I'm probably one of the few voice teachers who, on a trip to Manhattan, didn't see a show. I even have the pictures to (dis-)prove it.
p.s. Mom and I did sing "Gary, Indiana" as a distraction whilst travelling through said city. Audience participation credit, right?
We rode the subway A LOT. If there were frequent flyer miles for riding the trains, we'd have come close to cashing them in for a free trip to Antigua. The mosaic art on the station and platform walls ranged from old-world classic to vivid contemporary expression, and was a beautiful distraction while running around. I was a bit fixated.
This billboard from the tunnel didn't quite fit into the rest of the slide show. It cries out for its own classification, but which I'm not sure. Oddity? Just Say No? Feel free to express your opinion in the sidebar poll.
I loved the landscape in the Allegheny-Pocono-Appalachian-whatever-range-I-forgot.
Why I Am a Lesbian, Reason #37. (If you can't read the back of his jacket, it says "White Trash Racing Team." Yeay, baby.)
This rest stop was stunning. Gary IN, please take note.
Dad shows his affections for East Coast driving.
Travel tale: the hotel where we were staying is literally one mile from the George Washington Bridge into Manhattan, on the Jersey side. Needed to make some very specific road maneuvers to get there; we didn't. Meema's new phone with GPS capability to the rescue!
The next picture doesn't give you any idea of the sheer terror that was our hotel's driveway. Imagine whipping around a corner of the New Jersey turnpike, then immediately veering right and sailing up the incline of a 75-foot jet carrier landing strip. (I'm standing in the doorway of the hotel lobby taking this picture.) There was much nervous laughter after we executed our first entrance, let me tell you.
(BTW, je déteste the pastel spotlights that broke out as the sun went down; the white ones were enough.)
There is something completely mesmerizing about being near that much rushing water - it's no wonder people have been drawn to leaping in and being carried away.
More to come...
Mom came away with two pairs' worth of Jojoland Melody sock yarn. 
My Toronto souvenir stash: Fleece Artist Flaxen, hand-dyed in Canada; Socks That Rock superwash, in Kawkaw; and a button jar of pinks for Kidlet's amusement. 
Stay tuned for more...
This being the last season for The House That Ruth Built, the Twins graciously handed the Yankees win after win.
Our seats were pretty fine.
Mom thought she'd eat her hot dog and then disengage from the game; truth be told, she and I never picked up our knitting.
If you look very closely, the Saint Paul's Episcopal youth group is situated under the DONUTS sign. Freaky coincidence.
Now batting for the Twins: Joe Mauer. Some guy in white pitched.
Granted, they only appeared when the Yankees were celebrating, but the dancing Fisher Price Little People made me smile.
Not a bad first night in the Big Apple.
For those who may not know me well, a confession: I can be a bit compulsive with a camera in my hand. On two separate choir tours to the British Isles (back in the days of actual 35mm film), I shot between 25 and 30 rolls on each trip.
In college (film again), I was the queen of dorm life photo documentation.
Now, with the digital age upon us and without the constraints of film processing loans, I often run amok with the camera, knowing things can be deleted and easily stored away without paper. On this road trip, I cruised through many, MANY batteries while snapping in tourist mode. And what, pray tell, was Meema's magic number of vacation shutter clicks?
1 , 5 6 3 Papa and Sis took an enormous pile of pics as well. We plan on getting together this week to help each other remember what the hell we were pointing our cameras at. Seriously, details have already begun to blur: Look, there's a building. There are a lot of freakin' buildings in New York. Don't expect to see all the photographic goodies right away; this girl needs her vacation recovery sleep. I'll start editing and making slide shows suitable for posting, for which you may ooh and aah appropriately.
Hey, another building.
See that building?
And yeah, it's a crappy nighttime photo of your average Saint Paul 4-unit building, but it's mine, dammit, and I get to sleep here tonight. Ahh. More - so much more - in the very near future.
We're on our way home, one person lighter (no pat-, mat-, or soro- types of events; sister just had to fly home early), and hanging our hats in lovely (? it's dark) Toledo, Ohio for the night. I wanted to scratch a few words to say
I MISS MY PEEPS.
Oh, yeah, and I love New York.
One could even say that I [heart] it.
Second day of the trip is behind us. We criss-crossed Michigan, entered into Canada without so much of a cursory glance at a driver's license, and made it to our first tourist destination: Toronto, specifically Lettuce Knit. If you don't read Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's blog regularly, do. It's so worth it to read this one all. the. way. back - she's that funny. Anyway, this is her LYS of choice, and I can see why. After visiting the neighborhood and shop (and purchasing several skeins - souvenir yarn doesn't count as stash, right?), I am completely chartreuse with envy. I came away loving Toronto as a whole and that 'hood in particular.
