Just Visiting

Saturday provided me with the opportunity to go to the Berkshire Carousel as a visitor. I was pleasantly surprised and excited all over again, similar to my first visit about a year ago. But I was also an insider this time.

My son Dan, daughter Meg and grandson Hannibal accompanied me, and I gave them the grand tour as I have come to know the carousel. My first observation was that something new had been added to the work space. Since Thursday, some thing new had been added; the shipment of the anxiously awaited rounding boards had arrived and were occupying the front section of the workshop. The boards, neatly cabled together,  are primed and ready for painting. These will hold lights, special paintings of life in the Berkshires, and large photographs depicting Berkshire County history. It will take a beefed up crew of painters to get these ready over the coming months. The mechanism on which the horses, chariots, and rounding boards will be placed is also scheduled to come soon. I have learned that soon is a non-specific word that means maybe later than sooner.

I was able to impress my family with what I knew about the rounding boards. Then we headed to the carving area. There were probably about fifteen volunteers working on some of the projects that had begun weeks ago, that were also worked on by me and others of the weekday crews. It is impressive that there is such continuity from one group of volunteers to the next. Several of the Saturday workers had been there on Thursday with me moving forward on projects that were dear to them, the horse Magic, and the donkey, Missy.

My family enjoyed meeting some of my co-workers, and they in turn were happy to meet Hannibal. He put up with their funny faces and sounds, smiled as only a 7 month old can, and won their hearts.

We looked over the carcasses of Malinda, Rusty and Thunderbolt, all still being worked on. Dan and Meg remembered reading about them in my previous blogs, and then we went back to the front of the shop and explored the finished horses. We observed the things that made the horses different, flowers, a cat or dog nestled behind the saddle, decorous blankets and bridles. Then it was Hannibal's chance to shine as we perched him on one horse and took pictures, and then on another horse. He seemed to fit, but had trouble holding on by himself. Maybe next year, when the Carousel is actually up and running.

The real difference this time for me was that I have been part of the project for a few months. I felt a great sense of pride in the accomplishment of all the volunteers, and I enjoyed showing off their/our work. The wonder of my first visit when I felt like I would like to be involved had turned into a new wonder that I have been involved in a world of carving and painting that is wonderful for me and for my family, and for so many others.