Portland Christmas Revels shows for 1998-2000

Portland Revels has done two shows of a Celtic nature. The first, in 1998, was broader in focus, encompassing traditions from Scotland, England, and Wales. (Don't quote me there--it's been nearly twenty years, and I'm going by memory.) These are very large images; click on them to see what isn't fitting on the page.

After that came the first French Medieval show, in 1999.

Then, in 2000, a Victorian Show.

Portland Christmas Revels Northlands show, 1997

1997 was the year of our first Northlands show, and featured the national choreographer of Norway, a champion pole dancer (it's a folk form, not what you're thinking! Quite an amazing dance, though.), and a quartet of folk singer-musicians from Karelia, in Russia. I loved this show, and enjoyed talking to the choreographer about my name, which is very popular in Norway.

The first full show Portland Revels put on was in 1996, "The King and the Fool". (For those of my readers who still check in from time to time, 2014 marks our 20th year. These collages are part of the celebration.)

The first Portland Christmas Revels show was produced in 1995. This is a photo collage of shots from that show, which I've heard described as a "sampler". To see the collage in its entirety, just click on it. You can also press F11 on your keyboard to go completely full screen; pressing F11 again will bring back your headers and footers, and whatever other doodads you're accustomed to. Want to see it even larger? Click on the photo again, which will enlarge it to full size. 

A Lovely Valentine's Bottle Swap

Has it really been a year since I last posted? Google tells me so, and I won't argue. And this post is almost a week later than I'd intended, but I've been waging computer battles of epic hair-tearing proportions. (Shhhh. Everything seems to be working reasonably well this evening. Don't even whisper that to the computer jinxing gods!)

Last Thursday was Valentine's Day, and in honor of that I participated in a bottle swap! My sister-I've-never-met-in-person, darling Miz Mollye, over at Fruit of the Spirit was our hostess for it. Have you ever tried one? You take an empty 2 liter bottle, cut a trap door in the side, stuff it full of goodies, and then mail it. (I loved the look on the postal worker's face when I placed the one I was sending on the scale!)

I am here to show off the lovely wonderfulness I received from my swap partner, Terry Lee. (Her blog is here: AllThingsTerryLee .) Are you ready? Here's what the outside of the bottle looked like:

See how she surrounded all the little gifties with pink paper shreds? So pretty! And a close-up of the heart-shaped picture:

I opened my bottle with a girlfriend who'd come for a visit. We could hardly believe our eyes as we pulled one item after another from the bottle. How on earth did she get all this in there?! And almost all of it was gift-wrapped, so there was the delight of anticipation, and opening each one.

Whoo-hoo! Lookit all the CHOCOLATE! I have nibbled, and nibbled, and nibbled, and when I'm not nibbling, I'm hoarding. I swear, sometimes thinking about that chocolate waiting for me is as good as actually eating it. (Well....maybe not quite, lol.)

And so many prezzies! Socks, a bracelet (haven't taken it off since), a little note pad for my purse, a darling hanging heart, decorated box, my initial on a hat/coat hook....

"AC sweet as can be" (My initials are AC. How darling is that? Not to mention flattering!)

The sweet card and envelope, and a delightful stamped and decorated cloth tag:

And last but not least, this metal hanger. I love it, and I'm looking for just exactly the right place to put it.

All I have to say is my swap partner spoiled me absolutely rotten. I have smiled, and smiled, and smiled. Thank you, Terry Lee!

WEIGHTY MATTERS

I wrote this some time back for another website (www.thinkcrafts.com), and am reposting today. Hence the "odd" reference to summer heat!
 
Ah, summer. Picnics, farmers’ markets, concerts in the park, camping, and festivals abound, and all the world wants to be outside.

Of course, with temperatures in the 80’s, 90’s, and even 100’s, we’re also looking for shade, and canopies are becoming very popular ways to take your shade with you. They’re getting better all the time, too, with pop-up types springing up in a matter of minutes, and collapsing into a bundle smaller than a kitchen stool.

The downside? If the wind comes up, a canopy can behave like a parachute with wanderlust, and go tumbling willy-nilly away from your set-up.

The solution, of course, is to weight it down. One way is to fill empty milk jugs with water, tying from two to four to each canopy leg, but jugs can be hard to lug, and I’m one of those people who find it all too easy to trip even on something as obvious as  Big Jugs O’ Water In The Corner.

As someone who does art/craft shows, I also wanted something that looked professional, without spending a bundle. My son and daughter-in-law had the solution.

You’ll need:

•  Four 4’ lengths of 3” diameter PVC pipe
•  8 end caps that fit your pipe
•  PVC primer and glue (It will be in the plumbing supplies area at the hardware store.)
•  Sand
•  Optional: 4 short lengths of chain with S-hooks on each end, and 4 sturdy eye bolts

Start by gluing an end cap to one end of each of the four pipes. You need to use the primer first, and then the glue, according to the instructions on the cans. Protect your work surface! My dear husband spilled some on our linoleum, and the purple stains don’t look like they’ll ever come out! (No worries for me—I’ve already painted polka dots on my floor; this is an excuse to do more!)

Let the glue dry thoroughly, and then fill each of the pipes with sand, then glue the other end caps to the open ends of the pipes. 

You now have four good weights that are ready to use by just standing them next to the canopy legs and bungee-cording in place.

Or you can finish up with just one more step: Drill a guide hole in one end cap of each weight that’s just a bit smaller than your eye bolts’ diameter. Screw the eye bolt in securely. Now you can use those short lengths of chain to hang the weights from each corner.

FRIDAY FENCE POST #80: Raccoon Highway

It's been a Long time since I did a Friday Fence Post, and this one is kind of a cheater. It has a fence, the one right outside our bedroom window, but I'm reasonably certain that isn't what will get your attention. I was sitting near the window when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye....

 

Isn't it beautiful? I got quite close to it, even closer than these photos. The fence is only about six feet from the wall, and our not-so-little friend here was at eye level. It was only when I opened the window to get a better shot that s/he backed up, away from me. I thought to myself, when it did that, Huh. Apparently, this raccoon understands the difference between an open and a shut window. Now isn't that interesting?

I wonder how often raccoons use the top of our fence as their highway....