Since this blog has been dormant for the entirety of the winter season (as mild as it was), I guess I can say that it was hibernating… and now that the VERNAL EQUINOX is here, she wakes up!

*blink blink*

In short, the last few months have been great. 2011 threw me for a loop with unexpected changes and a long adjustment period; I welcomed 2012 with open arms and a renewed sense of purpose… and things are working out quite well!

What have I been up to all this time? I like infographics, so I’ll use one to show you:

If you follow me on Goodreads or Twitter, then none of these things will come as a surprise – I have been reading and writing like a fiend. Unfortunately, the writing did not translate to blog writing (yeah, I know, doesn’t make sense – but no time like the present, right?) More on that later…

I have been traveling and road tripping.  Eastside coasting right up and down Interstate 95 and beyond: many trips to Pennsylvania – both the far west to Pittsburgh for a anniversary / hockey-filled weekend and Philly in the east to visit my parents and most recently, the Philadelphia Flower Show (also stopped by several PA spots in between: Gettysburg and Hershey), many times to northern Virginia to see my sister and my nieces who moved in  January, and a long weekend fun trip to North Carolina over the President’s Day holiday). Next month, we’re off to Wisconsin, and then I’m planning a super big + super fun road trip for May…

Gardening and hiking are picking up with the unseasonably warm weather, and I plan to share more of what we’re up to there too. …and my cooking? well, I am enjoying it now more than ever before – I love every bit of the process, and now with the beginning of the season, I look forward to many months of fresh produce and creativity in the kitchen. I will share some of what I have cooking with photos and recipes.

The biggest project – the one that has picked me up and helped me wake up with a smile on my face – is actually a return to something that I have always loved. I am writing a novel. I started preliminary work in January, and really dug into research in February. The process is teaching me a lot about personal discipline and commitment – it is hard work! I joined a local writer’s group, and last week I shared an excerpt in front of the whole group. I was nervous, but it turned out really great. This whole process of writing and researching is the kind of stuff that really makes me tick (always a librarian, I guess!) and while I have loads of work to do, I am so excited about this project. (Teaser: it is a historical piece inspired by real events in the early 1900s).

…and the knitting will just have to wait for the next post… while the writing and research have been my #1 in the attention department, I have managed to knit several things too! Stay tuned.

Oh, and by the way – Thanks for reading my blog! 

(and if you would like to leave a comment, it is easy: click on the title above “Coming Out of Hiberation” in this case, and the comment form will be at the bottom of the post) This new blog format has prompted several questions about commenting.

We had planned this trip for months – it was the first big “together” trip for my family since our family has grown by marriage and babies. Along with my youngest sister Sarah and her husband, Andrew, we decided to visit Yosemite National Park first, and then rendezvous with everyone several days later in Lake Tahoe. Extension to Yosemite was worth every second. As you know, Kris and I love hiking and photography, and Yosemite is a paradise for both.

We stayed outside the southern entrance to the Park; each day we drove in with plans to hike new trails.  We technically hit the Park in its off-season, so the crowds were down.  That was a nice perk on many of the trails and in-roads so we could take our time and stop whenever we pleased.  Kris and I should have made a sticker for the back of our rental car: Vehicle Makes Frequent Stops to Photograph.  Our feet were the best mode of transportation though – with the vast trail system, we were out and about every single day.

We hiked with all of our camera equipment, which made the hike a little heavier, but worth the effort after seeing the processed photos.  Long exposures, HDR, and macro photography – all things that I had the time to play with and the scenes to shoot.  If we had had more time and the appropriate gear, I would have jumped at the chance to do some back country camping and backpacking.  However, this trip focused on the highlights – Yosemite Valley, Glacier Point, Mariposa (Giant Sequoia) Grove, the various falls, Tuolumne Meadows, and the glacial lakes.  Maybe next time on the backpacking?

[Full Set of Yosemite Photos on Flickr]

Since we took over 20 gigs of photos in the Park, I have many more to add to this photo set… it takes time to go through them all!  As you can see, we had beautiful weather and clear skies – a perfect combination for memorable hikes and photographs.

