Sunday, August 30, 2009

Tablescapes

Yesterday I was the guest speaker at a luncheon in Wayneville. This yearly fundraising event put on by the women of Grace Episcopal Church is called "Tablescapes" and it featured some of the best-dressed tables you'll ever see. The one in the picture above was on the theme of my first book Signs in the Blood and it included a blood-red centerpiece, tiny plastic snakes (a nod to the snake-handlers,) earth-colored excelsior as a stand-in for the soil of Full Circle Farm, and a New-Age-ish mobile over the table to evoke the Star Children's cult. And there were packets of herb seeds at each place.

The luncheon was well attended -- almost a hundred women. And among them was one long-lost friend from my high school days in Tampa -- there she is on the right below -- Elizabeth Neely. It's been almost fifty years but I recognized her at once. There were a number of other Florida and Tampa folks there and at times it was like old home week. Waynesville has always been popular with a lot of Tampans.
It's fun talking to a group of women like this -- they were a mixture of native North Carolinians, folks like myself from away who'd been there a long time, and newer residents who "got here as soon as they could," as the saying goes. I love it when I talk about my experiences getting to know my local neighbors and I love it when I look out at the audience and see heads nodding -- because they've had similar experiences.

Afterward, when I was signing books, one lady came up, thanked me for my talk, and said,"I really enjoyed listening to you. I feel like I could ask you over for coffee."

And I love that too.

(Click here for a web album with pictures of more gorgeous tables with their amazing decorations. The quality of my photos is pretty mediocre -- I was zipping around and snapping pictures and talking to people and though I tried to get all the tables, one or two came out way too blurry to keep. But they were all beautiful.)

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7 comments:

Pat in east TN said...

Sounds like a fun event, and I really got a kick out of the beautifully decorated tables. Those ladies really put their all into them!

Tammy said...

Very imaginative! It sounds like the event was wonderful. There is nothing like fellowshipping with a group like that.
Tammy

KarenB said...

What a great idea! I love the tables. Were they all based on books or did some of the themes come from other ideas? And how fun to reconnect with an old friend! A lovely bonus to your day.

Vicki Lane said...

It was lovely!

I don't think any of the other tables were based on books -- though there was one that had a copy of ...and Ladies of the Club on it. There were themes like Summertime (the table with fly swatters in a bouquet), Fall, Picnic, Modern, Christmas, Herbs,and Seashore -- to name a few.

Margie’s daughter Leiny said...

Vicki that sounds really great, the tables, the women, history and your books all mingled sounds like a story in the making. The tables look incredible. I missed a few of your posts and enjoyed catching up with a cup of tea. You have a wonderful way of capturing moments. Hugs, Margie.

Tess Kincaid said...

What a lovely day!!



(I'm feeling better...I want to go for a walk.)

Vicki Lane said...

Thanks, Margie! Tea -- there were several tables with a teapot theme -- most cosy!

Hi, Willow, So it was!


(You're not fooling anyone, you know.)