Crazy January Start Twelve - Holly And Hearts Mystery Sampler

I now have all three parts of this and started it with the idea of finishing it before next Christmas.  If I can.  This is Holly and Hearts Mystery Sampler from Lizzie Kate, and it's off to a good start.

Crazy January Start Eleven - Joy 2013

I made a start and a finish the same day, go me!  This is from the 2013 JCS ornament issue, and I decided to do it on linen with Trebizond silk.  Now I just need to finish it into the ornament it is.  I like it.

Self Service Food

Hondo's is a different kind of place; it's in Fredericksburg, and the food selection is what makes it different.  You find your own table, order at the bar, and pick up your food at the kitchen.  No table service here.  The place makes up for it with live music on the weekends, huge portions, and good food.  Mom had chili.  We had burgers of one sort or another - mine was a chili cheese one.  It was giant, loaded, and excellent.  

 

Spot The Dolphins

 Just walking along the quay in Galveston, we saw dolphins.  Can you find them in these photos?

Crazy January Start Ten - Ffraser Ffleur Ddeux

Another blackwork freebie, this one from Practical Blackwork.  I used a piece of fabric from my stash and a skein of thread also from stash.  Easy start because it's inexpensive!

Crazy January Start Nine - Far, Far Away

This is Far, Far Away from Shepherd's Bush.  It went straight into my rotation, as I already have a recipient in mind.  

Getting Ready For The Show

On one of our last evenings in the US, we went to Dallas with my mother, where we met my brother and his wife for dinner and a show.  Dinner was at Howard Wang's, a somewhat upscale restaurant near the show venue.  The food was good, but, to my sensibility, overpriced.  There was definitely a surtax for atmosphere and location.  Andreas loved his satay, and my tom kha soup was good.  Andreas also had chicken fried rice, which he nearly finished.  I had gingered beef, which was also good, but not spectacular.  

Our show was the Shen Yun Chinese opera/ballet show.  It's beautiful, yes, and traditional, but if you go - be forewarned that it is also a propaganda piece for the Falun Gon movement.  They didn't allow us to take photos, either!  There was an imaginative and effective-ish use of a giant video screen at the back of the stage.