Bohemian Mermaid Palace

Man am I behind here! Hahaha... at this point in the Tour, after Renton it was July 26. I was eager to get to my Mom's place in ND and it would take 3 days of driving to get there.  The first day I drove across WA and just over the MT border. I found a wonderful campground (by then I knew National Forests were the best way to go, cheaper and more primitive) that was only $7! I built a fire and enjoyed the silence. I love the different nature sounds and plants you see going state to state camping... it was so beautiful. The second day crossing MT was crazy. It's so flat you can see forever, and there were thunder storms all around. I could see it's raining over there, and over there it's really dark, etc. I drove right into a pretty gnarly storm... in fact I can say it was the worst storm driving I've ever done. There we all were on a 70mph highway going 35. Zero visibility at one point and everyone was pulling over, it was nuts! Just as I decided I would have t...

Stilt Lady Originally uploaded by *TheMermaid* ...next to the booth in Renton.

After getting all peaced out in the forest for a few days, it was time to head back into 'civilization' (blech) and my last coastal show, Renton River Days. I had an idea what to expect... and I meditated extra hard to prepare. Ha.  My first clue was that every time I mentioned the show to another artist in the area they would all react the same way, "Oooooh" with a sort of groan. Also I knew it was very close to the Seattle city limits, and so quite urban for my driving tastes.  I was correct about the driving part for sure. It sucked. I hate the city and I don't know how folks can live that way really. I got lost right away... well not lost, but since the show info was sent after I left home, I had Stu read it to me and um, things weren't clear. So I circled the park 3 times trying to figure out how to get in. Grrr. The 'RV' parking they offered was under the freeway, which also ran RIGHT next to the show. Ha. I found another spot for the other two...

Ooooo Pretty! Originally uploaded by *TheMermaid* View from the campground, right on the Hood Canal. Good spot for clamming and swimming... maybe the best camping of the trip so far.

Olympic National Forest WA Originally uploaded by *TheMermaid* Finally found my beautiful camping spot on the water... so many mossy roots.

After the Gig Harbor show and my visit in Portland, I was way past ready to be away from cities. And people. After one luxurious night at the Super 8 in Bremerton (oh yeah, where I got busted by cameras running a red light, heh, my first ticket in like 15 yrs) I headed north toward my wonderful highway 101. In case you aren't looking at a map, Gig Harbor and all those other fake small towns are on a bunch of peninsulas and islands west of Seattle in the puget sound and various canals. It's like the SF bay area on crack. And there are only so many ways to get to these towns. Still, I was surprised at the amount of traffic on these smaller forest highways. Weird.  I drove on and on and thought 'where are all these people going?!' Until I turned off on the 101 to go back south... and I was all alone. Aaaaaaah. It was like home. REAL small towns, not even towns really. A store and a gas station and that was it. I was in heaven again. I was almost to Canada at that point, ...

After Portland, it was time to move up to the Seattle area... Gig Harbor. Sigh. I have mixed feelings about this place. First a little background... Back in June, when I had first decided to do this trip, I was vending at the much loved Mateel Arts & Music festival in southern humboldt county. Coincidentally, my booth neighbors were from Gig Harbor, which I had never even heard of before. They told me how hard it would be for me to simply hide out camping in my van as I normally do during a show. I fussed and fretted over that quite a bit... but I had a plan. I knew there were big box stores nearby who are known to be ok with overnight parking guests. So I figured, if I didn't find anything close that would be my last ditch plan.  Well, I came to town and right away hated it. I've since learned that there are many such fake small towns in the area... maybe once it had been a quaint seaside town (sound side?), but now packed full of shiny car drivers who commute to one of...

Camping in Mt. Hood OR Originally uploaded by *TheMermaid*

Ok, now all my pics are on my phone, so I'll add a couple after... right now I'm at an actual computer. woot.  So after Turkey Rama, I headed east toward Mt. Hood for a couple nights of camping. The rhythm of this trip has been lovely. Work in town and get up to my eyeballs in people contact, then go to the middle of nowhere for quiet time alone camping. Really perfect. By the time I'm getting bored it's time for the next show. The Portland area had been so hot, I was ready to chill... and that's what I did. Since I chose a camp spot near the pass, it was actually cold. Ha. The better to build campfires. I do so enjoy campfire cooking.  A couple nights in a beautiful campground, then back to the actual city of Portland for a visit with my friend Margaret. This was a nice surprise, as I had figured we would only have lunch or something brief. But, she invited me to stay a couple nights in her house, with the ok of her housemates. They live next to a cool neighborho...

