Whoa there, Nellie

I have been home almost two weeks from our extended travels.
This is the first chance that I have gotten to look at the pictures we took and try to get my mind wrapped around the fun we had,the sights we took in, and the general happiness we felt from being back on the road again.
Of course, being totally addicted to Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook has not slowed me down one bit...Whoa, that's a lie.



We had planned our trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan




a couple of years ago. But we didn't make it then due to problems with the camper,leaking water, repairs,etc.This time we were determined.I. didn't want to leave my car in the garage for 2 months so we took the car to the Daughter and left it with her and traveled northward from Oshkosh...
Oh you don't know about Oshkosh? It is the biggest fly-in in the US. For about a week there are all sorts of planes in this small town in Wisconsin.Big planes,



little planes, experimental planes, flying wings, planes that actually look like a beach chair with a motor.



Planes, planes and more planes.

It is crazy. Erwin and his friend go every year for a week of male bonding, airplanes and beer. They have a blast. This year was even better because the weather behaved. It was actually cool the whole week. They work the flight line doing who knows what and enjoy being on the pavement in the sun for days.

In the meantime, I am in Chicago having a wonderful time with a great friend and her family.(..Babies, they have babies and kindergarten fun!)and visiting with Serge and Buddy. Movies, knit shops, make up store, Macy's and chocolate.

We left Oshkosh and all its planes behind and drove to a small town called Lake Linden in Michigan

.

So pretty. The weather has been cool up there all summer so the flowers





and grass and trees are gorgeous.We had a nice site right near the Lake



and spent a few days exploring the area.

We especially liked Lac la Belle and the Bear Belly Bar





Have you ever heard of thimble berries? They are a type of raspberry/blackberry that grows along the side of the road up there. The bear really like them I am told, but this Tiger



had to pick some like the natives Yupers.

It's all about the yarn

Geez I am getting old and decrepit. My hip hurts, my back hurts,etc. I cannot bend over...I cannot sleep, Geez!

Going shopping for yarn seemed the only therapy that worked. So off we go.

(Oh I am in Illinois for a few days with a friend I shall refer to as Wise Woman.)

We had done this a year ago almost to the day. It was interesting to see how some shops had improved, Have Ewe Any Wool in Elmhurst, some had declined, Chicks with Sticks in Forest Park, and some that no longer exist, a local yarn shop.

The local shop had been closed for 2 years we found out..Wise Woman you need to get out more!

We each had our own agenda. Wise woman was looking for a yarn to match some that she had bought years ago; I was looking for a bargain, any yarn, any size, just not full price. We had a great time here...Sale and a sidewalk sale at that, too cool.She bought, got a great deal, just not what she went in for. I bought Great sale, met my criteria.

We looked in Wool and Co in Geneva, but we were overwhelmed by the choices.
When does it happen that too large a selection is just totally overwhelming? What is the magic number? I had this feeling that all the yarn was staring at me asking to be released from this prison and set free, weird, I know.

We had been in Have Ewe Any Wool last year. It was upstairs, not a good idea and was larger and messier than I would have liked, but the owner was friendly and helpful. She has since moved her shop downstairs,( acting on my suggestion, totally I am sure) to a smaller area with better lighting and a friendlier atmosphere. This is one of the best shops I have been in so far this trip. My knit groups at home would love this place and the owner.

With me being cranky and old, we left the rest for another day.

Last year, I swear I would have spent my last dime in Chixs with Stix, but this year it just did not do it for me. My mood? Their lack of inventory? I don't know. but I visited it on a different day and left sort of disappointed, did not even by a stitch marker.I think they have re arranged the store maybe, I don't know. I found it very funny that the women were complaining about the cool summer. What is that about? I LOVE IT! Last year when I was here it was 90+++. Not conducive to being around wool,let me tell you.

More yarn shops on the horizon I am sure.

Good therapy. I feel much better already.

