I decided earlier this year that I wanted to meet a couple imaginary friends. I have been reading each of their blogs -- two bloggers, one blog each -- for several years, and they have been reading and commenting here likewise. Time for a FtF.
First was Jocelyn, who lives in Duluth with her husband and two kids. We sat on their deck in various combinations, drank lattes, ate homemade chocolate-chip scones, exchanged life stories, drank horchatas that her husband had made (ours were cinnamon), and listened with great interest to her son and his cousin as they described their planned Halloween costumes (Link and Skull Kid from the Zelda series of video games and anime).
Jocelyn absorbing the intricacies of Zelda.
Elijah and Paco are experts in the subject. While they were enlightening us in the details of the characters, small clay figures of Link and his various accoutrements were baking in the oven.
It was a totally delightful visit. If I were a better blogger I would have photos of her yard (flowers everywhere!) and the tray of horchata drinks (refreshing and delicious!) and her husband (a cutie!) and their wall of board games (family fun!). But I am not so you must use your imagination.
A farewell selfie. Thanks for sharing your delightful self and your family with me, Jocelyn!
* * * * *
At the end of the afternoon I was off down the highway to Ashland, where I stayed overnight and anticipated my visit the next day with k.
My one-star motel had not been updated significantly since the 1950s; however...
...the view from the door of my room was fabulous.
The next morning I drove a few miles north to Coco's in Washburn, a village on the shore of Chequamegon Bay, where we had agreed to meet for breakfast. I was struck by a tragic case of camnesia, so there are no photos of k or her pancakes (or was it French toast?) or my bacon/asparagus/basil frittata. Suffice to say, all were most excellent.
After we ate we ventured a bit farther north along the Bayfield peninsula to Bayfield itself. And why? Because there was a great yarn store there, of course!
Typical yarn store display in The Great White North.
I came away with a skein of Trekking in the artfully named colorway 552.
K, on the other hand, was finding skein after skein of fingering weight merino that captured her heart. She kept bringing them over to me, fondling them and saying, Look at this! Look at this! She finally settled on a skein of Colinette Jitterbug in a mysterious and lovely mix of browns and blacks and charcoals. It may have been this one, but the Rav photos do not do justice to its dark wonder.
We parted and I began the longish trek home. I kept thinking about that skein of Jitterbug that K had bought... and coveting it. Why didn't I look for something more intriguing? Why had I settled for the Trekking? Sure, it was nice, but nowhere near as stunning as that Jitterbug.
Then, as I drove through Spooner, what should catch my eye but... a yarn store!
Not just a yarn shop, but a book and yarn shop! O, frabjous day!
I pretty much ignored the bookstore part of the shop, since I get plenty of reading material through my local library, but the yarn! The yarn!
This is the one that came home with me: Jitterbug, in 180 Salted Capers.
As I drove the last 50 miles or so, I mused on what that yarn should become. Eventually, it came to me that I already had the perfect yarns to coordinate with it in my stash.
I see a Color Affection in my future.
