I was feeling a lot of empathy for all farmers in that first week of September, when I was on tenterhooks to see what the weather would do for our big event -- would we get rained out? would it be fine and sunny? I was casting an anxious eye at the Weather Network every morning.
And when it came down to it, we were lucky; it was as beautiful a late-summer day as anyone could have wished.
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Brian's Corn Dolly opus anchored the celebratory decorations of the garden;
an info board about the history and traditions of corn dollies is at the foreground, hanging on our fence |
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| The Tiddley Cove Morris Dancers arrived and immediately notched up the feeling of celebration |
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| There was something for everyone to do in the garden.... |
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| Smaller people got down to business, pulling up the patches of marigolds... |
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.... While the big folks worked on pulling up the flax,
which had to be done carefully so that the tips and root ends don't get mixed up |
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| The fresh flax was hung on the fence to dry |
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| The flax that we harvested in the previous week was rippled by enthusiastic volunteers |
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| We had musical accompaniment for the whole time |
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| At the end of our harvest, we posed for a group photo... |
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... and then headed off for a procession down to Locarno Beach and back up to the Discovery Cafe, for dinner.
I didn't accompany the procession, but one participant told me that as they got to the beach, heads snapped around and a thicket of smartphones appeared, recording the event. |
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We brought a picnic or ordered our dinners at the Discover Cafe.
Inside, the Cypress Street Band played a mix of covers and originals; outside, we made some linen stricks on the break and hackles.
As the golden afternoon faded into twilight, the Morris Dancers performed again and even did a couple dances that got everyone involved. |
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