Double Rainbow

Images from Sheep & Wool Festival, Tunbridge, VT

Mark and I went to the Sheep & Wool Festival at the Tunbridge Fair Grounds on Sunday. First we saw Jim McRae give a demo on sheep shearing, then attended Sheep 101--a very informative lecture by Chet Parsons. We visited all the animals, looked at all the vendors, and, of course, ate some food. The day before we had rain, but this was a perfect fall day.

That evening our friend Chris Allen-Wickler came in from Crafts at Rhinebeck, where she was selling the T-shirts she and Roger make. If you follow my blog, you saw Chris and her eldest daughter Zoe here in the summer, when they came to see me in Chicago. Besides t-shirts, Chris runs a program for children to learn animation called The Art Space in Traverse City, MI, and both her girls are award-winning animators. Her good news was that Zoe has been selected to go to India in November to report on a children's film festival in Hydrabad. I don't have children but I feel so proud of my friends' children and their accomplishments.

Are you suppose to wish on a rainbow? I remember something about a pot of gold--maybe a double rainbow is like double happiness. It was a glorious one that filled the sky the other day. Perfect back drop for portraits.

Chris Allen-Wickler on left, Bhakti Ziek on right, double rainbow/double happiness

Of course Chris' visit was the occasion for delicious meals and get-togethers. She had a 16 hour drive home on Tuesday, so I had to cancel the planned dinner, but Marianne and Liz came for breakfast instead. Here we are, smiling and happy; another mini-Cranbrook reunion. Even when we don't see each other for years (Mark and Chris hadn't seen each other for almost 20 years), there is such ease because of the force of those experiences in graduate school--for us as well as our partners. Naturally I tried to talk Chris into moving to Vermont. When her husband Roger visited us in New Mexico, we tried to get him to consider moving with us to Vermont too. I guess we have to get both of them together to work on them here.

Four Friends--Marianne, Liz (bottom row); Chris, Bhakti (top row)

December at end of our wood pile

I had to check Chris' car as she left, to make sure our cats and dog hadn't jumped in with her. She is such a loving person, and our animals didn't want to leave her side.

Yurt, full image and detail, weaving by Bhakti Ziek

Just in case you forgot, or I forget, I am still a weaver. Probably won't get to the loom again until end of October, but am doing things related. Today I put some work up to show someone who is making a studio visit tomorrow to see my work and Mark's. I don't want to say to much--don't want to jinx it--but I am putting some effort into trying to get my work seen again. Also, still preparing the presentations for Colloquy. I leave Sunday and look forward to this gathering of weavers.