Festivities before the Festivities

My athletic brother and sister-in-law chose a site for their wedding where people could get outside and get physical.

Materials were provided for those who chose to kick and toss and hit.Wooded paths served the joggers and hikers. (Pictures of this are on Squidette's camera and have yet to be downloaded.)

A lovely lake placated those who needed to swim.Tennis and Lace anyone?Some softball.(Squidette at Bat ... she swings ... and she misses.)

Followed by Bride vs. Groom Kickball (the Groom's team won).

I was on the Bride's team with Mom and my nephew while the Squidlings were on the Groom's team with their grandfather. (Papa Squid was the official Kickball Photographer.)We will not talk about the fact that I missed this kick. Oops!And then there were strange faces.

And the view from our room.

When we arrived on Friday we were immediately instructed to put on our bathing suits and join my Dad and older sister at the lake. Being a good girl, I did just that. (Mike took a nap and hooked up his computer.) The kids frolicked with each other and then with their older cousin while my younger nephew hung out with us on the beach.

Swim time was followed by a bar-b-que where we spent quality time reconnecting with friends and relatives. The bar-b-que ended in a camp fire and s'mores. Yum!

Saturday dawned initially bright and clear and perfect for kickball and other outdoor activities. We all ran around in the morning and then we four took off to REI and my cousin's house so the second cousins could play for a while. (The visit to REI netted new bike shoes which work well with my handknit socks. They are also more comfortable to walk in.)

We hustled back to the Inn to shower and change for pictures and then the wedding. Tales and photographic evidence will follow in my next post. Consider this a cliff hanger ...

An Ode to a Wedding Weekend

An Ode to a Wedding Weekend

Balls flew, marshmallows toasted, hugs given and received.

Dances danced, tears shed and two became one.

Stories exchanged, children complimented and daughters danced with fathers.

How you've grown, how you've changed, how you've remained the same.

My they're grown up, gee how nice, boy they're so smart.

Families grow and change and yet,

They always remain the same.Josh and Jaye, may your years together be many and full of joy!

Try to

amuse yourselves while I go off line for a couple of days. I expect to be spending too much time with family to blog for a few days. If you need some help on the amusement front, we have readjusted the TurtleCam for your enjoyment.

Pretty Silk!

For the curious, this is the roving that the yarn for the silk stole is being spun from. The roving is from Interlacements and totals 4 ounces. I suspect that less than half of it will wind up in the stole.
The spindle is from the Bosworths. I do not remember the type of wood but I love it!
And, just for the heck of it ... proof that if you wait for Morning Glories to sprout, you could be waiting a long time. These were planted at least 2 years ago, maybe more. I suspect my basil will not make it with the competition from the vines.

The Last Tooth

Yet one more sign that my little girl is growing up. (as if being only 8 inches shorter then me isn't a sign) The Last Tooth got yanked yesterday by yours truly. Only 2, maybe 3 of Squidette's teeth have come out without motherly intervention. I have no idea why, that's just the way it has been. I am very glad to not have to poke my fingers in her mouth again. Yick! What mothers do out of love.

Our family is starting to converge on the wedding site. Watch out Massachusetts! The Squid relatives are coming! (Oh wait, some of them live there ...) Between now and tomorrow night I have to figure out some things to do both on the way and once we are there. I don't see too much "free" time on Friday since I fear the worst traffic-wise but Saturday should be wide open until an hour or so before the wedding. No, my yarn hasn't arrived yet but I was not expecting it before this evening so it still has time. My hair sticks haven't arrived yet, either. They were sent Express Mail yesterday. I have no faith that they will actually arrive in time. (The yarn, however, I have faith in. It's a Murphy's Law kind of thing.)

Look! Knitting! I have actually made measurable progress. As in, you can measure it now!

Presents and Memories

When I came home today I found this package sitting on the table. Inside was the sweetest note from Susan and this fiber. The green says that it is Bamboo Silk and the Blue doesn't say but feels like silk.
Soft, fibery love. Thank you so much, Susan!

