preparing for winter's chill

The boys had so much fun mixing and matching and trying on our winter accessories, fresh from the laundry. Let's hope that this winter's weather does not require quite so much layering.

happy halloween

Our spooky hallway.



The boys hand out candy and pretzels.



After serving the masses, Logan and Owen suit up and hit the street for their own treats.

pumpkin night

Two boys and four pumpkins collided in our kitchen this evening. Logan favored the tall and skinny variety this year while Owen went for the large and round. Afterwards, we made caramel apples for a special treat.

gooseberry sweater

When faced with a self imposed deadline, I can usually muster up some extra special knitting mojo and whip through the stitches quickly. Despite a few hiccups (necessary pattern modifications, stitches that mysteriously appeared or dropped), this year's Rhinebeck sweater was cast on and finished in thirty three days (never mind that I was weaving in ends and sewing on buttons in the festival parking lot). I am very pleased with this sweater; it fits rather well, the color is exactly what I wanted, and it kept me warm while traipsing around in damp weather. Despite my success, I think that I should cast on for next year's sweater by the end of 2009--what's it going to be?

aarrgghh!

This afternoon, the boys and I had the opportunity to attend the Pirate Extravaganza in the Great Hall of the Depot. It was well attended by young and old, and we sat on the floor during most of the presentation. Scott Mitchen and his pirate crew entertained us with sword fighting and led the kids in a pirate parade. While my guys are pretty interested in all things pirate, they were ready for a change of scenery as the lecture/slideshow neared the one-hour mark. After escaping to the Children's Museum Moneyville exhibit for a bit, we checked out the real pirate treasure and headed for home.

the real stars of rhinebeck

No post-processing on this one; the smile is genuine.



This chocolate colored Icelandic ewe was sheared during a demonstration, providing Deb and I an opportunity to purchase her fleece "fresh off the sheep" (talk about knowing the origins of things we buy!)



Isn't it just lovely?



The colors really vary from light blonde to chestnut to chocolate brown and its dual coated fleece is super silky.

pumpkin perfection

Something to aspire to in Halloween carving this year? These are the work of master pumpkin carver, Hugh McMahon, whose entire display at the NY Sheep & Wool Festival was simply impressive. Sheep Gal captured a few more, if you're interested.

scenes from a wooly festival

This year, my cousin Colette joined Aunt Deb and I at the New York Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck. Despite the chilly temps and rain, we had another amazing visit--we chatted with farmers, learned about different sheep breeds, checked out the hundreds of vendor booths, and squeezed many a skein and fleece. I was particularly thrilled to find a beautiful black fleece from an alpaca named James Brown and a bag of washed Leicester Longwool locks, the featured breed this year. We were only an hour out of Rhinebeck when talk turned to attending next year's festival... Or, maybe we'll try the one in Vermont... Or, maybe the one in Maryland...



These canine rescue dogs were amazing frisbee athletes.



The Red Hook Spinners group competed in the Fleece to Shawl competition--carding, spinning, and weaving a shawl in just three hours!

a trip to harrisville

With just under 2000 people, Harrisville, New Hampshire, has been a National Historical Landmark since 1977. It is one of those old mill towns that comes to my mind when picturing typical nineteenth-century New England: picturesque, narrow roadways, and old red brick buildings built adjacent to the water.

Harrisville Designs opened in 1971 to preserve the area's textile heritage, and every time I visit them, I want to spend the whole day. The shop and studio space are open and welcoming, the designs unique, and the yarns beautiful and easy to knit. While in the shop on Friday, we had the opportunity to observe the warping of a loom. A time consuming process, this will then be handwoven, cut and attached to cardstock as samples of Harrisville's Classic Line yarn.

school playground

On the weekend lately, we have made multiple trips to Logan's school to play on the new playground. Today the boys were excited to take Grandma and Grandpa there and a fun afternoon was had by all.

boo at the zoo 2009

Mid-October means it's time for Boo at the Zoo. This annual event lets the kids trick-or-treat at the zoo and is the zoo's largest fund-raiser of the year. The weather was sunnier, warmer, and drier than it has been for years so it was very crowded and a lot of fun. Both boys recycled costumes from previous years - Logan as a kangeroo and Owen as a bumblebee. We went through the haunted house several times, collected a bunch of goodies, and even slowed down long enough to view a few animals.











After a week of overcast days and lots of rain, this lemur was lazily sitting in the window, barely able to keep its eyes open while soaking up as much sun as possible.

halloween surprise

The boys received a surprise package in the mail from Great Grandma - a remote controlled flying witch. After a quick charging up of the battery, a series of crash landings, and a bunch of belly-laughs, we finally obtained our broom pilot's license.

apples, apples, and more apples

Two bushels of MacIntosh and Cortland apples = 24 pints and 14 quarts of applesauce, 5 quarts of dried apples, apple cake, apple crisp and countless breakfasts and lunches. And we still have some left in the boxes! I guess we'd better bake more cake (it was gone within the day) and try Maya's mini galettes.

jacob and llama

With my trip to Rhinebeck approaching, I've been motivated to reorganize my fiber space--you know, just in case another sheep decides to share its wooly goodness with me (see last year's post).

