Okay, here you go–the whole trip in one (long) post!

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Left the house at 8:00 and got in the car for MV. Chappy, of course, did not get breakfast, but then, I didn’t get my coffee, either.

The extra addition to the usual group was Ramble, the travelling sheep, home for a visit on his whirlwind tour. He wanted to come with us to visit his old birthplace.

The drive up was pretty normal. Stopped in Mystic for lunch, saw a bride and groom getting their picture taken. Took Ramble’s picture over lunch while he told us all about his last visit to Mystic.

We caught the 2:30 ferry to MV—for once, it was the ferry we were actually scheduled to take, not an earlier one we managed to squeak on. We even had time for a quick snack (coffee and a cookie) at Pie in the Sky in Woods Hole.

On the island, we checked in at the Island Inn, chatted with the woman in the room next door for a bit, and then headed into Edgartown. The weather was perfect—shirtsleeve weather, sunny, with just a hint of coolness as the sun started getting lower.

Shopping-wise, this was a great weekend to visit the island—huge end-of-season, Columbus Day sales, which means we actually did some more shopping than usual. Mom dove right in, looking at t-shirts at some of her favorite stores, and both of us ended up buying more stuff than we have in a while, just because the prices were so darn good.

After walking around for a while, we got dinner from the Newes of America and drove out along State Beach and parked the car, watching the sunset while we ate. (Interestingly, the sliver of moon that showed low in the sky as the sun went down, actually went DOWN, which seemed a surprise.)

Sunday, October 10, 2010 (10/10/10)

First thing in the morning, I took Chappy out to go to the bathroom, and while we were walking around, a blond woman carrying a coffee cup walked by and commented that we must be thrilled to be staying there with so many noisy boy scouts, but I just smiled and said that we didn’t mind, and then went back inside to wait for Mom to get dressed.

Instead of going to Espresso Love for breakfast, we went to the Katama General store instead. It was its last weekend of the season and I’ve been tweeting with someone from there for months, so we wanted to be sure to stop in. It’s adorable inside—small, but with an interesting collection of food, toys, and odds-and-ends, just like a general store should be. We asked if the person who did the tweets (Jackie) was there, but were told no, not until the afternoon, but the man behind the counter called her to tell her we were asking for her—and she told him to give us free scones! A cranberry-orange (which Mom ate) and a ginger one for me. So nice! I made a point, later, of finding some wifi hotspot so I could tweet her a thank you.

After that, we drove up-island. We tried, first, to find a LYS I’d heard about (Vineyard Knitworks), but it was closed, but then we drove on through Chilmark to Gay Head/Aquinnah.

We took the usual photos, including but especially one of Ramble at the cliffs.

Menemsha, too. Mustn’t forget the fishing.

Then we drove out toward Vineyard Haven. (Stopping, on the way, at the Black Dog Café to get a couple cookies for lunch—though the coffee is never as good as I think it should be.)

Mom called Kate Taylor that afternoon, in the hopes we’d get to see her, and found out that another one of her Carly-Simon-fan-club fellow members was not only on the island, but also staying at the Island Inn, so we hurried (more or less) back to the inn and Mom figured out what room she was in and went to leave her a note. She, Kelly, called us after supper and arranged to come over for a quick visit—quick, because her son was sick, but she didn’t want to miss meeting Mom.

Dinner that night was lobster rolls from the Quarterdeck in Edgartown, eaten in the car, before driving back to O.B. at sunset again. The part that was interesting was that they’re rebuilding two of the bridges, and they have temporary stop lights on the street so that the one-way traffic can pass the single-lane bridges safely. Never seen stop lights on MV before! I bought a bunch of postcards, too–something we don’t do every trip. I’d bought a book of postcard stamps, though (20 of them), so bought a bunch, which was fun.

Anyway, so at 7:30, Kelly ran over to say hello—the same woman that had commented about the boy scouts that morning! We had a wonderful, quick, hilarious visit. By bedtime, again, we were all exhausted.

How exhausted? Chappy didn’t even fidget at bedtime like he usually does in a new place.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Woke up, got dressed, checked out of the Island Inn, then, luggage in car, drove to Edgartown to Espresso Love where Mom (phew!) got her blueberry scone. I stopped in Claudia’s jewelry store and bought two simple pairs of silver earrings, and picked up a throw for Chappy’s chair at the Black Dog Home Store down by the harbor. (Some dog biscuits, too.) Specifically there because the girl in the store had been so nice to Chappy on Saturday night.

After, we drove into Oak Bluffs and went to Good Dog Goods for some more biscuits, and to give Kerry a chance to gush over my dog, who was very shy. Though, he was willing to do his tricks, he wasn’t interested in sampling any of the biscuits. We got a late lunch from Linda Jeans (Splitting a tuna sandwich) and talked to Kate. She invited us to coffee in Vineyard Haven at 3:15, so we piled in the car and headed that way.

But first, we went over to West Chop lighthouse for a photo op. Kerry had asked us to take Chappy’s picture, with a G.D.G. logo-bag by the lighthouse for Mom’s (and hers) mutual friend Seamond, so we did that and then drove into town to park the car and meet Kate.

Which we did, and then she, Mom and I went to the Beetlebung Café coffee shop for coffee and sat and talked for an hour or so.

Then, back to Oak Bluffs to walk around the campgrounds and take yet more pictures. (Mom has been taking a LOT of pictures.) On the way, though, poor Chappy threw up in the backseat—luckily on his towel and NOT on Ramble. Then, we got crab-roll sandwiches from Linda Jeans and ate by Ocean Park … again at sunset.

We came back to Brady’s B&B after that, I took a quick shower, and then we went downstairs to his living room to watch Chuck (yay!), though he talked through most of it (grin). He’s a sweetheart of a man, but definitely a talker.

More sleep of exhaustion.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Woke up and had Brady’s breakfast—it’s not an elaborate one, but fruit, juice, cereal, and toast. Tasty—and so nice to eat at a TABLE. We left at 10:00, though, because we had another chance to see Kate and her daughter Liz, who is a Twitter friend of mine. I’m so happy I got a chance to see her again since she’s been so very busy lately.

Mom, Kate, Chappy and I went for a walk, which was gorgeous. The weather couldn’t have been better and the company was great–lots of laughs–but Chappy hurt himself. At one point, he turned his head back and at first I thought one of the red berries from the bushes had somehow gotten stuck on his nose, but no, it was a big drop of blood. Apparently he’d hurt himself on one of the thorns, but didn’t yelp or complain. In fact, just then he did one of those delightful turn-back-and-jump-up-to-say-thank-you things he does that always melt my heart. Mom gave me a tissue to wipe the blood off his face and it came down to a pin-point spot, right next to his left nostril—just barely onto the furry part of his nose. There’s a scratch next to it, but that’s the only really sore (i.e. bloody) spot.

