Quick wits and creative thinking saved the day!!!!

Yes -- someone mentioned that I took the time to clean up as I went and that Studio B will be waiting for me when I get home. Well, it would be waiting for me under any circumstances, but it will be waiting for me with open arms! I don't know why I took the time to put things away, or found a corner of the table to set aside the things that needed to be put away, and then I did it before I left, except for a few things. 

That didn't take that long, and since everything has a home, it really wasn't a big deal to put things away. It makes it so much easier to work. And I find it very therapeutic and satisfying to tidy up. So while I'm going to enjoy my time here, I can hardly wait to get home and get back to work. I really enjoyed those last couple of weeks, although lots of other things got set aside. The pace will be a bit more relaxed, and I NEED to empty at least one table of unfinished things before the end of the summer! 

For the most part, my travel days are pretty boring. However, yesterday, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being very dramatic, it was about a 5. Let's just say it could easily have become a ten, except for some quick action! 

DH asked me if I wanted him to drive me to the airport. Hey -- if you are willing to get up early and get me there early, then I'm OK with that. I had a few last-minute things to switch out or throw in the suitcase, and then we were off. 

I haven't flown to the US in a long time, which isn't a big deal - it's just remembering how the airport works in that area. I got my tag for my luggage and put it on and then tried to figure out what was happening in the bag drop area. It was a zoo. Then I realized that there was no single line - it was just small lines in front of each of the drop-off conveyor belts. That was a disaster, as the machines weren't scanning properly and sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn't. 

People were getting very frustrated and trying multiple times; eventually, it would work, but not always. I was one of the lucky ones. I only had to try twice, and my luggage was accepted. However, the people behind me were getting impatient, and there was no need for that. Just patiently wait your turn, because the more you grumble, the less likely it is to work!

Then I got in the wrong line to get through security. I had to backtrack out and get in the NEXUS line, but that's OK. It was easy to fix. While this process was easy, there were lines at security since only one lane was working. NEXUS was easy, except I ended up in the wrong maze (again!) and had to backtrack. There was no lineup; I just went down the incorrect aisle. 

I had breakfast in a restaurant. Something I don't usually get to do at the airport, but I had left myself lots of time just in case. 

Then I got to the gate. As I was approaching the gate, I spotted this flight attendant, and I had to take a picture. OH - I didn't forward it to myself. From the back, she looked like Barbie. Her waist compared to her hips was so out of proportion. It just didn't look natural, nor did it look comfortable, although her belt wasn't really cutting into her skin. It was just weird. Turns out she was the flight attendant for my flight! 

Margaret joined me at the gate, as we were both on the same flight. The good news of the day is that I got upgraded. I know - I wouldn't usually use my points for a two-hour flight, but I keep missing out on the upgrades on other flights, and so many points were lost at the end of the year, so I take them when I can!!!!

This is the view of my city from the airport. Yep -- I live quite close to the airport, but not close enough or in the area that is directly affected by the noise. Almost all of those highrises are condos or apartments. They are NOT office buildings. It's such a weird city - I believe Mississauga is the seventh largest city in Canada, yet it doesn't have a radio station, a newspaper, or TV. All of that entertainment/communciaton comes from Toronto. We are a suburb of Toronto. It's weird. 

Mississauga skyline from the runway

And then we arrived in Nashville, Tennessee!!! This is my third time here. 

Welcome to Nashville!!!

We decided to take a cab to the hotel rather than Uber. That almost became a terrible mistake. We arrived at the hotel, and I paid the driver with my credit card. We got our luggage and went into the hotel. Margaret was in the process of checking in when I spotted this painting on the wall in the lobby, went to take a picture, and realized I didn't have my phone!!!!! Margaret quickly said the cab was still sitting at the curb, and he was just about to drive away when I ran outside madly flapping my arms to get his attention.  

YES -- when I went to pay him, my phone fell to the floor, and I didn't realize it. Thank god he was still there, and Margaret spun me into action, or it would have been an unpleasant day trying to track that cab driver down. Thank god I like to take a lot of pictures! 

Anyway, since we are in Nashville, there is music-themed art everywhere!!! 

