R.V. Show

Mother Nature has decided to bless Central Texas with an early spring, so we have been experiencing temps in the 70's and 80's for the past two weeks.

In order to take advantage of the weather before the temps rise, Toby and took our first bike ride of the season on a portion of the new trail on Northern Walnut Creek.

I didn't take any pictures at all because (a.) There wasn't much to take pictures of but a bike trail meandering through wooded urban area (b.) I hate having to take pictures when I'm riding my bike. I have to keep my momentum up for the hills, so it has to be something really impressive for me to stop my flow.

It was a pretty short ride..only a few miles...because parts of the trail was still under construction and we couldn't pass.

On Thursday, we went to the Austin R.V. Show. Skye joined us, because she likes going downtown.

We went into many camper trailers and made decisions on what we liked and didn't like. Luckily, Toby and were in agreement on our individual expectations.

We found our favorite one. It would be one to actually live in and costs almost as much as my single family home.

I vacillate between my freedom of space and my freedom to roam the U.S. freely when it comes to actually living in a camper. I know it would be just me and Toby, but I crave my personal space and I'm not sure if I would not end up feeling like a rat in a cage.

Skye was feeling friendly and let me take a picture of her while we were out. One of the few I will have of her in her teen years, so I will savor it....

It was a fun, family day.

Japanese Keepsakes

The other day I was going through my jewelry box. I came across a pin that I've kept for almost 40 years. The pin was given to me by my dad's Japanese friend Masashi...I believe was his name.

My dad befriended Masashi while he was stationed in Japan. He may have even been in the Air Force with dad, I don't really remember.

Anyhow, I came to meet Masashi when he came and visited with our family when I was around 13 or 14. He stayed with us in our home for a few days while he visited the states.

Looking back, I find this a little odd. My family was not the type to welcome overnight guests into our home with open arms. Mom and Dad liked our family privacy and mom wasn't the best housekeeper.

We had a small home that housed my parents, my grandfather and me and my two brothers. Adding another adult to share in our one tiny bathroom was definitely pushing the limits.

Funny thing is,  I hardly remember his visit, so it must have not been that horrible of an experience. I do remember Masashi being very mannerly and polite so I'm sure that helped ease the cramped conditions.

All I can say about this, is dad must have really liked Masashi for them to allow the invasion into our home.

So, when I came across the pin I had kept for all these years, a vision of a crochet project came to mind....

Cute Boho Purse

I've been feeling very creative lately. I dream about crocheting in my sleep and get some of my inspiration while I'm sleeping.

Here are some of things I have been working on lately.

My brother in law and wife are expecting and she requested a Yoda diaper set. Now that I look at it, it reminds me more of Shrek than Yoda....

Yoda Diaper Set

Odd things intrigue me. I liked the uniqueness of this hat....

Chevron Hat

I also like bold colors. Toby said this looks like a 'Where's Waldo' hat...

Striped beanie

I bought a pom pom maker a few weeks ago and wanted to test it out. The pom poms are a little big, but I like them. Possibly a choking hazard for the little bundle of joy, so definitely made for very small infants without good motor skills yet....

Pom Pom booties

This hat was fun and easy to make. I hate I took the pic in bad light and it doesn't reflect how pretty the colors really are.....

Puppy Love Beanie

Hot pads. They are too pretty to use!...

Star Hot Pads

Another sun hot pad. I like hot pads because they are quick to work up and I don't get bored before finishing them up...

Aztec Sun Hot Pad

Another project I wish had been in better light. It's so much prettier than depicted here. This one I am keeping!....

Open Shell Scarf

 These are baby turban hats my cousin asked me to make for her twin grand babies due soon. I never mind crocheting items for her because it's her mother (my Aunt Sara) who taught me to crochet.

It's one of the few constructive activities I remember enjoying as a young teen. Mom would take me and drop me off at Aunt Sara's for a couple of hours and she would teach me different stitches and techniques and how to read patterns. I always liked Aunt Sara. Maybe it's because we both loved to fart and blame it on other people then laugh hysterically about it. We did both have the same warped sense of humor.

I don't ever remember requesting to learn to crochet, and I don't remember what prompted the 'lessons' but I'm grateful to who ever thought of the idea. It's helped me keep my sanity throughout the years....

Infant Turban Hats

A turtle prop my sis in law requested. I used Skye's build a bear to model it....

Turtle Prop

This one is my masterpiece. I just crocheted 2 12x12 inch motifs and affixed them to each side of a canvas bag. They fit perfectly on the bag.

Mandala Motif

And I can't say goodbye without posting a picture of my beautiful Bo....

Such a photogenic creature

Well folks, that's all for now!

A Hike

Yesterday Toby and I got outdoors to enjoy the beautiful spring-like day. We headed to Barton Creek Greenbelt where we parked at the 'Hill of Life' trail head. I have no earthly idea why they call this the Hill of Life. In my opinion, a more appropriate name would be the Hill of Death.

