Wyoming Breezes

Summer Stripes women's size 7 - 8 size 2 needles - 56 stitches My ideal summer knit project is socks - small and portable. Yarn: Red Heart (Heart and Sole - Watercolor Stripe) scraps from these socks Red Heart (Heart and Sole - Ivory) What is your ideal summer knitting project?

Autumn Festival Misawa, Japan August 1979 The Japanese love parades and festivals, and I enjoyed capturing the elaborate processions on film. Notice the different footwear of the three gentlemen in the procession.

somewhere in Michigan June or July 1993 God Bless America,  Land that I love.  Stand beside her, and guide her  Thru the night with a light from above.  From the mountains, to the prairies,  To the oceans, white with foam  God bless America, My home sweet home. (God Bless America ~ words and music by Irving Berlin) Happy Independence Day! Thank you to all those who serve and protect this nation that I love

May 2013 approximately 8 miles northwest of Casper, WY Wyoming's landscape has many abandoned buildings, buildings that reflect a difficult and isolated life. I've driven past this deserted place for years and finally decided to stop and take photos before it disappears or is destroyed. Fortunate for me, a family member was there that day to give me a hint of its history.  From the road, I assumed the old building was adobe, but it is actually limestone. The family member told me the building was once a Stage Stop and that the limestone came from an bluff to the south of the highway.  May 2013 approximately 8 miles northwest of Casper, WY  Now, whenever I pass this abandoned cluster of buildings, I can envision dusty and weary travelers getting some respite from the road and perhaps a cool drink from the well before they climb back aboard the stage coach.

Cutting alfalfa approximately 1978 south of the farm house If I close my eyes and concentrate, I can hear the steady beat of windrower as clears field and smell the sweet, fresh-cut alfalfa. I can almost taste the sweet and tender stem of alfalfa plucked from the windrow. Cutting alfalfa approximately 1978 south of the farm house No doubt, you've heard the term, "making hay while the sun shines," but truth be told, farmers and ranchers often work long into the night to put up the hay. Notice the light on the black bar directly above the right-hand tire in the photo above. That is a headlight for cutting alfalfa at night. My brother was often in the field well past dark because he put up hay on two farms that were 10 miles apart. Other farm chores - milking and irrigating - took precedence during daylight hours. Family members often pitched in to help during haying. Sometimes, my brothers-in-law helped with the harvest when they visited. Their help during t...

Indian Paintbrush by Sheila N. June 2013 Isn't that photo beautiful - I love the perspective. Sheila tried something different with her camera - shooting from the viewpoint of the flowers. The result is stunning. On a recent day trip, Sheila and her husband found an abundance of Indian Paintbrush on South Pass, and shared her photos with me. (Thanks, Sheila) Indian Paintbrush is Wyoming's state flower, but I didn't know that the blooms are edible until I prepared this post.

Hangar at Misawa AFB Misawa, Japan 1979 The planes outside the hangar are F-4 Phantoms, about which I have posted  earlier . These aircrafts were very common on the base, and after awhile, I grew accustomed to the sound of their engines. Two weeks ago about 6:30 AM, I heard that distinctive sound above my sister's home when several, low-flying planes buzzed the house a couple of times. Hearing them, brought back some vivid memories of the Misawa AFB flight-line. In an instant, I was transported back in time on the backwash of an F-4 fly-by.

The Western Region Oddball Knitters have been busy. Below are the blankets that have been finished since March on which I had the honor to knit a section. Old MacDonald's Farm started February 2013 Jelly Beans started January 2013 Four-leaf Clover started February 2013 Apple of My Eye started December 2012 Wee Willie Wonka started December 2012 Sugar and Spice started January 2013 Cherry Blossoms started January 2013 Ribbon Candy started November 2012 Indian Summer started  November 2012

56 stitches - knit on size 2 circulars REGIA yarn (unknown color) 75% superwash new wool - 25% polyamid Intentional fraternal-twin socks started in Denver and finished at home. I loved working with this yarn - nice even stitches and no splitting. I hope it wears and launders as well as it knit.  Manufactured in Italy and Germany, REGIA is marketed in the US by Coats Crafts. I was surprised to find a guarantee on the label:  the durability of REGIA is 4-fold • dimensionally stable • hard-wearing • machine washable up to 40 degrees C, no felting • dryer proof with 10 years REGIA - Garantie Have you noticed a guarantee on any yarn label(s) in your stash? The original sock yarn stash is decreasing slowly; however, yarn for two pairs of socks jumped into my shopping cart while I was in Denver. Sigh!