The art in the lobby

The next issue was my hotel room. It appears that I didn't have a reservation. WHAT????? How could that be? Well, I realized after that we were EACH supposed to book our rooms, not just book ourselves into the conference. OH -- I totally missed that part of the email. We have some protocols for other events and don't require us to book our rooms. I think I was busy with the wedding when that email came in, and I totally misread it. Yep - that email came in on June 3, and I totally missed the big BOOK YOUR ROOM button!!!!

OK -- so now what? The hotel still had rooms, but not at the discounted rate. And there is a big price difference. I was happy to pay the difference since it was my fault. We happened to run into our great leader at the time, and she suggested that Margaret and I share a room since the suites are actually very large. I asked, and Margaret said that worked for her - we have roomed together before. So another HUGE thanks to Margaret for saving me some money. 

I am now totally indebted to her this week!!!! I will say that I'm a bit happy about that as I find it totally wasteful that each person has their own room, although I get that people don't like sharing. But seriously --- there are two huge beds, and the bathroom, and then this whole living room space, and there's a door to the bedroom. It works for us, and I'm set up in the living room so I can write the blog without disturbing Margaret!! 

So while that wasn't a total disaster as there were rooms here, it would have cost me a lot of money for that mistake on my part! BUT all is OK and the rest of the day went just fine. Lesson learned -- check all the details of the email for upcoming conferences. 

I walked around a bit in the morning. We met up with others in our group, but they were going shopping. Seriously? I don't need to go to a mall to shop. So I struck off on my own. Shopping is the most boring thing in the entire world, unless you need something, which I do not. 

And it was super hot outside - 31 feeling like 39!!! 

I did some Geocaching and Adventure Lab stuff - of course I did! I spotted this Music City Walk of Fame across the street from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. 

Music City Walk of Fame

And there were a lot of very familiar names along the walk. It was quite fun to read all the names. By the way, we are staying right downtown near the Music City Center, which is where QuiltCon was held in 2019, and a group of eight of us shared an Airbnb. 

Johnny Cash

I spotted a lady wearing this purse and had to stop to ask her where she got it. It's adorable, although I probably would never use it. They were from Pennsylvania, and I think they had bought it at the airport on a previous trip. They did not buy it here. And she had badges on her strap. 

Cute purse for using while in Nashville

I was at "our" restaurant back home a couple of weeks ago when a young lady walked in and sat down near us. She was wearing this gorgeous yet simple pink jacket, and the cut and color looked absolutely amazing on her. I stopped on our way out and complimented her on the jacket. People, even strangers, are extremely flattered and happy when you do that. It's something simple, but it can make someone's day!!! If you see something you really like, don't be shy about stopping them to ask questions about it or give them a compliment. It puts a smile on people's faces!!!!

As I was walking, I spotted this. Hey—if I can't eat donuts while I'm away, why not pancakes? Apparently this is a very famous pancake house, called Pancake Pantry. 

Pancake Pantry

I don't remember the time of day when I passed, but both times, the lineup was insane!!!! I am NOT waiting in a line in the heat to eat pancakes! And our breakfast is included in the room fee (oops - let's not say that too loudly), so I'll eat here. BUT - just for the fun of it, I could run down one morning - it opens at 6 AM. How many tourists could be out at 6 AM? 

The lines were long at the Pancake Pantry.

There is a large old bridge that was converted into a pedestrian bridge, so I decided to walk across it. It's called the John Seiganthaler Pedestrian Bridge and was built in 1909!!!! 

Sign on the pedestrian bridge.

And of course, there was a geocache on the bridge, so I had to get that. I had to use the hint, which is probably the only way I would have found it. There is a LOT of metal on that bridge, and a small magnetic box can be attached to the railings anywhere! 

The geocache

This is the view from the bridge. 

The view from the bridge

I decided to stop for lunch and went to The Diner, which was just down the street from the pancake house. By this time, the sweat was pouring off my face as it was hot outside, and it was the perfect time to stop. I don't know what those fries were spiced with, but they were the best fries I've ever eaten. And everywhere you go, they serve pickles. Good dill pickles!!!! 

