5. July 2009 by Kathy.

We’ve been battling ants on the lanai and front entrance.  A couple of weeks ago they invaded the kitchen, we managed to control the inside invasion; the battle has been mostly outside.  We’ve tried eco-sprays (don’t work well), various home remedies from the internet (they might work, but the daily rain makes things soggy) and several “ant eats and takes poison back to nest” remedies.  We finally seem to be making progress; the best seems to be a gel that is squeezed onto their trails. Many, many ants feed on this stuff…the area around the gel is black with them. So now we have thousands of dead ants on the lanai.  We’ve spent the morning vacuuming and cleaning the lanai.  We’ve been avoiding the pool area because of the mess, and of course we haven’t wanted Maggie to be out there.  She stays mad at us b/c of this; she dearly loves to visit her friends the lizards.

Last night we drove to Punta Gorda for dinner, drinks and fireworks. We ate at the Celtic Ray, our fav Irish Pub in the area.  There was live entertainment, J.J. Smith, a Scotsman.  He was quite entertaining; told good stories, was funny, and had a nice voice. He ranged from Scottish to Irish to Johnny Cash songs.

So we went to an Irish Pub, listened to a Scotsman, I had beer from Belgium, Juergen had beer from Germany, and Alan and Jennifer both had beer from England.  We said a German toast.  It was a truly international event!

At 9:00 we wandered down to the waterfront for the fireworks.  Now, I LOVE fireworks, and I really wasn’t expecting much.  I was pleasantly surprised, both with the quality and quantity.  Show lasted half an hour.

Sorry the photo isn’t better…I had trouble timing the shots.

We strolled back up to the pub for an hour or so, listening to the singer and enjoying a final beer, before heading north.

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29. June 2009 by Kathy.

So yesterday Alan and I made the trek up to Siesta Key for the drum circle.  Drummers, dancers and spectators begin gathering about two hours before sunset. We stopped at Cosimo’s to pick up a pizza, then made our way over to the beach, setting up our chairs on that white sugar-like sand about 7 PM. Just a few drummers at first, then more, and still more.  They were joined by belly-dancers, dancers with bellies (!), hoola-hoopers, small children, and a few who were, shall we say, quite happy to be there (burp)!

The guy we called the drum major seemed to be in charge.  Now, he appeared to be a cross between Rod Steward, Richard Simmons and Malcolm McDowell from Clockwork Orange (note the bowler hat). He led the music with two feathers instead of a baton.

I’ll only show one of the belly dancers…she seemed to be the most professional:

The drummers themselves were young, old, female, male, fat, gay, biker…you name it. Quite a cross section of society.

Of course, the players and dancers became more and more frenzied as the evening progressed, culminating (for us) in a beautiful sunset. I say for us, because when we left at 9 PM, more drummers and dancers were making their way to the beach. I guess we should have stayed longer, and next time we’ll plan on doing so.

I had been wanting to visit this drum circle since we’ve been here, and I’m glad we went yesterday. Now we understand the “procedure” and know exactly where to sit and what to bring.

In other news, Colin and Adrienne have made reservations on US Air and Chez Lane for July 9; they will stay five nights. I’m so excited…we haven’t had company in so long. I hope the weather holds so we can spend all our days at one beach or another.

Cara started her new job with Nike; she is coaching one of the the swim team groups at Nike Headquarters. She and Joe are putting their own stamp on their new house.

We’ve had quite a bit of rain; so much so that we have a new temporary pond behind us. The birds seem to love it!

Alan and I just made it back from the gym before a monsoon hit. I’ll wait until it slows a bit before I make my way to the grocery store…love to all. Go well.

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9. June 2009 by Kathy.

Another beautiful day here in SW Florida.  There is actually 0% chance of rain today, which is rather strange for this time of year.  But everything is so green and pretty right now; I’ll not complain about rain.

