Red, White, and Blue Beach Bag

Show your colors this 4^th of July beach trip. Or camping. Or picnic.

Fast and easy crochet of single and double stitches. It's big enough to hold lots of stuff, so grab your crochet hook and hang on.

Worsted weight yarn

2 Oz red

1 Oz white

1 Oz blue

Crochet Hook J

Foundation Row: With red, chain 61. DC in 5^th ch from hook, skip next ch, dc in next ch cross. (28 DC)

Row 2: Ch 4 and turn, dc in each dc across.

Change to white and repeat row 2 twice.

Change to blue and repeat row 2 twice.

Alternating colors, continue for 20 more rows, ending with red.

Sides and bottom: Ch 1 and turn. Working along side, bottom and other side, sc evenly around. Ch 1, turn, sc in each sc around. Break off red. Change to white and sc in each sc around twice. Break off white. Change to blue and sc in each sc around twice. Break off blue.

Back: Repeat as for front for 26 rows, ending in red.

Sl St or sew front to back, easing in corners.

Straps (make 2): With red, ch 52, sc in second ch from hook and each ch across. Ch 1, turn. Sc in each sc across for 3 more rows. Sew straps in place at 5^th dc from each side.

Drawstring: With red, ch 100, turn, sc in each ch. Break off. Weave drawstring through second row of dc from top.

Fill bag with all your beach necessities. Stay safe and enjoy your trip.

What is your favorite vacation destination? Comment for a chance to win Dawn of Liberty by our own Amber Schamel..

Favorite Summer Vacations

I think my topic was supposed to be libraries, but with Labor Day and the end of summer on my mind, I decided to blog about vacations instead.

The longer I study history, the more blessed I feel to be living during this age. After electricity, air conditioning, and the telephone, I’d rank summer vacations at the top of those blessings.

There’s nothing new about taking a trip for fun and relaxation—for the wealthy. Anyone who reads Regencies knows the nobility frequently traveled to Bath and other resorts. In the past anyone with a lot of money could travel to exotic places, and the visits ran into weeks or months. But vacations for the common man didn’t happen until the last half of the twentieth century.

Before the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s, most people lived on the farm and wouldn’t think of leaving their crops during the summer. Then as factories grew, demanding laborers who worked regular hours for regular wages, attitudes changed. But it’s unlikely factory owners would have given their workers time off without the unions demanding it. Unions did happen though, and they made demands.

Two other things had to happen before the family vacation became commonplace. Cars became economical and an interstate highway system was completed. With the booming economy of the 1950s and time off, people packed the kids in the car and hit the road. The summer vacation as we know it began.

Here are my four top picks for a family vacation from great to greatest. These are the vacation destinations of choice for the typical American family, which makes me average, I guess.

4. State and National Parks. These were the vacations of my childhood. If you like camping, this is the way to go. I personally don’t like camping, so my visits to parks involve renting a high-priced cottage with all the modern amenities. I love state and national parks though, because they can’t be beat for scenery and natural beauty.

3. Mountains. – Most people prefer to visit the mountains during the fall, but I like to walk a cool mountain trail during the summer. Since I’m the tourist type, Pigeon Forge in Tennessee is my favorite. The comedy, country, and blue-grass music shows are the best.

 

2. Theme Parks. I was there at the opening of Disney World in 1971 and every other year for the next thirty-six years. It’s a Small World is still my favorite ride, but the Teacups is a close second. Thank you, Mr. Disney for all those wonderful vacations, though I’d probably be a millionaire if I hadn’t spent all that money.

  
Disney World had at least 18,588,000 visitors in 2013, and I think all of them were standing in line for the Space Mountain ride the last time I was there. Here’s another tidbit about Disney World. It’s the largest single site employer in the United States, employing over 66,000 workers called cast members. I wonder where they go for vacation.

1. Beaches. This is my absolute favorite vacation because I have nothing to do for the whole week. Every day in my surf chair, listening to beach music and reading a good book. I don’t even worry that the tide will reach my chair because it’s already in the water.

Since I live in the Southeast, the Florida gulf and Myrtle Beach in South Carolina are my favorite beach vacations.

Now it’s your turn. What is your favorite summer vacation destination? Where did you go this year?

You Might Be A Dolphin Lover If...

Aah, sweet summertime…

Now that schools have been dismissed for the summer break, families are packing up their coolers, loading up the SUV's to the max and heading to the nearest beach.

After my children went to college, I discovered I could go to the beach in September and stay longer for the same amount of money I'd paid for the summer months. The weather is beautiful and the crowds are much smaller…the perfect formula.

With that in mind, I booked a place in 2008 for three weeks. My dear friend, Lori, went with me for this dream vacation. Our children and husbands came to visit on the weekends, but the weekdays were all ours.

We read books, walked on the beach, watched dolphins, read more books, watched more dolphins, and ate whenever and whatever we wanted. Did I mention we watched dolphins frolicking in the ocean?

And then there was the day we still had our jammies on at two o'clock in the afternoon, sitting on the deck…watching dolphins.

In honor of my twenty-seven year friendship with Lori, this post is dedicated to her.

My list of "You Might Be A Dolphin Lover If…"

1. You are as excited about the last dolphin you see as you were the first…after three weeks of vacation.

A collage of pictures from our beach trip that hangs in my home office

2. Memories of dolphin watching with your friend come rushing into your mind…sweet memories.

3. Your husband tells you he's finally found a fish you get excited about.

4. You choose Sea World over Disney World as a vacation destination.

5. You watch reruns of the classic TV show "Flipper."

6. You slow your pace or increase your pace of walking on the beach…that depends on the dolphins.

7. You pay money to go for a dolphin watching excursion, to ride a rubber raft on the open sea.

8.Your idea of a fun filled week at the beach is not complete if you don't relax and enjoy the beauty and gracefulness of at least one dolphin swimming in the sea.

Whatever you do this summer, enjoy it with family and friends. The important thing is to make memories with those you love.


You can find Cindy over at her blog My Little Corner, http://www.cindyobrien78.blogspot.com

Yellowstone National Park is the Place!

Summertime is just around the corner and lots of people are thinking about throwing the kids in the car and trekking across the country to see a few places. 

One of the most popular destinations for decades now, has been Yellowstone National Park. Have you been there? Are you planning to take the kids one of these days? Can’t get out of town, but wish you could?

If you answered yes to any of these questions - and  even if you answered no - Yellowstone Memories by Jennifer Rogers Spinola is the perfect book for you to pick up this spring. It’s a collection of four novellas, all set in Yellowstone. Each story takes place in a different decade too, so you get to see the park at different points in history.

I visited the park as a teenager. When I read this book, I learned things I never knew, I remembered some of my time in the park, and I developed a much deeper appreciation for the park and it’s beauty.

Each story depicts a romance, including a wide variety of characters including a French-Arapahoe woman, a washed up cowboy, the builders of the park during the depression years, firefighters, park rangers, and scientific researchers. The wide array of characters reveals a vast range of activity in and around the park, while creating a personal window into several individual stories.

This book is a must if you plan to travel to the park this year. Or if you’ve already been. And if you are still snowed in, it might just help you escape the four walls of your home into a world where mountains hem in the vaulted sky, geysers, lakes, and wildflowers provide a backdrop for prolific wildlife, and this beautiful setting can make anything seem possible. 

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear "Yellowstone Park"?