Tejas Storytelling Festival 2008

The Festival was wonderful this year. As usual, I ran hard the whole time trying to do as much as possible. I hate to miss out on a good time! Here is a photo of Genie Hammell and I enjoying a yummy lunch at a Greek restaurant. It was one of those modest places that have the best food. It was my favorite place to eat during the festival.

This is Sumi. She was just days away from her 6th birthday. Her parents are from South India and wonderful, friendly people. I helped coach Sumi on her tale. She wore a traditional Indian outfit and was was beautiful up there on the stage. She did an amazing job on her story. Sumi is a particularly talented young lady, she will go far in life.

Here I am with fellow storytellers. We were all looking at photos from festivals past on Mel Davenport's computer. One of the best things about festival is hanging out with fellow storytellers. We are a fun bunch of folks! If I may say so myself;-)

This is from the final concert on Sunday. I had spent 4 days up in Denton hanging with storytellers, going to workshops, facilitating my own workshop A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words...more or less, staying at my good friend Betsy's house, and just having a BLAST of a good time. I was tired, tired, tired when I got back home, but it was worth it.

Lapse in Blogging

Sorry for such a long break in blogging. I have lots to say and pictures to post, but my stress load has been and is still massive.

I recently returned from the Texas Storytelling Festival where I presented a new workshop, attended workshops, supported a few tellers whom I've been coaching, went to lots of concerts, told stories at two preschools and often literally ran from one location to another non-stop. If I had not stayed at my good friend Betsy's cozy house in Denton I couldn't have kept up the pace. That is for sure!

Now I have several programs and three week-long summer camps to finish planning. As they say up north in Minnesota, "UFFDAH!"

See Tree How You Have Been Replaced

Aaarrrgghhhhh....I've had the worst time learning how to enter my art work into a show. I've had to take clear, non-shiny photos with the correct pixels, attach the correct documents with each item with very specific document titles. I do not naturally think in the linear mode necessary for these kinds of skills. So frustrating. Lily helped me, but she only has so much patience for her super right-brained mom.

I really, REALLY need a secretary, assistant...someone who can do these kinds of tasks for me. This would enable me to focus much more clearly on creating new art works and stories. It would make life so much easier.

Oh, by the way, here is my latest piece. It was created for a recycled art exhibit. I found all the bottle caps in a couple of parking lots here in Plano.

I wrote a nutty little poem and put it in at the bottom. Not too sure I am entirely happy with the picture. I do know that I've learned a lot about how to make a better one in the future. This was a good example of how to learn through the mistakes that were made.

Something New

Since the weather is warming up, I thought it might be time to make something other then neck scarves with recycled wool. Here is a fabric purse (front & back) I covered with recycled wool from sweaters. It will be donated to the Tejas Storytelling Assocation for their silent auction at the end of March.

I also finished a picture of a tree that was created using a rusty piece of metal cable and squashed bottle caps found in a parking lot in downtown Plano. It's titled Many Liberties Were Taken. I leave you dear reader to figure out what I mean by that.

Hint: It can mean whatever you want it too.

Collin College Cabaret

Jeff, Lily and I went to the Collin College Cabaret Fundraiser as the guests of Dr. David Hammell, his wife Genie (a gifted storyteller and friend of mine) and Genie's mother Belle. We had a wonderful evening.

Lily In Her New Wig

Gayle, Lily and I all bought wigs last week. They were very inexpensive and look pretty darn real on us. Well, we think so anyway.

Here is Lily in hers. She bought it for a costume she'll wear to an event next month. These photos don't do justice to how cute she looks in it. She was in a hurry to get to school. (Yes, she went to her college classes with it on.) I had to hurriedly snap the pictures. This last one shows that she was letting me know that my time was up.

Look what Lily gave me!

Lily and I were out roaming an antique shop the other day. We love books, so eventually we found ourselves looking over some oldies but goodies. That's where I found these and started oohing and aahing. There on the shelf was a complete set of The Junior Classics: A Library for Boys and Girls volumes 1-10 published in 1918. The books are in beautiful condition. Lily saw how much I was drooling over them, and so a couple of days later went and purchased them for me as an early birthday & Mother's Day gift. I was shocked, SHOCKED I tell you. AND very appreciative. I told Lily that she was aiding and abetting a storyteller.

What a sweetie she is.