Here’s Baby V playing with some blocks on it:

The yarn was an acrylic blend – Bernat Danish Bulky in Moss colorway – for easy washing and wear.  It is just seed stitch until I ran out of yarn (9 balls of chunky).  It was a simple project that I knit entirely while watching Battlestar Galactica episodes on Netflix Instant… I nicknamed the blanket “Helo” after one of the characters.

I have some more knits to share very soon – belated and early birthday presents and another baby knit… in the meantime:

Happy Summer!

In between conversations with family members, I managed to snap a few photos of the newlyweds and the bridal party.  I don’t think I could ever get into the wedding photography business, because I just have too much fun and miss some of the “big” action photos… perhaps it was all the dancing?

(See the whole wedding photoset on Flickr!)

Congratulations to David and Emily – we couldn’t be more excited for you!

My parents will be moving to Pennsylvania this summer.  Not across the country, but still a few hours away.  I am thrilled for them and very excited about being able to visit and discover the sights in their new area (eastern PA, western suburbs of Philly).  It is a bit of a transition though, knowing that my parents will be moving on and picking up the cycle again – this time just the 2 of them.

It is only May, and 2011 has been full of changes:  moves (in addition to my parents, my sister and her family will be moving from California to Virginia this fall), career changes, and I even have a new little niece/nephew on the way… so many good things, and a few challenges.  Change is the only constant. And with my “on-the-go” childhood, I am pretty good with change.  Maybe you could say I even embrace it.  Looking at each little step as a new opportunity.

:: :: ::

I took a walk yesterday.  I pass this place often and think that I will check it out and snap some photos…  This time, I had nowhere to be, in particular, and with Project Spectrum on my mind, I decided that today was the day.  Project Spectrum has always been more than color for me – it is really an exercise in mindfulness.  Just being aware and observing the things around me. Sometimes this amazing beauty is just down the road and around the corner.  Sometimes it is right in front of us and we just don’t take the time to notice it…

Little did I know that this amazing bridge is actually a National Historic Landmark – the Bollman Truss Railroad Bridge.

]]> http://lollygirl.com/blog/2011/05/03/constant-change/feed 12 http://lollygirl.com/blog/2011/04/17/pressing-o http://lollygirl.com/blog/2011/04/17/pressing-o#comments Sun, 17 Apr 2011 23:25:03 +0000 lolly http://lollygirl.com/blog/?p=3295 A few weeks ago, I was laid off from my job. Initially, I was very confused and sad.  I liked my job, and I particularly liked the people I worked with. It was a curve ball that I wasn’t ready for (are people ever ready for curve balls?) As the time goes by, however, I have come to terms with it.  I am even beginning to look towards the future.  I am  applying for jobs and looking for something new.  I fully realize that while I did enjoy my job of 6 years, even better things could be around the corner.  I just wish I knew what those things were… but that isn’t how it works!  The process is teaching me a lot.  Relinquishing control, patience, fortitude, and the support of family and friends has been particularly meaningful.

I guess you could say I am in an exploratory phase.  I went to graduate school and studied a very particular thing: library science and archival studies.  I could stick with these and be happy.  I could also try some other things that I have been curious about and never had the flexibility to do… starting my own business? more extensive writing? community projects? It may be a reasonable time to test the waters and try these things out too.

So, just like my kitchen, I guess you could say *I* am also under renovation right now.  The unique thing about my personal renovations is that I cannot sub-contract it out. Gotta DIY.  I think that this blog will play an important role in this renovation.  I want to write more, and I have this perfect place to do it.  I want to take more photographs and do more crafts, and I have a great place to showcase it. Best of all, I have you all to encourage and support – and that is a wonderful gift.

The creativity is starting to flow again, and I am excited to see where this goes!

Promised Land State Park, Pennsylvania

The snow began to fall steadily at the state park, so we cut our hike short.  There were already large snow drifts and several closed roads.  We didn’t anticipate all the snow, so we actually didn’t have all of the layers that we typically would have for snow hiking.  Next stop – a little less snowy – was Raymondskill Falls, outside of Milford, PA.

