Taking Care of Business!

In sharing with you our vacation fun, The Marmelade Gypsy has left some thanks and “unfinished business” dangling in cyberspace!

First, many thanks to all of you who knew about my birthday and sent along greetings – either online or in the mail! It was a great day! (Actually, it just keeps coming!)

(And the best part is that Rick gave me a laptop, so you won’t have to hear me carp about the borrowed home computer when the screen goes black and I can’t even log off! I will, however, continue to periodically complain about dial-up!)

He also made a great dinner with carrot cake.

Second, thanks for some blog awards! Janet at Lavender Loft recognized me with the Wylde Woman blogger award! Janet's magical drawings (she calls them doodles, and maybe they are, but I think of them as drawings) enchant me!

Just yesterday I learned from one of my favorite artists, Sandra Everston (who is featured in the newest issue of Artful Blogging), that I had won a doll head in her drawing!

I visited her site today and you must too! Her current post is a sweet treat of art, candy, gumballs, but most of all, her creative words – and it’s a feast for the eyes and a smile for the heart.

I’ve not posted any art lately, but recently completed my first row-house trade with Dawn of My Thoughts by Dawn. These are the ones she received from me!

These went to my new art friend Charline!

The two I did for myself capture my mom and her sisters and my grandmother. I don't have the one of mom and the sisses photographed, but here's Grandma (aka Minniewood).

A few days ago, my pal Judy – who is the advocate extraordinare for special needs – asked if I could mention a new campaign launched by the Special Olympics to raise consciousness about the derogatory use of the word “retard” and how it is often used to insult and demean people with intellectual disabilities. For more about this, please visit Winter Ramblings.

Finally, I will announce the winner of my vacation souvenir package on Monday, August 18, so remember – any comment on any of the posts that begin with the letter “V” for “Vacation (“V1,” “V2,” etc.) are entered!

Next week: Some “craft camp” creations (I hope!)

Wine a Bit, You'll Feel Better!

What could be nicer than sampling spicy wines on a summer’s day?

Our wine group gathered to try two types of spicy wines – white Gerwurztraminer and red Syrah or Shiraz!

We tried six wines, three of each.

Fortunately we had bread, cheese and crackers in-between – and Pat brings the BEST breads and cheeses! My favorite wines were the two by Chauteau St. Michelle …(and let me add here that these photos are blurry because I was shooting fast and not because of too much wine!)

My favorite was the Gerwurztraminer, which should be used one to five years after it is bottled and was deliciously crisp and spicy. It's from Washington's Columbia Valley, 2006 and cost $9.00 -- a great price and the least expensive we tried. (We didn't know the cost till after we tasted!)

The Chateau Ste. Michelle 2002 Syrah was $11.00, and tied for the least expensive red. I really enjoyed the flavor of this one. (I didn't bond with the one that smelled like smoked sausage and spilled on my light pants!)

Comments for all ran from "This is my favorite!" (Barb, after tasting the Chateau Gerwurtzaiminer -- the first wine we tried!) to "It's stinky" and "If you drink a lot of it, it gets better." -- this, about the most expensive of the lot!).

And there were plenty of laughs in-between!

The afternoon was special in that it included a ride on Lansing’s Grand River! Our hosts Roger and Meredith live on the river and Captain Roger took us out on his boat!

It was fun for all of us to see a river we only see by the road from a different point of view!

We saw lovely homes, beautiful views, and even a heron, which doesn’t show up too well in this photo, but what the heck!

We did sample a bit of wine on board...

I'm smiling here, but my buff-colored jeans will never be the same. I may have to try dying with wine as a new craft project.

Then after, the feast! We all contributed to the dinner – a pork roast, a zucchini casserole by Anne made from garden veggies, my orzo salad, and this glorious birthday cake by Barb for wine
expert Dick and me, who both have August birthdays!

Anne and Barb brought veggies to take home and Meredith’s beautiful centerpiece included party favors – terrific chocolates and a wine charm!

And as they say, “a good time was had by all!”

Write on Wednesdays: Group Effort

In today’s Write on Wednesday, Becca asks:

Have you ever belonged to a writer’s group? Did it work? Why (or why not?) What would be your criteria for the perfect writer’s group?