Turkey Rama Originally uploaded by *TheMermaid* I'm a bit behind on my blogging duties here, where does the time go? Well, after the van adventure I went on to McMinnville, just south of Portland. I was lucky to be able to visit with family there which was great... hadn't seen them for oh 30 yrs. Very fun. And my aunt volunteered to be my booth helper, though I'm not sure she knew what she was getting into. Ha. Still it was fun to hang out. And hot! I didn't know it could reach 95 in that area! That along with the ridiculously long hours made turkey rama a bit painful to do. My uncle & aunt were nice enough to let me han out and recover an extra day... and I was off again.

Van Recovery Originally uploaded by *TheMermaid* We were determined to have our camping night...and were rewarded with a beautiful secluded spot.

Van waiting ... Originally uploaded by *TheMermaid* Waiting next to the river. Also next to the highway, but hidden from view. All in all, not so bad.

Well, I knew it was inevitable... can't take a trip this long and not have SOME kind of vehicle issues. Still, I was unhappy to say the least when I was in the Willamette National Forest, stopped at the ranger station for a map, and the van wouldn't start. Fuel pump. Great.  However, as far as breakdowns go, it couldn't have been much smoother really. So far, my phone works everywhere... I was able to get AAA right away for a tow. Of course, in the middle of nowhere, I wasn't sure what would come next. A tow the 40 miles back to Eugene? A crappy mechanic who'd screw me over or do a crap job? argh.  Well, the guy who towed me turned out to be something alright. (can you tell I'm at a real computer right now? probably the longest post you'll see in a while. ha.)  On the way back to the tow place, I learned quite a bit about him.... first, that he 'feeds' a homeless guy out back who he lets live in an old RV. We stopped for water, beer, smokes and ...

New Message Originally uploaded by *TheMermaid* Yes, those are rubber chickens in the wagon...

More Art & the Garden Pics Originally uploaded by *TheMermaid* I can only send one at a time... but wanted to share a couple more from last weekend. Fun times.

Art & the Vineyard Report Originally uploaded by *TheMermaid* Wow. What a weekend! A really nice show in Eugene... 3 Days, very high quality artwork, music, and perfect weather. The hours were pretty grueling, as expected. I'm mostly mush right now. But sales were great, people friendly... the food was excellent and there was a beautiful garden art area where I could have stayed all day. A long but fun weekend. I am now at my camp on a lake south of eugene... It's gorgeous but not as peaceful as I need right now. Too many boat motors and people. Tomorrow I'll find a remote place to spend a couple nights before I move on. Trees. Birdies. Quiet... My trip is off to a fabulous start. I don't think I could be much happier...

Art & the Vineyard Report Originally uploaded by *TheMermaid*

Here we go!! Originally uploaded by *TheMermaid* Ha! I am right now blogging from my phone thanks to the genius of flickr.com. My first almost-tour post. Here is a pic from the waiting room of the car place yesterday... The AC is now ready for anything!

Ok, here I am at T-48 hours and I'm still not in freakout mode. I think it must be some sort of defense mechanism... I'm way too calm. I suppose I do have a good handle on all my packing stuff, though there's still plenty to do.  I'm pretty bummed that I can't get my mobile photo blog thingy to work. Well I can post photos to Facebook, but not my fan page. So my mom can see my pics, but not my customers. Argh. What I might do is have someone else post in my stead, via emails from me. Or I might see if I can post to Flickr and link to it. We'll see. I might also have access to a couple friends' compies on the road.  Anyway, right now I'm taking my pile of half-crossed-off lists and forming a final list, or punch list as Stu would say. Today is mostly printing clothing and finishing up some flyers and brochures. Tomorrow will be gathering and van packing day. Somewhere along the line I have to get groceries too.   This first show in Eugene will b...

Oh my. It's coming up so fast... one week from today, I'll be packing up the van and checking my lists for departure on the Mermaid Tour 2010. I'm working hard not to have a freakout (like I often do when on my way out for a show trip). Doing my walks and taking care of bidness. But, each day my excitement level ratchets up a notch. I fear I'll be unbearable by next week. Anyway, I have all these travel details cluttering my brain. I figured I could bore you with them here... that's what blogs are for. Ha. As I have been preparing for my 6+ week craft show/camping trip, I have formulated a basic living plan. During the shows, I will hide out in my van as I normally do... somewhere close to the show. This is easy, as the van is empty and I can park it anywhere and go unnoticed. I'm usually so worked and tired, all I do is eat and go to bed anyway. Between shows, I'll camp in the beautiful forest lands. Tons of fabulous camping all along my route. I...