Writer's block?

Blah blah blah blah...this is what Charlie Brown's teacher always says when he's in school. Did teachers really sound that way? I'm wondering if it's because the cartoonist (bless his soul), didn't really know what he wanted the teacher to say.

Well, to keep matters simple, I'm at a lost for words, so that's why I started this post with "blah blah blah". Since I retired, my life has become a day to day existence. Nothing much exciting going on. When I travel, there's nothing really worth mentioning here. But at least I can take pictures and share some of the sites with you.

Be on the lookout in a few weeks for a few pics from my trip to Chicago. I'm leaving May 11 on Amtrak. That is, if the flooding in MO and IL has ceased. As of now, they are experiencing a disruption in service. No thru trains from Memphis to Carbondale IL. The train stops in Memphis, then turns around and comes back to New Orleans. The train that leaves Chicago stops in Carbondale, turns around and goes back to Chicago. This leaves the passengers who have tickets to Chicago in a fog. Is Amtrak busing them from Memphis to Carbondale and vice versa? What route would they take if all the roads are flooded? Does anyone know?

If you've been on the City of New Orleans recently and have experienced anything out of the ordinary, please let me know!

Hopefully in two weeks the flood waters will have abated.

Thomas tote

Thomas tote, a photo by ladybee_51 on Flickr.

This is one of the bags I made for my trip to Chicago on Amtrak. The other one will be available for sale while I'm on the train.

What Will They Think of Next?

After a week at my Mom's, I came home and had occasion to eat at a local restaurant. I found this in the ladies' room:

Now why didn't I think of that? In fact, when I saw this sink I knew I wanted one! Isn't it cool?
You can see the actual item in the restrooms at Agave Mexican Grill & Cantina in downtown Lafayette LA.

Alive and well!

Just thought I'd finally write a note to let you know I'm still around. Haven't felt like writing a whole lot. I did go on my cruise (there are a few pics on my flickr page), and I'll be going on another knitting cruise in November, but it will be on a different ship, different cruise line. New Orleans is getting Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas in November, and I'll be on the first sailing out of New Orleans!

Hubby and I went on an Amtrak trip to AZ for the holidays. We stayed until Jan 2, then rode the train back to Lafayette. Here's a pic I took of our sleeper car:


Next week, I'm heading for Texas to visit my mom for a few days. She's 89, still lives by herself in an apartment, and doesn't drive any more. She has to depend on hired help to get her groceries, and once a week my sister goes and takes her places.

May 11, I'm taking the train again, without hubby, in order to attend this years PR Weekend which will be in Chicago. I'm driving to New Orleans to get on the "City of New Orleans". It arrives in Chicago the morning of May 12, and I'll leave Chicago on the 15th and arrive back in New Orleans on May 16.

Knitting wise, I did manage to finish a pair of socks last month. This is a pic of one of them:

Oh, I almost forgot! Hubby and I will be vacationing in Williamsburg VA in September! If you are in the Williamsburg area and would like a meet-up, please let me know!

Whew..I think I have told you what's been happening to me since I last posted. If I forgot anything, it will come to me, and I'll post about it later.

Pat H.

Latest bag & cruise

Here's one of my latest bags, but certainly not the last, as I have to take a picture of it!



I have this bag entered in a contest on one of the embroidery sites.

Now on to the cruise! Only 4 days to go! We have our boarding passes, passports, and luggage tags all ready to go! All that's left to do is getting my wardrobe in order. Today I'm going to attempt to make myself a skirt, but the fabric is thin and will need a slip to go under it. So I'll have to go find one! That means a trip to Walmart first, and from there who knows?

Totes a plenty!

Since I bought my embroidery machine and sewing machine, I've been using both for creating tote bags! I've been fortunate in that we have several sources for fabric in this area. When I spot a fabric that would look cute as a tote, I choose an embroidery design that works with it. The latest one is this one:


The one I finished before this was this one:


The totes I'm making will be part of my inventory for a craft show in November. I'm sharing a booth with another lady at the Omelet Festival in Abbeville. You can find out info on the Omelet Festival by going here:

http://www.giantomelette.org/

What's left after the festival will be available for sale on my Etsy site.

Knitting Cruise!

At long last, I'm going to go on a Caribbean cruise! I've booked passage on the Carnival Triumph through Vermilion Bay Yarn Co and the Travel Machine who are organizing the activities.

AND, I've talked my sister into going with me! The ship will dock in Key West, and she's always wanted to go there, but none of the cruises that she's been on with her hubby have gone there.
The ship will embark from New Orleans and stop in Key West before going on to Nassau and Freeport in the Bahamas.

I've been to Freeport TWICE, but flew both times. Hubby and I have a membership at a resort there (Ocean Reef). We use the membership for exchange through RCI. It will be interesting to see what changes have been made in Freeport since I was last there in 1995.

First day at sea will be class day. I am taking two classes, both taught by the yarn shop owner, Jason. One class will involve knitting a lace shawl, the other is on fixing mistakes.

Have you ever been on a knitting cruise? Let's hear your comments, if you have. What did you like or dislike about your cruise? I will tell you this that they've assigned us a balcony cabin on deck 6, which is right above Lido deck. I checked the layout and discovered that it's right above a night club! I hope it's not too noisy! Maybe my sister and I should bring ear plugs?