We left shortly after that, stopping at Alley’s store and getting oatcakes to eat. Then, back to Edgartown. We’d been invited for tea by Steve and Karen at the Victorian Inn who are also wonderful people and it just made more sense to go straight there. We parked and walked around for a bit, sitting by the library. (Though, Mom wouldn’t let me read from our book, which is just ironic.) Then, over to the inn, where we spent another couple hours, chatting.

By the time we left, it was about quarter after six, and we both wanted to get these very specific turkey sandwiches from Zephrys in VH, so we drove there (in the dark) and …. No sandwiches. They weren’t even on their menu any more.

We ended up at the Black Dog bakery just as they were closing for the night. I got a corn muffin for supper and Mom had a blueberry muffin. This makes this trip the first ever (I think) that I haven’t had clam chowder. (Sigh).

So … tired.. Chappy’s exhausted and probably hungry (though he ate his supper). Our ferry tomorrow is at 10:45. We’ve been so lucky with the weather–Saturday, Sunday, and Monday were absolutely perfect, and the rain on Tuesday conveniently happened early in the morning (with maybe a spritz around 10:00), and then later, after 8:00. Absolutely no complaints.

Wednesday, October 13th

Woke up to the sun shining, and squeezed in a quick walk along the water in Oak Bluffs before heading to the ferry. We drove straight home, only stopping for a quick lunch more or less right off the boat, and to fill the gas tank. (Something I try not to do on the island because the prices there are horrible.)

We hit some traffic on the western end of Connecticut, but were home about quarter after five.

All in all? A great trip, definitely successful.

There were only two real negatives–Chappy hurting himself on the walk, though that was minor and has already been shrugged off.

But, more importantly, his mouth is bothering him. There was one night when we found a couple drops of blood on the bed sheet from bleeding gums–something we’ve NEVER seen from him before. Mind you, there’s no question that he needs a professional teeth cleaning, but I was hoping to get all of my own expensive dental work done first. But–those couple drops of blood have been followed by a couple days of really bad breath and very careful chewing on anything crunchy, so obviously his mouth hurts. And today he woke up with a swollen eye which has been getting redder and more sore-looking as the day goes on.

I took him to the vet this morning and she said the first thing she wanted to do, because of some red spots inside his ears (petrichae?), was to do a blood test to make sure that his blood clots correctly. Except, she didn’t tell me how darned expensive the blood test was, so that today’s visit–a check up, an eye exam to make sure his eye had no scratches, some drops, and that blood test–cost over three hundred dollars. Eep!

Oh, and I tore a hole in my lovely Aran cardigan. It’s conveniently located between two cables in the ribbing at the lower edge, and it’s relatively small … except, it completely tore through about 5 rows of knitting and I’m dreadful at mending things. I know this is definitely fixable, but I’m not quite sure HOW. I’ve got to figure it out soon, though, because I want to wear this to Rhinebeck!

Now–I know this was a long post, but head over to Ramble’s Blog to see what he brought back with him!

Here’s a hint!

Tags: Martha's Vineyard by --Deb
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First things first–

Happy 47th anniversary, Mom and Dad!

This picture is actually from Mom’s bridal shower, not the wedding, but I love how happy they look. (Which isn’t to say they don’t look happy in their wedding pictures, of course, but I don’t happen to have any of them handy at the moment.) But, anyway, it’s what they looked like 47 years ago, give or take.

To celebrate, I brought home a cannolli cake after work, which was fine, I guess, but not as good as it looked.

Though it definitely looked good. It was just the right size, too. Each of us had a quarter, which was just about right.

Naturally, Chappy had some also. (I do so love that pleading look he gets while waiting for permission to clean off a dish.)

I’ve been neglectful about keeping you informed of my knitting. So here’s a picture of my current project. The yarn color is a blue-green sea-kind of color, Kamchatka Seamoss from Peace Fleece, though it’s darn hard to photograph. The pattern is the Greenfield Cardigan from New England Knits. It’s a nice, basic, top-down, garter-stitch, raglan cardigan. There are a couple leaf details coming up, but really, this is about it. Very simple (yawn). I mean, in a good way! It’s going to be a perfectly nice sweater (I hope), but it’s not exactly a thrill to knit. Because, um, easy and low-thought though garter stitch is, it’s not exactly an adrenalin rush.

Chappy’s not himself today. I think he’s stiff, because he periodically sits up and kind of quiver-stretches his lower spin, and he’s been rather quiet. I think the problem is that he hasn’t had enough walks lately, with the weather being so wet. I’m sitting here thinking about where I might plug in the heating pad so that he might benefit for a while. That usually seems to help. At the very least, it helps me feel like I’m doing something. (You understand.)

Hey–Rhinebeck-goers! Did you know that Stitchy McYarnpants is reviving Blogger Bingo this year? Woohoo! I’ve already signed up to be a square.

My current goal is to finish spinning up that never-ending roving of mine. Remember? I started spinning up the last pound of it last month. (I mean, it’s only taken me 5 years to get this far.) I want to at least get it spun into singles, if not plied by Rhinebeck, and it’s looking promising. I’m on the last 4 ounces now, and am past the halfway point on the last bobbin. I’d actually like to get it done this week, before we leave for MV–just in case I decide to bring my spinning wheel with me. (Because, I only have 4 Majacraft bobbins and this will use them all. I really need to get more of these some day.)

I DID tell you we were going to Martha’s Vineyard, right? We’re so excited. The last time we were there was when we dog-sat for a friend a year ago April. The year before, we went up for the (then) Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm Shearing Festival. We haven’t actually had a “normal” MV vacation since 2007. (By “normal,” I mean just us going up and hanging out–though we hope to see friends, if we can.) We’re leaving on Saturday and we can’t wait.

Tags: Family, Knitting/Spinning, Martha's Vineyard by --Deb
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One more bobbin of singles to spin, then one more skein to ply, and I’ll have spun all the yarn that came in my first MVFF share. You know, my two pounds of Cormo from the Spring 2008 Shearing. The one Mom, Chappy, and I went to the Vineyard to witness.

Half of my Cormo I gave to Jessica to dye for me, in the MVFF colors. It spun up into something between lace- and sport-weight yarn, and I’ve already turned some of it into the Fountain Pen Shawl, which I gave to my sister for her birthday in June.

Well, I finished my first skein in November, and now (I’ve lost track of the yardage), but I now have three complete skeins of natural Cormo, and, as I said, half of the last one is spun into singles. I just need to spin the last bobbin.

