Tall Ships in Tacoma

Lady Washington
Originally uploaded by sfarewell.

Hey, they're shootin' at us. I thought they were on our side. Well, obviously, they didn't get all of the ghost pirates off of this ship after Disney gave it back when they were done filming "The Pirates of the Carribean". Yup, this ship was one of the stars of the film along with Johnny .... now what is his last name??? Oh yea, Wonka.

Cuauhtemoc

Cuauhtemoc
Originally uploaded by sfarewell.

Don't ask me how to pronounce the name of this ship out of Acapulco, Mexico. Its length is 270 feet and its a Mexican Navy Training ship. A fascinating fact is that it has sailed more than 408,000 miles in 3,178 days. That's a lot of water.

Pallada

Pallada
Originally uploaded by sfarewell.

Tallest of the tall ships, the Pallada's masts rise to 162 feet above deck. Pallada is 356 feet long and sails from its home port of Vladivostok, Russia. This ship was the grand finale as you might guess from the swarm of private boats that escorted her through Commencement Bay.

Pilates

I thought after more than a year of spin and 6 months of yoga, I had discovered every single muscle in my body. In my quest to find new Y classes to go to that don't start at 5:15 am, I went to Pilates. And low and behold, I discovered that there are muscles that have been hiding out. My big fear is that they will let me know tomorrow how really unhappy that they are that I went to Pilates. It was fun. Not really, but the best part was that my alarm didn't go off at 4:40am. I am hoping that parts of my body will hate Pilates so much that they will get in a huff and leave, since these last 20 lbs seem unwilling to leave.

Happy Birthday Eva!

Eva & doll bag
Originally uploaded by sfarewell.

So why would anyone want to knit a sometimes tedious doll bag? This is why. My friend Eva is turning 4 today. Last night she opened her gift & it was a hit. I think this bag has found a very good home.

Ta Da ... All done

farewell scarf complete
Originally uploaded by sfarewell.

Did this turn out cute, or what??? I really had a lot of fun knitting this scarf and it feels really good to wear. Just wish it wasn't June so I could wear it. (That's a lie, becausse I am really so glad that it's June & school is out & I looking down the barrel of a nice, long summer). So it would probably be more appropriate to say that when the seasons do change and it gets colder (a long, long time from now) I will have this great scarf to soften the blow.

Dig the fringe. It's called corkscrew fringe and it is done with a crochet hook and I figured out how to do it all by myself, Hey, I'm impressed. Now I have to resist the impulse to add corkscrew fringe to everything I knit. But it did give me an idea. If I experiment with the pattern for this fringe and had the right yarn, I bet I could knit an artichoke. I could quit my job (oh, that's right, I kinda don't have a job) knit artichokes like crazy. Then I could pack them into mini wooden artichoke crates, market them to Walmart and they would become like the pet rock of the 70's. Everyone would have to have one. I would make appearances on the Today show and David Letterman. People would recognize me at fancy restaurants when I would be dining with Oprah. I would be such a big celebrate that I could run for the governor of California and win. Since I am a natural born citizen, the White House would be next. I would bring all the troops home and put all that war money into education and elementary school teachers would never have to count copies again. Just a thought.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Mary!!!

cake & ice cream
Originally uploaded by sfarewell.

Hold my phone, I gotta ride!

new trike
Originally uploaded by sfarewell.

My niece Mary turned 2 years old and we all ate the cake to prove it. Mom put together a great party and Dad ran the bbq. Mary had quite a haul of gifts and while opening got quite distracted reading books to the assembled crowd. Luckily, Mary had an assistant, Cameron. He is 3 and much more experienced at this gift opening thing and kept the gift wrap flying. Way to go Cameron! As you can see, Mary is quite responsible for her young years. Even though she had only been on her new trike for a few minutes, she knew to be safe, she better hand her cellphone over to Grandpa.

Meet Sam

Sam I Am
Originally uploaded by sfarewell.

Sam is a good buddy of mine, with a great head of hair as you can see. I'm Sam's neighborhood drug dealer, if Tylenol Sinus counts. He just survived his first year at Humboldt State in Northern California. Quite an adventure for him, but he is still going back for more in August. Sam and his cousin Rob stayed for dinner tonight. Katie cooked. Actually we both did. We went to Kitchen 2 Kitchen and made 6 fabulous entrees in a little over an hour. This is my new favorite place. The recipes were easy and filled with lots of yummy things. The prep was all done, someone else does the clean up and my freezer is filled with healthy food for the next 2 weeks.

