Gypsea Journeys: September 2013

Thanks to Threadbanger’s summer craft camp, we had some direction on what we wanted to accomplish this ranch run. We also wanted to take a picture of these lined up mailboxes because they are just so unique. We always love seeing these as we pass by and this time we decided to admire them up close. Thanks to this little pit stop, we also got to see some horses up close as well. One of the coolest things about van life, is that it takes no time at all to pop the top and make a place to sleep, which leaves more time to do whatever the heck you want. The heck we decided to do was tie-dye right away, so we could allow drying time. Without reading the directions, we got busy and thankfully it wasn’t a disaster. Of course, my aunt and I had to zone out with some mind numbing beading, my mom made a TON of God’s eyes for another Threadbanger project, and my uncle watched NASCAR. I wanted to finish up two of these necklaces we were sewing (yes… these beaded necklaces were tediously sewed together) so my mom and I could wear them for our upcoming back to school welcome meetings. I sat there hunched over frantically beading my heart out to try to finish in time. I needed to make sure I got home a few hours before midnight to finish up some stuff for school and submit it on time. I took breaks every now and then to spray icy hot all over and then got back to work, but it was worth it because… I finished! Unfortunately, we didn’t even wear those necklaces for our meetings. In fact, we haven’t even worn them ONCE and we probably never will. :)

Momma and baby

Mailboxes

Housebox

During

Tada!

Tie-Dye

God's eyes

Before

After

We had a jam-packed adventure about a month ago and it took place once again at the beach. We always go to the beach, but hardly every "go" the beach anymore. Anyway, it began with excitement as usual, but this time it was for a different reason… my mom was going to be the driver! I unfortunately had to write a paper in the passenger seat, but it was a smooth ride and allowed for a lot of typing and napping to get accomplished.

Before we made it to our first destination, Picking Daisies in SLO, we stopped off at this cool house in Atascadero where they grow dinosaurs instead of flowers. We’ve mistakenly passed by a few times before, but this time it was on purpose. We also made a quick stop to see the Faces of Freedom Veterans Memorial. After our quick visit, we hopped back on the freeway headed to SLO. My mom had a napkin making class she needed to get to and I had a coffee shop I needed to find, so I could continue paper writing. As can be imagined, parking was a little tricky, but with the help of THE NICEST construction worker, we squeezed into the Picking Daisies alleyway. To find out more about the class and to see pictures, check out Saint Olive. While my mom sewed away, I was given directions to a yarn store and really cool coffee shop. I first stopped by the yarn store, NordicMart and picked up this Drops brand yarn. Love it!!! I proceeded on to the coffee shop looking like a bag lady, but happy as can be with my new yarn. I brought my toss around PC to Kreuzberg’scoffee shop and felt a little out of place when I found myself surrounded by MACs, but I quickly got to typing and got a ton accomplished. I even had a few extra free minutes to leave a little message in the restroom.

After a few hours in one of the most eclectic coffee shops I been to, I swung by Picking Daisies and grabbed my mom and some fabric... and after we had a pasty from SloCo Pasty Company (sooooo good!), checked out a street fair, and visited Bubblegum Alley, we cruzed on to Pismo. I had to drop her off and quickly find another coffee shop, so I could get my paper submitted. Thankfully, the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf saved me with a green tea and internet. When I opened Gypsea's door my books fell out in anticipation of the next few hours. I finally made it “home” around 10 pm and relaxed a bit by winding some yarn. ;)

The next day we headed over to the Avila ValleyBarn to pick up some always delicious treats, shared them with my aunt and uncle, and drove off to Solvang to take a craft class at Knit Fit, buy a hat, and meet up with some friends to see PCPA's Spamalot. One of these friends was actually in the play… he was King Arthur! Always fun when you know someone in the show and can enjoy it with others. We actually got to see him a couple weekends before in Fiddler on the Roof in Solvang as well. We got back pretty late and just relaxed until it was time to get back to reality. Until next the next trip…