Kreinik's factory and offices are closed the week of July 4 every year for summer holiday. What does a thread maker do when he's not making threads? Find out in Doug Kreinik's tour-de-fun account here.
Summer
vacations are always adventures in the Kreinik household. My wife Myla and I enjoy aiming the car and
just driving and learning about an area.
We have traveled the Great Lakes, the East coast cities and beaches, Key
West, the Gulf Coast, the Pacific Northwest and the vast deserts in the
Southwest. This year, we decided to head
west to see our daughter and her family in Los Angeles.
Our
first stop was in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky to visit the Wild Turkey
Distillery. I love factory tours and
this was a not a disappointment. We saw grains
being made into a “beer,” then moved, strained and made into a “wine.” From there the liquids were distilled and
moved to charred oak kegs and aged. The scent of bourbon and whiskey was strong
as we walked through their storage facilities. Yes, we taste-tested.
The
next stop was Wamego, Kansas, the home of the Wizard of Oz Museum. This special place contains more than 20,000
pieces of memorabilia surrounding the origins of the story, vaudevillian creations,
the movie and new movies. It was fun and
campy and we’re glad we went.
We
took a break in Burlington, Colorado, at the Kit Carson County Fairgrounds
where they have the Carousel Museum and an operating 1885 Philadelphia Toboggan
Co Carousel with a military band organ. The
carousel moves at dizzying 12 miles per hour. Tip: do not move your head
sideways while in motion.
If
you want to trek up Pike’s Peak, take the shuttle and let them drive up the
14,000 feet. We had to replace our
brakes, for we wore them out coming down the great mountain. It was a windy,
scary mountain road, but beautiful.
We
spent July 4 holiday in Aspen, Colorado. With Aspen music school’s free concerts,
parades, good food, and beautiful scenery, we had fun. This is probably one of the only places where
you can rent a Rolls or Bentley.
We
covered three National Parks in Utah: Arches, Bryce and Zion. All were magnificent
and all were different. The natural forming arches were spread throughout the
park created by water and wind over eons of time. Bryce Canyon, not really a
canyon for it was not created by flowing water, seemed like an alien landscape.
This area is unique with it’s hoodoos, formed by wind and rain. The obelisks of
rock rise above the ground and can be seen from within or above. I walked the rim and it was stunning. Zion National
Park is filled rocks weeping water, waterfalls, sheer cliffs of sandstone and
granite, and great walking paths except when the temperature reaches 102
degrees F. We travelled the park in a shuttle bus—the best and easiest way.
In
St. George, Utah, we stopped at a Prairie Museum. Found out that the early Mormon settlers
raised silk worms and processed silk, making threads and yarns in the dessert
climates of Utah. I had no idea.
Las
Vegas is not really one of my favorite summer cities at 112 degrees F, but the
entertainment is outstanding. I had
never seen a Cirque Du Soleil show so Myla and I saw the Beatles version and
were not disappointed. From Green
Meanies to “Here comes the Sun,” this was packed with eye candy. Love, love,
loved it.
We visited Needles, Hooks, and Yarn in Glendora,
California. She has knitting,
needlepoint, weaving and more. The shop
carries many selections of threads and yarns, numerous looms and a great
selection of Kreinik threads. The owner Nancy gave us peach-filled donuts, a
specialty of a certain nationally known Glendora donut shop.
We
finished our trip with a week-long stay with my daughter (an executive producer),
her husband Jon and our grandson Asher. Jon and I spent three days building
patios and garden boxes. We went to
museums, saw an exhibit on the Muppets and Jim Henson and one on the life and
times of Leonard Bernstein.
The
last day we visited the Wayfarer’s Church in Palo Verdes, California, designed by Frank
Lloyd Wright Jr. This glass edifice is
surrounded by redwood and olive trees in a very serene location overlooking the
Pacific Ocean. We ate at the Redondo Beach Greek Festival where Asher had his
first calamari experience at 19 months old and loved it.
We
had a wonderful, exciting summer vacation exploring parts of the United States.
Now I’m back at the thread factory gearing up for two August events: The
Lancaster Fiber Festival in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and The AmericanNeedlepoint Guild conference in Washington DC. Hope to see you there. If you
are driving through Parkersburg, West Virginia, on your summer vacation, be
sure to stop by the Kreinik Factory Outlet Store and say hello.
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