After the Rain

We have been getting a fair share of rain this winter and now we are getting ready for spring. The ponds and lakes are filled as they should be. 

This little stock pond is filled to capacity. 

One pond away, our permanent winter guests, this pair of Canada Geese, are getting ready for this year's batch of babies.

...and then there are the glorious reflections.

...and daffodils.

...and daisies. There are probably more surprises after the rain.

 

Priyo’s Baby

Remember I made a bunch of baby blankets on the last cruise? Today I received a picture of one of the babies...his name is Chiko and he came before the blanket arrived. His dad gets off the ship in May and that's when he will get the blanket.  

And Then The Rains Came...

After several drought years, we have had some rain. I'm sure you have heard about it in the news if you have not experienced it for yourself. When we arrived at Lake Cachuma on the last day of 2016 the lake was at 7% and falling

I'm happy to report that the local news folks are saying the lake is at 50%. This is great news. 

The "new" boat ramp is still high and dry (see the large chunks of concrete below---they weigh down the ramp...)

...but the old boat ramp 

Actually has some water along the bottom. There's a date (1963) written at the base of the ramp and it was covered today. That's good news. 

Here's another view of the new boat ramp...and it's still laying on the dry land like a collapsed snake. BUT look at the rest of the lake...there's actually water in it.

This is my "benchmark" picture site as I look at this view all the time. Today there is water in the foreground! 

All this bodes well for the water supply for Santa Barbara. In the next few days we will be driving north and we'll get to see how the rest of the state has "filled" up. 

 

 

Blanket 6

After a false start where I made two HUGE mistakes, I'm pleased to say I've finished the sixth Blanket of the year. 

This is possibly the most complicated pattern in my repertoire. This time I made it in mossy green, lavender and winter white. It's very subtle, yet pretty. It's soft, cozy and large (big enough for a twin bed). It will be donated to Project Linus where a teenager will find it cuddly and warm.

(In case you are wondering...we had about 20 hours of rain yesterday which is perfect weather for crocheting)

 

Blossoms

After the heavy rain the trees have started to blossom. Spring comes early to this part of the world.

The blooms are illusive -- here today and gone tomorrow.

Disc Golf

For the past several weeks, the folks at the Park have been working on project. Park personnel  

Created trapezoid-shaped forms and filled them with cement. The project started slowly as it rained and they could not work, but the rain stopped and more cement pads were laid. About a week ago, I spotted a team creating a new trapezoid pad and I asked what they were making and I was told they were making a Disc Golf Course. I asked the obvious question...What's Disc Golf?

He told me it is a game played with Frisbees and then he continued pouring cement.

This weekend, these turned up. There are 18 of them and they are baskets.

Apparently Disc Golf is a big sport...and Lake Cachuma is going to have a humdinger of a DG Course. The object of the game is to throw a frisbee from the trapezoid pad to the basket in the fewest number of throws. After completing 18 holes, the person with the lowest score wins. It might be a lot of fun...but even more fun is enjoying the beautiful location. Go to DiscGolf.com for more information about this sport.

 

From Last Year

Here's the baby that goes with a blanket I made last summer. Shes's 2 months old and pretty in pink!

Blanket 5 and a Boo-Boo

I finished the fifth blanket of the year last night. It's made of "leftover" yarn from previous blankets. I think the colors go together well!

Then I started the next blanket while I was looking at an episode of Murdoch Mysteries...

And this is how far I got before I realized I made not one but two errors in the first row! I restarted the blanket this morning and the second attempt is good! The pattern I'm using is very complicated and I should have been concentrating on the pattern instead of the story! 

Four

The fourth blanket is ready for Easter (so I've been calling it Pasquale -- Italian for Easter)  with muted tones of green, blue and lavender. The picture makes it appear 

brighter than it really is. I think it will be a good blanket for a young teen girl. 

Vetch

After the rain the vetch is beginning to grow. I liked this little flower as it looked back at me.