Dear Liza,
Auntie Katie and Cousins Jasper and Kestrel have invited me to be part of their camping group at SOAK this year!
SOAK is the regional version of Burning Man, with lots of folks camping out, making art and music, and having fun together. SOAK is closer to Portland than the ‘real’ Burning Man, being just 93 miles away, and shorter, (four days) and in a more human-friendly area ( a grassy campground instead of a dusty desert). I think it is going to be a fun Adventure.
I haven’t been camping for a long time (here is a picture of your great grandma Billie and me about 56 years ago at Coyote Creek), so I will need to pick up a small tent, cot, and sleeping bag. But I’m sure there are folks out there to borrow from, so I won’t run out and buy those just yet.
Sunday, I went shopping for materials for my “festival” outfit. Since the theme of SOAK this year is “Electric Ocean”, I will try and make a jellyfish-like thing, with dangling lights and lacy bits. The first thing I needed was a hat from which to dangle the bits.
I walked down to Hawthorne Street, where there are lots of used and vintage clothing- type shops.
2nd Street was clean, bright and well organized. Most of their clothes were very current, with lots of jackets and high end atheletic shoes. Good stuff, and a nice staff, but not what I needed.
Crossover, just across the street, was also very current, with nice clothes and about three dozen ball caps, but not what I needed. The lady at the register told me that this store is part of a national corporation, which surprised me. Has clothing become so pricey that used clothes are a paying business?
I made my way a few blocks down to House of Vintage, an old favorite. This store is huge, with lots of corners and nooks and shelves to hunt in. Besides clothing, it carries kitchen knickknacks, fabrics and laces, records and books.
And it was in the middle of all the clutter that I found my hat!
It is a vintage straw hat made by “Billie” Ross of the Palm Beaches, and feels sturdy enough to hold all the lights, ribbons, and doodads I plan on attaching to it.
Now comes the collecting, sorting, and attaching of all the floaty, sparkly, electric bits. I’ll keep you posted. Wish me luck!
Love,
Grandma Judy
Dear Liza 