There was a request for the story of the Lobster earrings. So, being ever the obedient blogger, here goes. Way back when, oh, about 21 years ago this May, I started hanging out with this really great guy that I knew from high school. We had reconnected a few months earlier and were well on the way to becoming best friends. During that first summer we frequented cartoon night at the Thalia (now a part of Symphony Space), attended Concerts in the Park and drank wine under the stars. On July 4 we watched the fireworks while sitting together on the Brooklyn Bridge. At the end of the evening, he kissed me lightly on the lips.

Sometime during that summer, while we were hanging with a great group of friends after waiting hours to get our tickets to Shakespeare in the Park, we wandered over to a store on the West Side and he bought me my very first present.
Lobster Earrings. Then...


And now. Yes, the same earrings, 21 years later. Want a better look at that perm I was sporting?
Remember that mini skirt I mentioned a few posts ago? Doesn't look nearly as short as I thought it was. (I had another picture of it but this one shows the aqua better.)

(A nicer "now" picture.)

Good Friends, Good Knitting

We spent practically all day, yesterday, in the apartment while Squidette and her friends worked on their science fair project. Little Squid and I took a couple of short walks and accomplished a lot. Little Squid is leaving tomorrow for a three day- two night trip with his class. Luggage is packed and he is both excited and nervous. I'm just nervous because, hey, I'm his mom.

In the evening I ran out to hook up with an old college friend (the friendship is old, the friend is my age). She was leading her daughter's Girl Scout troupe on a tour of NYC. I joined up with them in Times Square and partly tagged along, partly played tour guide for a few hours with the party of four girls and three adults. It was great to reconnect after so many years. Neither of us had even met the other's kids even though we were at each other's weddings oh so many years ago. It is wonderful to find that we are still so compatible after so much time. Her daughter and friends are lovely young ladies and were a joy to meet. I will make an effort to get out to her place this summer and share my family with her.

In knitting news (this is a knitting blog, after all), I started my newest project.

A stole. 180 stitches of spindle spun, triple plied, cobweb weight silk on size zero needles. I have about an inch done. Pattern stitch is Old Shale with a 12 stitch repeat. Any guesses as to how long it will take if this is my main t.v. knitting and I only watch about an hour of t.v. a night? There is already about 2 hours worth of work in it and it is about an inch long. I promise that I have other projects to take on the trip to the wedding.

Today was the spring Mitzvah day at our synagogue. Squidette was once again my able assistant, winding yarn, knitting and teaching other tweens how to knit. Love that kid!
We brought home enough squares to complete a blanket and I will alternate my teeny-tiny lace knitting with crocheting the blanket together.

This will be a short work week due to the need to travel to the wedding. I try not to take the kids out of school but this is a special and once in a lifetime occassion. I'm tearing up just thinking about it. My brother is getting married!!! Go Josh and Jaye!!!

7 Things You Probably Don't Know About Me

MeMe MeMe Meeeee!

1. I cannot clap in time. Really!

2. My hair was permed for 2 years while I was in college.

3. The first gift Papa Squid ever bought for me was a pair of plastic Lobster Earrings. I still have them.

4. I'm not overly fond of air conditioning. Even as I am begging the contractors to return it to other offices I'm telling them that mine can wait.

5. I could never play poker -- my emotions always show on my face.

6. I'm a cat person at heart even though I am allergic.

7. If I ever get back into the classroom, I want to teach freshman biology again. I LOVE that course!

I'm not sure who has and has not been tagged at this point so, if you're reading this, consider yourself tagged!

Moving Right Along

So I finally drowned my sorrows in yarn with an order from Halcyon. It's been years since I ordered from them but I really wanted blocking wires for this project (pictured below) and I know that they used to ship really quickly. Like, if I order today I can expect the package on or near Wednesday. In this case, hopefully before we leave for the wedding. With the wires I ordered enough of two different shiny black yarns to make a "one skein wonder" to wear to Friday night's bar-b-que. Think I'm being too ambitious? Or would expecting to knock out two one-skein wonders be too ambitious. The second one? For Squidette, of course! Got to cover those skimpy straps of her dress for the wedding. ;-)
The weather is supposed to be the pits tomorrow so it will be a stay-at-home day and I should finish this scarf. Also on the to do list is pack for Little Squid's three-day trip next week and maybe going to see Shrek 3. The last one is up in the air and will be dependent on the lines when we choose to go. Usually we go to the movies first thing in the morning when no one in their right mind would go but Squidette has to work on her science fair project so that is out.

