Hurray for Hippos!

Our Houston Hat Net met in the home of Sue, who is the most upbeat person you could ever want to know, and who is a member of many unique organizations, the most unique of which is probably "Hippo Collectors of the World".

That may not be the exact title of the organization, but Sue has the third largest collection of hippos in America of record.

Two thousand hippos, according to her. I wonder if that is an exact count. I'll bet there are a few more who had lumbered off during hippo roll call.

How much does Sue love hippos? Her car, a RAV has been "art car'd" fiberglassed to become a hippo on wheels.
Sue entertained us with the pictures from the seventh annual hippo collector convention recently held in Long Island.




Around 80 folks hat attended that convention, some flying in from around the globe.

I was *astonished* to see a picture of a set of fine china that one member had commissioned. The member had paid for someone to go to all the zoos in the world, and photograph the various resident hippos.

Those photos then were used to create the design on an elegant set of china. Serving pieces, plates, cups the whole kit and caboodle. Awesome.

Clearly the member, the Long Island resident who hosted the Convention had "discretionary income" of proportions that most of us only dream of. And frankly, even in our dreams, could not come up with such unique ways to divest such riches.

The blue gowned ice skating hippo in the first picture served as our potluck center piece at Sue's. The ice skates reminded Sue of her mother.

The second picture is of a glass sculpture hippo that came in from LoDo Denver CO.
I always think of hippos when I think of Denver, don't you?

I loved the garden hippos. The sunken hippo head burrowed in the leaves is amazing.
The powder room sink. The lily pad floating above the hippo is the spigot, and water twirls out in a waterfall.





I'm not sure what Sue wants for Christmas this year. Being Jewish, she already has a Hanukkah hippo menorah. She's all about celebration.

I'll bet that all she wants for Christmas is a hippopotamus.
At her house, I'm sure there is always room for one more.