Inside town, we went to the Grey Towers National Historic Landmark and as we were driving to find a spot for lunch, we happened upon a yarn shop (Kris actually pointed it out!) and we stopped by for a quick peek… and a quick purchase.

As Kris drove, I knit. I had searched for a pattern that I could get excited about to bring on the knitting love again, and I found it in the form of the Albers Cowl by Ann Weaver (Ravelry link).  I am so excited about this knit and the artistic inspiration behind it… I am planning a whole post on it very soon, but I will gladly show my progress after some hours of driving:

This is serving as a great stashbusting project, and my first time with simple modular knits – I love this process.  I have some great color combinations in my head, and I am excited to see how they work together in these blocks.

I have ambitious plans for blogging this week.  I have lots of tell you… meetings with great knitters, a pilgrimage to “America’s Yarn Store”, and even some finished knits to share. Here’s hoping my blog mojo AND my knitting mojo are back to stay!

]]> http://lollygirl.com/blog/2011/03/28/sites-knits-in-pa/feed 12 http://lollygirl.com/blog/2011/02/21/green-days http://lollygirl.com/blog/2011/02/21/green-days#comments Mon, 21 Feb 2011 23:07:18 +0000 lolly http://lollygirl.com/blog/?p=3207 For the 29 days, I have been doing an experiment.  I have cut out all processed sugars from my diet – only “sweets” are fruits, and the occasional drip of agave nectar in my teacup.  I have done the sugar-less thing before, and it feels good to keep that addiction in check.

The sugar detox has provided a fun way to experiment with my tried and true smoothie recipes.  I have shared several ingredients over on Twitter and I got some good feedback, so I thought I would share a few recipes over here for good measure!

First thing to remember:  the key to green smoothies is the fresh ingredients!  With the warmer weather just around the corner, a lot of fresh greens will be available soon.  In the meantime, you can easily stock up at the market.  I use all sorts of greens for my smoothies – my three favorite bases are kale, wheat grass, and spinach.

And the beauty of kale?  there are so many varieties!  I love them all.  In my fridge now – and ready for their closeups are the green curly kale and the lacinato kale:

I try to keep my smoothies heavy on the “green”, so I usually do at least a 2:1 ratio of green vegetable to fruit.  Of course, fruit is great for you too, but the point of a green smoothie is to pack a huge vitamin punch – and green leafy vegetables are the sure-fire way to do that.

Aside from the leafy vegetables, I also load up on other green veggies – like celery, cucumbers, assorted sprouts (lentil sprouts and sunflower seed sprouts have nice flavors) and some herbs – like spearmint or peppermint leaves.

For fruits, I like to add something creamy and a little thicker – my smoothies are usually my breakfast and mid-morning snack (two servings) so I want it to stick with me for awhile.  Bananas or avocados both provide the base for the whole smoothie.  For a touch of sweetness, I like to add one (maybe two) Medjool dates.  The choice of fruit is based on your own tastes – I like tropical flavors, so I often add mango, lychee, or pineapple.  I also like to add blueberries or strawberries.  Fruits like apples and pears can add some nice “bulk” to smoothies with their fibers, but their flavor is easily masked with all the greens.  When using apples and/or pears, I like to add a carrot, or a slice of ginger for some more taste.

When I want a protein boost, I add some nuts or nut butter – my favorites being walnuts or almond butter.  A little goes a long way, and the nuts also help the smoothie stay with you longer and keep away the hungry growling stomach!

And finally – you need a liquid to bring it all together.  There is always water (I often use ice cubes because many smoothies just taste better to me “chilled”), and my other options are almond milk and coconut water.  You don’t need a lot of liquid, because the fruits and veggies do liquefy, but they have to have something to start with!

