of columns and colonnades

This is Colonnade by designer Steven West.

It was a quick knit! A take along companion for my hands on a 2 day car trip. The yarn is Brooks Farm Acero, the name of the colorway escapes me! It was purchased several years ago at Rhinebeck, found at the bottom of my stash. The fingering weight was not the thick yarn that the pattern called for, but the blend of wool, silk and viscose has a wonderful hand and makes a nice drape.

The columns...entablatures...

Doric... Ionic.... Corinthian...

I let my mind wander with musings of the great architecture of the past... to the elliptically curving colonnades of the Greeks and Romans...

to stoa (porch) and portico (gate)

After a quick bath and stretch out on the bed, it was time to select a button from the stash...

... a free form rosewood that I made over the summer.

Many thanks to Judy for loaning the size 10.5 circs I needed --just in the nick of time!

the beauty in work

Enjoy seeing how it was once done....

walk with me Wed on a Sat afternoon

As it turned out, a last minute decision found me walking around Rhinebeck, NY Sheep and Wool Festival. And what a very good place to walk.

Vessels seemed to stand out and shout my name this year. I admired these vessels by Artist Heather Kerner, who graciously allowed me to photograph her work.

Walking through the barns of Rhinebeck takes time...there are colors and textures - and so much product to see, it becomes difficult to navigate if crowded....certain barns require a second walk through. Chance meetings occur, conversations are brief, but oh so enjoyable. And I am granted the favor of another photograph. This Swirl Shawl, knit by Judy's sister Linda. So elegant, so stunning, this digital camera cannot capture all the color and beauty of it.

High overhead, sits a purchase I long to make. It was at the Carolina Homespun booth. I lost the name (I had scribbled down) of the maker of this standing distaff. It comes complete with a built in ceramic dipping bowl. There were two styles, one of them had a lazy-kate at the base. Sigh. Then again, there is always next year.

while you were out, or which roo?

The first morning back from the trip, the chickens were waiting at the fence to go out and range. On my way to open the gate, I heard a peep and thought, "humm...that sounds like a little peep". Sure enough.

This little chicken was running around the yard! I was shocked! As far as I could tell there was never any hen that had been setting, and the last time we had a mature rooster here was July. Allow me to explain. Judy had a rooster that was not, ahem, "fitting in" around her place, so he came up to the riverrim to live. We called him "teenager rooster", because he was, a teenager. Full of himself..

...and apparently fully endowed. My hens, ahem, adjusted to his behaviour. Notice how they all ran away from him!

I had to send him back the day he tried to show me who was ruling the roost.

After that, "Phyllis", who had been living at Judy's but went to Grace's... (where it was determined that he was really a "Phil"), came to live at the riverrim. We assumed he would behave himself....he was no trouble at all. And my hens were not sure what to make of his "headgear".

Alas, we hardly got a chance to know Phil. We presumed (because we didn't witness the attack) that a racoon broke into the run and hen house, and ran off with Phil and our little banty hen. There were feathers everywhere, and they were missing. A day was spent mending fence etc., and we were left with 6 hens.

So who is the father? Who is the mother? Do I call in Jerry Springer?

I'm guessing the father is "teenager rooster", because Phil either didn't have or didn't use his(ahem, cough) equipment...and the mother? Could be anyone or any combination of hens! All were laying. It does raise the question of how many fertile eggs a hen can store up!?

The banty found a dark corner up high on the shelf and covered herself with hay...there are a total of 4 chicks that hatched out. Three yellow and one black.

I'm trying not to interfere..they were doing fine without me...so I'm letting nature take her course. When I get a chance, I'll take some more photos.

wings to fly

I've been away.

An impromptu trip. All along the way, the trees were in fine color, but I was awe-struck by the view of the city.

Was it the elevation, the altitude, or simply the eminence of the vantage point? Made me think of learning to fly. Maybe it was something else.

No matter, it is a good place to do some thinking.