parading the honey

The month-long project of helping make puppets, costumes, and major messes culminated in a beautiful madhouse of a parade this weekend! This year I was actually in the parade, which made me a little crazy, as I wasn't able to take any photos of the parade, and I cannot tell you with words how magical this experience is to behold. So you must either use your wildest imagination, or google it. 

photo by Patty Mitchell

My kids were incredibly involved and independent this year.  Eliza learned some new skills on the sewing machine, which she was thrilled about, Ani paper mached, painted, beaded, visited, danced, clowned, and helped Dan and I construct a cart that carried the two of us and six huge Indonesian gongs. Yes!! 

photo by Patty Mitchell

There were some incredible artists involved.  Scott from Montana and Adam from Vashon Island constructed a reed and tissue paper heart lantern (It's on the left in the photo above. It's huge.).  Have I mentioned that this is a community art project, open to the public for many hours a day for three weeks, and it's free?

working on the gong cart

There came a time this past week when things got intense. More intense. Projects were being worked on until the wee hours of the night, totally transforming by the time we would return the next day. Artists started losing themselves in the piles and piles of materials.  Can you see Scott below? Just barely?

Patty and Fawzia swallowed by fabric, fabric and more fabric!

Eliza fell in love with a mushroom baby. Girl after my own heart.

Ani assembling circles

Put down the mushroom baby, honey.

And then it was time!!! Yes, things were being constructed up until the very last moment, but it all happened!

Costumes were sorted and released to the crowds, huge puppets were assembled, everyone lined up and the fun began.

photo by Patty Mitchell

The girls were a part of a troupe of bees who had lost their way and were trying to find their home. It was such a delight to encounter them along the way - my sweet bees, looking for their honey! You'll have to imagine the rest - the resounding gongs, the dixie band drums and horns, the choir, the dancing water hags, the gentle swaying of puppet heads, high over the heads of the crowd, making their way through our little town.  Once again, we gave our hearts to this project and were rewarded with friendship, encouragement, beauty, community and accomplishment. So sweet...

photo by Patty Mitchell

 *my second post for November, about 16 minutes late, 'cause I'm still figuring out a new camera, and my photos are apparently ginormous and took about an hour to upload! Holy wah! Bear with me.  Also, a couple of these photos were taken with my camera by my friend Molly, but I couldn't tell you exactly which ones, so...thank you Molly!