For me there are several signs to indicate spring is on the way.
When the garden starts so show signs of life. This includes when the witch hazel blooms. But that's so early that I don't really consider it spring. It's just heralding that winter may be on it's way out - in six weeks or so. But when the forsythia blooms, now that's a sign that spring is on its way here in the Northwest. The shot of bright yellow on a mature bush covered in blooms, feels like sunshine on even the most gray and rainy days. I even saw two evergreen clematis in bloom yesterday - their creamy white flowers gracefully draping a fence. Gorgeous.
When you can begin to smell things again. I grew up in the Midwest. C O L D winters. I noticed outside smells disappear when it's cold. In the spring, the rain has a different smell, the earth has a smell, and the first spring blooms have a smell. To me it's the smell of hope and new things.
When the birds wake you rather than the alarm clock. This is one of my favorites. We are not quite there yet, but it's only a matter of a couple weeks.
When the neighbor kids come out of hibernation. This is my favorite. There is one magic day each spring when you see kids again. A day where parents didn't send them outside, they went out on their own. Here, that magic day was yesterday. The time change means that it's light until 7 pm - not dark already by late afternoon. It was forecast to rain, complete with thunder, but didn't. The sun was in and out of the clouds instead. And in the late afternoon, before dinner, there were a half dozen kids outside playing. (Dinner, here, means the evening meal. Not lunch. But I digress...)
When the kidlet was little, this was a boys neighborhood. All boys and only one girl. Spring games usually involved some sort of made up ball game in the street. It's become a girls neighborhood over the past few years, with only two very young boys. Now, its sidewalk chalk and hopscotch. Yes. Hopscotch.
It doesn't really matter the type of games. Or if it's a boy neighborhood or a girl neighborhood. The sound of them playing again - outside - is like having the birds rather than the alarm clock wake you up.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
New Japanese Flower Scarf
I've blogged about finishing my Japanese Flower Scarf while I was away. I could have taken pictures of it while we were in Maui but alpaca and sandy beaches just didn't seem to go together very well.
I could have taken pictures over the weekend, but it poured rain and the lighting seemed dark. Today while it was raining, I took a quick break and decided to block it. Even with all the pins it looks so much better.
So what do you think happens? The clouds clear late afternoon, early evening and the sun comes out. I mean the real sun. The kind that leaves shadows. The kind that feels warm on your skin. D'oh! I could have blocked it over the weekend when it was yucky and I would've been ready to capture the perfect pic when the sun peaked out. We will all just have to wait I guess.
When I finished the blue one, I started another. This time in grey, dusty pink, and dusty purple. Same delish alpaca yarn. It is a super fun pattern and comes together so quickly.
I decided on a different layout for this one. Instead of nesting the flowers together I placed them side by side. Which leaves a good sized hole in the center of each 4 flower grouping. I filled the hole with another smaller, layered flower. And if I don't say so myself, I think it's pretty darn cute.
Here's a close up of the little flower. Pretty and sweet.
And the bigger flower. This will definitely need to be blocked, but right now it is relaxed, drapey goodness. I have been much better about weaving in the tails as I go. It looks much cleaner as I work on it and the task at the end is only a few ends rather than what feels like a gazillion.
And the Unusually Helpful Helper - Max. Helping.
Max thinks yarn is the best thing... ever. See how helpful he is?
With all of this help I decided to wrap up the photo session a little early. I went into my office/guest room/project room to download my new pics. And my Unusually Helpful Helper decides to lie on the un-pinned portion of the blue scarf!
Dude! You've already had loads of pets and snuggles today.
Thank goodness I am not paying for this kind of assistance.
I could have taken pictures over the weekend, but it poured rain and the lighting seemed dark. Today while it was raining, I took a quick break and decided to block it. Even with all the pins it looks so much better.
So what do you think happens? The clouds clear late afternoon, early evening and the sun comes out. I mean the real sun. The kind that leaves shadows. The kind that feels warm on your skin. D'oh! I could have blocked it over the weekend when it was yucky and I would've been ready to capture the perfect pic when the sun peaked out. We will all just have to wait I guess.
When I finished the blue one, I started another. This time in grey, dusty pink, and dusty purple. Same delish alpaca yarn. It is a super fun pattern and comes together so quickly.
I decided on a different layout for this one. Instead of nesting the flowers together I placed them side by side. Which leaves a good sized hole in the center of each 4 flower grouping. I filled the hole with another smaller, layered flower. And if I don't say so myself, I think it's pretty darn cute.
