The Mankind is One Seattle Folklife Festival, Part Two

Yesterday I wore the green glass rectangular pendant with the Ringstone Symbol in gold, and it attracted at least five individuals who asked about it, and I was able to teach them about the Baha'i Faith. For people who know how reticent I am about this, this is a miracle in itself. Two out of the five people I spoke with had heard of the Baha'i Faith, and one, a youth with contest entries for a cash drawing, had been to the Baha'i Gardens, i.e. the Terraces around the Shrine of the Bab on Mount Carmel, as well as to the temple in India, lotus-shaped. I tried to describe for him the new temple being built in Chile, near Santiago, with the sail-shaped alabaster panels and the chili-pepper shape, and how it will glow with light.

My first goal was the Hatterdashery, a talented maker of hats and a permanent fixture at the Festival. I had bought a leather cap there years ago which stayed faithfully with me many years and then wandered off to seek its fortune at some point, as all my caps eventually do. I selected a cap made of soft suede, which later I returned to have resized a little smaller, telling him I had been to a psychologist.

I spoke with a very talented vender of hand-made pins etc made with enamel and then silver in the desired shape afixed to that, very beautiful. She had one camel pin, which she found. I mentioned my husband is in New York for his daughter's graduation from Columbia University graduate school. She had paid her way through Columbia University with her art. She said, "I worked like a dog."

While my hat was resized I sat above the fountain watching people play. Before it was redone, the fountain used to consist of several hundred cones, each a spigot for water erupting at random intervals, and the chief amusement was to place cups over the cones and wait for them to shoot into the air, as well as climbing on the fountain. Now the face of the fountain is a giant, smooth dome; more attractive, and safer.

After all this wandering, I came to the Northwest Court, the usual stage for Celtic music. As I approached, I thought, "That band sounds like Lindsay Street. That looks like my nephew Robin on the stage!" This is a band so good I would seek it out even if it wasn't one-quarter populated by my relative, so it was a double pleasure to listen to their music, watch my nephew on stage and feel proud, and a triple pleasure for the serendipity of it all. Then Robin mentioned to the audience that his twins were there. They are almost a year old, and I haven't been to Bellingham to meet them yet.

So here I was beaming and ogling the party in the front row, who probably thought I was a stalker; after the set I came and introduced myself as Robin's aunt. So I got to hold two babies at once for a photo, and allow Hewson to suck on my glass pendant, as it would hurt neither him nor it [Hazel was in the wagon], and see Robin again, too, and meet his wife and her sister and mother. I'm quite pleased with the babies, and they will definitely make the grade. This year I was great-aunt to three babies in all, and now I am glad to have met them all.

Yesterday was a winner, with ample Vitamin D, good music, great shopping [I found a bag from Guatemala with an earth circled with multihued children holding hands. I feel like adding, "Mankind is One" in embroidery.] And several scarves. And actually connecting with people. And it terms of general exhaustion, outstanding.