actually, i DID have fun. sort-of.
this weekend was the 50th annual Paradise Rock & Gem Club's Gem and Jewelry show. and as a club member, they asked me [for the first time] to create one of the display cases with my work. so . . . i figured i'd better be there to help staff the thing, and it was a great excuse to be gone from the house all weekend.
one thing you need to understand is that at 55, i'm one of the YOUNGEST members of this club. many, many rock and mineral/gem clubs around the country are dying out from lack of members.
so . . . bright and early [i don't do early well] Friday morning i reported for work at the Veteran's Hall to start helping with the set-up. at 8:00pm, we had all the tables set up, skirted and covered. there were 35 display cases set up, filled, lighted and ready for viewing. there were dealer tables all around the outside of the hall. we had a "wheel of fortune" for children and almost 1000 grab bags of tumbled rocks. we had pounds and pounds of rocks, gems, minerals, and slabs for the silent auctions. about half of the dealers themselves set up on Friday evening. then the club provided a ham dinner for all the 'worker-bees'.
Saturday morning, back to bright and early. **sigh** the show didn't open until 10, but there was still much to do. we had a 'running sluice box' where you could pan for gold with pretty much guaranteed results. a local caterer set up in the kitchen. we had demos of scrimshaw carving, silver working, cabochon making and rock carving. there were rocks, beads, and settings all OVER the place. and i, in my brand-new club vest and name-tag spent the next two days selling chances on the wheel and selling grab-bags and filling in until my eyes were spinning.
on Sunday, more of the same. my son and his girlfriend drove up, and we got to spend time together. he took pictures for me [he's much better than i am] and got some gorgeous results. there was a gold nugget weighing 14 POUNDS [not for sale] and a $1500 jade disk.
then, at 4:00 - all the dealers packed up and we had to tear everything down and clean up so the dancers coming in at 7:00 would have a clean hall. yikes! but finish we did, and in record time, according to the old hands. and we all went out to dinner together.
but this morning, i'm totally wiped out and have the stiff joints and sore muscles to prove it!
on the extra plus side: - contact with a real silversmith who lives within driving distance for lessons!!!! - some rocks and slabs from the silent auction for next to nothing. - grab bags of polished rocks for only $1. - more wire-workers to connect with and ask questions. - i assisted the one young member of the group and found out her husband is at Ft. Lewis, right across the sound from Jamie. she's one of the few "next generation" in the club - and she's very, very good - learning from her expert grandparents. - if you look at:
----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)