Columbus Rocks the Fireworks!

Columbus rocks! My apologies to Cleveland. I'm sure that it's lovely and all, I've never been, but Columbus earned the title with their fireworks display on July 2nd. The Capitol 4th has nothing on this display (except perhaps live music). It started with the Star Spangled Banner and concluded about 20 minutes later with the 1812 Overture. In between was the most lively, most varied fireworks display I'd ever seen. All sorts of colors, all sorts of styles.

Why Columbus, you ask? While researching our trip, we needed a place to stay after Fallingwater and before the Creation Museum near Cincinnati. Steve googled places in between and found that Columbus was renown in these parts for their fireworks. We love fireworks, especially the finales. We walked downtown about 3 hours before the show was to start. Steve, lovely, smart man that he is, thought to bring our portable chairs. So we sat in comfort down near the vendors and had a perfect spot. After eating gyros and butterfly chips and smoothies, I worked on my sock project, and Steve played Bejeweled. We stayed at the Hilton that evening. Steve found a package deal that included valet parking (normally $25) called the Red, White and Boom package.

Fallingwater

Water flowing underneath a house has not always thrilled me. When we had the underground stream at the Catonsville address and the consistent flooding when it rained a lot, I wasn't a fan!
I'd change my status if Fallingwater was my house.

The Kaufmann's of Macy's department store fame commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design and build it for them in the late 1930's. They used it as a summer home. We couldn't take any pictures inside or I'd share them with you. It was amazing! The open floor plan and built-in furniture, not to mention the color scheme, suggests the late '60's or early '70's. The "organic" design, using two boulders to anchor it to a central core smacks of now. Definitely ahead of his time, Wright. His bedrooms were small, drawing guests and homeowners alike outside on to one of the many terraces. He believed in small doorways and using light to keep a visitors from some areas and drawing them in to others. He designed a guest house that fit completely with the main house but was also completely different. The guest house's design encouraged the guest to stay in the house and be comfortable.

Wright also believed in the functionality of design. The hearth and fireplace in the main house, built right from the boulder that held up the house, had a kettle that could be swung over on to the fire. Very functional. Don't confuse functionality with practicality, however. The metal in the kettle was so thick and the kettle so large that it took 14 hours to heat any liquid inside it. Not too practical for morning tea--evening cider perhaps though.

The price to get in wasn't bad, $18 there, taking what time you can get or $20 for the convenience of ordering ahead and getting the time you want. You check in at the gate, head to the visitor's center and are assigned a group. When your group is called you walk to the house and your tour commences. I'm glad we did it. One suggestion, read something about or watch a documentary on Frank Lloyd Wright before you go. The general knowledge will help you get more out of your visit.

First Stop:The Rockafellows!

Wednesday, June 30, 4 pm, Destination--Elizabethtown, PA, Purpose--Visiting the Rockafellows. I break Steve out of work around 4 pm, he takes the driver's seat, and we wind our way through traffic to Elizabethtown, PA. 6:30 finds us pulling into the Rockafellow driveway and being greeted by Justin. He's grown so tall and strong. We'd just missed his All Star game. Bummer! Ashley is the next out of the house. Can she really be going into 7th grade next year? I remember when she was only knee high rather than the tall, beautiful girl she is now. Linda came out next with her new haircut and friendly smile, followed closely by her svelte husband, Tim, 40 pounds lighter than when we last saw him. I can't believe we are here, starting our trip after so much planning, finally on vacation. We caught up for a few minutes and met the cats while Ashley made the rice for dinner. What a great helper! Dinner was yummy--chicken with some great mushroomy sauce on it with wild rice, fruit and a trifle made by Miss Ashley! Ashley, Linda and I hung out on the back deck until the mosquitoes started in on us as their dinner. The boys had a catch and then played wiffle ball until it grew too dark to see. Linda and I then made bracelets while Tim and Steve talked computers and played Wii baseball with Justin. Ashley had just joined the IM'ing world so was absorbed in chatting with friends.

We slept in a little the next day--July 1st. We planned a pool day, and the pool didn't open until noon. We managed to play some Wii Mario Cart before we left. Justin consistently came in first, but I did improve my standing from 12th (aka Last) place to my personal best, 6th place. We were afraid that the cool breeze and the partly cloudy conditions would ruin our day but not so. Instead, the pool wasn't crowded so we got a great umbrella spot, the water was warm so we were encouraged to stay in longer and the sun/breeze ratio was perfect so we didn't get too cold. All in all, I think I tread water while talking for about 2 hours before we got out, dried off and started thinking about lunch. I could spend every day like this! And the air smelled like chocolate brownies! The Mars chocolate factory is right down the road, and the breeze blew the lovely scent our way. Thankfully, Joanne had treated the office staff to brownies the day before and given me some to take on the trip. It was a perfect dessert after our pizza.

In the evening we headed to the movies to see Toy Story 3-D. We agreed that it didn't meet up to the standards of the first two, but we still enjoyed it. The men held a table at Damon's while the ladies spent about 10 minutes and no money (we'd forgotten to bring any) shopping. (Actually, Linda did find a great deal on the perfume she uses and hot-footed it to the car for a credit card later.) We then ate appetizers at Damon's while answering trivia and catching up on World Cup news. Everyone was tired by the time we got home. What a wonderful start to vacation!