Second tourist destination: Niagara Falls, the Canadian side. Didn't intend to make it a nightfall trip, but it was quite lovely. And damp. Screw the hair, eh? The only complaint I and the rest of my crew have is that Canadians need BIGGER SIGNAGE in heavily touristed areas. It took us almost a friggin' hour to find the durn bridge to get across whatever water that was to the New York side. BTW, apparently the US Border patrol is trying to thin the herd. Just let us in, already...
Heading to New York today for the Big Game. Pray for us.
The Instructions: The Questions:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.
1. What is your first name? Angie
2. Favorite food? Mom & Dad's Spamwiches
3. What high school did you attend? Rosemount
4. Favorite color? cool red
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Melissa Etheridge
6. Favorite drink? ice cold limoncello
7. Dream vacation? laid-back Italy
8. Favorite dessert? pineapple upside-down cake
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? happy
10. What do you love most in life? Kidlet, and my family
11. One word to describe you? creative
12. Your flickr name? MeemaKnits
1. Angels, 2. Spam!, 3. Rosemount Munitions Plant, 4. Cool Red Crumpler, 5. Melissa Etheridge Eco-Friendly Street Team, 6. limoncello, 7. Capri, 8. Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, 9. I Love New York, 10. She Collects Seagulls by the Seashore, 11. "Creative Hands" - Mindy, 12. IMG_0819.JPG
I soooo want to knit this! Peggy has benevolently posted the pattern on her blog as a gift to the knitting universe. My stash of Merino 5 is calling me...
These are battle scars. From a dinner fork.
Ow. If you feel the need to see the photo from the ER, check this link. Not for the squeamish or sensitive mommy types. And we were only warned about the scissors...
And again I say ow.
This weekend J, Kidlet and I attended Rainbow Families' Family Camp, complete with s'mores, crafts, and swimming.
No boating to be had, as there were wicked whitecaps on the lake the entire time. All in all, a great first camping experience for Kidlet. What a trooper!
A basket here, under-the-bed containers there, an innocent bag hanging on a chair. The fiber is everywhere, and you have no idea how much there really could be. Time for action.
You can ask, "How big is your stash?" until you are blue in the face, but only when the patient is ready will they take a deep breath and say, "It's big. Taller than me."
Hi, my name is Meema, and I'm a stashaholic.
I can't pinpoint the straw that broke my camel's downy back, but I came home the other day with five transparent totes, pulled yarn from all known stashing points, and set to work sorting by weight.
Crap. A bad sign: I needed more totes.
If you want all the gory details, visit my stash page if you're on Ravelry (I'm Meema there as well). Tote content, top to bottom: random worsted, heavy worsted/aran, Cascade worsted, bulky/novelty/laceweight, fingering/sock, Malabrigo worsted, sport/DK.
There are many more impressive stashes out there, I'm sure. Come clean with me, people. How is your relationship with your stash?
... to submit a square for The Promise Blanket project at The Yarnery. Donations are due next Tuesday, so get them to the LYS soon!yarns: Boo Fly Socks by FLY Designs in Seattle (left), and Claudia Handpaint Fingering in Chocolate Cherry (right)
My friends J & L once again hosted a wonderful Independence Day party in their Minneapolis backyard yesterday, complete with a barbecue, corncob toss, and patriotic sing-along. We get so engaged in song that we've not made it to an actual fireworks display for many a year.
I look forward to this gathering very much - it's always a great 
mix of people, food, and fun. Where else can I anticipate talking about everything from my Promise Blanket knitting (with genuinely interested non-knitters, no less!) to a Master's thesis on the use of tarot? Precious few places, lemme tell ya. (And yes, K's watermelon bombe was scrumptious...)
BTW, I'm sure I pulled this kind of thing with my little sister, too.
Have a great Friday, all (and happy Fourth of July to the American readers)!
Has anyone noticed the number on the Presidential term counter?
(I also get a weird sort of thrill when my odometer rolls over big round numbers...)
Looking for an interesting place to hang your hat under the Big Sky? Check out this barn conversion designed by Knitting Iris' DH. p.s. It's on the market. Go to the MLS search and enter number 280619. Start saving your pennies.
Hoo boy.
Kidlet had fun with strangers. 
Nails, nails, nails.
Finished two squares for The Promise Blanket.
