Hawaii Part 1: Wherein we spend our second honeymoon with four friends.

Ignoring the hacked up photoshopping job I did to edit out some people and make this beach appear more exclusive than it actually was, you can totally see how awesome it is in Hawaii. It's just that beer bellies don't really sell a place. It was my favorite beach out of the many that we visited on the north shore of Oahu, where there are inexplicably NO hotels other than the Turtle Bay resort. But that didn't so much matter because we were able to stay with the newly-wed Pattersons. Some couples go on vacation to reconnect; we use romantic beach scenes as rendezvous points to meet with worldly friends and invade the homes of folks married less than two months.


Waimea beach is about ten minutes from our hosts' abode. Fifteen minutes away is the renowned Turtle Bay, where you can get ridiculously expensive facials and actually see hoards of sea turtles. The feral cat hanging around the spa was slightly off-puting, but the *free* shower caps made up for it. In between Turtle Bay and "home" is Sunset beach, where the great Pacific Ocean claimed the rental car keys. At least I got an opportunity to snap this horrible pic of a TINY egret while we waited for a ride. These things were everywhere and only about 10" tall. Super cute.


And here we are, sans Hubs who is taking the pictures. Gimpy McGimperson, The Bride, me, Baby Mama, and Morning Fox.


In celebration of Gimpy's 30th birthday we spent a night in Waikiki and stayed in the very same hotel where Hubs and I had our honeymoon five years ago. We also spent the week eating massive quantities of food, especially meat. Also, vacationing with friends is very, very dangerous for the pocketbook. All for the birthday. Yes, the birthday.




In the next installment: we battle sand, bugs, ski slopes, and the Phoenix airport.

Artsy-fartsy in Atlanta

It's about time I did this. What have I been doing? Clearly not blogging. But here we go.

My and Becky just spent a week in Georgia visiting her first-grade teacher, Louise, and husband, Josh. For better or worse, they've remained family friends all this time. We used to drive to Omaha for visits, but they moved to the Atlanta area last year. It was Becky's third trip, but my first.

The World of Coke is pretty awesome. Here is a photo tour of some of the more crafty aspects:

These are in the lobby, but there are more elsewhere to total maybe 20, and they all seem to represent a different culture. And it is true; Coke has infiltrated every corner of the globe.


This is my favorite piece of art from the gallery area, by Comer Jennings. Something about colored glass is scrumtrulescent.


TINY scooter made of Coke cans. It was about four inches long.


More Coke can art.


And yet more.

Now we move to the Georgia Aquarium, where the gift shop houses these fun beaded creatures:


Puffer! If I'd been thinking, I would have noticed where these treasures are made. But I didn't, so we'll assume that some church group right there in Atlanta did them.

At the home of our generous hosts:

Egret! Strangely enough, this sculpture was made in MN but purchased in Omaha and now resides in Kennesaw, GA. Apparently, Gertens carries them and I think I need one for my own yard.


This is where we relaxed for TV watching, magazine reading, and knitting. I'm proud to say that I started and finished a project during our week's stay; a bib whose owner is TBD.


And this is the LYS where Louise works. The Whole Nine Yarns. We spent an afternoon there knitting and walking the area. Best place to eat in GA: Pure Taqueria. Just down the road and winning for most intriguing name: The Right Wing Tavern. I also marveled at the greenery, since we have none in MN right now. Oh, no. We have several feet of snow and roads with alternating patches of ice and potholes and no one knows where to park and if I have to wear long underwear much longer I'm going to implode!

Also, Happy Valentine's Day!

Oh, AND I'm entering a giveaway for this "Nelephant" by Danger Kitty Designs. Enter for yourself here!

Photo collage for the bedroom

I did it! I didn't wait months or years to get this one done! It turned out to be way easier than the first; partly because there are only 25 pics instead of 49, and partly because I was already experienced in the limitations of my adhesives.


These are more scenic than the photos in the dining room collage. Because I don't want everyone I know staring at me while I'm in bed.


Penny did make the cut, though, because she's just too cute to exclude. Otherwise the pics are from our Lake Superior adventures, around our yard and neighborhood (the egret is in there!), and from our honeymoon in Hawaii.


THIS is the frame, probs one of my all-time favorites.

Egret Sighting

I don't know why I don't take the camera every time I go down to Lake Hiawatha...yesterday I went with the husband, sister, niece, and nephew to romp around the play ground, which has probably the best equipment I've ever seen. The kids like to play house in one of the structures (I'm always the baby, and for some reason they always want me to cry) and one of our regular family activities is "going to the ocean;" meaning we walk fifty feet to overlook the lake for two minutes before returning "home" for lunch, naps, or whatever. Sometimes we take the "car," which is the seesaw.

So on a trip to the ocean yesterday, we discovered a gray egret right there, just off the shore. Everybody came over to watch it catch a little catfish. I can sit and watch animals for hours if I have the time and a camera, but the kids got bored and wanted to go play. It was very cool for a few minutes, though. On a previous trip to the park, there were three gray egrets flying around. I wonder where the white one has gone to.