Here's a close up of the little flower. Pretty and sweet.
And the bigger flower. This will definitely need to be blocked, but right now it is relaxed, drapey goodness. I have been much better about weaving in the tails as I go. It looks much cleaner as I work on it and the task at the end is only a few ends rather than what feels like a gazillion.
And the Unusually Helpful Helper - Max. Helping.
Max thinks yarn is the best thing... ever. See how helpful he is?
With all of this help I decided to wrap up the photo session a little early. I went into my office/guest room/project room to download my new pics. And my Unusually Helpful Helper decides to lie on the un-pinned portion of the blue scarf!
Dude! You've already had loads of pets and snuggles today.
Thank goodness I am not paying for this kind of assistance.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Tsunami
I had gone to bed early Thursday evening. You know, a rough day in the sun wears you out. The Sweetie had gone for a walk along the path that runs along the Kaanapali Beach south of Black Rock. He came back and woke me saying there had been a massive earthquake in Japan and there was a Tsunami Warning in effect for all of the Hawaiian Islands.
We turned on the news and watched images of the earthquake and the tsunami as it swept across the Japanese countryside. It was horrible.
Hotels in Hawaii are required to have contingency plans in the event of tsunamis (hurricanes too). For our hotel, folks could go to the 5th or 6th floors, the highest in the complex. Our room was on the 5th floor, so life should be good. We had a direct view of the ocean.
Hmmm. Wait a minute - we had a direct view of the ocean! There was less than 50 yards between us and an unknown quantity of water with 3 palm trees to slow it's progress. The only thing between us and the water were the 4 floors below us and the sliding glass door at 3:07 a.m. when it was forecast to hit. It was the sliding glass doors that gave us pause.
We watched the news some more and decided to move to one of the neighborhoods just to be safe. We packed our bags, bottled water, borrowed a couple of pillows from the hotel and drove to a residential neighborhood uphill from the hotel for the night. Not the most comfortable evening we've ever spent together. The pillows were the smartest thing I've done in awhile. There were other tourists parked along the same street.
The tsunami warning sirens sounded every hour. Not the most comforting sound. They sound for a long time. The emergency broadcast system went into effect on television and radio. Comfort stations - schools mostly, were opened for folks who lived in low lying areas. The Red Cross was careful not to call them shelters as there had been no disaster yet. Low lying roads and highways were closed as many run right along the coast. The Sweetie followed events on Twitter. I was sending text messages to one of my brothers and sister. They were texting back information they were seeing on the news.
The tsunami hit a little later than forecast. In Maui the sea rose 7 feet - but not in all areas. We didn't see anything because of our location and it was dark, dark, dark. The stars were magnificent. At 5 a.m. Friday morning we decided to head back to the hotel. The all-clear was posted around 8 a.m. Vacationing families were coming back to the hotel, throughout the morning, looking like zombies, carrying sleeping children and all of their belongings. I don't think many folks on the islands had a good nights sleep.
Friday morning was our scheduled checkout. Rumors were everywhere. The hotel staff, while very helpful was short staffed. The airport was closed. The airport was open. Highway 30 - really the only route out of west Maui - was closed. No, it was open. There were traffic jams in Kahului where the airport is located. Generally, a lot of confusion.
From our room we could see the high water mark in the sand. It was higher than usual, but not much higher. There were few people walking and jogging along the path that's usually crowded with people. There were only a few people on the beach. There was this one woman who had set up a beach chair facing the sun - with her back to the ocean. Wow. Really?
Happily we made it to the airport. We could where waves had brought sand over the highway. Maalaea Harbor was nearly empty as all of the boats had anchored out of the harbor. The water was brown and muddy far beyond the harbor. We heard there were more issues in the Kihea area with mud and sand on the roads. Happily, we made it back home safe and sound. Cold and rainy, but home.
I have not forgotten for a moment how fortunate we were. It turned out to largely be a non-event. I have second guessed our decision to leave the room, but the outcome could have been very different. Hindsight is 20/20. As more information and images come out of Japan, I count my blessings.
We turned on the news and watched images of the earthquake and the tsunami as it swept across the Japanese countryside. It was horrible.
Hotels in Hawaii are required to have contingency plans in the event of tsunamis (hurricanes too). For our hotel, folks could go to the 5th or 6th floors, the highest in the complex. Our room was on the 5th floor, so life should be good. We had a direct view of the ocean.
