Picture Fest

I have been a slow blogger for the last few weeks.  Here is one big picture post with captions.  Although I hate the changes blogger has made most of the time.  Uploading pictures just got a whole lot easier.

I stopped in Target in Eugene on my way to California.  I got a bag of mixed popcorn (Some girls in Chicago introduced me to the joys of caramel, cheesy and buttered popcorn mix...it is sooo good and oh so bad).  I also picked up some cheap CD's. Willie Nelson, Barry White, Maroon Five and Etta James.  Nice music to drive by.

View from the drivers seat..California sunshine :)

My watermelon car freshener and trees near Mount Shasta

A truck on the right and oak trees on the left.  I love road trips even by myself.

Trying to capture Mt Shasta but she is invisible in photos for some reason.

In Mill Valley, CA I attended a research conference with colleagues who have become my friends over the years.  We always have a great time!  I brought three of them back with me to Portland to show them the sites.  We had a great time in Mill Valley, CA at the conference, on the road home and in Portland.

Out to dinner on a small inlet near Mill Valley, CA.  My friend Tom

 On our drive back to Portland we stopped off and Crater Lake.  There was a big snow storm in May!!

Tom's Son Ciaran on an old fashioned Fort Vancouver outhouse toilet..'pretending'

 Grace in front of the Cannons at Fort Vancouver

 My friend is a beer lover.  He was in heaven at the grocery store.  So many types of beer so little time.

 My friend Helen at the Apple headquarters.  A car-load of us drove down to Cupertino on Saturday to visit the Apple headquarters.  It was closed so all we could do was look in the windows and get chased off by a security guard.  Word to the wise.  Only go on weekdays unless you want to peek in windows.

After the whirlwind trip by my visitors I had three days until the opening of my new knitting/craft shop.  It has been open a little over a week and it is going well.  I am slowly filling classes and have had several requests by customers for more classes.  I found a web designer who works for YARN!!! :)  He is helping me get online registration set up...wahoo.

a friends child modeling a cute froggy hat sample in front of the shop

The view from the shop door.  Walls of colorful yarn, a table with chairs to sit and knit at, A spinning wheel

The front counter: Do you want to get some puppy snips?  How about a spare darning needle?  or on the wall just behind are knitting needles, markers or bobbins to hold small bits of thread for color work.

Display cabinet with the good stuff inside-expensive beaded yarns, shawl pins and a shawl knitted by my Mother in Law. I can wind a cake of yarn to the right.  In the background are paintings of sheep and birds on consignment from an artist friend.

The notions wall..I need more hooks there are a bunch of knitting needles and crochet hooks to be added.

Some of the books for sale.  We are going to do a block of month knit along with the Book Above
(Great North American Afghan)

A hand dyer in Seattle specialized in yarn sets that are graduated one shade at a time or across a color bridge.

This week went well.  We packed the house with knitters for the hand work guild night and Friday night Chardon-knitting (yes wine and knitting at the same time).

I spent today picking out what I knitted on Friday night.  I had three glasses.

Just a note on the diet front.  I have lost 5 of the twenty-ish pounds I put on this Spring.  Being busy seems to be a huge factor for me.  I have also tightened up from my last fill which is helping tremendously.  I had a look at pictures from our summer trip to Iceland..I can really see the weight gain.

July 2011-size 8 and no boobs :)

June 2012 size 10 and pushing 12..um the girls are back but im not sure it is worth it :)  With the boobs came muffin top.