A Drive To A Lake

 All summer my husband and his brother have been going on hikes once or twice a week. I've learned we have a lot of small lakes around here up high in the mountains because they've been hiking to them and telling me all about them when they return. Last Tuesday my husband suggested going for a drive to visit one of the lakes he's been to. You can drive to it, or hike. 

I can't do much hiking right now because my leg is still healing. The swelling and bruising in my knee is healing, but it's still got a ways to go. Well, anyway, we took a drive up north to visit Roman Nose Lake. I don't know why it's called that. It didn't look like a nose of any type to me. 

The drive was very nice, even if it was mostly on rough gravel logging roads up in the mountains. The weather was perfect. I really enjoyed it. I took a few pictures. Thought I'd share them.

Here are two Mule deer does and a fawn standing in the road chewing on a couple bushes. They were not afraid of us. We had to stop and wait for awhile until they decided they'd stroll off into the woods so we could get by.

This is lower Roman Nose lake. There is also Mid Roman Nose and High Roman Nose Lake. You can't drive to them. You have to hike. I think it's about 4 miles over a nearby ridge, or something like that. The lower lake is quite pretty. 

It's way up at the altitude that Alpine firs grow. Alpine firs are the slim-line Christmas kind of tree. They only grow about an inch a year, if that, because they're up too high to have a reasonable length of growing time. I learned some time ago that Conifer trees don't grow below the temperature of 56F degrees. It's a much colder climate up in the mountains.

There's a trail that goes half way around the left side of the lake. I noticed something while strolling along. The really big Alpine Fir's bark starts to split into squares and rectangles. I don't know why, but I find it interesting. This particular tree is probably about 12 inches thick. The tree is well over 300 years old.

Besides Alpine Fir, there are Tamaracks. The Tamarack is a conifer tree (has needles and cones) that actually turns yellow in the fall and the needles all fall off. It's the only conifer I know that does that. They are incredibly beautiful in the fall. These ones are growing up the side of an old boulder avalanche. The rocks are pretty big and made of granite.

It's where the trail ended. I got Zoey to pose on a rock for me. She was pretty happy. So many new things and smells to experience!

When I was taking the above pic, there was a bush with tiny little cones on it behind me. They were so cute!

The bush was some type of Alder. My thumb is in this photo so you can see the size of the cones.

A picture of the lake from another side. You can see the avalanche straight across.

I wish I had taken a chair and my knitting with us. It was kind of sad to drive all that way only to stay for about 30 minutes. I could have sat in the sun breathing in that clear sweet smelling air and knitting. I would have liked that.

Speaking of knitting, I have started a pair of socks. These will be this years Christmas present for the daughter-in-law. I was going to create some socks with trains on them, but I ran across this pattern and fell madly in love with it. She would definitely like them.

I'm using white and a heather blue yarn . So far, I'm liking it. The main pattern is 12 stitches wide and 10 rows high. A nice easy pattern. It'll get a little bit more difficult after I turn the heal. The bottom of the foot has it's own stitch pattern.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Margaret Update and a Spider

Doing the knitting update first. I finally finished the first side panel for a Margaret Tudor sleeve.

This is the piece I was trying to get done on the camping trip. I could not work on it after I got home because it smelled very strongly of stale wood smoke. Last Wednesday I dumped everything out of my knitting bag onto the deck table for the day to air it out in hopes of getting rid of the odor.

Everything lost the odor except the sleeve piece and it's accompanying ball of yarn, so I put it in it's ziploc bag (I've been keeping it in a ziploc bag to protect it from dirt and damage when not being worked on). I added a fresh cedar block to the bag. By Thursday morning, the smell was gone.

I washed the knitting bag, which was taking a chance because it was very expensive when I bought it, made with high quality upholstery fabric. I wasn't sure it would machine wash without some form of destruction, but I decided if I couldn't get rid of the odor I'd probably toss it anyway. It machine washed, and dried, beautifully. You can see it in this photo taken yesterday.

I spent several hours out on the deck knitting and got that sleeve piece done. I immediately cast on for the second one, of course.

