Snowbirds

Front view of condo unit

I had always chuckled about "elderly" northerners who spent all or part of the winter in Florida. I never saw myself as that kind of person. As the years went on, though, I began to lose interest in winter sports. The fact that Dick broke his ankle in the Canadian backcountry a number of years ago and it took 24 hours to be evacuated by snow mobile didn't help. We are very active, outdoor oriented people and our short winter forays south (short because I had to work for a living) were filled with walks and biking.

Once I retired in May I began to dream about spending a few months in a warm climate so we could do all the outdoor activities that we enjoy in the three seasons up north. In previous years we had always spent a few days with Dick's cousins in Crystal River. They live in a condo community on the water called The Islands. We liked the setting and had gotten to know some of the residents.

I did some research on line and tracked down a rental for the first three months of 2009. The front view is above. Here is a view of the back:

It's a townhouse with two bedrooms, two and a half baths, a large kitchen and very large combined living/dining area. It has its own washer and dryer and two screened porches. The community has a heated pool and tennis courts.

We're here a week now and the weather has been outstanding, the neighbors friendly and we've already done a lot of biking and walking. There are some challenges to being away from home. We miss our friends at FUSP and I miss my knitting compadres. We're used to pretty serious cooking and the kitchen isn't quite as fully equipped as we would like it to be. We're working to fill those gaps though.

Yesterday we went to the Nature Coast Unitarian Universalists Sunday service. The warmth and welcome were amazing. We were invited to participate in a number of upcoming social events. The people we chatted with seemed to be right on our wave length.

We've also been to some activities in the community; a brunch and a New Years Eve party. I attended a session of water exercise in the heated pool. I intend to do more of that.

All in all, it's an experiment. If we like it, we'll do it again next year. If we don't; well, it's only a rental and we have no obligation after March 31.

If you are in the area or you're looking to spend a few days in the sunny south, come on down and join us.

Bolt

This is a wonderful movie. We went today with the three oldest grands. It's funny, it's touching and John Travolta is fabulous as Bolt.

Loire Valley

It's been over two weeks since DH and I returned from France. I think every day about blogging the trip and I end up feeling overwhelmed by how challenging I find it to insert photos and make the pages look professional. Today I'm going to give it a try.

Day 1 Tours:

We arrived at Charles DeGaulle Airport early in the morning on Tuesday, September 16. We stopped to get some Euros and headed directly to the train station. The TGV to Tours was due in about an hour so we bought tickets and found a place to sit. We were both exhausted. As opposed to United Airlines which gives passengers nothing to eat on their red-eye flights, Continental fed us dinner and breakfast. While this is a nice touch, it cuts into sleeping time. The train was on time, our reserved seats were easy to find and it was a beautiful, sunny day. Early afternoon we arrived in Tours.

Here's a photo of the train station.

Fortunately our hotel is only a few blocks from the station and our room was ready. We had stayed at the Hotel Moderne last year at the end of our trip. We knew it was economical and comfortable, so we made a reservation for our first night on this trip. It was the only reservation we made in advance. We planned to walk as far as we wanted to each day and find lodging when we arrived in town.

After lunch, I decided to have a rest but DH, who had slept all the way down on the train decided to explore the city. In the evening we had dinner at a nearby restaurant. Fortunately we were not too troubled by jet lag and awoke around 7:00 the next morning for our first petit dejeuner.

If you look closely at the photo you will notice the small green and white fireplace sign. It indicates the hotel belongs to the Logis de France network. It's made up of 3,200 privately run and reasonably priced hotels and restaurants throughout France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. We love these hotels. Each one is unique; most are in very old buildings. The owners are welcoming and helpful. We were able to pick up a guidebook to Logis de France hotels in the Loire and carried it with us as we walked.

Day 2 Tours to Savonnieres:

The guidebook said it was 12 kilometers to Savonnieres and an additional three to Villandry. We decided to see how it went rather than commiting to go all the way to Villandry.

It is at Tours that the GR 3 crosses from the right bank of the Loire to the left.
The trail goes along the Cher for a bit, crosses a foot bridge and continues on the velo route along the left bank of the Cher all the way to Savonnieres. We saw many bicyclists. The Loire region is now riddled with off road bike trails and we talked quite a bit about coming back some time in the future and biking the area.

This sign says, "Share the road." The dedicated bike trail occasionally joined a quiet country road for a short distance.

We arrived in Savonnieres in time for a late lunch. It was my first opportunity to have a French omelet, one of my favorite lunches. It's usually served with a salad. Even the smallest places can turn out a tasty meal. Here we ate outdoors at tables across the street from the brasserie.

After lunch we looked around for a place to stay. We had seen one hotel on the way into town. Then we noticed a sign for a bed and breakfast and decided we would inquire. The proprieter, Marie Claude Lisbona, was working in her garden. She showed us into her beautiful home, La Variniere. The guest suite was on the lower level. In addition to a large bedroom, sitting room and bath, there was an indoor swimming pool built into a cave. Marie Claude spoke excellent English and we had a pleasant discussion.

The restaurant next door to La Variniere was closed. We asked Marie Claude for a suggestion and she said there was an excellent restaurant in the next town. She said her husband would drive us and pick us up. She made a a reservation and at the appointed time we were whisked to L'Etape Gourmand outside Villandry. We had a wonderful meal based on local ingredients, many of them grown on the L'Etape Gourmand property.

Day 3 Savonnieres to Villandry

Before we left, Marie Claude took our photo in front of the house.

Dick and I decided day two had been a bit long so we wanted a shorter walk today. I was having some foot pain as well. We decided we would walk the three kilometers to Villandry and spend some time exploring there. We backtracked along the main street in Savonnieres, checked out the church and then climbed the 100 steps to rejoin the GR.

