Ridin' the Crazy Train

DH, Moe, and I rode an old train today. And it was a lot of fun.

We drove up into North Georgia to Blue Ridge, GA, and rode on their old rail line - the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway.

We got our tickets and looked at the train. It's made up of older cars that have been refurbished.

Some cars, like this one, were open air. This would be great in the fall - but since it was so hot, I opted for an air conditioned car.

We were on car 332 - it was cheery and bright. Before it was refurbished, this car had a darker past. This was supposedly the very last rail car made under Jim Crow rules - designed for segregated seating of black and white folks. I'm glad those days are gone.

As we waited in our car for the trip to start, we saw a tiny train which sent us on our way!

The trip was not a long one, but the scenery was gorgeous. The tracks follow the path of the Toccoa River, which flows north into Tennessee.

Here's the basic path. This line started before the Civil War, part of the narrow gauge line known as the Marietta & North Georgia Railroad. The current line is staffed mostly by volunteers!

Here's a lovely home along the way. According to our guide, the home was owned by a railroad conductor who built the home and raised 11 children on the grand salary of fifty cents a day.

We saw a lot of pretty scenery as we made our trip. This is an ancient Native American fish trap in the Toccoa River, which flows right to left here. They put rocks in the river and herded fish into the V of the trap.

And soon enough we were at our destination. This little town is split by the GA/TN state line, so it's two towns in one.

The state line runs straight through the town, marked by a blue line. Moe's big dogs are in seperate states.

The town is quaint, with the Toccoa River running straight through it. Lots of rafting/tubing companies are based in the area. The town used to have copper mines, but they closed up years ago.

Other residents enjoy the river. We grabbed some lunch (sandwiches we brought) and browsed some shops.

This is just wrong. (The candies are feather shapes!)

After a two hour layover, we got back on the train and headed back to Blue Ridge.

We met the jolly conductor. What a fun job!

We were tired on the trip back - it was really hot that day, and we walked around for hours in it. (DH later told me his feet hurt. He was wearing shoes with no supports.)

Soon enough we got home. The train pulled into the station and we found our car and headed home.

Here's a little treat for you, a little movie I took on the trip. You can hear the train sounds well, and see the river through the trees.

A fun day - I recommend riding the rails!

Back from a brief break

First off - registration is open for Palmetto Tat Days 2012. I'm teaching! Come and have a great time. If you've never attended a tatting conference, let me say - you're in for a treat if you come.

I'm back from a short overnight jaunt with DH, sans the Stooges. We headed up the hill from Hotlanta, in the sweltering heat, to Chattanooga, TN.

Unfortunately, it was sweltering at our destination too. Thank heavens the car's AC is now fixed!

DH and I managed to have a good time despite the heat. Nice room, with a comfy bed. We were told the room had a mountain view.

Oh well! Who looks out windows in hotel rooms anyhow? The AC worked, that was important!

We did see lots of things. We went through a long tunnel at Tunnel Hill. Kinda cool. And narrow - one lane.

For those not used to driving in the South, See Rock City signs used to be everywhere.

I decided we should drive up Lookout Mountain. So up the hill we went. We did not See Rock City, but we did go past Ruby Falls. I was really amused when DH thought Ruby Falls was a place to mine rubies, instead of being a tourist trap. Lots of folks were being sucked in at Ruby Falls, but not us. We journeyed on, up up the hill and stopped at...

The Incline Railroad.

Where we just watched the train go up the steep, steep hill, choosing not to ride it. Great view though!

We weren't done yet. We went a little further up the hill, to Point Park, on the top of Lookout Mountain. For those that don't know, Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain were big parts of the American Civil war. The battle of Lookout Mountain was known as the "Battle above the Clouds".

Lots of things to see at the park, which is run by the National Park Service. There were cannons. I think these are the kind referred to as Napolean cannons.

And memorials. This is the New York Peace Memorial, which has a Union and a Confederate soldier shaking hands on top.

And lots of great views, like this of the Tennessee River. As you can tell, the extreme heat made the day hazy.

We got reminders of how many soldiers were killed or injured in this battle. This is just the Confederate casualties.

For Civil War buffs such as DH, this is a great spot to visit. The visitor's center houses a huge painting called "Battle Above the Clouds" painting by James Walker. It's 13' x 40' - very large. It was commissioned by the winner, General Hooker (center on the white horse).

After we left the park (and consumed a lot of water - hot hot hot!) we went down, down the hill. I remember a friend burning her brakes out on this hill years ago, and I wonder how. It's steep - but not as bad as going to Mom's place! I just gear down.

The other adventure we had in Chattanooga was a river ride on the boat River Gorge Explorer. It makes guided tours down the Tennessee River, and you learn about the river, wildlife, and Civil War history. Since it's a catamaran with jet engines, the boat is FAST.

And comfy - air conditioned! DH and I were glad to beat the heat.

We got to see wildlife. This is an osprey nest, with adults and fledglings on the nest. We saw a lot of herons, egrets, turtles.

The guide was a biologist who specialized in shellfish. He showed us some neat mussels. The interior of this large native mussel is pink - isn't it gorgeous? I recommend the boat ride - it was fun.

And yes, I did a bit of tatting. I bought an old timey cloth doll at a fair recently, and have given her some tatted edging on her blouse. I'm adding some hair to her (using embroidery floss), and then I'll give her to my little niece Kara.