I’ve never belonged to a writer’s group, although I have spent time talking informally with other friends who write and – in the long ago – took classes, which included some of the elements of a group (but in a larger scale).

So, I can’t attest as to whether or not it worked and why. But I can weigh in on my criteria for the perfect writer’s group (and for that matter, it would apply to an art group as well).

It would be relatively small. The larger the group, the harder to schedule or get reliable attendance. Having participants attend regularly helps with the bonding and trust, which becomes a factor when feeling comfortable sharing work and getting feedback.

It would allow for personal style diversity. By that, I mean it wouldn’t be discipline specific. Whether you wrote short stories, essays, investigative pieces or non-fiction, you would be welcome.

My concept would be one of sharing and one of positive feedback. I know if someone says, “that’s really lousy,” I want to shut down. If someone says, “I think I see the idea you’re going for – have you thought about...,” I’m going to be far more open and less angry, eager to return the following week with a rewrite to see how it fit.

And when it comes down to it, that would be a good art group, too. Granted, some of the logistics for that are a little trickier. If you have a collage artist, a large-canvas painter and a polymer person meeting to actually DO art, you’re going to have some facility issues. But for show and tell, support, feedback – well, that could be done with a pretty broad spectrum.

Thinking of that reminds me of a Creative Women party I had a year or so ago. It was about seven or eight women, each of whom brought something to show and their things were displayed on a table.

It was an eclectic group – a mixed-media artist/photographer, two who focused on jewelry, a writer, a photographer, a knitter/quilter who also dyed her yarns… there may well have been more!

And we just had fun. Granted, it was only one evening. But we talked art, writing, travel, creativity and all left so energized!

The energy. That’s really it, isn’t it? The energy of creating and sharing; the energy of reaching outside one’s comfort zone to seek and achieve feedback.

I have to add, there are so many blogs I visit and so many who come to The Gypsy that I feel much of that energy online. I envy the meetings of bloggers who happen to converge on the same site for a lunch or a gathering! If you can’t have the group at home, then the blog is definitely the next best place!

Festivals are Fun!

If you love folk music and are up for a visit to Michigan, mark your calendars for 2009 – the second week in August!

Last weekend was the annual Great Lakes Folk Festival. The event takes place the second weekend of August each year.

(Personally, I think the event is badly named, though by definition, true. But when many people think of “folk music” they think of the Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul and Mary.)

True, but it’s so much more.

This is really more like a Folk-and-World festival, combining such genres as bluegrass, Cajun, Quebecois, Cape Breton, Celtic, African, Texan, Blues and more.

On top of that, are great traditional arts exhibits, street folk, like this balloon fellow...



...and terrific ethnic food. (This line…)

Is for the homemade root beer stand!

The event begins on a Friday evening and goes through Sunday, with four-five stages operating at any one time, including a dance stage and a legacy stage (more talks or demonstrations), along with three performance stages.

I enjoyed a number of things, musical and otherwise including blues artists Cephas and Wiggins, a guitar workshop, in which several representatives from various groups played and talked about their craft…

Cats and the Fiddle, a terrific bluegrass group of kids about 12-14 or so…

Vishtan, from Prince Edward Island…

April Vertch, a wild fiddler…

The Singletons (a gospel group that would have been great if they weren’t so loud)…

And Mamadou Djibate who plays the kora, He was my favorite. Incredibly beautiful music on this fascinating instrument.

He was backed by a bass, native xylophone-type instrument and drums.

Unbelievable!

Musicians hang out on the street, eager to talk with anyone!

We only went on Saturday, which was a combination of sunny, relatively cool but comfortable, and unseasonable Michigan weather (generally the festival is hot and humid!) to big bursts of rain!

My buddy David, who runs sound for the fest, had his hands full caring for equipment between cloudbursts, but did so admirably!

I also enjoyed this woman who bites patterns into birch bark and they actually look like turtles, dragonflies and other things. This art is a Native American one and she was great!

They had finger weaving…

Basket weaving…

And African American quilting (among other arts),

And those participating were very eager to share the history and techniques of their art.

So, mark your calendar for next August! If music is your thing, you’ll find it – free! (Don't forget the dog!)