Yesterday Alan and I went into Sarasota for some exploring.  We started at Harbor Freight, because I am looking for a (cheap) wheeled collapsable crate for carting my silk painting supplies to class and back, and to keep them contained here at home.  No luck on that front, but I did find some inexpensive containers for organizing my beading supplies. We had lunch at Mattison’s City Grill on Main Street, then went into the Selby Library, which is the main library in Sarasota County.   We stopped by the British Open Pub for an Erdinger and ended up sharing fish and chips.  We do enjoy that place; we’ve gotten to know the owner and bar keeps.

Congratulations Cara and Joe on your second wedding anniversary!

June 9, 2007:

And now:

June 9 was also my dad’s birthday…I miss you, dad.

In other news, we are still waiting to hear from the “guvm’t” about Alan’s contract. It is getting difficult to keep up our spirits.

In knitting news, I have finished the February Lady Sweater (thank you Cara and Joe!…the yarn was a Christmas present)…I’ll post a picture later.

I’ve been working on several silk painting projects…I’ll post pics of those also.

Go well!

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25. May 2009 by Kathy.

It is a beautiful day here in SW Florida…it may rain later, but right now the sun is shining and life is good.  We worked on painting the lanai a bit this morning; still have a ways to go.

Alan and I spent the weekend in Melbourne, FL. We lived there for a few short months back in 2002, when Alan was contracted to The Harris Corporation. We enjoyed several restaurants there, so we decided to have an “Eat Our Way Through Melbourne” weekend.

Friday for lunch, we ate at Meg O’Malleys Irish Pub…you know we can never pass up a good Irish Pub! Had a couple o’ Smithwicks there.  That evening we ate at our favorite Italian place, Pane e Vino.  It was just as delish as we remembered.  On Saturday we drove up to Olde Cocoa Village, and wandered the quaint streets.

Those of you who have been to Germany with us…doesn’t that look like a courtyard in an Auld Stadt?

Back to food…ahem…does ANYONE eat here?  (You will have to click on the picture to see what I’m talking about.)

Yes, that says $150.00…for a steak!!

We didn’t eat there.

On down the street to Murdocks, another of our favorite pubs. Only place I’ve seen in the US where one can have Tucher Weizen.

On Saturday evening we were disappointed that another fav Italian place had closed. We made do at Island Pasta.

We drove back on Sunday morning. It was a nice respite for us. And one of the best parts was the hotel…I snagged a Hilton for $50/night on Priceline. Not too shabby, eh?

I’ll leave you with a sunset shot from our lanai.

Go well, dear friends, and enjoy whatever Memorial Day plans you have!

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17. May 2009 by Kathy.

I’m back! I said I wouldn’t write again until “comments” was fixed, and it now appears that it is. So, remember to be kind!

So much has happened since October.  Most all of you know that Alan’s last contract ended in December, and he has been searching for a new one since then. He has been offered a contingent job in Charleston, SC.  It is contingent upon being awarded a government contract.  And yes, I said job…not independent contract. After 12 years, Alan will probably be shutting down AJLane Inc. Now, while the money is not quite a good as being independent, there are benefits…health insurance (we will save $600 a month…yes!) on what we’ve been paying; the company will match a certain portion of 401K savings, and will contribute to a retirement account.

I’m not saying which company for now; I don’t want to jinx it. It is a major consulting group.

As to Charleston, SC (Moni, I can hear you from here!) that is fine with us.  We will continue to hopefully be Florida residents; Alan will commute at first; they do want him to relocate, so we have to work on that. Maybe a small condo, where Maggie and I can join him for weeks at a time, or maybe…a boat! We talked about buying a live-aboard boat while we were in DC, then we came to our senses. Maybe we can rent a live-aboard to see how we like it.

So keep your fingers crossed for the government contract to be awarded.

In other news, I guess everyone has heard about dear friend “J” by now; the good news is that he is at home, recovering very nicely from two bouts of congestive heart failure.  He has had to make several difficult changes in his lifestyle…but we are happy that he agreed to make the changes; it will keep him here with us for a good while longer. Both he and JED have been good friends for so long now…we’re lucky to have them in our lives.

Alan and I flew to Portland to see Cara and Joe over her spring break. We looked at houses with them, and they signed a purchase contract while we were there. They closed on Friday, and have been moving in this weekend.
The house is new, built in-fill style in an old neighborhood. The neighborhood is St. Johns, a funky-crunchy area in North Portland with everything from cute bars-inside-old-churches, to retro clothing stores. It fits Joe and Cara very well.

