Waiting for a Cabana

This has been a week of reckless expenditure. In preparation for outdoor fun I've added a trailer hitch to my car, purchased a bicycle rack to go on the trailer hitch, and ordered the much longed for Add-a-Cabana. Shana will pay for half of these expenses, but for now money is running out of my checking account like women and children off the Titanic. We're planned our first camping outing of the year for mid-March, but we will probably be cycling before then. My original intent was to build a quickie inside the car bike rack, but we need an outdoor rack anyway so we can have bikes AND camping gear. We are so accustomed to bringing bikes along on our camping trips that I am reluctant to go without them. I can hardly wait to see how packing up goes when a full campsite does not have to fit inside a Ford Focus. I suspect all of the gear may still just fit because Shana's Christmas booty of dutch ovens will join the equipment. As it was Shana brought the dutch oven down in her car last time because we were taking two cars. If we had taken just one car it would not have fit. I saw something else irresistible on TV today (darn Fine Living Network!). They featured a transparent kayak which looked FABULOUS. For kayaking in the ocean it would be the best thing ever. Unfortunately the price tag for this beauty is out of the realm of the possible. Since I have the SUV with a rack on top maybe if I am very patient a second hand kayak will fall into my waiting arms. I'd like to justify the purchase of a beautiful new kayak with my decision to ride Big Blue for at least another year instead of shopping for a new bike, but I must admit that I don't need either one. The decision to stick with Big Blue was based on the fact that there is no pressing reason to replace it. It seems I already have loads of great toys.




I met up with Alex, Jamie & Vivian for lunch Friday. Turns out I am now "Nana". Vivian set off my car alarm playing with my keys and for an encore spit a bite of enchilada back onto her plate - I guess it did not taste anything like what she expected.
Later today Shana and I will be off to see Slumdog Millionaire, and then to the Bass Pro Shop to check out the hiking pants (our Christmas gifts for each other) and I'll be admiring kayaks.



I'm all the way through the yellow eyelet rib socks, and about halfway down the leg on my latest pair of monkey socks. I feel like I'm racing against the clock because I have a Knitpicks order on the way. Shana saw the Mr. Foster sock monkey kit on the back of the most recent catalog and fell in love. She never asks for handknits, so when she asked for this I couldn't say no.