retreating

yesterday i got up extra-early to catch a plane to baltimore, kicking off my 10-day teaching trip along the mid-atlantic coast.  the trip out by plane required first flying down to atlanta, then a layover, then flying back to baltimore—very roundabout, but ensuring lots of uninterrupted knitting time (that excited me so much, i didn’t even care that it took longer to fly than to drive . . .  do you think my life is out of balance or something??). but i couldn’t leave david without a car; he wouldn’t be able to join me next week if i took it.

the upshot being that i got plenty of knitting work done; unfortunately, nothing i can show you, agh. i’ve just about finished one of the bigger secret projects, though, yay.

when i finally arrived in baltimore, marie (who coordinates the reston stitch ‘n’ bitch) was there to fetch me and we headed out into a beautiful day. the temperature is a little warmer here than at home and the weather promises only to get better as the week goes on. because of the long trip, i came out a whole day ahead to be sure i had time to rest and prepare before classes began; i’ll be able to enjoy the weather today by squeezing in a walk or run.

we headed for ellicott city to have lunch and once we parked the car, we took a bit of a walk before choosing a place to eat.

ellicott city reminds me of annapolis—old, narrow streets that are lined with truly unique shops that are really cute; authentic vintage wares, books, stationery, etc.

the hilly terrain creates dramatic angles in the view, so that when you look up from a lower street, what you see is a forest of tilting steeples, telephone poles, and buildings; it’s  almost gothic.

we left town around 4 pm and headed out to the solomons, where the retreat will be held in marie’s island home on the water’s edge. i had intended to take a short nap and catch up on some work, but once my head hit the pillow, that was it for me—too much of burning the candle at both ends all week resulted in TKO for me.

i did, however wake up VERY early as a result and having been told that the sunrise is fantastic here, eagerly awaited it. and when i began to see glimmers of pink and blue on the horizon, i hurried out with my camera for a few shots that i could share with you.

yep, it was spectacular alright . . . i know you’re thinking what i’m thinking—it would make a great colorway for yarn, right?

i feel so bad that i haven’t been blogging as regularly as usual—my work schedule has been pretty hectic, my knitting time has been almost nonexistent, and my projects, mostly secret; not very bloggable. i do think that with erica on board, that will change now, yay.

for right now, i’m gonna try to post every day on this trip, even if it’s just a photo; i’m thinking that if i keep the posts kind of brief, maybe with a line or two, i can manage it. there are plenty of beautiful photo ops close by; it shouldn’t be too hard, as long as i remember to use my camera!