But no thanks to TSA. Security measures at the Victoria Clipper terminal were fairly insane. In stark contrast to the security measures at the Amtrak station, which were totally non-existent. See the whole story of my homeward journey towards the bottom.

The first picture is of the moon rising over Victoria Monday night. I sat and watched it for a long time. It was soooo big and sooo bright. Just amazing. Be sure to click on the picture to see the biggy size version.

I walked around a lot on Tuesday. I was tired when I left for vacation. But when I woke up Tuesday morning, already I felt energized. A little overcast weather wasn’t going to stop me! I was rarin’ to go. I signed up for a Victoria Harbor Water Taxi tour up the gorge to the reversing waterfall. The gorge is a fjord off the harbor, and the fall reverses when the tide changes. The water taxis are the cutest little boats! I understand that they do a little dance thing around the Harbor on Sundays — I heard it compared to the hippo ballet in Fantasia, only on water. I was sorry not to be there on Sunday to see it.

Did I mention that there was yarn in Victoria? Well… OK… maybe just a little bit of it. And maybe I found some at Beehive Wool Shop. This is a simply amazing little local yarn shop that has been serving Victoria for (get this) 100 years. Isn’t that amazing? And they had lots of yarn! The store is simply packed, all the way up to the rafters. This picture shows only about 1/2 of the store.

Somehow, some yarn managed to find its way into the shopping basket that the helpful clerk handed me as I wandered around. Go figure.

It’s mostly sock yarn. But the Sea Silk at the very bottom of the bottom picture I’m saving for a special something. Sea Silk is made from silk (duh) and… get this… seaweed. It has amazing drape and sheen. I can’t wait to knit with this stuff. I wish I could have afforded more of it.

This yarn, along with the yarn for Clapotis #2 which I had every intention of working on but didn’t quite get to, cushioned my taboo electronics during the long sea voyage. Everything arrived in working order. Yarn is good for many things! 😉

Lest you think that no knitting was accomplished, however, let me tell you that I carried around a couple of balls of yarn and some needles in my purse and I knit whenever I was waiting — in line, to be served, in the train, in the Clipper. It’s STR in a colorway called “County Clare” that’s a mix of blue, greens and gray. I’m knitting socks (natch) in a diagonal yo pattern. I’m almost up to the gusset increases. Which isn’t bad, I think.

This picture is of the Inner Harbor on Wednesday morning. Wednesday was the best day, weather wise. Tuesday was overcast, and there was a little tiny bit of drizzle late in the day. On Thursday when I left it was raining. But Wednesday was glorious.

Wednesday was supposed to be my spa day, because it was forecast to be the rain day. But how can you stay inside when the weather is like this? Fortunately my spa appointment wasn’t until 3:45, so I had lots of time to walk around and enjoy Victoria.

I decided to take a little horse-and-buggy tour of the city, which I’d never be able to get away with if #1 Son were with me! We went through the park and some of the old neighborhoods of Victoria and a sedate walk. Lots of people took pictures of us. I waved. It’s funny to think that I will end up in lots of people’s vacation scrapbooks.

After the spa appointment, I went back to my room. I heard a marching band outside, and went out on my balcony to find this. That’s right, gentle reader, even from 10 stories up and a block away, I could spot men in kilts! Oh, yeah!

It was raining when I woke up Thursday morning. I fancied that the city was sorry to see me go. But it was time to head for home.

On the clipper, we were each allowed only one small bag, like a purse, as carry-on. Everything else had to be checked. As did all electronic equipment — cell phones, laptops, PDAs, cameras. But liquids were OK. I had a visible bottle of water in an exterior pocket of my purse, and nobody cared. I wasn’t asked about toothpaste or eye drops or anything like that. Those were all fine. My ID was checked three times at different stages of the boarding process. (Why would I go through Immigration on one ID but board on a different ID? Inquiring minds want to know.)

There were a few people waiting to go through Immigration who “forgot” to check their cell phones. Darn it, they said smugly. Oh well. They weren’t quite so smug when their cell phones, etc., were confiscated at the xray machine and tossed in a bag to be sent with the rest of the baggage. I was happy I’d played fair because the nice check-in person had put a fragile sticker on my small bag after I put all of my electronics in there. The bag contained nothing but yarn, anyway, so I was fairly certain that my stuff would make it through OK. I felt very naked without camera, cell phone and Palm (aka “my brain”).

One of my fellow passengers questioned my knitting needles being allowed. I promised not to stab her with them, for which I was awarded a very startled look.

Since everybody had to check absolutely everything, the Clipper was about 2 hours late. I was OK. It just cut my wait time in the Seattle train station down to a reasonable 30 minutes or so and there was no mad dash to the train station as there had been on my outbound trip. I do feel for those who were leaving the Clipper terminal only to face the madness of the airport. That can’t have been fun!

