Home from Travels

And thereby hangs a tale--a long, long story of places visited, stories told, friends new and old, food eaten, and sights seen.



And thereby also hangs the storyteller's dresses. All washed by hand after the return home and hanging from the deck to dry. The blue one on the left didn't actually go on the trip. I've had that dress for years--a cotton batiked one from Marketplace India that had been my favorite until it's soft blue color got so washed out I didn't wear it anymore.







Since I'm still off work, I decided to dye it. I bought the dye last year but never completed the project. Have I ever dyed anything successfully? No. But I figured it was worth a shot. Today was the day.



How did it come out? The verdict isn't in yet, but it looks okay. When it's completely dry I'll be able to tell more clearly if the dye did what I wanted it to do. The dress has some embroidery on it, and on first inspection it looked fine.



The suicases are unpacked, laundry washed, mail opened and sorted, phone calls returned, email caught up, and the house is in reasonable shape.
The grass is another story--since there were heavy rains while we were away, the grass grew fast and it's ankle-high now. Larry will be playing catch-up. A side benefit of an unmowed lawn is a bumper crop of violets. The yard is almost carpeted with them in places.


On a good note, the gardens are doing just fine--all seeds are sprouted and the strawberries and raspberries are doing great.


Our good neighbor Diane, along with our son Tommy, took care of pigs, chickens and dog while we were away. It's amazing how fast pigs can grow! A new photo of them will be coming soon.


Pictures from our trip will be coming this week too, as I sort out my impressions and memories. It was one awesome trip, even with a bad knee.