began. These are just a few of my favorites.

Friday, August 11, 2006

I want this mirror!!!!

The perfect accessory for any bedroom :)

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Life's Reflections

I have been doing some reflections lately. My life, my family, my health. Although I really can't complain about too much in my life, there are many things I wish I could change and things I wish I had more control over.

My life.... is not too bad. I live in a wonderful place with the most fabulous views. I am happily married, almost 7 years now. I enjoy the crafts I do, but am eager to have more people in my life. I am lonesome. Even with a household of people, it seems there is way to much "quiet" time. Now, don't get me wrong, I like my time. My time to knit, my time to watch the water, my time to reflect. I do miss having someone to talk to. I miss having conversations, real conversations, where you are happy to be with that person. It seems that conversations here at home are mostly at the dinner table. The rest of the time, the boys are busy with their computer games, their music, the chores. I do enjoy a weekly breakfast with my mother. We talk and laugh. Share our weeks with each other. I truly do look forward to those times. I just wish I had more. Is that wrong? Wrong to want more time with those you love and cherish. Apparently to some, it is.....

My family....I wish I had the ability to make the relationship between my daughters and I better. Things have been stressful with the ongoing illness of Kristen. I haven't handled things well with that. I am emotional. I expect more and get less. I want to help and not be left aside. I want to be important. All the things I want are not in the present. The relationships I want seem so hard to achieve. I have tried....maybe too hard. But at what point do you say to yourself, I just have to wait. I am told to keep letting them know I am thinking of them. I am told to write and ask about generic things, nothing on a personal level, and hope that things will work itself out. I have done that, nothing to personal, certainly nothing relating to the stresses in the relationships, and I get little back. I so wish that I knew what to do to change things. I wish I knew what to do to have a mother/daughter relationship back. My oldest son tells me she is taking a break from me. What does that mean? How long? Do I take the time to let them know I am thinking of them and be rejected? While celebrating my youngest son's 13th birthday, my daughter called. I was so excited to see her number on the caller ID, I didn't stop to think she was calling to talk to her brother, not me. Although I was happy she called her brother, a sadness came over me when I realized that it wasn't her just calling to "chat". I miss that. Well, I guess I just wait. Wait to have that call be for me. Wait for that email meant for me. Wait......

Health....well that is another issue. I have been without insurance for a year now. I have been patiently waiting for the new insurance to kick in. It was to be effective the 1st of this month. Then we found out that we had to wait for our cards to come. Then we found out the cost was almost double what we were told a month ago. I have been without medicine for my gerd for 3 weeks now. It is too expensive to buy on my own. $170 for a month. Insurance would bring it down to $30. Wow! So here I sit waiting.....Again waiting....for the coverage. I have two hernia's that are causing so many problems on almost a daily basis, along with the daily stomach (acid) problems. Sometimes unbearable pain. Not sleeping well, waking every 2-3 hours with the pain and discomfort. Come to find out, that we have to be on the insurance for 6 months before I can have them fixed. Prior condition. No concern for the quality of life I am forced to not have. No concern for the intense pain when it pops out and gets hard. Then there is whatever is growing in my stomach area. A hard mass of something. What is is? Is it just the hernia, tearing away all the protective lining of my innards? Is it something else? I have been concerned for almost a year now about that. What will that mean for the pre-existing conditions limitations? Well, like I said before....I will just have to wait ....