Family Vacation!

Greetings and Dear Cynthia,

I've been enjoying reading your posts, and I think you are totally "on" to something when you talk about more frequent, though shorter, posts. Today, for example, I was debating about whether or not to post, since a lot has happened (for me, and for all of you, too!) since my last post, and I just don't have a lot of time to discuss it all, not that it would be very interesting, anyway... So, here are a few items from knitting and life lately, which spring immediately to mind...

My family and I went to Door County for vacation, just returning home yesterday. This allowed a lot of knitting time, and here is my current progress on Ibenholt:I have about three inches of the "collar," and just the cap of the second sleeve remaining to knit. Then there is the dreaded FINISHING...but I really want to wear this sweater as the air cools in the coming weeks, so I'm somewhat motivated. It is my fourth Dale of Norway sweater, and the only one so far which hasn't required steeks, so that should make the whole finishing of it more palatable, less daunting, all of that...though I think you know, I still really don't like finishing.

While we were on vacation, DH decided that we should get up early to catch the sunrise on the "lake side" (Lake Michigan, that is) of the "Door Peninsula," about a half hour drive from where we were staying. Since the sun rose at approximately 6:04am that day, it required us to rise at about 5:00am. The words from my five year old as DH was trying to get him moving that morning were, "I am **not** doing it!" It was one of many moments in which I really felt like bursting out laughing though I kept it inside. Anyway, it was a great morning for it, clear skies, not too cold, and I appreciated DH's efforts even though our kids weren't very excited about it:We also visited a farm, and my boys had a great time, thanking us profusely for taking them there and repeatedly saying how much fun it was. Here is a goat nibbling on my skirt:We spent many hours by the waters of the bay between the Door Peninsula and Upper Michigan. I think our boys would have been thrilled if they could have just spent the whole time throwing rocks into the water:
I have to admit, at the beginning of the summer, with my nine weeks of grad school looming ahead of me and all of the unknowns involved with that, when DH began talking about taking a vacation this summer, I thought he was out of his ever-loving mind. In retrospect, he was so right to plan this great, relaxing, not too far from home trip, and we have so many nice memories (and pictures) of our family fun. It was very relaxing, and some of my favorite things were the bike rides through Peninsula State Park. Our boys are both riding their own bikes now, and it was beautiful, refreshing, all of that, and hardly any mosquitoes!

Okay, so now I have some laundry to do. More soon!
Warm regards,
Laura (YarnThrower)