i was browsing through david’s camera to see what kinds of photos he took on his weekend travels around montreal and found this stunning picture; it captures much of the spirit we felt in this wonderful city—action, sun, and a surprising juxtapostion of old and new at every turn. and who knows what’s happening just beyond the reach of our eyesight?
we set out on a clear and much warmer monday morning to head south toward albany. the stretch of the northway between lake placid and lake george is probably one of my all-time favorite drives; i never cease to be astounded by the scenery throughout the high peaks region of the adirondacks—the trees (pines, my fave!), the rock cliffs, and the waterways are all so crisp and pristine. and we were lucky enough to have sparkling clear weather to rock it one notch higher.
it makes me start humming this land is your land every time.
we pulled up to my mom’s place just few hours later and look who was visiting her flower bed—a female turkey. there are lots in the woods a couple of blocks from her cottage, but i’d never seen any on her lawn
this year, my mom has a bird feeder up on that window and i guess the birds eat just the stuff in the seed mix they like, tossing the rest to the ground; the turkeys are more than happy to keep that area swept clean.
after lunch, i went for a long walk to shake off the car ride—my mom lives in a community that borders on the pine bush preserve; even though her neighborhood is very developed, there are quiet spots nearby. last night we had a nice dinner and watched a couple of movies while we knit
my mom is working on a secret project of her own that involves lots of cables and bobbles.
i worked on the boy jacket—i cast on for the first sleeve after dinner and by the time i went to bed it was complete (it’s pretty small)
i cast on for the second one, which i’ll finish in the car tomorrow, maybe—the body is all done and soon i’ll be sewing up.
i’m contemplating that neck though—if this was a pullover with ribbed trim, i wouldn’t be concerned, but for a jacket with a collar, i think this neck is too wide and a bit too deep (amad has a narrow neck)
so after the second sleeve is done, i may rip back a little to make that smaller. that said, the whole thing should still be all done by the weekend. i don’t see any reason why i wouldn’t be able to complete a smaller copy for amad’s little brother micah by christmas (famous last words). i think they’ll love having matching jackets . . .
today i worked on my own secret project, which of course, i can’t show you. but we also had a cooking project that i can show you
we made the manicotti for my mom’s christmas dinner. i mixed the crepe batter and cooked the shells
while the first ones cooled, my mom mixed up the cheese filling
as they began to cool, she filled each with a few tablespoons of the cheese mixture
and then rolled them up.
after that, they got packed into plastic containers for the freezer
where they will be stored until christmas day. one more thing crossed off of her christmas to-do list! (there’s still sauce and calamari to make, i guess).
david worked on getting her outdoor decorations put up while we worked in the kitchen (good idea, david). he found a handy gadget for troubleshooting (and fixing) tree lights that don’t want to work (sorry, i can’t find a link for it online, but he got it at home depot).
while my mom napped this afternoon, i worked on the secret project. then we saw a movie after dinner and now, all of a sudden, we’re on our way home. that was a quick visit, alright, but at least we squeezed it in while we were over this way.
so yeah, we’re heading home—see you in ohio . . .
35 thoughts on “we keep rolling”
OMG seeing your mum working in the kitchen made me sooo homesick for my mum and I’m in my 50’s! Guess there are moments that take us back to our childhood.
Looking forward to that drive down to Albany even if it is in the middle of winter!
Hope your driving weather today is better than it is here–we are on our second day of pouring rain.
Safe home,
Cheers, Barbie O.
De-lurking to say – Love this post Anne. With an elderly widowed mother myself, the sweetness of helping them do the things that make them happy at this time of year is just about the best gift, and one doesn’t usually realize that the gift is shared by all involved until later. I am a huge fan of your designs and am especially entranced by the little jacket – looking forward to seeing the wee version!
I love the jacket, too. The stitch is so sturdy looking and the yarn is wonderful!
I love that you and your mom had the chance to cook together. Those of us who can’t do that anymore especially appreciate that!
I need to get cracking on my Christmas cooking/shopping/knitting too… Do I put the Pro in Procrastinator or what?!? hehehe
Anne, your Mom is adorable! Glad you had a great visit with her. I’m surprised that no one has asked about that hat David is wearing–he wears it well. Is that handknitted?
I agree beautiful country! My son is in his first year at Suny Oswego; although the 5plus hour trek seem long… it is much easier to take with such picturesque landscape.
oh Anne! the picture of the manicotti crepes frying and then you and your mom filling them brought back such memories. however we used to do them at New Year in our home. They were wonderful!
There is nothing better than time with family on – or around – the holidays. What a lovely, peaceful time you must have had. I miss my Mom – especially this time of year – she always made the holdays special. The drive looks beautiful and I’m glad for you both that you’ve had such a nice Thanksgiving/Anniversary trip. Safe traveling on your way home.
There is nothing better than time with family on – or around – the holidays. What a lovely, peaceful time you must have had. I miss my Mom – especially this time of year – she always made the holdays special. The drive looks beautiful and I’m glad for you both that you’ve had such a nice Thanksgiving/Anniversary trip. Safe traveling on your way home.
