People watching is a favorite pastime

I was really hoping to sell at least one carving at the Heritage Fest this past weekend. Alas, it was not to be. Every single carving I brought returned home with me.

 Yet, I consider the weekend to be a success. I spent several hours manning the Master Gardening booth on Saturday. Actually Ned and Jean manned the booth and I just hung out. I tried to figure out how Jean could look so cool in the heat while I was melting. I decided I was not destined to be a cool person in any sense of the word.

 A few children availed themselves of the leaves, crayons and paper we had available. They did some amazing leaf rubbings. I was impressed by their creativity. Their results were beautiful.

Sunday I packed all the carvings I was willing to part with and a couple that were for display only. I set up my area with the other carvers. As usual, I brought along a puzzle I had made a couple of years ago.

The puzzle is only seven pieces in the shape of dragons. They fit into a castle-themed box. I never fail to enjoy watching people try to get all the dragons back where they belong and close the castle doors.

 One of the reasons I enjoy that so much is that I can almost see people’s minds work as they turn the pieces this way and that as they insist on putting them in the wrong place. If I see them getting frustrated I’ll put the first piece in place and suggest that the green dragon goes next. This is usually enough to get them on the right track to complete it.

My favorite was one young boy who was studiously working on the puzzle while his little brother picked up the other carvings and banged them on the table. He liked the sound the different shapes made. The mom started to tell him to stop but I assured her that the pieces were unbreakable. Plus, if they did break, I could always make more.

Each and every person had such a look of accomplishment when they were finally able to close the castle doors. That look always makes my heart sing. One kid asked if I had any other puzzles and seemed disappointed when I said I didn’t.

In addition to capturing kids to play with my puzzle, I engaged in one of my favorite pastimes which is people watching. While I was waiting for nonexistent customers I saw a young father swing his son into the air. Although I wasn’t close enough to hear him, the child obviously demanded, “Again!” as he was swept back into the air, much to his delight.

Many couples of all ages walked hand in hand in the sunshine. Several young people had their faces painted and looked like they were ready for a Halloween party or maybe a zombie gathering. Little kids escaped from their parents and ran down the grassy paths. Any table that featured children’s activities was swamped a good bit of the time.

The vendors themselves displayed an amazing variety of wares. A guy who was a welder by profession now welds for pleasure. One of his frogs made out of spoons jumped into my hands and is now perched on my counter. More crocheted things that I had not seen since my mom died adorned tables across the way from us. There were paintings, jewelry, soaps and bowls. There was information on gardening and genealogy. The local glass artist was busy working on an intricate wooden spoon. That’s just a tiny sampling of what was there.

But it was the people I enjoyed. Without exception, they were happy and relaxed. They visited and caught up with neighbors. And when it was all over, wonderfully chatty men and women provided rides to the parking lot, sometimes pulling out in front of cars for one last bit of adventure on a beautiful fall weekend.