Where have all my shuttles gone?

I’m excited that I am going to Palmetto Tat Days in September! I’ve got my classes chosen and my entrance fee paid, I’ve got my plane tickets and my car rented, and I’ve got my roommate chosen and confirmed (hey, Diane!). I do not have my bags packed – it is three weeks away yet – but I am planning what clothes I will be taking. Now I’m working on getting ready for my classes, which includes finding threads and enough shuttles for all my projects.

I know I have enough shuttles for them all, but where are they?

I’ve gone through drawers, bags, and boxes trying to find them. What I found are multiple projects that I haven’t completed still attached to the shuttles I was working with at the time. Some projects I left alone, others I unwound the thread from the shuttles and wrapped it on bread ties. Quite a few shuttles had thread on them but no work attached. If there was only a small amount of thread I tatted flowers and butterflies to empty them; if there was a significant amount I wound it off onto bread ties. Several projects were in dreadful shape, tangle with other threads. How did they get that way?

Shuttles found

During my quest, I found this cute little box with compartments.  I think it is part of a tackle box that was never used. Yet. Seems perfect for three Clover shuttles and one Aerlit shuttle with spare bobbins.

Box just right for shuttles and bobbins

I expect I’ve found enough shuttles for my trip now. 🙂

As I was searching for my shuttles I kept humming a tune without really noticing what it was. When I stopped and thought about it I realized it was “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” I couldn’t resist re-writing it a bit. It doesn’t have the emotional feelings of the original, or circle ’round to the beginning again as the original does, but this did keep circling around in my head.

Where Have All My Shuttles Gone?

Where have all my shuttles gone?
Long time passing
Where have all my shuttles gone?
Long time ago
Where have all my shuttles gone?
Gone for projects every one
When will I ever learn?
When will I ever learn?
 
Where have all my projects gone?
Long time passing
Where have all my projects gone?
Long time ago
Where have all my projects gone?
Hidden in boxes every one
When will I ever learn?
When will I ever learn?

Original song “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” by Pete Seeger

Tatting in Yellowstone

When we travel I try to document myself tatting at different locations.  I admit I didn’t tat much on our Wyoming vacation, but I did think to pull it out at a few places. My husband surprised me by taking a video this time.  We are at Norris Geyser Basin pretty early in the morning. The museum located on the site is not even open yet. It is also chilly, which makes it hard to see the pools and geysers.  The steam is much thicker than normal but you can still hear the heated water. Because of the cloud cover, the fog, and the steam, you can’t tell which pool we are standing by – I think it is Emerald Pool. I hope this comes out.

Advice from a Hot Spring                                                                                                       “Let your talents spring forth, Keep new ideas bubbling, Be warm and welcoming, Have deep reservoirs, Let off a little steam!”  YourTrueNature.com

St. Louis Vacation 2017

Wow! I hadn’t realized just how long it has been since I last posted! July has been extremely busy. Things just worked out to take place in July, one thing right after another. Obviously the long weekend of the 4th of July, then a family vacation to St. Louis, Missouri, then a concert, then a vacation with my husband to Wyoming. It has been fun but has taken up much of my time and energy.

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Every year we try to take a vacation with our daughters and their families. This year we went to St. Louis, Missouri, and had a few extras as well – our niece and one of our daughter’s mother-in-law and sister-in-law. All good! Everyone got along and had a great time. All 13 of us.

One of the first things we did was visit the Gateway Arch. I’d been to it before but never went to the top. This time we all went up.

Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.

There is construction going on around it and under it. Believe it or not, the Museum of Western Expansion is underground, right below the Arch. Right now much of the museum is off limits due to the construction, though there are some exhibits in the old courthouse close by.  Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to the courthouse this trip.

View from the top of the Gateway Arch.

This is what we saw from one side of the viewing area at the top of the arch, which is 630 feet, or 192 meters, high. From the other side of the Arch, you see the Mississippi River. You go up in little enclosures that sit five people each and it takes several minutes. You don’t want to have a problem with tight or high places!

Items found in Gateway Arch gift store.

Check out what I found in the Arch gift shop! They have toys, books, and other items that relate to the western expansion of North America. I guess they consider tatting an old craft practiced during the western movement. How cool is it to find tatting like this in the gift shop?

There is a lot available to do in St. Louis so we had to narrow down what we wanted to do. Prior to our trip, we had a lot of people tell us what a great place the City Museum is, so we chose to go there after the Arch. We all totally agree this is a great place! No, it’s a totally awesome place! You can be there all day and not see or experience the whole thing. I recommend it to anyone going to St. Louis. If you go, take along head lights (flash lights that you can wear around your head) and knee pads. This place is loaded with things to experience – slides, caves, climbs, and other things too many to mention.

City Museum in St. Louis from the parking lot.

It was hot the day we visited, but it was a Saturday so it was open until midnight. We spent most of the afternoon there, then went out for supper and (most of us) went back until closing. You get wrist bands as your entry tickets which allow you to go in and out all day.

The roof of the City Museum in St. Louis.

This is a small portion of the roof of the museum. My husband is the highest person in that wire structure. It doesn’t go anywhere, it’s just a place to climb. The grandkids had a blast here! The parents had to stick with their kids. There are a lot of slides in the building, some spiraling through the dark, and it’s hard to know where or even which floor they end on. The caves are dark and may be scary to younger children but have amazing things hidden in them. There are trees and other things to climb all over the place. If you go, plan to spend a lot of time!

My goodies from our St. Louis vacation

I did pick up a few things from the Arch gift shop (yes, the tatting book, I didn’t have it yet) and the City Museum gift shop. I didn’t get much tatting done, but I didn’t expect to. The two buttons were all done on the drive there or back. Yes, there was time on the long drive there and back to have done more, but it didn’t happen.

This was a wonderful vacation. I am exceedingly pleased that it worked out so well and that everyone got along as well as they did. Well enough that we are already talking about where and what we want to do next year.

“Take vacations. Go as many places as you can. You can always make money. You can’t always make memories.”  positivelifetips.com