Author Archives: Holly

About Holly

fiber person - knitter, spinner, weaver who spent 33 years being a military officer to fund the above. And home. And family. Sewing and quilting projects are also in the stash. After living again in Heidelberg after retiring (finally) from the U.S. Army May 2011, we moved to the US ~ Dec 2015. Something about being over 65 and access to health care. It also might have had to do with finding a buyer for our house. Allegedly this will provide me a home base in the same country as our four adult children, all of whom I adore, so that I can drive them totally insane. Considerations of time to knit down the stash…(right, and if you believe that…) and spin and .... There is now actually enough time to do a bit of consulting, editing. Even more amazing - we have only one household again. As long as everyone understands that I still, 40 years into our marriage, don't do kitchens or bathrooms. For that matter, not being a golden retriever, I don't do slippers or newspapers either. I don’t miss either the military or full-time clinical practice. Limiting my public health/travel med/consulting and lecturing to “when I feel like it” has let me happily spend my pension cruising, stash enhancing (oops), arguing with the DH about where we are going to travel next and book buying. Life is good!

Another Year creeps by

In this case, I am not referring to the cross stitch pattern designed by Tracy Horner of InkCircles but just the simple phenomenon of having gained another year of age/experience. Notice that I did not claim brilliance, sophistication, or some … Continue reading

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Bayview Trail

My original plan was to catch an organized shuttle bus to Pike’s Place Market ~0900 with a return ~1300. All of that was derailed by US Customs/Immigration proceedings this morning. Those who had a ship’s tour obviously were rapidly accommodated. … Continue reading

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Afternoon Tea

It is Saturday, we are in Victoria, British Columbia. It isn’t a bad walk from the Ogden Point Cruise Ship Terminal to the center portion of the city, at least the tourist, museum, and government building portion.  I was here … Continue reading

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Pacific Coastal Cruise

0500 Rather than get off the ship today – well actually I might have to get off, clear immigration and get back on – I have a lovely day planned of stitching and relaxing. Failing that – I will go … Continue reading

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Radiance OTS – final day/sea day

This cruise is extremely short for me. Seven days – one of which was the boarding day – three ports and three sea days. The cruise companies may be mercenary, but even they are stupid enough to attempt to count … Continue reading

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Day 6- Ketchikan

Rather than dark and rainy on arrival, today we were gifted 1000 for an arrival time. Along with cold and rainy. It wasn’t Minnesota cold or Ottawa cold but according to a couple of the Florida flowers on the ship, … Continue reading

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Day 5 – Juneau

Some how it seems startling – Day 5/7. Perhaps it is because I rarely get on a ship for less an 14 days. A seven day cruise is awfully short. OTOH I do have this fall’s upcoming adventure with George,,,, … Continue reading

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The Glaciers are receding

  Let me start out by correcting my geography. I don’t know why I keep thinking Sitka is off the end of the archipelago, but  rather it is hundreds of kilometers short and much nearer the main body of North … Continue reading

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Sitka!

Sitka, Alaska is about as far west as most of us will ever go while remaining in Alaska. I was going to say “United States” but then would have had to go back and edit to say “continental United States” … Continue reading

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Pineapple Luncheon

I should be polite and call today’s invitation only luncheon by the proper name of “Cheers with an Officer.” This particular event used to be, prior to Covid – Luncheon with an officer and you actually had one of them … Continue reading

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Radiance of the Seas

and the answer to “What are you doing in Vancouver?” Looping around Alaska. At least that is what is planned pending the azipods performing and the weather holding. I am booked into a balcony cabin so as to really enjoy … Continue reading

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getting to Vancouver

Some days start out with a bang. Others with a lot of whining. I went to bed early last night anticipating getting up in the middle of the night, but the reality of 0245 is always worse than what I … Continue reading

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It has been

45 years since 10 Sept 1978 which also fell on a Sunday.  George and I had just moved into our new house, got up early to clean since we were having our wedding reception in our (mostly empty) dining room … Continue reading

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Arms too short

There is always the slightly wry joke about one’s arms being too short to easily read a book as one ages and the eye’s lenses no longer are as flexible. And then there is the challenge of having both cataracts … Continue reading

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The Four

and I finished Winter Dog this morning. So here are the four seasonal critters from Barbara Ana – each runs about 1200 stitches. Meet Winter Dog Autumn Cat Summer Dog and Spring Cat They might just fit in the five … Continue reading

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Do the eyes have it?

It was not particularly fun to be woken up at 0300 with serious pain in my right eye. Literally eye watering pain. This is not what happened with my left eye, and it was neither expected or desired. Over the … Continue reading

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Fourth of four

And yet another project that has been languishing in my project pile for well over a year. Background – a long time ago – at least a couple of year before Russia decided to invade the Ukraine, I had purchased … Continue reading

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Stuffed Pals

Ok, I probably have more switchable stuffed animals that anyone could possibly need. I keep saying that I going to embroider names on them. If I was really smart, I would have a number of the smaller ones in reserve … Continue reading

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Second eye

It was another Friday, four weeks from heading to SFVA and having my left eye freed of its cataract. This time, my right eye …. my dominant eye and a lot more anxiety on my part. At really dark and … Continue reading

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Ducks are Done!

Let me introduce you to “Born to be Wild” art by Gordon Fitchett and the chart from Heaven and Earth Designs. This is one of the smaller charts and is charted without background. The fabric is reprinted Aida called Sea … Continue reading

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