Pages

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Museum Hopping


We have gone to several museums while we have been here.

We went to the Coast Guard Museum of the Northwest. We learned about ships and lighthouses and sea stuff. All things that we found most fascinating but would probably bore most people.

We went to the Museum of Flight at Boeing. That was amazing. We got there right after radiation and stayed until the place closed. We saw maybe half of the museum and didn't even get close to the store. We went through a concorde sst (the seats are narrow and so is the aisle). We went through Air Force One (the very one that flew LBJ to Dallas on that fateful day among other flights). I got to exit the plan a la First Lady along President Fred. First dog Alf stayed at the hotel room and didn't get to deplane from Air Force One. I forgot my camera and so there are no photos showing are exploits.

We went to the Nordic Heritage Museum. I have ordered many books from them over the years. I never thought that I would have a chance to go through the museum. I was hoping that THEY would get their act together and I would get here in March. Why? Because in March they had knitting classes and cooking classes. But, They didn't get it all together and I didn't get here until April.

But we did go to the museum and see all of the displays. The first floor is the story of immigration from the nordic countries to Ballard Washington (where the museum is). Great dioramas of the dwellings in the old country, the voyage on the ship and then what they made for themselves here.
The next floor had rooms for logging, fishing, what they brought with them and what they created here.
The third floor was a room for each of the five countries (Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden). There were spinning wheels in all the nations and bobbin lace in most. The spinning wheel in Norway was so much like ours. See if you can identify it. And Fred thought it was great that in Sweden and Iceland the spinning wheels looked just like the traveling/portable ones that mom has.
We did have enough time to visit all three floors and the museum shop. They have an amazing amount of knitting books as well as cooking books, and just fun to read books. I did get myself a knitting book that has recipes in it. Unfortunately for all of you, they only had one copy of the book. Otherwise I would have gotten three of them. I will share with all of you. The name of the book? Norwegian Handknits: Heirloom Designs from Vesterheim Museum. There are many designs I am hoping to make as well as several of the recipes. Anyone who wants to knit things for me or cook for me can borrow the book at once.
Next time, you guys need to come to Seattle with me and we can visit the museum and all of the yarn stores that I have found.

1 comment:

Teresa said...

Way, way cool! I will come with you next time. My children will be raised and gone and you and Mother and I will go to the Nordic Knitting Conference together and take classes and have fun. Just 4 more years till I get rid of the other child . . .