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!
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!
