Thursday Posing as Sunday

Since DH has Wednesdays and Thursdays off this summer, and works the weekends, I have been trying (unsuccessfully) to schedule my work week to have time off with him. It looks a lot like a workaholic's weekend, but we did fit some nice things in, nonetheless.

First, I had the morning off yesterday, which allowed us to have a late "Friday night", sleep in and chat over morning coffee, and have a slow start to the day. My evening activity was getting started on the Lily of the Valley shawl featured in Spin-Off Spring 2004, which I found at Estes Park Wool Mart. This shawl has been on my list since Susan featured the book, in German, that Interweave Press published after this initial article. The shawl does not look to be too difficult, in fact may well fall quickly into the intuitive category, however the traditional technique used was that of very large needles (size 15 is recommended, although I decided 11s would work fine for my style of knitting) and fine thread - I am using Textiles A Manos cotton/rayon fingering weight.

Yesterday, even though it was DH's "Saturday", I did have a meeting to attend an hour and a half away, and conned convinced him into coming with me... initially we intended to camp, but decided to take the back roads over a seasonal mountain pass home to our high country house, so we could spend the night there.

This is the season irreverently known in our neck of the woods as "construction season" (the joke is 'there are four seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and construction'), and between his leisurely day-off driving style (I finally had to remind him that this wasn't a sight-seeing trip for me, and I had to get a move on) and stopping three separate times in a 40 mile stretch for road work, I was a trifle late arriving; lucky for me so was another of the board members. Our meeting took a few hours, then we headed to Sierraville for an early Mexican food dinner. Stuffed to the gills, we took Highway 89 to the Henness Pass road, where the traffic greatly diminished, and of course I have mountain photos for you:


We weren't sure of the name of this large mountain meadow that parallels the road, but there are many such meadows in the high Sierras, all in bloom right now!

There are two major fire complexes going here in California, one in Stanislaus county (central) and one in San Bernardino (south - where DS Rex and his Forest Service helitack crew are working), so the sky grew hazier as we traveled west.


This is Meadow Lake, one of my all-time favorites... it has been a private fishing resort for the past several years, but a short walk from the main road, so we went in to take a few photos. Looking south, you can see a hazy view of English meadow and Mountain.


The historic Meadow Lake Lodge, now a private residence, but once a road house on the route to the Comstock mines.


The cabin of my dreams, so that I could spend the entire summer in the high country at Meadow Lake! The donkeys would love it...


Further to the west, we stopped at Keystone Gap - even hazier.

The total distance was about 25 miles of back roads, allowing us to spend a relaxing evening at our original home in Forest City, where no dogs currently live and there is virtually no traffic - talk about quiet! We reveled in it, and I finished up a Feather and Fan washcloth to put in the shop tomorrow, and the top edging of the shawl (now to dive into the famous Lily of the Valley pattern).

Some of you may be wondering why I didn't take my Trekking sock on this lovely trek; we are having a bit of time apart. My hands were craving time with larger needles, and my sanguine nature wanted to see something finished, and something new started, both at the same time. The sock and I will be able to spend quality time together over the weekend, and may even fit in a wildflower hike, as although we saw some flowers at Meadow Lake, not the profusion that is in full bloom at some of the other secret spots I know and love.

I spent a little time peering at my mail and a tiny handful of blogs, but the computer up there is a family discard, and the line is slower than any of you can possibly imagine, so going online is more about a quick news update and checking to make sure there are no crises needing attention, with real catch-up time now, while I am waiting for my evening students to show up - yes my "Sunday" afternoon reverted to the real work week, needing to clean up and get to Grass Valley by mid-afternoon to check with the school staff for messages and drop off paperwork, and then teach an adult ed class. Poor DH was left to fend for himself...

I did have a late lunch at a local coffeehouse while perusing the new Knitpicks catalog; too bad I bought all those Addi Turbos last month at four times the price! Their new line of needles has great promise and I am eager to hear from people who are trying them out.

I also want to ask you to drop by Laurie's blog and offer your condolences; it appears that she lost her lovely Wool Peddler's Shawl while hustling to the SLC airport to catch a flight to Boston for a teacherly training... Margene made a mad dash yesterday evening to peer in her car windows and make sure it wasn't left on the seat or caught in the door.... only we knitters can understand the sorrow this loss would cause in one of our own.