Weekend update

Posted on September 4, 2019 by Patti_is_knittinginflashes

My SIL loved the sock and it fit her tiny foot perfectly. So I’ve begun sock #2 and have the ribbing and two pattern repeats finished so far.

Our motorcycle trip went well. We got to try out our new helmets (with communication devices) and our new rain suits. We don’t talk much while riding but sometimes I can see the route we need and remind Mr. Aitch when he doesn’t notice it so it can save us some backtracking. Fortunately, the rain suits were really only needed the first 15 miles on our way home but we kept them on the rest of the 4-hour ride. Win-win.

Adventures in NH

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Patti_is_knittinginflashes

When riding a motorcycle 600 miles, one must be prepared for inclement weather. We started out in our rain suits because everything was wet. Good thing we did as we hit rain less than seven miles from our house.

It rained off and on most of the morning. I kept checking my phone weather app to see if we could remove those hot suits. Mr. Aitch took off his rain jacket when we stopped for fuel when this popped up. We are the blue dot.

We hung out there for about an hour while waiting for the rain to lighten up and spent the night near Albany, New York.

From Albany, New York to my brother’s house in New Hampshire was a better ride and beautiful weather.

My brother, sister and I went to the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Fair and I met Carrie Cahill Mulligan of cmhats fame.

I’ve never met a knitter that wasn’t nice. She is so warm and friendly and her hats are incredibly beautiful! My favorite one is the grey and tan hat hanging just above my head in the photo. Her hand embroidery is divine.

There were so many things to see that I forgot to take photos. I did fish out my phone for a photo when I saw this quilt by Jane Frenke. I love the bright colors and irregular edges. After doing some research I discovered her studio is about and hour and half away from me Small world.

We also worked on a very challenging jigsaw puzzle that my sister-in-law gave to my brother a few years ago and was never completed. More about that on another day.

Three days of warm, sunny weather and then it started to rain. On the day we left.

This time we spent the night in Scranton, PA. Our boots were damp and Mr. Aitch’s glove were wet so we propped them over the fan in our room while we went for dinner.

Rain showers were in the area when we got up on the last day of our trip so we decided to take our time at breakfast. We donned our rain suits before we left the hotel though the radar was relatively clear. Pop-up showers were in the forecast but after mostly sunny skies and the heat of the day, we decided to get out of those hot rain suits.

Thirty minutes later…

Again – we are the blue dot.

We managed to get off the highway just as the skies opened up. You can see by Mr. Aitch’s shirt that we did get a little wet. We decided to have lunch hoping the rain would once again subside. It didn’t. After an hour wait we braved the rain and headed home.

To mostly sunny skies.

The art of being spontaneous

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Patti_is_knittinginflashes

I like plans. I like to know what’s going on. Being spontaneous is something I have to plan.

I work an eight-hour day Monday through Friday but in the summer I work four ten-hour days and have Mondays off. Those three-day weekends are great!

Mr. Aitch is semi-retired. He plays in one community band in the summer and a different one during the school year. He also has a part-time job and works two days a week. Plus he is the choir director at his church. For him to have a weekend off is rare. Very rare.

Two weekends ago Mr. Aitch had a three-day weekend that coincided with mine. We didn’t have a lot of time to plan a get-away so we thought about some places we wanted to go that weren’t too far from home and that we could manage in three days. On the Harley.

I spent several hours on the Friday planning our trip only to discover at 11:00 Friday night that the one thing we wanted to do and see was sold out. No tickets were available for two weeks. Bummer.

“How about Gettysburg?” I hadn’t been to Gettysburg since I was a kid and though we toured the battlefields in the car, we didn’t have a tour guide to point out interesting details but I wanted to go back and learn more about it as an adult.

In fifteen minutes we had a plan and room reservations for Saturday and Sunday nights.

Saturday morning we packed the Harley for the extended weekend and took off.

Cheese, crackers, and of course, a bottle of wine.

Gettysburg is only two hours from our house so it was a short enough ride that we could still do some things on Saturday. It was a beautiful day.

As we approached Gettysburg we saw more and more motorcycles. Groups of motorcycles.

The restaurant parking lot next to our hotel was packed with motorcycles.

Biker bar?

Our room wasn’t ready so we asked where we could get a bite to eat. The receptionist suggested the restaurant next door. Mr. Aitch said that it looked a bit crowded and a little rough. She looked at us a bit strange and said there were more places in town. I don’t know if you are familiar with Gettysburg but it is a small town. Hundreds of motorcycles were everywhere.

While we waited for our food, I decided to find out what was going on.

Bike Week in Gettysburg.

In my fifteen minutes of spontaneity in planning our weekend I did not stumble upon it being Bike Week in Gettysburg.

No wonder the receptionist thought we were a bit nuts when we looked for a quieter place to eat. We did explain later that we were unaware that it was Bike Week when we booked our room.

Most of the activities were held at a campground and I can only assume that most of the bikers were camping otherwise we wouldn’t have gotten a room.

We heard lots of stories from the bikers.