Isn’t that a pretty pile of yarn? And, let’s see, I signed up for my first share at the end of 2007. The shearing in April, the arrival of the wool, the excitement of having half of it dyed. The Winter Solstice party last December. Susan’s birthday surprise in April and this year’s Spring shearing. Not to mention the revelry on Ravelry, and the fun this Spring of the Lambcam. I had thought that a share seemed kind of expensive, but … I’ve got to say I think it’s more than worth the money. Just think of all the hours of spinning pleasure is in this pile! And that doesn’t even count the knitting part (or the Fall share, still in my closet).

So, thanks again, Susan for thinking of this whole fiber CSA thing!

On an unrelated note?

How sad that John Hughes died! The man behind Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off … I feel like my high school years just died. And … who else remembers the Brat Pack? Check out this New York Magazine article about the “cool kids” from way back when.

Tags: Finished Spinning, General, Knitting/Spinning, Martha's Vineyard by --Deb
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I just realized that it’s been over a week since I showed any Chappy pictures–that’s shameful, really. (Especially since those were even just a cameo appearance in my Katy-tribute.)

The problem, really, is that we haven’t been doing that many interesting things together–just the usual, hanging out kinds of things. A walk around the block each day (which is usually followed by a lot of sneezing because the allergens seem unusually bad this year). But otherwise, he naps or plays with a toy while I sit at the computer or knit or read or whatever it is I’m doing. We’re together, but not doing anything particularly exciting.

Of course, it doesn’t help that he does most of his napping with his face pointed away from me. You know, so I can’t sneak in any extra pictures that way.

He’s happy now, though, because his family is home where they belong. My niece graduated from community college tonight and that’s where the proud grandparents were (as they should have been). I didn’t go, but we’ll be seeing everyone on Sunday for the annual birthday celebration, and I’ll pass on my congratulations in person then. In the meantime, though, congratulations, Tiffany!

She’ll be heading off to Montclair State in the fall for her Junior year, and will be rooming with a friend she made in her art classes. (A girl who, coincidentally, is the granddaughter of my 6th grade teacher. What are the odds?)

Oh, and I have been working on my new shawl, but wow, it’s going slowly! First, it started with over 500 stitches, so the rows are huge, and second, it takes a little time to get the “flow” going, to get the pattern established. The first few rows of lace always feel like they’re going on blind faith. But, because this shawl is worked from the bottom up, it’s taking a loooong time to get those first rows done. As in, it’s taking me about 40 minutes to knit one row. Which means I’m getting one row done a night. I cast on for this on Saturday, and am still only on row 5. Yeah. This is going to take a while (grin).

I’ll take a picture for you sometime soon, I promise. Even if it DOES just look like a green ruffle at this point.

Tags: Family, General, Martha's Vineyard, Reading by --Deb
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Back in the car again today. We said goodbye to our new, four-legged friends (after a nice, long walk), and then loaded up the car.

Then we drove to the Steamship Authority to catch the ferry home.

I told you about this ferry the other day. I mentioned that it was big, right?

Really big.

We didn’t get out of the car this time. (It was tight quarters anyway, and I’d already gotten my car’s paint scratched when the woman in the next car opened her door. And no, she didn’t apologize.)

We stopped for lunch at the Cape Cod Bagel shop in Falmouth (and saw Sally Taylor stop to pick up bagels–I swear, it feels like we saw most of Carly Simon’s family–or ex-in-law family this trip). Then, we got in the car, stopped briefly to top off the gas tank and then drove straight home without a stop. From the bagel shop to home took us just about 4.25 hours, and we’re wondering if we passed Julie’s car on the other side of I-95 while they were on their way home from Maryland. I hope her two dogs aren’t alone for much longer!

Meanwhile, Mom, Chappy, and I are glad to be home and just wiped out … but Dad is so happy to see us–especially my little boy–that there was a “Welcome Home Chappy” sign next to his water dish when he got home. He was so touched!

Tags: Martha's Vineyard by --Deb
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So, Chappy closed his eyes and wished very, very hard…

And got some sunshine. And a chance to see Chappaquiddick (from a distance, at least). Though, it WAS rather windy. I mean, really, look at the direction his fur is pointing. (Some of my pictures have some interesting, um, dark spots, from my hair blowing in front of the lens.)

Still, that wind did a fine job of kicking the clouds away. (Who else remembers that song?)

I was the only one brave enough to venture up to the top of the wharf in Edgartown to take some pictures–something I don’t do every trip, but …

Well, I didn’t have this camera last time I was on the island, and naturally, I needed a better picture of the whale’s tail. (grin)

Mom’s wish came true, too, because she had Espresso Love blueberry scones THREE days in a row.

It practically felt like walking back in time.

The dogs were pretty happy, too.

So, it was chilly today, but I DID switch to my Spring coat rather than the hooded winter one I was wearing the last few days. It was just so nice to see the sun shine.

I think Silas and Balou are missing their family, though. They keep coming over for pets and love, and giving us these mournful looks, as if they’re asking when they’re coming back. Because, you know, it doesn’t matter how much you like the people, or how much care and attention they give you, there’s nothing like your own family.

Speaking of which, my Dad is very, very glad we’re coming home tomorrow. He says he misses Mom and me, but we know the truth–it’s really Chappy that he misses.

And, really, who can blame him?

Tags: Martha's Vineyard by --Deb
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This is what our view looked like while eating breakfast this morning. We went to Espresso Love (to get Mom some of those blueberry scones she loves so much) and then parked the car by the harbor to eat. And, well … it was a little wet.

It’s been raining on and off all day, but we did get the woofies out for a walk. We timed it just right, in fact. We got back to the house about 11:30 at a pause between showers, and immediately grabbed leashes for those who need leashes, and went out to the trails behind the community for a walk. It wasn’t a really LONG walk, mind you, but it was something! We turned back at just the right time, though, because we hadn’t been back in the house for 10 minutes when it started to rain pretty steadily. So, phew! (Thanks to Mom for this picture because, obviously, I didn’t take this one myself.)

We went out at 1:30 (leaving Chappy home with Silas and Balou) and met up for coffee with two of my Twitter friends, Liz (@filmtruth) and Kate (@katetaylor333). (Liz’s husband, Ken, too, who doesn’t Twitter … yet … but who nicely bought us coffee. Thank you!)  The interesting twist is that Mom met Kate through some of her Carly Simon fan friends who are good friends with Kate, while Liz and I met through Twitter and it turns out that they’re mother/daughter. More of that “small world” action. I love it when events juxtapose in just that way!

I’m sorry I don’t have more MV photos for you to look at, but, well, it’s been too wet to take my good camera out and about. Not only that, but since it’s really pre-tourist season, most of the people on the island are the people who actually live and work here, and carrying around my Nikon makes me FEEL like a tourist. (Which is strange when you consider this is the first time I’ve been here that I haven’t actually stayed at a hotel or inn, but in a real house, but, whatever.) And yes, I know, carrying around my Nikon when I’m wandering around in NJ doesn’t make make feel like a tourist because I LIVE there, but then, we don’t get as many tourists in my home town as they get here, and, well, anyway … it’s wet.

