From Hornblower (Captain, that is) to Snowblower

I can still hear the island drums (at Forbidden Island)...

The ladyfriend remarks: "And you don't even look wasted!"  Ahem.

The ladyfriend should talk!

...while I shovel our walk.

Happy snow day!

Our First Grandchild

Yes, here we are, in Mountain View cemetery, with our first grandchild - Sophie.

Can you tell that the boy is holding a treat so Sophie will sit still?  Whatever works.

As Ye Knit, So Shall Ye Rip

I was really cranking along on this sweater, and then noticed that something wasn't quite right (alignment issue).  I've already ripped it back some, but there's still more to rip and I just can't quite get myself to do it.

I know - the sweater won't knit itself, and the last thing I need is another w.i.p.  Ironically, I blogged about this yarn (Malabrigo) in another post called - wait for it - W.I.Ps? What About Them?  Prescient?

Mother-Son Tattoo Bonding!

Bunny by Ian Manley, Spirograph by Jean Chen

As I've mentioned elsewhere in this blog, 'the boy' (as we're prone to calling him) is apprenticing as a tattoo artist at Sacred Rose Tattoo in Berkeley.  Yesterday he did his mama proud.

I cannot tell you how happy I am with my bunny.  It's got to be the cutest thing ever - and so well rendered!  And yes, I love bunnies.

Another Death-Defying Hike

After our visit to Heath, we went to the Marin Headlands, which is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.  I did a run there a number of years ago.  It was nice to walk it this time and take in the scenery.

I believe the following two photos were taken from the same vantage point, just in different directions.

Yep!  That's the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.  It was a beautiful day.

Heath Brings It All Home

We took a little field trip out to Sausalito to check out the Heath Ceramics factory and store.  We started our set of Heath dishes a couple of years ago and have put together a good set of dinnerware.  As the ladyfriend repeatedly said after our tour, "Now I'm even happier with our Heath dishes."  When you learn what goes into them and how they are truly hand-crafted, their beauty goes beyond the glaze.

Molds

Mold imprint close-up

Every dish is handmade and the entire process takes place in their Sausalito factory - from making the clay to forming the dishes to mixing the glazes to firing.  Each dish is checked for quality, and if they don't meet the standards, they become "seconds" sold only at the factory store. 

One of the kilns

We lucked out and bought a set of "seconds" house numbers in the Neutra style.  Can't wait to install them!

What This Blog Needs Is Some Food - Part 1

Since I haven't given a lot of details of the meals we've eaten (girl needs to keep her strength up, you know), I thought I'd give a brief run-down of some of the food highlights of the trip so far.

There are lots of places to eat in Boulder, but the two of note that we visited this time were The Sink and Arugula.  Two very different eateries.  The Sink is a "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" find as well as an "Obama Ate Here" place (he signed the wall).  A college dive, the food was pretty good.  I had the grass-raised burger, which was still juicy and flavourful despite coming medium instead of medium-rare (as I'd ordered it).  (No, I could not send it back; I mean c'mon, it's a college hang-out.  Plus, our waitress didn't charge me for my first beer because she'd recommended a beer they didn't have that night).  Artery clogging, sure, but a good version of that when you're in the mood for it.

Arugula is in a strip mall (which seems to be a trend...) but serves well-crafted food.  I had the special pasta - housemade fettucine with braised rabbit in a light cream-based sauce featuring a local cheese.  My only suggestion would be to use pappadelle, which stands up better to a substantial sauce.