Hmmm. Wait a minute - we had a direct view of the ocean! There was less than 50 yards between us and an unknown quantity of water with 3 palm trees to slow it's progress. The only thing between us and the water were the 4 floors below us and the sliding glass door at 3:07 a.m. when it was forecast to hit. It was the sliding glass doors that gave us pause.
We watched the news some more and decided to move to one of the neighborhoods just to be safe. We packed our bags, bottled water, borrowed a couple of pillows from the hotel and drove to a residential neighborhood uphill from the hotel for the night. Not the most comfortable evening we've ever spent together. The pillows were the smartest thing I've done in awhile. There were other tourists parked along the same street.
The tsunami warning sirens sounded every hour. Not the most comforting sound. They sound for a long time. The emergency broadcast system went into effect on television and radio. Comfort stations - schools mostly, were opened for folks who lived in low lying areas. The Red Cross was careful not to call them shelters as there had been no disaster yet. Low lying roads and highways were closed as many run right along the coast. The Sweetie followed events on Twitter. I was sending text messages to one of my brothers and sister. They were texting back information they were seeing on the news.
The tsunami hit a little later than forecast. In Maui the sea rose 7 feet - but not in all areas. We didn't see anything because of our location and it was dark, dark, dark. The stars were magnificent. At 5 a.m. Friday morning we decided to head back to the hotel. The all-clear was posted around 8 a.m. Vacationing families were coming back to the hotel, throughout the morning, looking like zombies, carrying sleeping children and all of their belongings. I don't think many folks on the islands had a good nights sleep.
Friday morning was our scheduled checkout. Rumors were everywhere. The hotel staff, while very helpful was short staffed. The airport was closed. The airport was open. Highway 30 - really the only route out of west Maui - was closed. No, it was open. There were traffic jams in Kahului where the airport is located. Generally, a lot of confusion.
From our room we could see the high water mark in the sand. It was higher than usual, but not much higher. There were few people walking and jogging along the path that's usually crowded with people. There were only a few people on the beach. There was this one woman who had set up a beach chair facing the sun - with her back to the ocean. Wow. Really?
Happily we made it to the airport. We could where waves had brought sand over the highway. Maalaea Harbor was nearly empty as all of the boats had anchored out of the harbor. The water was brown and muddy far beyond the harbor. We heard there were more issues in the Kihea area with mud and sand on the roads. Happily, we made it back home safe and sound. Cold and rainy, but home.
I have not forgotten for a moment how fortunate we were. It turned out to largely be a non-event. I have second guessed our decision to leave the room, but the outcome could have been very different. Hindsight is 20/20. As more information and images come out of Japan, I count my blessings.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
More Maui
One of my favorite Maui beaches - Ho'okipa Beach Park. Surfers in the morning, windsurfers and kite surfers in the afternoon. This is reputed to be one of the best windsurfing spots in the world. I don't know about that but it is great fun to watch these talented individuals.
My second favorite beach is Bonzia/Pipeline on the Norshore of Oahu in the winter months. The surf can be so large that you can feel it in the sand at your feet when the waves crash.
Looking into the crater at Haleakala. We have hiked part of the Sliding Sands trail in the past. Living at sea level we were sucking wind at 10,000 feet. A bit chilly too. The colors are absolutely stunning earlier in the morning.
My second favorite beach is Bonzia/Pipeline on the Norshore of Oahu in the winter months. The surf can be so large that you can feel it in the sand at your feet when the waves crash.
Looking into the crater at Haleakala. We have hiked part of the Sliding Sands trail in the past. Living at sea level we were sucking wind at 10,000 feet. A bit chilly too. The colors are absolutely stunning earlier in the morning.
Close up of the Silversword, which is unique to the upper elevations of Haleakala. It grows only here and under extreme conditions. It is a gorgeous plant in person.
And another awesome sunset.
What a great day.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Humpback Whales
So, you wouldn't think this blog would have anything to say about humpback whales. Unless you saw them. Live. Not on an insurance company commercial. They are just so cool 'in person'.
A large portion of the humpback whale population winters in the Hawaiian islands. Smart. I mean, wouldn't you hang out here from late October until April if you could?
Here they do two things. Give birth and mate.
They give birth to live young - baby whales the size of Ford Broncos.