My “recipes” are really just based on trials that I have done and enjoyed.  I encourage you to do the same!   Please note: You do need a good blender to make green smoothies!  If your blender doesn’t cut the greens up and turn the smoothie a light to medium green (sometimes even dark green) color – you may have a hard time with the texture.  Greens can be a bit stringy, and if you don’t have a taste for that, your “gag reflex” may kick in.  I use my Vita-Mix for all my smoothies, and it is one of my most prized possessions (seriously. I want to take it on vacation with me!)

I haven’t noted any yields because a lot depends on the size and juiciness of the fruits/veggies you are using.  Green smoothies are easy to “eyeball”.  I make a double batch and split into two servings: breakfast and morning snack.  I usually use a 20 oz. cup and put leftover in a pint-sized Mason jar and take it with me to work (stored in refrigerator for later)

Tropical Green

1 banana (frozen or fresh)

3 or 4 leaves of kale

1 small cucumber

1 stalk celery

1 Medjool date

1/2 c diced mango (frozen works too!)

1/2 c coconut water

1 small “nub” of ginger (no more than 1/4″ – little goes a long way!)

1/2 c ice cubes

- add all ingredients to blender and turn on high until all ingredients are well blended.  May need to stop and stir in the middle and start again, depending on blender.

Minty Berry

1 avocado (pitted and skin removed)

2 handfuls of loose-leaf spinach (including stems)

1 c wheat grass

1 cucumber

1 Medjool date

2 springs mint (you can de-stem if the stem is “woody”)

1/2 – 3/4 c almond milk

1 c frozen strawberries

Sweet Sprouts

1 banana

1 pear, halved and seeds removed

3/4 cup assorted sprouts (lentil, broccoli, sunflower, sesame)

3 leaves of kale

1/2 c almonds (soaked in water for about 30 minutes prior)

3/4 c almond milk

1 squirt of agave nectar

1/2 c frozen peaches

Do you have a favorite green smoothie recipe to share?  I am always up for trying something new!  If you start to experiment with some, let me know what you are trying!

]]> http://lollygirl.com/blog/2011/02/21/green-days/feed 22 http://lollygirl.com/blog/2010/09/13/connectivity http://lollygirl.com/blog/2010/09/13/connectivity#comments Mon, 13 Sep 2010 23:24:15 +0000 lolly http://lollygirl.com/blog/?p=3062 If you had told me 6 months ago that I would be one of those people, I would have denied it.

I made a big technological leap at the end of July… from a “pay as you go” phone (read: no bells and whistles and really, it never even got turned on… if you asked me my phone number, I had to think really hard about it…) to a HTC Droid Incredible smartphone.  That’s a pretty big deal in my books.  I was initially resistant, priding myself on my “non-phoneyness”, but now that I have it?  Yeah, I don’t really want to go back.

But, I would like to think that I am using my newly acquired powers for good.

Like for instance… my new love for Twitter.  It’s ingenious and the wave of the future.  Here’s a funny story to illustrate >>

I am Twitter contacts with Missy aka “A Treehugger’s Wife”, a dyer of lovely yarns, who lives in Alaska.  (I bought some of her yarns when I was in Juneau in July…)  As you may recall, my dad has been living and working in Juneau this summer, and this past Saturday, Missy tweeted:

…and this happened all within 25 minutes of their meeting at the show.  How about that?  This kind of connectivity was something that no one would even dream of a few decades ago, and now here it is, and moving forward at a pretty rapid pace.  Of course, I do have some reservations about what all this means for our society and culture, but from where I stand, it’s working out pretty well.

The whole concept of Twitter wasn’t really clear to me until I joined.  I think my favorite part of it all?  The brevity.  You have to think fast and efficiently to express yourself in 140 characters.  I can appreciate that.  Words can be extraneous, and Twitter teaches you that.

…and if you didn’t already feel connected enough with your other online activities (psha!) Twitter allows you to meet SO many people.  For me, my little Twitter world has expanded from the knitty/crafter types to include people who tweet about my other passions and interests:  vegan food, travel, books, ice hockey, and the archives/museum world.

