Tuesday, September 20, 2011

It Takes a Village

This story tastes of grit and blood and sweat. It is crusted with dust-coated candy and hairballs, faded gaming cards and valentines. All things unearthed in the removal of bus seats. Including the inevitable fossilized chewing gum.


Of course, there is a happy ending. We have been so lucky in our friends. A humbling, steady rally of support keeps this project going, with painters, electricians, fabricators, teachers, videographers and accountants each lending expertise to the pool.

Today we are especially grateful for Scott Avoy and Shanna Gillette. Scott brought in the serious power tools and showed us how to use them, embracing some real mechanic up-to-the-elbows, face-in-the-undercarriage dirty time.



Shanna caught these stylish shots of the work in progress. Now the once-crowded bus interior is stripped down to a blank page, where we can draw shelves and lights to make a cozy reading room.

This village keeps growing. Two electricians, an architect, and a library designer have offered to contribute to the fixtures plan, and on Friday our best-read friend will sit down to help draft reading lists after we scout local poetry chapbooks from Yellow Jacket Press.

Recurring reference to Confederacy of Dunces lately, perhaps a reminder of the good turns from Fortuna. Wheels turning all together. Last weekend a blue jay feather landed in our path, and cerulean cyanotypes appeared in the mailbox.

Everything in this story is true.

3 comments:

  1. sooooooooooooooooo proud of you mitz! keep it comin'! it's going to be amazing. :D

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  2. Very cool! I had no idea about this. I am excited to follow your progress!

    Abby in North Cackalacky

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  3. Indeed! (& thanks for the props too). ;)

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