A trip to Wilmington, North Carolina

My first memories were made in the Wilmington, NC area. I lived there until about age 6, and visiting always feels so familiar. My last visit was in 2012 on my grand American road trip. This visit was for 5 nights with my dad to just hang out. 

Carolina Beach

A Heron in Greenfield Park

Greenfield Park in Wilmington

I really like the swamps of this park

Downtown Wilmington is very quaint

Smoochie is my dad's dog, and such a sweetheart

Mt Hood on the way home

Rainbow shawl

So very pleased with this shawl! I started it for pride month in June, and finished it in August (just in time for cooler weather around the corner!). I definitely wear this one with a lot of pride! Pattern is called Revontuli-huivi, and the yarn is Alexandra's Crafts in Chelsea for the rainbow colorway and for the turquoise I used The Farmer's Daughter. 

Alvord desert in watercolor

This is one part of Oregon I have never been, and I would like to see this one for myself. At the foot of the Steens mountains lies a dry lake bed approximately 12 by 7 miles that just receives 7 inches of rain each year. Most of the time, it lies parched and cracked. Hot springs also are in this remote part of Oregon. Most people don't think of Oregon having desert areas, but in fact a large chunk of this state is desert landscape. It's the northwestern part of the state (and most populated) that receives the rain. This is painted on watercolor paper with ink outline.

Dragon-Lily in gouache

This is number 2 in my Flowers and Friends series. The purple calla lily is an exquisite flower, and I'm growing it my yard, because why not? The day I saw a dragon fly land on one of the deep purple petals gave me inspiration for this painting. Very pleased with how this came out, and is now framed in my living room. 

Peachy and Groovy quilt

This is my second quilt using the Groove quilt pattern by Carolina Patchworks, only this time I used flannel fabric instead of regular cotton. My 13 year old wanted these colors in her new room, and I am quite impressed with her choice of colors. My little dog in the background is waiting to be invited to lay on it.

Kindness shawl

Originally, I made this for my 13 year old, but it sat in her closet never to be worn (I did finish it pretty close to summer though). She decided she would not wear it, so I added to my growing collection of shawls. This is the Kindness KAL (knit-a-long) shawl that is free on Ravelry. It's very simple to do, so I highly recommend it for beginners. I used Knitted Wit DK yarn in Voyageurs National Park and Prussian Blue. She is a local yarn maker, and my absolute favorite to knit with.

O'ahu, second solo trip!

Have I mentioned how much I love Hawai'i? This trip I came alone because it was more of a 'work' trip (checking in daily for an hour). I believe everyone can benefit on a solo vacation, especially somewhere tropical. I spent a couple of days laying on the beach, driving through around the windward side of the island, sipping the best smoothie of my life with wild chickens, touring a royal palance, visiting the art museum, and seeing a komodo dragon up close for the first (and probably only) time in my life! Here are just a few photos of this unforgettable second trip to O'ahu.