What a great post. And what a great image to start out my week--believing in what everyone else thinks is imaginary.

I want to be there....Ocean, flowers and the beautiful yarn all in the same place with the Yarn Harlot! You should teach there, we would come!

Normally I want to know what you are knitting. Today one look at the flowers and sea from your balcony and I just wanted to sit there and drink coffee and be warm. Winter will do that to you. I'd probably still be sitting there waiting for whales. Glad you saw one!

WOW!!!! That is an amazing post. Thanks for documenting and sharing it!

Yeah for your Stephanie, you got to see a whale, persistence wins and what a wonderful outcome!

Lovely!

Sometimes you are my favourite person EVER.

Such a spectacular site! I will never get tired of seeing whales.

Congratulations on your whale!

Yay! I love whales. Had one & its baby swim by me when I was SCUBA diving once -- luckily my husband decided to bash me on the head & point first and then take a picture because I got to watch them & the only picture we have is of a dark shape off in the distance. The memory is always better than proof! (Though the picture, as bad as it is, is fun too.)

"Imaginary whale my arse." HA! May you see many more imaginary whales on your trip!

*looks at the yarn, then goes back up to see the lovely landscape and ocean*

*sighs with envy*

And you saw a whale! Awesome!

"Folie a cinq? Canadian author and knitter causes mass whale-panic after multiple imaginary whale sightings; film at 11."

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

It's like when I see a Black Bear!! I keep looking in the same spot, even months later... sure that they will appear there again!!

I'd LOVE to see a whale!! So happy for you !!!!!!

I'm sitting here puzzling over how a mum with a perfectly reasonable idea of how many shoes one woman should have could be so lacking in whale imagination.

Maybe she was thinking of hand-tooled leather sandals.

I'm thrilled for you! 1) you were vindicated and 2) you've added this to your "life experience" folder--very cool--it gave me goose bumps.

When I was a teen (many years ago) we were coming home in our 16' foot boat from Catalina to Long Beach when a pod of whales appeared nearby. My dad cut the engine and we watched as the whales dove under the boat as they passed us. Definitely a "life experience" entry.

Love the pictures of the water and greenery. Love the whale story. I'm going to La Paz Mexico in 4 weeks and this might hold me over till then. I hope to see whales then too.

Watched them for HOURS on the Big Island of Hawaii

But take a whale watching trip,you will never forget it.

a HUMPBACK whale? That is amazing! What wonderful providence on your relaxing vacation!

I'm so happy the whale finally showed up to prove you right! Have a restful and wonderful vacation!

I love that you used the proper word, "arse" almost as much as I love that you got to see a whale! How amazing :)

Congrats! A lifetime experience (not only seeing the whales but getting to prove Mom wrong huh?)

Maybe the new yarn should become socks or mitts with tiny whales on them.

Have a great vacation.

How wonderful! I imagine you sitting with your camera trained on the sea from now on.

We go to Hawaii every year and the highlight for me is seeing the humpbacks. It never fails to thrill!

That is awesome!!! I love humpback whales and have always wanted to see one in person!! Have fun on vacation!!

Indeed a lifetime experience! Love to whale watch...something so majestic about them!

Vindicated! Seeing whales is just the best. While in Alaska, my husband and I took a day cruise and saw a super pod of Orca whales. Something never to be forgotten! Hank is so lucky to have an Aunt Steph!

What a great moment to be vindicated! A once in a lifetime chance to see whales, AND you got to prove you weren't crazy (about seeing whales, that is).

Now for the rest of your vacation you can just randomly say "heh, told ya" under your breath. All. The. Time. :)

Being proved right is nice, but I think actually seeing the whale was better, right? But in any case, it's impossible to prove a negative (ie, that you didn't see a whale), so I reckon you had the stronger position to start off with.

I hope that the rest of the holiday continues as excellently (I am very jealous...)

Great post. LOVE that the whale vindicated you. It's going to give me a little smile all day - awesome on a Monday. Thanks & have a great trip.

WOW. What a way to start a vacation. Now go enjoy it! We'll be here when you get back.

