Saturday, May 26, 2012

Titanic Desire Fulfilled, Part 2

Exhibit Observations.

Start of the exhibit:
We entered a dark, cool room with messages projected on the walls and a signal bell in a display case.  The thing that struck me here (and through reading various books about the Titanic) was the fact that with all of the opulence of the ship, the Crow's Nest lookout had no binoculars or telescope.  HELLO!  That one simple item might have helped save thousands of lives.

Room One:
This room contained photographs and display cases with the mechanics of the ship.  There was a large display model of the the ship which helped place some of the items in the other displays.  One of the items on display was a hoist hook with counter weight.  It was used to hoist cargo onto the ship and move it through the levels of the ship to the cargo hold.  IT WAS HUGE!  The hook itself was about the size of a large tire rim and had a large, steel counter weight to balance in the case of wind. Another case displayed rivets recovered from the debris field.  I was fascinated with the newsreel video which showed the workers doing the riveting.  The huge iron panels of the ship were hoisted into place and then riveted.  Old style riveting was done in tight areas, which involve a tosser (picks up the hot rivet from the fire) who tosses it to the catcher, who places the rivet in the hole and two men on the other side hammer and shape the rivet into place.  The panel shown in the video had all of the holes pre-drilled and there were so many it looked like Swiss cheese when it turned to be put into place.  The building of the Titanic was one of the first to use hydraulic riveting to place the more than THREE MILLION rivets.

Room Two:
The opulence (and arrogance) of the Titanic were on display in this room.  Using the audio wands we rented, codes could be typed in at different points and you could listen to additional info on the ship.  Here we heard stories about the rich passengers and the passengers who refused to be transferred to sail on the ship.  Due to the coal strike, coal had to be taken from other ships in order for it to have enough to sail on time.  Thus, those ships' passengers were also transferred to the Titanic, though the fairs did not equate.  First class passage on other ships often equaled 2nd or 3rd class passage on the Titanic.  There was a story of a designer who refused to sail or have her inventory shipped on the Titanic due to "a horrible foreboding".  Smart woman for listening to that feeling.  Passage for first class cost about $4000 per person in 1912 (equating to about $100,000 today).  WOW.  That is a CRAZY amount of money.  There was a display of part of a first class cabin, including running water and electric lights.  You could bathe in the water, but not drink it as it was sea water being pumped aboard the ship as it sailed.  Dishes and various items recovered were also on display. 

Second & Third Class Room:
This was not technically displayed in a room but along a hallway on the way to the engine room display.  The cabin shown was a third class room which had 2 sets of bunk beds.  Luxory here included ... blankets and pillows.  No running water, no electric lights (or light of any kind), bathing could be done in the communal room, as was dining.  Still this was luxurious compared to other ships where third class passage was more of a dormitory style sleeping arrangement.  Second class passage had running water in sinks but not bath tubs.  The sink would then fold up into the wall allowing for extra room in the room and for the water to drain into the plumbing.


The Engine Room:
 As we walked through the exhibit, audio also changed.  The violin music of the first class area dimmed as we got closer to the engine area, replaced by the nonstop thrumming of the engines.  One thing mentioned when the ship crashed into the iceberg, was the silence when the engines ceased.  In the engine room, photos of the "firemen" were projected on the walls, one of the men looked about 10 years old.  A boulder of coal recovered was on display, and in my mind when I hear coal, I see charcoal briquettes for grilling.  This was literally a boulder and as Mina commented it was hard to imagine shoveling those into the furnace all day long.

Cargo Hold:
One of the things that fascinates me was the tons and tons of cargo on the ship.  From the food, ice, automobiles, baggage, and items being shipped (including crates of peacock feathers for milliners in New York) to the more than 3,000 bags of mail being shipped.  For the RMS on the Titanic's name means "Royal Mail Ship" (which I never knew).  Even as the Titanic sank, the mail clerks were trying to save the mail bags.  

