August Musings

Thank you so very much for your kind words about Rainy. We still miss her terribly -- the house is quiet, so empty without her. But memories of her are interwoven in everything we do, so she's still close in spirit. We can't take a water bottle out of the plastic case without remembering her wanting us to pour some in the bottle cap for her. She's missing from the desk top as I type this. We're still getting used to having rugs on the floors again. And every time it Rains...

I've received emails that two of my favorite RI knitting shops are going out of business, Knitwits in Westerly, and Sakonnet Purls in Tiverton. So sad! But with the slow economy, and everyone knitting from their stashes (or moving on to sewing), I can understand why. I haven't purchased any new yarn myself, other than the few skeins I bought on the RI Yarn Crawl in April, and haven't touched my shawl at all. I've been working on my skirt; I think I'm about 20 rows from the top, and then all I have to knit is the foldover waistband. The only time I have to knit right now is in the car, or while watching Midsomer Murders, so it's slow-going.

I'm so thrilled Cadel Evans won the Tour de France. He's come in second twice, so this year, it was his turn. He's known for being a reserved guy, not terribly good with the press, and so I'm extra pleased that a fellow introvert was able to win the maillot jaune. In one article I read, his team director asked what he needed in order to be able to win this year, and he told them "a half an hour of time by myself every day." They gave him an hour. Love that.

 

Chris is still racing, though his season is slowing down. We love the "Tuesday Night Worlds" as they are called, the local races in Hartford where everyone meets to train. The end of the month promises an extra special race, the first on Cape Cod!! You know that we visit there quite often; it's always been one of our favorite getaway places, and Chris has forever wished for a criterium race in downtown Hyannis. This year, it is going to happen!

 
 The back side

We visited the previous Thursday for the day, and were able to go to Truro, to one of our favorite lighthouses, Highland Light. I have never been up inside a lighthouse before, and so, I wanted to take advantage of the pretty day and the tour. We climbed 69 old wrought-iron steps up to the top, and oh, what a view! You can see the ocean for miles and miles, and Provincetown, the tip of Cape Cod, with the Pilgrim Monument. I found out after we got home that once a month, they offer Full Moon tours -- can you imagine being inside a lighthouse looking out at the ocean lit up by a full moon? The starry sky that goes on forever, not blocked by tall trees or buildings? That would be a slice of heaven to me. I only wish our lighthouse, Saybrook Light, was open for tours too.

 

This is about half way up.

 
The top door that opens to the ocean. But we went up all the way to where the light shines through the windows. The tip-top.

 
Path to the observation deck, where you can wave to Portugal!

I have so many books to write about, but I will do that in another post. I hope you are enjoying your summer (or having a mild winter if you are in the southern hemisphere!), and spending lots of time reading and knitting by the beach or at the pool.

 

Back on the ground, near the observation deck. This is what I think heaven must look like -- well, to me anyway.  All Cape Cod photos by Chris.

Comments

[sprite]

Great shots of the lighthouse! It sounds like such a nice place to visit. (Plus, I can never read about lighthouses without channeling Anne and Captain Jim.)

[2paw]

I hope that soon your memories of Rainy will bring joy and happiness. I think of Harki now and feel glad that she spent time with us.
Yes, Cadel was fabulous and he's the toast of the country!! There's a big TV event when he comes home next week!!
Beautiful lighthouses, we have some fine ones here too!!

[Kara]

So sad about your yarn stores. Man, I hope things get better soon.

I love how you guys really make an effort to get out and explore. Your pictures are wonderful.

[Sarah]

Welcome back :) I'm sorry to hear about the knitting stores! But as soon as I read that paragraph, I realized that it's been about a year since I bought any new yarn... wow.

I love that you got to go inside a lighthouse! So cool! Think I'm going to add that to my to-do list :)

[Bubblesknits]

I'm so sorry you're hurting. It's so hard to lose one of our loved ones, furry or otherwise. ((hugs))

[Kristen]

Have you visited the Stonington Lighthouse? If you go on a weekend it just might be Kate giving the tour! (I posted photos just over 3 years ago- 8/4/08 if you want to check it out.)

[Sarah]

I am so sad about Sakonnet Purls! I was planning to get some baby yarn and especially some of their cute kid buttons in September, but I guess they will be closed by then. No more yarn and Gray's ice cream trips :(

[Dorothy W.]

I'm sorry about the knitting shops that have closed! Even if it's not surprising, it's still disappointing to lose shops you have shopped at and might visit again. This stupid economy! The lighthouse photos look great.

[Erika]

I'm sorry to hear about Rainy! I've lapsed a bit with reading blogs and didn't see your posts about her until yesterday. She was a beautiful cat and you were great parents/guardians/owners.