The Fins Have It (Las Vegas, NV)

This is a continuation from my last post:

I wanted to share some photos of the Bottle-nosed Dolphins from the Secret Garden.  We were so close that we were warned cameras could end up wet in the 'splash zone'.  We were there at a good time.  The dolphins' caretakers were feeding them and asking them to do a few tricks.

  

At one point, all the caretakers were busy with a small meeting near the pool and not paying attention to what the dolphins were doing behind their backs.  They are as bad as kids when Mommy and Daddy are not watching them.

Hey!  Look at me!

Such a cute smile....

aww...come on, throw a fish.

Smile isn't working.  eeeeeeeee!  translated means

I'm hungry!  How about some fish?

Yea! Fish!

Yipee! Skippy!

I got a fish!

The White Lion slept the whole time during our visit.  At least, he was facing us while he was sleeping.  Such a peaceful looking fellow...big fellow with big paws.  I certainly would not want to disturb his sleep and have him wake up grouchy.

Do Not Disturb

Tired Kitty

On the Cutting Board

While embroidering the redwork Teddy Bears, I noticed the red thread was bleeding onto the white background.  I started to worry because it took very little moisture to make the red thread bleed onto the white background.  I could see the quilt's whites turning pink after the first wash until I read about some color catcher sheets.....

  

I was reading the Quilting Board and came across another quilter asking if she should wash her quilt before giving it away.  Many said they did wash their quilts before giving them to the new owner.  One mentioned that she always washed her quilts with Shout Color Catcher sheets.  

I decided to give the sheets a try.  According to the box, you can wash all sorts of colors together and the sheets will catch the runaway dyes.  It also mentions with dark or red colors to use more than one sheet.  Okay, so that has me wondering - if I don't use enough sheets will it not do its job?

9:05 am ~ So, I'm running a test today.  The redwork is in the wash with 2 sheets as I write this post.  We have a low-water European washer/dryer so I'm also worried the sheets will not work as well.  Fingers are crossed....

10:45 am ~ After close inspection, I have to say the color catcher sheets are a great success!  The whites in the quilt are white and the runaway red dye is in the sheets.  Those are the two sheets that were in the wash.  The two pink sheets were white when I tossed them into the wash.

Happy Quilting!

Taking a Bite Out of Earth Day (Las Vegas, NV)

We went to The Secret Garden that was setup by Siegfried and Roy at the Mirage.  We thought it was a little pricey, but how often do we get the chance to see white tigers and white lions?  The day we visited we saw a total of eight large cats and quite a few dolphins getting fed along with a few tricks.

Big mouth and teeth!

What I loved was how close we could get to the tigers and lions if they came to the fence.  Only one came close enough for us to see his pale blue eyes and to take in just how big he was compared to us.  Notice the double fence...keeps paws in and hands out.  Plus, bushes made a two-foot barrier between us and the fence.

 

Still they are gorgeous creatures and I can see why Siegfried and Roy love them so much.

Big paws! 

And as gorgeous as they are, our thoughts were:  they are not the kind of surprise encounter we would want to meet in the wild.  That's for sure!

Earth Day by Ol' White Tiger

Earth Day?  Yea, I've heard of it.  How do I celebrate?   

Oh, I don't know.  Never thought about it.

Okay, well let me give this some thought....

oh yea, that feels gooood...Uh?  oh yea..Earth Day....I know!

I'll celebrate Earth Day by eating more greens.
Mmmm. Nom. Nom. Nom.   hmmm, CRUNCH!...

Oh, yuk!  Ptooie!

Yea, a little too earthy tasting..blah

I'll just sit here and soak my tongue for awhile.  

Happy Earth Day!