Petunia rambles on and on….

A year ago, I was on vacation up in NE Pennsylvania, staying in a fancy resort in the Poconos. We’ve been up there many times, love the area. I’d spend a few days doing craft work, hitting the craft stores while Husband was on the golf course. And on each trip, we’d always go down to the Delaware Water Gap and just sit and marvel at it all. Usually a trip to the Falls at Bushkill.

This year, things are different. In so many ways. But I remember…..

Should have gone to the knitting group. I really should have – I so enjoy the meetings and the ladies who attend. We’re fortunate to have a really great group of crafters who come out faithfully.

But on Sunday, the weather was beautiful, sunny, warm, a bit blustery but only just a bit! This time of year, the thought is always in the back of your mind that this might be the LAST nice day for months. We went up the back road to Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge.  We go up there often, have a season pass. When we have an hour, and I just need to get outdoors, this is quick and does the job.

There are several Observation Towers built out there, and as usual, I’m uneasy making the climb – UP is not my thing, ever. But the view is worth the extraordinary effort I have to make to get up there. (Truth be told, it ain’t that high, but for me, anything higher than the kitchen table is too damn high) When the light is good, it’s a great place to be with a camera or with several.

And I’ve always got my eye out for the plantlife, which changes it’s appearance each time I go out there. This time I saw thistles in bloom – purple flowers over a big bulb, and nasty thorns all over the place – and I remembered sending the oldest out into the back fields to find the thistles, lest we have a large patch of them next year.  The little kids would look for them and he would dig them out.

As we kept a careful watch out for them, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen them blooming before.  Makes me think of all those books I’ve read that take place in the Scottish Highlands – and the pattern in the bottom of one of my shortbread pans!

And I’m always looking for bright colors - this time of the year they’re rather plentiful!  Soon enough, it’ll all be just bare sticks.

All the walking just about destroyed my back, but out on a new (this year) trail, there’s a spot way, way out that has benches, and the view is beautiful. I hate having to admit that I can walk just so far and then have to sit down. Over the years and many walks carrying a couple of cameras and bags of lenses, I’ve learned the hard way that I MUST carry water with me. A few incidences where I severely dehydrated myself stick in my memory.

Telephoto lens, large jug of ice water and a University of Delaware t-shirt! And a pink Breast Cancer Awareness Month bracelet on my right wrist, on for the month of October.

What a peaceful place to be.

Except……

When I travel, I don’t usually travel alone.

All I’ve to do now is get him a few pinwheels.

I remember noting that I had finished the socks I made in the Devon colorway by Lorna’s Laces, but I don’t think I even took any pictures of them. Easy to knit, no real pattern – just a bit of ribbing that  holds the sock in close to the foot.  I like them to fit that way.

Loved the colorway!!

Winter’s coming – I need to knit more socks!