I paid royally for all that deck knitting time. I had an asthma attack just before I went back into the house for the day. I coughed for hours. I ended up taking a Musinex D tablet to get it to stop. I don't understand why my asthma inhaler doesn't stop the secondary coughing. To explain, when I have an asthma attack, I get a funny tickle in my throat, my lungs start to ache, and I start coughing. It's a dry cough. I take my inhaler and it stops. Then a little while later I start coughing again, this time with tons of phlegm being coughed up. I cough so hard sometimes I actually throw up. It's exhausting. My doctor has been giving me various prescriptions to try and control that second cough but nothing seems to be working. Sigh. I don't want to have to stay inside all the time.

Okay. About a spider. I don't usually post about spiders. They're too creepy. However, this morning I stepped outside to check on some plants I'd planted in the boxes on the deck yesterday. We got a very hard downfall of rain during the night and I wanted to make sure the plants were okay. (They were.) I spotted this fella on the railing.

I had not seen a spider like this around here before. It was about half an inch long, and it's so pretty I went and got the camera. It's a male Red Back Jumping spider. It's didn't jump when I was taking pictures, thankfully, or I'd probably have dropped my camera and ran. I have a complicated relationship with spiders. They creep me out something awful, but I appreciate their purpose, which is to eat other bugs. It didn't like the camera.

I don't blame it. A large black menacing eye making clicking sounds just a centimeter or two from me would freak me out too. He actually turned around and charged at the camera. I got a really good shot of his face. Freaky looking. But also interesting. Look at those eyes, and those teal fangs. I'm so glad these creatures are smaller than me.

My friend Becky will love these photos. She actually has spiders for pets.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Erina Pendant

Over the weekend I finished a beading project I started a couple months ago.

Here's the story behind this piece. (I had intended to take pics and blog about this, but I guess I didn't even take the pics, let alone blog about it, probably because July was so incredibly busy.) In July a Ravelry member who admires my beadwork offered to send me her small bead stash because she wasn't going to be using it. She didn't want any money for it. Not even for the postage. It was just a gift. I was SO surprised. Of course I said yes.

A couple days after receiving the package I started this necklace which  I intend to send to her in thanks. I strolled through her Ravelry notebook and found out her favorite color is blue.

The pendant is mostly herringbone stitch. It's a free pattern called Erina Pendant. It's written in Hungarian, but the drawings are good enough that I didn't even need to translate it.

If you're interested in the pattern, click here -->  Erina Pendant.

I used some Sodalite beads, glass druks, Swarovski bicone crystals, delicas, and size 11 and 15 seed beads-all in shades of blue.

I went with a simple sterling silver lobster clasp.

The necklace is done in tubular herringbone stitch using bugles and size 11 seed beads.

I decided to do a 6-around rather than my usual 4-around, but I could not get the tension tight enough to keep the tube from collapsing. So I put 2 strands of white cotton yarn in the center to give it the body it needed. I had to use 2 strands because 1 was too thin. It was sport weight. I had to look pretty hard to find it too. I have very little cotton yarn in my stash.

