Friday, July 17, 2009

Ripple Effect-week 2- Pod Rasta

Week 2 at Cow Island. On my own for the first time and figuring out all the ins and outs of working in the old island bunker as our metalsmithing studio. Brought the tank on the boat in the morning and set up shop.

POD RASTA showed up around 9:30 raring to go! Quite a lively group and lots of fun. They made some excellent rings which they are sporting in the photo above. After class, they were gracious enough to help me find my way to the the killer solar power kitchen on the other side of the island and asked me to eat with them. It was a great way to start my solo teaching.

Ripple Effect- Week 1 - Pod Fire

My dear friend Susan Bickford started a wonderful ring making class on Cow Island with the Ripple Effect Youth Summer Programs. She has been heading over to Cow Island every Friday morning to teach teens the art of ring making as the final piece to their week long journey on the island. The teens need to come up with a word for the outside of their ring that will represent their "pod" and remind them of the team they created all week long. Inside, everyone gets to put a personal word to remind them of a challenge they faced or something that will remind them about their unique self.

This summer, Susan called me up and asked if I would like to become the next ring teacher with Ripple Effect. She has moved over the past year and has a busy life getting ready for a performance/ installation art piece she is creating. This program is very dear to her and I am so very grateful that she has asked me to carry on the tradition!

I started two weeks ago on July 3rd with POD FIRE!!! They rocked! We braved some pretty heavy rains that day and they hadn't seen the sun over the entire week. But not one person complained about the conditions. It was smiled all around. What a great way to start my new Ripple Effect adventure!

Chris, one of the senior guides and boat captains, was gracious enough to get me back to the shore by 11:30am so that I could get to my noontime Nia class at the Bay Club. The rain gave us a break while we coasted back home, only to start back up again through the rest of the afternoon. Brave souls on that island. So glad to be one of them!