Actually, the best part of this post was when you bashed your mum to get her attention and she made you apologize. I find myself doing that all the time with my 20-somethings, and you've reminded me that sometimes I need to pay more attention to what they're trying to say, rather to how it's being said. Congrats on the whale sighting, but I'd really like to see the horses.

I love the vacation posts! Absolutely stunning!

LOL that's just awesome! I love to whale watch and do it quite often here on the Oregon Coast! We have resident whales that are there all year long in Depot Bay! The "rush" you feel when you actually see one is amazing! I am so happy for you, what an experience!

oh...it looks so warm!! What's that like? I'm so done with winter and there's no real chance of jetting away when you're 30+ weeks pregnant. Still, I shall live vicariously through your posts and congratulate you on your whale spotting!

What a wonderful story! You deserve to feel a little smug.

Belief triumphs again!

I love proving my Mom wrong when cool stuff happens!!!!

Yay, Annabelle! And WTG whale for making sure your mom didn't think you were crazy. lol

Awesome!

That is 1000 kinds of awesome.

Is there anything at all more fun than an "I told you so"?

Wow Cool! :) I agree with many posters regarding the vindication - hooray for whales being able to help on that front, but also for being super amazing in their own rite!
As for your view, that is just plain GORGEOUS. How on earth do you leave that place?! Thank goodness you have yarn there too though...
Is it humid? And Oh yeah, someone else mentioned it too, please post pix of those guys on horseback - not so sure i need the close up on the horses as much as the guys ... you know, thrill us with your experiences. ;) we love ya!

Moral? Perhaps "Believe in yourself"

Great post! Smiling reading it. Thanks!

Forget the knitting, take time to see the whales. Imagine if you hadn't been looking!

I want to gaze at the first picture all day and imagine I am there soaking in the sun, smelling the tropical scents, watching the horses thunder down the beach, drinking in the warm sunshine, zipping on a long line among the trees, scanning for whales, playing in the water, feeling the sun...
Continue having a splendid vacation!

The best part of you being on vacation is that The Blog gets to take a virtual vacation. All this cold, grey winter can be dissapated with a few good pictures (or that is my story and I am sticking with it!).

;-)

Absolutely Awsome!

Given our present weather and our current forecast, the top photo would do me just fine, Steph. What a place to get on with your knitting, if you can tear your eyes from your search for whales....

Wow. That story just choked me up. What a great experience.....

I hope your mother apologized before anything else happened.

I agree with Leslie F--this was almost as good as being there! Thanks so much for sharing your vacation--and your WHALES!--with us all!

Another life experience I can recommend? Go to the Plantation Inn on the Crystal River in Florida. Then rent a canoe, or go on their manatee snorkeling tour--any time between November and March. You will be able to swim with manatees. Legally. And it will be an amazing 'life experience' to add to your already wonderful collection. I did this, years ago; went myself, rented a canoe, watched manatees, and swam among them--they treated me like a pod member--until I was cold and wrung out...but what a day!!!

Snorkeling is better than SCUBA--I understand the bubbles are a little off-putting. Plus so much easier to manage!

Somehow, I can just picture you turning to your mother and saying that last line LOL Glad your whale decided to give them a show!

I agree with Marnie. I hope your mother apologized before she did anything else.

I really really REALLY needed to see pictures like that. I'm so glad you went on vacation and are sharing pictures! Also, so delighted you saw whales. I get thrilled just seeing dolphins. Whales would send me into euphoria! Hope all the other days of your vacation are equally as great.

I love that you saw the whale! Love the pictures of the beach and the reminder that it is truely warm somewhere! Nice yarn, I made a shawl out of Tosh Light last summer and I love it. I love, love, love it!

It's always great to be right, but to be right about a whale has to top the list.

what a dream come true, and in paradise to boot! :)

Humpbacks in full breach--9 times! that is the experience of a lifetime

I love how the yarn and the post-whale ocean photo are both the most delicious shades of turquoise and green and creamy yellow. I can't accept that the colorway is called "bluebonnet" when it is so obviously "imaginary whale".

Great story on you and the whales - euphoria reigns!

That view isn't too shabby either - what could be better for someone who thinks bed is a waste of time - coffee and a tropical view on the patio early in the morning with your knitting - bliss! Happy holidaying.

