Carole Knits

october zinnia
october zinnia
martinis with a view
martinis with a view
gettysburg fence for
gettysburg fence for
germinate shawl on rocks
germinate shawl on rocks
field of flags 2
field of flags 2
color affection with edge
color affection with edge
cedar leaf shawlette 2
cedar leaf shawlette 2
3_27_2014
3_27_2014
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3_18_13
2_24_2014
2_24_2014
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1_11_13
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peony-bouquet-for-carole-knits
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About That Camping Trip

July 27, 2021 By Carole

A long time ago, Dale and I were regular campers. It wasn’t something I grew up doing (my mother thought a hotel without room service was roughing it) but I was really excited to go camping with Dale. We had a small trailer and he taught me everything I needed to know about camping. Over time, our lifestyle changed, we started Civil War reenacting, and eventually we sold our camper. We’ve talked a lot for the past few years about getting back into it so when Hannah said the plans for her bachelorette weekend were to have everyone go camping we decided to go all in and . . . rent a camper van and see if this is something that would work for us!

The van I found was in NH so we drove up to pick her up on Thursday, camped that night on the north shore of MA, and then camped for the weekend in Plymouth with Hannah and her friends.

This van is a converted Chevrolet Express and I’ll say right up front that it’s small for 2 people. And, while there’s good storage for a lot, there’s no storage for things like clothes and extra food. Also, Dale couldn’t stand completely upright and that right there is a deal breaker in terms of what we’re considering for a purchase.

Those drawbacks aside, it worked out perfectly for the weekend. The bed is very comfortable and the solar panels gave us enough power for lights and other onboard amenities, like running water and charging capabilities for our devices.

We were mostly off the grid as there was very little cell phone service and no WiFi. Once I got used to not being able to check my phone for email and Instagram it was very nice to just be unplugged from all of that. And, while I had forgotten how much work camping is, and how much of camping is rummaging around looking for stuff, I really enjoyed myself. We learned a lot about what will and won’t work for us and, while I don’t think we’re quite ready to make a big purchase just yet, I will say that I’m fairly certain camping will be back in our life in the next year or two.

I mean, how do you resist something like that?

As for the bachelorette, Hannah’s friends went all out for her, decorating the campsite and planning special activities like tie-dye t-shirts for everyone. I didn’t take pictures of any of that but I did snag these two of my girlie that her friends took.

She’s very fortunate to have friends who get her and want to make her feel special and celebrated. And, as you can see, I think it’s safe to say she had the time of her life.

Filed Under: Adventures of Dale and Carole, That's Life

Maine Vacation Recap

June 28, 2021 By Carole

If someone could explain to me how a week on vacation goes by at warp speed while a week at work just drags I sure would appreciate it. If someone could actually reverse those two actions and make the vacation week be the slow one and the work week be the fast one, well, they’d be a millionaire. Seriously, I always feel like the week stretches before us in one glorious unplanned span of days on the first day. And then, inexplicably, it’s time to go home and it feels like it’s been about 10 minutes since we arrived.

Anyway. Not complaining. Just observing.

We had a great week. I have a bunch of photos that have mostly already been shared on Instagram but I’m sharing them here, too, in case you missed them. And because recapping our vacations on the blog is something I always do.

There was lobster. Lots of lobster, despite the fact that prices are rather high this year. We had lobster rolls 4 different times and hot lobster with butter twice.

There was a brewery. We took ourselves for a walk over a foot bridge and back and then wandered up the waterfront to drink some beer. It was late afternoon and we sat outside and the weather was perfect. As the place filled up it all just felt so normal. It was great.

There was plenty of time for porch sitting. I never get tired of the view or watching for changes in the sky. There was a rainbow on our first night and a full moon later in the week.

There was time indoors, too, as the nights were a bit chilly. We even had a fire on our last night and ate dinner (lobsters again) by the fire while watching Broadchurch.

There was a birthday! It was the day we had to leave, which was a bit of a bummer, but still, Dale turned 70 and we managed to celebrate in Maine with lobster rolls on our way home and in Massachusetts with cocktails on our own deck after we unpacked.

It was a truly wonderful week.

Filed Under: Adventures of Dale and Carole, Vacations

Monday On My Mind

June 14, 2021 By Carole

There’s only one thing on my mind this Monday and it’s this: 24 years ago today we created a family.

Happy Anniversary, Dale. Wherever you’re going, I’m going your way.

