Home Gifts

I'm Home! And I brought Bee-eer!

When I looked out the window from seat 9F and saw Minneapolis/St. Paul, I cried. (No, not because it snowed this week!)

I loved being in Portland, and last night Vancouver was very nice, too. But there's nothing like home! I tried to remember gifts for the family this time, and I may have succeed!

My mother in law will receive a lovely red bag that I bought at Abundant Yarns (it seems like something she'd dig, and her birthday was this week.)

Today I slept in, and thank heavens my friend, Lisa, called at 9:15 or I might have slept right through to boarding time. I was that tired! Teaching for 4+ days straight takes it out of one.

Lisa was on the France tour last year (why, here she is sporting a most fetching chapeau), and she owns Vancouver's primo yarn shop, Unraveled.

She also has a spectacular mother (bonjour, Sucre Claire!) and a pretty stunning couple of daughters. I didn't see her sons, but I can only imagine they're lookers, too! I did see one son's green moter scooter...

Unraveled is such a NICE shop - just lovely . It's closed on Monday but Lisa let me peek inside and I got to look at all her stock - yay!

Five years in business helps you build a very nice selection of inspiring yarns, that's for sure!

We met at her daughter Amy's crepe shop and I had the MOST amazing banana, nutella and walnut crepe I've ever had in my life - what a lovely ending for such a great trip! I took a picture of the empty plate, there was no time to take it before... It just LEAPED off the plate and into my mouth!

Lisa loaded me down with some yarns to sample, and it added to the gifts I carried home for the family...

For Hannah I got a great Tshirt from McMenamins, and she loved it!

For Max I passed along one of the the delicious little animal truffles that one of my dear students gave me on Sunday. We divided them up between the family, everyone getting one.

Gerry got a growler of Hazelnut Brown Ale by Rogue. I really wanted to bring him some, but didn't want to pack it in my luggage (where it could go boom) and I couldn't carry it through security.

I was stumped.

Then - right at my gate - I spied a Rogue Bar with growlers for carry on. Isn't life amazingly good?

I snuggled the beer it into my yarn from Unraveled to keep it safe, the guys at the bar were jealous.

Here's the fine, fine beer making friends with some lovely handspun yarn from my friend, London. Oh - and I got carded. Apparently putting on makeup today was a good move...

I've been LOVING the bag I got from my all-too-brief tour of Lantern Moon this week. LOVE this bag!

I may just find myself inspired by this bag on a new project I'm doing for Interweave Crochet!

I've just had my second beer and Gerry's had none. I supposed He'll just have to consider ME his gift since I'm drinking all his beer...

And - as if to prove to me that not everyone in the Portland/Vancouver area is as enlightened as I'd come to believe this weekend, here's a lovely bumper sticker I saw at a stoplight. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - if you don't believe in gay marriage, don't marry someone who's gay.