"Leap together"

The title of this post comes from the most-cited part of Kermit the Frog's commencement speech, but I like this rhyming part better:

Life's like a movie.

Write your own ending.

Keep believing.

Keep pretending.

 

This is Memorial Day weekend, and I plan to go to the annual commemoration at the community center.

I have a red, white, and blue scarf to knit (because I fidget), one in the car and one in the house, depending upon whether I walk or (if it's rainy) drive over.  These are scarves I usually donate to veterans hospitals and other programs through the WWII Museum's Knit Your Bit program.

I've also been making progress on my Giverny Shawl:

Almost ready for the third and final skein.

Yesterday I went to Open Studio time for fused glass at the gallery.  The instructor forgot to slump my last piece into a dish shape, so I have to collect it later, but it came out very nicely and he was excited to show it to the group:

I made two new pieces, one inspired by the flames-shaped piece I found, and another just playing with some glass-dust-infused "paint" solution:

I think I will make four pieces featuring translucent glass, all using the same clear glass base (although they are unlikely to remain perfectly square or the same size - glass does that) and set them into a wooden frame, with a light inside.  That will look fantastic.  I have a piece set aside as the focus of the second one, and I'll see what the inspires me for the other two.

I picked up my other two previous pieces, one of which was shaped into what I hoped would be a candleholder but it's a bit shallow, so it might remain a dish:

The large picture, suggested by a piece of glass I found and used as the background, really pleases me:

You can see how two of the lilypads
glitter a bit.  The eyes really add life
to the fish, and the wisteria is dimensional.

Cloudy day light filtering through.

RadioVizion!

A good friend who isn't able to tread the boards (as theater people say) as much as he would like is in a play, so of course I had to go, even though I've just returned home from overseas.  So on Friday I flew to Dallas, worked a bit, then joined my host friends at their usual Friday night supper location.  They walk in and aren't given menus; I was but pretty much know my preferences: Mediterranean salad and a side of gyro.  They give me enough that half comes home (with our fourth flatbread) for a future meal.

Saturday started out usual for me:  yoga class and Torah study, both online.  Then a quick check-in before my friend and I started refreshing our browsers until the "REGISTER HERE" button appeared on the DFW Fiber Fest website.  It went smoothly for me this year and I have a good slate of classes.  Plus nine persons registered for the class I am teaching on Sunday!  And likely there will be more before September.

After that it was brunch at another of our usual locations, then stopped at a local resale shop to see whether I could get some crockpots for my class (no, but I did find two very large colanders) before going to see my friend's play at the matinee.  The Bath House Cultural Center always has art exhibits:

The play is done in the style of a radio show, with the audience in the role of - audience!

It was a lot of fun and very funny and I am very glad I went to see it.  Afterwards a quick stop back at the resale shop because I'd forgotten to look for towels (I found three), and the Red Truck Café for the weekly prime rib special:

Afterwards, my friend and I went to a Joann's to see what we could stock up on before it closes.  Since a storm that had been brewing finally arrived, we joked about needing to take shelter on the way home in the store.    Then it was a quiet evening, and an early flight home.

These are the masks from my trip:

Habemus Papam.

Not just a new Pope, but one from Chicago, so the city and memes have been going nuts.

We know he is a baseball fan:

He's the result of a marriage of a Cubs fan and Cardinals fan.

There is some speculation:

We're pretty sure he's a Bears fan, which might lead to updates of the Popemobile and regalia:

  

And of course, he knows which team doesn't have a prayer:

  

Of course, entering to a classic song is mandatory.  And I found it fun that his name wasn't high on the lists of likely chosen held by the major betting houses.

Some people have made the observation that:

It will now be a mortal sin to put catsup (or ketchup, or however you spell it) on a hot dog.

In addition to a pizza joint updating their offerings, other well-known Chicago food vendors have posted, both proudly:

 .....and cheekily:

May he live to the age of Abraham, or at least Moses.

Family Times.

 It was a busy weekend.  First, my eldest niece graduated from her masters degree program, with honors.  Tickets were limited but I received one, so of course took the time off work on a Friday afternoon.

Then her sister and I flew to DC, where the younger niece lives, and on Saturday went to Maryland Sheep & Wool.  We left midafternoon so I could get to Dulles in time for a flight - more on the trip next week.

I did some stash enhancement.  At left, one of the
vendor's show colourways.  At right, natural-dyed.

My contribution to the lunch.  And bananas.

I joked that I found this too late to be useful.

This is one of the two music performance areas.

There was a great display of knitted and sewn items in the annual Make It With Wool contest.

  

   

We both enjoyed looking at and speaking to the living history group.  I took a few photos but none are particularly good.

[Edited to add the above photos.]

Since I am now on my work computer and it won't let me upload photos.  I only have the ones I preloaded, of a dragonfruit that I finished before leaving.  They are really pretty, but this is the second time I've had one and it has no taste.  Maybe it's me?  Or the ones I've purchased?  All I get is texture.

But they are pretty:

 

From the top, left to right:  Whole fruit, a bit sliced off, better look at the inside, and peeled.