Goodbye Washington, hello winter!

“Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to”
- John Ed Pearce

Finally, we are home again. No laptop yet but at least I am able to be exhausted in my own house. Washington D.C. was both lovely and a kind of Bataan Death March - only done out of love of knowledge and family time. The best time to see things was at the end of the day when it was a little warmer and the ferocious winds had died down.

It was very cold and very sunny - and a few flowers poked through the slush - but we walked and walked and walked. Even to take the Metro, we had to walk. Luckily, the wonderful museums and sights helped qwell any thoughts of desertion but by Saturday, half the crew opted to stay home and watch the Disney Channel in the hotel. Eventually, on Sunday morning we all were sitting on one bed, eating cold pizza and watching "King Kong."


One other great break was touring the United States Botanic Gardens and eating lunch at the National Museum of the American Indian. Both were very informative and relaxing - and the food at the museum was excellent!



Earlier in the week, I found one of the branches of Stitch D.C. (the Georgetown branch - "By Metro: A short walk from the Foggy Bottom Metro Station (blue/orange Lines) - maybe in the summer but not in February!" - and bought some lovely sock yarn. I know, I know, don't I have enought problems with socks right now? I currently have two pairs on socks on the needles right now.

I bought Claudia Hand Painted Yarns' sock yarn in "Blue Terra Cotta" as a souvenir (hey, it's from Harrisburg, Va.!) and I plan to make the ROZA’S SOCKS by Grumperina in the Spring 2007 Interweave Knits. Lots of people seem to be making them and I hear they go quickly. And besides, who doesn't need socks in an easy brioche-rib pattern?

More on the Washington trip later - now is the time to go count cases of Girl Scout cookies in my garage. I just keep telling myself, "I won't eat those cookies, I won't eat those cookies . . ."

Oh, and the Saturday Seven? Last week, it was books and the week before, books. Lots and lots of books live at our house and we need to weed out more than a few.

What's a girl to do?

First, I have to apologize for such a long gap in posting - and warn you that it's about to get longer!

On last Thursday, my trusty lap book began its long march to the sea - otherwise known as the "videocard permanently atached to the motherboard" day of reckoning. My husband called it the the "Ugly Bathroom Wallpaper of Death." Because the video card (which controls what you see on the screen) was dying oh-so-slowly, I would just get signed in and everything up when - boom, down came the video and nothing to see but stripes.

After a long weekend of "Can we or can't we get everything backed up?", I took the laptop in for repairs yesterday. Luckily, it will be gone while I am away in Washington D.C.

Unluckily, you won't get to see or hear about it until I get back. And, now that the digital camera has gone missing as well, you might just have to take my word about it all.

I did have an eventful knitting week - really! The Craft Yarn Council of America had its fabulous "Knit out and Crochet 2007" at the Mall of America this weekend. The big Valentine's Day snow missed us entirely so there were a lot of knitters out and about. I caught a glimpse of Vickie Howell (but no Annie Modesitt yet) and talked about the new Knit Lite needles with the follks at the Clover-USA booth. I don't even crochet but I wanted one of their lighted crochet hooks. Lots of patterns and information about books and yarn as well as demonstrations. There were a lot of people there this weekend - I think the holiday might have had something to do with the full parking ramps but I hope it was the knitters!

I finally picked out the Big Sven pullover pattern from Cottage Creations for my latest sweater and I am taking it along to Washington D.C. for my vacation knitting. This sweater really looks like it will use up my stash!

Enjoy the break and talk to you later!