Lisa's Beret

I wasn't kidding when I said there was a hat in my future - this one inspired from the worsted weight homespun I finished a couple weeks ago. Truth be told, I had to knit this hat three times before making it small enough to fit right.

Love a Tractor

Riding a tractor is almost as fun as a motorcycle or horse.

Dad's old Ford makes quick work out of mowing some acreage.

Girls Just Wanna Camp

Grabbed a bucket of KFC after work and headed out to El Dorado to meet up with Laurie, Brenda and Pattie for a girl's night out at the lake. (Laurie is trying out RV's to one day live out my dream of hitting the road at retirement). The fish weren't biting but we got some knitting done, toasted to treasured friendships and sat around the campfire. We kept the windows open in the RV and woke up freezing in the early morning hours. It was a nice, little overnight getaway.

Happy 60th Mom

I can't believe you are 60!

Where'd the time go, Momma??

In Loving Memory

We Will Miss You, Grandma


November 30, 1924 - August 19, 2009

Noro = Love

I just didn't have a chance. Dontcha know when I saw a sample of this shop-designed scarf at Twist I just had to drop everything and whip one up for myself in Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn. Short row shaping adds a fancy flare at the bottom of this simple garter stitch pattern. There's a reason they call me
La-Noro!


Kinda looks similar to the yarn I made below, eh? I see a hat in the future...

Sunday Spin

Found some extra time this morning to sit down at my spinning wheel -- it's been awhile. Worked on the crayon-colored wool batt I made at my last fiber class in Oklahoma. The girls who dyed the wool were excited to sell it to me and see how it came out so I'm hoping they see this post. I added in some opague tinsel and recycled silk bits.

Granny Squares

It was a perfect, rainy day to sit outside on my covered patio and finish this crochet granny square blanket for one special little girl's upcoming birthday. Chose a vintage color scheme in Berroco Comfort enjoying the change from knitting to crochet. Found a great tutorial for a continous join that saved me from having to seam each square together then added a simple scalloped edge.
YAY -- Got it completed a week early!

In the Wind

Now that I'm home, I'm getting sentimental about my time on the road on my steel black pony. Money can't buy the feeling of freedom and adventure that comes with being on the road and in the wind. Of course, money helps get you there, but living in that moment on your bike is something else. For me, it was 3,200 miles of time to myself to enjoy my surroundings and my own thoughts. Sure, there were moments of What Doesn't Kill You, Makes You Stronger: doing speeds over 100 mph, fast curves, deer/bucks standing at the side of the road, downpours and flat out exhaustion - but through it all, I had an amazing trip that just adds another dimension to who I am.

SaddleSore 1000

I did it!!! I can now say I've qualified to be one of the IBA's World's Toughest Riders. Where do I begin to explain the experience of completing an endurance ride of 1,000 miles in under 24 hours on a motorcycle?

Short Version: Husband and I left Lead, SD, crossed a total of five states, 10 gas stops and rolled over 1,000 miles at Emporia, KS in 17 hours.

I picked a simple route of two Interstates 90E and 35S. We followed a storm (didn't get wet) with a cold wind as we travelled through South Dakota and Minnesota. It was good to head south for warmer air into Iowa and at that point I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the trip seemed at about 680 miles. But, as time wore on things got a little loopy-almost psychedelic as we pulled into the bright lights and fast traffic of Kansas City, Missouri. At 900 miles, I'd say I was feeling wobbly and dizzy from the 75-80 mph wind beaten speeds and bumps for the past 15 hours. The last 100 miles through the Kansas Flint Hills was the toughest fatigued riding I'd ever experienced. But I finished it and now have to submit my documentation paperwork and wait to receive my certificate, license plate back (above) and IBA patch. While this is one thing from my bucket list, I still think I'd like to push myself again to complete longer IBA rides someday.

Spirit of the Hills Part II

We took another ride around the monuments and Needles Highway again - this time with Chris & Shawndra. It's good riding with single lane roads that take you through rock tunnels and forest paths.
We even pulled off to climb some rocks. We spent the whole day there and wouldn't you know the storm clouds came over us again and dumped rain on us the whole way back. But storms seem to pass quickly and we had our last meal together in Deadwood as we leave tomorrow for a long journey home.

Another Good Day in Sturgis

Look who rolled into town last night--it's our next door neighbors, Chris and Shawndra. Have I ever mentioned how cool it is that our neighbors have motorcycles? Even cooler getting to spend time with them in Sturgis. This is their first trip so we escorted them for a cruise down Main Street and some more shopping for rally shirts and stuff. I've been on the road for six days now and finally got to enjoy a well deserved Corona moment at one of my favorite places in Sturgis, the world's biggest biker bar, Broken Spoke Saloon. It was there we saw one of the most fascinating sights of this whole trip, a rat on a cat on a dog just walking around the bar.

Spirit of the Black Hills

The spirit of the hills came alive tonight when a storm passed over us with a spectacular cloud to cloud lightning display. It would've been nice had we not been 50 miles away observing the progress on the Crazy Horse monument. (Prior to that we had rode around Mount Rushmore and the 5-10 m.p.h. hairpin curves through Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road). Many bikers were caught without their rain gear but not us. We know how the weather changes on a dime in these South Dakota hills. But it was still a dark, cold, wet and slow ride back to our lodge.

A Good T

A good t-shirt says it all.

Sturgis Rally 2009

We rode another 700 mile day to make it here for Rally Week. It was a pretty ride through the Rocky Mountains but now we are in Sturgis and I couldn't be happier. There's a thrill in the air with all the hundreds of thousands of bikes, vendors, bands, concessions and events EVERYWHERE.


For many of us, riding in the Black Hills is simply spiritual. Ordinarily, I don't like the cold, but here its so good to feel the cold mountain air on your face and take in a deep inhale of pine trees and motorcycle exhaust.

Hanging Out in Colorado

Staying a couple of nights in a cabin at over 10,000 ft elevation in the Grand Mesa National Park. Its nice not to be in a hurry to go anywhere or do anything. Kinda unplug from (just about) everything with only the bare necessities that fit in a duffel bag strapped to the back of


my ride. No flat or curling irons, hair products and beauty routines to weigh me down on this trip. We spent the day with friends riding to town for coffee, rode around the mountains then ended the day with grilled hamburgers and toasted smores over a huge pine fire.