I just finished some of the Sunday night tasks - putting away clothes, gathering the garbage, making my lunch, getting out my clothes for tomorrow - and am having a pretty good feeling right now. No one particular incident caused it, but I made some progress today on some goals I'm working toward. Positive thoughts and forward momentum work wonders. Remind me of this when I wake up at that ridiculous a.m. hour tomorrow.
A brand new fused pendant is now available in the shop! Yes, that really is sparkle glass.
I made it back to the local kayak race series tonight after two weeks of not being able to go. What a blast. I got to try a real racing boat tonight like the one pictured. It has foot pedals to control the rudder. Press right, you go right. Press left, you go left. Very simple. Let me tell you that is a lot of boat to turn though when you're used to a little 14 footer. I noticed the wind affecting the sit-on-top style boat as well, but it really carved through the water nice. My recreational kayak kind of gets bouncy out there. In a perfect world, I would need two boats. From the results, my time was 24.63 with an average of 4.87 miles per hour. I could have gotten out and run faster, but the whole gravity thing would have impeded my progress. Makes me curious how fast I can swim.
Note: There was another wildlife incident. I nearly ran over baby ducks. I know! How horrible! There was my kayak and another in a narrow area and the other boat had startled them so they bee-lined right in front of me. I slowed and they all caught on real quick about what evasive maneuvers are. No baby ducks were harmed. The first night I went I was nearly attacked by a swan. Damn, that's a big bird.
As promised, here's a full report of the Randolph Arts and Crafts Fest, June 14-15. Saturday it rained about 70 percent of the time. My mom (and number one fan) was my companion and cashier. Thanks Mom! Together, we enjoyed watching the people dive from tent to tent for cover. Many gave up trying to stay dry and some abandoned wearing shoes altogether. One person was crusing around on a motorized cooler! Who knew such a thing existed?
Sunday there was sunshine, and since many of the same people come both days, we got to see them all dried out. We yelled out compliments from behind the table on their fresh new look. Sales were down from last year, but gas is twice as much, and I'm trying to fill my tank just like everyone else so that's understandable. Even my little Honda Civic is taking over $40 to fill.
Overall, it was a good time chatting with my mom, folks who stopped by and enjoying yummy lunches from Oregano's restaurant. They took our orders and delivered food right to our tent. My mom's new favorite thing there is the Monto Christo sandwich featuring ham and cheese on warm bread dusted with powder sugar with raspberry jam for dipping. An interesting and completely delicious combination. She let me have a bite.
Here are a couple of pictures from Saturday's adventure. See the bikes in the picture on the right? Click it to see them bigger. We heard a local ski resort was offering lift-and-ride tickets for mountain biking so you can imagine B and I were geeked to try that. As we rode up the lift, the storm that wasn't supposed to arrive for an hour showed up with a bolt of lightning in the distance. It's very unnerving to sit on a metal ski lift at a time like that - especially when it stops periodically. We got off without being turned into crisps, and rode as fast as we safely could down the rocky hill. Mud was spewing all over my back, front, everywhere. Way fun. They gave us a rain check, and I think this is the first time I'd received a truly literal rain check. Can't wait to go back!
A morning news-and-chat show stated that today would scientifically be the happiest day of the year. I was skeptical, but it sure did turn out above average.
It's the first day of summer here so that ups the percentage of happiness right there. Plus it's Friday. In addition it is mine and my husband's sweet 16 wedding anniversary. More happy feelings. We always write mushy cards to each other, but sometimes we don't really go out and do much of anything to celebrate. This time we had a plan though.
B loaded the bikes onto the car this morning, and we carpooled to work. (Saving money on gas = even more happiness.) At quarter after four I left to pick him up, and we drove to a nearby trail I discovered last winter and have wanted to share with him. The temperature was perfect, the only bugs were gnats (mmm, extra protein when you bike with your mouth open) and the company was exceptional. We road a short dirt single track to the paved canal path right to one of our favorite restaurants, the Coal Tower. Yep, it used to be an actual coal tower. A couple nearby seemed to be on their first date. While they navigated early-relationship chit-chat, we basked in old-married-couple easiness. The table wobbled with every bite B cut from his fish fry, but it was a pleasant dinner on the patio nonetheless. Back on our bikes, we road along the canal until we came to a big grassy park. We practiced doing wheelies (which have been impossible for me) until I had a pretty respectable one, the best I've ever done anyway. B's a good teacher. I was reminded of the first day I met him in Kung Fu class.
Working up an appetite for dessert, we went in search of ice cream. The local place only took cash, but I knew Ben & Jerry's took credit cards so that's where we ended up. OMG. It was fabulous. Did you know about the new Coconut Seven Layer Bar flavor? Directly form the B&J website: "Coconut Ice Cream with Coconut and Fudge Flakes, Walnuts and Swirls of Graham Cracker and Butterscotch." I had that and Phish Food - which is celebrating it's 10th anniversary by featuring chocolate fish and cows - in a giant waffle cone. It had to be over a pint of ice cream. I savored every last drop.
