I confess that my eagle eye was distracted by the sight of sailboats almost within touching distance on the Magothy River: the view, the food, the company, the good stuff to look at made a perfect day. I don't like to suggest that my native state has any shortcomings, but, I must confess, you don't find views like this in Pennsylvania. It was great fun to see what different members collect. Since by definition the items are small, you could bring a variety of favorite things in a small box. I chose my best loved needle cases (the beaded silk paisley was a big hit) and homemade pincushions. Everybody seemed to like the crocheted heart embroidered "Ouch." One of our members brought some of her tapemeasures. The most interesting was in a gutta-percha case. She said it's called an "oreo" and it does look like the cookie. We were not sure what gutta-percha is (the word turns up in English novels of a certain era) and my twin (separated at birth) Suzanne did her homework and sent the following:

"Per the Encarta Encyclopedia, gutta-percha is a crude rubber which is elastic and can be molded. It is also described as a milky substance that hardens after being boiled and cooled. It was used as the first insulating coating for electrical wires, used to cover early golf balls, gave dolls their first flexibility, and had other diverse applications. It was not considered a viable plastic because, with age and exposure to sunlight, it deteriorated and crumbled. For more information see:

http://www.altcorp.com/AffinityLaboratory/guttahistory.htm

http://collections.ic.gc.ca/cable/gutta.htm "

One of the best things about our study groups is that I don't have to know much because I know all the people who do know a lot! Thank you all. This was the last meeting for our dear friend Karen Alexander who is moving to the San Juan Islands in Washington state, about as far as you can go and still be in the Lower 48. We'll miss her, but she'll be AQSG in Vancouver in October. Cinda on the Eastern Shore