Vaca Part 2

[Still working on extracting some wedding photos. For now: Vacation, part 2.]

While our papers were going to and from the capital, we headed up Monkey River. Monkeys = cute.

The pier where our wedding took place. [Wedding photos soon!]

Right after the wedding, we boarded a little boat and headed for the Caye.

In our honeymoon cabana on the caye. This is JT's favorite photo.

The cabana's steps led straight into the water. At the top of the deck was a hammock--we fell asleep in it one night. We took the kayak out twice, but didn't get much further than just paddling around the island a few times.

The snorkeling was fantastic. I snorkeled my heart out. We saw starfish--a lot of them! All around our cabana.

After three blissful days, we returned to Placencia, to Turtle Inn. This place was AMAZING--huge cabanas, nice beach, friendly staff.

But... they should have called it Lizard Inn. Luckily I'm not squeamish -- there were iguanas and geckos and salamanders and newts all over!

The outside shower. We're trying to figure out a way to do this at our house. It rocked. (The inside shower looked like the one at Blancaneaux.)

A beach house in Placencia. (This is one of the ones that shows up on a bunch of postcards.)

Happy marrieds.

Back From Belize

First off: I wish I were still in Belize. It was WONDERFUL.

But I'm back, and much more freckled and blonde, and married!

It's hard to condense a trip of such length (2 whole weeks! my longest vacation yet!) and such importance (wedding!) into any sort of coherent blog posting. So I'll just narrate some pictures for you.

At Blancaneaux, every breakfast was amazing fruit from the lodge's organic garden, served with a basket of breads. Turns out JT loves Johnny Cakes.

The sitting porch on our cabana at Blancaneaux. I wanted to do a lot of knitting there--doesn't it look perfect? Unfortunately, it's gross (and not fair to the yarn) to knit when your hands are covered in bug repellent (an absolute necessity.) Also...

There was a hammock at the other end. I spent a LOT of time reading in the hammock.

This is the awesome shower in our cabana at Blancaneaux. Note the two showerheads and the abundance of windows (all screened). We were high on a hillside with no one else around us.

One day, we hiked to Big Rock Falls. Our little brochure from the lodge said it was an hour each way (you go through the forest, but return on the road) and to take a liter of water per person. They totally underestimated on both counts. They also failed to mention that it was not shaded at all and you shouldn't go around noon on a 99-degree day. We swam in the water for a while, ate some lunch and then started to hike back to the lodge.

We were out of water, very hot, and very cranky. We walked for 20 minutes and I started to think we were in real trouble. Then a van from a nearby (read: 10 miles up the road) lodge passed by and offered us a ride. We nearly cried in gratitude. It was a 15-minute drive back.

I have no doubt that I would have collapsed on the roadside without them. (Thanks, Five Sisters Lodge!) Also, the waterfall was so spectacular that I would do it again in a heartbeat (but go earlier and take more water).

We also made sure to take full use of the formal croquet lawn. (See also: copious amounts of bug spray.)

After leaving Blancaneaux, we headed to a hotel in Placencia for the wedding. The hotel itself wasn't that memorable -- especially since we had a lot of wedding prep to do. We met with our the Justice of the Peace (essentially a notary), who was freakishly a lot like the Oracle. She signed our papers in her living room. It was awesome.

Tune in next time for more adventure photos! (And hopefully wedding photos... they don't seem to be cooperating thus far (but no fear, we'll figure it out!)

PS. I DID get my sockapaloooza socks - thanks sock pal! They're so great they'll get their own posting soon.

PPS. Little knitting occured. It's hard to knit wool a/in sand b/in 97-degree weather or c/when you need both hands to hold a big cocktail (banana daquiris, yum!). But I did do some on the plane, and will show it later.

Gone Weddin'

That's right -- the time has finally come! While y'all are getting your yarn on at MDSW, I'll be hightailing it south to Belize, to get married and then honeymoon with my sweetie here:

See you at the end of May!

Forest, Meet Trees

I will not bemoan the fact that I spilled coffee on my lap this morning on the way into work, on the day of an important meeting. [I'll be thankful that my pants are brown and it's not too noticeable.]

I won't complain that it took me 50 minutes to get to work this morning instead of the normal 15. [I'm just glad that the jerk in the H3 noticed me about 12 inches before he T-boned my little car.]

And I certainly will not whine about getting stuck in an elevator when I did make it to work, or go on and on about the terror I felt when the lights flickered and the elevator swooned several inches down before hoisting itself back up to my floor. [Frankly, I'm glad it didn't plummet the 12 floors.]

And god knows I won't grumble about the computer that's conspiring against me. Because in just a few short days, I'll be here.

And in the meantime, I'll be soliciting ideas for what this sock should look like beyond the toe:

The only requirements are: that it's fairly memorizable, either by looking at the design or by virtue of a short (6-or-fewer) row repeat, and that it's not a variation on stockinette stitch or ribbing -- I started out doing 2x2 rib and the pooling was really bothering me. I think it needs something else to help break up the colors. Nominations in the comments, please.