Showing posts with label
Seventh Annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou.
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Showing posts with label
Seventh Annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou.
Show all posts
"The Sea and the Jungle" is a book that was published in 1912. It was written by one, H.M. Tomlinson. I have not read it, yet, but have plans to in the near future. I know nothing about the book and its contents, so why read it? Well, because it sits on the bookshelf. I do not even know where I got the book but it is there and has been there for so many years that it has gathered enough dust to be declared a piece of land. Now, you may ask since it has sat unread for so long, why the sudden interest. That, too, has an answer. In the recent Annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou, the book was used as a portion of a clue. It, along with three other antique books were the markers for the keys to unlock the bookshelf. I figure that if I am going to expect others to know about things, then I should..so I shall read.
This was all brought to mind with a hike around the hillside today. Old Mr. PJ decided the route of our hike. He is weak and wobbly but the old dog knows where he wishes to go. He checked all of his favorite places. He made a short trek to the pier where we basked in the warm sunshine and then took the "scenic" route to the greenhouse. Mr. PJ has always had an affinity for the greenhouse. He nosed around the place a bit as if to make sure everything was still in order since his last visit. Obviously, it met his approval as we were back outside after a few moments and on our way to find Son who was cutting firewood. Mr. PJ sat and watched the wood splitting for a bit before deciding it was time to go back inside.
The old dog had just made his journey between his own sea and jungle. His time may be waning but he still is in charge of protecting the Little Bayou House and all of its surroundings. He feels the responsibility to be my bodyguard and, even though, it is pretty much the other way around now, I would never take that feeling away from him. He IS still needed, wanted and much loved.
I've been shipwrecked! Yep! My pirate ship, the Marianela, has been sent reeling by a hurricane and tossed ashore in a heap of masts, planks and sails. The hillside is strewn with ship parts! Down one particular pathway, the name of the ship has been nailed above a bamboo door that has to be drawn up by chains. After the ship wrecked, we had to salvage the name boards as the "Marianela" WILL sail again!
Yes, all of this has to do with the Clue Hunt on the Bayou! This is the seventh year that we have hosted the event and, I must say, that this is one of my favorites. After all! I get to be a pirate! So much time and effort has been put into, not only the clues, but the props. There is a shipwreck, a full-sized cannon and a swamp witch shack all in the yard. (Our props are life-sized!) The first run of the hunt was tonight and it was a huge success. We did discover a few "bugs" that will need to be corrected before the next run but the team was still happy and did not seem to mind.
Now, an interesting tidbit about the name of our ship. I found the name on an old book when I was dusting the bookshelves. Son told me that we needed to "fill his bookshelf prop with 7 inch tall books" so I was on the lookout for any such. When I found the book entitled "Marianela", I knew that was our ship's name. "Marianela" is a book by the author, Benito Perez Galdos. I had no idea of the content of the book nor had any knowledge of a "real live" Marianela. The name just struck a chord and I was hooked. After I painted our ship's beautiful name on some old boards and hung it above a gate, I found out there really is a Marianela! This is the part I find interesting...a young cousin who is a talented ballerina across the ocean somewhere made mention of another quite famous ballet dancer named Marianela! How ironic is that? I find a book that I was previously unaware that I had, immediately decide it is a ship's name, paint a sign and then get a message about a real person by this name. Ok...so maybe it is not that spectacular of an event but, hey, it was sort of weird that it all came together within just a couple of days! Marianela...the ballet dancer...Marianela...the pirate ship!
It is hard to trash a place! Literally, it is hard to wreck a perfectly nice place. I know. That was my job today. Why? The answer is simple...the clue hunt, of course! The greenhouse always seems to be involved in the clue hunt. It is one of the easiest places to use as an outbuilding without a lot of "moving out" of stuff. During the summer months, the greenhouse is basically empty other than a few empty flower pots, some potting soil and maybe a few tools. Plus, it can be transformed into just about anything that is needed. So far, it has been a blacksmith's home, a conservatory, a boathouse and...get this...a greenhouse! This year, it is to be a swamp witch shack. With the clue hunt just a couple of weeks away, the decorating has begun. To become the shack, the idea was to cram as much stuff into the the place as a swamp witch may need. She definitely needs things like herbs, gourds, traps, pots, pans, a wood-burning stove, utensils, a few skulls, maybe some lichens and mosses and ferns, and, of course, a bunch of oddities that make folks scratch their heads in thought. I have those...all of those. Getting all of that stuff crammed into the little greenhouse is a trick, in itself! I have resorted to hanging stuff from the ceiling!
The chore is almost done and I cannot share the "big reveal" but, for now, a quick snapshot before a thunderstorm trapped me in the greenhouse for the entire afternoon was all I could get! So...here is to trashing the greenhouse in preparation for the clue hunt and all its fun!
The Annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou is bearing down on us once again! This is the seventh year that we have put on the event and, so far, have had a great response from the teams that participate. The theme this year is pirates so it promises to be a fun time for all. In a way, I am in the dark about most of the clues. Son has overtaken the entire hunt and I am along for the ride. He has made some incredible props once again this year but one stands far above the rest, if you ask me. This prop will most likely become a permanent fixture in the Little Bayou House as it is a favorite!
What started out as a simple puzzle has turned into a gorgeous bit of furniture. Hidden within that piece there are actually seven puzzles that need to be solved. The teams should enjoy the challenge on this one!
The piece is a bookshelf that Son built to stand atop an old oak buffet making it appear to be a single piece. To decorate the front, Darling Daughter drew three mermaids (after all, pirates and mermaids go together!). I painted the mermaids but Son created the entire shelf himself. Now, this beauty stands in the living room and will surely become a conversation piece for anyone who enters. It definitely has made me happy. It is just quirky enough to stand out but elegant enough to blend in with the other pieces in the room. Gee, I love this clue hunt especially when it brings stuff like this!
The weather did not cooperate with plans of a bit longer hike with the old dog. He had a good night and I thought perhaps he might wish to amble about the place. Instead, a steady rain put a nix on that idea. I did manage to slip out to the greenhouse to putter for a while but he stayed on his warm bed which was probably for the best.
Just beyond the greenhouse, stands a live oak tree. It was a small limb that caught my eye this rainy day. The branch had been broken in the recent winds and landed squarely on the back deck of the greenhouse. What made it interesting was the fact that it was covered with moss and had a lovely little fern growing where a twig had once been trimmed. It did not take long for this chunk of wood to capture the imagination and send those wheels in the brain to flying. I could use this! If it is at all possible to keep this whole little "garden" alive until October, it will be perfect to use as a prop for this year's Clue Hunt on the Bayou! (Yes, that event is always on the forefront of my brain as preparations begin in January of the event of the year that happens in October!) This year's theme calls for the greenhouse to be transformed into a swamp witch's hut. Mosses, ferns and lichens will all be needed to do the deed! In a sense, I will be landscaping my greenhouse!
The wildly flying imagination could see just how the transformation will take place. It has to begin now so each part looks perfectly natural. My plan is to be on my own clue hunt of sorts as I search out each item that will soon be growing in the little hut! This make believe world will probably be my favorite yet since the onset of the clue hunt some seven years ago! (Oh, my! It is hard to believe that this will be the Seventh Annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou!! Fun times!) So...rainy weather is my friend. It will aid me in my efforts to transform the greenhouse into a moss, lichen and fern covered dwelling! What an undertaking this will be and, to think, it all started with a fallen branch!
