Taking a rest

Spring has sprung here. We've seen our first flowers (crocuses and another blue flower that we're not sure of--the flora and fauna are all different here from what we know) The professor tested out his Manitoba butterfly identification skills today on a long walk with me--we saw one that he said was a Compton Tortoiseshell. By way of comparison, he mentioned that according to the historic records of butterfly spotting in Kentucky that he'd studied, someone saw a Compton Tortoiseshell there and it was very rare. Spotted only once in the recorded Kentucky history. So, we're learning about new moths and butterflies, too!

The dogs have "livened up" as is their practice come spring. They spend a good part of every afternoon and evening roughhousing as if there is no tomorrow. When we put them out in our small fenced yard, they have to be watched every second. Every new smell and noise riles them up. Their current research project involves excavating under the foundation of our garden shed (an entirely satisfactory shed which we'd prefer not to have undermined) because something lives under there. I'm not sure what it is, exactly, but I did see a gray furry bottom-bigger than a mouse or squirrel scoot faster than lightning when I let the dogs out one time. It might be a cat that shouldn't be in our fenced yard, but it might also be something a bit more wild. Gopher, perhaps? We've no idea. We're busy defending the shed!

Also, our schedules are busy, too. The professor is off on a research collecting trip for a few days this week; I just dropped him off at the airport. I've got several teaching and other social commitments too, and then at the very end of April, we're off to see family on a whirlwind trip on the U.S. east coast.

So, all that said, I am really enjoying every single sunny moment when I get to work quietly by myself! I just gave away some tickets to a special movie showing because frankly, the idea of sitting at home on my own, weaving or spinning or knitting and listening to my audio book--well, it sounded like pure delight. Every bit of sunny silence is fabulous. I even managed to nap yesterday through a neighbor's yardwork--with chainsaw-- after I came home from being in charge of family service at synagogue. I needed that nap!

In honor of that heaven--a nap on a sunny warm afternoon--I managed to catch my whirling dervishes at rest. When I come up the stairs to the second floor, I often see Sally. She's staked out my bed and gosh she's enjoying it! (She especially enjoys the wool counterpanes we leave on there so the bedding isn't quite so, umm, doglicious when we go to sleep.) She sometimes will even share space with me. If you look carefully at that first photo, you can see a white basket in the hallway, full of dog toys. Yup--that's the one! If you've seen a copy of Knit Green, you'll know more about that basket! It's now decommissioned and spends its days holding onto very important dog toys.

Harry is often guarding the first floor--here he is in the front hall, keeping the living room, dining room, and staircase upstairs safe from invaders.

Happy spring! I hope you get the chance for both long walks with dogs in the sunshine and... a bit of rest afterwards.

old town walk

I've sent off yarn to three of the four contest winners! Mickey, if you're out there, get in touch with me so I can send you a present!

While we were visiting my family in Virginia, we had an afternoon to ourselves. So, the professor and I took a walk that I've always loved. It's changed some, but it's also still very much the same.

We took a couple of metro trains to Alexandria. (I knitted the whole way.) At Braddock Road Station, I waved out the window to my father's old high school, George Washington, which is now a middle school. My dad grew up in Alexandria, so it's old stomping grounds to some extent. (Colonial home to some of our nation's most famous legislators AND Joanne's dad...)

When I was a teenager, my mother used to worry when I said I was going down to Old Town. The area near the Potomac River waterfront was gentrified; but the rest of King Street was not. She worried about the walk from the metro station down to the "good" part of town. These days, it's hard to find a part of Old Town that hasn't been gentrified! There's even a free trolley that brings people down to the waterfront, making a relatively long walk a bit less so. We took the trolley and started by the water.

First, we stopped in at the Torpedo Factory. I soaked up the art and visited with a family friend who has had a studio there for a long time. We wandered up King Street, taking in the sights. Along the way, we stopped for an ice cream (cup only, no cone, no kinds with cookies, since it's Passover!) and we ambled into a used book store.

Then we magically turned, away from boutiques, antiques, and bric-a-brack, to a knitting store. (yes, I know where they ALL are.) Knit Happens has a lovely selection of organic yarns, natural fibers, and, well, the kind of "plain vanilla" knitting yarns I like best. I used every bit of my will power not to buy up the place. Rather, I focused on talking to Holly and Michelle, the manager and "right hand woman" of the shop, and they were delightful!

Up, up we went along the street in the sunshine, enjoying the crowds and their dogs. Old Town is now famously dog friendly. Most the shops had water bowls by the entrances. Frankly, even the dogs looked well groomed and chic. We doubted Harry and Sally would be able to handle the social pressure!

Towards the metro station, I did see vestiges of the slightly grungy past of the area. In between the colonial-era townhomes and historic markers, there are still a few buildings that fit in between the old ones, complete with asbestos shingles. It was almost as if I reminded myself then--see, you weren't crazy. It used to be sort of dingy here!

Tired, we hopped back on the train(s) during rush hour back to my parents' house. I negotiated the rush hour crush and remembered how things worked as if on automatic pilot. Some things stayed the same. For instance, if the train approaching is WAY too full, just wait for the next one, it will be likely to be much less crowded. Other things (like the growing and changing metro lines, the crowds, the "new" fancy Virginia suburbs) are very different.

My family says I help them "see" the changes around them since I haven't lived in the DC area now for almost 11 years. Over time, they forget and think it's always been this way. I remember when my mom worried that I might get into trouble in the blocks between the metro station and the gentrified areas of Old Town. See? Things do change! Even in historic areas... but it's nice to take the same walks every now and again.

Do you have favorite walks? Where are they?