Barbed Wire and Locks

Barbed wire topped chain link fences that are padlocked shut between you and your gypsy wagon is not a good thing. Especially at 11:30 pm. And especially if you have had a couple of glasses of wine and you are wearing a floor length skirt. It has happened to me. So what did I do? Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve scaled a 8ft. chain-linked fenced topped with two rows of barbed wire, but that option sounded better than bothering our hosts in the middle of the night to come bring a key. I took of the skirt, took off the nice long coat and muffler, (oh, did I mention it was 40 degrees and windy too?) and climbed up in my underwear and t-shirt. Bed never felt so good.

The caravan is back there in the yard. The morning after the fence-scaling in my underwear....

The caravan has been a magical and welcome home. Our days have been full of new and long-time friends, miles and miles of driving, a workshop taught here, a talk given there, and now a conference attended. The Friends of Dard Hunter conference, “Watermarks” took place this week in Cleveland, Ohio.

Artist friends Ladislav Hanka and Jana Hanka looking at our books at the Dard Hunter Conference Trade Fair

At the conference there was a show called "Jerry Rigged"with vintage and home made and curious Hollander beaters . I've never seen so many beaters in one place, I don't think anyone in the world has.  Lee Macdonald was there with 2 of the beaters he made for the Combat Paper folks, David Reina was there with his own Reina beaters and the plywood beater made at a class he taught for FDH conference at Arrowmont. The Morgan Conservatory had 2 built by Douglas Howell in the 1960s and about 10 others that the run regularly. Peter showed his second mini "Cocktail beater" that had been built by Jim Yarnell. This Cocktail Beater runs on a car battery, so we decided that since it was on a 12 volt program it should be filled with wine instead of water.

Yarnell "Cocktail Beater" beating pulp at the Morgan Conservatory

Dipping the micro mini mould into the pulp made in the micro beater


Couching the micro mini paper onto the felt

In between the scheduled events, I found time to play. I toured the Cleveland Botanical Gardens with Diane Tomosso, our friend from Denver. After finding the farmer's market in town closed, we all went back to the caravan for a gypsy like meal of sausages and "Whitlock Red," the wandering book artists' favorite wine, made by friends in Mariposa, California.

Nothing better than eating and drinking in the caravan with good friends,   Friday night with Ray and Diane Tomosso

We also had a chance to visit Case Western's Library to see the retrospective show for Jan Sabota, a world renoun binder (and a good friend) who passed away earlier this year. When there they saw our pencil book and showed us their own famous pencil.....

Our book, "The Pencil" and an original Thoreau pencil, at Case Western University library, Cleveland