Muir Woods

Continuing to share my vacation pictures as I get a group edited. These are from Muir Woods. Most interesting thing to me is how a woods of these magnitude can be soooooooooo close to San Francisco, so close to civilization. These trees are awesome! How forward thinking to preserve them. You can see the size by how small hubby and I look when standing near them. It's not possible to look up enough to see the tops of tree without feeling like you're going to topple over backwards.

The picture with the rings shows the life span of this large tree. Cut down in 1930, thats the most recent date and going back prior to 1100. The date in the first ring is too blurry for me to make out. Wonder if I have a brosure that will tell me. hum....

We're looking sleepy, I think in the pictures; which we were. We got up early and wanted to get there before all the tour busses. Our plan worked well, as we were leaving the lots were filling up.

The black inside the tree is from fire, we saw a lot of that, and somehow these trees survived. We were told by another visitor that the fire causing that black was 200 years ago. We didn't read that anywhere ourselves so not sure if that's true. Again...wonder about the brosure, must check.

Long and tiring day at work yesterday and more of the same promised for today. Legs and feet sure felt it last night. Managed to make a few squares last night, but was too tired to work on Mom's yellow shawl. Perhaps I'll get more done today.

Hope you enjoy your peaceful walk in the woods!

Pigeon Point LightHouse--Hostelling

Built in 1872, still active though in need of repair and closed to the Public, Pigeon Point Light House--Historic State Park---Hostel.

This lighthouse is 50 miles south of San Francisco, between Half Moom Bay and Santa Cruz on The Beach Road. A rugid 115 feet tall lighthouse. Rooms-hostels- $20.00 a night. This was one of the tallest lighthouses in America, a good place for whale watching, hiking and relaxing. Care to help the preservation effort...there's a campaign to Save the Light.






You can see in all these pictures how cloudy, cool and grey it was while we were on vacation. Surely no need for sun screen, but I hadn't expected to need a hooded sweatshirt and a coat while in sunny California.

Been working on mom's yellow shawl some, alternating with working on the pink and blue baby blanket/bunty. Finding it hard to do work much on either knitting or crocheting with the warm weather. Yarn stitcks to my hands.

Switched last night to working on some squares for a Patriotic Project/Charity. Little of this, little of that.

And now, time to do some ever popular laundry (NOT so popular withe me and some yard work).

THE PRESIDIO says HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA !!!

I can think of no better way to say Happy Birthday America, then to honor it's Veterans. A well cared for National Cemetery does just that. The Presidio, a Spanish Fort, a military base, renouned medical facility, National Cemetery, and now a National Park.


This was one of the places hubby and I visited last week while on vacation in California. Definately one of the highlights for me. Many of you know I spend a good deal of time in cemeteries, photographing and documenting military stones; as well as others. This was quite impressive, one of the better cared for cemeteries I've been in, stones washed, perfectly aligned, grass mowed and water. A fitting tribute to our service men and women. I am a lover of peace, but do honor and respect those that have and are serving.

Take notice of the fog, it was, while cold and windy there a very moving experience. We could hear fog horns in the distance from the bay.

A special ceremony and program kept us from being able to see the whole base, the horses with Spanish Riders were a part of that.

Some construction is several areas also weren't open for touring; but we still were able to enjoy the base. Historic barracks, some being rehabbed, while others very much in a state of decay. Pilots row, vintage homes restored and lived in today bring life back to this Military Post.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

In The Air, On The Road........AND

This is the yellow shawl I started on the plane on my way to California. I'm using a very pretty yellow, double strand..good ole Caron Wintuk, such nice yarn. The basic dishcloth pattern with a slight variation to have a widder edge (using 3 stitches before I do my yarn over). Using size 11 circular needles. Worked on it coming home on the plane also, and managed a few rows after work last night, so think I'm about half done. This will be for my mom's 80th birthday this month.

This is the baby blanket I started while on vacation, as we were traveling in the car. Using both blue and pink so it will work for either a little boy or a little girl and will go to one of my charities. Not sure yet which one, need to check my list once I get it done. Probably about 1/4th done with this. Bulky Modea yarn, 13 circular needles...again variation of the dishcloth pattern.