The Devastation: 
The final room contained a variety of items salvaged from the wreckage.  We actually could reach into a display and touch a piece of the iron recovered from the ship (it had the rivet holes) and there was an actual (created) iceberg which you could touch.  The amount of cold coming from the iceberg gave a tiny glimpse into the cold of that night.  I was impressed with a port hole recovered which was quite torqued from the sinking and pressure of the ocean.  There was another replica of the ship as was in the first room, but this time showed the pieces it is in on the ocean floor and the rust damage.  The amount of actual damage from the impact of the iceberg was quite small in comparison to the ship, but all the errors compounded to sink the "UNSINKABLE" ship.  Projected on the wall was a list of the passengers broken into the different classes and survived/perished so you could find your "name" from your boarding pass.  Chris and I survived (though I didn't think to look if my "children" survived) and Mina and Caitlyn did not.  

The gift shop: 
Like any good tourist exhibit, there was a gift shop at the end of the tour.  I purchased photos of us "on" the staircase, a postcard of the blueprint of the ship, an anniversary pin, a magnet of the photo shown on the outside banner, and a holographic postcard of the Titanic.  You could also buy coal salvaged from the wreckage at a considerable price, and jewelry based on items recovered and from the James Cameron movie (Heart of the Ocean design). 

I actually made a Titanic necklace to wear, and you can see it in the photos from the previous post and here:
 I will edit the photo or have another taken so you can see my necklace.  The actual Titanic pendant for my piece was purchased from Hopemore Studio.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Titanic Desire Fulfilled, Part 1

When we traveled to Kansas last week for my nephew Matthew's graduation (turned out he made salutatorian, he was 2nd in a class of 300+ students~Congrats again!) I was treated to something I have long desired.  I got to visit the Titanic Artifact Exhibition.  It was my Mother's Day treat, and I am just giddy with having gotten to go.  Here are some pictures we took.
Outside Union Station, Kansas City, MO
Exhibit Poster on outside of the building

Up close (love the clock in the photo too)
Ceiling and chandelier in Union Station


Beautiful detail on the ceiling


Long hallway in Union Station

Restaurant in Union Station
 The building of the Union Station was just amazing.  Huge and beautiful, the history of the building could be felt just in walking through.  Wish we would have had more time to explore the other exhibits, but we were there for the Titanic and we spent at least two hours in that exhibit alone.
Mina's ticket to the Exhibit

Price sign at the ticket counter

Projected image on the floor of the museum.
The fact is, I miss things.  I get caught up in the "got to get this done" and don't pay attention to the details.  When I ordered our tickets online I didn't really pay attention to the price other than the "this will cost how much?!".  Mina pointed out to me when we got to the will call window, that the price of the tickets was $19.12, as in the ship sailed in 1912.  I honestly just figured it was due to some goofy entertainment tax that made the price an odd amount.  Anyway, the incorporation of the exhibit was displayed throughout the building.  Images were projected on the walls and floors and other items were used to draw attention.
Photo display of Captain Smith of the Titanic

Photo display of  Molly Brown

Port hole (you can see Mina taking the picture)
The porthole display was very cool as when you looked through the "window" there was water projected behind looking like it was the ocean outside.  Very cool!
Photo of the ship's crew as we entered the exhibit

Chris and I "on" the Grand Staircase of the Titanic

Caitlyn, Mina, and I "on" the Staircase

Mina and I "on" the Staircase

When we came into the exhibit we were given boarding passes with the names and info of actual passengers on the Titanic.  At the end of the exhibit, we would learn if we survived or perished the sinking.  We took advantage of the "photo op" to take pics in front of a black and white photo of the Grand Staircase from the Titanic.  Around the corner, there was a green screen where they took our picture and put us "in" the Titanic in a colored photo.  Mina pictured here, was trying her best to be regal.  Sadly, Mina, Caitlyn, and I were 2rd class passengers.  Chris, ironically enough, was a 1st class passenger and a sculptor.  They didn't allow photos in the exhibit, but apparently that didn't stop Mina from taking some with her iPod touch.
iceberg at the end of the exhibit that we could touch.
The rooms of the exhibit:
  •  started with the ice warnings
  •  next the conception and building of the Titanic
  • the luxury and opulence and 1st class passenger info and artifacts
  • a third class room display
  • the engine room and coal
  • the cargo hold
  • the devastation
  • the gift shop
Now since this could go on for several more hours, I will end this post here and pick up tomorrow with further details describing the rooms of the exhibit and things that I learned.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

