FESTIVAL FOR THE ENO: MORE DAY 1
Another really exciting visit I got was from a lovely asian
woman and her partner, who turned out to be Mrs Buttermilk herself, of PJ
Buttermilk fame, on 9th st!
Long have I seen the sign in the alleyway on 9th
St. but I am ashamed to say that I have never ventured down to take a gander! I
was flattered to find April and John seemed to like my work, and seemed to
appreciate that it stood out from the crowd. Who knows, perhaps Reptire Designs and the esteemed PJ Buttermilk will find some common ground to perch apon someday...
Ana Lena and Allen- Belt Snake Hymnal
A special treat I got to enjoy at the Festival, sweet as a
cup of Cherry Chip Ice Cream, was the return visit at long last, of my dear
friends Anna Lena Phillips and Allen Bell.
Also Sweetly, it was there at the Eno River State Park that
I had last seen these two love birds, when we gathered to wish them farewell on
their journey ‘down-river’ to the coastal metropolis of Wilmington!
I was tickled, and a little bit chagrin, again, to have the
chance to show these two the Belt Snake Hynmal I composed to accompany my new
Orouboros Street Snake Belts. Why? Because they are each marvelous literary
artisan figures in their own right! Alan is a Maestro of the English and Spanish
language (and an ESL teacher to boot), and we have always enjoyed together the
love for words that we both share. And Ana Lena even won an Emerging Artist
Grant for her really exquisite and piquant poetry, posted on small cards, with
insect images! I’ll even say that Ana Lena popped into my minds eye as I
crafted that poem. So it was cool to get to show it to them, and then take a
swim with them!
STAMPEDE!
Probably the weirdest occurrences this year, happened when I
decided to lay down some gravel for my porch.
Having a gravel floor to my booth has been a long time
dream/ambition of mine, but I could never quite summon the courage (or studity)
to import (and more critically export) an entire truck load of gravel, ontop of
everything thing else I have conscripted myself to schlep in and out.
So this year, I decided to try a compromise. Instead of a
whole truck load, I just brought a single 5 gallon bucket of beautiful river
rock pea gravel (from B&L). This I planned to spread on my new ‘front
porch’, to lend some atmosphere to the booth, particularly my outdoor
furnishings area (tirarium planters and the like).
No sooner had I poured a few dollops out onto the ground,
when a very strange thing happened. Suddenly, a man and a woman appeared from
out of nowhere, and began stamping and stomping the gravel into place.
It was a
very strange sort of dance that they did on their tip toes, but it seemed that,
in their own they were trying to help. Then as soon as they had appeared,
they vanished again down the path.
I was reminded of the scene in Crocodile Dundy, when he
spends hours making a fire, and then a Rhinosorus appears out of no where and
stamps it out.
Who knows what ancient instincts I had awakened in these
two. I just thank my lucky stars they were not hostile…
