Storytelling in Vermont

On Thursday we traveled to an old farmhouse in Vermont for our semi-annual storytelling weekend. This is the 17th year that our group has met, sometimes in Vermont, sometimes in Wareham, MA, sometimes in Chocorua.

Jay O'Callahan came early and got things warmed up with a roaring fire.
We gathered around and the storytelling started--the theme this time was "the circus."




Toby regaled and alarmed us with the account of Sam as a boy,
getting lost, then found, at the circus in Pasadena.




I described the mighty Majestic Movie Theater in Conway, NH, where tiles may fall from the ceiling, film may catch on fire, the heat doesn't work on a cold night and the air conditioning on a hot night, but where, at 8 am every morning, you can watch a "breakfast" matinee.





Amidst clowns,




tigers,




elephant trainers,




and dancing couples,




Jay concentrated on telling Toby's fortune.




A happy lion




The gang-all here.
(Lion's taking the photo)

Creativity!


In reaction to the house being taken apart and the general uproar, I retreated to my studio and began painting.


First I went to Ikea and bought tons of little stools,



then sanded and primed them,



consulted my paints,



looked through books,



and created creatures--an octopus and frogs,



a lobster and two fish.

Poor Old House

There was an ominous curve to the ceiling in the dining room--
we had to find out why.
That meant taking down the ceiling.



and much discussion of joists and tenons and the house sinking!



There goes the old ceiling,



and here are some things found inside it--some pieces of leather and an empty matchbook, two dried up corn cobs, a belt buckle, a plastic signal for a train set, and a wonderful old shoe!



Today the water company is here digging up the front lawn to replace a leaky water main.

Poor old house, we hope you get well soon!