Going to NH to have kids...???

I know times are tough, and I am not a homeowner (yet), but c'mon...

Kids are too expensive and are "not encouraged" in Massachusetts towns?

Can anyone say: one step too far? If you can afford to live there, buy a house and pop out some kids.

In the famous words of Charlie Brown (my hero): Good Grief!

Durgin Park

You want to know a good time? Meet the following people for dinner at Durgin Park (in Quincy Market):

Carole (& Dale)
Claudia
Sandy
Norma
Carol
Terri

I don't think I forget anyone! We all met (via Sandy) for dinner to celebrate Norma's visit to the "flatlands" of Massachusetts and Sandy's "staycation." A yummy dinner at a very traditional New England restaurant (that in 30.5 years in Boston, I had never eaten at!) and some great conversation. I wish I could have joined them for Shakespeare on the Common, but I had some things to get done at home. And, I totally forgot my camera. *doh*

Knitting photos for tomorrow--- Abby -Cadabby is coming along nicely. She went through a stage of "ohmygodthatisthecreepiestclownlookingfaceihaveeverseen." She's over that now. She looks like Abby-Cadabby now. I think.

It's Like Magic!

This is being converted into an intarsia sweater for a two-year old. I hope. If not, it'll be her Christmas gift.
















Can we all be a little thankful for KnitPro?

I Knit.

I really do knit. And today, I'm proving it.

A "miss dashwood" hat for Baby C--- she needs a sunhat and this is the closest thing I could find that would be small enough. It won't look so pointy on her head.

And, for Master R (due in Sept), here is a wee preppy sweater. It's modelled after a sweater at Jacadi... a VERY high end childrens' shop in Paris. My friend Syl is Parisian and she's the one having the baby... so, here it is. I should be done with it tonight. It's Baby Ull on US3. :) I love the preppy collar and the raglan sleeves.... too cute!

Stolen Meme

Top 10 Vacation Memories...

(in no particular order)

1. The sun bouncing off the water at Rand Pond Campground (where we spent all of our summers) in NH.... at 4:30 pm. It glistened and sparkled like diamonds. The temperature would just start to change and you could smell the grills being lit.
2. The thunderstorm at Lake Androscoggin in Maine. PC and I were woken up by lightning illuminating our tent. I promptly hid under PC and then he had to convince me to run for the truck. We slept the whole night in my brother's pick-up.
3. Our first trip to Disney together. Being able to pet a rhino at the Animal Kingdom.
4. My first trip to Disney as a kid--- picking grapefruit in my great-uncle's backyard for breakfast (we had no idea grapefruit came on trees and that you could eat food from your yard... what a bunch of city kids!) and learning to "speak dolphin" from my grandfather. Mostly, this involved me going "eeee! eeee!" whenever asked something. I'm not sure my mom ever forgave him for that one. The trip home when the RV broke down and my dad was laughing b/c it was the only time my mom didn't have bobby pins in her hair and my dad really needed one to fix the engine.
5. DC last year... being able to get lost in a new city with PC. Way more fun that it sounds.
6. Summer vacation 6 years ago: 2 weeks on the Cape (wellfleet) with my friend, Margy. She worked and I went to the beach. Swam with seals on the harbor side beaches. Saw a shark fin on the ocean side. I still prefer the kettle ponds for swimming. No seals. No sharks.
7. Playing ping-pong and listening to the juke box at the Rec Hall with my brothers--- I think what I loved the most is that we were less siblings and more friends then.
8. Being the only girl to enter and win the BMX competition at the campground's labor Day events. My dad was SO proud.
9. Watching my brother run like a madman away from "a wild boar!!!" on a hiking trail that turned out to be an escaped pig from the farm next door.
10. Anything we did at Conway Lake, including forgetting the rainfly, swimming at Echo Lake, riding the train to the Notch, watching fireworks from our site, eating too many hotdogs, celebrating our first non-smoking camping trip.

I love to camp and we're hoping to bring this love of camping to our kids someday. So, honey--- wanna go camping with me?

:) Kate

Remember this Post?