What are you doing this summer?
 

In Hades

It's very, very hot. And sticky.

Here's the prediction in Farenheit.

And for you Celsius folks.

I may die.

I almost had heatstroke coming home yesterday. The AC on my car died 15 minutes into my hour long commute, leaving me to sit on the downtown interstate in 98F heat, crawling along. I was feeling quite ill when I got home.

The car is now in the shop, getting the AC fixed. At GREAT expense. But it's that or perish in the heat.

And it's only July. Oh ya'll. It's going to be an ugly summer.
 

JC's Cross finished

I finished my cross for Jimmy Carter.

It's in Lady Shuttle Maker's Tuscany HDT size 20. It wants blocking, but looks pretty good I think. The pattern is my own Simple Cross. I'll put it in a thank you card and send it to Jimmy, via Miss Jan.

Moe is back from his second week of Boy Scout camp. He came back happy and stinky, as usual. He proudly told me he had taken a single shower during the week, and had not changed his socks once. I made him strip in the laundry room down to his boxers, and sent him straight up to the shower. His feet were brown with dirt.

DH and I are going away this weekend, something we seldom do. We're heading up to Chattanooga TN and hang out there. I think we're going on a river cruise, but mostly we're just going to relax. Without the Stooges!

It's hot as Hades here. 98F today, 100F tomorrow, 102F Saturday. (Saturday's high is 38.9 for you Celsius folks.) Mercy - when it gets to body temperature or above, I just DIE! Thank God we have air conditioning.

The cats have been lolling around in the heat. Isn't Cisco handsome?

I don't understand how this could be comfortable, but evidently it is.

Now I need to think about other things - like getting my car's AC fixed so we don't DIE in the heat!

Stay cool, ya'll.

Coming to the end of the Pineapple Heaven doily

I am pleased to report that I am finally, finally, it's about damn time, finally tatting the 16th and last round of the Pineapple Heaven doily.

This last round is all chains, and should go fast. You can really see the pineapple shape in it now - pretty, isn't it? And I'm happy to say that I used split rings and split chains to crawl out of every round to go on to the next. I'll block it as soon as I finish, which should make a world of difference.

And I'm sooooo glad to be finishing. I'm really, really sick of working on this one project now.

I don't have really that much time to tat. Just sometimes at lunch and some in the evening - and then it's hit or miss. I work FT and have a hellish commute (2-3 hrs total a day) plus there's home and the Stooges. So - not much free time. I envy those who have more time!

In other news, since Moe is off at camp (yea camp!), Vader finds himself without a night time companion. Moe sleeps like the dead and doesn't care if there is a large cat standing on him. DH is not that way. The other night ,Vader jumped up on us in the bed at some really early hour (Vader seems to weigh 75 lbs when he's standing on your stomach with his pointy paws) and wanted petting. I pet cats automatically. DH, not so much. Then DH moved in the bed and Vader ATTACKED his feet, causing blood and pain. And cursing. This has not prevented Vader from jumping on the bed every morning since then - and I think he will continue to, until Moe returns.

Vader has been enjoying watching fish. A neighbor gave us this tank & fish, and Vader's been fascinated.



Mom says a fish tank is TV for cats, and I'm inclined to agree. (Sorry about the noise - DH was banging pots in the kitchen during this. The tank and everything about it belongs to DH, hence the mess.) Vader spends a lot of time here. Sophie and Cisco could care less.



Oh - I almost forgot this. The geek in me LOVES this.Look here for further info.

It's been hot. Bad hot. Hellish hot. It's been over 90F since May 29. (That over 32 for you Celsius folks.) I know I live in Hotlanta, but shesh, this is ridiculous! What will July and August bring? I shudder to think. We did get a little rain last night, and our plants are sooo grateful.

How is your summer going?

Shearing and some threads

Not much going on here, just trying to escape the endless heat.  (Summer here will be bloody hot for at least 2 more months.)  All they guys are trying to get cooler, so Curly and Larry buzzed each other's heads last week with the hair clippers.  Thursday, DH asked me to do the same and then Moe wanted his done. Moe insisted on a #2 guard on the clippers, which is mighty short.  He persisted, and here's the results.

Short, isn't it? I told him some of his friends might give him a hard time.  He says it's comfy.

A few weeks ago, I met a friend from my childhood on a trip she made to Hotlanta.  Mrs. A is someone I've known since Junior High.  I used to spend the night at her and we would laugh and giggle and bounce on the bed until I would be gasping with asthma.  I was so pleased to see her at high school reunions - she's a delightful person and she looks great, has a lovely family.  Mrs. A knows I tat, and she picked some things up at a yard sale for me.  She gave them to me when we got together.

Wow!  A huge bag full of thread!  Tons of crochet in many colors, plus some Anchor Perle size 8 and Coats in 20 and 30.  What a nice friend - thank you so much Mrs, A!

Conversation at my house today:

Larry: Mom, did you know they have purple potatoes?
Me: Yes, you cut into them and they're purple
Larry: Why do you need purple potatoes?
Me: People like them. You know they make butter flavored potatoes, right?
Larry: What!!!
Me: Yeah, they're called Yukon Gold.
Larry:  How do they get the to taste buttery? Do they inject them with butter flavoring?
Me: No, they're genetically engineered.
Larry: Oh. So they cross-bread potatoes with cows. Heh.

later...