Jiggity-Jig

We're home again. We made another run up to Massachusetts with a van-load of stuff. And we got some stuff done while we were there, which was good.

The trip up could have been better. We spent entirely too much time here:


Mr. Pointy Sticks wanted to try a new route and it involved crossing the Hudson at the Geo. Washington Bridge and rambling through the Bronx a bit. It was shorter and, if the traffic had been better, would have saved time, I think. But the traffic was horrendous! It felt as though it took us an hour just to cross the bridge. And I am not a happy bridge person. Some of them don't bother me too much, but this one is not one of my favorites. Of course, neither is the Tappan Zee which is our alternate way to cross. So what are you going to do? Actually I found an even worse bridge coming home on Monday...we heard there was a terrible back up at the Delaware Memorial Bridge so we crossed at the bridge that is a little up-river. Whoa...low sides and very high up. Really didn't like that one.

We did get to Northampton before Webs closed (the trip took about 8 1/2 hours instead of the usual 7) and I got a little something.


Want a closer look at the yarn?


All Online Supersocke. The bottom four in this picture are all Harlekin -- such pretty bright colors. The top three are, from left to right, from the Florida line, the Sierra line, and the Butterfly line.

And on the way up I finished these!


Huzzah for new socks!


The apartment is shaping up nicely. It was hot up there this weekend, though. We weren't expecting that. Saturday night we got dinner at A Taste of Amherst, an annual dealie where a lot of the Amherst restaurants serve food from tents on the Common. There were activities for the kids (Pony Rides! Face Painting!) and adults (Rock Wall Climbing! Beer and Wine Tent!) and live music. We heard a band called Joy Kills Sorrow that we liked a lot.

On Sunday we ran around and did chores and got items that Rachel needed. Not an exciting day, but an expensive one.

And Monday morning we drove over to Easthampton and Rachel took the exam for a learner's permit. She was not sanguine about her chances of passing as she had only been studying a week and that was from the Maryland driver's guide. But she passed! So now she has a learner's for two years and is going to arrange for driving lessons. Huzzah.

After that we spent hours putting her IKEA bed together. No major injuries, though I think Rachel may have a lulu of a bruise today.

The apartment complex is full of kids which gives it a nice feel. Rachel's next door neighbors have a little flower garden in front of the house and on Sunday morning I saw this flower bud:


Don't know what it is, though it looks a little Squashy to me. Later that day, the flower had opened, bright white and about as big across as my hand. I was going to take a picture, but when I remembered the next day it was limp and closed...all done.

Trip home was fairly uneventful, save for the bridge mentioned earlier. It took about 7 hours. And yes....


I started a new pair of socks. (This is yarn I took north with me, not any of the wool from Webs.)