Friday, September 12, 2008

Catching Up


The bad part about not posting here for awhile is that I have to figure out how to fit in all of the posts that I write while I'm driving (and not posting). 
 
For instance, there is the "Cross Country Vignette" that I noted while driving through Kansas one night.

There is a beautiful half moon setting low on the western horizon.  Kept me company until about 1:00.  The sky was clear and bright, stars brilliant on the black fabric of it.  I laugh with delight as I drive by the signs for the town of Mittens.  How could you ever be in a bad mood if you lived in Mittens?

See, I really need to just stop and post at moments like that.  Instead, I have a digital voice recorder the I tell these thoughts to.  Here's another:

Tonight as I approach El Paso, it is a glittering necklace of jewels spread out from horizon to horizon.  The varied colors and density tell me where Juarez lies.  El Paso proper makes a wonderful string of heavy jewels thinning out as the necklace winds around the mountains that lie north of the city.  There is lightening in the night that reaches down and seems to recharge the jewels as it touches down.

Don't you wish you could ride with me for awhile?  If you did, you could share this delight of California fruit stand shopping with me.
These are Spite melons.  They are a wonderful creamy fleshed melon with a sweet milky taste.  We got to sample them outside of Bakersfield.  Here was the display that greeted us as we entered that great fruit market

 
Those dusty green and pink fruits on the bottom are Pluots.  From what we could tell, they are a cross between plums and apricots.  They have names like "Dapple Dandy" and "Dinosaur Eggs".  Tony and I tried them all and couldn't pick a winner.  We will have to do further sampling and get back to you with the results.

In addition to the driving and fruit tasting, I am relearning how to crochet.  I miss doing artsy fartsy things and  after pondering, decided crocheting would help fill the gap.  Right now, I'm working on a neck warmer/turtleneck dicky thing for us to use this winter.  After I try one in mass market acrylic, I've got some wonderful dusty pink alpaca to do one for myself.  I'll look for another super soft yarn for Tony's.  I have to confess that I've been brushing Leo and saving the fluff - thoughts of doing some spinning are running around in my head.  Could I get my spinning wheel in the truck?!?

So, that catches us up.  We are in the Midwest heading on into Virginia and then  back to Texas.