At the train station, a big sign read Due to construction we are unable to check any luggage. Yeppers, ya had to carry it all on with you. Nobody looked at my ID ever. Nobody looked at my ticket until after the train had left the station with me aboard it. It was a refreshing change. But I did sort of wonder why we expect terrorists to take ferries, and therefore suspect all passengers of having nefarious intentions. But not trains or train riders.

#1 Son was supposed to pick me up from the train station, but he had called to let me know that his band was playing a show and he wouldn’t be able to come. But he did park my car at the train station, so I could drive home instead of taking Max or a cab. And he thought up that solution all by himself! I though it was pretty clever.

Until I started wandering around parking lots trying to find my car. It’s a fairly distinctive car and should be easy to spot. Should be. I finally called him and asked where, exactly, had he parked it? Oh, he said it wasn’t exactly at the train station. It was probably closer to the Greyhound depot. I should try over there.

Sigh.

I was glad to be home in my own bed with my cats around me.

You can see more pictures from Victoria by clicking here or from the Galleries page.

Or, I should say, cars, trains and boats.

I asked #1 Son to give me a ride to the train station yesterday morning. Like many teenagers, he’s chronically late, so I planned for an early start. Counting backwards on my fingers and figuring in rush-hour traffic, I thought that leaving at 7:30 should get me to the station with plenty of time to spare before the train left at 8:45. It seemed like a good plan. I like a little bit of leeway and don’t mind waiting. I had yarn and needles in my purse.

At 7:20, we were both ready to go. All I needed to do was feed the cats. Let me just feed the cats and then we’ll go, I said. I can feed the cats in 90 seconds flat. Feeding accomplished, I turned and saw #1 Son — eating a bowl of cereal and drinking a cup of coffee, both poured since the cat feeding started.

Son feeding was not in the schedule at that time. It should have already been accomplished.

Let’s go, please I said. Note the polite delivery.

I’ll admit that it didn’t take him very long to eat. We headed out to his car, where he loaded my bag into an already crammed back end (it’s a station wagon).

Just a sec He said. I want to grab a couple of things. I waited. He came back with a few things he’d pilfered from the house and put them in the back seat. Just one more load he said.

I looked at the clock. I cast on a pair of socks and started knitting.

He came back with an item that in no way would fit into the car given the number of items already in residence. Not a chance. He started juggling things around trying to get it to fit. I didn’t fit. I knit faster.

Maybe you could come back for that later, I said. We’re running a little late.

He wasn’t too happy about that. But he put the thing in the garage and got in the car. We started off. I knit.

He got on the freeway.

It’s rush hour, I said helpfully. Maybe a different route would be faster?

You’ll be fine. You worry too much.

The clock spun towards 8:15. I knit. 8:20. Increase row. 8:25. Knit. Knit. Knit. 8:30.

I started sweating. Just a little.

I don’t think we’re going to make it.

You’ll be fine. You worry too much.

We pulled up in front of the station at (I’m not kidding, here) 8:44. #1 Son grabbed my bag while I ran into the station yelling Seattle train! Seattle train!

I had my reservation, but not my ticket. The man at the ticket counter radioed the train one more! and frantically got my ticket ready. sign here… and here… now RUN!

I grabbed my bag from #1 Son, yelled kiss kiss, I love you! over my shoulder, and RAN!

Down here, down here! The conductor yelled. He opened a door for me, put out the little step, and told me to just sit at a table (it was the dining car) and he’d sort me out later. (But will there be a sorting hat? I wanted to ask.)

No sooner had I sat down than the train left the station. Whew.

And this, of course, almost guaranteed that the Victoria Clipper would be running late. It was 2-1/2 hours late. I don’t ever remember that happening before. But, I’m pleased to report that, after standing (standing) in line for 2-1/2 hours, my feet didn’t hurt. So the new shoes I got for this trip were worth the price!

I was supposed to have a “view room.” The room I was booked into had a view… of the roof. I called the front desk and asked if there was a room available on a higher floor. There was. It’s all the way at the top, and I can see everything forever.

And, as I sat on my balcony sipping tea and watching the lights on the inner harbor, the reason for the day’s close calls and weird connections became abundantly clear as I watched an enormous full moon rise over Victoria.

The socks I started in the car? I frogged them out on the train. It was pretty obvious that I wasn’t paying much attention to what I was doing!

And now I’m off to do a little sight seeing and shopping.

Thanks for the good wishes ya’ll left in the comments. There will be pictures when I get back, but I don’t have any way to download them from my camera right now.

