Our first weekend at MDRF...
I wish I had more pictures to share, but alas we were TOO BUSY! However, I took a few.
For example, my face was hung on a wall...
We went out to the festival site early last week to prep and prepare the booth. We knew we had some work to do. When we added on our back room a few years ago, we used some scrap wood for some fencing, knowing it would rot away and need replacing. This has happened. So that needed doing and our bubble cart roof had reached the end of it's days. After eight seasons of rain and bubbles, the canvas and plywood top was soggy and crumbling. So we did that. Unfortunately, I have pictures of neither finished. Opening weekend is usually like that. A mad scramble to complete everything and get there. Staying on the grounds was very nice. Lots of old friends.
The porcelain Shane in the first picture was by our friend Ann of http://www.lifecasting.net/. She made that last year as an example to show in her booth. And the real artistry is in the eyes. They must remained closed during the casting process, naturally, so Ann sculpts them from photos.
The booth work was mostly mundane stuff. We hang the masks on stretched fabric over a wire grid and didn't get a chance to finish it off with trim last year. And there was LOTS of cleaning and dusting. It seems me and all my Green Man buddies leave alot of acorns around and the mice moved in for the ready food supply. I won't make that mistake again!
I did take a couple of pictures of the bubble cart, with out that new roof back on. Here is Ellawyn playing in it, which she did alot of as we worked in the booth.
If you look closely at the above photo you will see our spare for the cart on the back door. Yep a spare. Here is the close up.
If you are monitor impaired, it says, "Temporary Spare, Not For Highway Use", which is funnier if you see this next picture and note the bubble cart's wheels.
That is Ellawyn going for a ride as we moved the cart into position. And a note on that cart. We are extremely proud of how lovely it is. We designed it top to bottom, and did all the decorative painting. We had a carpenter do much of the building, as I was suffer with a terrible case of lyme disease at the time. I promise some better pictures later.
Our booth is right next to the Maze. As a matter of fact, the festival has a new map designed by two friends of mine and here it is, altered by me with white stars to show our locations. It's a really great map.
Every year, our kids get asked to "Test" out the Maze. The owner of the maze is a friend and our kids are the only ones in the booths of our immediate neighborhood. So he asks them to give it a run through in the days before the show to see how hard it is, since he alters it each year. Here is a video of Ellawyn running it with me following.
Over the weekend, one of our beloved faery crew, Spencer, had her 19th birthday. So we surprised her with cinnamon sticky buns on Sunday morning.
Later, she was surprised by her fellow faeries to have the Royal Court sing her a birthday song. We greatly appreciate this, and the court is friends and they gather for their morning entrance behind our booth each day.
Lots of our time there was for Ellawyn as her 5th birthday was Friday before opening. She went off to spend it with her mom and grandmother, along with some other family for the afternoon to have cake and ice cream. Since I was so far behind at the booth, and had seen her with her friends earlier in the month, I stayed to work. This is the life of a vendor. Leah took a bunch of pics for me and for those grandmother's and family who are reading this. Here is one of four generations, Great-Grandmother, Grandmother, Mother, and Ellawyn.
She got some great presents, including her first Barbie. Yes, I know that it's a slippery slope and many Barbies are in my future.
Of course money is always a welcome present, even at an early age. We are teaching her to save now so she won't be in the position we are in about retirement.
Trick candles, they're funny when your five and don't know they exist. Which provide Ell with lots of laughter and giggles.
And here is a video of her opening her presents.
So Ellawyn had fun. We had fun. Our crew had fun. There was fun. And the festival season has begun. Hopefully better pictures are to come. Particularly our annual group photo which will be this weekend.
All the pictures and a few more, mainly of Ellawyn's party, are on our photo gallery.
Ellawyn's: http://oddiments.com/Photo-Gallery/album58
And our MDRF 2008 images will all be on this album as we add to them:
http://oddiments.com/Photo-Gallery/album57
Hopefully I will see you all in the woods of Crownsville sometime this year.
