Trees of Mystery

As we cruised up 101 we decided why not visit some of the tourist attractions we'd passed by so many times before? Went to the Oregon Vortex (which David chuckled through doing little quiet "mumble, SCIENCE, mumble, HOAX, techie techie etc. ) Trees of Mystery are at that stop with the museum/gift shop and the huge statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe - the blue ox. Apparently in the old days Babe's head used to move back and forth and steam would shoot out but it scared too many little kids so they changed it. I figure the kids today could take it, considering what they see on T.V.

The museum is worth going in to. They found many of the artifacts when a giant tree fell on the original building, followed by a flood. The Yurok baskets are just amazing, realllllly amazing. How did they see to weave anything that small and delicate in tiny grasses without the aid of half-glasses?

There's a sky ride in enclosed capsules kind of like a ski lift:

And then a hike to some of the more memorable trees. A lot of people like to get married under the Cathedral Tree. As you get close, a recording of the voice of Nelson Eddy wafts out singing "I think that I shall never seeeeee, a poem lovely as a treeeeeeee." And if you're old enough to remember Nelson Eddy - well, you're no longer young - sorry to be the one to tell you.

Here's the heart I left in San Francisco:

And the other groovy leaf sculpture from that restaurant:

These little seal cubs had been abandoned and were being rehabbed at a center in Crescent City (which has a cute little yarn shop by the way). They have to be taught how to eat. Insert fishy in mouth - seal p-tooeys it out, reinsert, repeat 'til it realizes that fish ain't so bad.

This is what 59 looks like these days on a trip. If the link is not clear, it's from Gloria Steinem T-shirt-wearing days that said "This is what 40 looks like."

Had to take a breather from the Oregon cardi (started to run out of a few colors I brought - more of them at home) and start a new mystery project for a baby-to-be who has a greater than average chance of being born with red hair.

Had to be Koigu of course.

By the way, all you who buy that nice double-ply toilet paper at Costco? - nothing will make you appreciate it more than 23 rest stops (post-coffee-drinking) between Seattle and San Francisco. They all have the low-flow machinery that sounds like it's going to suck you down to hell when you flush (now THAT could scare a child). Some of them have the automatic sensor where you put your hands under the faucet and you get (albeit freezing cold) water. Then, right up on the wall where you expect to find the soap dispenser is a button that says "Push." Instead of soap a blast of air jets out so strongly that the loose skin on your hands starts forming little waves as it is pushed back toward your wrists... Sheesh!

Stopped in Eugene and went by several yarn stores. Knew I wasn't in the right place when I asked if Joan Schrouder taught there......"Joan Schroooder? Gee that name sounds familiar...do we know a Joan Shrooder?" Last top was Dyelots Fiber Studio. As soon as Janis opened the door I remembered her and she immediately said "Oh Yes, Joan knits with our little group, isn't she wonderful?" and we waxed poetic for a few minutes. When one of the smarter knitting icons lives in the town your shop is in I figure it behooves you as a yarn store to invite her in and suck her dry for all she knows. Plus, just after we'd said hello, out bounced a darling little Pembroke Corgi named Lucy that I had many a scratchy and scritchy discussion with while there. Bliss! Janis was kind enough to show me how to take silk caps and pull them apart and draft them out so you can knit directly from the silk without spinning it. She says she'll put an instructional video on her site about this soon. I'd always wanted to do this so I purchased some and will try a scarf in linen stitch with two contrasting colors, oboyoboyoboy. I think Amelia of The Bellwether has also shown this. Check out her blog - she unselflishly shares all she knows and she's already forgotten more than most of us will be able to absorb!