October 16, 2006
Liar, Liar, Pants on Fiar Fire
(Picture-heavy post, Dear Readers!)
The answer to last Friday's gripping and fascinating poll is 20th anniversary, so congratulations to the 52.6% of you who are up on your Mossy Cottage/Ryan/TMK quirky-relationship trivia! Some of you purists would probably argue that since we don’t live together, we should apply the relationship equivalent of dog-year mathematics to our anniversary calculations and admit that we've only spent 10 or 15 years together but that makes my head spin so, um, no.
Our Great Grand Universal Master Plan of a year ago had been to celebrate by going to Rhinebeck but—meh, and a shrug of the shoulders—that didn’t work out, and now that the TSA has made it difficult for this princess to travel with her shampoo, conditioner, detangler, defrizzer, curl enhancer, mousse, hair gel, hairspray, hair straightener, hair volumizer, bubble bath, shower gel, liquid soap, anti-bacterial hand purifier, facial scrub, moisturizer, pore minimizer, foot-massage cream, toothpaste, mouthwash, suntan lotion, deodorant, perfume, cologne, after-bath splash, eye drops, nail polish, nail-polish remover, cuticle gel, lip gloss, mosquito repellent and mustache wax, we’d made our peace with that.
So, instead, we went somewhere we’d been talking about visiting for years, the Tacoma Museum of Glass. Interesting thing. In the museum itself, other than the glass-blowing demonstration area—no glass. Seriously. We visited all three main galleries and—no glass. Okay, I lie. Out of the, say, hundred items on display, three, including two large-ish installations, were made of vitreous product. And there was one small hallway where they had one item each from past visiting glass artists. But the rest—everything but glass. It made us go, “Hm,” and cock our heads quizzically.
This was also definitely not your grandmaw’s museum. Everything was over-the-top avant-garde, some things were downright stomach-turning like, oh, I don’t know, the real but very dead peacocks suspended from the ceiling, dribbling fake blood from their beaks—and quite a few works had titles that included in-yo’-face four-letter words, and not the nice kind.
As with most museums, we weren’t able to take many photos, but here’re a few.
Proof that I lie a lot. Despite what I said, here’s something made of glass, the elevator:
The view from the outside of the museum showing the Tacoma Dome, the beautiful 21st Street bridge, and the strictly-for-art-'s-sake cone where the glass-blowing “hot shop” is housed:
The inside of the cone:
Some of the glass artists doing their thang:
Further proof that I lie a lot, more glass (look in the window). However, this was in the Court House across the highway, not in the museum, so neener.
Yet further proof that I lie a lot, more glass. However, neener again, since none of this was in the museum, it's all part of a bridge overpass.
Despite everything, I’m very glad we went. A girl can never get enough cultchah and, frankly, one of the glass installations was so beautiful, so intricate, detailed and astonishing, that TMK and I will be talking about it for years.
And, now, it has to be said that, although our first seventeen years were rich and full, the last three years have been made all the more wonderful by what you, Dear Readers, fiber friends, and Dulaan Brigadiers, have brought into our lives. You need to know that you have been directly and actively responsible for bringing TMK and me closer together as a couple and as a family by supporting us, our relationship, and this oddball little blog. You may not believe it—and three years ago we would not have believed it—but it’s true. From TMK and me to all of you, a big thank you. If I only had arms big enough to squeeze you all until you beg for air...
And may you both be blessed with 20 times 20 more years! Best wishes to you both and a great big hug right back atch ya!
Okay, I finished my 5 in 10 (five items in October) pledge, they're in the box waiting for more goodies before I mail it out. I did another child's hat and a scarf for a toddler. I tried an afghan stitch with bobbles (!), I'm not sure they turned out really well. The bobbles look like they were made by a woman doped on antihistamines. Oh, wait, they were...........but I don't think I'll be doing bobbles again. I'm thinking of doing the afghan stitch again with bulky weight, it does make a nice and thick finished product--should be great for keeping a little one's neck warm.
So I'm back to my regular Dulaan goal, and mom's got another scarf done, her third one is in progress. Now if I could just convince my dad to knit too.......he did say that if I mastered that possessed sewing machine (it hates me), he'd knit me something for Dulaan...so he owes me. If only we had more family down here, I could strong arm them to knit me something too! lol! :)
Posted by: Nancy O. on October 16, 2006 01:58 PMHoly cow... no glass at the glass musuem??? Well. That's a bit.... odd. Still sounds interesting, but really.... no glass?
Happy anniversary, y'all.
Posted by: Kris on October 16, 2006 02:49 PMGracious. I didn't realize you were so impressionable - I mean, what if we were a bunch of screeching harpies?
Anyway, happy times to you three. Someday I hope to know why you maintain separate households when you could sell your place and buy SO. MUCH. YARN.
WOW! Happy Anniversary. 20 years...you two are truly a testament for the rest of us...
Thank you for this oddball little blog and being so willing to share it with all of us weirdos
Posted by: Carry on October 16, 2006 03:26 PMHappy Anniversary,
and thank YOU for such a very readable blog!
Aw, shuck, ma'm, twarn't nuthin (digging toe in dirt). We love you and TMK and Frankie and the blog -- if we didn't we wouldn't be here. Thanks for inviting us into your lives and thanks for giving us the opportunity to give back. Here's to another 20!
Posted by: kmkat on October 16, 2006 05:11 PMThanks from me, too, for your blog. It is so nice to read about your (mild) obsession with yarn and knitting. I don't know anyone else that knits so reading your blog regularly and two others makes me feel a lot less weird about knitting and loving yarn so much!
The other day my husband told me that a friend saw a different kind of prism in a museum that enabled you to see a new color on the edge of our spectrum of visible light. The first thing I thought of was I hope someone makes yarn in that color! I know, I know it's impossible.
Happy Anniversary again! Doesn't twenty years go by fast!
Posted by: Lydia on October 16, 2006 06:53 PMhappy anniversary! my husband and i celebrated our one month anniversary today, too. (we've been together for over 3 years, but just got married, lol).
that one glass picture, the swirly one, looks like a glass installation we have at our local museum.. it's huge! i've never seen it in the sunlight,so i need to hie me & the boys down there some saturday morning (no fee then, i'm a cheapskate, lol) and see it in the sun.
Posted by: minnie on October 16, 2006 07:29 PMI always thought you maintained separate households so that you could house the stash of the century in at least one of them. Two, now that TMK has a-started spinnin'.... :-)
While I am deeply disappointed that you won't be making it to Rhinebeck this year, it just means that I'm going to have to whine at you for a whole nother year to get you to come next year, plus whine at my husband about going again.
Dude. That's a lot of whining. But for you, I'd do it.
Posted by: Lee Ann on October 17, 2006 04:48 AMHappy Anniversary! What goes around comes around, so you deserve all the happy feelings you get from us, and we are pleased as punch to get all the happy-happy vibes you send us every week. Win/win for everyone. Hugs back to you guys. MaryB
Posted by: Mary B on October 17, 2006 08:13 AMThanks for the blurb about the Museum of Glass - I need to check out that all-glass, all-the-time little banquet. Tacoma's just a nice bus ride away... and then there's the little packed floor-to-ceiling yarn shop in Opera Alley .
Plus, a very Happy Anniversary to you and TMK!
Posted by: jeanne on October 17, 2006 09:39 AM