Selma

 Sheila is part of the Stonecatchers reading club at our church. Recently they have been reading Jon Meacham's book, His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope. As a culminating activity the group took an overnight trip to Selma, Alabama and I got to tag along.

Most of us met at the church at two on Friday afternoon and boarded a big van driven by speed demon Thom Holt, who managed to sell at least two properties (hands free) while driving a huge van at speeds approaching sonic levels and simultaneously regaling us with assorted tales covering the last 60 years. JK - it was great to be able to enjoy that trip and conversations with the great folks abouard while leaving the driving to someone else. Thanks, Thom.

In Selma Sheila and I were thrilled to greet our friend (and fellow storyteller), Andy Offutt Irwin. He would be our discussion leader. We checked into our rooms at the historic St. James Hotel right on the banks of the Alabama River and gathered in its restaurant, "Sterlings," for dinner. Then it was time to gather in a conference room of the historic old hotel (built in 1837).

We gathered for breakfast at about seven Saturday morning, then were joined by Terry Chesnut at eight. Terry is a renowned tour guide in Selma. As the son of renowned attorney,

King of the Snakes

Back at Arrowhead for a Field Trip ... a great group of students and teachers (including my fourth-grader-grown-up-to-be-a-real-certified teacher little Lauren Hooper!) from Pepperell. Afterwards Lane, our new groundskeeper, showed me where a little injured Kingsnake was hiding behind a plank at our Tortoise enclosure. I checked him out --- looks like he's getting ready to shed, but seems to have some damage to his tail -- and Lane snapped a picture of us. In nine years at Arrowhead I have never seen a venomous snake, but I've seen lots of these guys; maybe that's the reason the Copperheads and Rattlers stay away? 

Behind my head you see one of our two new bat-houses, just erected a few days ago.

It's beautiful weather for trips to Arrowhead, teachers, scoutmasters, etc. Text or e-mail me and we'll schedule one for your class, troop, etc.

Riverwalk: Getting to Ready to Pave!

 Work continues on the connection between the Riverwalk and the Mount Berry Trail. Sheila and I walked from our house to the new connection and through it to the MBT. Here are a few pictures of the progress:

A silly selfie from the Riverwalk looking down the ramp toward the railroad trestle.

We were not the only folks making use of the new, as yet unpaved, trail.

Irises

Last year two of my neighbors (Carolyn McGinnis & Nena Dake) generously shared their iris plants with me as they were thinning theirs. So now, despite the fact that I have let weeds crowd my garden this spring, look at the gorgeous blooms I have. (No wide angle shots though till I get the weeds under control!)

Look who is half a year old!

Susannah Mavis Carlin

 

Aunt Eugenia

We have lost my Aunt Eugenia. I wasn't at the wedding, but I remember when she and Uncle Bill married in the fifties. She was beautiful and smart and kind. It was always obvious that she and Bill were in love. I remember our families camping and fishing together at Noontootla Creek about 1960. An electrician, Bill hired me on one summer as a helper and it was so good to get to be around him as he wired homes and offices. I remember watching them with their little girls in the early seventies when Sheila and I were young marrieds ourselves. Mother remained close to her sisters-in-law till the end. And now, less than a year later I imagine Eugenia and Mother visiting together again with Aunt Margaret and those laughing, joking, Shaw boys. We sure will miss her.

Bill & Eugenia Shaw with Becky Laughlin
Becky: What a great pic! Thanks so much Terry!! I miss y'all so much! Many blessings!! We have a great future ahead!

Ruth Baird Shaw, Eugenia Shaw, and Annie Scarbrough at Aunt Margaret's funeral.

L-R: Ruth Baird Shaw, Sheila Matthews Shaw, Terrell Shaw, Eugenia Shaw, Karen Shaw, Danny Shaw, Michael Shaw. I think this was at a get-together for one of Eugenia's birthdays??

Eugenia Pickens Shaw, Margaret Thomas Shaw, and Ruth Baird Shaw at Kevin's wedding

Stone Soup Storytelling Festival

[Links to recordings of the SSSF are included below. I hope you will watch them, and if you do I hope you will consider making a donation to the festival so that this great event can continue!]

I have heard of this festival for years. Then three years ago I decided to apply to tell there. I was thrilled to be chosen as a "New Voice" for the 2020 festival. I knew that several new voices at Stone Soup had gone on to appear in other festivals. This little festival in Woodruff, South Carolina, after thirty-odd years of events has become something of a testing grounds for storytellers from all over the country. 

Then came the pandemic. Ugh. Every thing shut down.

But Karyn and Tom Davies can't be stopped for long. With help from others I'm sure, these two got busy and planned "virtual" events when in-person events were impossible. They learned to use Zoom. They bought cameras and mics and cables and mixers. 

So we "new voices" were re-invited for 2021 and, from my own spare bedroom, I got to tell my "Prowler" story. I also entered the Liar's Contest and told my "Yellowtail" story. I placed third.

AND I was chosen as one of four new voices to return as paid "Featured Tellers" in 2022. That event finally occured IN-PERSON! Yay!

