Yarn and Paper

In memory of the 343 FDNY firefighters that lost their lives on September 2011, Robert participated in a memorial stair climb. Hundreds of firefighters from around Virginia came to Richmond to climb 22 flights of stairs five times to represent the 110 floors of the Twin Towers.

Ladder trucks from Richmond and Henrico flew the US flag.

The pipes and drums played.


The climbers.

My favorite climber.

I was able to volunteer and was honored to support the climbers as they came by the 17th floor. Sweaty, fatigued, and determined, they were an inspiration.

The starting line up of the 25th Parkersburg Half-Marathon

And my favorite fresh, ready-to-run runner!

And they're off!

A spirited pace at about mile 1.5.

The group was headed up this bridge right after the turn in the photo above.

This is about mile 10.5. He's coming...

Getting a little closer.

Climbing...

He's going at it! You cannot see it, but about a quarter mile ahead of him is the favored Tim Horton's. That's where I spent my morning.

The finish line! A welcome descent.

Okay, the photographer is pretty bad. The post-race shot.

Again, a photographer failure. This was a fun sprinkler set-up providing a gentle cool shower for the hot runners.

The post race reward.

We did a bit of shopping in West Virginia.


Including supporting several collegiate and high school teams.

I think we'll be going back!

Shocking

We have always had a lovely Bradford Pear tree in front of our house. You may recall it from a number of snow photos - http://yarnandpaper.blogspot.com/2010/02/from-last-snow.html.

Recently it suffered the loss of a big limb. Given its age and the life span of the average Bradford Pear, we had to call in reinforcements.

Big reinforcements.

And while the crew was were here, some less desirable hollies had to go too.

It's all shocking. I know. I'm at a bit of a loss for words myself.

Robert's trip to Texas

Back in March, Robert made a solo visit to Texas to visit the p's. As you can imagine, it involved a great deal of food and fun.

A row of snacks - many, many snacks - at Buc-ee's.

A sign at Buc-ee's - a classic.

Look at all those little Buc-ee's!

The always tidy soda fountain offering many options.

Mmmm - cookies.

The meat counter - much yummy jerky.

Yay - Buc-ee's!

A great deal on ice. Always good value.

Work trucks. Leisure vehicles. Buc-ee attracts a diverse crowd.

A bounty of goodness.

More goodies from the bakery counter.

The lovely Goetz home. The McKinney version.

Dinner at El Fenix - Robert already mixed his rice and beans. Habit kicked in before remembering to photo.

Tickled parents.

Yum!

I'm looking forward to our next trip for my turn for food and fun!!!

Don the Dillo!

A friend is having a baby and a group of friends are knitting her a menagerie of animals. What to knit?? An armadillo!

He's a curious little guy.

But he will pose for the camera.

And play silly.


And play with yarn.

I hope he is fun for the new little baby!

A busy fall!

Way earlier this fall, we had some fun adventures! Robert's parents came for a visit from Texas. We did plenty of traveling around including a visit to Williamsburg on lovely, chilly fall day.

Robert ran the Philadelphia Marathon in November. At the start line, they collect clothes discarded by the runners. These are some of the 100+ bags they filled.