My husband and I took a short vacation to Colorado to visit our daughter and her family over Easter. While we were gone, I did very little tatting. We started out late in the day so some of the trip was in the dark, not ideal conditions to tat (though I do have a light I could have used). My daughter's house does not have lights in convenient places, making it difficult to tat while there. We also were busy visiting and doing things with the family. On the way home, I was just lazy. Overall, not much tatting was done, except for a few stitches while sitting in Estes Park.
We watched our grandson's jazz band play at a jazz festival, and our granddaughter at a track meet. The entire family went walking in a park with our dogs and enjoyed the beautiful weather. We saw a lot of people out doing the same thing. It's amazing how fast a few days go by when you are busy.
On our last day the kids were back in school and our daughter and son-in-law back at work, so Jack and I went up to Rocky Mountain National Park. It was still not open across the divide, but there is still a lot to see on the west side.
Still snow on the peaks in RMNP
We almost missed this moose resting in the grass. It was a distance from the road, resting beside a fence that was put up by the forest service to protect a stand of willows. If they don't protect them, deer and elk eat them beyond recovery. Moose drop their antlers after rut and regrowth doesn't start again until sometime in April, so we don't know if this was a bull or cow.
Moose at RMNP
We drove up to Bear Lake but didn't hike to it as they don't want dogs on the trail. Which was fine by us, as we aren't in the kind of shape to do much strenuous hiking. We are not usually up there this early in the year and we saw things we haven't before, like frozen streams.
Still cold at Bear Lake, RMNP
We have been up to Rocky Mountain National Park many times, but have never been in the right place at the right time to see bighorn sheep, and we saw these right beside the road. They weren't even in RMNP, they were in Roosevelt National Forest as we headed east to Loveland on highway 34.
Bighorn sheep east of Estes Park
I need to get back to tatting now that we're home again, but I find myself busy doing other things. I'm sure I'll take the time again to tat soon as I still have a list of things I want to make. Soon.
"The ant is knowing and wise, but he doesn't know enough to take a vacation."
We made it back from a wonderful vacation at Pagosa Springs, Colorado. We explored the area a bit, saw the town of Pagosa Springs, and just kicked back and relaxed. We stayed at Club Wyndom Pagosa while we were there, in a house right on the water.
This is the view from the back yard of the house we stayed in. I took a picture of the sunset every day I was there, it was just so beautiful. It was pretty nice during the day as well.
This was the view one morning. We saw balloons almost every day, many of them doing a splash and dash on the lake. Most days were clear and calm, with this being the only morning that was cloudy.
This was also common view from our balcony.
The San Juan River runs through Pagosa Springs, with some of the hot springs flowing right into it. Some of these hot springs can be accessed free when walking along the river. This is the river about 7:30 AM as we drove through town, the steam natural hot water where it runs into the river.
There are a lot of spas in Pagosa Springs where you have to pay to enjoy the hot springs, with a large variety of accommodations - and prices. We went to Overlook Mineral Springs Spa, which is in a building built in 1908. By not being on the water's edge, they were more affordable than some. They have tubs on the roof, where you can soak, enjoy the sun, and overlook the San Juan River. We had a lovely time, though I had to buy a sun hat. The one I brought was left at the house...
The tatting I took with me turned out to be just too complicated to work on while on vacation. I was too distracted by talk and scenery to get anything done. Even making this much could get me in trouble by forgetting the stitch count or where I should join.
I also goofed when I packed. I knew I would run out of thread, so I brought the ball so I could add more. Or so I thought.
Not quite. I couldn't even use it to make a two-tone piece. Ugh! That is the main reason I switched to purple thread and made earrings!
Since we've been home, I've had a molar tooth extracted and the funeral of a close relative. Not a good week to get much done. I'm finally feeling well enough to concentrate on tatting, so I think I'll be doing more soon. I have a list.
I love travel, I love coming home, and I love the memories and pictures I acquire on the way.
How about you? Do you like to travel?