BTW, Sam, I'll be pickin' you up for yoga first thing in the morning. It's Sam's first venture into yoga or how standing still can hurt so much.

Back to Knittin'

doll bag
Originally uploaded by sfarewell.

I feel like I should make a knitting confession, "Forgive me knitters for I have sinned, It has been more than a month since my last finished project." I have been working on this doll which also doubles as a purse for a month now. The dress part went really quick, so I thought that it would be done in no time. But all of the little stuff took forever. When I finally read the project description, it stated that it is a great project for people who like to do finishing work. Not so sure that I am one of those people. I think if I ever attempt another one, since I have probably enough yarn to make 4, it should go alot quicker. I do really like it now that it's done.

Fabulous Fiber

farewell scarf
Originally uploaded by sfarewell.

Isn't this yarn beautiful?! I love it & it's green!!!! (surprise) My friend Roxi dyed the wool and spun it into yarn just for me. Why is it the "Farewell" scarf? Katie is proud to tell everyone who gushes over this project that Roxi named this yarn "Farewell". Yes, she is the person responsible for my knitting obsession. She's adding a new facet to her yarn shop, Lamb's Ear Farm. It's called KALEIDOSCOPE DYEWORKS, where she dyes and spins custom yarn. I am lucky enough to be her guinea pig. I'm thinking of convincing her to try a new color. Lots of different shades of green with a touch of purple. Think I'll call it "Artichoke". Whaddya think??? It is a really fun yarn to knit with. But I'm not as fast a knitter as she is, so if you want to check out some of her other fabulous creations, check out her blog http://www.yarnjunkie.blogspot.com

Aunt Pat & Uncle Ron

Aunt Pat & Uncle Ron
Originally uploaded by sfarewell.

A few more pictures from our trip to California. Some of my earliest family memories include Aunt Pat and Uncle Ron. I remember sitting in their backyard, taking turns cranking the ice cream maker in anticipation of the world's best peach ice cream. Aunt Pat makes the best iced tea and taught me her secrets when I was about 12. Uncle Ron is the "baby" of my Mom's family. He has a great sense of humor and would tease me when I was little. Katie is totally taken with Uncle Ron. She especially likes how with a phrase and a smile he renders me completely silent and my only response is to turn red. Gotta love family.

Natalie & Lady

Natalie & Lady
Originally uploaded by sfarewell.

While visiting my family, I got to meet second cousin that I had never met before. Natalie and Emily were gracious enough to give up their bedrooms, that were incredibly neat and well organized, to these strange new relatives. They were are great entertainers and kept us very busy. They are a lot of fun to hang out with and we look forward to visiting them again. Natalie's goat is Lady. Lady behaves better than Snickers. The girls let them out to play, but have to keep them away from Mom's flowers. By the way, Natalie's most favorite color is green.

Emily & Snickers

Emily & Snickers
Originally uploaded by sfarewell.

Emily has a goat named Snickers who stands on a shed and howls loud and long when he gets lonely. Nell and Lucy, the family dogs do a great job of herding the goats. Emily is looking forward to adding horses to the family, which might happen this summer if the barn gets fixed up. And did I mention that Emily knows how to crochet and knit.

Still laughing after 50 years

Aunt Joanne & Uncle Al
Originally uploaded by sfarewell.

These two people were our big excuse to visit California. Aunt Joanne & Uncle Al celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this month. Now as the romantic story goes, they met when Al was a senior and Joanne was a sophomore in high school. Al was also the part-time school bus driver and had his pick of the cute girls on that bus but it was Joanne who he picked. They wanted to get married soon after that but my Granddad put his foot down and said Joanne couldn't get married until after she graduated high school. Her graduation ceremony was at 8 pm and wedding ceremony at 11:30 pm that same night. It must have worked because they are still smiling as they begin their 2nd 50 years together.

the Frieds

the Frieds
Originally uploaded by sfarewell.

Believe it or not, all of these people are related to me. My cousins Sharon and Ken took on the important task of throwing their parents a 50th anniversary party. They even saw fit to invite me, the prodigal cousin who hasn't been seen for the past, ohhhhh, has it been 18 years??? Well, I couldn't resist, so Katie and I flew to Arroyo Grande, California (just done the road from Santa Maria, aka Michael Jacksonville), this past weekend. My cousin Ken and his wife Sally Mae, the expert party throwers, took great care of us all weekend in their fabulous log home. We partied with Aunts and Uncles we haven't seen in years and cousins that we had never met. It was great. Katie and I can't wait until we go back.

