Saturday, September 24, 2011

Tat Days - The Thursday and Friday Report

Before jumping in to the fun-filled day of classes, events and hijinx that was Friday, I have some bad news. Blogspot refuses to play nice with Safari. I have not been successful uploading photos from iPad.

A creative work-around (So there, Blogger!) is being attempted. If later tonight you see photos on either this post or the previous one, you will know that CrazyMom and I outsmarted Blogger.





New Friends, Awesome Talent
Meeting Nina Libin at the airport was a thrill! What a warm, wonderful, kind and generous lady. A genuinely incredible woman.

What Southern Women Know
Southern ladies know how to put travelers at ease with their hospitality. Once again I have been wowed, especially from CrazyMom.

She did Georgia proud all weekend. In addition to playing tour guide to Nina and I on Thursday, she was all prepared with "roomie prezzies" of Toblerone, jewelry-making kits, beads and loads of laughs!

Local Trivia
Did you know that Georgia had the first gold rush? Nina and I learned this after CrazyMom pointed out the gold-domed State Capitol Building in Atlanta.

As early as 1819, gold was being mined by whites in North Georgia. (Native Americans panned for gold much earlier.) The California Gold Rush began in 1848.


"What'll ya have?"
We headed off to The Varsity for lunch, where the staff call out "What'll ya have?" as soon as you approach the diner-style counter. It is a chili dog and burger joint that is listed among the top fast food restaurants in the country. The onion rings, chili-n-slaw dogs and FO's (Frosted Orange milkshakes - they taste like creamsiscles.) are legendary.


Last year I didn't get a single photo of CrazyMom at Tat Days so I determined to get one of her this year. Little did I know what a challenge this would be. She is an expert at evading the camera!


See what I mean?

A few  highlights from the ride to Toccoa:

Lots of get-to-know-you conversation - hearing about Nina's experience teaching tatting in the Tuilleries Gardens in Paris and other places where she has been invited to teach, "where were you on 9/11," tales of the Stooges and of course The Sprout.

We made great time and were at the Baptist Conference Center with time to schmooze before teacher check-in. Thank you CrazyMom and Nina for making the drive so enjoyable.

After check in, I made two discoveries. One, my leprechaun abduction attempt had gone awry. Ciarrán was not in my suitcase. Curses!


But I did find a stowaway. Tucked in among the sundries was a stuffed toy octopus that The Sprout had smuggled in so I wouldn't get lonely without him. Isn't he just the sweetest son a mom could hope to have?


We had fun with octopus. He kept cropping up in photos, like this one with a darling, wee pixie named Pillywiggin who came with Karrieann.


Marie Smith's 10-year-old granddaughter, Georgia Seitz and a few others put octopus on their heads. Before long we were calling him Octo-Bonnet.

Stay tuned for tales from Day 1 of classes, the Guinness Book of World Records, awe-inspiring projects and a tribute to Myrtle Hamilton!

Let the Good Times Roll

Posting from the Atlanta Hilton hotel room, before I take the airport shuttle to meet Nina Libin and Crazy Mom.

The sunset photo was taken at 39,000 feet. It reminded me of the pretty sunrise and sunset photos Crazy Mom shares on her blog from her weekday commute.

But, I'm in Georgia, y'all! Later today Nina, Crazy Mom and I will have lunch together in Atlanta on the way to Toccoa.

Let the fun begin!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Tatting Tea Tuesday - T-minus 3 days


My bags are packed and shuttles wound. I'll be taking off for Palmetto Tat Days 2011 on Wednesday morning. Wheee!

This year I'm flying solo. No Big Daddy or Sprout. (Sorry, Hegla!)

I will miss the menfolk somethin' awful while away. But I'm hoping that tatting friends will keep me grinning and tatting through the conference.

Leprechaun No Show?
Can you believe Ciarrán says he isn't coming? It was all "Ar aghaidh linn," with his bag in his hand until he found out that The Sprout wasn't going. The fickle elf up and bailed! He says he's staying home to play with The Sprout and Toothless.

How many other tatting leprechauns will be at Tat Days?

An intervention may be required...


Tah Cha Cha - knot-tea song lyrics
The following fractured lyrics may cause feelings of flying fingers and happy feet.

Inspired by the song: "The Bear Cha-Cha-Cha" from Jim Henson's Bear in the Big Blue House



The Tat Days Tah-Cha-Cha

[IsDihara]
(Uh-oh. I'm gettin' that feelin' again.
Yeah, it's the itchin', a twitchin', a scritchin', a scratchin'.
It's time for the Tat Days Tah-Cha-Cha!)

When I feel my fingers start to twitch
My lips go la-la-la la-la la-la
And my arms and legs get the itch
It's time to do The Tat Days Tah-Cha-Cha

Tah-cha-cha
Ha-cha-cha!
Gonna tah-cha-cha
Ooh la la
Time to tah-cha-cha
The Tat Days Tah-Cha-Cha

(Well, don't just sit there. Get up and do it with me. Come on!)


A kind of hush is falling over the tatting blogosphere. Maybe because tatters are traveling...but I know not all of you are.

I will attempt to blog from Tat Days. Last year the internet connection from the hotel in Cornelia, GA, wasn't fast enough to upload photos. This year I will be on campus at the Baptist Conference Center in Toccoa, GA, where CrazyMom says the internet connection is serviceable. Keep your fingers crossed for more than one update! I will do my best.

Stay tuned for Tat Days updates. Signing off for now.