QUARTZSITE 2002

January 13, 2002
Sunday

Today Don woke me up with a gift of coffee, politely knocking on my trailer door. Normally I would be awake at 8:15, but I was asleep, I had woken several times and dozed back off, but I was being lazy. He is such a sweetheart, it is so nice to have friends who are so thoughtful.

Not too long after, Ed knocked on the door he wanted to take Don and sign up for a parasail ride. Don didn't like the idea, and I was just going nuts, oh man, I would love a ride, I was near begging him to do it, I knew he would love it once he got up there.

They left, and later came back saying it was only 35 dollars for about 20 minutes. We are all (even everyone at the Wild RV) going to go one day, they are working it out. Only one person can go at one time with the pilot. It will be so cool.

After opening the booth, I decided to take a walk around. I told the neighbors I would be back. I caught myself walking in the center of the aisles, with my arms crossed. I am trying so hard to not fall in love with anything, and want to buy it, I cant afford to spend any money, for sure.

Of course, I did fall in love with something. They are moccasins, made from elk hide. What is this, moccasin fetish all of a sudden?

Somebody today left me a bag of kettle corn. It was sealed, not open, and a gift. It was so nice, but I have no clue who would have done it. Well, I thought Don, but he said no it wasn't him. I don't know.

I was deep in conversation with that man who came by the other day. The trader guy. His name is Mark. He is a most interesting person. We connect very easily, and he stays around talking longer than he wants to talk. He says he is going to leave, then we begin talking about something else, and another 45 minutes flies by. I think he was here a good couple hours today again.

I always think I am going to remember what it is he told me, and his visits are like a dream, I am intensely *there* with him when we are talking, it is rich, our conversations, and the connection with him I feel. He tells me he likes my energy, that it is holds no expectations on him, that I accept the connection for what it is. He is right, from the moment he walks up, we spiral into a vortex together, we connect and stay there, hovering almost, in thought and words, it is mutual. Our conversations are meaningful, and I would love to remember them, but I cannot seem to do so. He is almost a drifting force in my life at this time, he drifts in and out, sharing his enlightenment, his insights, giving me energy, I feel refreshed after our visits.

I hope he comes back. I told him that too, and gave him a very nice hug, which he returned nicely as well. Even a hug, or rather, especially a hug, the energy exchange, the peacefulness I felt while we embraced was awesome. We held on for a while longer than what would be considered normal, like maybe 20 seconds, nothing more than friends, just two human beings who connected.

This nurturer is coming out in me in droves. I made a macaroni salad and took some to Don today. It's not like he needs anyone to take care of him, and I certainly am not the type to do it, but I continue to do it. Crazy. Then I get all embarrassed that I have that in me. It is silly.

Tonight I stumbled my way to Don's camper (it was dark) and offered him some of my dinner that I made too much of. I stir fried some veggies, and I knew they would not heat up well. He had just eaten, but invited me in. We sat there for the longest time talking, he played a little on the guitar he had, and I just enjoyed it immensely. We have such a great time laughing and talking, I so enjoy his company. He feels like a brother, or part of the family of one way or another.

January 14, 2002
Monday

I had antsy feet today. I would stay by my booth for a while and then wander. Come back, work on this or that, then something would distract me. Someone would need to know where the food was, and I would walk them over, run into Africa John, talk to him for a while, run into Jimmy T, talk to him for a while, then on the way back, run into Debra (Dakota Rose) and spend some time talking to her. It was slow today. Except for me, I was all over the place.

I have a carved wood piece from a man I know (his name is Dean) from the coffee house I used to go to all the time. He does incredible work. When I saw him a few months ago, he was working on one, he pulled out of his bag a piece that was finished. It is a stick that is spiral carved, hollow in the middle. Incredible. I played with it while we spoke, it is entrancing. When he left, I handed it to him, he gave it to me and told me to embellish it. I was so gracious, what a wonderful gift.