Awesome! Love the pictures, have fun.

If you'll pardon the groan factor, it sounds like you are having a "whale" of a good time. Good for you! Enjoy...

P.S.
I CAN vividly imagine the sun, feel of the sand, the glorious sea, and that whale, plus the flowers, and oh yeah, the birds of paradise!
Thanks for such a great post!

Breaching whales and MadTosh Light -- it doesn't get much better than that!

Last year I was staring out my window at the nearby harbor, utterly bored while talking on the phone to a lawyer in a land-locked state. All of a sudden I screamed "There is a whale nursing her baby in the harbor!!" I scared the poor guy, who asked if I needed to hang up. I did not hang up on him, but I wanted to.

Have a great vacation.

I don't know how people go on these awesome vacations. I mean, I go to Squam, which is terrific and beautiful in its own way, but I've only managed a cruise once, which was touristy in all the wrong ways. Wow. Beautiful.

I'm glad you got to see the whales. I almost didn't read far enough because I was stopped at your yarn photo. I just arrived in the Cayman Islands for two weeks with my little bag of scraps for a Beekeepers. My husband and family don't see anything unusual with yarn and needles at the beach (they know me)but I get funny looks from strangers. Those people dont' get it. :)

Stephanie
Thank you so much for being you. For sharing your experience with us, and in such a way as we feel we're right there with you. A wonderful surprise, such as a non-imaginary-whale (and irrefutable proof to skeptics), couldn't have come to a more deserving person.
Enjoy your trip!

I would have done the same thing! Once in Alaska a whale jumped out of the ocean RIGHT in front of the boat I was on. It was the most spectacular thing I've ever witnessed! And last year, while standing on the Oregon coast, right on the beach, several whales performed for us and all the beach combers. They must have only been about a mile from the beach. Amazing! Whales are amazing! (And I'm knitting Elinor Brown's Pod of Cetaceans cardigan right now. That's what you should knit!)

You need to translate that trip into a sweater. The colors, the imagery, somehow, to keep you warm in the winter.

When I was in Hawaii over a month ago, I learned that you can spot whales by the oddly calm spot in the ocean. We were on a boat, and we got to see one, but it seemed impossible to take a good photo of one. You just had to live with knowing you saw it.

Molly : )

Just reading about this event made my happy. Not just happy...you know, the kind of "inside your heart happy" that happens when you're excited about something.

I've never been to the Dominican Republic and I've never seen a whale, and I would be jealous, except that I promised myself that I would never be jealous or envious because it's not a good thing. So, I'm happy for you, Stephanie. You go, girl.

Oh, and those horses galloping at water's edge!!! That's not a sight we encounter often here in Southern Ontario. At least not where I live.

Did you notice that the color of the water in your last picture is exactly the color of your yarn? (On my monitor anyway.) I'm picturing a lace scarf with a name like "Whale Watch"--or, wait, do you remember the Dolphin Lace shawl done by Grumperina some years back, with dolphin shapes worked in? How about wavelets?

Happy sightings!

Friends of mine are in Cabarete at this very moment. A lovely smiley, red-headed Canadian nurse named Sharon, and her husband Les. I told her to be on the lookout for you, so if someone bounces up to you and says Kate says to say Hi - that will be her.
Loved the whale sighting, I have never seen whales but it wouldn't occur to me to look for them there - how magical an experience that must have been!

Thanks for sharing the photos of your current paradise! Here in Michigan it has been big fluffy snowflakes for the past 5 days. Good for staying inside knitting. An idea for your yarn project in a warm climate, "Fast Florida Footies" a free pattern I just printed off from a local knitter @ ColorJoy.com Also, just reading your "All Wound-Up" to keep me motivated as I am working my way through one of Lynn's (ColorJoy) shawls. Enjoy the tropical scenery!

Dontcha just love one-upping your mother!

BRAVO! Imaginary whale my arse, indeed.

(Love that word, arse)

Mostly care about the first picture. Have a great time.

That's a whale of a tale! Sounds like a super-good time at the beach!

Is it bad that I'm still scouring the last picture for a glimpse of the whale?

