Tour de Fleece 201

Remember this beauty? Time to spin it up!

I've been spinning for a few years but I've never participated in the Tour de Fleece. That's an online "contest" (maybe I should call it a "challenge?") that involves spinning every day the Tour de France riders ride, if possible.

That's Saturday July 2nd through Sunday July 24th. I've heard there are rest days (Monday July 11th and Monday July 18th) but I'm not sure how that works.

It's kind of fun in that on a day when something especially challenging is going on, you are supposed to spin something especially hard. That's Wednesday, July 20th, when the Tour has an intense mountain stage through five mountain passes.  I love going up hills on my bike (although, oddly, not going down) so I'm looking forward to that one!

This Lincoln Long Wool has always seemed challenging to spin.

Some people DVR the Tour to watch during their spinning but I think I'll be traveling with The Doctor. Dr. Who, that is!

All participants are supposed to wear yellow on Sunday, July 24,  to announce victory as yellow is the color of the race leader in the Tour. I'm not sure how that will go - I actually don't own anything yellow - but we'll see . . .  I'm much more of "polka-dot jersey" wearer as that signifies you are a climber.

Perhaps I'll start with these curly locks?

So, I invite you to join me in the fun! Maybe we'll take the break on July 18th to go see "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows?"

"Travel broadens the mind"

but perhaps, it makes it taller?" Heightens the mind? I'm not really sure what the exact phrase is!

But we definitely have moved into "more rarified circles?" I'm not sure if I can keep this punning up much longer . . . 

Obviously, we are traveling out west - Colorado to be exact. Everyone is having a good time (which is a miracle indeed), I am knitting in the car and all is right with the world

Here's the prairies for good measure - Nebraska!

A photo montage for your inspection:

Pike's Peak

My daughter's photo of the US Air Force Academy - she was aiming for the "Air Force guys!"

Garden of the Guys, er, Gods!

Lovely!

"I thought I saw a Black Widow Spider - Classic Peg!"

I preferred this kind of bug.

People watching in Boulder on a Saturday morning was amazing. And so was my trip to Gypsy Wools - just a little yarn for the road.

More to come - perhaps a finished object even?

Transitions

This lovely young thing is now a high school graduate!

Youngest Daughter is officially out of high school and moving on to college in Maryland. 

I'm not sure where she'll end up but I'm sure there will be lots of books, dreams and feisty opinions.

I should find a graduation quote from Oscar Wilde (one of her favorite authors) but I'll pick one from a favorite of mine instead. 

“Life is my college. May I graduate well, and earn some honors.” 

--  Louisa May Alcott

Well done, m'dear!

Today, all that's left is the clean-up.

Tasty pies and . . . 

otherwise!

Good to go

Somewhere between the 103 degrees F. Monday and the 63 degree F. Thursday was a perfect summer day. 

Sure, I walked for the St. Paul Pioneer Press Summer of Walking but then I grabbed GFMelissa and went swimming!

We drove out to Square Lake and while GFM sat on the shore and provided emergency backup (she's a former collegiate level swimmer and a lifeguard as well as an excellent Girl Scout!), I did a little warming up for the swimming season.

No cute swimsuits for me - just the plain old racer suit and a swim cap. 

Got to get those goggles on just right!

Working on a high elbow stroke! 

Now, because GFM wasn't actually in the water with me or accompanying me in an escort boat, I swam inside the ropes. I have swum around the lake before but Wednesday it was back and forth, back and forth. Not very exciting but oh, so nice. 

My dream house will be on a swimming lake someday. Boating? Bleh. Fishing? So-so. Swimming? Ah!

We're getting ready for a graduation around here with an upcoming Senior Dinner, ceremony and party so at home, I'm mostly weeding and sweeping up those @%^& helicopter leaves! Swimming was a nice break in the chores.

Ah, the days of summer!

The Pioneer Press newspaper has started a Summer of Walking series and I've been walking along with them. They are also encouraging Tweeps to Twitter about their walks using the #pioneerwalk hashtag.

Yesterday, I forgot my camera but today was just glorious!

The flowers are bursting everywhere!

I walked this route this morning - ran into a lawyer I knew and two men whom I can only hope were a trainer and his client. They were doing a lot of close-up sweating!

Now that it's 90 degrees F., I'm really glad I walked early today.

I've moved on to the sleeves of my Turn of the Glass cardigan. I'm doing them two at a time because I think they go faster that way. 

The cuffs are seed stitch just like the collar of the jacket. 

On Friday, I stopped by Three Kittens Needle Arts to kill some time and came home with one of their lovely Grab Bags. 10 balls of yarn for $10 - mine all came in shades of white, black and gray and I'm looking forward to coming up for a use for them.

Only four items made this Saturday Seven photos (three hats and some soccer shoes) but the other two items already went to a neighbor boy - three work books for school.