Sunday, June 19, 2011

Return to Paradise

I am sitting at my desk in the Beach House, looking out over the gulf.  What a sight - I miss the incredible view when I am gone.   TanMan wants to live in Florida year around, and I totally understand the appeal, but I am still a Michigan girl at heart, and I can't leave the kids and grandkids (yet).

When we arrived and opened the door to our condo - we were greeted by the most horrible stench - so we walked through the place looking for a dead animal.   Couldn't find the source of the smell until TanMan approached the refrigerator.  OMG - it was awful.   Apparently it stopped working sometime in the last 7 weeks, and all the food was ruined - but the real culprit for the stench was the frozen squid bait that youngest son had left in the freezer. 

Our process for leaving the condo for the summer is to put all of our food into the refrig - flour, spices, etc - just to keep it all bug free.  The consequences of that action was the need to throw EVERYTHING out.  Even the plastic containers that I store the flour in was permeated with the smell. 

Emptying out the refrig wasn't enough - we unplugged it and pushed it outside.   Within 2 hours after arriving, we were headed to the local Sears store.   I could tell that TanMan was secretly thrilled about this turn of events, because he had been wanting a new french door fridge, and now he could get what he wanted.
The new fridge won't be in until the end of the month (because we wanted the color bisque - not usually kept in stock), so they delivered a loaner for us.

It has taken a few days of open windows, fans, bowls of vinegar and scented candles, to finally get the place smelling okay.   Long story, I know, but what a way to start a 10 day vacation, where I just wanted to sleep, knit and lay in the sun. 

It is definitely hot here, and I am not a big fan of A/C, but we need it on to make it comfortable.   I have enjoyed a couple of long walks on the beach, and it is turtle nesting season - so take a look at what is scattered all along the beach... sea turtle nests.   

Below are the tracks of the turtle going to the nest, and the nest is staked off with the orange tape.  There are dozens of nests along the mile of beach that I walk, and there are new nests every day.



And then there was our first sunset - oh yes, nothing better!



I have completed the Chinese wave dishcloth out of Knit Picks Dishie.  It is studier cloth, almost double layer due to the slipped stitches.   I will have TanMan try it out on the dishes and let you know what he thinks.



Also as promised is a new item at the knitting show, that is one of those great ideas - and you wonder why didn't I think of that!

It is like a super large ironing board cover, with heat resistant surface, grids for measuring and padding so you can pin the item you are blocking.  I put my foot in the photo, so you could see how large this baby is.


Hope you have a great Father's Day - show some love to the fathers in your life.   I am lucky to be married to a great man and a wonderful father, so I plan to take him out for a steak & lobster dinner (his favorite).  As always, I will be missing my dad, who has been gone for 34 years. 

2 comments:

Judi A. said...

Love the color of your Chinese Waves dishcloths. Am waiting to hear the final critique. :-) I need to make a couple more for us, but seems other knitting always takes precedence. I thought I knew what your "new item" from the knitting show was, but I wasn't quite on target. Awhile ago I purchased a large blocking board that has grids, is padded, etc. It doesn't roll up, though, but is on a hard surface that folds in half and has handles for carrying. I love it for blocking, and makes using blocking wires so much easier! I'll be anxious to hear how you like your rolled up one. Will it easily lay flat? It probably will be easier to store, and isn't as heavy, but I don't move mine around much and have found a perfect, convenient spot to slip it in and out of.
Oh my, even reading about your frig fiasco makes me screw up my face in....phew! I do hope you have all of that odor out of your place permanently! Had to look up what a "Frech Door Frig" is. I've seen them advertised, but didn't know that's what they're called. Like the concept and should our frig die...NO! NO!!...I for sure would look at some of those. Always something, isn't there! Hope your trip home goes well and that there are no surprises waiting for you there!

TeaMouse said...

How does the Dishie hold up in the wash, does it fade or bleed a lot?