Puzzle People
My father bought this puzzle in 1976. He’s the one who got Mark saying Sacramento at age 2, when you’d ask him “what’s the capital of California?”
This summer Mark took his family to see ten more state capitals/ capitols.
The handcrafted wood puzzle was missing New York and Lake Ontario. For years! Missing puzzle pieces is such a bummer. I’m not sure why I waited so long to see if I could get replacements.
Wk, I just received the hand cut replacement pieces and although the wood is a bit thinner these days and the color brighter, it is wonderful to have the puzzle complete again.
Besides New York is my birth state (yes, I grew up in the Garden State- New Joisey)
Thank you Puzzle People Michael and Pat Smith of Philo, California for completing the puzzle once again, 40 years later.
The Quest for Sock Yarn in Alaska
Alaskan sock yarn was the quest. And this was the place to find it.
I ‘d researched on the computer from Pittsburgh, prior to our trip.
Knitty Stash is the home of Alaskan Yarn Company , right in Homer, Alaska where we were headed.
Gorgeous hand painted sock yarn with special Alaskan colorway names that invite you to knit your Alaskan experience, right into a pair of socks ( or shawl, cowl, etc) “Our Alaskan color way: Kachemak Bay, Lupine, Arctic Autumn, Northern Lights and Fireweed and Denail Autumn and High Bush Cranberry” You can click here to see what they look like knitted up
Yarn store number three on the great Northwest adventure.
You meet the nicest people. My friend Lisa and I went back on Tuesday night and watched the three women use spinning wheels, turning fiber into yarn.
Meet shop owner Jules and her sweet dog Ruby.
Jules made the knitting artwork out of duct tape with the help of a friend! Weatherproof..
You can see some of the colorways on the wall in this shot. I focused on Jules so the background a bit soft focus.
My quest was satisfied and I mailed some skeins the next day. It was here, waiting for me when I got home. I’ve wound one colorway already. Will keep you posted.
Here are the colors close up, borrowed from Knitty Stash site so you can see how lush they are.
I did not take the yarn photo below, but I wish I had bought all the colors and taken it! Thanks Jules.
p.s. If you missed my 4/27/16 post on The Satisfaction of Sock Knitting you can read it here
Book Quest
Quest. Remember looking for a certain book? I’m talking pre-google, search engines?
Out dad would scour used book stores and stalls for books he wanted for himself or one of us kids. He was always searching for another copy of In Clean Hay to read at Christmas. Nowadays you type a title or author in a narrow white box, press search and voila….options, usually in a few seconds.
An actual physical search can be incredibly satisfying cause chances are you will see another title or volume as you sift through shelves in a cool used book store.
That’s what happened when I found a Peter Spier book from my kids childhood on a upstairs shelf.
Old Inlet Bookshop in Homer, Alaska is such a place. We went there after our Thai lunch in the mermaid themed cafe attached to the bookshop
Meet Andy Wills. Third generation bookseller. 
I don’t know how many books he has in his bookshop but if you are looking for something, he knows where it is. You don’t have to go to Homer, Alaska though You can email him books(at)ak(dot)net Hope that method of writing email address avoids spammers
Here is he taping up the cover of the Peter Spier book.
Mapping the Ocean Floor
Meet Peter Holmberg Physical Scientist. This blog post is a collaborative effort.
Peter was in the middle seat between Mary and me on the plane(my sister likes the aisle, I like the window) from Seattle to Anchorage.
I said he’d be a great subject for my People at Work Series.
I’m going to let him tell you what he does…..
Here is a video which is the embodiment of how we use multibeam sonar data to map the ocean floor. Though this is a laser sensor projected onto sand instead of a sonar bouncing sound off the ocean floor.”
Thanks Peter. It was so great to meet you. Thanks for writing back with the correct details about your work. I thought the black and white version made it feel more “seriously scientific”😉
Wooley Mama’s on Apple Street- Omak, Washington
Meet Laura Hayner. And Shadow. What a sweet doggie. She follows Laura everywhere.
She is spinning fleece of some local sheep.
Here’s a skein of some of her handspun yarn from a spinning workshop. It was a grab bag of different fibers and has a really cool and varied look to it.
Spoiler Alert for Christmas Gifts- Made in the U.S.A.- World’s Warmest Socks for Winter. I’m sure she’d be happy to send you some. They are thick and cushy. Perfect in a big boot or to wear around a drafty house.
Thanks Laura for welcoming us to your lovely shop. Love the name of your store.
Thanks for showing us your logo. My sister likes the buttons she bought, too.
I enjoyed seeing your spinning and will enjoy knitting all the yarn I bought and shipped to myself. It’s great you get your fiber from local ranches and farms- 4R Ranch in Tonasket and Good Farms in Okanogan for two.
Alaska Railroad Conductor
Meet Will H. Our conductor on the train ride from Denali to Anchorage. Army veteran. They even slowed the train so we could photograph Denali and two other mountain ranges which were all completely visible on a beautiful clear day.
Although we are back in NYC and I like to keep the blog in RT, now that computer access/internet is available, I want to post some photos I had in my real camera not iPhone.
Freedom Tower in Cloud
We made it back to Mary’s apartment after a long travel day- caught a tail wind and the flight was just four and a half hours from Seattle.
Temperature and humidity demand adjustment.
We had a wonderful trip to Okanogan and Alaska but are glad to be home. I’ve one more leg on the train to Pittsburgh.
update 11:14 AM
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