Lizard in Hangers

Well, one hanger, actually. Karen's airplane's hanger to be exact.

Mikey got to hang out with the boys (Sidney and Jim), while the girls were otherwise busy: Karen was flying her mom-in-law down to San Francisco, over the Golden Gate, and back over the coast, while Polly and I were....knitting.

It was a nice way to spend Memorial Day, at the little airport that has the big air museum, Pacific Coast Air Museum. The planes below aren't in the Museum's area at STS; these are parked near a company that works on some of these old beauties:

It has always amazed me how planes are stashed on aircraft carriers... I saw my first 'folding' plane here at the PCAM airshow a couple of years ago.

Mike got to explore Howard's go-kart and the rest of the hanger.

At one point, it looked like he was sampling something ooky on the ground or living under this low metal shelve that runs around the inside walls of the hanger about 5 inches off the ground. "Don't eat the bugs," I admonished Mike. "You don't know where they've been."

And then Karen, Polly and I went flying while Mike stayed behind guarding the hanger.

Just kidding!

Well, sorta. We moved my truck into the hanger and Mike guarded the truck.

Oh, just side note: When Karen and Jean came back from their flight, Karen pulled up outside of the hanger. Mike watched the plane's approach with something akin to astonishment. Once Karen pulled to a stop, Mike moved closer to me, so he was in between me and the plane...and then he bobbed his head at the giant...bird. I wanted to tell him "Tastes like chicken!" but I restrained myself.

Instead of heading south, Karen gave Polly an aerial view of the west side of town, and then we headed west to the ocean, going feet wet between Tomales Bay and Bodega Bay. We flew north until we were off the Mendocino coast, then headed inland again. I had no idea there was a Buddhist monastery/retreat center up there. Here is one of the photos I shot. We respected their airspace and did not fly over, something many other pilots fail to do, apparently...

I've mentioned our favorite winery a couple of times here and in my Eggs In Hats blog. Well, in case you're coming out to the beautiful Napa-Sonoma-Mendocino wine country this summer, here's Teldeschi Winery:

If you'd like to see other photos from the flight, check out my Girls Go Flying Memorial Day 2006 photo album.

Memorial Day 2006

David Cole's Knitting Machine. 2005.

Yarn Ho

I freely confess that I am a yarn whore. It is my belief that one can never have too much yarn. Really. One can't. I know I am not alone. There are others out there, which is why the term SABLE was coined. SABLE, as in Stash Above and Beyond Life Expectancy.

Well, I just think that if you run out of yarn, you may die, so, I always make sure to have more yarn on hand than I can actually knit at one time. Given that I always have several WIP (that would be work(s) in progress) at any one time, I am doing my part in keeping yarn stores in business and the economy strong.

But. I will not steal yarn. Not that I am not tempted, but I do have a line that I will not cross, not matter how tempting the yarn.

Apparently, that line is a wee bit flexible for some people: Women Accused of Stealing Yarn

Well, I actually know of a woman who worked in a yarn store, and stole from that store to apparently help stock a yarn store she started with someone else. Since she didn't last long at the store she was a partner in, I can only guess that her thievery was more chronic than I and her former employer imagined. But, I digress.

More thoughts on stash:

Yarn is for enjoying, not for compulsively stashing - at least that's what I tell myself.
– Catherine, yorkiedog.blogspot.com

Don’t reorganize your yarn stash, the outcome is bad no matter what: you either realize you have way too much yarn and feel overwhelmed at all the knitting that you must do to exhaust your supply, or you realize that you have way too little and start thinking of where you can obtain more.
-- Kathy, www.Grumperina.com

I shall close with wise words by Sally Melville, designer and teacher: People who say they don't have enough patience to knit are precisely those who could most improve their lives by learning how.

But, buy your yarn, please. Don't steal. Unless, of course, you want to expiate your sin by giving me the yarn. In that case, please steal my colors.

Apparently, my line is a wee bit more flexible than I thought.

Lest there be an LIS entry without some knitting photos, herewith is a pair of socks I knit last week in my CERT class. With yarn, I might add, that neither I nor anyone else swiped.





























And now, to bed, to dream of hanks dancing in the air....

Apparently, I spoke too soon.

Today, it is raining. Again. Sixty percent chance of rain and thunderstorms all weekend.

So, Mike is doing what any lizard would do when he's getting ready to shed, there's no sun, it's breeding season, and The Alpha Human Female (that would be moi) is ovulating: Climb into the bathtub, and stay submerged.

What a difference a day makes...or a month, for that matter.

April:


May:



April:


May:




April:


May:


Along with there being actual sun and warmth lasting well into the evening after sunset, there is birdsong and frog chorales and an unseemly number of mosquitoes because people are still not dumping out stagnating water left behind by the heavy and prolonged rains of winter and spring.

Lest there be an LIS blog without an L or S, herewith is Mikey, modeling the scarf I made for Cheryl, who so kindly looked after him while I was gone.



Cheryl was assisted by Melissa H. and Martha, so I have things in the works for them, too.