"Travel becomes a strategy for accumulating photographs." Susan Sontag
We are currently on vacation with friends in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. I have brought tatting with me - of course! - but I haven't had much time to tat. There have been too many other things to see and do. I did finally make a pair of earrings.
The first earring started out as something else but I wasn't able to pay enough attention to what I was doing to continue. I decided I could get a set of earrings done by stopping where I was.
I thought they came out pretty good, even though there are a couple of spots I'm not happy with. But on a galloping horse a mile away you can't see them. 😄
When we aren't out and about seeing the area or watching the deer outside where we are staying, we play a lot of cards. We've been vacationing with these friends almost every year for over 10 years. At the end of one vacation we're already wondering where we'll go the next. It's wonderful to have such good friends!
While here, we visited Chimney Rock and Great Sand Dunes. At Chimney Rock we made it all the way up to the Great House. I'm so glad we brought our walking sticks! At the Sand Dunes we made it up the first dune, quite a walk in that much sand. We've definitely got a lot of exercise in the week!
We have several more days to enjoy the area and time with our friends. What are we going to do next?
"In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed." Khalil Gibran https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/khalil-gibran-quotes
I have several projects in mind, none of which I've started yet. For each project, I envision using a specific color of thread or color of beads, but I am missing at least one item for each project. Still wanting to tat, I made a pair of earrings that are not on my list.
While cleaning up a bit of tatting from some earlier time, I found an earring. But only one. I looked at the clothes for a shirt that I would like to match earrings to, located thread that would work, dug out beads that would look good with it, and started on a new pair.
I am not enamored of this pattern, which I knew when I finished the first one. It looked a bit different in the darker thread that was used in my find. It might also be I didn't follow the stitch count, which would lead to it being less pleasing to my eyes. Whatever the case, I made the matching earring so I had a pair. I might not be that pleased with it, but it looks okay. I will probably base another earring on this idea, making a few tweaks when I do.
I have been looking over the pictures I took on our family vacation a few weeks ago. I take a lot of pictures! Of course, not all are good pictures, so I need to go through them and delete the bad ones. I am so glad they are digital! I can see them as I take them, as well as on the computer when I view them later. I don't have to wait days or weeks to get them developed and then find out they are out of focus, of the floor, or some other mistake. I can also take several shots at a time, and not worry about how many are good or bad. This makes for a lot of pictures to go through when I get home.
I also get a lot of pleasure in finding the good shots, and remembering where and when it was taken.
This is a view of the Colorado River close to the town of Hot Sulphur Springs, Colorado. There is an easy hike here, which we took before we went to soak in the hot springs at the near-by spa.
My husband, Jack, snapped this picture of the crew that went on the hike.
At least most of us looks like we're having fun!
They must have enjoyed the vacation, because before we all headed home they were talking of wanting to do this again. Joy!
"Time and memory are true artists; they remold reality nearer to the heart's desire."John Dewey
We just got back from a wonderful family vacation. I had meant to post a little something while we were gone, but I forgot to ensure I had the password to get into my blog. Oops! I didn't get much tatting done, anyway.
We started our vacation with a visit to an aunt and uncle, at their cabin west of Pueblo, Colorado. It was restful and so quiet! Mostly we just visited on their front porch and watched the critters pass by. They have several hummingbird feeders, which are well used. We also saw deer, squirrels, rabbits, and a lot of birds from the porch. Antelope were around, but only when we drove out to the valley.
This is the only tatting I can say I finished while we were gone. I took plenty of thread and shuttles, but time and energy for tatting was in short supply. Time was spent with family, not always doing but a lot of being together. Energy was in short supply after we did get around to doing things.
After a few days in the mountains by Pueblo we headed to Grandby, Colorado, to spend time with our daughters and their families. We arrived a day earlier than they did, so we drove around the area seeing it in June. We've been there a handful of times, but always in the fall. It is so different and green! There is also more water in the rivers and lakes, and snow on the mountains!