You all remember when I had my "incident" with a cyclist a few weeks back? Well, today on the "green blog" via the Boston Globe, I saw this article and HAD to comment. If you read the comments, I am "minisoup" and I am not alone!!!! (please read!!!)

My idea: Cycling Licenses. If I need a license to drive, you need one to 'ride'.


Best Quote:

"We're out there obeying the rules, getting exercise, and saving gasoline. We've ridden in charity rides that benefit cancer, mental retardation, poor children, multiple sclerosis, and myriad other causes."

How on earth does participating in charitable bike rides factor into one's ability to obey laws?

I have to say.... I am so disappointed with the author of this blog.

The Great Debate

I've been torn about writing this post. Really torn. Because, really? Saturday of last weekend was "all about Kate" and this is something I specifically wanted to do. And I did it. And I feel dirty.

A preface: PC and I are zoo-afficianados. We are Zoo New England Members, we planned a trip to DC around the National Zoo (our hotel was within walking distance), and have considered going to San Diego ONLY to see the Zoo. A major defect of the trip to NYC recently was the lack of two zoo visits (Central Park and Bronx).

Saturday, PC had purchased tickets for me and him to go see the live broadcast of the Prairie Home Companion. I * heart* this radio show. Love it. Love it. Love it. I like the old-timey songs, the silly jokes, the bad 'acting' and the guests they have. (FYI: the guest was Donald Hall. ) It was held at Tanglewood and we had packed a picnic for dinner. Tanglewood is a 2-2 1/2 hour drive from our home in MetroWest Boston.... and Tanglewood was worth the drive and gas!

Along the way, we stopped at someplace that we knew could go 1) really well or 2) really bad. The Lupa Zoo.
I am hesitant to blog a poor review of something. Normally, this is because most things that I don't enjoy (slam dancing, drinking beer from funnels or japanese game shows) are simply "not my taste" and I assume that just b/c I don't like something, doesn't mean it's bad.

The Lupa Zoo? Bad. Bad. Bad. We went there simply for one reason: the ability to feed a giraffe. (note: i love giraffes, and this was a "dream" to do this) Well, I fed the giraffe and then spent an hour trying not to cry b/c of the traumatic nature of this place.

What the Lupa Zoo is doing wrong:

1. feeding animals a very generic "peanut-corn-seed-stale bread" snack mix that is used for all the animals. Most of the animals did not have a food source visible beyond the "petting zoo" mix that you had to buy. Animals were conditioned to run to a "feeding tube" (PVC pipe) that you sent the food down.
   
2. poor maintenance of the animal facilities. The primate barn? Stunk like urine and feces and was over 100 deg F inside. In a large fencing material dome, there were several variety of birds, but the sheer number was overwhelming. Bird feces abounded. There was no "green" space for the animals. 95% were on dirt.
   
3. Size of animal facilities. Three Himalayan bears (all pretty big) shared a space that was about the size of an expensive house's living room. I know not all zoos have the square footage or the ability to maintain large "natural" habitats, but if you cannot: do not. Get it? Okay.
   
4. moving on... my giraffe. Emaciated. Drooping skin. Being fed bananas and apples cut in half. Sounds good, no? THE LABELS WERE STILL ON THE FRUIT. I fed plastic fruit labels to a giraffe (we noticed after the first apple was already gulped down) and I am thinking: hundreds of people have fed this poor animal something 100% indigestible.
   
5. overwhelming number of FLIES.
   

If you are in the Ludlow area, please please do not go here. I am a strong supporter of zoos and aquariums and I have to say, this was despicable. I am drafting a letter the AZA (association of zoos and aquariums). Needless to say, I could not find any association or accreditation information on this zoo. A private zoo will be, among other things, run like a business with cost-effective measure taken. A well cared for private zoo also in the area, Southwick Zoo, has a wonderful reputation, helpful staff, well cared for animals and informative/educated personnel. if you are going to drive to a private zoo, drive to that one. But, remember to support your local non-profit zoo: Franklin Park, Stone Zoo (new bears!) and Roger Williams Zoo...

Knitting photos tomorrow.

:)