Kubiando!
For example, my face was hung on a wall...
We went out to the festival site early last week to prep and prepare the booth. We knew we had some work to do. When we added on our back room a few years ago, we used some scrap wood for some fencing, knowing it would rot away and need replacing. This has happened. So that needed doing and our bubble cart roof had reached the end of it's days. After eight seasons of rain and bubbles, the canvas and plywood top was soggy and crumbling. So we did that. Unfortunately, I have pictures of neither finished. Opening weekend is usually like that. A mad scramble to complete everything and get there. Staying on the grounds was very nice. Lots of old friends.
The porcelain Shane in the first picture was by our friend Ann of http://www.lifecasting.net/. She made that last year as an example to show in her booth. And the real artistry is in the eyes. They must remained closed during the casting process, naturally, so Ann sculpts them from photos.
The booth work was mostly mundane stuff. We hang the masks on stretched fabric over a wire grid and didn't get a chance to finish it off with trim last year. And there was LOTS of cleaning and dusting. It seems me and all my Green Man buddies leave alot of acorns around and the mice moved in for the ready food supply. I won't make that mistake again!
I did take a couple of pictures of the bubble cart, with out that new roof back on. Here is Ellawyn playing in it, which she did alot of as we worked in the booth.
If you look closely at the above photo you will see our spare for the cart on the back door. Yep a spare. Here is the close up.
If you are monitor impaired, it says, "Temporary Spare, Not For Highway Use", which is funnier if you see this next picture and note the bubble cart's wheels.
That is Ellawyn going for a ride as we moved the cart into position. And a note on that cart. We are extremely proud of how lovely it is. We designed it top to bottom, and did all the decorative painting. We had a carpenter do much of the building, as I was suffer with a terrible case of lyme disease at the time. I promise some better pictures later.
Our booth is right next to the Maze. As a matter of fact, the festival has a new map designed by two friends of mine and here it is, altered by me with white stars to show our locations. It's a really great map.
Every year, our kids get asked to "Test" out the Maze. The owner of the maze is a friend and our kids are the only ones in the booths of our immediate neighborhood. So he asks them to give it a run through in the days before the show to see how hard it is, since he alters it each year. Here is a video of Ellawyn running it with me following.
Click to viewOver the weekend, one of our beloved faery crew, Spencer, had her 19th birthday. So we surprised her with cinnamon sticky buns on Sunday morning.
Later, she was surprised by her fellow faeries to have the Royal Court sing her a birthday song. We greatly appreciate this, and the court is friends and they gather for their morning entrance behind our booth each day.
Lots of our time there was for Ellawyn as her 5th birthday was Friday before opening. She went off to spend it with her mom and grandmother, along with some other family for the afternoon to have cake and ice cream. Since I was so far behind at the booth, and had seen her with her friends earlier in the month, I stayed to work. This is the life of a vendor. Leah took a bunch of pics for me and for those grandmother's and family who are reading this. Here is one of four generations, Great-Grandmother, Grandmother, Mother, and Ellawyn.
She got some great presents, including her first Barbie. Yes, I know that it's a slippery slope and many Barbies are in my future.
Of course money is always a welcome present, even at an early age. We are teaching her to save now so she won't be in the position we are in about retirement.
Trick candles, they're funny when your five and don't know they exist. Which provide Ell with lots of laughter and giggles.
And here is a video of her opening her presents.
So Ellawyn had fun. We had fun. Our crew had fun. There was fun. And the festival season has begun. Hopefully better pictures are to come. Particularly our annual group photo which will be this weekend.
All the pictures and a few more, mainly of Ellawyn's party, are on our photo gallery.
Ellawyn's: http://oddiments.com/Photo-Gallery/album58
And our MDRF 2008 images will all be on this album as we add to them:
http://oddiments.com/Photo-Gallery/album57
Hopefully I will see you all in the woods of Crownsville sometime this year.
Kubiando!