A word about the GR: France is crisscrossed by walking trails. The GR's or Grande Randonnee are long distance trails. The GR 3 which we followed goes predominantly along the Loire River. Some of the time it's right on the river bank, other times is cuts away to travel through forests, fields or vineyards. Sometimes it's a woodland path, a quiet country road or as mentioned above, a bike trail. It's a wondeful way to see the country up close. When we are walking, we use guidebooks from the FFRP, the hiking organization that maintains the trails. The left side of the page is a topo map and the right is a description of the terrain, sights and services along the way. The trail is marked with red and white blazes.

East Coast Greenway Ride

This morning Hubby and I met up with a group of bicyclists. The plan was to ride south along the shore of the Hudson from the George Washington Bridge to Hoboken, take the ferry to Manhattan and ride north along the west side bike path in New York City and cross back into NJ on the G W Bridge. These routes are part of the East Coast Greenway.

About 30 people showed up, with a wide variety of bicycles including three or four tandems and a recumbent. We set off shortly after 8 AM. The leaders were very knowledgeable which was important. Only some sections of the off road path are complete and we would ride for a mile or two along the river and then have to ride on the street for a bit. The leaders controlled car traffic when we were out on the road and knew just when to rejoin the bike path.

The participants were primarily from New York, New Jersey and surrounding areas, but there was also a couple from Belgium who happened to be visiting. There is considerable interest in the East Coast Greenway which will ultimately be an off road walking and biking trail that stretches from Calais, Maine to Key West, Florida. Many sections are complete, but there are also many miles currently on public roads. This ride was intended to build enthusiasm and support (volunteer and monetary) to close the gaps.

All new development on the riverbank is required to provide a thirty foot wide buffer to allow public access to the river. Each development has interpreted this differently and there are many different paving styles along the way. The real challenge will be to insure that the various developments continue to maintain the pathway. Already there are some spots that need a bit of work.

Once we crossed the Hudson, we joined the bicycle path that goes up the west side of Manhattan from the Battery to the George Washington Bridge. This is a beautifully maintained path although like any amenity in NYC, it's heavily used and some care was necessary when passing or being passed.

We made a brief stop at the Little Red Lighthouse under the bridge and then began the arduous task of climbing from the river bank to the level of the bridge. Many of us found it necessary to push our bikes part of the way but we all made it. I found the trip across the bridge a bit nerve wracking because the walkway is rather narrow and it's two way. There were many bikers coming from NJ and some of them were riding rather fast. At some points the trail snakes around the bridge supports making sharp turns in narrow spaces.

Soon we were on the other side and heading back to the park where we left our cars. Following the ride, most of us repaired to T.J.'s Steak Pit in Fort Lee where we enjoyed a lunch together.

Skirty finished

Skirty finished
Originally uploaded by rallaronson

The skirty for Linny is finished and I am very pleased. It's very girly and the lanaloft yarn was a delight to work with. I think there will be more of these in the pipeline.

Things I learned at summer camp

I've been doing a lot of knitting over the past few weeks and actually have quite a few finished objects. What's been interesting is how I've been able to use a number of the techniques I learned at knitting camp in New Hampshire. I concentrated on courses about finishing because it's something I find quite challenging. And, there is nothing more frustrating that working on a project for weeks and then not have it come together properly.


February Lady Sweater

This was a long slog. I made two attempts at this project with a yarn called Marco Polo but the gauge was not right. While I was at knitting camp, my sister and I made a side trip to Patternworks and I saw this yarn, Waterlily by Classic Elite, on sale. I bought nine skeins thinking it would be enough. Well...I ran out of yarn. A call to Patternworks revealed they had no skeins left in Leaf. I finally tracked some down at WEBS but it wasn't the same dye lot. I was nearly finished with the second sleeve so I knit one row of the old yarn and two rows of the new for a few pattern repeats. I can see that one sleeve is slightly, and I mean slightly, different, but if I don't point it out to anyone... Now it's a matter of waiting for weather cool enough to wear it.

Soakers

While I was out in California visiting the twins, my DIL asked me if I could make some soakers for the babies. She and my son are committed to using cloth diapers as well as recycling and reducing their carbon footprint. Apparently knitted diaper covers made with wool are very absorbant and much better for babies' skin than plastic pants.

I did some research on ravelry and found a really cute pattern by Heather Johnson for a soaker and what she calls a skirty. It was with this project that I had to call on the skills I learned at camp including the crochet cast on, life lines, I-cord, Lily Chin's improved yarn over buttonholes, picking up stitches and the picot bind off. It was a real feeling of accomplishment to take on and finish projects I would have rejected in the past because they called for a complicated knitting skill.

I'm almost finished with a skirty for Linny and will post photos soon.

Becca B in her Pink Hat

Becca B in her Pink Hat
Originally uploaded by rallaronson

Becca B read a book about a grandmother who made a knitted hat for her grandaughter. She asked if I would make one for her. I scoured ravelry and found this adorable earflap hat by Barbara Breiter. In my stash I had some Reynolds Signature that my sister gave me. It was the perfect color pink. I threw it into my carry on bag and made the hat on the plane to California. It was an easy knit and the pink yarn seemed just right.
I went out to see Becca B and her siblings yesterday. It was the first day of school for the older kids but Becca's nursery school doesn't start until next week so she and I had a nice private visit while Katie napped. You can see the hat is a success. Becca particularly liked the I-cord loop on top. She told me it's the perfect way to hang up the hat when she's not wearing it.
It was a delight to see the pleasure on her face when she tried it on and checked herself out in the mirror.