I hope to get this in the mail to her on Thursday. I don't know her name because she didn't include it in the return address on the package. So I guess I'll address it to her Ravelry name.

~~~~~~~~~~

We had some visitors this evening. The moose twins born earlier this year came back! I blogged about these guys last July. Haven't seen them since, though I knew they were still around because they were leaving signs in the yard.

Here they are eating the ripe plums that have fallen off the tree into the lawn. Can you believe those funny looking little bony butts? And man have they grown!

They're about 5 feet tall at the shoulders now. Here they are munching on the snowberry patch in the back yard.

Mom was around too, though she didn't stand near them so I could get a pic of all three together.

She seemed to really enjoy my Pussy Willow tree.

Cable was antsy all day barking at the woods and being in a decidedly guarding stance. Now I know why. I will have to be careful when letting her out for a few days. Wouldn't want her to make these guys angry or feel threatened. Cable pancake is not my idea of fun.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Just Some Pics

On Saturday  we went to sis-in-law Elizabeth's house for her party. It started at noon. There were lots of people coming and going throughout the afternoon. Elizabeth has a lot of friends. I enjoyed meeting them. There were some cousins too that I got to meet from father-in-laws side of the family.

Elizabeth served home made lasagna, salad, and garlic bread. The lasagna was absolutely fantastic. The best I've ever had! She couldn't share the recipe though. It's a trade secret from a restaurant she used to work at when she lived in Los Angeles years ago. So I guess if I want more we'll have to go visit her for it.

I gave the ruffle scarf to Elizabeth for her empty hook. I think she liked it. She hung it up immediately, laughing as she did it. I don't know if it will ever get worn, but I know it will be looked at a lot.

I want to share some pictures I took while at her house. She has two crocheted items that were made by her grandmother that are just stunningly gorgeous.

First is this lace table cloth.

I actually have the pattern for this cloth in my collection. It's in a book that was written in 1942 and belonged to my great grandmother. Oddly, it's the exact pattern I've always wanted to make, so I was quite shocked to see it on Elizabeth's table. I love the motif pattern. The workmanship is awesome. I've never seen such perfect stitch tension.

The second item is an afghan Elizabeth has on this bed up in the loft.

It's a ripple pattern, but not an easy one. Changing colors as often as this does is a very challenging skill. Not only that, but the entire thing is made with sport weight wool. A work of art if I ever saw one.

I happen to own this pattern too. It's in a very very old afghan pattern pamphlet from the 1940's that I found in a used book store. I have no plans to make it though. And yes, I collect old patterns.

I'm so glad Elizabeth has these. It was a highlight for me to see them. They are wonderful heirlooms.

During the party Cable stayed in the car. Thankfully, it was a cool day. I also left the windows open so she could have fresh air. I took her for walks twice (one on the beach, one in the neighborhood) and she didn't seem to mind being in the car. She slept most of the time-exhausted no doubt from the two big walks she'd had earlier that day. When everyone had gone home, Elizabeth let her come in the house. She was an incredibly good dog that day. I couldn't have been happier with her. So, when we went out to dinner I ordered a huge steak. I cut it in half. I ate one half and give the other to her later that evening along with some garlic mashed potatoes and steamed carrots (yum!). She deserved it.

After the party, Elizabeth took us for a ride in her new car. She has bought a Hybrid 2006 Toyota Highlander. She took us on a little tour of the city of Westport. Near the water there is a place where the townspeople feed the local feral cats. Unfortunately, the local racoons have discovered this free handout. I caught one on camera red pawed, stealing cat food.

That face is so CUTE! Now, step back a bit, and you'll see a stern look of disapproval.

I hope the little bandit left some for Mr. Grumpy when he was done eating.

On the way back to the house we saw this deer.

It's a black tailed doe. There was a young buck with antler nubs nearby under a bush. They were just quietly chewing their cud. There are lots of deer in Elizabeth's neighborhood. Some of them hang around quite close to her house. They are not afraid of humans.

Sunday morning we headed home. Sweet Hubby did not want to drive back the way we came because that would require driving on I-5 between Olympia and the junction to Hwy 18 near Federal Way (my home town!). So he proposed we head a little bit south and take Hwy 12 east over White Pass to Yakima, then go north to Ellensburg and I-90 and on back home. It would add an hour and a half to the drive, but it would be a beautiful one. It had been more than 35 years since I'd been that way, so I was all for it if he was. I am SO glad we did. I'd forgotten.

I'd forgotten how wonderful that route is, and I'd also forgotten how beautiful the wild Pacific Dogwood trees are when they are blooming, and they were blooming! My heart began to sing as soon as I saw the first one. I could't stop smiling as we passed each one until we'd reached an elevation too high for them. I wish I could have stopped to take some pictures, but it wasn't possible. We had to get home. Next year, maybe? Whatever, we're going that way from now on. No more I-5 stress for us.

I wonder if I can get a Pacific Dogwood around here?

We arrived home Sunday night safe and sound. It was a good trip. I'm glad we went.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Blue Mystery Solved!