I just found 1/2 of a bar of chocolate in my drawer. It was a present from one of the women I spent the weekend at the coast with a couple of weeks ago. I’d forgotten (really) that I stuck it in my drawer at work, just in case I needed it some day. Like right now. Oh my goodness… it tastes sooooo good.

Almost I can get back that wonderful calm energy I felt all that long weekend. Lazy shopping trips, long beach walks, talking, eating, knitting. It was all so nice.

It took no time for that to just fade away when I returned to the city.

I’m still here at work, finishing up a couple of things after most have left. The walls are being repainted, and a crew is here with ladders and such. They’ve turned a radio to a country station and are singing along to the music. 🙂 A little different atmosphere than the usual work-a-day world.

If I close my eyes and taste that chocolate, I can almost transport myself back to the beach.

Stressed is desserts spelled backwards…

The green basket weave socks are just past the point where I could legitimately make them anklets so I must admit publicly I will not wimp out. I will finish them. But they are not yet to the point where they go back to being mindless destressing knitting. I must finish them soon because I must start on the Sockapaloooza socks, Alice’s socks, the samples for the sock class, and several other socks ideas that are tumbling around in my head willy-nilly. It appears that 2006 will be the year of the sock, any other plans I may have made to the contrary.

Thank you to those who have asked after Kidd. He is doing better.

I have finally found a food that he likes. Fancy Feast Gourmet Gold with Ocean Fish and Salmon. Dry food. Kibbles. [shrug] I’ve been tempting him with all of the moist food, as close to Gerber baby meat as I can get and still be cat food — expensive little cans full of bits of yummy things with gravy poured over. He turns his nose up at them.

I filled a little bowl with the FFGGOFS kibbles and he spent a solid hour in the kitchen crunching away. Go figure.

Cats are strange.

I’ve been quiet the last few days because I’ve been out of town. I was invited to spend several days at Lincoln City with a wonderful group of women (and one wonderful girl). We had a marvelous time walking on the beach, shopping, eating, playing games and laughing. And, yes, some knitting was accomplished – although not much.

The weather was amazing! Clear and very cold. On Saturday the wind was so strong it blew the waves up in spray. But the sunshine was so nice.

This picture is looking south toward Siletz Bay from just below The Inn At Spanish Head. You can see the rest of the pictures I took on the Galleries page under Lincoln City, 02/2006. We saw a spectacular sunset and sunrise from our rented house high over the beach.

In the good news department, Dr. Specialist called me as I was on my way out of town. The tests showed only IBD and no sign of lymphoma. Yea! #1 Son was great at giving Kidd his medication and keeping him in Gerber baby meats while I was gone. Since I’ve been back, I’ve been tempting Kidd with all of the yummy cat foods I can find, in the hope that we can get him back to eating his regular food soon.

Life is beginning to get back to what passes for “normal” around here.

[ed.] I just realized that I typed “IBM” instead of “IBD.” That must have raised a few eyebrows.

I worked on my taxes last night. Mine and #1 Son’s. I don’t have all of the necessary stuff yet to complete mine, but I did have all of his. I don’t think he was too happy with the result. Alas, becoming a responsible, tax-paying citizen is tough.

In good news, today I received the info for my Sockapaloooza pal! I can’t wait to get started, and I already have some ideas. I know what color she likes, so now I just need to find yarn. Oh, gee, I have to go yarn shopping… 🙂 I already know what I think I’d like to get.

I’m almost done with the Vera socks. I have two pattern repeats and the ribbing left to do. I might be able to finish tonight, if I go home and actually knit!

When the Veras are done I have to start on a small project that I need to have finished in two weeks. There’s plenty of time! And then the next pair of socks is taking shape in my mind.

I’m really on a sock kick this year for some reason.

I’ve lived on the Portland metro west side for 25 years (and in the general Portland area even longer). And all of that time I’ve been involved in some kind of crafty stuff — knitting, crochet, hand spinning (poorly), needlepoint, sewing, quilting, yadda yadda yadda. Until this weekend I never knew that there was a great yarn store right here in Tigard — and I’ve passed by it every day on my way home from work for the last 8 years.

All About Yarn is located near the corner of Pacific Hwy and Greenburg Rd., right underneath Joanne Fabrics in the Safeway shopping center. Joanne’s I’ve been to with regularity. I had no idea there was anything underneath it. Turns out there’s a whole little mall down there. All About Yarn is apparently the former Ann’s Yarn Gallery (also never graced by my presence), and has been under its current management since 2003.

I spent a fun 30 minutes in All About Yarn browsing through the shelves. I would have liked to stay longer, but other duties called. In the end, I picked up some really nice baby alpaca in dark gray for #1 Son’s fingerless gloves.

I can already tell that I’m going to have to fight my car to keep it pointed down Pacific Hwy. when I come to that corner…