Don't you think I look like I belong here?
Soon enough, Great Gatsby weekend was upon us. Jim played the role of Maytag washer salesman. He did a great job!
Given his teen years' experience, he had lots of folks ready to buy!
It is difficult to believe this is the same man who depends totally on a laundry fairy at home!
During Gatsby, I was a "living history" tour guide, interacting with "members of the Pope family, their guests (Rudolph Valentino for example) and servants.
The festival was great fun. The community got involved, coming in costume, bringing picnic lunches, etc. Overall, it was a grand experience!
After Gatsby was over, costumes had to be cleaned, repaired, and readied for storage. Following that, I continued to guide tours of the Pope mansion and occasionally to participate in other living history events such as "Afternoon with Anita". My role was "maid" facilitating Anita's talk and serving "tea".
This photo was taken in the costume room, one of the unrestored rooms in the Pope mansion. Note the width of those horizontal pine boards.
One of our roles for this presentation was to serve tea.
Lynn Sommerfield played the role of Anita Baldwin, daughter of Elijah "Lucky" Baldwin, founder of the Tallac Historic Site.
Another living history event was "Vintage Vatican". The Pope's named their "cottage" Vatican Lodge, playing on the Pope name. During vintage Vatican, Mrs. Pope greeted guests, treated them to a tour of the home, and served snacks and champagne. My role for this event was Zelda Sayre Fitsgerald. (Jim said I would be an aging Daisy--he was correct!)
After preparations were made, (Betty Lawler)
our guests arrived in style...
including our guest of honor. Champagne was served by Faison.
Zelda and Mrs. Pope chatted with the guests.
Mrs. Pope made an early departure to attend a meeting.
A good time was had by all.
Among the friends we made were the Thornbergs, Bob and Leilani. They were in the Tallac campsite with us. Bob is a banjo maker and was set up in the artist's cabin to demonstrate his craft. We had fun together and enjoyed evenings spent on the Indian Cabin porch watching the sunset colors over the water.
We even managed a little "music making".
In addition to our "duties", there was the excitement of an artifact find. Protocol was followed, the find recorded, someday to be displayed.
Following Gatsby, routines changed a bit and there were new chores to be done. Jim elected to work in the blacksmith shop.
Soon he was bringing me key fobs and hooks on which to hang them so that I will have a designated spot for keys. He is a practical romantic!
After being his "helper" for a afternoon, I decided to get into the action.
I soon discovered why they call it BLACK smithing!
I had one additional role to fill at Tallac. I was able to present two Harp Concerts on the porch of the Pope mansion.
The view through the glass of the Indian Cabin (one of our favorites) is especially nice.
We managed to get in one touristic adventure. We took the Tahoe Queen across the lake to Emerald Bay. A lovely excursion!
The water is beautifully blue.....
and Emerald Bay predictably green.
..a great cruise!
Near the end of our sojourn, we were treated to a field trip. Our group chose to go to the "arborglyphs" in the aspen groove at Spooner Summit. We had a grand time finding the glyphs left by Basque sheepherders. Many date from the 1930's. Some were names and dates, some were drawings, and some depicted sexual yearnings. All were interesting!
One of my favorite things to do here was to sit on the porch of the Indian Cabin or the Pope mansion and watch the sun set over the water. It was even better when we were accompanied by friends!
Overall, this gig at the Tallac Historic Site was wonderful. We got to do new things, met great new people, and made long lasting friendships. Volunteers gain so very much from their experiences!
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