AUTHOR: Anonymous TITLE: DATE: 11:47:00 AM ----- BODY:

Back to Reality I am suffering from major re-entry syndrome. No matter how you prepare for it, coming down from a vacation high is always a shock to the system. Since this was the first real “R & R” vacation in three years (Las Vegas last year, New Zealand the year before), I am finding merging into the fast lane of life again a bit overwhelming. During the last few days, I have caught myself sitting in my cubicle surrounded by piles of applications, daydreaming about the vacation and of my uninterrupted knitting time, the intriguing plot of my book in progress, the gentle motion of the rocking chair on the porch, the smell of the pine tree forest, and the soothing sound of the flowing stream - awww vacation - it was good while it lasted. This is what I saw when I looked up. Oh, the Humiliation The week was not without its hilarious moments. We are basically city folk, and a bit clueless when it comes to preparing for a day on the river. The cabin we rented had many amenities available for our vacationing pleasure such as fishing poles, folding chairs, various floatation devises, etc. We chose a raft and paddles to take with us on our first river outing. First we tied the raft on the roof of our car with the dog leash. Obviously once we got going over 5 miles an hour, the raft began to take flight. Next we attempted to stuff it in the back seat with the kids. Daughter got claustrophobic and began hyperventilating; besides, it didn’t fit. Then Husband had the bright idea of cramming the raft through the sun roof where it stood up in all its phallic glory! Needless to say it was very embarrassing as we drove down the hill with the rubber monolith sticking out of the roof of our vehicle. Several locals roared past us in their hopped up 4x4's honking and shouting. Meanwhile, the kids sank lower and lower in their seats ashamed to show their faces to the world. We finally pulled into a little market where we bought several bungee cords and commenced loading the raft in the truck and strapping the trunk lid down. We ended up having a most excellent day on the river despite the humiliation. ...And Dyed We Did... One evening we got out the 100% natural wool yarn and the Kool-Aid packets and began our adventure in dyeing. It was a fun and remarkable process. Who would have guessed growing up drinking Kool-Aid, that one could make such delightful colorways (the purple grape mustache may have been a clue). Here are some photos of our adventures in Kool-Aid dyeing. The Elusive LYS One afternoon as we were sitting in traffic in Old Town Sonora I happened to look to my right and there it was - the Local Yarn Store! I immediately leaped out of the car with my husband yelling after me. I rushed in, grabbed a business card, found out their hours of operation, looked longingly at all the beautiful fibers then ran out again to find the car two blocks down at the next stop light. I had to break into a jog to catch up with them. A couple of days later I purposely made a trip back into town, with the family in tow. I told Husband and Son to go sightseeing while Daughter and I browsed the yarn store. I barely had time to fondle some yarn, rummage through their clearance bins, and sit down to knit a couple rounds when Father and Son wandered back into the store. 20 minutes - that’s it - 20 minutes... Of course they always say, “take your time,” while pacing around like caged lions. So I packed up the knitting and left the yarn store behind. Vacation Knitting Accomplishments I was able to start and finish another Kureyon bag (purse-sized this time) in color #80. I'm calling this one my River Rock Bag. River Rock Bag in Process River Rock Bag Pre-Felting River Rock Bag Post-Felting I also knitted a quick baby hat out of my Kool-Aid dyed yarn (Orange and Strawberry Lemonade). If you are interested in additional non-knit-related vacation photos, please click on the following links: Alley on paddle boat.jpg cabin porch.jpg G and G in Columbia.jpg Gabe in Jail.jpg Kids and me in Columbia.jpg Me and Gabriel.jpg Never Mine.jpg

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