One Down, One To Go

Well we made it through Nick's graduation Saturday, and we will leave in a couple days to go to Kansas for Matthew's.  We had a wonderful time visiting with family and have lots of new family photos to show for it.
Mina and Zoe
Bridget, Mina, Nathan (Chris's youngest brother)
Chris's Brothers (l-r) Todd (Nick's Dad, second oldest), Brian (Zoe's Dad, second  youngest), Chris (middle), Nathan (youngest), Kevin (oldest)
Todd, Daniel, Nick, Lisa
JoAnn, Mina, Kevin
Very proud of Nick, he received a bunch of scholarships and will be heading off to college before long.
Have a great rest of your week!

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Graduations Looming...

I have two very talented nephews graduating this Saturday and next Saturday.

First up: Nicholas Ryan Haussler graduates this week Saturday from Palmyra High School.
Nick's Senior picture
Nick is an amazingly gifted young man.  Music and Drama are Nick's passion and what he will major in at Nebraska Wesleyn University in the fall.   From the time he discovered music, he has been obsessed with playing it and I have no idea how many instruments he can play.  Amazing to those of us who can't read a note of music, that someone can look or listen to a piece of music and be able to duplicate it.  Nick is an Eagle Scout and just one goofy, cool guy.  Chris, Mina and I love spending time with him as we laugh A LOT. Congrats Nick ~ you are amazing, funny, and brillantly talented... Don't blow it! (just kidding, we love you and are proud of you!)
Nick at Prom
Next week,
Matt's Senior Pictures
Matthew Wayne Sanner will graduate from Gardner Edgerton High School in Gardner, Kansas.  Matthew is also musically talented with the ability to hear music and replicate it.  Matt shares my love of video games and we have shared the Legend of Zelda obsession.  Matthew with be going to Kansas State University in the fall and will be majoring in engineering.  Not surprising since Matt has his father's (my brother, Mark) love for taking apart gadgets and figuring out how to amp them up before putting them back together.  Matt is a very smart guy, a Kansas Govenor's Scholar actually, and will enjoy a bright future too! (again I say... DON'T BLOW IT! :0)  I am proud of you Bubba, Congratulations!)
Matt going to Prom.
I continue to be amazed at how fast time goes by.  These boys were just babies a blink of the eye ago.  Now they are on their way out the door to lives and dreams they will conquer!

Congratulations Nick and Matt!  We love you both!

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Art Bead Earring Swap

I came across this on Facebook this morning.  I signed up and you can too until May 4th.  Here is the link to the sign up info.
Art Bead Earring Swap

Suburban Girl Studio Art Bead Earring Swap Sign Up.

Happy May Day!!

This is going to be a rather random post.  The month of April was so busy and flew by so quickly, I am still rather dizzy from the affair.  So here are some random recent photos to share with you!


These pieces were made by Chris and have been donated to Girl Scouts for the ArtVenture silent auction.  The program is a wonderful one that we have participated in the past couple years.  Girl Scouts are paired up with artists of various media and they spend time learning about that artist's work.  They girls/artists create a project for the girls and one for the auction.  Chris taught two girls how to do chain maille this year.  Chris has been have fun learning and creating with this new media.  He has taught classes twice and has created about a dozen pieces since February. 

Caterpillar Spring.  Chris's little caterpillars were languishing in the bead tray so I designed this lovely piece with the caterpillars crawling through lovely Lucite blossoms.


Penguin Wedding Party.  What spring would be complete without a wedding!  We have big plans for these cuties!  Hope to have the details worked out soon!


New bailed pendants.  Chris has just recently started making these and we have sold a bunch!  Nice way to make a simple, artbead necklace.


New Spring Tweet bird bead Chris made recently.  I am continually amazed at the expressions on the faces of his critters!


Suki and Luna enjoying the spring weather open windows at our house!  They are so funny when the birds are on this platform in the mornings!

Tulips in our flower bed

crab apple tree blooming for all it is worth!

more tulips, these were planted when we moved in 21 years ago!

Flowers in the yard and spring storms in the sky!  These ominous clouds were hovering a couple weeks ago.  My family calls them hail clouds.  Can you see a face in the clouds?  I can see several!

Happy May Day!  Hope you receive a lovely May Basket!

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