We are now in Cocoa, Florida, just past Cape Canaveral. The space coast of Florida is delightfully mild, and we are beginning to thaw! Saturday was the first day of sunshine we’ve had since getting onboard Pandora, and the feeling of warm sun on my face was glorious!
We left New Smyrna yesterday and arrived in Cocoa mid afternoon. Both towns are very charming with pretty parks right at the water’s edge, pretty pastel colored low, stucco buildings and historic bungalow style houses along quiet residential streets. Cocoa’s waterfront park was teeming with families yesterday, and I realized it’s a 3-day national holiday this weekend to commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. And even though the town was bustling with folks who could enjoy their Sunday without worry of what Monday would bring, the residential streets were still very quiet.
This first image is actually a small church on the corner of the street with so many pretty bungalows.
It’s funny to me that when I get ashore I spend a lot of time walking through residential streets and snapping photos of houses and gardens. I think I really miss life on land!
Along the waterway near New Smyrna there are lots of small estuaries, full of mangroves, and nesting/hunting grounds for a wonderful selection of water birds and sea life. While we were underway, Bob saw a number of baby dolphins swimming alongside their mothers. And we saw colorful crabs tucked into the roots of the mangroves. I did not know crabs came in such brilliant colors!
I love how pelicans fly in formation together. Bob took this photo right before sunset when the pelicans are glowing with the last of the light.
We waited ages for this ibis to take flight, and then when he did all our photos are blurry! It was a beautiful sight! You’ll have to trust me on that!
Isn’t this crab amazing? I had dreams last night about giant crabs in vivid colors…..
The highlight in the town of New Smryna was a beautiful gallery of pottery and stained glass right along the residential street at the edge of the harbor. It is called Clay Gallery, and you must pass through a stunning garden before you get to the galleryn entrance.
What a lovely spot! And they have a wonderful beehive oven, very similar to what Bob has been wanting to make for our house. Great inspiration for him to get started this summer! I particularly love the shells imbedded in the mouth
I have been avoiding my computer problems by knitting. I have been knitting for a ridiculous number of hours each day and am racing through the front of the pretty “For Irene” sweater by Carol Sunday. I knitted the back of the sweater while traveling in Portugal, in the fall, then put is aside to finish up the Merle sweater to wear during the cold weather we’ve had while onboard. I got myself in trouble at the beginning of the front of “For Irene” doing the short rows, and with internet so unpredictable on a boat, and with the fear that I might wait days for an email response from Carol, I decided to call her! I felt quite uncomfortable about this, but I really needed to keep knitting so I wouldn’t have to face the overwhelming job of sorting through photos and files on my computer. She actually has her phone number posted on her website, and I could not resist getting instant gratification for my questions.
I want to wear this sweater to a wedding in the spring. The wedding is 3 months away, which may sound like ages….but not in my circumstances! I need to know if the sweater will be flattering on me with enough time left over to determine if I can find anything to wear with it as we travel south along the coast. That’s a tall order! So 3 months is not that much time to pull an outfit together from a boat! I don’t have the luxury of a car, so I only have access to whatever is available in the little shops along the coast. Mostly these shops have beautiful clothing for beautiful people…..who wear a size 2!
Anyway, Carol actually answered her phone! And she was patient and friendly with my questions. And of course, my problems were entirely my fault, nothing to do with the pattern. I cannot convey how thankful I am for her immediate help because I had an entire day of knitting and managed to start the front over again and make it all the way past the armholes! I am making this sweater in Phildar Cotton 3 because I want to wear it in the milder months. The colorway is “Eben” (#223), a warm medium brown, which I hope will look nice with either cream or pale blue silk pants. I am changing the pattern a bit below the armholes (it is a top down pattern) by increasing one stitch at each edge every 8 rows, and then every 12 rows, to create more of an A-line tunic. I also intend to change the sleeves to 3/4 length, so I can actually do stuff while wearing the sweater. I love the idea and the look of sleeves that drape below the wrist, but it just doesn’t work for my lifestyle! I cannot cook… or eat… while wearing long, flowing sleeves, and there you have it!…in a nutshell!…. why I don’t wear a size 2!
I sure hope I like the finished garment! It’s so nice to have a flattering sweater that you have knitted for yourself!
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