Da Nang Spa and Resort

Took a plane ride from Ho Chi Min City to Da Nang and after having a great seafood lunch, we hit our hotel for an afternoon siesta.

The hotel is a Hyatt Regency and the room is ultra modern with a great ocean view overlooking the pool deck.

The weather is a bit humid but nothing like Saigon.

From the airport, we took this dragon bridge.

Only one night here and I am kind of sad about it.  I would have liked some time to spend here.

Relaxing in Spa Like Comfort

A few days of lounging before the next tour to Vietnam at the Sofitel Hotel.  The amenities are outstanding and the room lovely.

The view from the balcony is lush.

The weather is totally tropical and it rains everyday.

Angkor Wat

The highlight of the trip to Cambodia is a visit to Angkor Wat.  The ruins were large and imposing with intricate carvings through out.  So much strife in this place that most if not all of the temples were in ruins.

Here is the view from the eastern gate.

We walked all through the temple grounds and it was very hot and humid.  I had to take a break from climbing to the top level and sat with my dad at the bottom waiting for everyone else.

Here is the most picturesque views of all 5 steeples and their reflection in the pond that does not dry out during the dry season.  There is another pond on the other side that does only have water during the wet season.

There is quite a bit of renovation being undertaken by foreign money which is good for the people here as well as preserving such historical landmarks.

Spider Market

After hanging in Phnom Penh for a day or so, we headed by car to Siem Reap.  Along the way, we made a few stops and one was the spider market.  I was not sure what I was expecting to see, but giant cooked spiders was not it.

They had other types of these delicacies, but I thought it was pretty scary.

There were a few types of beetles and some other kinds of bugs.

Needless to say, no one in our group was brave enough to try any of them.

Leaving on a Jet Plane.....

So I started my transpacific journey leaving home and a short jump to San Francisco airport.  It has been a really long time since I have flown into the airport and it is really nice.  My quest for finding the sale u-shaped donut pillows was a disappointment.

I met up Jude for a late breakfast/pie fill up and I was on my 747 in the middle of the night.

I boarded first since I was seated at the back of the plane - middle seat on the right side of the plane.  A quick meal of chicken and rice and off to sleep.  I was able to find a pillow at SFO and the sales guy was super friendly.  I also bought an eye mask.

Lots of turbulence but I was able to sleep through most of it.  After breakfast of sausage and eggs, I caught the latest Star Trek movie right before landing in Taipei.

Next leg of the trip will be the final plane right to Cambodia.

Being Lucky

I usually don't talk about topics that are controversial, but I have to touch upon that with this post.  I am fortunate that I work for the Federal Government.  I have been a civil servant for a very long time.  I am lucky that I have a great job that I enjoy with freedom to call my own schedule.  Like every job, there are challenges and sometime, I feel discouraged.

I am currently feeling very discouraged about the government shutdown.  I feel that quite a lot of people believe that the government is either a savior or evil incarnate.  I have to say that government is made up of people like me who get up every morning and put in more than a day's work doing what I can to protect the taxes that people pay into funding the government.

I understand and live with the bureaucratic hell about where money is spent and how it is spent.  People that deserve financial help are not getting it and people that can game the system are getting funds that they don't deserve.  There is a lot wrong in the world, I feel good that I do my very small part to make things better.

I have been working without pay since October 1 because elected officials can't seem to get past their differences and make things better.  I am "lucky" in that the government feels that I am so essential that I must continue to report to work.

I get that everyone has a view they like to advance, but when people are suffering either with no health care or inequality, we all need to take a breath and advance the conversation instead of acting like it is "my way or the highway."

Something that I learned when I was a kid is that you are never going to be perfectly happy because someone else can't also be perfectly happy at the same time.  This is called compromise.  It is not throwing a tantrum and hurting people.

I had planned a vacation with my family and it took some convincing for my office to let me go.  I will be tied to my office because I still have to take phone calls and answer e-mails while I am gone.  Now because of the shutdown, I can't use my saved vacation time to go on vacation.  So now I have to figure that I will not be paid for my vacation.