Colin and Adrienne are still blissfully happy. Adrienne finished her NP classes late last year, and passed her boards (she was worried - the rest of us weren’t); she is remaining at the same hospital, but as a NP she’ll have more responsibility, but better hours. Colin’s job responsibility has decreased, as has his pay. He has decided (yippee!) to return to grad school and pursue a MSW. He hasn’t decided yet whether he’ll work in the private or the public sector. Either way, I’m proud of him.

I’m proud of all our kids (I include Adrienne and Joe in this, as well)…they have all grown to be responsible adults with a strong social conscience. It is nice now that liberal is no longer a dirty word.

(Non-knitters may discontinue reading at this point.) In knitting news, on the needles now are the February Lady Sweater, a tank top in a beautiful hand painted cotton yarn, socks for Cara, and as always, a couple of dishcloths. CR sent a cute alligator handbag pattern and the wool yarn, so that will be coming up soon.

I’ve also started another silk painting class, along with JED. I’ll let you know how that goes. And I’ve cranked up the sewing machine several times for bags and totes. They don’t call me the Bag Lady for nothing.

Kayaking with Sylvia will end for me tomorrow. We are heading out early in the morning to kayak the rivers and mangroves near Matlacha (not pronounced Mat-latcha, but in the French manner…Mat la-shay). I’m sad to see my kayaking season ending but plan to take our boats out a couple of times this summer.

Alan and I are heading over to Melbourne on the east coast of Florida on Friday for a couple days of R&R. We lived there for a few months in 2002, and we’re looking forward to revisiting some restaurants and shops.

Moving on, here’s a couple of pics from Mardi Gras and K Derby parties:

As you can tell, our social life is quite healthy!

To my friends in Charlotte…I miss you! Come see me!

To my friends in Florida…see you soon…we’ll raise a glass or two of cheer together.

I will leave you with a closing shot of a Bird of Paradise plant in full bloom outside our front door!

Go well, dear friends.

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25. October 2008 by Kathy.

Woke up to pouring rain this morning. Must be 40 percenting all over the place. But beginning tomorrow…0% and less humidity and a bit cooler….perfect!

Maggie had a hair cut yesterday:

Isn’t she a cutie? One thing that is less expensive in Florida…dog grooming. I paid $35 yesterday; in Charlotte it is about $50, and in DC…$60 and up.

But one major thing is much more expensive here…car insurance. It more than doubled…and we have a perfectly clean driving record with no claims since we have had the policy (1989) with Metropolitan.

We lowered the price of the house in Charlotte…it has been a month with only three showings. We sure picked a bad time to list, didn’t we?

But to insert something frivolous… A and I went to Punta Gorda last night to try a new pub…and we loved it! Really nice selection of draft beers (my first was a Kronenburg, which I grew to love at The Mitre pub in London); Alan had a Fuller’s ESB…one of his favorites.  There was a great crowd of various ages…that is one of the things I like best about Florida.  In DC and in Charlotte, you really had to be under 30 to fit in.  Here…whatever age goes. There were lots of dart boards, pool tables and snooker tables.  What is snooker, anyway? Have to look that up.

Then we came home and went in the pool…perfect ending to a great evening!

Love to all! Go well.

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23. October 2008 by Kathy.

Hi all. It is a grey day here in SW Florida; breezy, about 77 degrees at 11 AM. Will probably rain later.  A and I are sitting on the lanai, A is working (duh) and I am…blogging!

We just made plans to go with J&J and his cousin from Germany to hear the Irish Tenors in December at the Van Wezel in Sarasota. Looking forward to that!

J and I are going to see The Duchess this afternoon, then meet the guys at the British pub nearby.

Kayaking starts a week from today, hooray, hooray!

In knitting news, I finished these:

These are the Summer Anklet pattern from Buzz and Fuzz, made up in Cascade Fixation. These are a gift for……..?

and started this:

This is a Knitting Pure and Simple pattern; I’m making it in an off white cotton.  My thought is that it will be comfortable to take to restaurants and movies, where it is often colder than I would like.