Haven't done any work on my multi colored ghan, or my Candy Corn ghan since returning from vacation. Candy Corn maybe 1/4th done, and multi-colored ghan probably 10% done. Both of these are crocheted projects.

Here are a few more pictures from vacation. We left Desert Springs and traveled up the beach road, hubby loves to drive and some of the scenery was quite pretty. Some hard to see due to the haze. I thought the wind farms were facinating. They went on for miles and miles! We stopped at a state park on the beach to dip our toes. But, in the process I burned the bottom of my feet -----------the sand was really really hot. You can see not that many people were on the beach, very windy and a bit cool I think. This was day 2 of our vacation. Takes time to drive up the beach road, it's much slower!!

California, Here I Come !

Not right back where I started from. But, the song popped into my head. Got back last evening. Spent the day grocery shopping, picking up-opening and sorting mail, and unpacking, doing laundry, doing laundry, doing laundry, and doing laundry. Almost done.
Flew from here to Phoenix, from there onto Palm Desert in a little jet. I've only flown once by myself so this was a big adventure for me.........I WAS nervous!

Hubby was there, had been for a week for his convention and he figured I should spread my wings and come out when he was done; then we'd vacation. Only needed to pay for one airfare that way.

Have only begun with pictures; got em loaded from camera and started sorting them into folders, began editing with day 1.

This is the resort where his convention was and were I joined him for the first night. It was 120. We spent time in the pool with a drink and a few of the people who hadn't yet left, then went to dinner at a Mexican place. Food was Good!

The blue pool is where we spent time, the 2nd pool is on the other side of the hotel and the one we could see from his hotel room balcony. Mountains in the background didn't show up real well, but it's a nice view, golf course, mountains, pool and mountains. Hubby and one of the younger girls that went to dinner with us. Love her big earrings. What fun!

For those that don't know, hubby is an accountant and works for a national office for a sorority, and thus is the only male at the convention of 1,000 women........except for a few husbands of board members.

***I did knit while gone, I started the yellow shawl for my mothers's 80th birthday which is in a couple of weeks. Worked on it both coming and going on the plane. I also started a baby blanket while there, blue and pink while we were in the car driving from place to place.

Hope all are well, hope to get out and visit some blogs a bit tomorrow before work.

And so it continues.

Candy corn has gotten further along. Though more stitching has been done since this picture....it might get frogged. I'm seeing a different vision now in my head..........sometimes I hate it when that happens.

I have 4 of these green squares/rectangles...shapes. Use 2 to make this pair of slippers, I think they would work for a boy....probably grade school age? Unsure where they will be sent. Need to check my charities and see.



Had a stack of 10 little blue squares and have used 8 to make these 4 pair of booties/slippers. Newborn and older (each a little different sized)



These bright bright rainbow type colors were 2 granny squares. Can you imagine trying to put these 2 squares in a ghan of other colors? The lone pink square was knitting, so I unraveled it to use the yarn for the trim on these slippers for a little girl...grade school age. Though I normally like slippers to be solid, I think these will still be nice when one takes off shoes...even if worn over socks feet will be warmer.





Probably sending the booties to Marine Corp Kids, but need to check on the green and multi colored pair to see whats the best spot.

Been working some crazy hours, and so haven't knitted and crocheted as much as I would like this week. Been busy rolling yarn though. A box of mill ends was sent to me, before I can determine what to make, I need to know how much I have and thus the rolling is taking place. To date 185 balls, some smaller than others, but most are about 2-3 inches. I'm not yet done. This is I believe Berroco's Comfort yarn, 50% cotton 50% acrylic. It has a wonderful feel. I might do a group of chemo hats because of the softness? Still got my thinking cap on. Takes time to do the rolling, tangles....but what a lovely donation. I will make use of it; I always do when folks donate things they want to go for good causes.





No additional work done one the mutli colored ghan with Sensations yarn, or the 2 strand yarn (ice blue and dark green) shawl.

Today is the first day in several weeks I didn't get 10,000 steps at work....though if I'd put the pedometer here at the house before hand, or left it on afterwards......am sure I was well above my 10,000 steps a day.

Happy Hooking and Knitting One and all