Vacation Friday list

This week, A and I are planning a road trip with L. We have spent a lot of time with her this week, I think she will miss us when we go back to work next week!

We leave around 7:30 am and head to Portland. This is an excursion we promised her for her birthday last month. The main focus of the trip is the Cryptozoology Museum, but we will do lots of other things while we are there. Not really sure what a Cryptozoology Museum is all about, but L has been wanting to go. I’ll post and let you know more when I find out!

While we are there, we will go to Rockler so A can scope out a few more things, including router bits and clamps (on sale). So exciting as the more she spends, the more I can maneuver into craft supplies. lol.

We will go to the yarn store there that carries Quince yarn so I can see it, touch it, drool over it, and be able to order it by mail, with a clue what I am getting. I MIGHT have to buy just a little bit…

And we will go out to lunch somewhere in the Old Port, and then we will do a bit of shopping (probably the window variety) there and make sure we stop in at Papier Gourmet. L heard that they often have odd envelopes and things on sale. So we will probably buy things in there. 🙂

I emailed my sister to see if she can join us – no answer yet, but we will call her when we know about lunch, and see if she can join us. I think little E will be in school, so she may just be wallowing in peace, and not want to leave the house. But maybe she will want to visit with grown-ups and no 6 year olds. 🙂

On our way out of town, we will go to Trader Joe’s. I have never been there, so it will be a fun experience. We will have a cooler in the truck, so we can get almost anything we want.

Yes, you saw that right – truck. A has finally gotten the vehicle she wanted to rent last weekend – her 4 door Toyota Tacoma truck. She is excited to be able to go on such a long road trip with it, and not just to the dump and back 50 times. 🙂 Sadly, it has to go back on Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning. As she said “poof, the magic will be over, it will turn back into a Corolla”

That’s what Friday is all about this week – lots of fun! And lots of knitting, I will get to keep quite busy with 5 hours in the car. Can’t wait to show you what I am working on now, but that is another post.

what a great stretch of weather!

When we get beautiful days and cool nights, I can ALMOST get over no pool. 🙂

Because of the Monday holiday tomorrow, I am in the midst of a 4 day weekend – and we are having fun! Yesterday we drove down to Portland to do a little hobby shopping, but we started with a good breakfast at the Old Mill Diner on Rte 3 – boy they have good food and generous portions. If there is a comfort food they make it and make it well. Yum, I had eggs benedict, and couldn’t finish half of it. In Portland, A went to Rockler and saw in person all the things she has been dreaming about in the catalogs, and we bought plenty! Then I took my coupons over to Michael’s and got a few things there that I have been wanting, mostly Martha Stewart punches and kits. Here’s the thing that does get my goat though – kits! I only want some of the contents, but the pieces aren’t sold separately. I specifically mean the double-sided adhesive rub-ons for glittering, embossing and flocking. So I bought a kit, and was glad to have a 40% off coupon. Come on, Martha – let me restock my supplies without buying things I don’t need. Because I won’t do it forever, I will find a work around. Or just skip it entirely.

Anyway – then we stopped at LL Bean on the way back east – stocked A up on sweaters and turtlenecks. I got wool socks and a denim skirt. No, not an outfit!!! But I realized that too many of my wool socks have no heel left, and I never did learn to darn them. And I know wool sock weather is coming. The denim skirt is something I have been wanting to add to my wardrobe since losing all the weight, so it was GREAT to be able to grab one off the rack, try it on and buy it. Whoa! It has been years since that happened in that store.

Last stop heading home was A-1 Diner in Gardiner – we have driven by it so many times, and always wanted to stop – yesterday was it. Food was very good. Prices a little steep, I thought – 30 dollars for Mac and cheese, a BLT, a piece of cake and a cookie. No beverages.

We finished off the day out by going to see “The Help” at the Alamo theater in Bucksport. We both enjoyed it very much – and thought they did a good job following the book, although I thought they downplayed the violence of the era (and book) a bit, so you had to just take it on faith that the maids were right to be scared to help Skeeter. Thought the casting was absolutely fantastic – heavens! Everyone was just perfect for the role they had. Lots of great parts for strong women.

I got tons of knitting done – knit all the way down to Portland and back, and through most of the movie. I love a good circular stockinette knitting pattern! Can do it in the dark. If I ever go blind, I will just knit millions of these sweaters. I am working on another Good Karma yarn sweater – I love the first one I made, and so am doing one in shades of burgundy and gray. The wool/alpaca blend yarn is so nice and soft and warm.

So, since yesterday was all about helping the economy, today is all about chores. Power pellet lifting! We have three tons of pellets in the driveway that need to be down cellar. A’s sister L will be over this afternoon, and we will get our assembly line going. I get to sit on the rolly chair in the 4 foot section of the cellar while they slide 40 pound bags down a ramp at me. We will get in the groove and get those babies in and stacked. Then we will get a break and have some apple crumble I made on Friday, and feel all righteous for doing all that exercising. Tomorrow we plan a long bike ride on the down east sunrise trail. LL has been wanting to get us over there for weeks now, but scheduling has been tough. Tomorrow looks like a beautiful day for it.

Today seems like it might be the kind of day that has me sneaking off to jump in a lake, since the pool is gone…