It was a long drive on Thursday. Apple maps expected the trip to take about three hours to get from Rome GA to Woodruff SC, but traffic was such that Sheila and I drove more than five hours. We arrived a little late to the opening reception. There was no time to even drive by our B&B to freshen up and leave off our luggage. What fun though! We  finally met Karyn and Tom in person, and Hunter McLeod and Emily Young, and Cora Newcomb. Not to mention my fellow featured tellers, Janel Behm, Laura Deal, and Jessica Robinson and several of the "new voices".

Among the new voices for this year were a few I already knew:

Natalie Jones is a friend and fellow Big Fibbers Contest winner. She also was a featured teller for our Big Fibbers Festival in 2017. 

Gwendolyn Napier has shared stages, physical and virtual, with me several times (Bear on the Square in Dahlonega GA and Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival in Blairsville GA, and some virtual Southern Order of Storytellers (SOS) events.

Gary Buchanan had been a contestant and finalist in our 2019 Big Fibbers Contest. 

At the reception we got to meet Walt and Debbie Belcher in person and enjoyed getting to know them. Walt won last years Liars Contest and is a wonderful teller and an interesting guy. 

I am not sure whether this picture with Walt and Debbie was taken in Friends Cafe on the south side of Muse 134 where we had breakfast each morning or the Humble Grounds coffee shop on the opposite side where we had our opening reception.

After the reception we headed out to the Air BNB that the festival had reserved for us and our housemates, Janel Behm and Gwendolyn Napier. 

Housemates: Me, Sheila, Janel Behm, and Gwen Napier

Janel in the living area of our AirB&B

Friday morning we were up early so we could have a good country breakfast at the cafe right next to the festival headquarters on Main Street. 

I took along an Eastern Kingsnake ("Dozer II") with me to Woodruff Middle School where I told my Yellowtail tall tale and showed off the snake. The students and staff at WMS could not have been more welcoming and attentive to my stories and I think I may have helped a few to have a new respect for the role these fascinating and sometimes beautiful creatures play in our ecology.

As always the kids loved the kingsnake. I'm on a one man campaign to convince folks that snakes are our friends! I think I have a few new fellows for my efforts. (Please overlook the ridiculous bandaged hand.) 

Cora Newcomb is a board member at Stone Soup, a wonderful storyteller herself, and my companion at the middle school. Cora told a great little story about her stuggles over freckles as a pre-teen and used the speckled tiger lily as a prop.

A teacher asked for a photo-op and some extra time for her small class afterwards and this group got a little extra up-close experience.

And the band teachers had a break and wanted to meet Mr. Kingsnake.

Karyn and Tom have created a intimate performance space at "Muse 134" a building at the heart of Main Street in little Woodruff. The Friday Night concerts were our first chances to perform there. At the first session I told a personal story "Un Hombre Sincero" about my first experience teaching a child who had no English. The late session was billed as a time for adult and ghost stories, so I told my favorite spooky tale "Lt. Wood's Jacket" my version of the old "phantom hitchhiker" tale.

We featured tellers were able to sit back and enjoy other tellers for most of the day on Saturday: two sessions of "New Voices", an amateur contest, and a liars contest. Then Saturday Night we had our biggest show. I had saved my signature story "The Prowler" which is about a 25 minute twofer that combines a true personal story with a humorous old folk tale. I had a ball. 

The Prowler

A final bow on Saturday night. L-R: Jessica Robonson, Janel Behm, Laura Deal, and Emcee Pat Patterson.

One of the joys of getting to be a featured teller at a place where I have not previously told was that I could pick out my favorite stories, ones that I am very comfortable with. That meant that I could relax and enjoy the stories of my fellow tellers, and I certainly did. Janel, Laura, and Jessica were each outstanding.

One of the great surprizes was the quality of the three winners in the amateur contest. All three were great.

The winners of the amateur contest.

I already knew enough about the "liars" and "New Voices" to know I'd enjoy those and I certainly did.

Here are links to all the festival programs  (Again, please consider making a contribution to the Stone Soup Storytelling Institute to help keep this unique festival going!):

Light the Fire - Hit Us With Your Best Shot! Late Night! Believe It Or Not Good Morning Woodruff! Amateur Open Mic New Voices I New Voices II Liars' Contest - Say What! Tall Tales, Whoppers, and Lies  Cabaret!

Gleaning Facebook: On the Way to Stone Soup

Sheila and I are pointing the old Camry east this time, heading to Woodruff, South Carolina and the Stone Soup Storytelling Festival! It’ll be fun to meet my fellow tellers in person and get to share stories for a few days. Y’all tune in online if you can’t make it in person— Stonesoupsc.org

Yay!

("Shares" will be appreciated. Let's gather lots of folks around the cauldron for some delicious Stone Soup!)

 

Big Button

I collect political items, but my collection has very few rare buttons. Here's one I'd love to find. It is beautiful and huge (9 inch diameter) AND has Rome's own Ellen Axson Wilson on it. And the three Wilson daughters. Some Roman with some pockets deeper than mine should buy it for our history center. It's for sale tonight on Facebook (Political Memorabilia Exchange) for a mere $840.

I keep an audiobook in my car cd player and my current book is a biography of Wilson. Fascinating, brilliant, and contradictory man.

Later note: Well, the button sold at that price.