We hit the road Thursday, heading for Utah’s Bryce Canyon. On the way over the Continental Divide, we stopped at the Royal Gorge, crossing the highest suspension bridge in the world. [That little tram is hanging a thousand feet above the river.] We made it to the Queen’s Garden by sunset on Friday. Luminous hoodoos! […]
Puppy and Pumpkin
We bought a dark orange pumpkin for Halloween, and Dulcinea became deeply interested in its flavor. She also sampled the cattails in the marsh near our home, with frothy results. She took just a few moments to pose with the pumpkin, and then she was off again, heading for the aspens. Dulcinea’s first big hike, […]
Cabled Gauntlets
When you first learn to knit, you don’t know what kind of a knitter you are. You’re tempted by quick knits, big metal needles. You rhapsodize over novelty yarns. And then you grow up a little. You find out that your favorite yarns occupy a specific range between Aran and sock yarn. You realize you […]
Eastern Light
I haven’t posted anything crafty in quite some time, partly because my yarn-obsessed Golden Retriever doesn’t want me knitting without her help. But I finally finished my Aestlight Shawl, a traditional Shetland design by Gudrun Johnston. I made some modifications, specifically a picot binding, because I ran out of yarn. Now I’m working on a […]
Birthday Puppy
Our puppy Dulcinea is now a year old. It’s ridiculous, how much we love this little girl. For her birthday, we took her on a stroll through the meadows. Then we explored the woods near the lake. Huge cottonwood trees! Finally, we went out for birthday treats, and Dulcinea tasted her very first ice cream […]
Marsh, wetland, slough
When I was in Fargo last month, I drove north along the river to visit my beloved slough. I’m currently working on a story about the Red River of the North and its destructive spring floods. The Red has been a constant presence in my life: first as a child, and now as an adult. […]
CONvergence 2012
I’ve just returned from CONvergence, one of my favorite science fiction and fantasy conventions. The heat index in Minneapolis was 104 degrees, so I didn’t bother with my steampunky costume. But I did serve on two panels: “New Roles for Female Characters in YA Fantasy,” with Penguin editor Sharyn November, my friend Mike Levy, and […]
Surpassing Sweetness
Dulcinea really does live up to her name. This weekend, our surpassingly sweet puppy went to CONvergence 2012, her first-ever science fiction and fantasy convention. She didn’t actually attend the Con: she just stood around outside being admired while I finished the last of my panels (more about them in another post). While we were […]