In Hawaii right now and have seen whales lots of them, everytime it is completely awesome.

:D Awesome

Whales are amazing animals! I've been lucky enough to see many of them in the St-Lawrence and around Bonaventure Island. I'm so happy you got to have that experience, I hope you get to see them again before your vacation is over! :-)

How beautiful. I've seen whales quite a few times, some up VERY close, but the fascination and child-like wonder is never diminished - not even a little bit. No heat in my NYC office today...how can they expect us to work? So JEALOUS!!! Continue to have a great time!

I sure hope you said... 'haha...Mum... told ya'

great post!!

I'm not sure if you noticed, but the yarn has (at least on my monitor) the exact same colors as the last picture in this post. :) Fitting.

Wow! You saw the whole whale, that is awesome! Most people only catch a glimpse of the tail.

I lived in Hawaii for 2 years, and part of that time lived/worked on a ship out at sea, but still never saw a whale, nor a tail, nor a water spout. I always looked too late. :(

But I did get to see other wonderful sea creatures while scuba-ing and snorkeling. I hope you guys get some time to do that yourselves, the world underwater is amazing.

Have a very happy time in the Caribbean and that luscious blue water. Eat lots of fruit(drinks). Hee hee. :)

Wow. You may be close enough to hear them sing maybe?

Same thing happened to my nephew at Epcot Center. He SWORE he had seen a dolphin in the tank, but anytime my sister, my niece and I looked...nothing. Finally, we were on the escalator heading down to the outside, here comes this dolphin for all of us to see. It's been three years and we STILL haven't heard the end of it...

between your posts and my best friend living in maui, all i do is dream of the ocean. it's not very productive, but a lovely daydream nontheless. and i will see a whale someday too, and be just as excited. (i think you should design a shawl- cabarette- complete with whale flukes. that would be a great use of your caribbean yarn!)

On my desk, a quote sent to me from a dear friend:
"A Dreamer of Dreams
A Teller of Tales,
Whose Mystic Sight
Knows that Truth Prevails."
---E. Pietsch

Please tell your mom that there are more of us out here.

On our way to Jamaica early tomorrow morning. Don't expect to see any whales, but lots of sun, beach and drinks with umbrellas - nearly as good, I think... Also will have knitting, looking forward to the strange looks :)

And did the apology river run backward?

The whale story is great. I heard another great whale story a while ago, almost the mirror image of yours. Lucy Swindoll wrote a book called 'I Married Adventure'. In it she talks about how she went on an Antarctic nature cruise, determined to see whales. She kept watching for them day after day. One day, as they were close to leaving the area, she was at the ship's rail looking for whales, and her friend on the other side of the ship kept calling her frantically to come see this. Look at the penguins! Lucy ignored her, since she was looking for whales. Finally, she turned to her friend, to see a huge colony of penguins leaping off ice cliffs and swimming back and jumping up and then leaping off into the sea again. Fantastic!----Moral: Look for whales, but don't focus on whales so much that you miss the penguins!

That's awesome! Probably the same feeling I had when I saw a pod of killer whales from the ferry to Vancouver Island!!

Hope your (well-deserved) vacation goes well! :)

Katie =^..^=

Being from Oregon we see a lot of whales- it never gets old. Over Thanksgiving weekend (ours in November, not yours in October!) my husband and I took a quick trip to Seattle to see King Tut. Lovely fellow...Anyway being so close to Churchmouse I convinced my husband we should go. I told him he would love the bookshop nearby and the ice cream at Moro's is amazing. Anyway...we took the ferry and low and behold the highlight of the entire trip were the three orcas who danced for us as the ferry crossed the glass like water. It was magical. So enjoy your whales- I fully understand how special they are.

Yp forget the yarn keep those pics coming. I can't travel far and love holidays via others.
Thanks for being there.

Love the pics, ill be in the caribean in three weeks and cannot wait

Just say it...you're allowed to say it...go on...

Nya nya nya nya nya.

Oh and just flounce the head a bit too.

Well Steph, you've convinced me...I want my own blog too. For no other reason than I want to tell the whole world about when I prove my Mum wrong too! I'm really glad you saw the whales.

