Rhinebeck 1

It has proven to be a fabulous day.

To begin with, the colors are fabulous this year, and I have not begun to capture their beauty and intensity in this photograph.  In fact I have been awed by the beauty around me for past several days and keep forgetting to carry a camera.  When I do have a camera, it doesn't seem to capture the depth and glow of the colors.  This is by the far the best year of the past few.  I don't think the reds are as vibrant as they are in some years, but the yellows are truly breathaking.  They seem to have an inner glow, and when you see an expanse of yellow trees, mixed with red and orange the sun seems to make them glow with a light all their own. They simply steal the show, leaving one slack-jawed in awe and envy.  

And this year, I believe the peak is this weekend, if not already past. There are stretches where more leaves are on the ground than on the trees, but then one turns a corner and the trees are a riot of color again and there are even bits of green, as in deciduous green, not just the evergreens.

G went with me to the sheep festival after days of telling me he didn't want to go.  We had a good time.  I was determined to get there early and get to The Fold while there was still a good bit of stock in the store.   I was hoping that one of the Raven Clan colors by Socks that Rock would be perfect for a project that has been fermenting in the back of my brain, and I was hoping to get to look at a couple of the colorways before making a decision.  It provided to be a fortuitous stop as they had exactly what I was looking for in a more-or-less sport weight yarn called WooBu in color Valkerie (pardon the flash photo, it was after dark by the time I had time to take this and no other photo began to capture the colors).  It was a good thing I looked as the color I was most attracted to from the photos on my computer monitor (Korpii) was far too dark and somber for me to pull off and this color was perfect, although I would never have chosen it solely based on the computer image.

After our hour or more in the lines at the Fold, where I was knitting away happily on my fingerless mitts with my yarn safely held in Knitty Walker that I purchased from Christine Johnson last year, we were finally free to explore.  Several people commented on the Knitty Walker, and I extolled its virtues, so hopefully Christine will get a few orders, but considering how few people read this blog, I suspect it is unlikely.

We wandered around a few more hours, made a few more purchases (more about that later) and headed home for a late lunch, a nap for G, and some last minute sewing alterations for me.

We drove up to Saugerties for dinner at our favorite local (???) restaurant, Cafe Tamayo, where we had the fabulous Duck Confit.  Cafe Tamayo has the best duck confit I have ever had anywhere and it is rare that I am seduced away from it by anything else on the menu.  Although we knew we were having the duck I was not inspired by the wines this time, and although I usually opt for one of the fine Rhone wines, it wasn't what I wanted tonight.  I asked Rickie for help and she pointed me to an Australian Cabernet Sauvignon I had not tried,  Heartland, and it was just perfect:  somewhat full-bodied, rich, and warming.  It seemed to be the perfect wine for a crisp cool night when I wanted a wine with a bit more body  to take the chill off. It was also fruity enough, but with a  fairly tight structure,  that it was just perfect with the duck.    I was so happy I was smiling that silly goonish smile I always get when I am profoundly happy.