midtown nfl shenanigans

when chanda, gael and i were walking to the train to go home today, we passed a huge slide on broadway promoting super bowl sunday. 

you just never know what you're going to find around the next corner . . 

ice skating

i wouldn't have been doing this a few weeks ago . . ice skating in 14 degree weather . . you get used to it, although my toes are quite cold!

 

up and down

 it's down to fifteen degrees again today. i don't mind cold winters, but the fluctuation in temperature is a bit unnerving. expect the unexpected.

the cement circles surrounding westbeth's circular garden look like tealights to me tonight.

back at home

 korrina came by for dinner and showed us her shell shawl knitted in madelinetosh pashmina's midnight in manhattan from yarnco.

 comparing the stitches . . 

 chanda is working on one in a brownish gold color . . 

 chanda knits a little tighter than korrina . . 

 korrina's follow your arrow . . looks good!

cuddling with hermione . .

traveling . .

 driving on the way home

 the windshield was frosted with salt

making the sky icy grey

sturbridge

chanda and i drove up to sturbridge yesterday morning. she had an interview for their summer internship program and we stayed over at my sister's. we'll be heading home today and i'll post more snowy pictures. supposedly it's 39 degrees right now!

back at the ranch . .

we had a delicious chicken and carrot dinner with a salad once we got back to my sister's house. we also played a few rounds of may i.

uncle warren got silly and missed an opportune moment to win the first round . .

but he steadied himself and came back to win the second. i think chanda won the third.

does toby looks a little worried? i guess her days are normally very quiet with just my sister and brother-in-law. and then chanda and i come along and constantly try to pick her up and pet her!

sturbridge in the snow

chanda's interview for the sturbridge junior internship was at 2:30, but we were parked and in the administrative building at 2:10. kim came out to greet us and talked with chanda for about fifteen minutes before asking me to come in. it was nice to finally meet her face to face. greg met her two years ago when he had brought morgana up for her interview. we had a nice time chatting about knitting projects and her new grandchild. chanda came away feeling pleased with how things went and she looks forward to the summertime. she'll hear in a month or so if it's definite.

afterwards, we walked into the village to see it all covered in snow! the lambs were impatient for dinner and were making a racket.

the lake was covered in ice . . 

on our way to the freeman farm. it was nice to see they used sand instead of salt to keep everyone from slipping on the ice.

they had cooked up a feast in the kitchen. a pumpkin pie, pound cake, mince pie and gingerbread had all been baked in the oven by the fireplace.

and a stew had cooked in a big pot: carrots, potatoes, beef and onions.

i tried to get him bellowing on my camera, but missed . .

chanda commented on how beautiful the meadow walk must be in the snow.

here is george the coachman (with his winter sleigh) and his percherons. jerry is the young five year old on the right, and pete is on the left.

driving on a sunday

chanda and i were up and out early this morning. she had her interview today at sturbridge. we first drove to my sister's house for lunch before continuing north.

her backyard was swathed in snow.

we pulled out the sled!

and had a few quick spins before traveling on . . . .

ice, crystals and ballet

 chanda and i wandered into the gems and minerals section of the natural history museum today after her lab class.

 i took a picture of this because it's from san's hometown area, lancashire.

 a beautiful rose quartz from minas gerais, brazil.

a very rare specimen (as it's so large) of crystalized gold! the chemical name of gold (Au) comes from the latin word aurum, meaning "shining dawn."

 greg and i observed chanda's ballet class this evening.

 on the way home we observed massive ice crystals . . 

 it went up to a . . balmy . . 18 degrees!

seriously, tomorrow will be truly balmy as it's supposed to be THIRTY degrees! i might have to wear my shorts and flip flops.

an icicle makes an excellent wand . .

midnight in manhattan shell shawlette

 korrina texted me pics of her shell shawlette last night before i went to sleep. for christmas she had received the yarn company's madelinetosh color line of "midnight in manhattan." it's a beautiful blue, and the shell shawlette uses the full one skein.

she's been working on it a lot on the train to and from work.

she finished it thursday morning so she could wear it on the cold commute. 

she also says that she has started the lace pattern of ysolda's second clue. i better get working today with that darn new yarn . .

breakfast and knitting discontent

 morgana made a delicious breakfast this morning. i think waking up in the cold makes us hungry. 

on a somber note . . i'm very discontented with my "follow your arrow" project. i tried working with another yarn (other than the lovely seacell) but was still not satisfied. 

so i went to purl. i walked all the way over in the 19 degree air. i'm not the happiest about this. i certainly didn't need to spend more money on more yarn. but . . it's done. good or bad . . so . . what's in the bag? ah. i better work on it first . .