As if Twitter wasn’t meeting my needs enough, I joined ANOTHER social media group… and this one is really starting to expand and take off.  Foursquare is all about discovering your world… and it totally appeals to the merit badge kid inside me.  It is a pretty simple concept:  you go to a place, and you “check in”.  It could be the grocery store, the gym, the post office.  You just put a little stamp on it that “I was here”.  And if you go there more than other people, you become the “mayor”.  Then there are these badges that you earn for your trips — you go to the same place 3 times in a week?  you get a “Local” badge.  You go to a a place where 50 other people are “checked in”, and you get a “Swarm” badge.  It’s all very cute and fun (and addictive).  I got my *Swarm* badge this weekend, as Kris and I checked in to Merriweather Post Pavillion for the Dum Dum Girls / Beach House / Vampire Weekend show (so good!  loved it! we danced our hearts out!)  I snapped this photo of us (with the camera, natch!) as we were waiting for Vampire Weekend…

We got a kick out of the kid behind us and his funny expression.

So, it may have been a reluctant hug at the beginning – but I think me and this social media thing are now in a full-frontal embrace.

(Still no Facebook, and I intend to keep it that way.  Have to draw the line somewhere!)

You interested in Twitter and Foursquare too?  I’d love to connect on there too…  friend/follow there:

Twitter >> @Lolly_W

Foursquare >> Lolly W

Many of my peers from those early days of knit blogs have stopped blogging.  Some have even stopped knitting.  Some have turned their creative attentions to something completely new:  other craft endeavors, writing, entrepeneurial pursuits… It’s intriguing to watch these changes over time.

LollyKnitting Around has changed significantly.  My posts used to be very knit-centric and very frequent.  Before Ravelry and Flickr were common, we told each other about a few inches of knit progress.  There was an occasional post on something else, but I felt that it would be betraying people to write about anything else at length considering that “KNITTING” was in the title of the blog.  I don’t necessarily feel this way anymore, which is evidenced by the scores of non-knitting posts. Thankfully, it seems that many of you have done the same thing – the blog becomes a reflection of you, and while it includes knitting, it is also about other things.

I have noticed that blog reading seems to be on a down-swing right now.  Or at least, I notice that in myself.  Unfortunately, I don’t read as many blogs as I used to… but at the same time, many blogs are not as frequently updated.  With my new Twitter fascination, it is mini-blog posts throughout the day… usually more opinionated and banal than the things I share here, but fun all the same.  Do you notice a difference in your blog-reading/blogging habits?

After a bit of exploration, I think I have settled into a pretty happy routine.  The blog is not as frequently updated – and the blog is not all about knitting.  As you know, I blog about what I am interested in.  Sometimes that is knitting, and sometimes it is travel and vegan food.  It seems to be something related to photography for the most part.  You have watched the passion grow and have seen the results.  Photography is a new love, and I would love to do more of it.  As before, travel remains one of my ambitions, and I hope to continue traveling to new places and sharing those details here. 

Sometimes I get ambitious and think about branching out into some new avenues: writing, publishing, exhibiting photographs… and if an opportunity came my way, I wouldn’t turn it down… but the fact remains the same:  this blog brings enjoyment.  There were many days in the past when I considered shutting it down, and I am glad that I reconsidered. 

I don’t thank you all enough ~ please know how much I value your comments and feedback!  After six years I can say that I blog for myself and for my own memories… where in the beginning, I blogged more for the interactions with others and the feedback…  but what a joy it is to know that you are out there reading along! 

Many thanks for traveling along with me!

**Six photos of stones from my travels – a milestone marking each year of the blog:  Photo 1 -The rock stacks “inuksuit” on the bank in Vancouver, BC.  Photo 2 – The stone formations at Joshua Tree National Park, California.  Photo 3 - Rocky Coastline The Ovens Natural Park, Nova Scotia.  Photo 4 – Stones in the snow, Massanutten Mountain, Virginia.  Photo 5 - Incan ashlar stones at Saqsayhuaman, Cusco, Peru.  Photo 6 – Meditation garden and stone labyrinth, Shrine of St. Therese, Juneau, Alaska.