Incidentally, did you see these adorable sheep cake pops at Bakerella?

Tags: Friends, General, Martha's Vineyard by --Deb
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We came over to the island on the newest ferry, the Island Home. Which is HUGE.

Here’s just a part of its freight deck (you know, where the cars and trucks go). Please note the extra row of available parking suspended from the ceiling.

(Not that it was needed today.)

They have handy maps posted around, so you don’t get lost. Which is convenient because, did I mention that this ferry is really, really big?

There certainly are plenty of seats.

Lots, and lots of seats.

It’s been kind of a gray day, but no complaints. We’re HERE, after all, and Chappy did NOT get sick in the car. The dogs we’re dog-sitting are charming and friendly, as are Patti, Julie, and their kids. They’re leaving early in the morning, but we’re so glad we got to see them first!

Okay … tired now …

Tags: Martha's Vineyard by --Deb
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Well! I certainly am racking up the miles lately! I’ve put well over 800 miles on my car since the beginning of the month. I’m well aware that this might be peanuts to some people (like, say, my sister), but for me, that’s huge. (To give you an idea, my car will be 7 years old in December, and I only just passed 47,000 miles last week.) This total for the month includes, of course, the 220 mile round trip to Rhinebeck last week, and the 90-mile (round trip) to the Garden State Sheep and Wool festival, and the 70 or so to Liberty State Park and back … and the 90 that we put on today, going down to Pennington and back.

Chappy mentioned this yesterday. The owner of our favorite coffeeshop on Martha’s Vineyard (source of Mom’s favorite blueberry scones) was here in NJ for a book signing for her new cookbook, Table Talk. (Mom wrote about this on her blog, too.) So, naturally, we trekked down to Pennington to see her and get a signed copy.

Um–I should tell you that the cookbook DOES have the Blueberry Scone recipe in it. The one my Mom drools over. The scones that she buys and hoards in the freezer. The scones that she loves so much that, one year, I called Espresso Love and ordered a half-dozen to be shipped overnight just to surprise Mom. And, boy, was she surprised! Actually, she ended up with extras because Carol (the owner) had misunderstood and, even though I specifically said Valentine’s Day when I placed the order, she goofed and shipped them a week early, and then felt so badly about it, she shipped another batch the following (correct) week, free of charge, so Mom ended up with a full dozen.

Anyway, yeah, THAT recipe is in there. So is a great beef stew recipe, which I know is great because the market where we bought the book today cooked up a batch and was giving out samples. (Yes, the book-signing was at a grocery store, how cool is that, huh?) There are breakfast foods, baked goods, main courses … a little of everything, and the recipes look good. I can already vouch for the blueberry scones, the beef stew, and the Presidential Muffins, which I often get at Espresso Love, so I’m sure the rest of the cookbook won’t disappoint.The title of the book is Table Talk by Carol McManus.

Then, since we were down that way (it’s not like Pennington is right around the corner), we stopped at the Wooly Lamb yarn shop. It’s in a shopping center right on Route 31, and has a very nice selection. I noticed it the first time I went down to visit Liz, but since the only times I’ve gone past it, I’ve had Chappy feeling queasy in the backseat, this was my first chance to actually STOP. And, about this rather poor picture? I kinneared it from a discreet corner, and–had I mentioned that it’s been raining all day?–somebody said, “Was that lightning??” Tee!

Anyway, it WAS a nice shop, and two little skeins of sock yarn followed me home. Plymouth Yarn Co Happy Feet (90% Superwash merino/10% nylon). As we wandered around the store, in fact, Mom had pulled one of these skeins out of the bin and said, “What a mess” because the skein was an untwisted, tangled pile in amongst all the other yarn. I took pity on it and its friend and retwisted it, and went on my way, browsing through the store … but before we left, I took another look at the sock yarn, and thought, “It really IS pretty yarn.” And, at only $6.50 a skein, well, it’s NICE to patronize independent stores, right? Even one week after Rhinebeck and with money really tight and just having bought a cookbook?

Right next to the yarn shop is a quilt shop, the Pennington Quilt Works, and I have to tell you, I’ve never seen such a NICE quilt shop.  Huge (huge!) selection of fabric, tons of space, lots of light … If I ever take up quilting again, this is definitely a store worth a 90 mile drive to visit. I haven’t even seen a quilt store I liked since the old Contented Heart closed in Basking Ridge about 15 years ago, and this one was lovely. And, did you know they make variegated THREAD now? You know, like multicolored yarn, but thread, for sewing? I had no idea, but how cool! If I could have thought of a reason to use it, I would have bought a spool.

And–even more–there’s a beading shop in the same building. Artful Beads, who was just quieting down after a morning kid’s party. Very nice shop–also big, also well-lit, with a nice, classy atmosphere. Wooden tables, mirrors … not cheap plastic chairs and flimsy tables. It made me wish I were more adept with pliers. (Because, really, I understand the concept of beading, but don’t see how you do things like twist wire around itself, because, it’s WIRE, how do you keep it from turning?)

And that other project of mine? Done. So now–knitting wise–I can concentrate on my sweater!

I’ll leave you with some Sky. It’s not today’s sky, oh no. Today’s sky is gray and wet and dreary, but it’s a pretty one that was on my camera from the other day.

And, meanwhile, Chappy’s just glad to have us HOME.

Tags: General, Martha's Vineyard, Reading, Sky by --Deb
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  Really, do I have to say any more? Okay … Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm is just fantastic! After seeing it sheared in April, my Spring Share just arrived. Two pounds of really lovely Cormo roving that is just ever so faintly redolant of sheep. (Which isn’t a bad thing because it IS “farm fresh.” It said so right on the box.)

The irony, of course, is that this arrived just in time for the Fall Shearing Day. Or rather, the Fall Shearing Day That Wasn’t, because they had to cancel it for weather. Isn’t that sad? The sheep and goats will get sheared next month, but all the people who were planning to go and had to cancel? It almost makes me glad that I couldn’t afford to go in the first place, but mostly, it just makes me sad because the Spring shearing was so much FUN and I want everybody else to experience it, too!

On the plus side, I don’t have to go to work tomorrow.  The cousins who were supposed to come in February but couldn’t because of snow? They’re coming this weekend. So I’m taking tomorrow off from work to help mom get ready. This should be interesting–cousins I’ve never met before! These are Mom’s first cousins (her dad’s brother’s kids), which makes them first-cousins-once-removed for me, and first-cousins-twice-removed for my niece and nephew (and Chappy, though he, of course, is only related through adoption). It should be interesting, though, and Mom is really excited.

