Granny Square Day 2018

I don't need a reason to make granny squares.

They are quick and easy to make and are always my go-to project when I'm not quite sure what I want to do.

In 2014, Sue, @suregal27 on Instagram, declared a day in August as granny-square day and it's been an annual event ever since.

This year, Simple Crochet Magazine @simplycrochetmag took on the duty of hosting #grannysquareday2018.

Recently I made a stack of small granny-square blankets that I am going to donate to a lady who rescues cats.

This blanket was going to go to one of my husband's customers whose wife just had a baby after trying for 20 years.  But, unfortunately, when I washed it, I realized that using scrap yarn isn't always a smart thing to do.

Turns out the teal colored yarn was for felting.

So disappointing.

 Had a lovely, long walk by the sea today.

And made some more granny-squares that remind me of the colors I saw.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Later That Day

Following up on my previous post, after going home to freshen up and eat some fruit, we then headed back out, this time going up the mountain instead of down to the sea.

Lebanon is well-known for its cedar trees, so Melissa and I were awestruck when the road opened up to reveal these gorgeous stone pine trees.

Our first destination of the afternoon was to a lovely area where you can rent cabins and enjoy nature.

We decided some refreshment was needed.

What a view!

Next we drove to the little town of Jezzine for a quick walk around.

It's a little hard to see but that is an actual waterfall in the above photo.  Apparently Jezzine is known as the "City of Falls".

We didn't stay long as we needed to head back to Saida where we started our day, this time to visit a friend of Mona's who was leaving that night to Boston and wanted to meet us before she left.

We stopped along the side of the road to take pictures of the orange glow on the water from the sun.

And just as we arrived, we were able to witness a most gorgeous sunset from the balcony.

 Sunset over the Mediterranean.

The perfect end to a most wonderful day.

The bad news is that the next morning I would wake up unable to go anywhere because of a stomach bug that kept me in the bathroom for the next 12 hours.  Fortunately, it cleared my system and we were out the door bright and early the following day for our next adventure.

More to come.

Peace and blessings,

Scenes from Saida Souk

Good morning (or afternoon)!

View from my friend's balcony in Mazboud, Lebanon.

I've been back from Lebanon for two weeks now and still haven't posted anything.

 I made the trip with my friend, Melissa, so that we could see our friend, Mona.  We all met 17 years ago when we worked together in a small American school.  Lebanon is Mona's home country; she moved back there 7 years ago and it's been about 5 now since we've seen her.

After coffee on Mona's balcony that first morning, we headed to the old souk of Saida for breakfast and to see some of the historical sites.

foul w hummus

fava beans with chickpeas

so delicious!

Our first stop was The Soap Museum.

The museum is housed in a building that dates back to the 17th century (though it's thought that some parts are much older) and traces the history of soapmaking in the region.

Next a quick peak inside St. Nicholas Cathedral

And then a tour of the Debbane Palace Museum.

A brief history according to the museum website:
The Hammoud Family took up residence in 1722; in 1800 Youssef Debbane purchased the property; in 1902 Raphael Debbane restored the property and added two stories to the building.  From 1978 until 1983, the property was occupied by armed units causing damage and dilapidation to some of the rooms.   In 2000, the Debbane Foundation carried out restoration and had it designated a museum.

 The interior ornamentation, marble mosaics and handcarved cedarwood ceiling were really spectacular to see.

We made our way out of the souk to our next destination just across the street.

Sidon Sea Castle is located on the Mediterranean coast of Lebanon and was built in the 13th century by the Crusaders as a fortress of the holy land.  Of course, it has suffered great damage over the years because of wars and natural earthquakes and, therefore, has been restored many times.

We had a great time wandering the grounds.

And having a photoshoot with Melissa as our selfie queen.

 

This was only the first half of our day, so I'll leave with you with summer fruits from the souk and will post more another time.

Happy August!