my ashford traditional spinning wheel

so let me introduce you to my new adventure! i have wanted to spin wool for a long time, but never seemed to get around to actually doing it. things are changing now.

to nowhere and back

i look at this photo all the time, and i am drawn to what lies beyond the rise. as i look i see myself walking down the path of the picture, and i know exactly what i will find when i pass out of sight, a vast and tumultuous ocean, a northern sea, with white caps and translucent color that makes me stare at the beauty of it. i look to my left, and then to my right, and it is the same but different. sand shapes ever changing with the tide and the wind. i close my eyes and i hear what i cannot see, and it makes a loud statement to my heart.
but i live away from this sea, in a half and half place, cold and gray in winter; warm and green in summer. it seems i resign myself to a bitter acceptance of the cold and gray, because i so rejoice in the warm and green. where i live is a very beautiful place, when it is warm and green. there is so much to see, smell, hear, feel, touch, taste. riding through the warm and green on my bike i have a constant smile on my face for the beauty of the land. i cant think of anything i want to do more.

my passion (well, one of them...)

so i would like you to meet my girl, my best friend, my soulmate, one of the few things (besides my children) that gives me real JOY! not just happiness, i can get happy about alot of things, but joy is something much more. like delight, and bliss. i bought my bike in june of 2007, she is a 2007 harley davidson sportster 883C, and even though she came with quite a bit of chrome, i have added much more. this is a photo taken by the original owner, i promise i will update it with a new photo as soon as i am back on the road again with the warmer weather.
this last summer i put about 5000 miles on my bike. i took the motorcycle safety course, and got my license, and after that i wanted to be on the road all the time. my riding partner of last summer had a full time job, unlike me, who works seasonally (HA) and so i found myself on the road alot by myself. doing this revealed a part of me that had been dormant or hidden for a long time. i am not so sure why i moved away from that girl, the one who came and went when she felt like it, or on a whim, but it sure as hell felt good meeting her again. we have renewed our acquaintance, her and i, and it is a step toward reclamation of much more. kind of like discovering an aged and weathered cigar box with so many little, attractive and colorful stones saved merely out of love for the beauty of them. a gift from the past!
so the welcome task of planning my ride for the summer to come is facing me, and what i thought i would do is not an option any longer (to explain briefly, an extremely important relationship passed away recently and with it, the summer plan). but, my imagination is wide awake now, and i can tell it is going to be an excellent summer ride!

stripes

i was home from school last monday, not feeling well, so i knit this hat and it made me feel better. so then, i wore it on one of my walks, and found out that i really DO have a small head. it wobbled around and pushed my ipod earbuds out of my ears a couple times. so yesterday i wrapped it up and sent it out to seattle to my sister nance. she runs (i really dont get running) and it has been cold there, and perhaps most important, her head is bigger and the hat will actually fit her! HA! so i hope she enjoys it.

a new venue

well, i decided to switch to this interface; seems a bit more friendly, and hopefully it is more accessible. i wasn't writing so much with the last set-up, no good! anyway, welcome!