Suzie and Steve's Great American Roadtrip

I've never taken a long road trip. Oh, I've been to Florida from Maryland. I've driven to Maine from Maryland, but everywhere else I've flown. Not this year, baby! Steve and I start our Great American Road Trip on Wednesday, June 30 after work.

Knit a Pumpkin

It started out as a hat, honest.

I found the pattern on Ravelry . We needed costumes for the front office for Halloween. This seemed the perfect thing to top off our orange shirts and jeans. It was written for kids sizes but no problem, I'd just use bigger needles. Right? I cast on for the XL. Just like the Great Pumpkin, it kept growing and growing and growing! Pretty soon it was obvious that I was not going to be able to finish 3 more hats by Halloween, not to mention that this hat was taking on gargantuan proportions.

When I finally bound off the last stitch, I tried it on my husband's head. With his hair in its current manifestation, it's bigger than most heads, but the hat slipped so far over his ears even his beard was dwarfed by it. He looked like a sultan in Aladdin. Not a look to which he aspired. Probably just as well because I was getting the vibe that he wasn't about to wear a pumpkin hat anyway.

I wasn't about to waste the knitting time however. I decided to pick up stitches from the brim of the hat with a circular needle and knit the durn thing closed. I continued in seed stitch until the pattern was suffering due to being decreased, then I went to stockingette stitch until I had about 9 stitches left. I cut the yarn, threaded the remaining stitches on the cut yarn and pulled the opening closed. Ta dah! A pumpkin bottom. I stuffed it and stitched it shut, stitched on the leaf and ta dah again! A fat pumpkin!

Dizzy Baby Sweater

There once was a sheep named Dizzy,
His hair was white and frizzy,
He loved to give deals,
That were almost steals,
And that make my heart warm and fizzy!

If your a knitter and you've never checked out www.dizzysheep.com, you are missing out! It's like Woot for knitters. Every day they have a new deal on a different kind of yarn or needles or spinning wheel with one dollar shipping!

On May 1st, I checked out the Daily Dizzy Deal and found Plymouth Cotton Kisses Baby Sweater Knit Kit. It consisted of Cotton Kisses, a multicolored, multi-thickness cotton yarn, 3 duckie buttons and 2 patterns, in 3 sizes. My husband's office mate had just had a new baby added to his family, so I bought one in blue and green. Straight blue had already sold out! Both patterns are knit in pieces and then put together. Then the button band is picked up and knitted for the cardigan and the placket and neck picked up and knitted for the pullover. I made the cardigan. It turned out bigger than I expected but then I didn't swatch (gasp) and I never gave it to the family until September so the boy needed the extra size. It all worked out. I think I'll swatch next time though. It was a quick knit and very satifying.

The Christmas Carol Train Tour

All Aboard!!!! The Disney Christmas Carol Train Tour pulled into Union Station at Washington, DC September 29th and 30th. Hubby and I just happened to have a free, comp-time afternoon, so we jumped on the Metro and headed to Union Station. We found the Train Tour at Gate G. That a way!




We walked all the way down the train on the outside and then walked back on the inside. The outside decorations were stunning. I can just imagine seeing this train fly past on the rails.





To set the mood, a quartet of singers clad in Victorian dress entertained us with Christmas Carols (go figure! ).









Just inside the door cast members instructed us not to use flash photography. The first room showcased costumes from the movie along with pictures of the characters. The picture shows Bob Crachett's character, one of the characters played by Gary Oldman. In glass cases were memorabilia from the Charles Dickens Museum, sometimes from the Christmas Carol, sometimes not.






The second room showed maquettes and scenes used to provide a "real" picture of what the computer was supposed to simulate.







The next two rooms explained the motion capture process. The actors dressed up in tight fitting leotards covered in what looked like half ping pong balls but what were really "eyes" for the cameras. They provided data for the computers that would be used to animate the movie. The actors themselves had a myriad of dots on their faces that captured their facial movements. The actors were truly acting. The sets were sparse, the costumes non-existent so the actors had to rely almost exclusively on their imaginations.

To finish, we used a touch screen computer to explore the world of A Christmas Carol and then got to morph our own faces into one of the movie's characters. When the email gets to my inbox, I'll save and post it.

When we exited the train, we were almost back at the gate. Next we headed into the main concourse where you entered a balloon tent (even the doors had air in them) to see a sneak preview of a couple of 3-D scenes from the movie in some really attractive mirrored glasses! After the preview, adults could enter a sweepstakes to win a touchscreen computer and printer, and kids could enter to win a chance to be a Movie Surfer in their own hometown as well as score some Christmas tattoos.

The Christmas Carol stars Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Cary Elwes, Robin Wright-Penn and Colin Firth. It opens on November 6. I probably won't be fighting the crowds for the opening weekend, but it sounds like a fun Friday after Thanksgiving kind of movie, just right to get into the Christmas Spirit. And those glasses, too cute! :0)