We had a wonderful whirlwind trip to celebrate my big brother’s 70th birthday in Tucson, AZ this past weekend. We dropped the dog at the kennel and headed down to my brother and sister-in-love’s in Marblehead for the night on Wednesday and then flew to Phoenix on Thursday (it would have been our mother’s 94th birthday). Drove to Tucson and stayed with my sister and brother-in-love in their home in Oro Valley. I’d never been there before and it was so much fun to see where they live! If you haven’t been following me for a long time, you may not know that I grew up as the oldest of three kids and when I divorced and moved to Florida my mother’s cousin told us that my mother had had a baby boy on her birthday in 1956. I searched for him and found him in 2008. We met for the first time in 2009 and met his sister/our sister the following year. It’s not often that you gain a couple of wonderful siblings at age 50! I was blessed to add two and it’s been a pleasure every time we get together! Anyway, we stayed at Charlotte’s house and gathered at my brother’s VRBO rental for meals and visiting every day. My heart is filled up again! We celebrated my hubby’s birthday on Friday and my brother’s on Saturday. Yesterday we flew back to Boston, slept one more night at my brother’s and then came home today. We will sleep really well tonight!

We took a drive on Saturday morning to the Arizona – Sonora Desert Museum and walked around their zoo-like campus for a couple of hours before the big 70th Seinfeld-themed birthday bash. I was in awe of the landscape and the creatures! The cactus, especially the Saguaros were so much fun to see. My sister feeds the birds so we got quite a treat watching their different birds … the quail babies were so stinking cute! And we saw a squadron of Javelinas. With a baby! The guys were sorry (a little bit maybe) to not see a Rattlesnake in the wild but they saw one at the museum. I chose not to go in – I tried but couldn’t get past the door. I’m way too terrified of snakes.

It was a wonderful trip! My younger brother and his wife and my hubby and I travel so well together and we’re already talking about another trip out west in the spring maybe. As we all get older it’s difficult to be so far apart!

While we were traveling I finished my Arne & Carllos socks for my hubby’s birthday gift. He wore them home today! I’m really pleased with them … but I should have made the legs longer so I would have used up more of the yarn. I have quite a bit left over. I really love this new iteration of this yarn and I’ll be buying more (after I nibble away at my stash a bit more). I also hope we’ll get some of it in the shop where I work.

I also finished my Salty Air Tee! I’ve got it soaking right now and can’t wait to pull it out and wear it … maybe this week! I am really happy with the pattern and the garment. I love the On the Round yarn that I used, too. It’s got a really soft hand and the yarn was round and squishy and the colorway was perfection. It was also a rather quick knit! The lace yoke wasn’t difficult at all and I would say it would make a good introduction to lace knitting in the round and lace yokes. I made no modifications to this top … well, I did lengthen it a bit because no woman my age should be wearing crop tops! Ha! Ha! (Color isn’t photographing the truth, this appears to be more gray. It’s a medium blue in real life.)

We arrived home today with the grass ready to be cut again (it was a rainy weekend) and the lilacs in full bloom and smelliing absolutely perfect. Our first yellow iris is about to pop open as are the purple ones next to the lake. The weeds are already winning the battle and after the suitcases are empty the laundry will be a maximum capacity again, too. There’s always lots of stuff to clean up when you come home again but this trip was so worth it!

On the flight home I started a new pair of socks and worked on my Broadgate Tabard. I’ve nearly reached the end of the second repeat of 52 rows on the first side of the tabard. It is becoming easier to remember and see the pattern/texture. I’m doing most of the “cables” which are really mostly crossed stitches without a cable needle and that makes it so much smoother knitting. I don’t love knitting with linen yarn but this colorway is still the apple of my summertime knitting eye! I love it. The photos are not impressive so I’m not going to post them … scroll back a post or two and there’s a photo … It still looks the same just a little longer. New socks pic coming soon.

Gone knitting!