Now–the hard decision. Do I spin this beautiful stuff as is? Or do I ask Jessica to dye it for me? If I keep it natural, of course, I can start spinning it more or less right away. If I ask her to dye it for me, I’ll have to wait for her to get a break in her schedule (she’s vending at the NJ Sheep and Wool festival next weekend) and then I’d have to get the wool to her and then wait even MORE for her to finish. Not that I think she would leave me hanging indefinitely, mind you. Not at all! But well, I signed up for this share about 10 months ago, saw the shearing for it 5 months ago, and now finally have it in my hands … It’s kind of tempting to just hang on to it. And the creamy color really is lovely. I could get the NEXT share dyed….

Tags: Knitting/Spinning, Martha's Vineyard by --Deb
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Appearing now, on your computer screen, something never before seen. My sister found an old camera with some used film, and when she got it developed, she found these:

Baby Chappy photos!

These are from October 2001, when he was three and a half months old, and they’ve just been SITTING there in her camera for the last seven years.

Say it with me now … “Awwww!” Because, wasn’t he just adorable?

(sniffle)

Then there are these lovely socks. Completely done and ready to be mailed back to Martha’s Vineyard whence they came. We just need to cross our fingers and hope they fit Susan, is all… All that’s left is wrapping them up and putting them in the mail.

And, how about some brand-new yarn? I haven’t gotten very far, plying it, but this is from the singles I finished on Saturday. It’s stil got that pretty, “Old Rose” feel and is soft as anything. (50/50 Merino/Silk, you’ll remember.)

Okay, this isn’t new–in fact, it’s from 1962–but how about a tour of the White House, hosted by the First Lady, herself? I’ve seen pieces, but never the whole thing, so it’s new to me.

As was this. I saw an article in the newspaper this morning. Apparently there was a young, indie singer named Katie Reider in Montclair who died recently from a rare disease, and as a tribute, some of her fans are trying to get 500,000 people to visit her website and download her music. You can download 9 of her songs for a $1 donation–which I did (hey, money can’t be that tight, right?), and have to tell you, I’m enjoying them. They also ask that you “link” to one more person to add to their count. (Actually, the only thing I can’t find on their site is what the current count IS.) Anyway, their mission statement is this:

For over 10 years singer/songwriter Katie Reider (pronounced RIDER) has inspired the hearts of thousands with her music and genuine personality. Just as she was reaching the peak of her music career a tumor developed in her upper left jaw that progressed into her sinus, skull base and left eye orbit. Over the course of one year, the rare facial tumor took away her sight in one eye, her voice, and most importantly her ability to perform.
500Kin365.org, was created with the help of Katie Reider’s loyal fanbase to reconnect and introduce 500,000 people to Katie Reider, her music and her story over the next year. Help us continue to spread her music over the next year by downloading “katie’s Voice” (9 original songs written and performed by Katie Reider over the last 10 years) for a $1.00 donation to her cause and linking up ONE other person to www.500Kin365.org

Go take a listen. The comments over at her blog are kind of heart-breaking, too. What a shame. Because, really, I’ve got her music playing right now while I type, and what a nice voice she had…

Ooh, and this is also new to me–”Endless Shoes and Handbags.” Doesn’t the name just sound heavenly?

Tags: Chappy, Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning, Martha's Vineyard by --Deb
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Here’s an update on my knitting project. The gold-orange yarn, you’ll remember, is the Kid Mohair/Cormo 70/30 blend from MV Fiber Farm. The white is the Sublime yarn from my stash. The white part is going slowly–it takes me about half an hour to knit two rows (the “there-and-back” kind of knitting)

Besides, it’s been three days since I mentioned the Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm. That won’t do!

Besides, right now I’m knitting TWO things out of MV Fiber Farm yarn. See? I finally got Susan’s foot measurements and was able to start her socks. (You remember, the ones she gave me yarn for in April, so I could make her a pair of socks from her own yarn?)

Otherwise, well, it’s been a Monday. Dad’s fighting a cold. It was raining when I got up, and I found a mouse dropping in Chappy’s food dish. (NOT something he wants for breakfast!) And, anyway, I’m tired. So, these couple pictures of knitting will just have to do (grin).

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning, Martha's Vineyard by --Deb
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Okay, maybe I should rent Susan space on my blog, because lately I’ve been mentioning HER stuff almost more than my own! But, today? Oh, my, you MUST go watch this video. Trust  me. Go watch it.

No, seriously, I’ll wait. She had mentioned having the camera crew on the farm in May, the day Truman the lamb was born, in harrowing circumstances. The video is produced by Etsy and is just charming. It’s well put together, it’s got nice music. Watching the baby goats leaping around the barn is delightful, the scenery (being Martha’s Vineyard) is naturally wonderful, but the best part is listening to Susan talk about her flock–all that enthusiasm and happiness. And did I mention all those adorable sheep and goat faces? Really, Go Watch. (There are even more pictures which are adorable–even one of the chicken that freaked Chappy out. And this one makes me smile.)

Okay. Enough free advertising for one day (grin). (Seriously, I’m just so happy for her. And that video IS amazingly sweet.)

I’m kind of tired tonight. I put a full day in at work, and then came home and gave Chappy a bath, and then went downstairs to make dinner. But when I opened the pantry … pew! What a smell! I bent a little closer and saw the eye of a very-dead mouse in the trap on the floor. Poor thing. I thought I had smelled something yesterday, and Chappy certainly tried to tell us there was a problem, but we didn’t see the poor thing until today (and, really, I’m trying not to think about it). I, of course, immediately called Dad to come and take care of the trap because, well, that’s what Dad’s DO. Um. Let’s have a moment of silence for the poor, (very) dead mouse, shall we?

Luckily, I was in the kitchen to cook because that helped cover the smell. Chappy’s pot of food, first, then onions/celery/carrots for the leftover chicken dish for the three of us. And then biscuits and blueberry scones baking in the oven. All of which helped with the smell.

By the time I was through with all that, I was even more tired but–how could I have left any of them out? Especially the bath. Chappy really needed the bath because he finally made up for the disappointing weather for his birthday party last week and got his cousin in the backyard to play.

They had SO much fun!

Luckily, this was over my lunch break because I was HOME, so I grabbed my camera, added the telephoto lens and proceeded to take about 115 pictures.

Some of them, of course, are better than others, but my nephew was very patient about all the shutter-clicking. I even caught him smiling a few times. (grin) Did I mention that Chappy’s tail did not stop the entire time they were out there? Though towards the end, it was going about the same speed as his tongue.