So we have a thing about fries at home. I don't eat them, but they came with my sandwich, although I could have substituted them for a salad or green beans if memory serves me correctly. Because they were so good, I had to ask if they were air-fried or fried in oil. They were fried in oil! If they had been air-fried, I might have had to think twice about the air-fryer. But I don't think I'm ever going to change my mind about the need for one at our house. 

The diner is a multi-level restaurant, and if you click on the link above, you can see an aerial view of the area, including its proximity to the bridge. The owner loves all things diner-related, and there were many vintage pictures on the wall that I forgot to photograph before I left. WAIT -- that photo on The Diner's page is a 360-degree photo - just let it play, and it's quite cool to see downtown Nashville. 

I would go back there again!

What other oddities did I spot? Well, if you got cowboy boots, you need to flaunt them. I spotted lots of women wearing cowboy boots with shorts and dresses. I think it would have been very hot to be wearing cowboy boots yesterday. While I had shorts with me, which I changed into, I didn't have open sandals, and my feet were hot. However, we will be inside the hotel for the remainder of our time here, so there was no need to bring them. 

Cowboy boots are very popular items.

And this is a driverless car!!! To use it, you download the Waymo App, and away you go. I'm tempted to do it just for the fun, but I don't think we will have time. Look at the big honking sensors on its roof and the sides. They use an electric Jaguar I-PACE SUV. 

 

The Waymo driverless car

When I first left the others as they went shopping, I happened to walk in front of this Baptist Church, and the daily greeter tried to nab me!!! But I quickly got out of his clutches. It's a huge church, and while he was trying to be very helpful and friendly, I didn't need his help. I had my geocaching app! 

The First Baptist Church

Then I was back at the hotel to get to work. We weren't supposed to work, but what the heck else was I going to do, so I pleaded that I was bored and got put to work. 

There are boxes and boxes of the new PFAFF creative icon sitting in the hallways as they were unpacked and tested. We didn't get a chance to explore the new software features, but we will have that opportunity later today. 

Lots of new sewing and embroidery machines!!!

This conference is all about all new things for Singer and Husqvarna Viking as well, but the icon 3 is the big draw. Today is all about training and education for the staff, and tomorrow is the big day when we see dealers and their staff. 

Then it was back to the room, and I decided I had time to rip out those stitches that I didn't like. I got all three designs ripped out, and I hope to find a few minutes and the proper hoop to restitch them later today. Actually, I only had to remove the stems from the flowers - the actual flowers were fine. 

Ripping out stitches in the hotel room

Then we had some snacks in the hotel dining area, but snacks are not enough for me. I was trying to be very good, so I drank plenty of water at restaurants and tried to eat healthy. I was on my own for dinner and struck out to eat in a place right beside The Diner. The Pancake Pantry is not open in the evening. 

This was quite the place (Champy's) with all the lights, and the food was decent, but dressing on the side, please!!! Thankfully, I asked for that because they brought me two small tubs of dressing. 

Dinner at Champy's

I spotted this on the menu, but I didn't have any!!!!

Sweet stuff at Champy's

And then back to the hotel. OH MY GOD -- the one thing I forgot, and I keep forgetting, is my darn toothbrush. Seriously? I need a dedicated travel bag of toiletries, as I've done this so many times that I don't know why it doesn't register with me. So I had to put my shoes on, and I was getting tired at this point, but I went downstairs, where I got two tubes of toothpaste - I have some in my luggage, but couldn't find it and my very flimsy but serviceable toothbrush. 

Well, it's time to get this edited. Be sure to look back on the post with my upcoming class information. I had said to not send me emails before August 1, but I see some people sent me emails yesterday. So guess what -- send me the emails, and I'll just sort them here, and that is OK. I see that Out of Hand is sold out of the pattern, but if someone calls them, they can order more! I'll send them an email. Be sure to include the class name in the subject line, as it makes it much easier for me to sort them when creating distribution lists. 

I just emailed Out of Hand about the 40 Shades of Grey pattern. If you contact them ASAP, they can place an order from Australia or wherever they buy them, which will be more efficient. If you let them know you want a pattern, they can place an order and get one for you. 

So yesterday was an interesting travel day, and it could have been a total disaster. But thankfully, it all worked out. No one yelled, no one panicked, and all is good!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!