Hope all your weekend plans work out for the best!

Look! A Monkey!

The title of this post is actually a distraction technique from "Give Me the Brain," a favorite game in the Squid household.

So ... Look! Some Knitting!Yes, my feet really are that big!

May this knitting, Crenellated Toe-Up Socks from "Cool Socks, Warm Feet" by Lucy Neatby, distract you from the fact that I am not going to explain why I was upset yesterday. After thinking about it, I have come to the conclusion that I cannot explain my distress in such a public forum as this blog. I am, by the way, still upset and suspect that I will harbor some degree of this until school lets out. No one died but it kind of feels like it.

Meanwhile, this blog will focus on the happy things. Like ... Hey, my baby brother is getting married in 10 days. Woo Hoo!!! Now if I can only figure out what knitting to take with me ...

One of Those Days ...

I got out of a meeting (out of building) early and decided to drown my sorrows in yarn. Unfortunately, I forgot that Knitty City is closed on Tuesdays. Thfft! No other yarn store would do. I wandered almost up to the doors of Knitting 321 and decided that no, only KC had the right combination of yarn fumes and people that would do to ease my pain. Instead, I wandered around the Upper East Side for a bit before retiring to my car to knit and listen to my audio book until it was time to retrieve the kids.This is how we grow trees in NYC -- caged. Kind of sad but better then no trees.One of my favorite places to kill time and unwind. This branch used to be my "local" library back when my mother-in-law lived across the street. I would occasionally "steal" a few minutes of her time by bopping in here before picking up the kids in the evening.These lions adorn many of the 3 story NYC Public Library Branches of its era. These are wonderful places with marble stairs and full length windows which open on to tiny balconys for air circulation. No air conditioning here -- even in the renovated branches such as this one. I love libraries in general and find the quirkiness of so many of our branches endearing. There is the branch that looks like a castle with a turret and all, the main branch with it's famous lions, Patience and Fortitude, SIBL in the old B. Altman building

The building in the center is where Papa Squid grew up. It is in the "white brick" style which was popular in the late 60s. Mike lived there from age 2 until about 22 when we moved into our first real apartment. His mom lived there for the better part of 35 years. I stopped by recently, to see if one of Mom's friends was still in residence. The doormen remembered me and asked about the kids. *Sniff* *tear*

(I'll explain why I was trying to drown my sorrows tomorrow. Tonight it is still a secret from the public at large.)

Quiet Sunday

I'm not a big Mother's day person. To me, it should be just another Sunday. I used to be a real curmudgeon about it but I am getting over it and have learned how to accept it graciously.

Now that the kids are old enough to be indoctrinated into popular culture, I find myself being the recipient of some wonderful gifts.There is also a pair of rhinestone earrings procured from a school gift fair. Those are in my ears.

As a regular Sunday, we did all the usual Sunday things ... Hebrew School, laundry, bills ... playground time (good knitting / spindling / audiobook time for Mama).

I also found time to photograph Mom's finished scarf (o.k., the ends still have to be hidden).And, to spin for a good amount of time on my balcony. Ahhh ... Here's wishing you a wonderful week!

Squid Fold Their Wheels

As promised, some knitting, some biking and some NYC for you.

First the Knitting.Scarf for Mom. Plain garter stitch with a mohair blend on size 13s. Mom, next time, let me knit you something in a good cashmere or merino! This mohair isn't bad but hey, I'm offering cashmere! What color do you want?My newest sweater from Fitted Knits. "Perfect Periwinkle turtleneck tube vest." As you can see, I need support and am not using it in this picture. Ah, the pleasures of being 40.

Now for the biking and NYC stuff then, perhaps, some gardening.Three Squidly bikes with Transporation Alernatives water bottles. (From the 2006 Century)

Today we joined with other folding bike owners to do a little ride and a little schmoozing.
Over the 12 miles of the ride, we stopped a few times (not too many) to wait for the rest of the ride to catch up. During these waits I got to snap a few shots. This one is of one of the neat overhangs on the Manhattan Bridge.
View from the Brooklyn Bridge courtesy of one of our stops. Since we Squid never stop on the bridges anymore, this was a great chance for some photo ops.

