Gallery walk

I haven't been taking as many pictures as I usually do, this summer. Part of it is my low energy and truly having the focus for only so much in a day. Part of it is that the kids use the camera a lot and so it is not at my disposal as much.

But, here are some photos, all taken in the last few weeks.

I was feeling a little blue one day and after my session with Vinny decided to stop in to Modern Yarn (the new space is much more to my taste and I really like it). There was a hurricane barreling up the Atlantic coast and the clouds in the sky were incredibly dramatic. The unusual and intense air pressure was probably impacting my mood.

I thought yarn viewing might cheer me up. I wasn't expecting to buy anything. I browsed peacefully, and just as I thought I'd be pushing on, I saw the balls of Zauberball Crazy sock yarn. And they put a smile on my face. One squeeze and I knew I'd come upon some wonderful fiber.

I cast on that night for a pair of socks for myself. And it felt good.

(The book in the pic, A Homemade Life, is a wonderful book that I unexpectedly fell in love with. Click on the link to read Chapter One excerpted in the NYT.)

Ceiling fan at night.

Dave came over for a visit. With many games in hand. Here the kids are playing Khet with him. It was great to see him. Sag, as you can see, is in a phase of seriously not liking having his photo taken.

Playing with the DS.

So close.

Baxter stayed with us a for a weekend. I love this dog. We all do.

I finally finished Jamie's socks. The colorway of this yarn is perfect for her. The content blend is, too. (OnLine Supersocke in Summer Color) They are in the blocking queue...an ever growing assortment of woolens.

Random moment of zen.

We received some nectarines in our fruit share last week. The kids thought they looked like apples and when I took this picture, I really saw where they were coming from.

Yesterday, I made a nectarine crisp. We're going to my mom's today and I thought it would make a nice dessert. I simply subbed the nectarines for the peaches in this recipe from Karina's Kitchen.

It was a use-what-you-have kind of day in the kitchen yesterday. So, in addition to the nectarine crisp, I made a potato salad, steamed Rattlesnake beans, and made a tortilla de patata. The recipe I use was lovingly passed along to me from Julia who I always think of when I make this. I baked this one in a cast iron skillet, the first time I've tried it this way, and it came out beautifully.

Ah, one more thing. We watched the movie Stardust last night and I was pleasantly surprised. It was much better than I thought it was going to be having read and loved the book a few years back (Neil Gaiman rocks). Here's the trailer...