It's Good to be Queen

Well, I'm guessing it's good. So far I haven't realized my life-long goal of ruling over a vast and powerful kingdom but I'm sure it's only a matter of time.

In the meantime, it's been good to be me. Matching necklace (above) and (below) from left to right, stitchmarkers, said matching earrings, delicious looking picture of a cinnamon roll - that's why I've been craving cinnamon rolls! (as if I'm not always craving cinnamon rolls.....) from Opal The Akamai Knitter at her shop Opalescent Jewels.

A bag from JessaLu , perfect!  (I've been stuffing my mom's stole into it and then stuffing it in my purse - finally it stops catching in the zipper - I have to say one fabulous thing about Misti Alpaca, that yarn is resilient.)

The latest yarn from the Mean Girl's Yarn Club.........oh wait, I can't show you yet.

Knitting update: more done on my mother's stole. More yarn purchased just in case.

The Undulating Waves Beaded Scarf is now a little more than half done. It turns out I cannot count repeats accurately. I have approximately 5 feet of beads still to knit. I wish I'd measured the beads when I first started it.

More done on Fickleknitter's Market Bag. A lot more would've been done if I could count repeats accurately. (Hmm, I'm sensing a theme).

Zippo was done on Curve of Pursuit, the SIL's gorgeous cable scarf that I will probably be unable to part with, Dizzy Blonde Basic Noir Black shawl or my Dad's cardigan.

My cousin flew into California on business this last week so after he was done with work, one night my Dad took us all out to dinner and since he admitted he'd never really been to SF, the next one we took the Oakland ferry over to the Ferry Building, ate at Mijita (scrumptious) and then wandered up and down the wharf. The seals/sea lions/sea creatures are still there but man, there are a lot of them! They've been given their own little enclave now too. We watched a hilarious performer at Pier 39 - okay he was probably more hokey than out and out hilarious but I like hokey.

We probably should've taken the cable car at Hyde up to Powell but the line was practically back to the sidewalk and I had visions of missing the last ferry boat and wandering Oakland, unable to find Jack London Square in the dark. (Which is unlikely but par for the course for things I worry about).

READING UPDATE: So far in August, I'm still reading Ring of Fire (I'm on the last short story by Eric Flint, The Wallenstein Gambit) but I've been seized with the idea that I MUST research the 30 years war so that I'll actually get the alt history bit so I'm also reading The Thirty Years War  by Geoffrey Parker and dragging around Moral Relativism by Steven Lukes because at least that fits in my purse. I am on roughly page 8 on both of those.

 

Hez sez: "I am undercover, you maroon. I know it's the last day of your [*coughing fit*]XX-ies but you'd think you could at least keep my hideout on the down low."

Baths and the Beach

Hezekiah got a bath last Thursday!  She seemed somewhat distraught about the whole process.   Luckily, she didn't roll around in the dirt after I left for work, she settled for glaring at me balefully from the nice hot cement walkway.

By the time I came home, she was dry, clean and sassy. She might not have enjoyed the process but she loves the outcome.

I'm attempting project monogamy on the advice of Cookie and so only took Mom's stole to the beach.

There is no discernible progress.

I might have cast on too many stitches and it'll be a ginormous stole. Good thing I found more skeins.

I did KIP quite a bit. On the beach. At the lodge. By the Bay. More at the lodge. There was a really sweet garden in the back and there must've been five hummingbirds there at all times, along with chickadees, finches and.....y'know. Birds. Chirpy cute birds.

This may be the only photgraphic evidence of my two day trip to the Point Reyes Seashore. There's no cell phone reception there (at least not for my iPhone - AT&T) so consequently, I kept leaving it behind (and also let it die). I did bring the camera but I still can't find the camera cord. Bah.

The beach was wonderful. Deserted and cool.

Oh, here's a handy beach tip. If your sunscreen says it expired in 11/07, it probably won't work. My face, feet and shoulders are fried. Luckily it's not a bikini kind of beach (not that you'd catch me in a bikini these days) so my rolled up jeans and tank top meant that I could still sit and lay down. Very important on vacation.

We drove up the Tomales Bay to eat at The Marshall Store in Marshall. Well, we actually drove up the coast and ran across The Marshall Store, which was a stroke of luck. They had the best oysters and fish tacos and cheese........if they hadn't been closed Tuesdays, we'd've gone back to slurp oysters on their bar overlooking the bay.

(Picture cadged from their site.)

 On the way home we stopped and had a picnic lunch at Samuel P Taylor Park. There was a visiting group of maybe fifteen 7 to 9 year olds that were wading in the river and tracking a water snake's progress. (Alas, it was a snake in the water and not a figment of their fervid imagination which meant there was no way on God's green earth I was going to take my shoes and socks off and wade in the water myself.)

Some of my blood tests came back. Other than having iron levels that are fluctuating from low to practically zilch, I seem to be okay.  I had an ultrasound yesterday that the tech pronounced good. (inner organs, not pregnant! As if. )  I've got two more tests to go so cross your fingers for me.

Wow. Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson both dead today?