Did your Mom order crow for dinner?

After all, she should know that your biggest flights of fancy always involve yarn. . .;-)!

Wow - even without the whales it's a beautiful view. It reminds me of going sailing and spotting dolphins - results in lots of pictures of the sea where a dolphin had just been!

I saw a humpback do a full breach when we were kayaking in Johnstone Straight. It was magical to see - it came out of no where and *poof* gone. Awesome things. I can't imagine what it is to see it 9 times (could it have been 9 whales?) Magical.

I am with Becka at 1:39 - yarn in the first picture is wrongly named. It matches colors perfectly with the sea behind it! I admire your knitting fervor... our family went to Puerto Rico for vacation last year, and the knitting bag got pretty lonely in the hotel room (couldn't compete with the snorkeling, etc.!)...

When I was in 3rd grade my grandmother took me to the beach Jones Beach on Long Island. It was winter. I saw a whale.

We had to draw a picture of what we saw over our Christmas vacation I drew a picture of the whale with the usual water spout. I was accused of lying. 3 days later a dead whale washed up a New York City beach.

Penny

"I walked sort of sideways, so I could watch for the imaginary whale." I can see you, and an irrepressible 7-year-old you, so clearly here. Undaunted, unflinching in your certainty. Absolutely charming, and I'm so glad that your truth was borne out!
And the yarn is beautiful, too!

Thanks for the vicarious vacation, and thank you for not forgetting us while you are away having fun. I need my daily Harlot post fix!

Went on a knitting cruise, of all things, to Hawaii a couple years ago and sitting on the pool deck I saw my first whale. You never forget your first one. So glad you had the experience.

Gotta love the whales! But what do you plan to do with the Tosh?

Thank you so very much for this post. I've seen whales from a ship (of course you expect to see them if you've paid to), but from a beach!! Just wow. And should you feel so inclined to lurk about in the early AM waiting for galloping horses on the beach, so much the better. (Do you suppose that guys on galloping horses all appear as hunky as guys in uniform?)

I have two skeins of merino light, but am not on vacation in the Caribean. Well, one or two isn't bad :-)

That. is. SO. cool. :)

Mother is NOT always right. (Unless that mother is me or you.)

It always pays to have an active imagination!

Honestly, as much as I love the yarn pics, I never turn down pics of gorgeous tropical scenery!

Once, just once, I would love for something like this to happen when my mom tells me that I am crazy.

What an experience to see the whale. Your pictures gave me a mini vacation in my head....Thanks! Beautiful yarn choice.... I suggest you knit something up with waves (the look of waves) to always remind you of your vacation spot by the ocean and whale sightings. (The colors of your yarn will especially work with that scheme.) Enjoy~

Mmm, breath deeply, soak it up. I bet everyone's skin and hair is luscious with that moisture. My brain just sighs thinking of sitting outside in the morning with coffee and waves. Mmmm. Fabulous wondrous sea with whales for you.

I can totally see where he (she) landed! They leave a kind of "footprint" and I see it! The combination of yarn AND whales, it just doesn't seem like it could get any better (unless you add babies)!

Yep. You go!

Medical coding is a qualification for certification for all medical measures taken, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
I’m sure it’s really educational, but it’s just kind of authoritative content.
Is it causing restricted movement? Take your usual and potential patients to
fill out which basically tells them what the options are for your medical aid environment.

If you MUST knit....two words...
Snorkel cozy

Is there a whale's tail lace pattern? Or at least something that looks like a whale's tail? That yarn should be a lacy project to commemorate your imaginary whale!

Every single part of that pst is GREAT.

Sod the whales, we need photos of the guys on horse back :)

AMENDMENT : Sod the whales we want photos of the guys on horse back (preferably holding the yarn) :)

It looks lovely - enjoy every moment.

Now you'll see whales everywhere - it's like the 4-leaf clover thing - once you find one you then keep finding them everywhere.

I love your whale picture; it reminded me of one my Uncle Terence took in India, of a patch of dirt with squiggles - he said that it was a photo of the enormous snake that was right there just one second BEFORE he took the picture......

Hi, Steph,
Congrats on the whale. How totally cool.