Knitting Info

According to a knitting guru, these are the essential tools needed in a knitting bag:

measuring tape
notebook and pencil
copy of pattern
crochet hook
needles- a set in the size currently in use, one set larger and one set smaller
needle gauge
post it notes
darning needle
stitch holder
stitch marker
row counter

What? No Altoid tin? No crossword puzzle book? No photo of what you are not really sure? Receipts for groceries (like you are ever going to return them). Dog biscuit..dog ball dropped in all slimey and gross...three pennies and most important of all, YARN, hello!Several balls of yarn, several kinds of yarn, unidentified yarn ( Where did that come?? from type yarn)
All the above starting with the Altoid tin have been in my knitting bag at one time or another.

What's in your yarn bag, America?

Howe Indiana

We had a wonderful time in Kentucky visiting with relatives then on to Indianapolis to visit with more relatives. Now we are in Howe Indiana at a campground we have stayed in numerous times. At $14.00 a night, it cannot be beat.

The weather has been absolutely perfect, even on the cool side. Last night it got down to 51 degrees!

Yesterday was too pretty to stay inside, so we went on a geocacheing expedition around here. I love this geocaching thing;we go places that we would never think of visiting and find pretty picture taking sites.

Example:


We would have never visited this place. It is an archery target range provided by the county, but inside it reminds us of home...


The trip was success


There are targets set in the woods and archers use $1000 bows and arrows to shoot them...sort of shocked me when I turned around and saw this


We walked across miles of boardwalk spanning the marsh and heard all kinds of creepy crawlies in the bushes. Actually saw the tail end of a snake as it slithered along, saw cute chipmunks scampering in the brush and beautiful flowers in the pond....
all in all a good day to be outside.


Later, we went to the little commercial town of Shipshewana for another cache and found a small festival going on. If you are interested in Bluegrass, watch for this young group of boys calling themselves The Rocky Roads. They are brothers aged 11, 13,and 15. They are really something. During their appearance at the Beanblossom Bluegrass Festival the 15 yr old banjo player was given a banjo worth over $3000 by one of the best pickers in the nation....and we saw them when.

Some cuties

 

We are now in Kentucky visiting my family. I am doing a lot of genealogy research here, since the majority of my family settled here in the early 1800's.

Unadorned sad foot....pre birthday..............

 

HAPPY FEET !!!!!!! OLDER, BUT HAPPIER! (No those are not MY hairy legs, get over it.)

 

Not one yarn shop in this town,can you believe it?

Our trip to North Carolina

We are back in the camper, Home Sweet Trailer, taking a very slow trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Our first stop was in this small town in North Carolina.

We stop here every chance we get because of the fabulous dog campground there. Yep, it is all set up for dogs and their owners.


They have small pens for small dogs to play off leash, a pond, agility field, and Butch's favorite.....all kinds of balls.




Of course there are a few party crashers, can you see it?
As a friend of mine put it, "Ewwwwwwww".

We went into Hendersonville to a yarn shop, Yarns to Dye For. It was a wonderful place, with beautiful yarns, a place to dye yarns and high, high prices...No yarns for Kaye there, boo.But there were these gorgeous day lilies in the front of the shop. I had never seen rose day lilies, interesting, very interesting.

Daniel Island

Daniel Island is a resort island almost in downtown Charleston. The homes there start at about $600,000 and go way up from there. It is picturesque place with a great view of the bridges and rivers.

The land was first owned by the Guggenheim family,

then was sort of forgotten about then made a big resurgence when development started in the 1980s. The neighborhoods there all have this park feeling to them.

Why were we there? Geocaching of course.

We had a great day wandering around enjoying the sights. We often forget how scenic this area is since we travel four lane highways most of the time, but that day we just enjoyed being outside. As you can tell it was not the prettiest of days but at least there was a slight breeze and the sun was not beating down on us.
As he was fiddling around with his cache thing

I was watching this bird feed.

I turned away to take a picture of the flowering bush with no flowers:

turned back around and look what had claimed the bank:
.
Erwin was not 50 ft away...Oh my!