Things That Make Me Happy

Hydrangeas make me happy.  Here they are in my back yard.

...Running water.  This is Falls Park on the Reedy in Greenville, SC. (A nice place to stop on your way to/from Tatdays in Toccoa.)

...Hand spinning.  Here is about 5 oz of the roving I got from Karey, 2-plied, waiting to be washed and skeined.

...Finishing a pattern, except this one's not done yet, sigh.  It's getting closer.  I hope it's sufficiently recognizable as an interpretation of the famous Unicorn in Captivity tapestry.  One more for the upcoming book.  Yes, I will let you know when it is ready.

Answer for Sapling

For Sapling: dragons are trainable, but it is best to begin while they are very young.

The Dragon Emerges

Here is the dragon, at long last! Can you believe that this:

...is what grew out of that:

Perseverance!

His Day Out -- The Tank Museum

(Please stand by, we will return to our regular scheduled tatting shortly....)

We went to The Tank Museum!  They got tanks!  

Also artillery pieces, rifles, ammunition, medals, uniforms, a helicopter, vintage VWs, bayonets, helmets, Martian spacecraft, more tanks, military bicycles, anti-aircraft missile, an armored car, commemorative pillow cases, the shuttle craft Galileo, cavalry gear, historic photographs, toy tanks, vintage uniforms for sale, gun turrets, portraits, a little submarine, flags, a howitzer, a velociraptor, tools, and some more tanks.

Seriously, though, anyone like my DH, who is interested in this, would find the extensive collection at the American Armoured Foundation Inc.'s Tank & Ordnance War Memorial Museum quite impressive.

As an innocent bystander, I was able to keep myself amused, as with this delightfully inexplicable display.

In the rooms with uniforms on mannequins, I whispered, "As soon as we turn our backs, they come alive and eat our brains, right?"

And what's not to love in a place with life size cutouts of Elvis?


I'm just being silly; it really is very impressive.  Please do not misconstrue my weak attempt at humor to indicate any lack of respect for our armed forces.

My Day Out -- Agecroft & Maymont

(Still in the throes of designing, no tatting fit for public consumption.  Meanwhile, for your entertainment.....)

We recently visited Agecroft Hall in Richmond, Va. This is a 15th century manor house, built in Lancashire, England, and then disassembled and reconstructed here in the 1920's.  Our tour guide was excellent, with much to say about the house and the lifestyle of Tudor England.  During the tour, you can get very close to the wall tapestries and the embroidered bedcovers.  (Sorry, no photography allowed indoors.)  I enjoyed it immensely.

Around the house are some splendid gardens as well.

Close by at the Maymont Estate are other beautiful gardens.  This is the Italianate garden, near the Victorian era mansion, (which you can tour, if you have more time than we did).

Then go down these ornamental steps...

... and you arrive at the Japanese garden, which I really loved.  There is much more to see there, more gardens, an arboretum, and a nature center.  I recommend both of these if you find yourself in the area.

News Flash! Palmetto Registration is Open!

Registration for Palmetto Tat Days is now open! Read about it HERE.  Scholarships are available to help with expenses.  Lots of people have already signed up, so hurry to get the classes you want.

This is earlier than last year, isn't it?  Donna has been doing a great job getting the web pages up.

Warbirds over the Beach

(no tatting today, please stay tuned...)

We had long looked forward to Warbirds over the Beach, the airshow produced by the Military Aviation Museum   of Virginia Beach, which features all WWII planes.  It is also remarkable for having a re-enactors encampment with men and women in the uniform of the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Russia, and perhaps more nations.

Excitement was in air, with the drone of small planes circling overhead before the show.  We had time to look at the many planes on the ground, waiting to fly later.

The pride of their collection is the Mosquito, a rare British plane, made of wood, and restored to flying condition.

The show began. The first plane flew, the anti-aircraft gun pretended to shoot, and the paratroopers jumped.

And then the heavens opened up with a downpour.  The re-enactors welcomed the crowd to take shelter in their tents.  Later we retreated to the main building to be entertained by a concert band.

We grew hopeful as the sky began to lighten, but eventually the announcer said there would be no more flying today.  Well, we still had fun, and we'll go back next year.

More planes:

And dinosaurs too, at the entrance to the museum.