There are little bright blue wildflowers blooming at the bottom of the hill around the tv satellite dishes. A small patch of one of them bloomed there in May of 2008. I've been trying to identify them ever since. They aren't in any of my many wildflower books. I even posted a What Is This? entry here on the blog. Never got an answer.

This year those tiny little blue flowers have returned, with friends. They look very different from each other. I took pics on Sunday. After MUCH searching on the Internet by both me and my daughter, we've finally identified them.

These are identical to the flowers that bloomed in 2008. These little bell shaped sweeties stand about 3 inches high and are less than an inch long. They're called Siberian Wood Squill. Also English Bluebell/Wood Hyacinth

Their leaves look like the grass they're growing in. They have blue pollen.

They are such a bright shade of blue! I love them.

About 5 feet away are these little beauties. The same size as the Wood Squills, but so very different.

They are related though. They're called Common Squill.

Will wonders never cease? I would not have expected that.

They don't point down at all before opening. They point up, and the stamens are not anywhere near the same. The petals curl back too, unlike the Wood Squill.

I'm SO glad I know what they are now. It's been bugging me for 4 years! Isn't the Internet amazing?

I wonder how they got to where I found them?

Live long and prosper. \\//

Bucks Playing

I had a nice weekend, I guess. Went to a Funeral on Saturday. It was someone I didn't know, so I was spared the crying and feeling wretched part, which was nice. But it was a friend of my husbands family, which was sad. Anyway, that was the big activity for Saturday. I detest funerals.

On Sunday Sweet Hubby and I went into Coeur d'Alene to visit Costco. We needed a few things. Man, is that a big store when you're not quite recovered from surgery. I was so exhausted when we got back to the car. I just wanted to lay right down on the ground and take a nap. I expected to feel really awful on Monday cuz I was certain I'd done too much. I felt fine Monday. That was a nice surprise. I feel fine today too.

Sunday afternoon we had some visitors. A flock of 10 Turkeys came to enjoy the Parkarosa Bird Buffet.

It looked like there was a big hen and a bunch of not quite full grown ones-probably were hatched last spring. Here's a close up of one.

You may have noticed the snow in those pictures. Yes. Four inches fell between Friday and Sunday morning. It's been slowly melting ever since. It's been so cold during the day. Upper 30's and low 40's at our house. It feels very winterish.

Today we had a couple of Whitetail bucks visit us. I saw them first as they were grazing on grass at the bottom of the hill, near the satellite dish.

They both raised their heads and looked at each other for a minute.

Then they started banging their antlers together.

They weren't going at it hard enough to be a serious fight. Just a bit of gentle poking and pushing, so I figure they were probably just playing with each other.

After a few minutes of that, they stopped and went back to munching on grass. Eventually they wandered off into the woods together.

I've never seen anything like that before. I'm glad I had my camera so I could capture it for posterity.

I've gone back to working on the second Wheat Rib sock. I finished the heel and have started the leg. I've got about 2 inches of leg done now. I need these socks to be done before Christmas cuz they are slated to be someones present, so I better get my rear in gear!

I also have started a pair of Owling fingerless mitts in a light heather brown for another Christmas present. It is probably going to be the extent of the Christmas knitting for me this year. I don't feel like making much more than that. Especially since I did so much gift knitting for folks last year.

Tomorrow I am planning on going to Yarnies. It will be my first time back since the surgery.

Right now I've got a load of laundry in the dryer that is calling for me. So I better get to it.

Only 2 and a half weeks left until the trip to Maui.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Wildlife Visits

Thought I'd share some pics I have taken in the last couple days.

First, I got Tilly in the front yard. I was at the front window, hiding behind the blinds with my camera lens poking through just waiting for her to stroll by. I was successful, though I did get a bit of glare from the window.

Click on the pics to embiggen.

  She was looking for bird seed that might have fallen on the ground under the Parkarosa Bird Buffet.

There isn't any. I haven't been stocking the feeders because there is so much wild seed on all the plant life around here right now. I did dump a small cup of bird seed on the ground in the back yard today, though, just for her. She seemed to enjoy it.

It was a beautiful day today. I decided to sit out on the deck and do a little beading. While I was working on a bracelet (to be shown after it's finished) I heard a racket of thumping and branches breaking in the trees. It sounded like kids playing, or maybe even a hunter thrashing around in there (we occasionally get trespassing hunters at this time of year-a scary thing to be sure) so I yelled "Hey, is anyone out there?!" It got quiet, and then this fellow stepped out.

He stood there and stared at me for the longest time. Then he turned and walked back into the trees.

My goodness but he's a big fellow. I could hear him stomping around in there for quite awhile. I have locked Tommy's gate so he can't run around the yard unsupervised just to be safe. I wouldn't want him trying to nip this guys heels. I suspect this fellow will hang around for a couple days.

I heard back on the uterine tissue sample tests. Everything seems to be normal, and no cancer. Hearing that one does not have cancer is always good news.

Tomorrow is Rathdrum Knitalong. I'm looking forward to it.

Live long and prosper. \\//