Christmas Vacation

A short video from my last vacation. This is Rainbow Falls near Hilo Hawaii on the Big Island. We have been having a lot of rain and you can see the mud in the water as a beautiful copper color.

A couple of pictures. One of Rainbow Falls again and the other of what they call "Boiling Pots". It is further upstream from the falls.

I wanted to show the progress on my two current knitting projects.

The first is the Trench Coat from the Fall 2007 Vogue Knitting Knit.1. I have the back finished and one side about half finished.

The second project is my sock that I knit on planes. The first one is done and this is the second. I am very pleased with progress and working with this baby alpaca is always a pleasure.

I have also been making cookies and brownies. The recipes I have been using are from a retired White House chef, Roland Mesnier, in his book "Dessert University". If you ever get to hear him speak, go. He is a wonderful public speaker and I found him quite hilarious. His stories of twenty-five years with the White House are from a view not often heard from - within the White House itself. His cookies and brownies are mouth watering and very easy to make. The brownies are a chocolate-lovers delight. I make his Chocolate Pear Brandy Truffles to give as gifts.

Carlyle House, Alexandria Virginia (1st Virginia Regiment Event 1 December 2007)

Some pictures from the 1st Virginia' Regiment's Carlyle House event on 1 December 2007. It always seems to be cold and windy for this event. It was 37 degrees that morning. The previous day it was 54 degrees.


The Carlyle House



The laundress dressed for the cold weather with many layers of wool and linen.



Adam helps getting water using a yoke.



The 1st Virginia marching in line.



Soldiers - old and young.



Drums.