Just Walkin' in the Rain.......

Walking in the rain isn't so bad when the spring flowers start to bloom.  The skies may be grey, but color is everywhere!

Daffodils are in their glory!

 Camelias are right outside our living room window.

Forsythia  is finally showing its cheerful yellow blooms.

Early Clematis blossoms are straining their arbors.

This Star Magnolia is so beautiful.

Many shades of Heather adorn the hillside gardens. Yes, walking isn't so bad now.

It's the season of pink snow!  Spring has arrived! Hurrah!

Happy 11/11/11!

It's rainy and chilly here, but if you happen to be out tonight and the sky is clear, be sure and look at the moon. It was so pretty last night, and Dick took this photo the night before.

We just got back from our daily walk. Leaves were raining down and
making huge piles in the middle of the streets and along the curbs. We were glad to have taken these photos earlier in the week because these trees look very different today. (That tall skinny tree in the second picture is a ginko. They turn the prettiest yellow each fall.)


I thought these were the last two purple hats, but then I found some leftovers from one of Sophia's sweaters, so I'll probably make a couple more. I am, however, very tired of lavender yarn! Can you see how little was left from the original skein?

Hope you've had a nice Veteran's Day. Many thanks to those who have served!

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.....

The weather people keep predicting rain, and we have had some, but lately we've had some beautiful crisp fall days, just perfect for walking. Last Saturday, as we trekked up and down hill, we stopped for some photos as the fall color was very nice. Since then it's been raining leaves, millions of them with lots more to come.





Even the moon was out that afternoon!

We've been meaning to get a photo of this tree for ages and finally remembered. Nothing, not even a chain-link fence, can stop a determined tree!

Our beauty berry in the backyard is nice this year also with lots more berries than last year.

I also finished a challenging KAL called the Seaside Shawlette, yarn and pattern from the Knitters Brewing Company. Besides learning a lot about lace, I got to witness the magic of blocking. Just off the needles, the shawl was a lumpy looking mess! Just a little water made it straighten out and shape up. No Socktober socks though.....

More on some other projects later as we're off to volunteer at the UW hospital. Have a great afternoon!

Flowers Inside and Out

We celebrated Easter with part of our family and ate in the partially finished kitchen because the dining room table is still buried with stuff that can't be put away until everything is done. But thanks to these flowers from Catherine and Brent, the table looked very nice anyway. And they're still beautiful over a week later!

We've had a few glorious days that inspired several walks with camera at the ready. If you look really carefully, you can see the Space Needle and Smith Tower which used to vie for "tallest" building in Seattle. No more.

Each spring I look forward to seeing this beautiful trillium. Isn't it amazing? Mine has only 3 blooms, but maybe some day it will look like this one.

The star magnolia seems to have been a favorite yard planting by the builders in our area.

Doesn't this one look pretty with a forsythia behind it?

Our mountains still have lots of snow; in fact we had a tiny bit of snow here last Wednesday evening. Just this morning the paper said most of our native wildflowers are 2-3 weeks behind schedule.

Our unusually chilly spring hasn't stopped these from blooming. Many people detest dandelions, but to me they are a sure sign of spring.

Forget-me-nots are another hardy plant that can grow almost anywhere. I love their bright blue flowers! Sights like these make our walks a pleasure.

Not all of our days have been this lovely for walking, but I've been gainfully employed inside and even had a bit of time to knit. This interesting pattern surprised me with a 3-D effect. It would make a pretty afghan, but I'm going to stop with this hotpad.

My last finish for the month is this prayer shawl for another choir friend who's having some health challenges. Speaking of choir, we are gearing up for our big concert next week! Elijah, will keep us very busy then.