Rock Water Tree

Yesterday Joe and I tossed Elliot (and a great many of our worldly goods) into the car and drove north.  Meg and Alex followed in their car with the dog and lots of their worldly goods, and we drove for four hours- with Ellie looking out the window and saying “rock, tree, water, tree, tree, tree, rock, water…” which are essentially all you can see if you look out the window in Ontario, allowing for the occasional large mammal.  (No bears or moose were spotted yesterday, though not for lack of effort on the part of the diligent child.)

We’ve rented a cottage on the water for the next ten days, and while we’re not gathering the way we have in the past for this time of year -some of the family can be with us and I’m trying to celebrate what I’ve got, rather than what I wish could happen. We’ve got the five of us now for four days, and then we add some more people to the mix and I can’t wait. (There are going to be some hugs for the first time in a long time.) I did loads and loads of meal prepping and planning so that I could spend a lot of time relaxing and knitting and spending time with some of the people I’ve missed so much. Joe and I still have to work while we’re here (If you’re a Patron, there’s a video coming today!) and later today (there is a foosball table here that I think is going to buy us all a lot of time) I’ll start on the Karmic Balancing Gifts.

I have also brought with me more yarn than is reasonable, even for me.  I have a whole sweater to start, two pairs of socks that are midway, and some extra sock yarn after that, and essentially to run out I would need to finish a project a day – which….

I’m actually on track to do, at least today. Joe drove the whole way here yesterday so I got almost a whole sleeve knit in the car, and now there’s just thirty two rounds to go on this sweater. I can’t believe I’m going to finish – I’ve been working on it so long it feels like a permanent fixture.*

*I motivated myself by not bringing a sweater for this trip at all. Nothing quite like being chilly to help you get a move on.

47 thoughts on “Rock Water Tree

  1. Hilarious! Elliot’s observant catalog of the scenery reminds me of The Arrogant Worms’ anthem to northern Ontario/Canadian scenery, “Rocks and Trees”! 🙂

    • Dying laughing! Thank you for sharing that! I grew up in Illinois and it was corn, cow, soybean, silo…corn, cow, soybean, silo!

    • It’s fantastic!! Suddenly your woolen hand kits feel relevant, IMPERATIVE again! So nice to slide on a sweater or cardi and feel comforted… 🙂

  2. Here in the urban areas that narration is dump truck, tanker, crane, backhoe, police car, ambulance, pickup truck, train . . .a little more variety (in the eyes of a small boy) but similarly comprehensive.

  3. I bet lots of us would overlook a lack of knitting content if you wanted to post your meal plans.

    Hugs to Meg and Alex! I think of them every day.

  4. Its so wonderful to have you and Ellie back on the Blog (and Penny!). There’s just 2 of us here with 1 1/2 dogs and 2 cats. Thank goodness for knitting and my twice a week knit group. Aside from having puppy brain, life is good. Staying on a lake is my idea of heaven, you lucky duck. Enjoy!

      • Once my husband and I had to both hold down our one-year-old for a shot. I complained afterward that I had to hold the half that wriggled in futile evasion. Husband responded, I had to hold the half that looked at me.

  5. That sounds like such a wonderful holiday!! I wish I could go north and then sit somewhere quiet for a week, relax, knit, read … Sound like heaven on earth right now.

    I don’t think you can bring too much yarn, but I’m looking forward to reading about the trip (have a lovely time!!) and seeing lots of fantastic pictures!

  6. I have to say how much I’m LOVING the Patreon SPM! Its been an incredible way to add skills to my knitting repertoire – that would have been great to know years ago! LOL Keep Calm and Carry YARN! LOL

  7. Please try to emphasize how chilly you are. Michigan is a swamp, a very hot swamp, with no end in sight. Hinting at chilblains wouldn’t be entirely over the top.

  8. I’d love to need a sweater right now. We’re in that part of the summer where it’s humid and hot and the cicadas are buzzing and it’s almost like the air is vibrating! Anyway, enjoy your time away, especially those hugs.

    • Here, too. It’s too hot to consider going outside until evening, but then my evening walk is so noisy. I honestly considered ear plugs in my living room tonight because the cicadas felt that loud *inside* the house!

  9. Happy trails on this adventure! I’m so glad you’ll get to have loved ones along. It’s been a rough year and a half. Enjoy yourself and do what makes you happy. And in that vein – happy knitting!

  10. That’s pretty awesome motivation, and it looks like a beautiful place for it! Enjoy your hugs, you’re due some for sure.

    • Oh, and you should get Elliot to ask an Alexa ‘Are we there yet?’ sometime. My kiddo is still laughing about it.

  11. And now I have the Arrogant Worms, “Trees and Rocks” stuck in my head. I think we need to introduce Ellie to this marvelous Canadian group!

  12. I absolutely should not admit this, but on Tues, I was sitting in my little home office and wondering why I was so cold when it occurred to me that I was dressed for the week before, when we had, you know, summer – on the 14th we broke a record at 37.5ºC. I was not dressed for this week when we have wtf? (and rain). Is it a bad sign that apparently I can’t be trusted to get dressed by myself? I think need some cabin time.

  13. Ellie and I would get along fine! When my husband and I drove around Cornwall and Ireland years ago, my song was Sheep! Sheep! Until there were so many that I had to stop!

    • Oh, that’s fun! And really, the whole “waaaay too many trees and rocks” thing is only a problem when you’re driving and they all blur together…once you’re out hiking around, it’s wonderful 🙂

    • just got back from one of those drives!! It’s true, endless rocks and trees. and rivers/lakes give you the odd reprieve from …rocks and trees. 🙂

  14. I hope Elliot & Penny have so much fun that the adult people will need another vacation! (And that the sweater somehow gets done.)

  15. That is such a beautiful picture ! Thank you. I can hardly wait to see what you are knitting.
    If you have any meal recipes, I need some inspiration.
    I would love to join Pantreon in order to learn more and share your wonderful personality, but I am a little timid and not sure how to do it. I’m the kind of person who likes to pay things in advance and panics if I have any bill unpaid. . . Maybe sometime I’ll buck up the courage.
    I hope you really enjoy your stay!

    • As Lani said, Patreon takes the money out of your account automatically on the first of the month.

      They take PayPal, too, which is good for me – PayPal’s currency conversion fees (I’m in Australia) are nicer than my bank’s.

  16. Visiting my son and his family this past weekend, when it hit 72 with a brisk little breeze I was a bit amazed to find myself quite in need of a sweater. But then they’re very close to the ocean.

    I was afraid I would burst into tears when I finally got to see them after nearly two years. Turns out, it wasn’t till after I got home again that I suddenly came close to it while totally not expecting it.

    Have a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful time!!!

  17. having been at an Ontario cottage myself for the past week, I can assure everyone that there’s been no need for a sweater, and thus, no motivation to get said sweater knitted. just sayin’. 😉

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