Riding Mountain National Park

There’s a third category on my National Parks list:  almost visited.    Riding Mountain is a Canadian park in Manitoba.  My mother’s parents came from Manitoba. When I was young, they wanted to take me with them on a trip there.  I decided for some weird reason that I didn’t want to go.  It was more than 35 years before I got a chance to visit the province.  Unfortunately I did not get to Riding Mountain.  If I had gone on the first trip, I could hardly have missed it.  The closest town to the park is Dauphin, where my grandparents are from.

I managed to miss the US National Parks 100th anniversary in 2016 and Canadian National Parks 150th anniversary in 2017.  If I had started this project earlier, more souvenir yarns would’ve been available.  Fleece Artist did a whole series covering the Canadian parks.  They are pretty, unique, and no longer available.  I used pictures of their Riding Mountain yarn to select a souvenir.

This skein from Hedgehog Fibres is a pretty good consolation prize.

Dry Tortugas National Park

I visited the Dry Tortugas  just before it was officially a national park.  I still count it as a park I actually visited.  It is a group of tiny islands about 70 miles from Key West.  It is the southernmost place I have been on the planet and the most exotic. My traveling companion showed me how to go snorkeling.  The water was so clear.  I enjoyed swimming with the fishes.

My souvenir yarn came from Knitted Wit.  I think the colors captured the Dry Tortugas very well.

National Parks project

I knit a log cabin blanket to go in my imaginary camper for the imaginary part of my parks trip.

It is made from 13 colors of Lion Brand Heartland.  Each color is inspired by a different US National Park.

I have been collecting souvenir yarn to represent both my real trips and the ones I wish I could take.  Stories and pictures should follow pretty soon.

RIP Jasmine

My little furry pal Jasmine is gone.  The vet found a tumor before Christmas and said she wouldn’t be around much longer.  In true cat fashion she proved him wrong.  Six months was more than I expected.

Dolores is not known for her patience with other critters.  Jasmine liked to snuggle up with her.  The sheep tolerated it and did it without being bribed with martinis.