I love living here

This past weekend was bloody perfect weather- sunny & in the low 70s. Our garden is loving this rain/sun pattern. We went hiking both days with the dogs, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. Saturday we went out to South Slough to see all the skunk cabbage in bloom (but before they become odiously odoriferous). Here is a picture of me with the dogs along a boardwalk through the marshy areas. If you look closely, you might be able to see how gloriously sunny it is just past the edge of the trees in the open meadow.

Saturday we went hiking on an old (closed) logging road. The dogs had fun sniffing cougar scat and tromping through mud puddles in the low spots. Stitch even pulled me into the mud at one point, but I was wearing my waterproof hiking boots, thank goodness.

Friday we had people over for a sushi and game night. The games were pretty fun, and some of the sushi was tasty. Next time I guess we need to make sure people who know how to make sushi rice are in charge of it- we made half, but other friends took on the challenge of the other half and unfortunately it turned out poorly. But it was so fun to hang out with everyone, and meet one guy's new bride (she moved here from New York after their wedding). We really should do those night more often. I just wish some of the other people could come too. Babies do a doozie on your social life, don't they! Heh.

As for knitting, I've been on a hat-o-rama lately. I told a kid at the HS (my buddy when I was taking gymnastics) that I'd make him a slouchy beanie. Originally he wanted Rasta colors, but then he delivered me 3 skeins of super-bulky in burgundy, charcoal, and creme. I assumed he wasn't able to find the colors he wanted, and made a ribbed, slouchy beanie with charcoal top & bottom, and the Rasta colors striped in the middle. He saw it at the beginning of last week and said "oh, I wanted those colors I gave you." Damn.
Take 2- I design a pattern (with argyle charts!) for gymnastics bud. I finish the argyle hat and no sooner do I find another kid who wants the 1st hat when my buddy sees the other guy wearing it and says "oh, that's so cool, it IS just what I wanted!" Double damn! Knit the 1st hat again with slightly different colors and finally deliver it to him. Now I'm knitting myself a pretty hat in black alpaca with a tiny thread of gray to make it tweedy (it matches the scarf R brought me from Italy when we were in college).

Now I'm waiting for Eli to arrive, and tomorrow we are going to meet R down in the redwoods! Then Friday is my birthday, woohoo! And next week is Kauai- so excited! :D