A Long Absence

It has been almost a year since I posted on this blog.  Life kind of got in the way and I wasn't in a good frame of mind to post.  

Since Thanksgiving is here, I decided I should restart my blog again as a way to combat all the negativity that goes on each and every day.  I am a bit disillusioned to see what is happening in this country and around the world.  Trying times indeed to navigate.

This past year's highlights - 
- welcoming the year of the Rat with friends near and far,
- a short Mexican cruise for rest and relaxation,
- classes for sewing and embroidery and some new equipment,
- finished up some languishing projects in the craft room,
- a European trip that was very enlightening and a good way to revisit history and get a little bit of a perspective away from home,
- annual weaving retreat at Salt Spring Island,
- visits with friends and lots of food, and
- a Vegas weekend to see Celine Dion.

I'll post details about some of these in the coming weeks, but wanted to just get going.

Mei Mei Update

Mei Mei is fitting right into the household.  I made her some toys which she carries everywhere.

She has co-opted Bailey's small bed.

And she like to sit on my lap while I'm working occasionally.

Weaving Progress

In my resolution to always have a dressed loom, I was able to finish a set of black, gray, and tan towels.

I had a bit of space left over and I used up various bobbins of thread.  This was a little tricky as I had to alternate colors in each pass and I had to perfect my technique a bit to make sure I caught all the edges.

Next up on the loom are the purple, green and white towels.

This yarn is from Webs that I bought quite a long time ago.  I find that it is a bit thinner than the brassard yarn I get from Jane.  It will be interesting to see what the finished towels feel like.

I also wound a few more warps to be in the queue.  Cottolin for a gift set.

And scarves to use up the silk yarn.

Cher in Las Vegas

Three of us went to see Cher in Las Vegas and stayed at a Wyndham property.  We drove out in the evening and slept late in the morning and then went to brunch at the Bellagio.

Shopping came next and we ended up wandering around to the Forum shops too.

That evening, we went to the show and it was awesome even though it started late.

Very entertaining and on the walk back to the car, we passed the arcade and I saw a giant pacman game.

We hit dim sum before driving home.

Facing East

Tried out a new restaurant with a variety pack of xiao long bao.  Not as good a Din Tai Fung.

Also order a few other things.

The fried tofu was pretty good.  Also had a poke bowl.  The interesting thing about this place are the desserts.  We were too full to try and we went for lunch so too heavy of a meal.  Next time, we should only order dessert.

San Diego Field Work

I schedule a local trip with my co-worker coming out from Texas.  Since he is foodie, we tried out a bunch of places.

Ethiopian, Thai, seafood, pizza, and sushi to name a few.

We also saw this giant luxury boat that came into the bay.

The work went pretty well as we hit up a bunch of confirmations of addresses.

And Then There Was a Mei Mei

Bailey has been an only dog for a while since Pepper crossed the rainbow bridge in 2015.  He has been doing pretty well and really enjoys hanging with his friends.

Yaling rescued a puppy who seems to really get along with Bailey so we decided to have her hang at the house with him.

It seems to go really well once she relaxed enough.

I guess he has picked his little sister.