I am also lucky in that my parents taught me to plan for a rainy day and not live beyond my means.  I have savings to cover me while I am not receiving a paycheck.  I am also extremely lucky in that my parents are in a good financial place and if I get into the weeds, I can always go to the bank of mom and dad for a loan.

I can admit that I am fiscally conservative and socially liberal.  I hope that there are more people like me than not and I hope that we can advanced the conversation and fix what we don't like as time goes by instead of stamping our feet and saying "no" to everything we don't like.

I have just checked in on my flight and am super lucky that I am in the "A" group.  I just love that!

iPad Posting Test

I decided to try to blog on my portable device so I could continue to blog when I am on the road instead of waiting until I get home.  That way, I am not limited so I could post anytime and anywhere.

My first step was to download the mobile app and once that was finished, I signed into my blog and here it goes.

I decided to perform my test from a photo I took on my iPad.  It is of a quilt piece I have been working on called flying geese from the paper piecing sewing.  This piece is one of many from the extension sections of my glacier star quilt.

I have many of these pieces and it has been a challenge to make sure all those geese are different colors and the sections don't overlap with the same geese.  I think I finally got into the groove.

So I am now going to hit post and keep my fingers crossed.

Polworth or Merino?

Kim at Lucky Cat Crafts had offered some of us at the Texas retreat some fleeces and I succumbed to some Polworth.

The fleece was lost in the mail and I secretly suspect someone absconded with it because it was so great.

Kim rectify the loss by sending me another fleece which I assumed was polworth.  She crammed it in an box and wrapped it tight.

I am not a big fan of dirty fleece as my spin peeps will attest so the box went with my friend Jeri who washed it for me.  Here is a video she took while opening the box and we expected it to explode.

The box states that it is a merino so I'm not sure what breed I ended up with.  Jeri stated it could also be a cormo.

Needless to say after Jeri washed it and brought it over - it fills up a large pillow case, the locks are soft and springy and are a wonderful color.  The tips are a bit bleached, but Jeri recommended I comb and spin a sample before deciding to clip the ends.

Completed Gabbro

Since I am juggling so many sweaters, I decided to systematically tackle them in order of progress.  This sweater was first on the list and once I was able to pick up the sleeve stitches, it was pretty straightforward to complete.

The fabric is super soft and I can't wait for winter to wear this sweater.

I think the Old Man and the Sea is next in the queue.

Adrift Sweater

I was excited to start my adrift sweater from the yarn dyeing experiment.

The fabric is looking very cool and the Malabrigo lace is super soft.  I can't wait to wear this sweater.

Gabbro Sweater Progress

I have been juggling multiple sweaters and one of these is the Gabbro by Carol Feller.

I was able to finish the body of the sweater and am now picking up for the sleeves.  Maybe another week or so of committed knitting and this sweater may be finished.

Week 3 Progress on the Mudblood Cardigan

I was able to knit up to the shoulders and bound off for the shoulders.

The sweater is ready to pick up the sleeves.  I have used almost three skeins of yarn and have two more balled up ready to go.

Last Day of the Yarn Crawl

So I went back to the Needlecraft Cottage on the last day of the yarn crawl to pick up some yarn for another sweater by Carol Feller.

Autumn Whispers is appropriate I think since we are heading into the fall.  Instead of the browns Carol chose, I decided to go with this blue.

I did a little swatch and found gauge with US 5 needles.  I can't wait to get started.  It is the first time I am using Baah La Jolla yarn.

I also picked up another two skeins of the La Jolla for a shawl project I saw at Yarning for You.

And I could not resist a couple of skeins of sock yarn from Malabrigo.  Love these colors.

I was also excited to hear from Liz that she will start carrying Madeline Tosh yarn later this year.  I already made a request for some more yarn.

There is not enough time for knitting all the projects in my queue.