Jun 29 2005
Life Aquatic
Auntie Lolly, Krista and McKayla do some beachcombing
We had a lovely and relaxing time in Ocean City! The weather was perfect while we were there–no humidity, breezy, and moderate temps. The company was also wonderful: my brother-in-law brought up my dear nieces, and I was able to spend some time with them.
Kris and I drove over earlier in the day to get the condo settled, stock the refrigerator, and have a little free time before the rest of the family arrived. In this time, we hit up one of the LYSs! 
Sea Needles is located in Bethany Beach, Delaware: a very quaint little beach town just over the state line. I found the store very well-stocked with several popular lines, as well as some decent space set aside for the smaller local producers, and lesser-known lines. I found the prices to be good, and the no sales tax in DE is always a plus!
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The Zitron Unikat was a real find, and with that purchase, I got a free Skacel pattern for a bias scarf. Three skeins of Tahki Cotton Classic for the Mimi’s birthday sarong, three balls of Frog Tree Alpaca (this stuff is so yummy), and the two new Berroco books (great patterns in these books–Cold Comforts and Forever Hip– but I would choose alternative yarns for many of the designs because I am not crazy about many of their colorways. Some of my faves? Wellesley, Carleton, Oberlin, Clemson, Delores, and Hoover are the reasons I bought the books — and I am already on the lookout for some alternate yarns!
Unfortunately, I was not able to visit any other yarn shops while I was at the beach, although I know there is one in Rehoboth named The Knitty Gritty. While in Ocean City, I saw a sign for Salty Yarns near 8th street, but it was not clear where the shop was, and as it was raining hard on the last day, so we did not make it. I did find the website of the shop however, and it does seem more geared towards needlepoint than knitting and crochet. Nevertheless, I hope to check it out on my next trip over to the Eastern Shore.
My experience at Sea Needles was very positive, and I highly recommend the shop–I will be back there on my next trip! 
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When we came back after the LYS trip, Kris and I headed down to the bayside of the island. He wanted to try his new fishing rod, and I sat on the dock of the bay wasting time (well, knitting on Rhapsody, actually!) Here she is sunning herself. |
Once Kris’s brother arrived that evening with the nieces, they were ready to head back to the bay for some crabbing. Because I did not grow up near the beach, or water at all for that matter (in New Mexico) I am not used to all of these sports. Kris has always enjoyed these outdoor activities with his father and brothers, and he rarely keeps any of the fish or crabs that he manages to catch. As a vegetarian, I choose not to eat any meat, including fish and other seafoods, so I have never tried the famous MD crabs.
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Say hello to the famous Maryland Blue Crab (he is waving at you!) These little crustaceans are pretty popular in this area! |
After a fun-filled Friday, we woke up on Saturday and decided to head to Assateague Island. It was a great day! Kris, his dad, and his brother went clamming in the bay waters off the island, bringing in about 150 clams. I sat on the shore and knit for quite awhile, read some of my book, and then headed out on my own little tour of the island. I saw some of the famous wild horses!
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The history of the island is fascinating, and I spent a good deal of time reading the national park signs, and keeping my eye out for more of the ponies. You can read more about them here.
Kris and I took the girls to the beach the next morning. We did a little bit of wave jumping, saw some beautiful dolphins very close to shore, and built a sand castle!
Kris, McKayla (the brunette), and Krista (the blondie) working on their sand castle.
The next day was rather drizzly, and we deemed this the perfect day for shopping. My mother-in-law and I headed to the outlets in Rehoboth, and made out very well! Several new outfits, and two new pairs of shoes for me!
More details about another special event in tomorrow’s entry! Stay tuned
ISRAEL PICTURES OF THE DAY
Marking the five-year anniversary of my study-abroad trip to Israel in June/July 2000
This mosaic decorates the floor of the church in the town of Tagbha, in the Galilee region of Israel. The Galilee region has several historical sites, many of the popular ones being sites that are mentioned in the Bible’s New Testament. The mosaic above is housed in a church that was built around the site where it is believed that Jesus performed the miracle of feeding the 5000 followers with fish and loaves of bread.
The use of the mosaics in the region shows the influence that the Greco-Roman world had on ancient art in Israel (then known as the Palestine to the Romans). Before the Hellenistic period, art in ancient Israel rarely included pictures of people or animals, believing it to be idolatry. However, mosaics made their way into the floor and wall decorations of various homes, synagogues, churches, and governmental buildings.
Oh I love the beach! And I’ve always wanted to see the ponies! They look beautiful.
Glad you had so much fun with the nieces - I’m missing mine all over again!
Looking forward to tomorrow’s post….
Thanks for sharing your pics! Looks like you had a great time, wild horses and all
Yay - it looks like you had a wonderful time! I can’t wait to read more about it and see more fabulous pictures! (The waving MD blue crab is priceless!)
*mwah!*
Ahh…the beach! What a lovely time you all had! Cute snaps!
hey! welcome back…looks like it was a fabu trip..
love your stash enhancement!
love those mosaics…C and I want to eventually (Tahoe) have mosaics in our kitchen…a buddha of course!
Looks like you had a great time at the shore! I’m so very, very jealous!!!
Cotton Classic and Frog Tree Alpaca are two of my favorite yarns! It’s going to be so much fun knitting those up!!!
