I work in the historic Wrigley Building in Chicago on North Michigan Avenue and the Chicago River. Each day I take the train downtown. I usually spend my 20 - 30 minute train ride creating on the train. A woman on the train once commented to me that she always wonders what I will pull from my briefcase to work on today...
After my train ride, I take the water taxi to my office in the summer and the bus in the winter. Eventhough this is just a short 10 minute ride, I usually pull out my crafts to work on during this leg of the trip as well.
This past week, I was working on one of my velvet strawberries on the train. All I had left to do was add the glass beads for the seeds. You know how it is, when you are that close to finishing a project, you just have to finish it. I've been working with small glass beads for years. I know how to balance the container on my knee, with children bopping me around, and slowly and carefully pick up one bead at a time. No problem. So I started adding the beads. About half were on when the train hit a glitch in the track - there went the container and all the beads! I yelped loudly and all the people in the train car turned to look. I didn't have time to care, I had to find as many beads as possible! Well, o.k., I hoped to find any beads! I just needed to find enough to finish my strawberry! I don't know which was more amusing to the other commuters - me yelping - or me trying to crawl around and locate teeny tiny beads! Luckily I found just enough to finish my berry. Then I stopped searching. I don't think I'll use beads again on my commute.
I think I've learned my lesson. On the way home that day I started wondering... maybe its not such a good idea to work on the train/boat/bus with a mouth full of applique pins either...
Did you know that Chicago with its 37 moving bridges has more moving bridges that any other city in the world?
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might." -Ecclesiastes 9:10Blessing to you, Patti
6 comments:
Oh goodness! Sounds as if you make productive use of your commute to work! lol! Glad you recovered a few beads to finish the strawberry. I LOVE mine! :)
Beautiful photos too!
Patti,
First, I love that you work in downtown Chicago!! That is where my son goes to school (at Roosevelt Univ....see my blog for details on him :-). You remind me of my mom who always had our hands busy doing something no matter where we were or what we were doing!! Love your things...you are a very talented lady and so glad we share the dream of a "simple dwelling place." Yeah, another Kindred Spirit!!!
Blessings,
Sarah
not sure how i stumbled
into your blog
but loved you glass bead story!
:-)
{{ when i need more beads
to finish a project,
i empty my vacuum cleaner }}
LOL! Patti! I have never worked on a train (have never ridden one for that matter) but I have lost all my beads in the cracks between the wood floor boards in my dining room. Be careful from now on ~ esp. with pins ~ ouch!
I loved this story and all the photos! How long does it take you to get to the office? I'm so fortunate that I live 10 minutes away and if push came to shove (what DOES that mean, anyway?) I could take the back roads and never get on the highway at all.
Our company used to be located in Westmont, then moved one office to Naperville. I've been to Chicago a couple of times and always think it's such an exciting city!
Great story ... you handled this in a much more composed manner than I would have, Patti :)
what an interesting ride to work each day for you Patti! I had never heard of a Water taxi, how very neat that must be!
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