Three years ago today, Kris and I were leaving the Amazon city of Iquitos and traveling to Cusco, Peru.  We were covered in mosquito bites and filled with one of the most amazing landscapes we have ever seen – a forest pulsing with life.

We feasted on a huge dinner at a restaurant in Iquitos – it was a goodbye dinner for the small eco-tour group that we traveled with, and I have wonderful memories of my time there…

With the thoughts of Peru in our heads (and musings about a return trip to the Amazon…), and the help of the new cookbook, Viva Vegan!: 200 Authentic and Fabulous Recipes for Latin Food Lovers (full review to come – promise!), Kris and I put together a big meal inspired by our time in Peru.

Lime Chile Breaded Seitan with Okra and Swiss Chard over Brown Rice + Tomato Chile Pineapple Salsa and Fried Plantains

It was a good way to use garden veggies (okra, chard, peppers, tomatoes) and to play around with new things like plantains (which are hard to get right… but this second batch turned out well, thank goodness) and to try out the new recipe book.Food and the associated senses can definitely “take you back” to a place – a time that you remember fondly.

Drinks / food with fellow travelers in Cusco, Peru

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I’d love to hear about your experiences with travel and food.  Have you had a unique culinary experience while you traveled?

“One day, I will stop by… have a look around…” Sitting at the traffic light, with my blinker on to turn left.  Looking directly ahead at the historic grounds and the small gravestones peeking above the grass.

“Why not today?”

Blinker off. Drove straight ahead into the small lot.  Exploration time.

…

I pass the historic landmark road plaque nearly everyday.  The plaque refers to the grounds of Christ Episcopal Church, established in 1711, and the church that was constructed a century later.  “Old Brick” is nestled right alongside several busy roads – tucked back behind some large poplar and oak trees.  You pass by it on the way to the market… the post office… the library.

After a lovely day with my mom (we spent it searching for a few key pieces at local thrift/consignment shops), we also stopped by “Old Brick” to walk the grounds of the old church, and the adjacent cemetery. Luckily, I had my new camera with me to capture the moments.

I felt like I discovered a little gem – so close.  I had every intention of stopping *some day* but having lived in this area for nearly nine years, I still hadn’t done it.  What places are on your “someday” list?  Do you think you could find a moment to explore and document that place within the next few days?

Well, a dream is in the process of coming true… for years, I have watched and loved the Olympics.  I enjoyed both the Summer and the Winter games, but the it was the winter games that really held my full attention.  As a young girl, I loved the figure skaters and ice dancers, and in the years since, I have really grown to love other winter sports.

…Growing up in a dry steppe (near desert) climate in southeastern New Mexico, there were not a lot of winter sports going on – perhaps that is why they interested me so much.  Plus, I was about 11 years old when The Mighty Ducks movie came out, and I was turned on to hockey then… that interest in the sport (and truthfully, back then, it was probably more interest in the boys who played the sport…) lay dormant in me for about eight more years until I met my own hockey boyfriend, aka Kris

Fast forward a few more years and you have a very devoted ice hockey fan and one who can actually plan ahead.  After the Beijing Olympics last summer, I looked into the Winter 2010 games and signed up for a newsletter from the International Olympic Committee about the games in Vancouver.  …and come October 2008, the buzz started.  Ticket sales, lotteries, trip planning.  I was ready!  Kris and I discussed and planned to go – not really researching much, but putting our names in for an international lottery for event tickets.  We signed up for 15 events in October, and it was not till January 2009 that we learned that we got 3 events:  a men’s hockey game, freestyle skiing, and a curling competition.   So, we waited to find out some more information about lodging and arrangements… and it wasn’t until mid-May that we were able to figure something out!  On May 14th, a huge block of tickets went on sale to the international audience , and Kris and I scored 5 more hockey game tickets!  So, now it is official – we are going to the Vancouver 2010 Olympics!

…and even more official now that we have a place to stay!  I tell you, in case you didn’t already know:  Ravelry is amazing.  I posted on one of the Vancouver boards about recommendations for B&Bs or rental properties, and within a few days, I had a great deal worked out with a fellow Raveler.  It all came together so incredibly perfect.  In fact, I started a Ravelry group specifically for the Vancouver Olympics, and there are already threads going for some of the events, and general information about Vancouver, and the beginnings of some knit/crochet-alongs.  Now, we just have to get the plane tickets and …wait… till February 2010!

But I have a plan for the interim.  That plan is pretty elaborate and involves traditional stranded colorwork and small gauge needles.  That plan involves Dale of Norway!

Many of you may know that Dale of Norway designs an “official” handknit sweater for each Winter Olympics.  Often they include some sort of patterning that ties into the culture of the host country – one of the most memorable was the dragons in the Nagano 1998 – you can see several of the Olympic sweaters here as well as the ski team sweaters.  The official Vancouver sweater will be released in June or July – according to the buzz on the Ravelry Dale of Norway group – and while I am greatly anticipating it, I am also realistic in the thought that finishing one of these elaborate small gauge designs in time for the Olympics will be quite a feat – but I really want to make TWO – one for Kris and one for me.  Luckily, Dale offers a huge line of ski-style sweaters – some a little less challenging, and easier to complete… I am specifically looking at these two designs:

Now just to find some of those glasses for Kris!   …The design at left is from the Dale of Norway #150 booklet, and the one at right is from the Liberec 2009 booklet.  I thought both had a nice amount of patterning without being too busy.  Both seemed wearable and “do-able”.    For the women’s version, I love the hem line/collar detail of the diagonal rib, and the gradient yoke.  The men’s is one that Kris approved of (surprisingly – he goes for the simplest of simple in most cases).  …now to find the right yarns and colors!  Ideas?

