Water seems like an appropriate theme for this post! First the rains came and flooded our creek spilling over the road and washing out shrubs and trees. That was just the beginning.
Erica's tent, far left; displays in water
Then came Musikfest. It was a rainy event. They say it rained six days out of the ten we were there. Saturday, the second last day, was no different. Rain. But it got worse. About 8 PM we were given directions for evacuation. By 10 PM we were given the order to get as much of our stuff out as possible. Volunteers assisted and I was lucky to have Kevin and the Collins family there at just the right time. We were able to get almost all my work out finding a few pieces the next day that were sadly left behind. Unfortunately we could not take vehicles into Handwerkplatz so our tents and displays were left behind as well. Sunday morning we were able to pull tables out of the still swollen creek and saved all but the battered tent and items like my bottle shelf that washed away. But I was lucky. Some of my friends lost their work; one lost her entire tent and displays because she was set up at the corner where the water flowed fiercely. I was next to her and my tent caught a lot of debris and stuff from other vendors in our circle and the platz upstream. It was definitely a sad time for the many artists who were in the Handwerkplatz circle. I wish them all the best as we recover and get ready to move on.
But as if that wasn’t enough, along came an earthquake while we were vacationing in Delaware and then Irene! We were in the ocean when the quake rattled the beach so I didn’t notice it. My family and others on the beach did. Days later we were evacuated and headed home to get ready for Irene. Again, luckily, we were spared the worst. There is a lot to clean up and we will be working outside for a few days. Again, my thoughts are with those who suffered the most damage to their property and thank those out in the storm restoring electricity and clearing trees off the roads.
Is it over? I sure hope so. Back to business as usual. I have so much to report so stick with me while I reorganize and move into the future with good things to come.