I brought it with me, and have thought about what I will do with it. I found a nice crystal point for the end. I then found a bunch of precious gems in the rough to embellish it with. I will be carving a hole for each gem, specific to the shape and size of the gem, probably with my dremel, perhaps by hand. I have rubies, emeralds, apetite, garnet, aquamarine, peridot, tourmaline, opal, amethyst, lapis and sugilite. This will be a very powerful wand.

I will wield power! Heh

Minus the crystal, a friend is cutting it down a little for me	A close up of the beautiful gems.

I think I am also going to embed seed beads as well. This could be a year long project. I wish I had my dremel with me. Hey maybe some nice guy will loan me one. ha.

~~~

I could get addicted to gems and minerals. I know I could. I will be surprised if after having been out here 6 weeks that I don't catch some bug or other.

~~~

Jamie and Vi came over this afternoon. I mentioned there were bulk Czech Glass beads being sold in a spot in the back. We walked back there, and she scored on an entire bag of spun lampwork glass beads. 3.5 pounds. This guy didn't know what he had, these are old, from the 1920's, and beautiful. He was selling them for next to nothing. Also, she got a beautiful Afghani hand woven rug, well, not a rug, one of the swag things that surround a doorway. This was from the 30's or the 40's, and he again sold it to her for a dirt cheap price.

I got a necklace, West German, he asked for 10, I talked him down to 5. Vintage again, from the 40's. I will just sell it on ebay.

~~~

I went over there tonight, and helped string some beads. I just wanted to say hey, and visit for a while. It was quiet, it was nice.

January 15, 2002
Tuesday

Very very overcast this morning. I thought it would rain, but it didn't. However, I did put plastic totes under all of the cardboard boxes I had on the ground just in case. I rearranged everything today.

~~~

Yay, Don went to town today and brought back water. Yum, good water to cook with, to make coffee with. It will make up for the freezing cold night I am going to have since I now ran entirely out of propane. I put off getting more just long enough to suffer some. :) It's ok, it is my fault.

~~~

The people I met over at Main Event that day I walked around, the people who do hair wraps and are lovers of celtic, he's in a celtic band and they know Tempest...you know, those ones. :) They came by today. The hole in my beads are too small for hair wraps, but they got some, and we are trading for a hair wrap. I will go over there in the next couple of days and get a wrap or two done. He does very nice ones. I need to go through my beads and pick some out to embellish it with.

I took them to see Africa John's booth, the man that made my necklace that I showed in here the other day. I don't know if they bought anything, but later, he came walking by and grabbed my hand and put a new bead in there. Cool. I told him I would put it in my hairwrap I am going to get.

Alea and Doris both came by at the same time. We all went back to the big tent, where they have the bins of beads and scrounged around for a while. Bead lovers Unite.

~~~

I went to Taco Mia tonight and ordered a chicken burrito and took it to the Laundromat to eat while my laundry got done. I was typing when a lady came in and sat beside me. She started right off telling me what she had been doing that day, where they went, how the dust is kicking up her allergies, that she is from Canada, about their rockhound trip today and so on. I sat and talked to her for a good hour, and her husband, but he was pretty hard of hearing so the conversation was a bit simple with him since you had to repeat everything you said 3 times until he could hear it.

It turns out she lost the business card for a man who is selling Astorite. I knew who he was, and gave her his card that he had given me. Amazing how it all works out that way. It is the reason she and I talked, she had been upset because she couldn't find him again, her knee is bad and she can't walk much.

When I finished my laundry, I shook her hand and told her it was nice to meet her. She told me I should use the bathroom before I left.

:) She then apologized for being such a mom. I smiled and told her it was ok, that I thought I could make it home. It was cute.

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I thought it might get pretty at sundown tonight, but it only got a little pink.

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I had to wipe everything down in here today. There was a fine layer of dust everywhere. It is everywhere. Still.

• BEAD HOME •
• QUARTZSITE 2001 •