What a weekend. 5 things made this weekend truly spectacular. If it were possible to jam everything and everyone into the last weekend of summer we came pretty damn close. It was a great time.
#1 Some friends of ours (Damon and Amy) from Hood River, Oregon came up for a visit with their truly adorable little girl "Poppy." They are the most amazing house guests we have ever had and set a standard we won't try to live up to. They brought a cooler full of food and their own towels. They didn't want us to have to do too much laundry when they left. (shake head here) This was topped off by coming home to the smell of a cedar planked salmon dinner they wanted to prepare for us. A somewhat impossible confusion to my sense of smell knowing we don't own a grill. Turns out they bought us a newfangled charcoal grill as a housewarming present when they found out we didn't have one. I am still shaking my head over that one. Amazing friends. The Salmon was beyond comment and we went to sleep with our bellies quite content. The Last night they were here was spent sitting around the "fireball" singing songs and making smores. Perfect.
#2 The shop has been a place of magic the last few days. Between Friday and Saturday just about everyone we had some sort of relationship with on the island came in for a visit. This even included Anatoli from the International Ballet who brought another friend and his wife to check things out. I got very little done but it was a great couple days. We did make some leather vambraces (cuffs) that came out really well while talking to visitors and socializing with our friends. By the end of the Saturday we were joking about the only folks we hadn't seen that day only to have them turn up 5 minutes later.
#3 A very nice man named Rodney Wood came into our shop and asked if he could do some photographs in and out of our shop. "Sure!" I said. Then he told me about the interesting process he uses to take the photos. I nodded with a cursory understanding. He showed us a couple prints he had and we were gobsmacked. He did a few different shots of the shop and Nymbol and crew got in to the action. When I got home I looked up more of his work. Rodney has a flickr site. Right now, open another window and do a search for him under people on flickr. Wow. If there is a faerie sight he is able to capture it. I cannot wait to see what he comes up with.
are you back from checking on Rodney? Good. Amazing isn't it.
#4 At some time during one of Nymbol's impromptu performances a few families were in the shop and trying on wings and playing around. Nymbol ran off and I came out and chatted with a few folks. One little girl had been dancing in our wings for ages. Her Grandmother with two older grandchildren handed me $40 and told me to collect the rest from who I assumed was her daughter. She said "it's a grandmother thing." The mom gave me a strange look and handed me the other $20. My friend Damon, who was being more astute than I at the time asked me if they were related. "It's her grandmother," I said. I thanked them as they left the shop and I noticed they went in different directions. "Wait a second," I asked. "Are you guys related???" I asked the grandmother."
"No?" she said with a smile on her face. I gave her a big hug and almost cried. I ran back in the store and got two little bottles of faerie dust to give to her actual granddaughters.
#5 Rainey. Rainey, Rainey. If this weekend hadn't already been filled with magic friends and mystery. On Saturday night Sam and I went over to visit Rainey and hear what she has been working on for "Nymbol's Secret Show." More than once I just sat their in shock. Nymbol and troop have been propelled to the next level by her words and music. Mukilteo Coffee here we come. (our show next Saturday) I cannot say how touched I am that she would dig so deep, sweat, write, and disregard her need for sleep to conjure up such a gift for Nymbol and his Troop. We met again Sunday morning to go over the run of show and were making each other laugh. I look forward to seeing how everyone reacts to what we are doing. I am excited and see this as the turning of the very big page in the book that will become Nymbol's journey. Thank you Rainey. You are amazing.