Oops – sorry about that – Happy Fingers on the keyboard!
What a gorgeous drive–how wonderful that you got to visit your mom and help out with the cooking. 🙂 If you remember that light gadget, please post it! I hate messing with bad Christmas lights. We had our first snow this morning! Maybe you’ll get some at home soon. It wasn’t much, but it seemed fitting to usher in Dec.
You are totally an overachiever if you get a matching jacket done for Micah! I am not worthy…lol.
That gadget is called a Light Keeper Pro. You can even buy it through Amazon!
I adore you, Anne, David (I wish I could borrow him), your patterns ( I buy them through my LYS), and this blog. There isn’t a day when I don’t check the Knitspot!
It’s always such a pleasure to read your blog. You’re always upbeat and sound so content. I loved the pictures of Montreal, I’ve always wanted to go there.
LOVE the hat David is wearing.
Your visit with your mom sounds so nice.
I saw that thingy David found at Home Depot. Does it actually work? Cuz if it does I’m getting one next time I’m in town. But only if it actually works.
What a lovely post. It makes me homesick. I grew up in the Albany area, and now I live in Southern California. It’s beautiful here, but the landscape and flora are so very different. That, and seeing your mom in the kitchen made me mist up a little, thinking of all the many many afternoons I spent helping my grandmother put amazing feasts together in her tiny kitchen.
(PS That little sweater is coming out so nice! Every time you post a pic of it I want to reach through the screen to see what the fabric feels like.)
i like that photo of David. it makes me glad we agreed to decorate our home today. 🙂 something about the lights shining on his face, just makes me smile. happy holidays, Anne!
Your trip reminds me of my honeymoon – we road tripped across Canada, and we’ve also done that drive through the adirondacks. I’ve always loved road tripping. It’s also making me look forward to making Christmas goodies with my mom and my daughters!
We can see where you get your ‘cooking for the freezer’ skills! So lovely you got a chance to spend time together, if only for a day or two. Your mom looks adorable.
Safe travels back to Ohio!
Happy Belated Anniversary Anne and David! Thanks for sharing your lovely trip pictures. It’s precious to hear about your visit with Anne’s mother and to see her in the kitchen. Very sweet.
Mmmm…..that Manicotti looks scrumptious! What a fun thing to do with your Mum. 🙂
Have a safe trip home. 🙂
Sounds like a great visit! I love the picture of the wild turkey – my parents have flocks of them around their house, and I’m always surprised by how pretty they can be (messy, but pretty). Amad’s jacket looks great, I bet he’s going to LOVE it! (Also, I forgot to mention how much I like that pull-through scarflet from the other post – very cool.)
David’s hat is FANTASTIC!!!! What a good son-in-law he is. I know that my elderly mom always appreciates anything that we offer to do, from leaf blowing to planting the garlic! The manicotta made my mouth water, which is what happens when you present a new pattern! Thanks for taking us along on your little journey.
Amad’s sweater is coming together beautifully. Is you Manicotti recipe a secret one? Can you share?
Oh NO!!! Yet, again!!! Now you’ve made ME homesick for New York born and raised….and the FOOD is just killing me…..I would love your mom’s recipe? Hint, hint? The sweater is just adorable….I can’t wait to see both of them done…and your knitting still looks “juicy-licious.” 🙂
I also love David’s hat! Can you tell us the pattern?
The manicotti looks wonderful. We may need to start a new Christmas tradition, especially since it can be made ahead of time. Are they basic crepes or is there a trick?
I loved this post. I love cooking holiday dinners with my mom. Christmas is her favorite even though I now do most of the work. I still consult her to make sure everything tastes great.
My sister bought one of the light fixers last year. This year she had to use it to fix the lights on both of our Christmas trees. She said it is fantastic.
What a wonderful photo montage of your trip. Those cheese filled crepes look amazing. Will you share the recipe or is this an old family secret?
I can NOT believe how fast you knit. I’ve got this big mo-fo of a sweater (3 stitches to the inch) and I swear it’s creeping along about as fast as a tree grows. UGH.
I am de-lurking to say that I love your post! What a wonderful trip you had, and the pictures with your mom in the kitchen are lovely! The manicotti look delicious, I second the request for the recipe, if it’s possible 🙂
I love David’s hat, what pattern is it?
Have a safe trip back home!
I’m so happy that you had time to spend with your Mom on this trip and hope you get back there for Christmas. Love this post (but, then, I love all of them it seems). It looks like you have had a lovely trip, though I know you’ll both be glad to be back home and to sleep in your own bed.
yum and yum. i went to summer camp right near lake placid and it remains my favorite landscape, bar none.
welcome home and again, happy anniversary.
I am bizarrely resentful that there is no snow in Maryland, even though I moved here to ESCAPE the snow (well, partly). And thus I am bizarrely comforted that there’s no snow in upstate NY, either.
Another fan of David’s hat!
have a good trip.
And I thought I was the only one singing This Land Is Your Land while barreling through our nation’s gorgeous scenery. Luckily my husband is pretty tolerant. This was a lovely, lovely post all around.
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