bits and pieces

hello! how was your week? here are a few bits and pieces from ours...

i've settled on a pattern for a secret gift i'm knitting. this isn't it though, so it's okay to show. i made a mistake on the piece above, not realizing till almost the end of the first chart (there are five altogether). after three attempts it's okay now. wish i could share. soon...

we (the grands and i) have been making trips to nurseries. emptying out his pockets on the dining table travis shared his finds. they were carefully arranged by his sister sadie.

his favorite color

i have plans to make our backyard a bit (a lot!) more inviting for an after wedding breakfast we'll be having here in september  :)

i was taking photos of travis's flowers here on the dining table when he began 'fixing' his lunch. almond butter, jam and popcorn sandwich

 smooshed down, as you do

 salad received the popcorn treatment too   :)

t & s also had their first junior lifeguard meet, they were both entered in the beach flags event. it was four short years ago i was watching my youngest child compete.

more wedding plans for my daughter, necessitating nursery and florist visits

it is becoming a reality. i thought about it today, wedding day = tears. oh dear.

i won a sweet giveaway. this was my lucky day, i love twysted thystle (i didn't know it before, but now i do). the balm is lovely, it's a perfect consistency and the smell is heavenly. the tea is almost too pretty to use with it's tiny rosebuds and herbs. thank you deborah (the herbalist) and heather (the artist). you can visit them and see all their products (and order) here.

and in the mail, a surprise gift from a friend. all the way from tasmania, evi found this book at an op shop, said she'd thought of me and popped it in the mail. goodness gracious evi, i'm so touched. it's a wonderful book, and it'll be treasured, and put to good use! thank you again.

and three little (but so important) things this week...

finally getting to meet my friends new baby! there he is on the left! he is the cutest blue eyed smiley little thing that i had to squeeze and kiss and kiss again. sigh. and something new and also exciting, sponsors on lori times five. i'll give a proper introduction at the first of the month, linda is a wonderfully talented knit designer and pattern writer and vistaprint makes amazing business cards and many other printed items. mamma 4earth and vistaprint can be found up on the sidebar. to visit, just click on the button. i'm so pleased and happy to have them both here! welcome welcome! 

xxx lori

work date

'meet me after work for dinner?' my husband asked.

i arrived at the harbor a little early

to have a walk around, to see what i could see. hmm, a pair of standup paddleboarders, a sailboat motoring in and a very large fog bank in the distance. i don't see him yet.

 a  friend is having a show at the harbor

  ahoy pup!

 this boat unloaded many surfboards and children to the dock

 oh! i see him, here he comes!

 :)

this is what he does. leading kayaking and hiking tours in the channel islands national park. if the idea of paddling through sea caves in one of the most spectacular places on earth appeals to you, contact channel islands outfitters here .

 anacapa island

here are photos of what it's like paddling out at the islands. pictures taken by my husband, of me.
here is another one he took, i'm in vogue, hee hee ,yes, you have to wear a helmet, it's a necessity for the caves, and arches, like this one.

i expertly watched him put the days boats away

good job honey!

 he loves my help

no sooner was he done, than our dinner buzzer went off, calling us to our table, only a few steps away.

there are the boats he just put away, now we're sitting just above them, overlooking the harbor

nautical views and people watching

dinner with my own personal guide.  :)

if you go:
santa barbara harbor, santa barbara, california
brophy bros. restaurant and clam bar, they have an interesting website, here
with links for more to do in santa barbara.
cheers! lori

summer is here

summertime here is late afternoon surf sessions,
early morning walks and runs before the holiday crowds arrive for the day...
it's long days at work out on the islands (top photo, in the distance) for my husband, i stand on this shore and wave across the miles... hello, i miss you...
or it's watching him here, driving the tractor on the beach as part of his lifeguard duties (must take a more recent photo)
it's watching my grands too at their first year as junior lifeguards, it really was just yesterday when my children were j.g.'s ....sigh...

summer here is bridal roses, given to me by my daughter this morning, from a wedding she
catered last night.
it's a parade,
a strawberry lemonade stand (with sunkissed granddaughter as proprietor)
and first tomatoes ripening on the vine, yep indeed, summer is here.

the temperature here is a mild 72 degrees, with a cool breeze blowing onshore, which i am hoping will continue to blow across the entire united states, bringing some relief from the heat wave affecting most of the country. i hope it reaches you! or wouldn't you like to come here? we'll save some lemonade for you  :)

and...
the winner of my small namibia book is going to two people, two sisters. when one name was chosen (thank you random number generator) i had to include the other. one book is going to andee of match the pictures and one to leanne of arrow acres farm!  andee and leanne, please email me at lorix5@hotmail.com and i'll send the books on to you! thank you so much, all of you lovely people for having an interest in this book. i'm wishing i could send one to everyone, but it is still possible to own a copy. here is how it works:  send me your email, i'll send it to 'my publisher'. they'll send you a link to view the book (there is no obligation), and/or, you may order your own copy. the price is very reasonable. that's it! if you do so, i would love to know.
cheers (summery ones)!  xxx lori