With chilly spots in our stomachs we stopped to listen to a marimba ensemble concert. We didn't linger long though as the sun started setting, and the trail would soon get dark. We worked off some of those ice cream calories as we sped back, but slowed as we heard a trilling ruckus near an old canal lock. At first we thought it was birds, but it was much more guttural. It turned out we were enjoying the sweet serenade of Chorus frogs! Listen here. A Happy Anniversary indeed.
There will be a full report of the craft show sometime this week. I'm still getting caught up on stuff I let go around the house to get ready for the show. Stay tuned!
Those of you who came and are checking out my Etsy shop, I'll be posting new items this week so be sure to check back if you don't see what you're looking for. It's bound to pop up.
What a busy week! I'm just finishing getting my stuff together for my craft show this weekend. Still lots of loose ends to tie up so I've got to get back at it.
Yesterday felt like deep summer, and as I sat on the front porch with B I declared I was going to go get some ice cream. I had just been musing that I can't count higher than 12 before another car flies past our house. I hate that. I grew up where half hours would go by at least in between cars. Ah, the good ol' days. That said, I can now walk less than a quarter mile to a store to buy ice cream. Still, I'd rather live where there are less cars, but I'll make the best of suburban life while I must.
I got to the Rite Aid and found Friendly's single cup sundaes so I got a caramel and fudge one, and I picked up a box of Edy's Dibs. I saw these on TV a while back. They are fabulous. I bought the vanilla covered in chocolate and bits of Crunch bar. Tasty! B and I did our grocery shopping last night so he could make his gourmet turkey burgers for dinner, but then we forgot the turkey. I was more than happy to go grab the turkey this afternoon, along with some more Edy's Dibs - mint this time.
Yesterday is was 92 degrees and 90% humidity, and I volunteered to demo lampworking at a nearby studio. When it is 10 below in the middle of January, the torch will offer absolutely no heat. You will chatter and struggle to keep your twirling hand steady. When it's 90 degrees however it seems like you are sitting near a campfire. Maybe it's all in my head, but the owner of the studio actually turned her torch down a bit because she was feeling it too. I was sweating more last night sitting still than I do working out. You know when you can feel it pooling in your eyebrows? It was like that. Suffering for my art, hehe. I made roughly 20 beads and can't wait to see them. They stayed at the studio overnight to cool and anneal, and I'll get them later this week. Something to look forward to! I felt really good about how they looked going in, but until you see it finished you just never know. I tend to be my own worst critic.
The easy bake oven is on right now. I wonder how many other people who didn't have that childhood toy now have kilns?
I love my Tevas like no other pair of shoes I have ever owned. Alas I have worn the old ones down so it is time to replace them. They have gone lots of places: from the Adirondacks to Hawaii, on every kayak trip and up the streets of every festival I've ever been to in the last five years. It will be a bit sad to part with them. Happy birthday to me; I'm finally spending my birthday money from my folks. Thanks Mom and Dad! I just placed the order online for the ones pictured here. They are called Terra-Fi. Awesome name. I told my boss we should be allowed to wear them to work. He said he didn't mind. We may just see - at least on Fridays. I'll wear my pretty rope ones on all the other days.
Perhaps they will be here in time for my next kayak race! I just went to a timed racing series that started tonight and what a good time that was. I was nearly assaulted by a swan, and then laughed at by a fellow racer who thought that was the funniest thing. There were even hot dogs and beer after. I can't stomach the taste but still cool for everyone else. I drank the bottled water. I just borrowed a boat 'cause I was too lazy to get mine on my car, but I plan to go paddling tomorrow so I better go get it rigged up. There's a 50/50 chance of scattered thunderstorms, and it's going to be in the 80s! Let's hope the storms scatter far from where I'll be.
Here are some new pendants I made that I'll be bringing to the show in a couple of weeks. Read more about how I made them here.
I was in a green, watery, naturey sort of mood. I'm in that mood a lot. I went kayaking last Tuesday with ADK on the lake and what a blast that was. Two hours of battling waves is really tiring though. I'm usually that person that wants to hike just a little bit farther, snowboard down the hill just one more time, come on let's stay out a little bit longer, but I was ready to go in at about the hour mark. It was barely 60 degrees out, and I went straight after work so that'll account for the energy zap. I'm sure I'll get stronger as the season progresses.
Mountain biking tomorrow! Now that's all a state of mind. The best state of mind is to take chances and no second guesses - within your capabilities. However, thinking you can is more than half of what will make for a successful run or that lack of which will send you tumbling down the hill.