Seems like it could happen, right?  Am I delusional to think that I can do this (especially with all of the other knits I have planned??)

Vancouver Olympics 2010:  we are so excited!

The first day of Project Spectrum’s fourth incarnation:  Cardinal Directions!  I am excited to start off this new journey with so many of you!  Thanks, as always, for the support and creative inspiration.  Ravelry’s Project Spectrum group has been all abuzz with ideas, and the Flickr group is beginning to percolate as well.  Please add your thoughts and projects to one (or both) of those outlets!

Using the cardinal directions as inspiration, I came up with a photography/writing challenge.  I thought it would be an interesting way to explore our own personal geography – both physically and mentally.

Here is how you can participate:

• Determine which way is north from your location – use a compass or a GPS or simply look towards the sky.
• Grab your camera
• Orient yourself to look north – outside may be best for photographic clarity and “interestingness”
• Snap a photo of what you see
• Post your photo on Flickr, Ravelry, or on your own blog
• Feel free to describe what north means to you
• Repeat in different locations and in different conditions as many times throughout the months as you like

What is physically north of you:  the city?  the mountains?  the ocean?

What is mentally north for you:  a memory?  a sentimental connection?

We woke up and headed out to my favorite restaurant for brunch this morning… it is such a treat to have a vegan place in the area.  (Sidenote:  I completely love the “brunch culture” of the DC region.)  On the way there, I wanted to snap a few photos – from the passenger seat, I looked north and snapped these photos.  I got the perfect blur effect- showing the temporal nature of these fleeting moments.  (I set my camera to the TV mode setting and used a .5 second shutter speed.)  North (and all of the directions in my immediate vicinity, actually) are filling up with suburban sprawl.  The development to the North and the West seems to be a little slower, but still more than I would like.  Things have really changed in this area since I moved here in 1998.  It was an overcast day with on and off snow flurries – supposedly a big storm is coming in to the area tonight, moving in from the south.  I am wondering what the world will like like tomorrow when I wake up!

I have traveled to many places in my 28 years – about 3/4s of the United States and a handful of other countries – yet, it seems like the NORTH is the least explored area in my own personal geography.  The farthest north I have been?  Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.  Before that trip last year, Boston (or perhaps Montana – not sure about the latitudes) was the most northern point geographically.  Interestingly enough, it is the north that intrigues me so greatly – I want to travel to many places north:  exploring more of the US, Canada, Iceland, Finland, Sweden, Norway… my list goes on, but these are so many of my top travel destinations (of course, you already know about my insatiable wanderlust, so I pretty much want to go everywhere in all directions…)  I am heading north (and west) in a few weeks when Kris and I head out to Seattle…

Please share some of your thoughts on the NORTH.  I would love to read them!

I am very excited about this Project Spectrum, and I hope you are too   In fact, I even pulled out a ball of yarn that has been in the stash for a few years to cast on specifically for a PS project…

I try to be mindful and present – thinking about the here and now.

Sometimes, though, it is fun to think about the what is to come. Especially when the future holds a vacation and a big personal challenge…

We bought a tent and some sleeping bags. Kris and I both grew up camping with our families, and we have been hoping to continue that tradition in our own family. We have been together for ten years been have only camped once. So, now we can camp a lot more, starting with our next vacation. Camping gear is so much easier and lighter than it was twenty years ago. Perhaps it is childhood memory fog, but I seem to remember the tent setup taking a good forty-five minutes. And it weighed a lot too. Well, new tents don’t take as long… the new tent was up in a flash, and it feels “roomy” too! (Yes, it is in the living room…) And the sleeping bags! so nice and comfy and light as a feather! Stuffed with down, instead of polyfill! (can you see my excitement?) So, yeah, we are ready to go… now we just have to wait for the day to arrive. That gives me some time to decide what knits to take along with me…

I mentioned it already, but it is now official. I signed up for the SheROX triathlon in August. I am excited and nervous at the same time. With 13 weeks before the event, I have really picked up the training. I detailed my training plans over on the Journey page in a little segment I am calling “Tri’ing Times”. I will try to update it once a week with results and milestones. I have also found some inspiration and tips from two great sources. Ravelry has some great fitness-oriented groups: Fitness Knitters, Yarn and Sneakers, and Tri Knitters. The groups are perfect for the beginners and the more experienced. BeginnerTriathlete has a large free section where users can enter their training log data and goals, as well as an active forum and Q&A section. The site has already helped me learn the answers to some of my novice questions. I still have a lot to learn (and a lot to practice), but if motivation means anything, I am there! So much so that E and I are planning to practice the swim this coming weekend!

Spurred by this training, and the effects that [I think] it will have on my body, I am joining the 365 Project on Flickr. The basic requirement is that you take a self-portrait every day for one year. Kris says it is narcissism, but I tend to think of it is a motivational tool and a way to really express creativity. This is Day Three, and I haven’t taken today’s photo yet… but I will. If you are interested, you can keep up with my 365 photos here (only two so far). I hope I can keep it up. There are several crafty 365-ers too, even starting their own group, Knitterly365Days.

The shoes at the top of the post were an added bonus: I wanted comfy walking shoes for the summer. After I tried on about 10 pairs, I decided on these cuties – Ahnu Benicia. The left photo was my official “first” photo for the 365 Project – jump!