Really, though, I’m not sure which of them was having a better time. My guess was that it was one of those even-steven kinds of things because they both sure looked like they were enjoying themselves.

I do need to figure out what my camera settings really should be for action shots, though. I got a lot of blurry-Chappy photos, but not quite so many freeze-action kinds of pictures as I would have liked.

And, of course, I DID have to go back to work … even if I was a little late.

Totally worth it.

Now, for tomorrow? Kim is coming over in the morning for a little bit of spinning–something we haven’t done since January. Considering that we’re only about 3 miles away from each other, and considering that we were originally trying to get together every other week … it seems time to end this 6 month hiatus, wouldn’t you agree? I’m looking forward to it–and so is my wheel! Despite my best efforts, it’s only spun for, what, 20 minutes since April, poor thing.

Tags: Chappy, Eye-Candy Friday, Family, General, Martha's Vineyard by --Deb
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Remember a couple weeks ago when I told you about the high school friend I found on Ravelry, after about 20 years? Well, the world is getting even smaller. When I posted the other day about the Bunch of Grapes fire, Sarah saw it and, having just come back from MV herself, posted about it on her blog … where Joan read it and told her she couldn’t believe Sarah read my blog and that she and I were good friends in high school. Because it turns out that Joan and Sarah are good friends, AND that she and Jessica went to library school together. What are the odds?

But wait … there’s more! At just about the same time, I saw a post on Copyblogger about good articles for freelance writers to read, and one was a link to Julie over at Writing Roads–a blog I hadn’t heard of before. In her post, she mentioned living on Martha’s Vineyard. Naturally, I had to leave her a comment. I mentioned Mom’s blog, and she replied with two links–one for the MV Fiber Farm, which I naturally know all about–but it turns out that she and Susan are good friends, and that Susan is all excited that she and I found each other.

I tell you, this world is getting smaller and smaller all the time. But, how COOL!

You’ll all be glad to hear, I’m sure, that Chappy had a good birthday.

  He had his family home, got out for a walk, played with his toys, got lots of extra attention. Not to mention popcorn. And half a cheeseburger with his supper.

He even got another present–a new blanket for his favorite chair.

Not to mention a little more cake. (Yes, I think he’s had enough sugar for the day!)

We picked a winner for his RSVP contest, but I’ll tell you about that tomorrow. AFTER I figure out what the prize should be…

And, jeez, I have to go back to work tomorrow….

Tags: Chappy, Family, Friends, General, Martha's Vineyard by --Deb
7 Comments »

Yep. Today we celebrated Chappy’s turning 7. (Although his actual birthday is Monday–and his Party Invitation/contest is still open until then.)

Naturally, the birthday boy got a cake and was sung to. Though, no, he did NOT blow out his candle on his own.

He really enjoyed the cake, though.

Carrot cake, with buttercream icing–his choice.

And there were presents.

He thought this toy from his aunt, uncle, and cousins was particularly fun–it “crinkles” in the middle, like a soda bottle or a milk carton–and since he adores playing with empty milk cartons, this made him very happy.

Really, we all had a good time–though special thanks go to my brother-in-law,  nephew, and sister for doing weeding and yardwork before the rain really started to come down.

His friend Cindy came for dessert, too, which made Chappy really happy.

The only real disappointment of the day? The weather didn’t cooperate, but who can control the weather?

About the fire in Vineyard Haven yesterday? There’s video of it on Plum TV, and it’s just so heart-breaking to watch. According to today’s update, the Bunch of Grapes bookstore looks to be a total loss–in terms of stock, if not the actual building. Susan said on Ravelry today that, “It was a bit of a down day on the Island. Pat and I just walked by BOG after getting coffee at Mocha Motts and it was so sad seeing all the smoke damaged books in the window and the postcards on racks.” Poor Martha’s Vineyard!

On the plus side, she also said on Ravelry today that she’s raised $3000 for her uncle’s wheelchair. Don’t forget, you, too, can be eligible to win her entire stash of yarn (that didn’t come from her own sheep and goats).

Tags: Chappy, Family, Friends, General, Martha's Vineyard by --Deb
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Oh, no … fire has destroyed Cafe Moxie and severely damaged the Bunch of Grapes bookstore on Martha’s Vineyard. I’m so sorry to hear about the cafe, but am crushed for the poor bookstore–even if it didn’t completely burn, how could a business whose stock was paper survive the amounts of water the fire department had to use to put out the flames? For obvious reasons, it’s closed for the foreseeable future. I just hope it HAS a foreseeable future!

NOT happy news on a holiday. But then, you folks know how I feel about books … and Martha’s Vineyard. At least no one was hurt–that counts for a lot…. (sniffle)

Edited to add: Here’s another article. This is just so terrible. The owners of the cafe only bought it in May, and now it’s a total loss. And the bookstore? Pretty much a total loss, too. It’s one of the anchors of downtown Vineyard Haven, too–impossible to imagine it without it. I’m feeling terrible that we didn’t get a chance to go into the bookstore in April, because I’m going to miss it so much….

Another addition: Another article–the cafe has been razed to possibly prevent further smoke damage to the bookstore which, I don’t know, might be salvageable? They mention that this isn’t how they’d hoped to be spending the Fourth of July (no kidding!), and also how much this is hurting all the other businesses on Main Street because it’s such a big money-making day for them. Which, sure, is absolutely true but, um, at least they still HAVE businesses….

Tags: Martha's Vineyard by --Deb
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Don’t ask me what it is, because I’m really not sure yet myself, but it’s something, anyway.

It’s being made in the Saffron yarn I got from the MV Fiber Farm at the Festival last month. Isn’t it lovely? 70% kid mohair, 30% cormo and so, so soft. Great color, too!

Okay, so that problem I’ve been having with my keyboard? It’s not going to be bothering me for much longer. Mom’s computer has been visited by the Blue Screen of Death. Tradition for the last, oh, four or five computers has been that when I get a new computer, I pass my old one to Mom. We’ve both been very happy with this arrangement, and with the exception of my D and S keys, and the fact that the battery doesn’t last for much more than 30 minutes, I wasn’t in any rush to get a new computer. Especially when you consider how awful the money situation is. But, then the BSOD struck and since I am (sadly) the family “expert” there appears to be no way to salvage the poor thing. So, as of tonight, I am the preumptively proud new almost-owner of a HP Pavilion DV6871US which should arrive on Wednesday. Mom will then get this computer and since she never unplugs her computer to take anywhere, and she always uses a separate keyboard, the two things that are annoying me shouldn’t be a problem for her.