This is the view from Hoosier pass. It was getting late by the time we went through but we had to stop for the view and the obligatory picture by the sign.
In Grandby the family had a great time together in a beautiful setting. We played games, went out on the lake in a pontoon to fish, did some easy hiking, and just hung out together. It was fabulous.
One evening we enjoyed s'mores on the patio and a marvelous view. Good times!
Now we are back home in sweltering heat. The temperatures are in the 90's(F), with a lot of humidity. We're not even in the south! And it has rained every day, sometimes for hours, sometimes for just a few minutes. Since last night we got 1.75" of rain, with more expected over the next week. We've been in a drought for three years, but I'm ready for a break from the rain!
I have several tatting projects in mind now we are home for a while. With the temperatures so hot, I am happy to have things to do in the house.
How is your summer?
"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them."Desmond Tutu
Is it Friday already? The week has gone by so fast! It has been an extremely busy week. Last weekend we took a trip to Missouris and I feel we’ve been running ever since.
My husband and I traveled to Springfield, Missouri last weekend to meet up with a few tatting friends. Kristina Fry arranged for a room at The Library Center where we could tat and catch up. It was a great location for us to spread out, share what we’ve been doing, and do a bit of tatting together.
Tatting with Kristina, Kay, and Peggy
Kristina Fry, Kay Pettyjohn, Peggy Rogan, and I enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of tatting. We all met at tatting events put on by Tatting Corner and went on the Tatting Cruise last year. Our time together went by so fast! My husband left us to our threads to go to Bass Pro Shop, where he enjoyed himself much more than if he had stayed with us.
Tatting and chatting
Thanks to Kristina for taking a few other pictures than the one I took. I was so busy doing I didn’t even think about pictures.
Ladies, I’ll see you in Anderson, Indiana in July for the next Tat Days.
From Springfield, Jack and I went on to Branson, Missouri. The only plan we had there was to see the Titanic museum. We’d seen the outside before but had never gone through it. It is amazing!
Titanic Museum, Branson, MO
It takes about two hours to go through and you must purchase tickets before showing up. There is limited space inside so they restrict how many people can be inside at one time. We spent a bit over two hours inside, there was so much to see and hear. It is self-guided, but they give you a device with audio descriptions. I highly recommend this place!
Presidential suite on the Titanic
This is a recreation of one of the largest accommodations on the Titanic, one of the two presidential cabins. The portrait is of the couple who were in this one on the fateful voyage.
All of the people working in the museum dressed as they would have if they were actual crew members.
Musicians of the Titanic
This gentleman’s name is Tommy, who explained how the musicians from the Titanic were paid and lived, and then sat down at the beautiful piano and played for those of us in the room.
If you’ve never been to Branson, MO. before, it has lots of things to do and see. Just driving around is fun (at least for us!). Here is a couple of pictures I took (of the many I took).
Wax Museum of Branson, MO
This is the outside of the Wax Museum at night. King Kong can be seen from a long distance, especially at night.
Aquarium in Branson, MO
The outside of the Branson Aquarium. The water is a show all by itself. We stopped in the parking lot to watch it.
There are a lot of shows in Branson and many choices for places to eat. If you don’t mind the crowds, it can be a lot of fun. It’s a fun place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.
“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” Martin Buber
I have no affiliation with anyone linked in this post and earn nothing for mentioning them.
While working with all the threads in autumn shades, I thought it would be great to make some earrings. I have some really cute owl beads I wanted to use, so I tried a few different things in an attempt at earrings I like. Most didn’t work out as I envisioned but what I ended with looks okay.
Owl bead earrings
The split rings have a tendency to twist, but that’s the nature of split rings. They are fun to wear.
When you think of fall, Halloween, or Thanksgiving, pumpkins come to mind. I came up with these earrings.
Orange pumpkin earrings
I think I’ve seen patterns for pumpkins similar to these, but this is my take on them. I gave them to one of my daughters, who was thrilled to get them. She has a sweater that they look great with. Sometimes I get things right!