Filed Under: Adventures of Dale and Carole, That's Life

Walk With Me Wednesday

October 21, 2020 By Carole

Several years ago my friend Judy, owner of Ball and Skein, started blogging about walks every Wednesday. I always enjoyed her photos and stories about being outside, often in the woods, and now I’m jumping on this bandwagon.

Dale and I have gotten in the habit of taking a Sunday afternoon drive and finding someplace outside to walk. It’s been a great way to get out of the house and see some beautiful foliage and get some movement into our day, too.

I took this photo two weeks ago. Our walk was along some powerlines in the woods and the colors were gorgeous. Dale can’t quite keep up with me entirely just yet but we’re managing. I sometimes get ahead of him and wait for him to catch up. And when he’s gone as far as his leg will tolerate, I head on without him and then circle back. The irony of me finally wanting to walk in the woods with him after he’s asked me to do this for years and him not being in an ideal condition to do this now that I’m interested is not lost on either of us.

Last Sunday we wound up at a conservation area in a nearby town. We had originally tried two other places which are well known and therefore were very crowded. As in, I looked out the window and said no way am I getting out of the car here. But these woods we found, rather by chance, were gorgeous. Perhaps, for me anyway, even magical as I stopped and paused and just . . . listened . . . to the falling leaves and subtle sounds of the woods that you can only hear when you are quiet.

A few weeks ago I was telling a friend that I hate walking. What I’ve discovered lately is that I hate walking on roads, sidewalks, and pavement. Turns out I love walking when I’m in the woods.

Filed Under: Adventures of Dale and Carole, That's Life

Birthday Rebuttal

September 22, 2020 By Carole

Thank you all so much for the birthday love and wishes yesterday, it was truly fabulous to read all of your comments! Dale is all puffed up with pride at your kind words about his post, too.

I have to admit that the things he wrote took me a little by surprise. Not the stuff about what we did over the weekend, that was a mere recap. But that stuff at the end . . . about how he appreciates me and recognizes how hard I worked . . . that got me pretty verklempt. And it’s true that I worked pretty hard after his accident. He was fairly helpless for a while and he was in pretty rough shape when he came home from the hospital. Frankly, it was exhausting to be his only caregiver during that time. I also know it was a privilege and I’m so glad to have done it and been able to show up for him in that way. I think we learned a lot about each other and, while it sure wasn’t always pretty, it deepened the level of respect we have for one another in a very meaningful way.

I do take exception to something he wrote though. It was that part about me being the one who holds our family together. He’s got that all wrong because he, my beloved husband, is our glue. He is the center of everything we do together. He’s the one who makes us all laugh, he’s the one who works to hard to take care of us, he’s the one to run an errand or pick up a kid or a loaf of bread. He never says no, he rarely complains, and he (unlike me) does it all with a cheerful heart and a smile on his face.

I suppose the bottom line is that we are well matched and we know it. Maybe it’s because we’d both been hurt before. Maybe it’s because we came to this relationship with open hearts and clear expectations. Or maybe it’s simply the hand of fate.

I’m not even sure it matters.

I’m just grateful for all of it.

Filed Under: Adventures of Dale and Carole, Birthdays, That's Life

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Flower haul, day 2. #flowersaremagical #containerg Flower haul, day 2. #flowersaremagical #containergardening #timetoplant #givemealltheplants
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Egg in the hole for breakfast this Saturday mornin Egg in the hole for breakfast this Saturday morning. So delicious with @paindavignoncafe bread and local eggs. #saturdaymorningvibes #egginthehole #itswhatsforbreakfast #localfood #eatlocal
In this week’s adventures with the Ooni, we have In this week’s adventures with the Ooni, we have expanded to pepperoni. It’s quite good! @ooni.it #oonipizzaoven #homemadeisbest #pepperonipizza #pizzafriday #fridaynightsnacks
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I’ve been making sourdough bread for over 2 year I’ve been making sourdough bread for over 2 years now (I started before the pandemic, ironically enough) and this might just be one of my best loaves. The dough was sluggish yesterday and not ready to be proofed when I went to bed so I stuck the plastic bucket in the fridge and hoped for the best. Turns out the overnight bulk fermentation resulted in a beautiful, bouncy dough. I can’t wait to cut into it and check out the crumb but it’s still cooling down. #sourdoughbread #imadeitmyself #homemadeisbest #breadbaker
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