I got a year older, that is one thing. Next year is a milestone birthday and so for the meantime I am going to like staying this age. It is hard to fathom being what I used to consider as OLD, let alone living it. I am telling you...I am going to squeeze the most out of life and thank the universe for all of my wonderful friends and family. There is a lot to do before I even consider retiring, that is fo'sho'.
We spent my birthday up in the thick of it, in Apple Hill and enjoyed every bit of the fun. It is a lot more fun when you have young people and especially VERY young people to share it with. Mama and the Schnickle helped us pick out pumpkins from the spot where you put money in the Honesty Box. I love that stuff and I especially liked the funky pumpkin that was just my style...weird.
Mr Orange and his favorite lady in his favorite colored environment.
We got the most out of this day, watching people fish in the pond with the jumping, million dollar trout and of course having our Big As Your Head apple fritters, which were the highlight of Uncle Erik's gastronomic journey, last year. Mr Schnickle actually decided to have The Little Mermaid painted on his cheek. I love a kid who branches out from monsters and trucks, don't you? This was SERIOUS business.
October marked the month that I decided that it would be a GOOD MOVE to hire on my hairdresser to become my assistant, here in the studio. I have never really been comfortable with having someone at my elbow in the dye room but this setup has allowed me enough room to try it. I have been very lucky to find Lorrie and add her to the family. She has become my second pair of hands, anticipating my moves and allowing me to do so much more. In the past, it would have been hard for me to recuperate after a show but we were able to turn and burn enough to get the stock dyed and ready for shipment to Connecticut for Stitches East. Yes, you see, I have been quiet because I have been super busy with work. That is a good thing.
We got the stock boxed and ready to go to the Fed-Ex Kinko's to head to Hartford and then it was dye to order time until we heard the alarm at 3 am on the 20th...O'Dark Thirty, to you. Brutal but necessary to get the old bodies to the Sacramento airport, which is an hour from us. The flight to Atlanta was ok but the flight north in the smaller plane was so interesting. We came up the coast and got to see the lay of the land that we knew nothing about. What an amazing coastline with the skinny strip of beach and tidal areas behind it, there on the Jersey shore. Thank goodness for the cool pilot who told us what we were seeing.
Hartford is Insurance Town, USA but the new convention center is quite marvelous. I must say that the move-in and subsequent set-up was so much easier with the Teamster Free Zone. (no offense to those of you of the horse driving set but all of those Rules and Regs and Breaks and BS are too much for this old gal.) Our son Erik, who lives about an hour south, was good enough to drive up the display that we had sent to his house. What a HUGE help. HUGE.
We took Erik to lunch and then came back to settle in for the first day of set-up with the new display. I was beginning to really worry that I had made a mistake because it took me SO long to figure out how to portion out the many many many colors and yarns and was scared that I would not have room for everything. It was a LOT faster for Mr. Souza but for me, it was agony. Once I got past Sock and Sock Merino, I realized that I had NOT made a mistake and that the display was going to be very good for me, allowing my colors to finally be seen in their best display. We had done a dress rehearsal at OFFF but the big 10x20 booth that is normal for us was the key. Lights and all. It really worked. Here are two shots of how we finally looked. (when Erik and Vicki came, they were able to get the wide angle pro shots but our snaps will have to do for now...in two parts.)
It is a work in progress but the color makes me ever so happy.
Speaking of color...our time in Connecticut, post show, was a blur of brilliant color that peaked for us before the Tuesday rain that greeted our drive down to NYC. Yeah, we actually took a couple of extra days (!) to hang out with Erik and Vicki, the wonderful and famous Connecticut Wedding Photographers. They actually took a couple of days to come out to play with us, which was so wonderful. Here they are at their local pumpkin patch area, much like our Apple Hill.
They have had a remarkably successful year as a team and have had so many happy couples thrilled with the captured memories of their special day. Did I say that I am very impressed and so very proud of these two talented people. Yeah, once of twice. :o)
Here is a great color shot of some pastel gourds that knocked me out.
Yes, and a box of nonsense...the most wacky gourds I have ever seen.
Father and son.
Our last day of the trip east was spent on a rainy dash to NYC. Of course the traffic on I-95 had other ideas and so three hours later and two hours late for the ferry to Liberty Island, we were aboard said ferry with half of the International Community. It has been about 48 years since I have visited and it was a first for Rod, so we got the full chills when visiting Lady Liberty and Ellis Island. (Rod's family has the youngest history as US citizens, only third generation for him and so he was duly in awe of Ellis Island.)
Here she is, our lady.
The building that saw the beginning of Baba Elinka's journey from Yugoslavia with two small children in tow. Courage that would have daunted me but made it possible for that half of the family to be American. Pretty special and a good reminder when complaining about newcomers. No complaints from me...we all had someone come over, unless we were native American and I have a little of that in me from my dad's side of the family. Good American Mutt, that's me.
We finished got back to Battery Park and then took a cab ride to Mid-town and a late lunch at the 2nd Ave Deli. Oh my. Giant delicious food, without the attitude. Begin with a plate of pickles and end with a tiny chocolate soda. Perfect and just what I hoped for. We hoofed it up to Time's Square, stopping by the Library and inspecting the ice rink going in nearby. We bought the requisite hot nuts and stood like idiots looking at the LIGHTS which were just overwhelming for this gal who now lives in the sticks. I saw where I wanted to return to, which was the theater district and after I bought some treats for folks back home, we hopped into a cab to bring us back to the garage that cost ONE MILLLLLLLLION dollars to house the car for a bit. It was all worth it.
So, you see, we squeezed the bejeebers out of our birthday month. Now we are home and settling in for the cooler months and winter. It has been quite the ride this year.
Oh, one last thing...I am going to be adding some affordable luxury to the line-up very soon. A new Crack Dealer/er/yarn importer showed me some amazing 8 ply 100% cashmere that I decided I could not live without. It is a worsted to aran weight and boy is it fabulous. I am going to have a bit of yarn from those lovable Yak People from Colorado. I have fallen in love with a couple of their blends and hope to have some to dye very soon. The samples that I played with are incredible in how they have accepted color.
Alright, that is all for now. November begins in the morning. Onward and upward.