Hi Lolly,
Welcome home! Glad you had a fun trip :0) I haven’t been to Sea Needles..can’t wait to check it out. And yes, the Salty Yarn is cross-stitch and needlepoint. It’s on the boardwalk and is a very nice shop. Great photos! I miss you girl…when will I see you next?
xoxo Donna
That picture of the crab is making me hungry!!! And look at all your purchases! Sounds like you guys had a blast.
It sounds like you had a great trip! And lookie at all that yummy yarn! I’d love to see wild horses … Beautiful!
why hello blue crab!
what a great shot. did you eat him for supper?
Wow … you surely had a wonderful time! Knitting in the sun … and seeing dolphins! One of my favourite animals! I love them being so intelligent and cute!
Nice trip - that beach looks perfect. I love that Unikat… so pretty.
Sounds like you had a great time. I almost got run over by those horses once. That’s what you get for sleeping on THEIR beach
Oh how I miss the blue crabs. No one out here in California knows what they are. Thet picture makes me hungry!!
Isn’t the Eastern Shore great? I sort of miss living near the ocean…except for the jelly fish, I definitely don’t miss the jelly fish.
Looks like you had a great time. And what’s this other special event??? I’m intrigued!
What a lovely vacation! Ocean, family, knitting, yarn, site-seeing…you just can’t beat it.
Kevin, the girls, and I are heading to Port Aransas (a beautiful beach on the Gulf of Mexico) next week for four days. I can’t wait!
Amy
What a great trip! The knitting shops make it even more attractive. I went to Assateague about 15 years ago but it wasn’t nearly as nice of a day. Of course, I got locked into a gas station bathroom on the way home, which was a bit of a bummer.
Love the beach photos especially of the horses
I’m glad that you posted a picture of Rhapsody. I couldn’t for the life of me remember what you were knitting at knit nite but I recall really liking the color. Can’t wait to see it finished!
Tanya
Looks liks you guys had a great time at the beach. And stash enhancement is always a good thing!
What a terrific vacation! I only wish I had time to make it to the beach this summer… and tax free yarn shopping in Delaware?!? That is like a dream come true!! Now that I’m back, I promise I’m going to get busy again on Lucky cardi… a.k.a. my albatross, my encumbrance…
You had fun all the way around! I love the peacock mosaic!!
Hey dude!
Looks like you had a nice vacation and a good opportunity to relax before school starts again. Love the pony pictures, I wonder if you saw the same one Cobra did.
I LOVE a whole bunch of those berroco patterns, I really think that theres are some of the best available. I’ve had good luck with them, hope you do, too!
But did you see Misty?
Looks like you had a wonderful time. You’ve made me miss the beach (ok Jersey shore, but close enough).
wow, those horse pics are so beautiful! and i love the little crab! looks like you had a great time - the beach, yarn, shopping, yummy food, good company … what else does a girl need?
Wow! what a beautiful place! glad you had a fun, relaxing time. welcome back! Oh, and nice yarn aquisitions
Salty Yarns has no yarns. Bummer, I know.
I have to say that the blue crab is best steamed and with some Old Bay on top and a nice pitcher of beer next to him. Of course several of his buddies need to be next to him to make the picture complete. Althought several pounds of shrimp are just as nice. Nice to see that you enjoyed your trip.
Hey Lauren! Sounds like you had a great trip to the beach. Glad you got down to Assateague - the ponies are so cool! Also, I am curious to hear what you plan to do with the Frog Tree Alpaca…and to hear about your special event! And thanks so much for leaving me a note of congratulations - I am thrilled!
Your trip looks like a blast
So happy you guys had a great time!
I LOVE Frog Tree Alpaca!!!!! The owner of my LYS does some designing for them - so she stocks tons of it. Super soft!!!
Great vacation pics!! I loved the names of those yarn stores even ify ou only made it to one!
I especialy like the blue crab waving / attacking photo. Crustaceans are so adorable / edible!
My goodness you’re having such a fun time at the beach! The beach is always more fun with kids.
Wonderful pics. Looks like you had great time at the beach. Lovely new additions to your stash.
i have some serious stash envy! you really have the best stash. looks like you had a fab time at the beach. in our current weather i dream of being able to go to the beach.
Looks like your vacation was a blast. Your nieces are so cute. I love the picture of the blue crab–I don’t think I’ve ever seen a blue one up close like that.
Beautiful pictures! Seems all my girls were at a beach this weekend!
[…] I did not see as many wild ponies on the island this year (Last year, I saw several!). This was the only group I came across on my ride: three ponies eating marsh grasses. The ponies that live on Assateague (and the neighboring southern tip of the island, called Chincoteague) are of unknown origin. The two main theories are that the ponies are descendents of the horses kept by the colonial settlers (in the 17th century), or horses that survived a Spanish shipwreck and swam ashore, adapting to the climate and the brackish water and marsh plants for food. Both theories are very plausible, but regardless of their origins, the ponies are a fascinating part of the beautiful island. […]
[…] 06.05 : My little sister got married and I went on my beach vacation […]
[…] The lovely yarn that has been in the stash for over a year was finally fashioned into something wearable! I bought this yarn at Sea Needles in Bethany Beach, Delaware on last year's beach trip. They had a store sample knit up in a multidirectional pattern, and I was sold from the moment I saw it; I just loved the colors! The variegated / self-striping yarns are a perfect match for this kind of pattern! […]