Second Post of the Day
This is the last picture of my mother that I will be sharing this week. Call me sentimental, but it felt right to include her - not only is she my mother, but her contributions to The Feast of the Hunters' Moon from its very beginnings and then over its first three decades were significant and are still felt.
Sharing photos of her makes it feel like she's still with us for yet another year on the Wabash at Fort Ouiatenon. (My parents' home was on the Wabash; that's "her river," too, just like it's mine.)
Mom, Martha Jones (a long time family friend), and Barbara Claffin sharing a laugh at the 1988 Feast.
Yesterday's set up was the smoothest I think it has ever been. It started when Vanessa called me around 9 AM and offered to come help me load my car. She was running errands near us and had a little extra time. That gal loaded all 19 garment bags of 18th century clothing into my trunk by herself!
Did I mention that she had just gotten home from Rome and was jet lagged? And yet she still offered to help me out? What a sweetheart! (Thanks, Vanessa! xo)
Vanessa was also planning to load my car, but I told her I'd get that done.
I'd already brought everything downstairs and into the garage, so I was able to handle the lifting. So, we went back into the house and asked her to tell us about her trip.
I was able to get everything except the chairs and my clothing rack into my car. Lisa dropped by and picked those up, and then she, Craig, and I caravanned out to Fort Ouiatenon together. (Yes, I do bring a roll of TP with me. Sometimes the portapotties run out!)
I was in the same site I've always been - booth 353.
Leslie and Rick met us there as they store my tent in their barn for me and we began unloading my things. (Thank you, Les and Rick! xo)
Curt, Ian, and Lukas also came out to help Lisa, Craig, and me put the tent up.
Laying out the lodge and ridge poles are the very first step as they support the roof and thus the entire tent.
As those go up, the corner poles are also inserted.
It's helpful to have someone stationed at each corner pole to keep them upright as they begin to bear the weight of the tent top.
The other tent poles are then inserted and the ropes and stakes are all hammered into the ground.
We walk around the tent many times, checking and adjusting rope tautness, and making sure no poles are leaning and are still perpendicular to the ground.
We have a sutler's tent! The tables are carried in and then the tubs and boxes. I thank everyone for their help and tell them I've got it from there. (Thank you so much, family! xo)
Lisa hung out a little longer with me to make sure I really didn't need more help. She also made sure I had water (er, well, I have coke) and had eaten lunch. (I had.) She handed me two bottles of water and told me to drink them, too! Sweet girl! (Thanks, Lis! xo)
And then I got to work setting up my merchandise.
I created a new display for the pin pillows this year, and I love how it looks! That's a trencher at the base - a dish used in the 18th century to hold your dinner when eating. Holds pin pillows nicely, doesn't it? LOL
The blackened beeswax ornaments display. I think these are my most favorite thing to make and sell, even more than the clothing. (And I love to sew, so that's saying something.) As soon as I had those out and arranged, that beeswax and cinnamon aroma began wafting through my tent.
I've left the clothing in bags to keep it clean until Saturday. My Dad made that tabletop rack. It's also stored in Leslie and Rick's barn. Now I feel like he is represented at the Feast just as my mom is. (::sniff::)
There is some open space in that corner big enough for my sewing mannequin. I'm thinking I will bring it out and dress it to demonstrate my clothing. Still on the fence about that, though. There's also the towel display and the fans that I sell. The apple crate is from our orchard; more of my father with me at the Feast.
The money box, an assortment of paper bags, my pewter drinking cup, and the change basket. I had to cover the beeswax ornaments up - some bees buzzed into my tent and were interested in them!
The other clothing rack (made by Van), and the new chair he made me this spring. He is making me another clothing rack for Kalamazoo, and he also surprised Leslie with a lumbar chair just like mine yesterday. He is such a nice man. (Thank you, Van!)
Those tubs still have some things in them to unpack, but essentially I am ready. I need to get out the mini chalk boards and put prices on them, then set them around, and then slide the tubs under the tables.
I finished up around 5:00, closed up the tent, and came home feeling comfortable that I had made good progress and was in good shape for the weekend.
I'll be out again today. I am bringing out a smaller table to use for School Days on Friday and need to get that set up and ready to go. And, I may bring the mannequin out and dress it.
I made a video of the grounds as I left. It is very clearly a homemade video (oh, my!) and you will get to see the dash of my car more than once, but it will give you an idea of how the grounds are shaping up.
Enjoy, and stay 'tooned!
