Renewal

I love the rituals of spring. I don’t think I’m prone to Seasonal Affective Disorder–not here in Colorado, at any rate. (We get 300 days of sunlight a year.) But I do feel incredible relief when winter finally ends. I love the sense of hope that comes when the days grow longer. I always make […]

Kealakekua Bay

On Saturday, we hiked down the coast to Kealakekua Bay. When we got to the bay, we found the marker commemorating Captain James Cook. I like the neutral phrasing: “Cook met his death.” Sounds much better than what actually happened. Being more of a geek than a history buff, I kept thinking the plaque should […]

Lava fields

The Big Island is full of lava fields. Juxtaposed with the fancy resorts and their lush tropical flowers, the lava looks rustic and unfinished. It’s like seeing a huge construction site sprawling out beside a perfect model home. Along the Mamalahoa Trail, the lava revealed ancient petroglyphs and carvings. We walked on the King’s Highway, […]

Kona Coffee

So I went to Hawaii and got almost no knitting done. So much for my big plans to finish my new shawl. Can you tell I’m not sorry? Here is my one-and-only Gratuitous Photo of Yarn, taken at Java on the Rock, a great coffee house in Kona. Maybe I didn’t knit much, but I […]

To the sea again

After a short time in Colorado, we returned to the ocean. Most of my friends are in Wisconsin right now, facing an Endless Winter, and I’ve been conflicted, deeply conflicted, about the privileges I enjoy, and the beautiful places I get to see. Author Stephanie Pearl-McPhee recently wrote a post about the guilt she felt […]

Scala

My puppy Dulcinea absolutely loves this Scala shawl. It’s the tempting tassels, of course. Mithril also likes the dangling ribbon yarn. He had fun helping me make it. So, yeah. I’ve worn this shawl maybe twice in two years. But that will change soon. I’m taking the shawl on vacation with me, where the furry […]