A corner of one's own

This is my new small corner of the home office where I can have enough space to do my crafts! I'd love an entire room someday, but for now, this little corner is lovely.

I bought myself a sewing machine. I'm not sure how much I'll use it right away, but I had the extra money now, so I bought it. It is a Kenmore and has a one-step button-hole, which I hear is important for your sanity.

My husband and I went to Lake Placid, New York, for our anniversary weekend. We had a lovely time sans kiddos. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza, which is on top of the hill by the Olympic Arena for those of you who have been there before. We had a balcony overlooking Mirror Lake which was nice. We hung out in the great room at the bar quite a little bit. Ah, the joys of having no children for a weekend...we acted like grown-ups!

On Friday night, we went out to dinner at The Great Adirondack Steak and Seafood Company, which is right on Main Street. It is one of my favorite restaurants and I hadn't been there in years...they still have the most incredible dessert known to womankind. It is called Chocolate Perversion. Need I say more? If you are ever in Lake Placid...have one. You won't be sorry. (Once I even ordered it as an appetizer to make sure I had room!).

Then, after dinner, we went over to my sister and brother-in-law's house and hung out on their deck with their fire pit and some drinks. It was nice to see her and catch up on family gossip and such.

Saturday morning we headed out to get some coffee and then we took the hour long tour of Lake Placid on the antique boat The Lady of the Lake. The boat is named after a book called A Lady in the Lake, about a murder on Lake Placid. A woman named Mabel Smith Douglass, the founder of a women's college in New Jersey, had a camp on Lake Placid. She disappeared mysteriously one day in 1933. Her boat was found, but no trace of her body. At the time of her disappearance, she was 56 years old, and had a broken arm.

In 1963, a group of divers, exploring caves more than a hundred feet below the surface of Lake Placid, discovered a body. It was the body of a lady wearing antique looking clothes. She was remarkably intact, and looked as if she had only been laying on the rock shelf where her body was found (off of Pulpit Rock on Lake Placid's eastern shore) for a few days. She had an anchor tied around her neck, and a broken arm.

Scientists speculate that the very cold waters of Lake Placid perfectly preserved the body and they confirmed that it was, in fact, Mabel Smith Douglass. They ruled her death a suicide, although many people believe that it was murder. Her body was three miles from her camp. She had a broken arm. How could she have rowed three miles by herself with a broken arm, then tied an anchor around her own neck and chucked it into the water? Mysterious, indeed. Many locals, of which I was one (I lived in Lake Placid for almost five years in my early twenties), even believe that she haunts the lake...

So, we toured and got spooked out. Then we went to The Cottage at Mirror Lake Inn for lunch. It was yummy. We went back to our room, my husband did some studying for a test he has this evening at college and I heeded a call to one of the mother ships.

Adirondack Yarns, is a beautiful small yarn shop, but they manage to have a diverse selection of yarns and I was lucky to find Cascade Pastaza for a sweater I want to make from Stefanie Japel's new book Fitted Knits. I also bought some magazines...The ladies there were super friendly and I can't wait to stop back in the next time I am in town.

Saturday night we went to the local Mexican food joint. I had a beef chimicanga and was in heaven. Then we went to the early movie at the theater. We saw Ocean's Thirteen. Two hours of Brad Pitt and George Clooney. All good, my friends.

Then, back to the hotel for drinks and bed. Sunday morning we had the delicious breakfast buffet at the hotel, and then headed out of town to pick up Le Bug at my mother's house. The big boys are with their dad and stepmother on vacation in Fire Island.

It is freezing here today, and I am off to knit some on my Clapotis. I am at the decreasing rows finally, and it is large enough to cover my lap and keep me warm. I also have some Knitty Gritty episodes to catch up on, including the one with The Yarn Harlot that I missed when it first aired!