Band Gazebo Edgemont, SD June 2011 Nothing says "Summer" to me more than sitting in the park and listening to a live musical performance. source Next week, the "Hot Notes, Cool Nights" concerts will begin at Riverton and Lander's city parks: I can hardly wait. The community band opens the evening concerts, and guest performers bring the evening to a close. On those nights, I grab my knitting bag and my folding chair and head to the park.

Lucky Stripe Socks  56 stitches - knit on size 2 circular needles This "pattern" has been in my Ravelry queue for a couple of years. Before I went to Denver, I grabbed two skeins of sock yarn from my stash and divided each skein into two balls. Before I started, I determined that the heels and toes would be knit with whichever yarn I was using at that point. I didn't use the actual Lucky Stripe Socks pattern: I used my old stand-by and tossed the die to determine the number of rows to knit with each yarn. Even though one of the skeins was already a self-striping yarn, the stripes were clearly visible. Someday, I'll knit the socks with two solid or semi-solid yarns. These Lucky Stripes Socks are going to be as much fun to wear as they were to knit. Not a sock knitter? This method of striping can also be used for hats, sweaters, etc. I recommend grabbing a die to "shake up" your knitting. It's fun and unpredictable.

Urakami Cathedral  pillar left standing at epicenter of 1945 atomic bomb Nagasaki, Japan April 1980 According to Wikipedia, this area looks much different today.

June 2013 Maria (nephew's wife), Christian, Stephanie (great nephew and  niece), Harold (brother-in-law), Marilyn (sister), Dwight (nephew), Brenda (niece), Sabid (niece's husband).  Nephew, his wife and son live in WY; his daughter, in NE. Niece, her husband, sister and brother-in-law live in CO. June 2013 Bruce (nephew from ND), Evelyn (sister), Paul (brother-in-law) from ND,  Becky (niece from MN). My nephew's wife and daughter, and my niece's daughter and son were unable to attend the celebration.  Three sisters: Evelyn, Marilyn, Nancy June 2013 It was wonderful that the family gathered to celebrate a happy occasion - Marilyn and Harold's 50th Anniversary.

Mini Cupcakes  50th Anniversary Party June 2013  I admit to trying every flavor - they were yummy. My favorite: Sweet and Salty. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

Evelyn and Paul M. June 18, 1961 Riverton, WY Recently, my family gathered to celebrate a Golden Anniversary ; however, my oldest sister and her husband actually reached that milestone two years ago.  Today, Evelyn and Paul have been married 52 years. Since exchanging their vows, they have lived in Wyoming, Missouri, and North Dakota. They have two children and three grandchildren.  Interesting facts (some shared two weeks ago) :    •  my sisters chose blue and white for their wedding colors    •  rice was thrown at both couples as they left the church    •  my sisters married brothers    •  my sisters wore the same wedding gown and veil    •  my sisters' bouquets were Bibles covered with red roses     •  both weddings were in the same church - Trinity Lutheran    •  both receptions were held in the church basement    •  ...

Nancy, Marilyn, and Diane Rockies game at Coors Field June 2013 Yes, I took my knitting bag to the Rockies' game against the Los Angeles Dodgers and added some ribbing to a pair of socks while waiting for the game to begin. It was a great game with several home runs - stitching and pitching went well together.

Nancy Stearns and Judith Kravetz Southern Japan April 1980 April 1980, I toured Southern Japan with a group of teachers from Misawa. Judith (from Atlanta, GA) was also an English teacher at Robert D. Edgren High School: her classroom was next to mine. She taught me military lingo and acronyms and how to jump through the hoops of military regulations. You see, I was actually in two foreign areas at the time: Japan AND the military.

Denver suburb June 2013 Now, I've seen everything: someone who cleans up after the family dog. Everyone with a pet know that it can be a nasty chore to keep the yard clean. My sister said this pickup appears in her neighborhood on a weekly basis. I was curious and checked the website:  Poop911  has branches in many cities.