sara with camera

Knitting for Ali

So I knit a scarf for Ali & then went into a panic- what if it was too short (yarn shortage- one ball pulled from the stash, the other 2 shipped from Wildflower Yarns in Manhattan, KS...the last two Kennita had: she totally saved the day)?  So, the next day I bought more yarn & cast on a new scarf.  Turns out, they're exactly the same length because scarf #2 is so chunky that it doesn't need an extra wrap around the neck.  It's the Cinder pattern from Jared Flood and it's made from Rowan cocoon (80% wool/20% kid mohair) in Tundra (muted gray-brown).  I love it.  Such an easy knit (3 days with other things going on)...just one or two cables every 8 rows in bulky yarn.

That's Ms. Anderson, Auden's teacher.  I'm your worst parent nightmare, obviously.  Who makes their kid's teacher model a scarf?  I owe you other Sarah.  Of course, she modeled scarf #1 too (see below)!  It's the Reversible Cable Scarf from Knits Men Want (if I were going to gender tag this one, I'd not go with the male one, but whatever) knit up in Rowan Cashsoft 4ply which is 57% extra fine merino wool, 33% microfiber, & 10% cashmere in gray.  It took awhile to knit- like weeks.  Not an easy knit (one or two cables every other row), but I'd absoultely do it again.  Soon. 

And, that's Auden's class minus him (voluntarily hop in front of the lens? NEVER) & one more.  And, how amazing is it that I get a Jaryn (far right) hug every once in awhile? The most.  Hope you have a great week!  Love, Sara

Goodnight.

Marfa, Texas

Ok, so that last one's not in Marfa but in Van Horn (and it's my favorite of the group).  While we were in Marfa though, we stopped in at an exhibition at the Eugene Binder gallery.  The super wide door was open & the guy attending the exhibition was sitting in his very old red truck outside, reading a book.  I liked half of the paintings by Yelizaveta Nersesova.  Of course, there were a few others too.  You can kind of see the whole exhibition by going to the gallery site- it's just not quite the same. 

I think I'd really like Marfa, but didn't really get the chance to know it because we went through on a Sunday afternoon & just about everything was closed.  One day I'll go back. On a Friday night.  Without kids.  & next time I'll skip Dairy Queen where the assistant manager nearly bit my head off for nothing.  Lots of times I'm a giant pain & it doesn't bother me a bit when the person responds in kind, but You, DQ sub manager, were out of line.  Like I wasn't already irritated that I had to eat at a chain restaurant when I was in a new town & Auden's ice cream sandwich had paper in it (fragment, I know). Anyway.

Now, for the best news ever: I have a job! 

Hope you have a great week.  Love, Sara

Oh, and I wanted to say that I love the Holiday Inn sign because I remember passing one just like it everytime we headed to Beaumont when we were kids.  Right, mom?

Big Bend

Century Plant or Havard's Agave

Casa Grande

Purple Prickly Pear

Ocotillo in bloom

Somewhere along the Window Path

Weeping Juniper or Mexican Juniper

The Century Plant pre-bloom.

Santa Elena Canyon (Left side: Mexico, Middle: Rio Grande, Right: Texas).  Cheat: This is really Dad's photo...I have a lot to learn about landscape editing (and lots more for that matter).

I've wanted to camp at Big Bend since elementary school, but never had the chance until this last weekend.  The Chisos Mountain Basin was all it was cracked up to be (the rest was a little too much like El Paso which is old hat to me now).  There were deer winding their way through the campsite first thing in the morning, and the landscape was something out of a very old cowboy movie.  All of Saturday a song out of Three Amigos ran through my head (you know, that one where they're gathered by the campfire on their way to confront El Guapo). 

Auden & Matti had just as much fun as I did (and Chris enjoyed it even if he hated the drive).  Auden said that Schlitterbahn was better, but Big Bend was next best.  It probably wouldn't have been quite as great if we had had to sleep in a tent (I hate tents; old bones).  Dad had his camper along & shared (then again, if we'd been in a tent, Matti wouldn't have fallen on my head in the middle of the night).  All in all, we hiked 6 miles & I'm ready to go back for more someday soon (once I forget how long the drive is).  The drive down was dark so I had no idea what desolate landscape we were cutting through, but on the way back I couldn't stop wondering why people would ever choose to live there.  Right on the Rio Grande I understand, but...  At some point, a bit before Alpine, it got better. 

So then there's Marfa. On the way down (Friday night), Marfa was Lit up.  It looked like there were great restaurants, bars, galleries, and other cool whatnot everywhere.  Not so much on a Sunday afternoon.  I was sort of disappointed (but then I had super high expectations).  I took a few photos and certainly could have taken more (but I worried about boring the snot out of Chris & the boys).  I'll post those next time.  Love, Sara

p.s. I really appreciate showers & hate sand even more than I already did.  I despise sand.  I didn't even like it when we were in Monterey, which is not desolate at all (and sand didn't even interfere with my clothes drying or house cleaning there).  I'm pretty sure hell is sandy- just putting that out there.

Prada Marfa

We left El Paso for Big Bend (where we met Dad, Aunt Anita, & Janet) Friday about 5 p.m. & so it was dark when we passed this insanely perfect art installation (Prada Marfa).  In the middle of nowhere (a bit before the town of Valentine, Texas- pop. 218 according to the sign), Chris & I saw a brightly lit building with designer shoes lined up, row after row.  I said something (figured it was an artist's doing once I was over the shock), and he just replied that he was glad I saw it too.  I wanted to stop to take photos, but was worried that we'd keep dad up even longer (it was about a five hour drive before the wrong turn & the move from mountain to central time).  While I didn't get my night shots, we did stop to get these on the way back (the boys were singing along to Foster the People's Pumped up Kicks while I was soaking up the art).  Isn't it fabulous?  Later this week, I'll post a few Landscape photos from our hikes & the ones I got in Marfa too.  Love, Sara