You may tell your mother I said that daughters over the age of 14 do not need to be admonished any more. If you have taught them well, they do not need it. And in any case all it does is create bad feelings, nothing new is learned. That way they are still speaking to you in your old age...

How about this for a scarf to commemorate the whale?
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/whale-tail-and-drop-stitch-scarf

Enjoy the warmth. Maybe the next sock summit should be in the Caribbean in winter. Not that Portland isn't nice, but... Just sayin'.

Julie in San Diego

Wow-you got to see a whale! I got to kayak with a pod of dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico once and consider my self darned lucky. Their family even had two babies.

BTW, have you noticed that the yarn in the picture is very much like the color of the water in front of you? Have you considered a stitch that looks wave- or water-like?

Humpbacks are awesome!!! Of course they are quite plentiful off the coast of Newfoundland too in the spring when the caplin come to spawn.

I touched one once. When I was a kid it swam so close to our little boat that I reached out and touched it. Wouldn't have the nerve now, but it was an experience that I'll never forget.

What an awesome vacation you're having and thanks for letting us armchair travelers come along!

Great post. Glad you are enjoying your vaction. I see you are coming to knit east this year. If you haven't been to St. Andrews before its beautiful |(no quite the Carribean but still beautiful) They have whale watching there its really pretty and the town is so cute ! Love it there !

Hilarious, I decided to break my week of not looking at the Internet while on vacation in St. Croix, to find that one of my fav knitters and authors is doing the same: sitting in the tropics knitting wool items.

And do you not agree with me that whales breech just because its fun!!! Congrats! I'm totally jealous, sitting here at work, listening to the sleet tap on the windows.

Enjoy! Mary Ellen

LOL! I love you! Thanks for my morning smile. (The whales are amazing, aren't they?)

I live in a small fjord in the western part of Iceland. In spring we can watch humpbacks from our livingroom windows, but the sight is breathtaking every single time.

Enjoy the vacation.

Wow, simply wow! I've been whale-watching off the San Diego coast and it's always a thrill. Good on ya, mate.

Once I was on a silent retreat on the California coast. The group was outside in the garden and I jumped up, pointed and said, there is a whale! The group smiled and no one chastized for speaking out. Seeing a whale leaping out of the water is really awe inspiring.

Go Stephanie! (I'm going to be laughing randomly all day over this. You got to see the whale--thank you Annabelle and those men--and you got to be proven utterly right. )

My daughter and I were just in Tulum, Mexico. Same thing. She went out for an early morning walk. Came back and said, "Guess what I saw?' I guessed, a whale, a donkey, an allegator, a monkey?
No, It was a nest of baby turtles climbing out of their sand hole and making their way to the sea. So exciting. Have a wonderful time.

YEAAAAAAAHHHHH!!! For whales...real AND imaginary!

We all need more whale watching in our lives. Congrats on having the faith to believe in whales. :-)

Wow, I am so jealous of the whale sighting and the view from your room. (Enjoy it, it is snowing here in London again....)

I love watching the whales. I've never done that in the dominican but It's a beautiful sight. no matter where you are.

Whales are so beautiful, and I love a warm sunny beach. I just got back from Hawaii, where we saw a lot of whales from our lanai. And we saw a kayaker get swamped by a whale! We called 911. I just blogged it, if you're interested.

What a terrifc experience that was! You rock for sticking to your guns (and your passion).

Lucky you to be in a tropical place and to see a humpback whale. My husband and I were lucky enough to see humpbacks off Maui in 1983, January. They truly are an amazing and majestic site.

whale = ballena

(Spanish word of the day)

That is exactly how I felt when I saw a sea otter floating on it's back about 100 yards off the beach at Point Reyes. Fortunately my daughter also saw it (sea otters staying in one place more than whales) so I didn't face the unbelieving scorn from the family. There's something so incredibly exciting about seeing an animal in its' natural habit rather than a zoo. I never understood why people woud spend so much money to go on safaris before - now I do. If I could come up with the big bucks, I'd definitely go on a photo safari.

Awesome!!

This post made me cry... Oh, that there is such beauty and magic in this world ~ thank you for bringing a bit of it here to me. <3