We're Baaack!

We're back from Montreat, NC and I can't even begin to describe what a wonderful time we had.

Five glorious days of driving, knitting, eating, laughing, fun, games and good sleeping! Janet and I are not good sleepers, but the mountain air gives even insomniacs a good, full, restful night of sound sleep. The mountain air is not very good for cell phone and internet access but I think we both preferred the sleep.

Driving. I spent more time in the car over the past five days than I have in the past 5 years combined. The ride down was lovely. America is truly beautiful and you really get to see the beauty by car (vs. airplane). Once we got to North Carolina, Janet's driving skills really came to light! She maneuvered ess-turns, dirt roads, ups and downs, downs and ups, drive-ins, look outs and more. Good thing neither of us get car sick although we thought about it quite often on the crazy winding roads. The highlights: Swerving to miss a black bear, spotting a family of guinea hens and discovering Sonic Drive-Ins.

Knitting. As we pulled out of Janet's garage, I started a top down baby sweater in a new shade of Encore Colorspun. I wanted to see if I could knit an entire sweater on the way down. Close but no cigar. I finished the body when we pulled into Montreat. The collar, ribbed bands and one sleeve were finished while at the cabin. In true "me" fashion, I worked on yet another project on the drive home. I finished nothing! Janet finished her Kathmandu sweater-started two years ago. Her mom helped a little bit. Final score: Janet one, Junko nothing.

Eating. My second favorite hobby next to knitting! Home cooking, home grown vegetables and homemade desserts with good company--It doesn't get much better than that! Janet concocted a forty pound casserole that fed the whole clan for a few days. We'll share the recipe if anyone needs to cook for a hungry army. While on the road, it was Sonic all the way! Who knew you could order a banana, tater tots and vanilla milk shake all in one place? Simply delicious!

Games. Janet's family is really fun-but competitive. (I guess that's what happens when your dad is a Coach.) All ages and abilities joined in the fun and games (too numerous to remember). Highlights: Toy airplane flying, biggest splash competition, Apples to Apples, Would You Rather, Black Jack and of course...Competitive Kickball!

Misc. We listened to two books on tape- Debbie Macomber's A Good Yarn and Peter Walsh's Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Big? The first story made us think of our circle of Knitwits friends and the joy Knitwits brings to our lives. Very enjoyable. The second, made us reflect on our butts and the clutter that surrounds us. (We have vowed to work on these two issues. Stay tuned.) We also took the whole gang to see UP.

It was great to be away, but we're ready to jump back into our lives. See you at Knitwits!