Now I just have to hope and pray that Vista doesn’t cause me problems. And that the new keyboard has a good “feel” to it (and that all the keys work). It’s a gamble, ordering one without ever having seen it! In the meantime, I’ll make sure that MY backup is current so my files are ready to transfer. Luckily, I was able to get Mom’s computer up in Safe Mode and got her pictures and such copied off the hard drive. And I back up my own computer fairly regularly, AND even signed up for Mozy. But, folks, if you don’t regularly do backups, DO THEM NOW!

Oh, and sadly, this article explains the traffic, flashing lights, sirens, and helicopters this morning. What a sad start for tonight’s high school graduation.

Tags: Family, General, Knitting/Spinning, Martha's Vineyard by --Deb
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Mom was going through her MV notes today and just realized … our little doll Cindy is 20 years old today. She’s from “Dolls by Pauline” who used to make these sweet-faced, cloth dolls and something about her face and her brown braids just made Mom and me fall in love with her. We even took her on vacation, and she “adopted” this stuffed dog, from whom she is inseparable. (His name is “Mittens” because he’s really a puppet and does a fabulous job keeping your hand warm.)

We bought another doll the next year when we went back to MV, and then two more … From left to right, this is Leslie, Annette, Cindy, and April. Cindy is the oldest, than Annette, with the curly blonde hair. The others are the same age, and they all came from the Secret Garden store in Oak Bluffs.

Pauline does still technically have cloth dolls on her website, but they’re not the same. They’re more “cutesy” and have yarn hair, and most of the other dolls are porcelain with little sneers on their faces. Or at least, that’s what I think–they don’t look appealing to me at all. I don’t like a doll who clearly thinks she’s better than me. Although, I suppose, it’s rude to complain since Pauline died a couple of years ago.

Mustn’t forget Harriet, either.

  Harriet belongs to April and dangles from her hand just like a favorite doll should. I confess, I’ve always had a soft spot for Harriet.

Really, though, they’re such sweet dolls. I can’t believe we’ve had them for twenty years. Mom and I have had a lot of fun with them, too. Cindy used to get into all sorts of hijinx around the house while I was off at work. Who says you’re supposed to outgrow dolls when you grow up?

  Oh, and another “feet” picture for you … the dog-tired variation, belonging to my exhausted Chappy last night. Cleaning the deck the other day sure wore him out!

Tags: General, Martha's Vineyard by --Deb
5 Comments »

Here’s some irony for you. I made a point of bringing home a couple of these lovely grocery/tote bags, but when I went to the store this morning? They were still sitting at home, so I had to use those plastic, store bags anyway.

See, I’ll tell you exactly what the problem is. I don’t want to empty this bag. I don’t want to put away the yarn. I don’t want to put on the t-shirt. I don’t want to put the bags in the car, ready for a trip to the grocery store. No. Because that will mean that the MV Fiber Festival is really over. And as much as I want to play with that yarn, admire my postcards, and be environmentally-responsible and use these bags for trips to the store … as long as they’re all sitting in this cute little tote and not put nicely away, it still feels like the fiber festival is recent. Fresh. Somehow still going on. The minute I break up the “set,” it’s over, like when you do the laundry after a trip. Once the clean clothes are put away and the suitcase has been stacked in the guest room, that’s it. You’re home. It’s done.

I know. I need to accept reality. But … last week at this time, I was on Martha’s Vineyard, and now I’m not! (Sniffle.)
It doesn’t help that it hasn’t been nearly as nice a Saturday today as LAST Saturday. Sure, the rain they were forecasting held off, after just a sprinkle last night. And it was a nice, 63 degrees. No complaints, really. Except that Mom has now caught Dad’s cold. That means that she opted to stay home this morning, instead of doing the usual, Saturday morning outing for coffee, so I went out on my own.

I went to Best Buy to look at the camera I’ve been thinking about. The Nikon D40 Digital SLR which I’ve heard such good things about. I know, I know. The last thing I should be doing right now is spending money on a new camera, not when the money situation is so awful. But … I can actually justify this. (No, really!) I’ve told you about the problems I’m having with my S2 IS, and I’m just not happy enough with the camera to want to pay to get it fixed–especially when I can’t clearly define the problem. Nor do I want to “upgrade” to a reconditioned model of a later version of the same camera for $165. However, this Nikon is going for about $460 at Amazon, which is a great price for DSLR. And then, I have an Amazon.com visa card and for whatever reason, have been hoarding my “reward” gift certificates for months and, with the gift card my sister gave me for Christmas, I’ve got $250 in certificates. Which means I can get this camera for about $210 in cash–well worth the additional $45 over getting a reconditioned Canon S3. And, besides, there’s that handy tax rebate from the US government coming. Why be entirely practical and use it to buy something necessary, like, say, gasoline for the car?

(Hey, incidentally, may I point your attention to the Amazon link to the right? If you ever need to buy something from Amazon.com and you link from here, I’ll get a commission. Not a big one, perhaps, but something! And with money as bad as it is, every bit helps, and if you’re going to buy something anyway….)

So, anyhow, I looked at the Nikon and I looked at the comparably-priced Canon Digital Rebel XT which was also nice. I even have a 35mm film version of a Canon Rebel that could share the same lenses, but … okay, maybe this seems silly … but the XT uses a compact flash memory card, and both my current cameras and my computer use SD cards. Which means that I can just pop the card into the computer to copy pictures–no need to hook up the camera. That convenience is wonderful. As is the fact that I already own several appropriately-sized memory cards. So, really, I’m leaning toward the Nikon. And it was good to see it in person, too, feel it in my hands. Nice camera. (And then, I suppose there’s always a chance that I could win a D60….but I’m not holding my breath!)

After that I went to the bookstore (I had a coupon and used it to buy ONE book, on using Photoshop for digital photos, and just looking through it, I’ve got to tell you, the tips are great.) I bumped into a very nice woman, named Pam, who was browsing in the magazine section when I came by. I mentioned that I was looking for a specific magazine that my Mom had asked me to pick up because a friend told her it had an article about the MV Fiber Farm. We chatted a bit as I flipped through the magazine, looking for it, and she told me that she subscribed to it, and that if I lived nearby, she’d be willing to take a look through the last issue to see if it was in there. Turns out, she lives about 2 miles from here. In fact, almost midway between me and Kim. I don’t really expect that I’ll hear from her (though, Hi, Pam! if you stopped by), but wasn’t that nice of her to offer?

Then, just as I was getting into the car, my phone rang. It was Dad. “When are you coming home? I’m starving to death.” Um, huh? Turns out I had told my poor, sick Mother that I would stop at the store for her to pick up milk and juice and a few other things, and at the top of the list she gave me, it said, “Lunch.” I had assumed that was a reminder to me that I needed to get something for my own lunch–Dad usually eats PB&J or grilled cheese. But, no. She meant lunch for him, too, and he managed to wait all the way to 12:02 before he picked up the phone to call me (grin).

