The Boys Were Back In Town

The boys were back in town for Christmas break and it was great to have them all gather at our house.  Loud, but great.  One of the LAN parties lasted until the wee hours of the morning and at one point (around 4 am, I think) the voices were so loud and the language so, um, well, questionable, Craig was convinced they must be watching a bad Ben Stiller movie.  By 7 am, however, not a creature was stirring.

These boys are serious gamers who do not travel light.  And although each of these boys got a 5 on their AP Chemistry AND Physics exams, that didn't stop them from putting cans of Coke in the freezer and subsequently wondering why muffled explosions emanated from the kitchen.

Peter returned, somewhat reluctantly, to SLO yesterday ... the first of the friends to return to college. Having managed to get himself registered for only 8 hours for winter term and planning to crash a number of classes today in hopes of getting off a few waitlists, I expected a somewhat negative response to this evening's 'how's your day?' query. In typical Peter style, however, he declared he is 'wonderful', though he adds 'Well, I think I forgot how to school, but I'm having a lot of fun! =)'

Really, what else could a mother ask for?

And Now There Are Six

 

 The chair project was started over a year ago, inspired by Plow & Hearth's Classic Check Chair Bow.

These, too, were supposed to be bows, but there is just too much fabric to tie a proper bow.  I used 100% cotton homespun, which is probably where I went wrong.  Still, no synthetic fabric for this country girl, not even on the dining room chairs.

 I also bought enough fabric last year for a tablecloth, to duplicate one I saw at Kitchen Kaboodle. After making two chair covers last year, I ran out of time and stuffed the entire project in to the fabric cupboard. 

 Out it came this year, and I was on a roll ... for a bit.  Then guilt kicked in and I decided I had better things to do.  So I stopped at six, but still have fabric and two chairs that need to get acquainted.

Still, the whole project makes me happy, even with the bow fail.  And I have a whole year to make the remaining two, plus the tablecloth.  Or, at least, 11 months.

I've given myself 'til the weekend to put away everything Christmas.  I'm going to miss my Christmas table and chairs. 

Living Vicariously

 A beach house has always been at the top of my dream list. You know, that list you know will never have one thing crossed off of it unless you win the lottery (gotta play first) or discover a long lost distant relative has left you lots of money.  Lately my obsession with owning a beach house has intensified, fueled by scenes of Emily Thorne's beach house in the Hamptons.  Which, as it turns out, is actually in Southport, North Carolina and for sale for 1.5 million.  Like I said, lottery/unknown for now rich relative.

 The beach has always been a destination point for me, as early as high school when Paula and I would drive down in her Chevy Vega and talk about boys.  Or the lack thereof.

Once married, Craig and I spent lots of childless weekends at the beach and continued with frequent day trips once the boys came along.



 Now, the second best possible scenario has occurred:  Ross has bought a beach house.  A beautiful beach house with a loft and two story floor to ceiling windows and a view of the ocean and a wrap around deck.  I checked it out last weekend and the house is dream-worthy.  We lunched at Mo's and walked on the beach while the doggies played and the forest was dark and the stars were bright when I awoke from an afternoon nap.  Definitely dream-worthy.

Long Time Coming

It's been awhile since I actually finished a knitting project and this blankie in particular was a long time coming.  Originally intended for Brody--who turned three last week--it was frogged once in a fit of frustration and reborn into a simpler existence.

And probably for the better, for what would a boy do with a white blankie?

The blankie was hibernating when Kristine and Ian announced that The Bean would arrive in December and would be a girl. Perfect ... I already had half a blankie finished!

I abandoned my Ecuador sweater and finished the blankie, but I have to admit that I have one more skein of yarn that I could have used but didn't.  I was ready for this project to be over. 

Road Trip

The last of the OUS Fall High School Counselor workshops were held earlier this week at SOU and OSU-Cascades.  Mike and I hit the road on Monday, heading to Ashland and a fabulous dinner with Rick at Kaleidoscope Pizzeria & Pub. We finished up the NT4CM workshop promptly at 3:30 pm on Tuesday and set out for Bend, just a bit nervous about the weather and the condition of the mountain passes. The snowplows, however, had done a fine job and the pavement was wet but clear. With a recent dusting of snow, the landscape was beautiful. Mt. Thielsen simply could not be ignored so we stopped for a quick photo opportunity.

We arrived in Bend around 8:00 and--after throwing suitcases into our rooms--headed out for dinner.  The GPS was programmed for Deschutes Brewery but somehow that didn't look like the right place.  Mike indulged me (after I assured him I was trying to recreate an experience) and we walked a few blocks and found Bend Brewing Company.  Which is where Mike claimed last year he had the best beer in his life.  For the second time then, Mike had the best beer in his life (Vanilla Porter) and I confirmed that this was, indeed, the place to go in Bend.  For beer.  The Pine Tavern is still the place to go for dinner.
 

Our timing was perfect once again on Wednesday and we were on the road by 4:00.  The weather cooperated as we left Bend and the Santiam pass was clear, but turned quite nasty around Detroit and through Mill City.



Detroit Lake was showing only stumps and mud--no photo opportunities there.  And while I do enjoy this trip every other year, I was ready to be home.

DC

 

 Alaska Airlines now offers a direct flight from Portland to Washington, DC, making the trip all very civilized. And the 5:10 pm departure time for the return trip to Portland allows for some Friday afternoon exploring. I had already decided to take Metro from National Airport to the Palomar Hotel, since last year's rush hour taxi trip was expensive and not all that fun. Metro proved to be easy, inexpensive (well, compared to BART at least) and efficient, so despite all of the naysayers ("too far, too far," they cried), Alison and I set off to see the new Martin Luther King Memorial. As well as a few sites in between.  The MLK Memorial was impressive.  Very nicely done.

We continued to walk around the Tidal Basin, stopping to eat our box lunches at the FDR Memorial. From the Basin, the Washington Memorial provides a great point of reference for figuring out exactly where you are and how far you are from the Metro stop.

  As I read the quotations inscribed on the walls of the Jefferson Memorial, I was reminded of the principles upon which our nation was built ... and how far we've strayed from those principles.

"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; It is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." --FDR

Hmmmm.  Now we have Mitt telling us that 47% of Americans need to take responsibility for their lives and pick themselves up by their bootstraps.  Hmmmmmm.

No time to walk to the Capitol, so we gazed from the distance and decided that next year we'll do the other side of the Mall, including the White House and Vietnam Memorial. We took Metro back to The Palomar, picked up our suitcases, and headed back to the Metro station once again for the trip to National. With only 80 cents remaining on my Metro pass, it was time to go home. Security lines were very long and I got to the gate just as first class passengers were boarding. Plenty of time, although I know a few people who would disagree.

So Long, September

I am not quite ready for the end of September, but it has arrived.  The days are wonderfully rain-free, warm and sunny ... quite perfect, actually.  

 Until I open my water bill.  And then, perhaps, I'll be ready for rain.  Perhaps.