Visit with Grandma in Texas

Fun, but cold!

Keep throwing those darts til you win that prize.

It slices!  It dices!

First attempt at homemade laundry soap--it turned out great.

And the march goes on.

Hey, look!  We found a palm tree in Wisconsin.  (There were quite a few of them at today's rally, actually.)  We parked at Memorial Union, got tickets to see a particle physicist speak at Distinguished Lecture series for Monday, walked up to the Capitol, marched around the Capitol with the other supporters, had free pizza from Ian's, got lots of candy from a store on state street, and came home.  What an afternoon!  Tonight, Karl and Elise are going to see a free showing of Tangled at the Union, and Elise gets to bring a friend, too.

A little free time

On Monday, I had some unscheduled time in the morning. Not enough time to go somewhere far away (South Lake Tahoe or Yosemite would have been perfect). But I'm not on vacation, after all...

It turns out there's a lot of great bicycling opportunities in the Sacramento area. There's a bike trail which runs along the American River from downtown Sacramento out up to Folsom (about 25 miles away). It's on park land virtually the whole way, and there's a bike rental shop about 15 minutes from my hotel. So that was an excellent opportunity. Got a little bit sunburnt on my two-hour ride, but I might have to do that again if I get another couple of hours on the ground during the daytime.

Traveling

So I had to go to California again for work. While I dislike airplanes, the scenery was beautiful all the way from Denver to Sacramento:

snow and indoor play

playing

I found a new hobby.  It's not like I really needed another one, but at least this one is relatively cheap.  I've spent $22 on stamps and $6 on sharpies and gel pens that can write on dark paper, and now I'm collecting old books, magazines, etc. to make mail art.  I can't remember when I've had so much fun just...playing.  Knitting is lovely and fills my soul, too, but it doesn't make me giddy.  So if I have your snail mail address, keep an eye on your mailbox.  Something fun will eventually come your way.

In other news, Albin gets the rest of his braces off this afternoon.  It's his last 'good' excuse for a chocolate malt for dinner. 

One of the local goodwill stores is having a half off sale, too, as they are closing to remodel next week.  People keep growing in this house, or wearing out their jeans, so I get to go shopping.  It's so much more fun to look for those kinds of things at a thrift store (and I might find another old dish or two that needs a new home).

I love the smell of wet wool in the morning

I blocked Jeanette's hat with my iron to even out the stitches and keep the brim rolled down.  I think it worked.  The wool sure had a distinctive smell to it!

Elise started a new project today.  I can't wait to see where it goes.