Non knitters, are your eyes glazed over yet?

Sorry, the comments button is still not working…I’ve looked everywhere to try to fix it…Alan hasn’t had a lot of time to look at it.  We are thinking of moving the blog to a simpler, more user friendly host, like blogger.

Love to all. Go well!

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22. October 2008 by Kathy.

For non-knitters, this will bore you to tears.

Storing my many circular needles has always been a problem. Needle rolls, while pretty, only do a good job storing straight needles. Keeping circs in their little packages works, but then you have to fumble through them looking for a certain size. So I decided to come up with a design that works for me:

And a close-up:

I made this with a purchased place mat. Finished size is 7 1/4 inches wide, 17 1/2 inches long.

Begin by cutting the placemat into two pieces; first is 5 3/4 inches wide by 17 1/2 inches; the other is 7-1/4 X 17-1/2.  My placemat was tightly woven, so I didn’t even serge or overstitch the edges; it won’t ravel.

Next, cut a piece of plastic 3 inches by 17-1/2 inches (I used the plastic zipper case that a bedspread came in). Cover the two short edges and one long edge with narrow ribbon, or even bias tape; I just used a straight stitch, but zig-zag would work as well. Line up the long ribbon covered edge with the long edge of the larger placemat piece. Straight stitch across the upper and lower edges. Then line up the smaller placemat piece with the opposite edge of the larger piece. I straight stitched side - to -side across, through all layers, in 1 inch increments to form the channels to hold the needles. I made 17 channels. Now you have not only formed the needle channels, but also the pockets in which to place your needle numbers. Print out the needle identification numbers that you wish to use (I used 00 through 15) in a large font, cut them into squares, and place in the pockets. Ta-da!  You may add a hanging loop, or actually fit a clothes hanger at the top; I didn’t want to hang mine; I store it flat.  I did add an extra ribbon loop at the bottom to hold a needle gauge.

If you made it  though this post, as you are not a knitter…you deserve a gold star!

Go well.

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20. October 2008 by Kathy.

A bit cooler here this morning…down to 68 early; back up to 78 now at 11 AM. It was a gorgeous weekend here in South Florida. We spent Saturday afternoon at Oktoberfest in Cape Coral.  This was the 23rd annual Oktoberfest produced by the German American Club in Cape Coral.  I’ve never been to the Munich Oktoberfest; Alan has (Stuttgart), and of course J&J have; they all said this one is just about authentic. Wonderful bands, especially Maselheimer, from Ravensburg. Ravensburg is in South Germany, near the Bodensee. This is where we spent a week of our trip last Spring. Anyway:

A fun time was had by all!

Today we have already had our flu shots, and more importantly, VOTED!

Hard to see, but it is a “I Voted” sticker.

How ’bout those Tampa Bay Rays! World Series, no less. I’m not a big baseball fan (yet) but it is always good to see the home town team do well.  They will have home team advantage, so the first two games will be played in St. Pete.

Go well!

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16. October 2008 by Kathy.

Well, sorry, it is afternoon. This is how I spent the morning:

That is, after I made reservations for C and A to come down the day after Thanksgiving. A is in Clearwater this week for a required seminar…and today is their anniversary! Happy Anniversary…can’t believe it has been 4 years already. They are so sweet and so happy together…they are a lucky couple to have found each other so young! C and C will be 28 this December…my, my, my. Can I be old enough to have children that age? Maybe I should tell people they are Alan’s by his first wife.  But most people know that he didn’t have a first wife. I guess I’ll just have to own up to them…and gladly.

We had J&J over for dinner last night…fajitas and margaritas. A fun time was had by all.

In knitting news…nothing. Didn’t pick up the needles at all yesterday. I did finish Catherine Coulter’s last book, however.

That’s all the news that’s fit to print…I won’t talk about the debate, except to say how rude I thought McCain was.  Every time Obama spoke, McCain had that nasty sneer on his face. And his plan to embarass Obama failed…it only made him seem older and more crochety that he is.

Go well!

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