Bridge Day Staunton 2014: The View from TOTC

Everyone seems to agree: Bridge Day Staunton 2014 was pretty much perfect. Sunny and almost 70 degrees, a perfect weekend sandwiched between rainy weekdays. Donuts & organic produce (side by side), glitter tattooes and kid activities by Pufferbellies (the most fantastic toy store), Rogue Shakespeare, 3 bands and traditional English dancing men, ghost hunters and storytellers, community groups representing gardening, health, arts and craft, and a walking tour of Historic Sears Hill by Frank Strassler, Historic Staunton Foundation President, as well as many other events about town. Staunton was hoppin'! I missed out on many of these but I got to meet so many interesting people!
Here's the VIEW FROM TURN-OF-THE-CENTURIES --

Apparently, my husband is becoming quite the iphone photographer with all the practice I give him. Here is my table and Monica Wilson Photography just outside her studio in the turn-of-the-century station's baggage room. The bridge ascends just over this spot and across the tracks to connect the depot area and downtown Staunton to the Sears Hill neighborhood. Thanks to Monica for this bulls-eye spot!

I'm setting up just about opening time, after some great conversations with earlybird visitors over the community drumming group ramping up their rhythm at the stage area just to the left of the baggage room.  

My new Bridge Drawing/Print hangs frontward, as well as my Map of Places Drawn, thusfar.  I'm selling mostly Staunton drawings today with a little of other places thrown in.
I enjoyed hearing The No Lonesome play but did not get to watch them as the wind took an upturn and I was busy holding down my fort - but here is Peter Aaslestad, the band's guitarist, (also talented photographer, architect, preservationist, host of our joint Holiday Pop-Up Shop a few months ago) looking the part.

A quick shot of my table before the crowds. Home-grown flowers by my friend Alison and a little bowl I repurposed for the occasion as a business card holder by my friend Shelley of vitrifiedstudio.com.

The winner of Pufferbellies' giveaway came to claim her Bridge Print! And I am soooo excited for her!

Lisa of Artful Gifts was my neighbor to my left so I got to watch her explain how she created this Frida portrait with wool. Wow!  She and her husband recently moved to town from Highland Co. to grow her business. She does AMAZING things with wool - including parts of her outfit! It was great to meet her and wonderful her shop is now at home in Staunton - at 6 Byers Street on the wharf.

I may have been glued to my table but my joking with a man from New Orleans - who said he drove here yesterday and was headed back today - brought me a donut from The Baker's Dozen truck. Thanks New Orleans man! I'm finishing it off while watching our friend's daughter on the jungle gym in front of my table.

The Washboard Wonders on the Bridge Day Stage (love the bunting!) with the train whizzing by in the background. Seems just right.

The Albemarle Morris Men, traditional English folk dancing group in a dance celebrating the ancient rhythms of agriculture.

As we finally packed up around 5pm, we ran up to the Bridge to catch a selfie on Bridge Day.
And I learned what to do with a hash tag - sort of!  #bridgedaystaunton 

Thanks to my husband for capturing most of these photos and this little video!  I smile to see people I know and people I met at Bridge Day in this collection. I guess we are starting to feel like we know Staunton a bit more and always grateful to be a part of this "fiercely independent" creative community of good people.

I loved meeting everyone who came to my table:
my best fb fan and lifelong Stauntonian,
a couple from opposite coasts who settled on a farm on Spring Hill and loved raising their kids in Staunton,
the special education director from Boston and NYC former stage painter who came down to camp in WV but ended up in Staunton to their delight,
a father who moved his family here when they could work remotely - and just bought a house!
new-to-Staunton renters looking for the right one to buy,
the cute Virginia Tech couple planning a wedding,
the writer of a YA thriller set in the old Western State DeJarnette building,
the IIT-trained architect turned music instructor,
the wharf resident whose flat sounds like a gallery of art featuring his building and had tales to tell of movie filmings just outside his front door - glad my bridge drawing will join that gallery!
wonderful Staunton friends and neighbors, some we saw the night before, some not since this cold winter set in.quite a few of our friends from church (love you guys!)

My favorite part of selling at Bridge Day was meeting the variety of interesting, talented, motivated, good-natured people who decided to make Staunton home.
Thank You!