Bad Blogger

I have been a bad blogger. I have gone a whole week without blogging, for shame. Truth be told, it has been a long week, with some very bad news. The Queen, our favorite principal, was reassigned and will be leaving our school. Don't get me start on how I feel about our school district. Suffice to say that myself and my colleagues have been walking around like zombies for the past couple of days. Change is enevitable, change is good, blah, blah, blah. It's hard when you work with incredible people in a great environment, to watch it all disappear and know that things will never be the same. I am usually really excited about the last day of school, but today, I'm just sad.

Anyway, Katie & I are headed to California this afternoon & we'll be back on Monday. I will have pictures and stories to share about our adventures.

Frightening

Imagine my shock and horror to find that Katie's dorm room was the most recent victim of an Al Qaeda bombing. I would post pictures, but I would have to post a warning that the images may be offensive to some people. I have just been digging out from under her bed. It hasn't been all terrible, I did make a fast $3.37 for my efforts. Hey, when did they start doing funny things to nickels???

Actually, it has been great being with Katie and shopping in Ashland. Don't tell Weight Watchers but we had a fabulous dinner last night, Garlic & Gorgonzola raviolis, and excellent lunch today, with my favorite hors'devore of Halloumi and pita. Will have to whip that up for a Monday night soon. My bed and breakfast is to die for, staying in the Othello room with a jetted lap pool for a tub and a double sided fire place. One side faces the bed, the other sits at the end of the tub. And breakfast, mmmmmmmmm. I might have to skip the WW weigh in this Saturday. But in my defense, I was at the Ashland Y at 6:30 this morning & burned 650 calories on the eliptical trainer. Might have to make another visit after dinner tonight.

Well the packing princess has another box for me to schlep down to the car. I'm doing the schlepping down the stairs so it will be her turn to schlep up the stairs when we return home. Mom's always thinkin'.

Do, Re, Mi

temple bar
Originally uploaded by sfarewell.

About this time last year I was walking down this street in Dublin. Each side of the street is lined with bars. Katie & I took the Musical Pub Crawl , the highlight of our stay in Dublin. Two local musicians took this crowd of tourists from bar to bar, playing music, dispensing history and downing a pint or 2. Katie's favorite part of this tour is when her mother stood up and, upon the request of the tour leaders, broke into song. Really, they begged me. The Guiness had nothing to do with it.

Today a friend asked me to write down the lyrics of this song. So I thought I would share the story and the song with all of you.

Sung to the tune of Do, Re, Mi from the Sound of Music:

Dough, the stuff that buys my beer.
Ray, the guy who sell me beer.
Me, the one, who drinks the beer.
Far, a long way to get beer.
So, I'll have another beer.
La, la, la, la, la, la beer.
Tea, no thanks I'm drinking beer.
Now I need more dough for more beer, beer, beer, beer ....

Enjoy the weekend!

You know it's been a long week when

You are madly juggling being at 2 places at one time. Not a new experience for me, but I am superwoman. I can do anything. Let's see tonight I had to be at the Boy's & Girl's club from 4:30-6:30 and at the Tacoma Flower & Garden Show from 6 - 9. So, cut out on the Boy's & Girl's Club early & then show up at the Garden show gala a skosh late. So I arrive at the B&G Club to find that is closed, locked up, completely dark, not a living soul. OK, this is good, I don't have to cut out early & I can make the Gala on time. Zip over to pick up Peter, glance at the confirmation letter when it all becomes clear. The gala was last night. So here I sit, Miss Over-Committed, Miss Have-To-Do-It-All, thought I had to be at 2 different places this very second, as I sit typing on the computer. Sigh. Is this life's quirky way of telling me to slow down. I'm thinkin' it may be. Well, I'm trying to stay out of the committment lane this weekend so I can enjoy some R & R and get back in touch with my very neglected knitting.

Volleyball

It was the last day of after school volleyball for the school year today. The hard core players (that would be elementary school teachers) were all there. And we all looked great. If I may say so, I made a bunch of amazing shots, not on purpose mind you, but amazing all the same. That's the way it always goes, I finally get good at something & it is the end of the season. The Y has volleyball in the summer, I may just check it out & master an overhand serve before September. Hey, it could happen.

BTW, 11 1/2 school days left, but who's counting.