Spring Has Sprung Like Fireworks

Lookit, lookit.....members of the snapdragon family, in all of the pretty colors of spring. Seen here at Boyce Thompson Arboretum, where we spent our Sunday afternoon. Every time that we go, there is something new and beautiful. Today, we all spent a lot of time basking in the sun and enjoying all of the COLOR, something so rare in the desert.

Lucy was so inspired by this gorgeous specimen that she broke out the watercolor pencils and spent the better part of an hour sketching and coloring. She is so good, no?

Ms. Lily, similarly inspired, chose another orange flower, the California Poppy. Here is her rendition.

Stephen also felt the pull of the poppies, just like the Tinman.

In my mind, this is definitely the shot of the day....

Can you stand it?

Some other flowers of interest are this lilac sort of thing (did I mention that I am part botanist?),

and this stripey version of a Mexican Primrose.

We went to the arboretum to see our new friend, Edith, who currently has a show in the gallery there. What wonderful images of wildflowers, canyons, and other desert treasures. It was our first time meeting Edith in person, and we are glad that we made the trip. She has many photos in galleries in the area, so make sure you check out her website so you can meet her too!

From the arboretum, we headed to another one of our favorite spots along the Apache Trail, the Lost Dutchman State Park in the Superstition Mountains. You can NEVER get enough pictures of this haunted beauty (see last post, and probably a great percentage of future posts). Here's one in the actual desert sunlight (imagine, sun in the desert).

And, against my better judgment, I am including a photo of ME in this post (ahh, the lost youth I squandered), only because I want everyone to see how much my daughters favor me, at least in posture and activity.

The girls are both working on their very first pairs of socks, with very little help from me, I might add. I am merrily stitching on this beauty

for this beauty.

Oh, we are so jealous that this little sweater gets to hold Baby Cali back in Indiana before we do. But, we put all of our love (and a little of the magical Superstition Mountains) into the sweater, and we all hugged it and kissed it and sent along our wishes for warmth and love straight to her little heart. She is the newest baby in our family, and so very beautiful. Can't wait to meet you, Cali!

Just in case any knitters read this, and not just doting grandparents and other relatives, the yarn for Cali's sweater is made of 50% wool and 50% tencel (a wood pulp product similar to rayon that knits up shiny like silk). The girls and I dyed it with Kool-Aid and vinegar, a nice smelly proposition that worked out well for us all. There WAS a nice photo of the ball of yarn, along with several of the dye-ing process, but Mr. S inadvertently erased them all in the grand hurry to get out the door on Sunday. Oh, well, have to do it again.

I made the sweater pattern up myself, per usual, and even took detailed notes if anyone cares for a copy. Won't post it here, because, well, no one is reading this yet.

This post is dedicated to Dear Grandmother (and Greatgrandmother) Patsy Stephen, who has kept a journal every day of her adult life. We know that we can't live up to that, or to anything else this amazing woman does every day, but we love her just the same! Her birthday is next week (April Fool's Day), and we all worked on something for her.

In case you can't tell, it's a SCARF! Yes, like other knitters make! Out of novelty yarn!! Imagine!!! Aye!!!!

Pretty far off the path for us, we admit, but something we are sure she will enjoy. Now, Patsy can dress like the Women Of North Scottsdale. But she, at least, will be stylish. And not plastic, either.

So, another day has come and gone, we are back to making stuff after a day of sickness for the parental units of the LG household. Kids are back to school after Spring Break (thank god), and the pool is warming up nicely. See you soon,

Kikijo