Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Just a very quick post to wish everyone a food and fun-filled turkey (or Tofurky) day. I'll post some great pictures and exciting news over the long weekend. It's going to be so crafty (full of glue and pictures and yarn and who knows what else). I can't wait.

Happy Dia de los Muertos!

So, on Sunday night after we returned from the work weekend, we went to the great Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in Hermon Park on Marmion Way. This is the same Day of the Dead event that prompted me to write this poem about my grandfather way back when.

I love Dia de los Muertos--all the smells (especially the incense and marigolds, even though they mess up my nose), the sights of candles and pictures and food and religious icons mixed with bottles of beer, and the general atmosphere.

Anyway, here are a few highlights.

I especially like the skull here.

Wow--colors galore. Very nicely laid out.

Sugarbutterbex and That Yarn Store were both there at the last moment. Here's Becca all wrapped in shawls threatening Thea with one of Andrea's creatures. No one was harmed in the taking of this picture. You can see Becca and Matt's altar for their recently departed dog in the background on the right.

In knitting news, I've finished "major combat operations" on the laptop bag. But in knitting, as in life, that doesn't mean a whole lot. Yes, the knitting is 50 inches long, but I still have ends to weave in, seams to sew, and much felting, drying, and shaping left. That will come. For now, I'm working on Craig's fingerless gloves that I only did a cuff of sometime last fall. (Sorry, Craig!)

Yea--it's the weekend!

Seasons Do Change in California

As proof, I offer you these pictures that we took near Camp De Benneville Pines, a Unitarian Universalist camp up past Angelus Oaks on the 38. I've been going there pretty much since I moved to Los Angeles even though I'm not a UU and am not part of any congregation. Aren't they nice to let me come? I went to this work weekend two years ago in early November. I broke my finger loading logs. (Actually I didn't break my poor finger. Some guy who was throwing logs did!) Then, a group of us got stuck up there an extra night due to a snow storm that closed down the roads. It was interesting. This time I checked the weather and stayed far, far away from logs and people throwing them.

We drove up Friday night in horrible, horrible traffic (3+ hours to go just 100 miles) and stayed until Sunday at lunch. Mostly, we raked a 15 foot fire clearance around all the cabins. Raking in the forest is a strange exercise in perserverance and tolerance. Basically, you have to convince yourself that, yes, your actions are making a difference. And then you have to tolerate the fact that there will always be another pine cone, another leaf, another pile of twigs. You can't get everything, nor would you want to. Needless to say, we were exhausted both mentally and physically come Sunday. The higher elevation didn't help, either. Ah well. We got to play Boggle and Yahtzee (brought back childhood memories of camping and playing that game with my parents and their friends), take a walk, and eat good food (they're kind to vegetarians there). We also talked to several people who were very interesting and sweet. All in all, a great weekend. (But boy, did that shower feel good on Sunday night. And sleeping in my own bed was divine!)


Look--changing leaves. Can you believe it?

Here's me at the camp sign just off Jenks Lake Road.

A shadowy road (Jenks Lake Road)