He Did It!!!!!!

My little graduate, Conor. Oh, happy day!

We made it safely home last night after a lovely day in Saranac Lake and Lake Placid. The smoke I smelled yesterday came from wild fires in southwest Quebec. The wind was blowing from the north and the smoke was over much of New England, including the Adirondacks. As I was driving toward Saranac Lake I did not see the beautiful view I anticipated because the mountains were shrouded in smoke. As the day progressed though, so did the visibility.

Conor and Travis had to work until 3, so we picked them up and headed to Lisa G's in Lake Placid for linner (that's lunch and dinner combined). It was a beautiful day and we sat outside. I had a mango margarita with cinnamon sugar on the rim of the glass which was delicious. I had a spicy tilapia sandwich with a yummy remoulade as my entree and enjoyed it but was surprised that the fish was friend instead of broiled. We then dropped Caitlin and Andy off because they had errands to run and laundry to do and Travis, Conor, Begonia and I went to the beach.

One of the great things about the Adirondacks is the number of beaches available which are likely to be pretty deserted, even on holiday weekends. We went to one of those beaches in Lake Clear. Begonia had a good swim that really tuckered her out. Travis and Conor were holding onto her in the water and she was pulling them, not an easy task even for big, strong Begonia. The water was amazingly warm for Memorial Day weekend. I found snail shells on the beach, along with some cool pine cones, birch bark and little pieces of driftwood to add to my nature table. I forgot to bring my camera, so the only photo I can share of Begonia is her guarding the door of Travis' apartment.

On the way back into town we stopped at Donnelly's Ice Cream stand. They are only open in the summer, serve one flavor of soft serve ice cream a day, and have lines of people out the door every day. Yesterday was nut day and the flavor was pistachio. It was delicious, and a good way to start the summer.

We are now home and ready for the painting to commence. I am looking forward to getting it done so that I can move forward with getting the house on the market. So I guess for the next couple of days, my knitting, spinning and dyeing will be put on the back burner. On the way home I did get a little bit knit on a sock I am making before it got too dark to read the pattern. It's from the book Knitted Socks East and West: 30 Designs Inspired by Japanese Stitch Patterns. There are quite a few patterns in the book I am interested in trying. The pattern I am making is not difficult, but requires concentration, a good thing when driving with Conor. I find I do much better as a passenger when I have something to focus on other than the road.

Time to wake the sleeping boys and start the work day.