Good Excuses

Above is all the knitting I accomplished on my journey through NorCal. Actually, that's a bit of a lie. I knit the last half-inch of the heel flap and turned the heel last night.

The yarn is from HPYC (Hand Painted Yarn Co.) and I have mixed emotions about it. The colorwork is stunning, but the base yarn is a bit underspun and springless. I suspect they're using a knitpicks base. Which is okay, but not optimal. Dye work this good deserves a topnotch base.

But I like the yarn well enough, and it has been a pleasure to knit. It kept me entertained in the airport and on the long flight from O'Scare to SFO, and then it went back in my bag, where it remained for most of the week.

I didn't expect to knit much at the conference because I had meetings stacked to the rafters. We literally had a 14-hour stretch without time to duck into the ladies' room. That's how packed my schedule was, and it was doled out in 8-minute increments.

But, you know, it's worth it. Publishing is a largely outsourced industry, and big conferences like these give us the opportunity to deal face-to-face with people we usually only "see" online or over the phone. I had the chance for face time with booksellers, other publishers and editors, agents, and of course, lots and lots of authors. I knew there would be no knitting at any of those.

I thought I might knit during the sightseeing portion of the trip, though. But Oh. My. God. As much as I love yarn, even I won't knit instead of catching sights like these.



















This is the view from one of the decks of our house in Sonoma County. If you look closely, above and to the right of the smokestack in the center, you will see a thin ribbon of the Pacific Coast Highway. The close water is the Russian River. Beyond that is a sandbar, and beyond that, the ocean. If you travel a quarter-mile around the bend of the highway, you would see the mouth of the Russian River. There was never a moment when the river was completely empty of kayaks. Apparently, this is a big thing to do here. I was content to watch them from my lofty perch.


















Even driving in the car from SF to Jenner was stunning. We started off by traveling over the Golden Gate Bridge, which was more entertaining than I thought it would be. I mean, it's a bridge. Big deal, right? Except, for some reason, it really is a big deal. You see the bay and the skyline and umpty-eleven sailboats and hikers and bikers and those big red wires, and it just seems special somehow.





















So you get over the bridge and through the more populated parts of Marin County, and then all of a sudden, the land is empty and the views are spectacular. I didn't want to stop looking out the window even for a second. Above is a picture of Blind Beach, which was perhaps a half mile from our cottage. Pretty much all of coastal Sonoma County looks like this.



















Even stopping for lunch in a crummy sandwich joint turned out to be a feast for the eyes. Aside from the quaint boats and piers, this bay was full of sea lions who popped up and down from the water at regular intervals. We sat at a table next to the water and played "spot the mammal" while nibbling omelettes.

So there you have it. It's so beautiful there that not even this hardcore knitter can turn her eyes to the needles. Plus, oh yes, they have wine. Lots and lots of good wine. I highly recommend a visit to this part of the country, if ever you are able.