I’ve been working on several other tatted things, but I’m not quite ready to share them yet. So I’ll share a few pictures of our most recent vacation.
We spent the last week of September in Colorado with another couple. We rented a house together in Grand Lake, an area we’ve been to several times, but the first time in town. It was a terrific house with beautiful views.
The view south from the deck
This is the view south from the deck of the house, overlooking Shadow Mountain Lake. The colors were wonderful! I took pictures from this vantage every day so I can look back and see the changes in the trees. We loved the time we spent on the deck.
A magpie on the post
We had several magpies that came around the house daily and entertained us with their antics. Between the cost of gas and eating out, we spent a lot of time at the house instead of traveling around the area as we usually do. This was not a hardship. We took turns cooking which somehow is not so much of a burden when shared with friends. We also enjoy playing cards together, something we do every year on vacation with them. This year we just played a lot more.
I didn’t get much chance to tat while we were at the house but I took advantage of the chances I did have.
Tatting with a view
I sat by the big picture window to tat so I could enjoy the view and the light. It did rain a few times while we were there as you can see by the drops on the window.
Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park on wandasknottythoughts
One of the reasons we like the area around Grand Lake is how close it is to Rocky Mountain National Park. This gives us a chance to go into the park to see the wildlife, mostly the elk. We go in the fall so we can hear the elk bugle during the rut. It is exciting to hear!
On our way home from Grand Lake, we caught sight of a herd of bighorn sheep. Amazingly, they were on the outskirts of the Colorado town of Empire. They were obviously used to traffic, just keeping an eye on us but not running away.
Big horn sheep in Colorado
FYI, we do not approach too close to wildlife. We keep a safe distance from the animals to take pictures, usually staying in the vehicle. These sheep were very close, but we never got out of the truck.
We’ve had a hot and dry summer here, and most of the state is in extreme or exceptional drought. This morning we awoke to rain! It was not heavy and not much of it, but the right kind. If it had been much heavier it would have just run off instead of sinking into the ground. We’re hoping for more, but we will take what we can get. Sunday we had high winds with a lot of blowing dust and temperatures in the upper 80’s. Today the highs are supposed to be about 55° F with much less wind. Maybe autumn is finally here!
“Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.” Anthony J. D’Angelo
I mentioned in my last post that I didn’t complete any tatting while on vacation, which is true, but I almost did. I finished this snowflake the day after we got home.
Victor Snowflake
I still had the Lizbeth #674 Garnet Dk on my shuttles while trying to decide what I wanted to do. I started the center and was very happy with it. I’m not as happy with the outside arms, probably because the dark thread made seeing the stitches hard when I didn’t have the best lighting. Which was often. The reason the arms are a bit wonky is, I suspect, incorrect stitch counts as well as different tensions. This is what happens when you put it down and pick it up at odd intervals while making it.
Overall I’m happy with this snowflake, which I’m calling Victor after where I started it. I’m thinking this might be my family Christmas ornament this year, but I could change my mind at any time.
Victor, Idaho, is a cute little town right on Idaho state highway 33, just five miles from the Wyoming state line. The town has some nice businesses, several of which we visited while there. We did find the street parking kind of odd, none of us had seen it before. All the cars have to back into the parking spots on the street.
Victor, Idaho parking
We were asking ourselves what was going on when we spotted the sign.
Victor, Idaho parking directions
At least they gave directions. The street is marked with a line to give you space so you can pull over in preparation for backing in. Speaking to one of my daughters when we got home I was told that she had seen this before in a business parking lot. I guess you never know what you are going to find when you travel.
“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” travel ad
We went on our yearly vacation last week. After days of getting things unpacked, laundry done (mostly), and the yard mowed, I can finally start going through all the pictures I took, some of which you’ll find in this post. I only got a small amount of tatting done while we were gone, and nothing at all completely finished.