The ride itself was actually a pretty "standard" one for us. Down the West Side Greenway, looping around and back uptown on the Hudson river (waterside path versus highway side), over to the Brooklyn Bridge via Chambers Street, across the Brooklyn Bridge, over to the Manhattan Bridge, back to Manhattan, over to the East Side Greenway and up to 23rd Street for the festival.

One of these days I will remember what this building is. This was the first chance I've had to photograph it from the north side.
Buildings in Lower Manhattan.
A train (though not, I think, the A train) going over the Manhattan Bridge. (Squidette says that it is a Q, R or N.)

An assortment of folding bikes. See all the small wheels! Squidette felt a little left out on her non-foldable Specialized Dolce.
The coolest, cleanest Porta-potty in existence. For the first time I ever emerged from a portable bathroom feeling cleaner then when I went in!

And, for good measure, my "garden." We have pumpkin, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, Gerbera daisys, basil and Bobo Blues. The tomatoes, daisys and one pot of basil were purchased from the Greenmarket earlier today. My balcony is now ready for evening spinning!And lastly, to answer Sloth-Knits' question to yesterday's post: AP exams do not have to go in to a vault, just a "secure" room with limited access. However, New York State Regents exams do require storage in a sizable vault so, since we have the vault, we use it for all standardized exams. We also store other "valuables" in there, particularly during the summer. It has a Moseler safe door (no link available) and the door is bigger then the door to the room in which it is located. The vault is about as big as Little Squid's bedroom. Yes, it is that big!

Stupid Pet Tricks

O.k., not my pet ... Stupid test administrator tricks. The best one of the day ... searching for 2 hours for documents that were left safely in someone else's hands. I forgot that I asked him to keep them safe for me. D'oh!

I committed a few other stupid errors today (or rather two weeks ago but discovered today) ... all of which could have been avoided. It was just one of those days. Have I mentioned that Advanced Placement exams take almost as much out of me as they do the poor kids that I am giving them to? Maybe more? My calves are aching from all of the running up and down stairs to the test room and vault. My brain is hurting and I am cursing myself out for making rookie mistakes. Nothing horrible. Nothing that will matter 10 years or even two down the road but things that I should have done better or rather, properly. Blah! This is my 12th year doing this. I should know better! Thfft!

And the end of the suture in my mouth has become a plaything for my tongue. Probably not a good idea, right? On the other hand ... my eye looks MUCH better and my face is feeling a lot better if not perfect. By my brother's wedding there should be practically no easily identifiable evidence of my little incident. Yea!!!

Tomorrow? Knitting and Biking if you care to check in. No whining. Promise!

Quote of the Day

Another "how quickly they grow" moment, brought to you by the Squid Family.

The following conversation took place during this evening's violin practice:

Papa Squid: "Bow Hold!"

Squidette: "I'm holding it right!" (in a tone only a tween can invoke)

Papa Squid: "Oh, I didn't realize your fingers were so long." D'oh!

***

And more on yesterday's little work issue.

Into the Fray

If you have any interest in NYC educational politics, try this article and this news report. Yes, it is my school. Personally, I spent the morning learning all about the new funding formulas and how to properly administer our budget for next year. Then, I went to a luncheon and spent the next three hours happily chatting with a really good friend and doing a bit of networking. Always interesting to find out how other schools run. My category of administrator has been essentially cut off from meetings since the big reorganization 4 years ago. They think they are saving us time by not holding meetings but in my opinion, the occasional face to face meeting accomplishes a whole lot more then emails and phone calls. The ability to network and hear what problems others are having is very educational. And hey, I am an educator so educational is good. I'm not asking for tons of meetings, just one every couple of months or so.

***

O.k., I've done it again. I joined another swap. Last year I did the Knitters Tea Swap 2 and had a wonderful experience at both ends so I figured I'd try it again.
I also signed up for Summer of Socks. No commitment except to knit socks. I can do that!


And since I still have not figured out how to add buttons without first sticking them in a post ...
I'll link to them when I finally stick them in the sidebar.