BirdFest 2010
This past weekend began with Habitat for Humanity’s awesome Annual “BirdFest”. One of their largest fundraisers for the year, and an event that I haven’t missed since…well, since I graduated from college and moved back home. I love attending this fun evening shindig, I love supporting the cause, I love that the community comes together over the delectable restaurant samplings, and local artwork featured in a live and silent auction…It’s just a nice evening out, and this year my husband and I were able to attend child-free! One of my sister’s amazing friends watched our little man so we could have a few adult hours together with friends and family.
Being pregnant, I nibbled on lots of everything, but also being pregnant I started with dessert! Divine cake squares from Dewey’s Bakery, brownie nibblets, ice cream from Ben & Jerry’s…then I sampled the beef, cheese & crackers, pasta and mexican fare. Everything was scrumptious, as always. hunger satisfied, I was able to stalk the auction tables, feasting my eyes on all of the wondrous items created and donated especially for this event. I made my way round the spread of goodies selecting my favorites and signing my name, auction number and bid (hoping I would be able to remember which things I needed to keep an eye on as the night progressed…it seems that I lose partial brain function and memory capacity while pregnant). And I set my sights on a beautiful pastel that would come up in the live auction – the main event of the night. I am an art lover – I love looking at it, I love doing it, I love buying something special and unique and hanging it on our home to enjoy. My husband lets me indulge in this love of mine, which is wonderful except for the fact that I’m running out of walls!!! I may have to start hanging things gallery style – paintings above paintings and besides other paintings, and sculpture on free surface areas…I told my husband I’d like a gallery built out back, but he said no. We like our yard space too much to give it up for another enclosed structure. Ah well, such is the plight of an avid art lover & collector!
Our local news anchorman is the emcee for the evening, he always makes things fun and keeps the auction rolling. Plus, as he did add this year – he does have killer anchorman hair! He announced the this was the first year the party had ever run out of bidder paddles, which is neat, but I definitely didn’t see everyone using their paddles during the auction. I completely understand, money is tighter with everyone, and it looked like a lot of the “high rollers” that usually we usually see in attendance weren’t present that night. But My mom, sister and I tried hard! We gave it our best and bid on some fabulous sculptural pieces and my coveted pastel.
The pastel was one of the final three items up, so I had to be patient, but as Matt and I bid, I kept checking to be sure he’d stop me if the number went too high. It didn’t, which is unfortunate as I’d love for Habitat to rake in as much moola as possible, but I’m excited that we have a lovely new piece that will hang in a place of honor in our basement as soon as the renovation/remodel is complete. It’s a beautiful landscape scene – Tuscan hillsides covered in fields of flowers with the essential Italian villa peeking through the trees. Things like this catch my eye because Matt and I honeymooned for two weeks in Italy: Venice, Florence and Rome. It was a huge surprise for me, I’m amazed that everyone in our families kept their mouths shut for so long, but I was completely unaware of our destination until mere hours before we departed for the airport! I didn’t even know Matt had a passport! Anyway, I digress…but I was enthralled with our trip, the culture, the food, the landscapes and I CANNOT wait to return someday for another adventure! This pastel reminded me of our day trip to Tuscany and the beautiful villa we lunched at…and I’m excited that that is the happy memory I’ll have every time I see it.
I had to leave the party as soon as the auction was over, as our son wasn’t feeling 100% perky and I promised our sitter one of us would be home by 10. If Matt stayed, he could help keep an eye on the silent auction pieces and load up our treasures and spend a little more time hanging out, which is fine.
He helped me win a beautiful stained glass sunrise piece that I will definitely have to post pictures of (as soon as I can figure out how to do that). I hope to hang it in my soon-to-be art room (also located in the remodeled basement). And all in all, it was a much needed night out that benefited a worthy charity.