First, Owen and I sorted and washed this cinnamon fleece from a Michigan llama named Tomas.





Next, we sorted and washed this gorgeous Jacob fleece named Moonglow.

Now, it's time to card and comb and spin. I've joined a fiber gathering group that meets at my LYS twice a month so that should inspire me. Stay tuned...

Happy October!

plums and pears from the weekend orchard visit

apple pickin'

This is the second year in a row we went apple picking in Bayfield. We returned to the same beautiful little orchard that we discovered last year. The boys love running around the trees and filling up the baskets. After a rainy start to the day, the weather cleared up for an absolutely beautiful afternoon. With the back of the van full of apples, we headed into town for ice cream and a very quick visit to the park before heading home.

great lakes visitor center

On the way to apple picking, we made a stop at the Great Lakes Visitor Center. We toured the exhibits, ate our pre-packed lunch, and communed with nature on the boardwalk. The boys enjoyed discovering the activity stations set up along the path. The trail was full of grasshoppers and one hopped on Owen's shoulder and hung out for a while (the boys named him Clyde).

sunprints

A few weeks ago, Logan reminded me that we hadn't played with our new Sunprint kit yet. With sunny days numbered heading into fall, we gave it a try. Although the wind provided some challenges (items were blowing off the paper, leaving partial images), we had a lot of fun experimenting and it was interesting to see what each of the boys chose to place on their paper. I would definitely recommend this activity for the three and up crowd.

two prints each by Tracy, Owen and Logan, from left to right

owen's train ride

We gave Owen a train ride for his birthday and he patiently waited all summer for us to actually schedule it. This weekend Tony took him to the depot, bought tickets, and together they rode the rails to Lester River and back. Most of the trip was spent in the open air car but the last few miles we moved into an enclosed car. An additional highlight was the steam engine that trailed us behind us on the way back.

fallfest 2009

This morning we attended Fallfest at Chester Bowl. Lots of crafty tents, food stands, and live music. The kids picked out pumpkins and spent time watching the glass blower. Before we left we stopped for some kettle corn.

the second grader

Logan started second grade today. The school renovated the playground over the summer so he came home with a bunch of little rubber pieces in his shoes. Mom made brownies to celebrate the big day.

gust lake morning

The one advantage of taking kids to the outhouse at 6:00 am is the beautiful photo opportunities of fog rolling over a perfectly still lake.

gust lake evening

Nights at the lake involved sitting around the fire and roasting marshmallows. Everyone had fun watching the "chimney" fire, a hollow log that shot flames like a volcano. Once in the tent, we read the boys bedtime stories by headlight.

on the water

Owen learns the joys of hooking his toy boat to a fishing pole.



Both boys took turns driving the pontoon boat. Grandpa was the dock captain, Logan was the island captain, and Owen was the middle captain.



Logan rowed Grandpa and Owen out to the island for some exploring.

a day in grand marais

We decided to drive into Grand Marais for an afternoon of fun. Activities included: eating pizza, buying donuts, perusing the art fair, visiting the Co-Op, climbing around Artist Point, shopping, and partaking in the fine art of throwing rocks into the water until your arm hurts.

gust lake afternoon

Owen spent a lot of time playing with the minnow bucket.



Logan learned to drive the SuperTryke and took Owen and Grandpa for numerous rides.



Logan shows off the dinner catch.



Owen helps Grandpa carry water jugs on a trip to the well.



Grandma bought eveyone musical instruments from when she attended the powwow.

the wheel is turning

The wheel has been dusted off and my spinning mojo is back. Now if I could only find some fiber around here somewhere...(ha,ha, replies the husband). This pink is a bit out of of my comfort zone and the end result too thick-and-thin, but it was good practice and I'm ready for the next project. Stay tuned...

trolley time

Another thing from the summer list of things-to-do: Ride the trolley!

two harbors for the day

In checking our summer list of things-to-do, the boys and I realized that we hadn't ventured up the north shore yet. Less than an hour later, we arrived at our destination. Often, the recipe for a good day includes getting outside; sometimes, you have to drive just a little farther.

more cottage days

After eating our favorite fish dinner at the Al-Gen Dinner Club, the boys stopped in the game room for some classic pinball action.



Logan learned a new card game and proceeded to play with Great Grandpa and others.



The road to the cottage is a great place to ride bike and Logan put on the miles on Wendy's old banana seat bicycle. Check out those handlebars!



Logan does a little morning reading by headlamp.



Owen learns the joys of shaking Yahtzee dice. Believe it or not, some of the dice even landed on the table.



Logan and Tony search for the ever-elusive Waldo and Wizard Whitebeard.



Owen reads books with Uncle Trevor.

cottage days

Frogs and spiders and mudpuppies, oh my! Much of our time at the cottage was spent observing animals. Some large spiders were found under the pier, numerous frogs were caught and released, but the discovery of the weekend was the mysterious mudpuppy. We also pedaled, paddled, or swam the river every day.