I take a lot of pictures, hoping that a few will come out without blurring, missing the subject altogether, and be worth keeping. I love digital pictures! Remember when you had to buy film, take pictures that you have no idea if they are what you want, and pay to get them developed to see even if they were bad? Yeah, I like digital pictures. But now I take so many it takes a while to go through and I rarely get any printed, good or not. There are always upsides and downsides to everything, aren’t there? There is a lot of pictures included in this post.
We went west again, to Idaho this time but we did make a stop at a place I’ve wanted to go to for years, coming close but never getting there, Devil’s Tower, Wyoming. Some of you may remember it from the movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It’s very impressive. This picture doesn’t do it justice.
Devil’s Tower, Wyoming
While in the car headed to our destination I thought I’d empty the shuttles of the Harvest Orange Medium thread I had left from the August Split Ring Cross I had made with it. I liked where this was going until I made a core thread join and split the thread. I could not get the join undone! I might try to save it later, but it was impossible in the car.
Tangled thread while emptying shuttles
Before leaving the house I grabbed a couple of balls of thread to take with me. As usual, I didn’t really have a plan on what to tat while on vacation so I just take several colors of thread and hope for the best. Why I grabbed Lizbeth #674 Garnet Dark in size 20 I don’t know. I like the color but it is very dark which makes it hard to see in uncertain lighting. But after emptying the shuttles of the Harvest Orange, I wrapped them in the Garnet and started tatting. I think this is partially why I didn’t finish anything.
I started this next with a vague idea of what I wanted to do. There were too many distractions and I only got this far. Another idea I might come back to at another time.
An idea in Garnet Dk
One of the distractions was Yellowstone National Park. It is a huge park, with many features to see as well as wildlife. We stopped to see Old Faithful, the famous geyser that erupts at somewhat regular intervals. Recently it erupts every hour to an hour and a half for two to five minutes while everyone just sits around and waits for it. We watched it twice the day we were there, and some of that waiting time was a good time to tat.
Waiting on Old Faithful
Old Faithful
Me tatting at Old Faithful
Here’s another start that didn’t get finished. I don’t like this much, it didn’t go as planned at all. Yes, it was a vague plan, but not this. I didn’t have good backgrounds for my tatting pictures so I used postcards I picked up. This one is of a Pronghorn. We saw a lot of these on our trip this year.
Another unfinished object while on vacation
This year we stayed at a cozy cabin outside of Victor, Idaho, which is about five miles west of Wyoming and west of Grand Teton National Park. It is cheaper to stay this far away from Yellowstone, anything closer can be quite pricey, though it makes for long days in the car. For all that the cabin was in Idaho, we spent most of our time sightseeing in Wyoming.
Tatting at the cabin in Idaho
We frequently travel in autumn hoping to catch the color change of the leaves in the mountains. When we got there this year there was some color and when we left there was more. I think we hit it about the right time. We also got there just after it snowed in the mountains, in fact, we had to detour because some of the roads in Yellowstone were closed due to snow.
Idaho fall color
This was a road just outside of Victor that we checked out early one morning hoping to see some wildlife. We only saw two deer, one maybe a 6-point buck, the other a spike (only one point). It was still a nice drive.
Snow-covered mountains in Yellowstone
This is looking east over West Thumb, a part of Yellowstone Lake. The weather was warm after the snow, so these mountains probably lost most of that snow cover within a few days. It was great seeing them with this much snow.
View of the Teton Mountains, Wyoming
We took a little jaunt up to the Grand Targhee Resort, which was recommended as a pretty drive. It was. Once there we turned around and drove back down. There was a lot of color and some beautiful views.
I did get one piece of tatting done shortly after we got home. I’m not all that happy with it and it has a few mistakes (dang that dark thread!) which I’ll share next week. Now I get to go back and enjoy all the pictures a little more slowly and re-live a bit of the vacation.
“Happiness is enjoying the vacation, then enjoying them again through the pictures we take.” Wanda Salmans
