That said...A few other (non-down/up town related) observations:

*The little yarn shop that opened there recently seems to still be doing well. (Yes, I went in and bought some yarn...I got some Cascade 220 in a gorgeous copper-with-green-flecks color for the u-necked vest in "Fitted Knits")

*I did my taxes, which is always a big relief. I think next year I will need to start keeping receipts and doing a Schedule A - I think I give away enough money (plus the various "professional development" expenses like Sigma Xi and ESA membership) to make it worthwhile. Not so much looking forward to that.

*I finished two pairs of socks and I knit some more on the back of the Kenobi jacket. Pictures to come probably Monday.

*Lichens are everywhere once you start looking for them. I was kind of wishing I had some kind of ID book with me so I could start learning to identify them when I had a little bit of time to do it. I did find some good lichenological papers at the university library when I was up there (they're very generous about giving "guest passes" so you can use the online databases).

*Rabbits are far more abundant up there than they are here; I don't know if we have more predators like coyotes and bobcats that eat them up or if they're just not as abundant to begin with. But it's rare that I see even one rabbit down here and while I was up there I saw five or six last week, and I wasn't even looking.

*While waiting for the train yesterday afternoon, I heard a starling that had learned to mimic the "peent" call of a nighthawk and also the alarm call of a killdeer. It's always amusing and amazing to hear what they learn to mimic (in some areas, I've read, they mimic car alarms).