So, I left the bookstore, drove to the grocery store. Grabbed a cart (that was conveniently in the middle of my parking space so that I had to get out of the car to move it anyway), and then zoomed around the store, assembling four (plastic) bags’ worth of groceries. I paid and loaded up the car and was just wheeling my cart to the space designated to shopping carts, when another woman who had just gotten out of her car smiled and said she’d take it. I recommended it to her as being an excellent cart, with no wobbly wheels, and then got in my car and drove home. All in 32 minutes from the time Dad called. (Really, I’m much more efficient in a grocery store than I ever am in a bookstore.)

In my whirlwind tour of the grocery store, I picked up some strawberry and rhubarb to make a treat for Dad. My Eating Well magazine came last week and it had a recipe for Strawberry-Rhubarb strudel. Well, I’ve never made strudel before, but it sounded interesting. Of course, I couldn’t remember what the recipe called for except the fruit and filo dough, but I did my best. I tried their Lemon-Poppyseed cake, too, which was quite tasty. (And, really, should go quite well with the sauce that I turned the extra strawberries and rhubarb into.)

I took Chappy for a walk, too, and all-in-all, it wasn’t until about 3:30 that I had a chance to sit down and relax, and I didn’t even turn my computer on until about 5:30 and then, just as I was about to start writing this blog entry … my server went down. Eep! Apparently they crashed last night and had some residual effects today. I’m glad the problem is fixed, though, and that it wasn’t something on my end because, really, I don’t think I’ve got the energy to deal with that tonight.

As I say, it’s been a full day. Because, on top of all the things I just told you? I had to rip out some of my sweater–pretty much everything I’ve done in the last week. (Note to self: Be grateful you didn’t have time to work on your sweater on MV last weekend.) The button bands weren’t working the way I’d hoped, so I had to tear back to where they began. Not awful, really, but still, I never like having to frog.

And now, I really need to get to bed. I told Dad I’d make him waffles in the morning to go with that strawberry-rhubarb sauce … if, that is, he didn’t want to eat the strudel instead! (grin)

Tags: Baking, General, Knitting/Spinning, Martha's Vineyard by --Deb
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How great a picture is this, huh? When I took Chappy out for his, um, personal needs yesterday morning, the sun was just up, and our inn was so close to the water, I couldn’t resist walking up the street to take a look. I just caught this shot, of him sniffing into the sea breeze, ears flying in the wind. Love it!

I like this one, too.

Anyway, yes, yesterday was our last morning on the island. We got up, had breakfast, and then went over to Espresso Love so Mom could get some blueberry scones for her stash. Then, we drove to Oak Bluffs so Chappy could get some biscuits from Good Dog Goods, and then we went to Vineyard Haven to stop at the Chamber of Commerce to see Susan one last time before we left. We walked around town for a bit, but were at the Steamship Authority by 12:00 and then hung out until our 1:15 ferry, grabbing a quick snack for lunch at the Black Dog. (I had a multi-grain roll with butter and a ginger cookie, Mom had a corn muffin and an oatmeal raisin cookie.)

The drive home was pretty uneventful. We stopped in Mystic for about 20 minutes, as is our custom–it’s a nice spot for stretching our legs, and it’s dog-friendly. (In fact, their store of cat and dog-inspired stuff is one of the few places I regularly find things for Boykin Spaniels.) Other than that, we stopped at a McDonalds on I-95 for a quick supper and to feed the car, slowed down for a bit due to an accident at the far, western end of CT, but were home about 7:20. JUST before the sun completely went down, and I was very grateful that I’d brought my Chappy baseball cap with me, because the sun was so low and in my eyes for the last hour or two that sunglasses just would not have been enough.

Today has been pretty low-key. Slept until 8:00 in my own bed, gave Chappy a much-needed bath. Took my car to a car-wash for an also much-needed bath. Stopped at a grocery store. Stopped at the mechanic for a new lightbulb for my brake light. Put away my laundry. Took Chappy for a walk. Made spaghetti and meatballs for supper. (Okay, I did the meatballs and sauce, Mom cooked the spaghetti.)

If you haven’t noticed, I updated the posts from the last few days so that they now include pictures! So, if you’re interested, please go back and take a look. There’s the post from the day we travelled up to MV, the post ALL about the MV Fiber Festival, and then the post from Sunday when Mom and I got to meet the itty-bitty baby kids. Additionally, there are lots and lots of pictures over on Flickr–here’s my page of pictures, but there’s also a Flickr group for festival pictures. Not only that, I got to add Susan to my “Bloggers I’ve Met” list–something she was almost as excited about as I was!

Also, about the MV Fiber Festival, not only was there the article in the Wall Street Journal, but there was a follow-up on their blog. AND a really lovely article in the Vineyard Gazette. Not to mention a 15-minute video that Patrick’s son Harry put together. For bunches of reasons, Susan is very, very excited and happy. She’s added a bunch of stuff to her Etsy page, too.

Now, you’re probably wondering what I came home with, right?

Really, I restrained myself VERY well.

As a shareholder, I was gifted a tote bag, a t-shirt, and a pin, but then I bought an extra bag, anyway. They’re light and sturdy and meant to be used for things like groceries, so I figured–what with today being Earth Day, and all–I’d get an extra.

I bought a set of the postcards, too, which may have been unnecessarily frivolous, but Susan takes such nice pictures and those little sheepy/goaty faces are just too cute.

And, of course, some yarn. The two skeins of worsted-weight yarn on the right (in colors Parsley and Saffron) are for me, though I’m not sure what I’ll do with them yet. They’re both great colors, though, so how could I resist? The two skeins of Chili sock yarn are still, technically, Susan’s, but I get to knit it up anyway, since I told her I would make her a pair of socks. I mean, you all know how, um, speedy I am about knitting socks, but hey, it’s practically summer out there … there’s no rush!

And, that’s it! I’m proudly sporting my MV Fiber Farm pin on my purse. I’m thinking about turning it into a refrigerator magnet, instead of risking losing it on my purse. And then, I am trying to think of the perfect project for that yarn. Would you believe that–other than socks–I didn’t do any knitting all weekend? I never touched my cardigan (except for showing it to Susan), and my spinning wheel never made it out of the bag. I had totally planned to spend some of Sunday afternoon sitting on that porch with my spinning wheel but it really was too cold. The only other stuff I bought this weekend was basically food. Biscuits from Chappy’s favorite bakery and some coffee beans from my favorite cafe. Oh, and a Black Dog frisbee that Chappy got very enthusiastic about in the Black Dog store the other day. And, well, doesn’t a kid deserve a toy on vacation once in a while?

Tags: Chappy, Knitting/Spinning, Martha's Vineyard, Sky by --Deb
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