The Bedlam Farm Open House, A Sweet Weekend

I have some pictures from the Open House that I want to post.

I know it’s after the fact, seems like it happened so long ago, but they’re important to me.  I don’t take a lot of photos at the Open House, mostly because I’m using the Square app on my phone to take credit cards sales.  But I wanted to take videos of the belly dancing and so it reminded me to take a couple of other pictures too.

Ali and the kids from the RISSE Soccer team showed up just before the Bellydancing began. Ali thanked Jon for all he’s done for them, calling Jon an angel.  Then Jon introduced Helen  to Ali and the kids. Helen made it possible for them to go on many of the outings this summer.

Mary Kellogg has only missed one of our Open Houses, that was this past June.  I wasn’t sure if she was up for reading both days of the Open House, but as she was leaving on Saturday she asked me if we wanted her to come the next day.  Then she handed me an envelope with a bunch of new poems for her next book.

Jackie Thorne has become a regular poet at the Open House along with Mary.  She handed me her iphone and asked me to record her reading.  Jackie’s begun writing a new poetry book too.  So next October, we’ll have two new books for our Open House.

Kathleen and Jackie, from Sister’s of the Shawl had people mesmerized with their dancing.  Many women told me afterwards that they too, were moved to tears watching them.  Even Ed Gulley, who made a typical male comment about belly dancing when he first heard they would be at the Open House felt differently after seeing them.  He told me, with a look of awe on his face,  that  they were like watching a kaleidoscope.

They were heroic, dancing though the drizzle,  in their sneakers on the wet and slippery slate porch.  They answered questions in between sets and at the end introduced a guest dancer.   Kitty Farnham, who had her prints in my gallery and is one of the founding members of the Benningtion Bellydancers, came out to dance a slow set.