Wednesday's Yarn Along- Last Wednesday's Post in June before I Head For the Mountains in The East

"Wednesday's Yarn Along" 

Please come share for Wednesday's Yarn Along the book that you are reading and what you are knitting on with a picture and link to your blog at "Small Things".

  I'm focusing on my larger TGV shawl made from Noro yarn so I can get it done in the next few weeks. (Tuesdays Eclectic Thoughts and TGV (High Speed Knitting) by Susan Ashcroft for more details).

     I'm half way through Wild Stories: The Best of Men's Journal- 2003 and it's a real riveting read of a collection of short stories previously published for "Men's Journal".  Honestly I skipped a handful of sports related pieces since I'm not much of a sports fan (except football, since I grew up watching the Princeton Football team and the Giants).  The stories have taken me from the jungles of South America, to the Sahara desert, from the Alaskan Yukon for dog mushers training for a race,  to Louisiana Bayou's for duck hunting and the Hawaiian Seas for deep sea fishing.  I'm now scaling a Swiss Alp and hiding in a snow cave during a snowstorm and avalanche.  Suitable for cooling one off in hot summer weather.  So lots of fun, but I want to return it to its shelf in the cabin in The Adirondacks; so unless I download a version I have till mid- July to finish.  It vies with "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon.  I listen to it on my tablet through Audible and then catch up reading in my book, or on the tablet.  Listening and knitting is a new found trick that I knew my daughter did- it's great!

      I figure I can get to the flange area of rib on the Noro TGV Shawl soon.  I'm almost done with my second ball of yarn and when you're halfway through the yarn you can switch to the rib section (the pattern has also other suggestions when to switch).  Hopefully I can finish it during my vacation and progress on my purple TGV and sock.  Truly sanity fixers- my father and brother's family seems to hop from one thing to another non-stop with lots of noise and I thrive on quiet pursuits of reading and knitting.  It's fun to be with all the cousins and my kids (older and younger), but I've realized I need a bit of space of quiet to call my own. 

So I'm strategizing how I can disappear for a swim at the stream and read and knit.

The family's swimming hole

 I have my own hole down from the one everyone else uses.  A large rock (I mean LARGE rock that you crawl up and lie down on) and a smaller swimming hole that's secluded.  Since the large hurricane Irene a few years ago, my hole has fared better than some swimming and fishing holes that disappeared all together.  But to get there you have to walk down a little faded road and duck under tree boughs and no one thinks of it.  All mine- shucks!

Or go up to the upper bunkhouse and read on the porch.

Wildernesscapes Photography LLC, by Johnathan A. Esper, Adirondack Park Landscapes

     I'm heading for the mountains I grew up in in the summers- The Adirondack Mountains, into the "High Peaks" region.  This area is actually the largest protected park in the U.S. and is probably unique in that different areas are designated for different purposes.  So some are totally left wild, while other areas limited growth is allowed.  For example, if you go to Lake Placid you'll notice the department stores have to follow guidelines and make their shops look right for the location.  Wood structures, tastefully done, lots of Swiss style buildings since it was twice the Winter Olympic destination (the first time in 1932 and second time 1980).  For some reason someone thought mountains and skiing must mean Swiss Chalet.  Go figure.

Adirondack Mountains

      I'm actually leaving much taller mountains in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, I live right at the foothills of Pikes Peak (14,114 ft.).  The Higher Peaks of The Adirondacks boast 4 - 5,000 ft.  But The Adirondacks are different and hold memories of my childhood, good ones.  I always feel I'm coming home.

 Pikes Peak- More about Pikes Peak and Geocaching at the Peak

Summer afternoons like now

     So I go from Mountains to Mountains.  Honestly I don't know if I could manage without mountains. The views are always vast here and in The Adirondacks it's rolls of mountains and fir, birch, maple and other trees rolling off into the distance.

     I just got my new shoes for the trip delivered!  I seem to get shoes (perfectly fitted ones from Land's End this time and LL Bean others) and then I use them for years.  I can't remember when I got the Lands End sandals that I've worn for over 7 years for the summers, even in Cooking Classes I assisted, even when warned that a knife could fall on my foot.  Hot kitchen, end of subject.  I'd laugh at co-workers who must of had a Imelda Marcos size closet of shoes when I still wore the same shoes, one for summer and one in winter for years.  They fit, good to go, no fuss!  So new shoes are an occasion.  I'm actually also waiting for Crocs!  Mine have lost their strap (I cut them off when one got loose) and must be who knows how old.  Well, but they work.  I'll leave them for gardening.  Oh, and walking down to the swimming hole, after all I don't want to mar up my new shoes, even crocs!  That's bad, I can't just wear my old ones because I can't get my new ones dirty.  We'll see.

Join us at Ginny's "Small Things" blog to share-

"~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading and I love sharing my projects and current reads here.  I would love for you to join me every Wednesday to share a single photo of what you are knitting (or crocheting) and reading too! "  Share with Ginny at Small Things.

"Keep Calm and Craft On"

You can also share what you are knitting or crafting on for "Keep Calm and Craft On" at Frontier Dreams.