Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the day. I will leaver for Port Townsend sometime in the morning (after coffee with Nonie first, of course). I will get to fritter away the day, visiting all my favorite shops and galleries, walking on the beach if I wish, taking pictures and THE BEAD STORE will be my first stop. As always. I am really excited to be going---ArtFest has finally rolled around again. I have all my class materials packed in separate containers, every item double checked and packaged neatly. I have all my trades either in little bags (the charms) or in envelops (the ATCs) and those are packed into ziplock bags, pre-sorted. I got my charm bracelet finished and put together with little charms of my own artwork. I am really happy with how it turned out and think it'll be fun to add other charms that I might get as trades to it. It looked so naked without anything on it....I had to do something! I bought a little hot water kettle today that I can have in my dorm room to make tea at will. I have a stack of art magazines and more books than I could read in a month all packed up to take along for the non-existent "free time" I seem unable not to anticipate having! What free time??? It's ArtFest---I'll be busy and running from dawn to late at night! I even have my copy of 1000 Journals so I can get it signed by Someguy, who is supposed to be at ArtFest. That would be cool.

Lise left this morning to go stay with her old workmate, Heather. I was sorry to see her go. It's going to be a long time before we meet up again and I'm sorry that I won't be able to see her for her entire visit. Can't be helped, of course, but it does make me sad. Too bad her visit and ArtFest had to overlap. Rune and Lise went south yesterday and met up with Loyal and LeRoy, Jan's cousins, and had a good family reunion. I gather that Rune was a huge hit with Kerry Anne's daughter. She stuck to him like glue after an initial period of shyness. Rune, the kid magnet! I saw a few photos of Loyal and LeRoy and was surprised to see that LeRoy has white hair and beard now. Of course, when I thought back, I haven't seen him in something like 15 years, or more, so I guess it's not that surprising! They both look much the same, hair color aside. Loyal just had her gall bladder removed and she remarked to Lise that "everything else I have inside I need." I guess so!

I wrote to Jim at Vaya Adventures, asking about adding a side trip to Machu Picchu and he responded that it is easily do-able. It seems that other than an airline glitch about getting home via Lima, Peru with our existing ticket issuing agency (Cheap Tickets), all the added segment would require is some as yet determined amount of money. I think that can be over come. Nola is really committed, I am less so as I have promised Susan and the Sandys that I will go to Alaska in the last summer or early fall. I have to balance the cost of that trip with the cost of Ecuador, the Galapagos and Peru. Oh for a winning lottery ticket. Too bad you have to buy one to win!

Time to go do the laundry and to pack up my clothes. I have to be ready to hop the ferry tomorrow so the 2007 ArtFest Adventure can begin.