I hate the way I can never capture depth in my pictures. This is heading down the Hill of Life. Luckily, it's not a steep hill, but it is very rugged and rocky....

Instead of taking our usual left at the fork at the end of the hill, we took the right trail. We had never explored this end of the trail before, but I follow and local Austinite on Instagram and he had posted some pictures of the Lost Creek Falls and my interest was piqued for these falls I had never seen before.

It wasn't long after the fork that we came upon what I believe to be Lost Creek Falls, but I can't say for sure. It was beautiful and peaceful and looks like a perfect place to swim in the summer.....

We walked along the trail past the falls to explore....

The trail past the falls was not well maintained and it was very rocky and uneven. Some of the trail meandered along the side of the high cliffs. Bo lost his footing going up at one point and he had to struggle to hoist himself back upon the trail. He was almost a goner....

Looks like someone started on a tree house....

Toby and I enjoyed the hike because it was like real hiking, but having Bo with us made us a little nervous because we weren't familiar with the trail and what lurked ahead. It was an area I hope to go back and explore a little more one day.

They're Lesbians, Harold

Last week, Skye and I had mom and daughter day out. We ate FIVE GUYS BURGERS and took in the movie 'Carol' - Skye's selection.

The movie setting is in the 1950's and tells of a young aspiring photographer and her relationship with an older woman going through a divorce. 

We took our seats and watched the plethora of preview movies to come.

The movie starts out pretty slow, but I see where they are going with it. It's intriguing enough I get drawn into the drama of it.

About half way through we get the lesbian sex scene. I don't do well with sex scenes whether they be heterosexual or otherwise. I feel the need to turn away as if I am invading on someones privacy. I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority.

For whatever reason, the theatre was filled with older couples who appeared to be in their 60's and up. I guess the allure of watching a movie set in the '50's is what prompted them venture out on the cold, blustery day and take in a movie.

I have to admit, it was the first lesbian sex scene I've ever seen in my 51 years....unless you count those rare, scary exposures to porn which I consider a whole other level of human sexuality.

During the lesbian sex scene I was half-ass watching, sort of with one eye on and one on the old couples and their reactions to the scene. I'm a people watcher, me and enjoy social experiments and observations.

Except for the erotic sounds coming from the sex scene, which were more sensual and quieter than heterosexual movie scenes are portrayed, you could have heard a pin drop in the theatre. I stifled a laugh. I mean I REALLY had to stifle a laugh especially when the old lady a row ahead leaned over and whispered in her husbands ear,  'They're Lesbians, Harold'.  (Inside Joke)

I have never been so glad to have a sex scene over, but I did enjoy mom and daughter day.

Uneventful Hike

A few months back I made a long list of hikes around Austin I wanted to eventually explore. Today, I decided we would start ticking some of them off.

I randomly chose Stephens Nature Preserve in Southwest Austin.

The trails butted up to a local park where we parked and from there we could see a few different entrances to the preserve. That should have been our first clue.

We chose and entrance and entered. We usually hike randomly anyway so it was no real biggie, but almost immediately we noticed there were numerous sub-trails branching off and there didn't really appear to be a main trail at all. It was like spider veins in a trail system.

We hiked blind for a bit before we came across a woman and her dog. I had read there were rock structures within the trails that were created by artistic hikers and I was curious to see them. I asked the dog lady which way to the structures and she pointed me in the direction.

Her directions really weren't much help because of the intricate splintering, so Toby and I just marched on using our best guess on which splinter trail to take.

Most of the trail was very mundane and uninteresting. No creeks or changing terrain. The majority of the trails looked like this......

We hiked around aimlessly for a couple of miles and eventually came upon this rock made heart. I thought maybe we were about to come upon the rock sculptures but alas this was the only one I saw....

We finally made it back to the car by sheer luck. I expressed to Toby I was a little disappointed we didn't find the rock sculptures and he said, 'We can come back again and try and find them'. I said, 'Nope, I've pretty much had all of this trail I want to see again'.

I think this trail has to win The Most Uninteresting Austin Trail award.

This morning on our walk with Bo I took this picture of the old abandoned house. It's a different vantage point than I usually take it....

Hello

Well hello, little blog. I feel like it's been forever since I have visited you. The beginning of the year has been rather uneventful. For awhile now, I feel like my life has been stuck in this continuous loop. I get up every day and do the same exact thing....walk the dog, cook, clean, go to Walmart, crochet in my spare time while watching endless episodes of Criminal Minds and Law and Order.

Not necessarily a bad thing, but for the adventurous spirit within me it does get a little, shall I say BORING and very monotonous. I find I day dream a lot about future events that haven't happened yet and may never happen....like exploring Texas and the U.S. a bit more.

The only things noteworthy I have to post about are some random photos and my crochet creations of late....

Begging mode. Dinner time.

Hopefully my next post will be a bit more exciting.