Right after that it's a booty call. I can't believe I just typed that. Seriously, they mate in the same season after giving birth. The ladies slap their pectoral fins on the water in a "Hey Sailor, can I show you a good time" sort of way.
And the boys come running. They breach out of the water, perform tail slaps, head slaps, spy hops to attract the attention of a special lady. There is an entire vocabulary of whale behaviors. I'm told in the humpback world, bigger really is better. Nope, I didn't just type that either.
When they mate and the female determines she's pregnant it's off to Canada and Alaska, the summer feeding grounds. While in the islands, they don't eat and may lose as much as a third of their body weight. Funny, that never happens to me when I'm here.
One of the boys - showing off.
While still endangered, their numbers are improving from about 100 in the 1970's to around 12,000 in the Maui area in 2011. There are so many you can easily watch them play right from the beach. How cool is that? Right?
Our little point and shoot camera was a bit overwhelmed trying to capture the images. They were at a distance and moved more quickly than we were able to capture. There are a lot of images in the delete pile - just a lot of water and a splash. I suddenly had lens and rapid shutter envy. Perhaps bigger is better.
A large portion of the humpback whale population winters in the Hawaiian islands. Smart. I mean, wouldn't you hang out here from late October until April if you could?
Here they do two things. Give birth and mate.
They give birth to live young - baby whales the size of Ford Broncos.
Right after that it's a booty call. I can't believe I just typed that. Seriously, they mate in the same season after giving birth. The ladies slap their pectoral fins on the water in a "Hey Sailor, can I show you a good time" sort of way.
And the boys come running. They breach out of the water, perform tail slaps, head slaps, spy hops to attract the attention of a special lady. There is an entire vocabulary of whale behaviors. I'm told in the humpback world, bigger really is better. Nope, I didn't just type that either.
When they mate and the female determines she's pregnant it's off to Canada and Alaska, the summer feeding grounds. While in the islands, they don't eat and may lose as much as a third of their body weight. Funny, that never happens to me when I'm here.
One of the boys - showing off.
One of the calfs clowning around.
"Look mom! Mom, look at what I can do. Are you looking? Look! Did you see that, mom? Mom? Mom!"
While still endangered, their numbers are improving from about 100 in the 1970's to around 12,000 in the Maui area in 2011. There are so many you can easily watch them play right from the beach. How cool is that? Right?
Our little point and shoot camera was a bit overwhelmed trying to capture the images. They were at a distance and moved more quickly than we were able to capture. There are a lot of images in the delete pile - just a lot of water and a splash. I suddenly had lens and rapid shutter envy. Perhaps bigger is better.
Ma halo.
Maui
Life's a beach.
Several months ago the sweetie booked a trip to Maui. The trip has finally arrived. We have been to Hawaii several times visiting most islands (except Molokai and Lanai). It's been a few years since we were last here and I can tell you it's as wonderful as always.
The first couple of days were rainy. No worries, because there are a lot of things to do in the rain. Besides 75 to 80 degrees in the rain is so much better than the weather on much of the northern mainland. No complaints here.
View from just outside where we are staying looking over to Molokai.
The 'Magic Bus' at a swap meet. It was more Farmers Market, Craft Fair than real Swap Meet.
Several months ago the sweetie booked a trip to Maui. The trip has finally arrived. We have been to Hawaii several times visiting most islands (except Molokai and Lanai). It's been a few years since we were last here and I can tell you it's as wonderful as always.
The first couple of days were rainy. No worries, because there are a lot of things to do in the rain. Besides 75 to 80 degrees in the rain is so much better than the weather on much of the northern mainland. No complaints here.
View from just outside where we are staying looking over to Molokai.
The 'Magic Bus' at a swap meet. It was more Farmers Market, Craft Fair than real Swap Meet.
There are more and more 'wild' chickens and roosters on Maui. Not nearly as many as on Kaui, but more than years past. We even saw them at the rental car place.
I'll post the name of this location as soon as I find it. Don't happen to have it at my finger tips as I sit in this deck chair. Rough life. ('Iao Needle) There was a famous battle fought here.
The clouds parted just long enough for this fabulous sunset taken from our room.
I finished the City Tracks quilt top before I left home, but I can post pics any time. I also finished the Japanese Flower Scarf - yesterday. Still need to take pictures.
I will post about all of the whales around the islands when I have some photos. You can see them playing with their new babies and the boys showing off trying to attract girls right from the beach. Pretty amazing.
Aloha!
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